Going to See the Stallions - The KWPN Stallion Show 2016 By Cindy Smith
It was one of those bone chilling days in January when I decided it was best to retreat to my computer after the barn chores were done. A Facebook message appeared on my screen, “Are you going to the KWPN Stallion Show?”. The previous March I had ventured to San Juan Capistrano, CA for the KWPN annual meeting, and as luck would have it I met a fellow KWPN breeder, DeAnna Steuve Greulich from Wisconsin. Our mutual love of “all things horse” made us fast friends and DeAnna wanted to know if I was planning on attending the KWPN annual meeting being held consecutively with the Stallion show in the Netherlands. She asked if I would like to room with her and another welcoming breeder friend, Tracy Geller, since rooming options were limited. Any legitimate excuse I had had for not going was immediately thrown out the window. After dreaming about it for years, I was actually going to see the stallions! DeAnna and I took connecting flights to Philadelphia and met up at the gate. We discussed plans for our trip and happily boarded our flight to Amsterdam. Once in Holland, our plan was to catch a train to Amsterdam for a quick look around then city, then continue on to our hotel in s'Hertogenbosch. There were some frustrating moments when we felt distinctly like inept American tourists.
In addition to DeAnna’s overweight suitcase with faulty wheels, we were unable to locate check-in for the train. After suffering through some painful eye rolls from the train ticket attendants we did board the correct train headed to the heart of Amsterdam. Our hopes of visiting some popular attractions like the Anne Frank museum were quickly dashed by the locals who advised us we needed to have signed up weeks ago. Not to be discouraged, we began to explore the rain chilled streets of Amsterdam and wandered into the red light district. "Oh my!" The area lived up to its infamous reputation, and we quickly decided to catch the train to our hotel and get settled for tomorrows activities.
The KWPN of NA put together some terrific tours for us, including a fascinating trip to Flora Holland, the world’s largest international trade platform for flowers and plants. The huge warehouse was filled with millions of flowers of all colors, shapes and sizes being transported by a virtual cyber zone of motorized vehicles sailing through the warehouse at high speeds. The flower industry in Holland was impressive. That afternoon we headed to Zaanse Schans, a community of well- preserved Dutch historic homes and windmills.
As a group we were treated to a demonstration of local craftsmen creating iconic wooden clogs and a short cheese-making lecture. The guided tour offered an explanation for the attractive small homes we were seeing in Zaanse Schans and throughout Holland.
Wooden Shoe Shop
The wetland necessitates building a large foundation for each structure. With the high cost of importing construction materials, most homes are built on a small scale. Often, when Dutch home owners have a “good financial year�, additions are made.
Quaint shops within the community offered delicious cheeses and spreads, chocolates, cookie-like waffles called stroopwaffels, desserts and mustard relishes of every combination imaginable. We all taste-tested a variety of cheeses and treats, assessed how much we could stuff into our luggage, and grabbed our favorites for the trip home.
Our second day took us to the spacious KWPN Center in Ermelo with introductions of KWPN executives and a brief talk on Genomic Selection. The newest genome testing technology and DNA analysis is rapidly improving our ability to predict heritable characteristics in our horses. Dr. Harrison provided invaluable information on the most current happenings in equine reproduction. We received a guided tour of the exceptional KWPN center with its huge indoor and outdoor rings and modern design.
In the afternoon, our tour took us to the stables of the Van Baalen dressage family. Much creativity and thoughtfulness has been devoted to their lovely stables and training programs. Cleverly designed top hat dinner table lighting and a stall door opening directly into the meeting room were unique and tastefully done.
We had the great pleasure of viewing some of their talented riders and horses of all ages, with rides narrated by Marlies VanBaalen. Happy horses, professionalism and warm hospitality were abundant. Coffee, tea, treats and a distinctly inviting atmosphere from our Dutch hosts did not go unnoticed.
