Ad and Willemien van den Tillaart recently handed over their breeding program, VDT Horses, to their daughter Paula, who continues her father's life's work at her own facility in Vorstenbosch, Brabant. How did Ad make his breeding program a success both in sports and business, and how does Paula plan to carry it forward? According to Ad, breeding good products and selling them is not a matter of chance. "You have to eliminate the factor of luck as much as possible, and customers don't just come knocking at your door."

Ad van den Tillaart, breeder of KWPN stallions such as Osmium (s.Ferro), Improver VDT (s.Apache), Pontiac (s.Total US), many elite mares, two elite and two preferente mares, proudly waits for us at his daughter Paula's address. Although he and his wife Willemien still keep several broodmares at their own facility in Zijtaart, the business has been Paula’s for some time. Together with her partner Dirk Geenen and father Ad, Paula takes us on a tour of the pastures.

Horses and sheep
Paula and Dirk live in Vorstenbosch, where they also run their company, Natuurgrazers Landschapsbeheer, which manages nature reserves and public green spaces with their flock of Kempisch Heath Sheep. Additionally, they have taken over the breeding operation of VDT Horses. The combination of sheep and horses turns out to be a good match for naturally maintaining the horse pastures. Paula and Dirk planted a long avenue of walnut trees from the meadow to the stable, ensuring plenty of shade for the horses. "We prefer the horses to stay outside as much as possible. We planted herb-rich grasslands when we started here. Since the soil is dry, we chose deep-rooting grass species, herbs, and clover," Paula explains. "At first, we were nervous about whether the horses would appreciate it," Dirk laughs. But it turns out the horses are doing well with the new greenery. "And what the horses don't eat, the sheep graze later."

First foals in Vorstenbosch
In the pasture next to the house, three mares with their foals are grazing: Olympia VDT (s.Romanov) with a filly by San Remo OLD, Marylin Monroe VDT (s.Totilas) with a filly by Dante Weltino OLD, and New Delypsa VDT (s.Glock's Toto Jr.) with a colt by Indian Rock, the first foals born in Vorstenbosch. Across the road, three more mares are grazing: a Sandro Hit and a Bon Coeur (both 2 years old) and a four-year-old Total US, all three bred from one of VDT Horses' star mares: Velvet VDT (s.Ferro).

The beginning: E-Delypsa
The preferent performance mare E-Delypsa (Calypso I out of Optik by Ladykiller) is the foundation of VDT Horses. Before this mare joined the stable, Ad had already acquired several mares and bred foals, mostly jumper blood from Germany, but the turning point came when he stumbled upon E-Delypsa. He found the Holsteiner mare in the Netherlands at a breeder who had purchased her for show jumping. "Her sire, Calypso I, didn't turn out to be a top show jumping sire but a dressage progenitor. So, the breeder wanted to sell her. When I saw her move, I was simply speechless. She moved with such elevation, really extraordinary." And so, in 1995, E-Delypsa joined Van den Tillaart's stable, and the breeding program shifted towards dressage. At that time, Coby van Baalen was making waves with the stallion Ferro, which prompted Van den Tillaart to use him. "The result was a big, strong, black colt. Jan Lamers, a business acquaintance through the pig trade and still a good friend, saw the foal at our place and wanted to co-own it. That’s how Osmium became half-owned by him." At three years old, Osmium was approved, passed the performance test with an 8.5 for dressage, and so the first foal Van den Tillaart bred from E-Delypsa was immediately an approved stallion. Osmium stood at stud with Piet Kuypers and won the Pavo Cup as a four-year-old under Nicolette van Leeuwen. The following year, he won the stallion competition and performed well in the selections for the World Championships in Verden. "Osmium was so popular, he covered over 300 mares that year. But about ten days before the World Championships, he fell off the breeding mount and broke five vertebrae. It was a huge setback."

Recovered
Osmium did recover but never returned to his previous level. The stallion was later sold to Ireland for breeding, where Paula and Dirk visited him. His most famous offspring is undoubtedly Buriël KH, who successfully competed in two Olympics under Swedish rider Juliette Ramel. Ad also owned Buriël KH; he bought him from the breeder and sold him again as a young horse. E-Delypsa produced many colts, but the three mares she had were always kept by Van den Tillaart: Velvet VDT (s.Ferro), Calypsa VDT (s.Tuschinski), and Delypsa II VDT (s.Wynton). Velvet VDT and Delypsa II VDT have been successfully used in breeding, both having produced a Grand Prix offspring. Unfortunately, Calypsa VDT passed away due to colic. Her line continues through her Jazz daughter, Grace Kelly VDT.

