In the late afternoon, the KWPN Stallion Show set the stage for the stallions from the 2017 crop. The Anemone Horse Trucks Stallion Competition Class Z was won by Merlot VDL. Under the guidance of Femke de Laat, the stallion received an 8.7 for the trot, accumulating a total score of 84.2 points.

Merlot VDL (Bordeaux out of Hyacinth-Vrouwe ster PROK D-OC by Florencio, bred by Fam. Klinkhamer from Sleen) had previously won all competition rounds with high scores. He was also the only KWPN stallion to participate in all three pre-selections, securing his victory in the competition. Merlot VDL was the only horse today to perform a test judged by the panel of judges, Marian Dorresteijn and Jacques van Daele; the other stallions were presented with commentary by Marian.

Willing horse
"What stands out most about this stallion is his elegance, lightness, and freedom in the shoulders," explains Marian, the winner Merlot VDL. "He is very willing, and the test is executed correctly. Due to the surroundings, he was a bit introverted at the beginning of the test, but as the test progressed, we saw that he started to feel more at home in Den Bosch. The beginning was therefore a bit cautious, but in the second part of the trot tour, he started to stretch beautifully from the hind leg. In canter, we saw two correctly executed changes, especially the second one was very well jumped. He can shift well and, for even higher scores, may develop a bit more power from the hind leg. This is a horse that is very pleasant to work with, was presented correctly, and is willing to work."

MvE for KWPN
Photo: Dirk Caremans