Together with the KWPN, HorseTelex organised an international congress for showjumper breeders at the KWPN Stallion Show. Present were over 140 breeders from all parts of the world. Among them top breeders such as Joris De Brabander (De Muze), Julius-Peter Sinnack (United Touch S), Cheryl Broderick (Ballypatrick), Patrice Boureau (Orient Express) and Roelof Bril (Darry Lou). A panel of top breeders talked about how they had built up a successful showjumping pedigree.

 

That panel included Harm Thormählen (Fein Cera, Capitol), Tom Brennan (MHS Going Global), Alexandra Lebon (d'Ouilly), Valentijn De Bock, Walter Lelie and Fred van Straaten (Belleamie-S). Each time, the panellists explained how they had started with a particular mare and how they had continued to build the line from this foundation dam.

 

Discussions were held with these top breeders and the other attendees on the basis of theses, which covered all current breeding topics. Everyone could then cast their votes using their mobile phones, revealing their opinions on these themes.

 

Below are the statements and the results of the votes. 135 attendees participated in these polls.

 

 

Statement 1: Only stallions that have excelled at the highest level themselves can produce valuable offspring. So: young stallions are a no-go!

 

Poll 1: I prefer to use:

1) An extremely promising young stallion: 18,5%

2) A younger stallion that has already shown some potential for the big sport 59%

3) A proven star of the international top sport 22,5%

 

Statement 2: There is no doubt that the mare is at least as important as the stallion. So, the mare should actually be as good as the famous stallion we buy the semen from. But this effectively means that the ‘ordinary’ breeder had better look for another hobby!

 

Poll 2: I breed my mare when she:

1) Has shown good ability and quality as a young horse 81,5%

2) Has excelled in sport 14%

3) I quit breeding my unknown mare and look for something with an extremely commercial pedigree 4,5%

 

Statement 3: The role of studbooks is changing dramatically: these days they depend more on breeders than the other way round. Studbooks will soon become service providers, leaving (almost) everything to the private initiative of breeders and stallion owners.

 

Poll 3: I think that:

1) Studbooks should minimize costs as much as possible (registration only) 17%

2) Studbooks are there to support breeders in a broad sense, especially with the sale of foals and horses 31%

3) Studbooks should take more responsibility and protect breeders from stallions that are, for example, not healthy or difficult to ride 52%

 

Statement 4: Stallion shows for 3-year-old stallions are still standard procedure. While we all know that under saddle, at an older age, we see much more and can make better decisions. Apparently, there is still a great need among owners for a podium for 3-year-old stallions. So, should we - against our better judgement - maintain that podium?

 

Poll 4: I find the stallion shows of 3-year-old stallions:

1) A valuable genetic and commercial opportunity and a beautiful event that I do not want to lose 79,5%

2) An old-fashioned phenomenon that studbooks should collectively put an end to by testing stallions at least one year later under saddle 17,5%

3) An unnecessary phenomenon because sport determines all breeding decisions 3%

 

Statement 5: Very high prices have been paid at auctions for high-quality breeding material in recent years. Breeders benefit from the large amount of ‘venture capital’ flowing into the sector. Furthermore, that ‘big money’ is being paid for very interesting breeding material that can contribute to genetic progress. The entire breeding industry benefits from this development!

 

Poll 5: Auctions of ‘sexy’ bred embryos and foals

1) Are a hype that is over once the hope proves to be a lot bigger than the result 34%

2) Threaten genetic diversity and the wallet of the ‘ordinary’ breeder 45%

3) Give acceleration to genetic progress and enable ‘ordinary’ breeders to participate in more professional breeding 21%

 

Statement 6: We never talk about it, but welfare is indeed the elephant in the room. To the outside world, which knows nothing about horses, we may seem like money-minded people doing things to young horses when they should be in the field. It is in our own interest to pay more attention to horse welfare.

 

Poll 6: Horse welfare

1) May be a relevant issue for riders, but not for breeders 1%

2) Is not regulated enough in the breeding world, think about icsi and training horses at too young an age 16,5%

3) Is for me something important that I take into account in my personal practice 82,5%

 

Statement 7: Prize money in international show jumping has increased extremely in recent years. For riders, they are an important part of their income. Meanwhile, the vast majority of breeders lose money on breeding future stars. We should do everything we can to make the FEI, Longines and Rolex realize that part of the prize money should flow to the breeders who have made all this possible.

 

Poll 7: Breeders' premiums are

1) Not that important, a utopia, they were never there anyway 9,5%

2) A moral obligation of sponsors, who should set aside a small part of their budget 20,5%

3) So important that they have to happen anyway (task of the studbooks) 70%

 

 

To find out more about the attendants of this congress, we also asked:

What is the main reason you breed?

1) Selling foals and embryos 14%

2) Building up a dam line 33,5%

3) Producing my own sport horses 52,5%

 

Conclusions

As HorseTelex, we draw the following conclusions from this survey. First of all, the respondents (those present at the congress) are, for the most part, professionals (more than half of them breed for their own use, i.e. to bring out themselves later in the sport). This professional group of showjumper breeders overwhelmingly do NOT choose the big, old names (the proven sires) as partners for their mares. They prefer young stallions.

These breeders think it is enough if a broodmare has shown her potential at a young age. They feel that studbooks do still have an important role to play. The vast majority of visitors to the congress stick to the existing stallion shows (i.e. with 3-year-old stallions). It is also striking that a large majority has reservations about commercial auctions of foals and embryos. Finally, an overwhelming majority considers horse welfare to be a private matter and almost all respondents strongly support the establishment of premiums for successful breeders.