Velvet and new generation
Velvet VDT became Brabant and Dutch champion as a three-year-old in 2005 and turned out to be an exceptional broodmare. Her first offspring, Bestseller VDT (s.Ungaro), competed at Grand Prix, and she later produced no less than five approved stallions, including Improver and Pontiac for the KWPN. Goldfinger VDT (s.Jazz) and My Toto VDT (s.Glock's Toto Jr.) were approved by the DWB, and Ribery VDT (s.Don Juan de Hus) was KWPN appointed and approved in Oldenburg. Several of Velvet's offspring were successfully sold via the KWPN Select Sale to new owners in the Netherlands and abroad. My Toto VDT was the last offspring Velvet carried herself. He was sold through KSS to Helgstrand and is now stabled with Isabell Werth, with her student Theresa Friesdorf riding him. "Velvet became more difficult to impregnate, and we really wanted a filly to continue the line. So, we tried ICSI with Velvet. The following year, she gave us the appointed stallion Olympus VDT and a filly, Olympia VDT, both by Romanov. We were especially thrilled with Olympia; she was Velvet's first filly. That was really a celebration." Olympia was registered in the studbook as a three-year-old with 90/85 points and scored 85 points in the IBOP under José van Haaren. "We definitely wanted to keep that mare as Velvet's successor, and she’s now in the pasture with a fantastic filly." Later, a few more fillies were born from Velvet. This year, an Easy Game colt was born from Velvet via ICSI.

Foals are not sold
VDT Horses retains all young stock until they are at least two and a half years old. "We don’t sell foals," Ad states firmly. For preparing stallions, VDT Horses currently has a satisfactory partnership with Stal Wetzelaer. "All the young stallions go to Stal Wetzelaer. In principle, they are all for sale." The mares that go for inspection are all professionally prepared by Ellen Roefs. In the past, Van den Tillaart would keep a stallion for sport, but not anymore. He still co-owns two homebred horses currently competing. Kashmire (Governor out of Saranka V elite pref PROK by Ferro) is doing well in the Small Tour under José van Haaren. "That horse is a pleasure to watch and also a nice way for us to stay connected with the sport. We also have a young Negro at Agaath van der Lei's stable."

Competing with the Best
The connection to the sport is important for Van den Tillaart. "Breeding must serve the sport, not the other way around. We don’t breed for foal auctions, but for top-level sport." But what is most important in a good sport horse? "That’s the intangible quality. The rest is also important, but a horse must have the will to do it." The right mindset can only be discovered by working with horses. "We work with all our breeding products. You then notice that some horses, which may not have stood out as foals, can be very impressive as three-year-olds. If you ask me about my goal, it is to breed a horse that can compete with the best." Paula adds, "You don’t control everything, like where a horse ends up, but we aim to breed a horse with the capacity to do so."

Proven sires
VDT Horses uses proven sires extensively. Nearly all the mares used in breeding have passed a performance test. Ad: "The IBOP is an excellent indicator for us of natural talent. We only use elite mares in our breeding program. The mares must not only have talent but also be healthy. These mares almost all come from proven sires, such as Totilas, Glock's Toto Jr., Total US, Romanov, Jazz, Ferro, Apache, Sandro Hit, and Dante Weltino."
When Ad started breeding, the KWPN advised him to make the most of Osmium's success by breeding to him. He didn't do that, and he still doesn't. "We use the best stallions for each mare. It's important to maintain variety and keep searching for that perfect match. Of course, using fresh semen is a financial advantage, and you also get a good idea of the quality of the stallion from the fresh semen. But the primary criterion is that the stallion must improve the mare, not just fit with the trends. I believe in solid breeding. In the end, that produces the best products, not just the highest prices."
This meticulous approach has paid off. But success doesn’t come by itself. VDT Horses is active on social media and sends emails to interested customers. "We invest a lot of time and effort in maintaining a presence and keeping the business running. That’s not always easy," Paula explains. "The moment we stop working, we stop making money." As a breeding operation, they are now considering participating in an auction. "We’re certainly considering it because, of course, it’s important that your horses get into the right hands."