Day three and four, finally, The Stallion Show at Brabanthallen! As we arrived at the center, we grabbed our stallion catalogues, a headset for the commentary translation to English and hustled to our skybox seats. This became the routine for the following days. Wow! The Royal Dutch Sport Horse did not disappoint. What a treat, four full days of KWPN horses. The jumpers were a pleasure to watch and while not personally a breeder of jumping horses, with expert advice from Bart Henstra of the KWPN and fellow enthusiasts at the table, it became very clear on what to look for. Zirocco Blue VDL, Van Gogh and Verdi received the keur predicate, Dutch breeders were honored, there were jumping competitions at various levels and the Championship keuring for jumper stallions on the fourth day had us all in a heated contest to pick our top 3. There was much to like. If I had to pick a personal favorite, I consistently liked the offspring of Etoulon VDL. Keep in mind, I don’t breed for jumpers, so in addition to being able to jump, his offspring were often nice movers.
Etoulon VDL, (Toulon x Calvados x Le Mexico) Photo ŠPrima Equestrian
Day five and six brought the dressage stallions to view. There were some jaw dropping Apache offspring that were truly electric with amazing joint articulation
and elasticity. The winner of the dressage testing, Igor, an Apache son, had nothing unfortunate about him, except his name. He has been thankfully renamed, Indian Rock.
There were so many horses to see, I honestly can’t remember them all. It was fascinating to watch the various offspring of Totilas, the amazing Glock’s Toto Jr was a highlight. He appeared relaxed and happy in his work and was a definite crowd pleaser. Under saddle offspring of Ampere, UB40, Vivaldi, Johnson, Bordeaux, DeNiro, Chippendale, Charmeur, Blue Hors Zack and many more were paraded before us until my head was spinning.
Photo ©Prima Equestrian
Rousseau, Vivaldi and Johnson received their keur predicates, and there were numerous competitions with the offspring of stallions I had been anxiously awaiting for years to see. It was a bonus to have access to the stable area to view the stallions in their stalls, observe their behavior and conformation and watch some of them warming up with their riders. Riding styles were interesting and many of the horses were definitely on the “hotter” side. Edward Gal and Hans Peter Minderhoud were amongst a number of top riders from Europe riding some of the best known Dutch horses in the world.
Glocks Toto Jr. (Totilas x Desperados FRH) Photo ©Prima Equestrian
In between watching the stallions, we visited the trade show area and took home the ever popular sparkling browbands, bargain priced tack, KWPN merchandise and apparel. The food choices were excellent, whether you opted to stay at your table for a grilled salmon salad and a glass of wine or head to the numerous concessions, there was something for everyone. Many North American members opted to join the KWPN - NL which offered instant access to the Stallion Database and KWPN-TV with archives of the Stallion Show, inspection videos and auctions. Having been a member for the past year myself, it has been a luxury to watch the stallion show from home and research a stallion whenever needed.
Not to be forgotten were the terrific Tuigpaard (harness) horses, athletic Gelders, various performances including a 12 horse Grand Prix quadrille, musical freestyles and the auction of the 3 year old stallions. In my opinion, prices were reasonable for the auction horses, and I was relieved that I had no need for a nice young stallion in my barn. Several members of our group chose to stay on Sunday for an additional tour provided by the Dutch KWPN office which included the Van Silfhout stables and the impressive VDL Stud. That was another truly incredible tour, but we’ll have to save that story for another day.
With the help of my fellow horse friend, DeAnna, and all of the interesting members at the meeting, I laughed and had an enormous amount of fun on this trip.
Which provided an opportunity to put an actual face and personality to the people we’ve often befriended on FacebookSome good connections were created during the leisurely meals we enjoyed on our own. Unlike hasty Americans, the Dutch seem to savor mealtime and are never in a hurry. This all takes a little getting used to. Part of the enjoyment of the trip was having the ability to laugh at the not-so-great moments of traveling. One of us experienced a bit of food poisoning, and waiting for taxis, at times, was irritating enough to wear the enamel off your teeth. I unknowingly received $50 in counterfeit euros from the exchange desk at the airport. But no worries, what happens in Holland, stays in Holland. Sadly, on Monday, we had to head for home. The daunting task of DeAnna’s now bursting-at-the-seams singlewheeled luggage in tow (one wheel had literally snapped off) made it an epic return. Definitely many more laughs ensued. Bottom line, if you enjoy Dutch horses and the people who love them, it’s a trip of a lifetime, 5 stars.
As a group we had a lively dinner in Den Bosch .
Author, Cindy Smith