FEC
Leeuwarden packed full with 9,000 visitors. There was not one
ticket left: a complete sell out of the house. On a grey
dripping drizzling rainy day barely above freezing
temperature, everybody came in warm clothes and coat: within a
few hours you would pay a fortune for a
Bermuda or a bikini. Smoking was not
allowed: it made no difference: the air was hot and
dry.
The show
started at 09.00 h, visitors getting in already before
07.00
a.m. to get the best places at the
ring.
Photo by: Hope Parr
The
first show started with the 3rd and final selection
session of stallion candidates. The first session had started
in Ermelo November 28-30th 2005: 370 stallion
candidates had been entered. 70 less than last year. It seems
that mainly the older candidates were offered in lesser
numbers. In 2004 the new selection style was introduced: free
movement in the “cage” and walking on the pavement. The
influence by the horse walker is reduced: a stallion has to
show his character:
is he enjoying movement? He must demonstrate his
qualities without the walker trying to embellish some short
comings. For example if the candidate has not a perfect step
the walker might brisk it little bit by starting the very good
trot as early as possible. The jury was probing for talent and
as always looking for new blood. The committee was
professional enough to accept some minor problems in very
young candidates: “if he is good enough he will survive in the
testing“ and this attitude is very rewarding for future
stallion selection. Better a candidate too much than running
the chance of losing a top stallion in the end. Two horses
were even accepted for testing, coming from quite another
route, being sport horses.
And
this, ladies and gentlemen, is the new tune of the
Friesian breeding goal: movement, movement,
movement.
The times of
breeding merely a black pretty horse are over: movement is the
name of the game and it starts with long
legs!!
In the
end the stallion jury, presided by (my former Friesian course
teacher) chief inspector Harry Draaijer, designated 29
candidates to go
for testing: Three competitors for the best trot: Olrik x
Abel; Onne x Feitse; Sape x Teunis was won by the Olrik son.
Several stallions got two sons accepted for testing: Folkert,
Fabe, Jasper, Onne (27 entered), Time and Sape (21 entered).
These new stallion candidates all are demonstrating the new type Friesian: a
elegant black very sporty and versatile horse with front and long legs. Not
one horse was showing the classic baroque friesian horse
physique with slightly massive body and lots of feathers.
Looking at the direction the Friesian breed I have the
impression the new jury rather starts pointing to a performing
horse based on the natural movement of a black athlete, trying
to keep or regain the typical Friesian traits like black
colour, lots of feathers in stead of working with a beautiful
black feathered horse and trying to insert movement and
performing qualities in it.
(So
anybody wanting that black athlete better start looking for
the new English version of the lounging DVD by Lammert Haanstra (to be released end 2006). In the
future lounging will prove to be the method of improving your
horse not by someone you pay to do it but by your self ! You
have a Friesian to enjoy and to work with, not only to pay
bills for!? )
The next
part was a show by stallions 13 yr and older with good
performances specially from Folkert , Fabe and as usual a
cracking Brandus(!) . A unique historic moment: two preferent
stallions Feitse and Leffert on the same show at the same
day.
Photo by: Hope Parr
Chronologically
the year classes were shown with numbers 1 and 2 allowed to
compete in the final showdown. In between a very good dressage
part: it seems a lot of Friesians are
banging at the door of high level dressage events like
the Grand Prix ! This is directly a result from trying to
breed horses with longer legs.
Sape 381
did not travel, there was word he was recovering from being
lame, so final
showdown for the fight at O.K. corral was between Harmen 424,
Haitse 425, Doaitsen 420, Arjen 417, Beart 411, Andries 415,
Time 398, Wikke 404, Teeuwis 389, Tjitse 387, Mintse 384 and
Jasper 366.
Now a little
story in between: in
2004 a breeder had been checking and checking
on the FPS website looking at the results of the freshmen of
class 2003: week after week a very distinct pattern started to
show: one stallion kept pouring first premie foal after first
premie foal: suddenly he discovered these first premie foals
numbers were almost twice the number of the next competitor!
As he realized this was the stallion he was looking for, he
succeeded by the skin of his teeth in getting two nominations
before the stallion was booked completely. In due time a
stocky fellow showed up at the farm, doing the Artificial
Insemination on two mares Goukje and Elfenroos. This was a
pleasant guy, however one could see he was working very hard
for his living and carrying a burden. In his car was a small
polite boy who tried to help his father by carrying his heavy
equipment and behaving very nicely. Later the breeder learned
the father had lost his young wife and was taking care of his
son and at the same time working long hours in the Friesian
stallion business. The 2005 covering season was not even
halfway, before this stallion was sold out for 2006! Another 2
nominations for 2006 already in the pocket of the breeder who
was doing his homework at the FPS
site.
So now
back to the Stallion Keuring 2006: Very good professional
performances by Andries, Time and Jasper. Doaitsen made an
impressive final run on the lyrics of Born in the
USA sung by Bruce
Spingstein. The audience loved it. After smoke had cleared up
only 4 fighters left their feet: Time , Jasper, Mintse and
Beart.
Mintse,
last years champion, made a very flashy run, lifting off in
floating trotting stretches longer than 50 metres. 9000 spectators completely nuts,
whistling, shouting. Jasper took up the challenge and caused
the audience to make even more noise in his classic Jasper
trot . These two guys were really packing it away: they had
the audience completely at their mercy. Boiling atmosphere,
not one seat empty.
No
living soul ever could imagine Time and Beart had the remotest
chance of surviving this solid barrage.
As 9000
people rise to a stand trying to witness the final stages of
humiliation of Time and Beart, in a split second, looking
across the arena I see a stocky man, still sitting with a
small boy at his side. It seems to me he does not dare to look
into the arena; his arm around his son.
As
silence set in Time and Beart made their runs on totally
different scheme: very cool, technically brilliant trotting,
sheer solid class. They were machines. Never ever out of
concentration, never ever out of balance. No flashy movements,
no hollow backs, no hacking of hind legs backwards into the
tail, no rigid necks. A fluent motion, relaxed necks, strong
powerful use of hind legs, nicely drawn under the body,
allowing the front legs to reach forward. The real professional
athletes we were looking for. (And I am convinced this
will prove to be the new breeding goal of FPS)
And so,
after 3 minutes it was over: The jury (Fetse Veldstra
presiding): “we fully can understand the audience wants Mintse
and Jasper, and we have to admit they did very well, HOWEVER
BEART WAS THE COMPLETE HORSE AND TIME IS HIS RUNNER UP. The 2006 champion of the
Friesian Stallion Show is BEART 411 and co-champion is TIME
398.
You all
have fun in the new breeding season
Harry
Voesten
P.S.
suddenly across the arena I see the public rushing to a sudden
point, climbing chairs trying to congratulate a stocky man who
holds his little son in his arms. It is Rudy Rienstra, co
owner of Beart, the new 2006 champion.
And
guess who is the breeder ordering in 2004 2 nominations to
Beart, now having two full papered mares Goukje and Elfenroos
solidly in foal to Beart and two 2006 nominations in his
pocket?
News Bulletin (updated 5-6-08)