Something different, yet still good
At VDT Horses, there are also offspring in the pasture from stallions that may be less commonly used in the Netherlands. For example, two years ago, they used Sanceo (s.San Remo OLD). “I saw that horse competing at the Olympics in Tokyo, and it stayed in my mind. We now have a beautiful yearling colt from him.” Van den Tillaart also used the German San Remo (s.Sandro Hit). “That horse had limited time in sport due to illness, but as the sire of Sammy Davis Jr. and Sanceo, he has produced two horses that scored over 80% from very few offspring. Eight percent of his progeny compete at the Grand Prix level—stallions like that are rare. Last year, we used San Remo OLD on our Romanov mare, and the foal that is now grazing alongside her is a jewel in the pasture. I never tire of finding something unique that not everyone has, but that is still really good. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices, but to achieve something good, you mustn’t make concessions.” Another horse that Van den Tillaart chose was Total US (s.Totilas), after seeing him at the ‘Black Magic’ show at the KWPN Stallion Show in Den Bosch. “I really wanted an offspring from him, and now I have one. This year, we are presenting a beautiful three-year-old Total US mare for inspection, and Pontiac was approved by KWPN.”

A profitable breeding business
The love for breeding runs deep in the Van den Tillaart family, but they also keep their breeding business profitable. How do they do it? All horses are kept until they are at least two and a half years old. The best mares are used for breeding, and the stallions find new owners through various channels. Sometimes it’s via the KSS auction, but also through other means. Ad: “Keeping a horse until that age is an expensive process, but with a good three-year-old, you have something valuable. We don’t have our own stud farm, so keeping an approved stallion is difficult.” Paula: “We also don’t aim to keep them. As a breeder, you always remain connected to such a horse.” On their own website, which Paula maintains, you can find all the information about their breeding program, mares, stallions, and offspring. They also maintain good relationships with the buyers of their horses, both domestically and abroad. Ad: “If you do that well, one thing often leads to another. People need to want to come back to you when they are satisfied with a purchased horse. You have to put in a lot of effort for that. We always follow the horses we’ve bred and sometimes even visit them abroad. This is how we build connections with good riders, which are important when they’re looking for a new horse. You have to market your product; it doesn’t just happen. Your network and good after-sales service are incredibly important. And don’t regret it when a sold horse performs well. You should enjoy that.”

Few young breeders
Although Ad has handed over the business to his daughter Paula, they still consult regularly. Ad: “I’m very happy that the breeding is being continued. Sometimes you need a bit of luck. I just happened to come across a mare that put me on the map.” Paula adds, “And as a young breeder, I’m really happy with the materials I get to start with. I’ve learned a lot from my father in terms of knowledge, but you also have to invest time yourself. Watch a lot, read, listen to others. Nowadays, there are also many online databases with a wealth of information. I get a lot of information from KWPN.tv and ClipMyHorse. And of course, we still go out together a lot.” Ad is thrilled that his daughter is continuing the breeding operation, but he sees an aging population and a declining trend in the number of breeders. “That’s also challenging because it involves a lot, but it’s something we should discuss within the studbook.”

Making choices
Gaining and sharing knowledge is very important to the Van den Tillaart family. To this end, both father and daughter closely follow the sport, but they also regularly meet with a few other breeders in a sort of breeding club, where they discuss both the sport and breeding. Ad believes, “What the sport demands is what we should breed for—a highly talented horse that is pleasant to ride. In the past, being pleasant to ride was sometimes overlooked, but that’s no longer the case. Conformation should not hinder a horse: a horse must be correct, otherwise, it won’t have longevity. But a sport horse must mainly be functional and easy to work with. Of course, I like to see a beautiful horse, but conformation may no longer be the main goal. However, you should always try to maintain it.” Making choices is another lesson Ad has learned over the years. “If a mare produces several mediocre offspring, I say goodbye. Usually, they find their way into sport or serve as surrogate mothers. Breeding is emotional, and because of that, people often continue breeding with a mare line that isn’t good enough for too long. You have to be rigorous and select. Only move forward with the best.”

Text: Bettine van Harselaar
Photography: Jessica Pijlman and others