All five jumper stallions presented today successfully completed the spring performance test. As a result, these four- and five-year-old stallions earned the KWPN breeding license.

This year, the spring performance test was only open to stallions aged four years or older. As a result, it was not a large-scale event, but it has provided breeders with some exciting new options at the start of the breeding season.

Athletic ability
In the first group, Reflex vd Watermolen (Mees vd Watermolen out of Lalexta stb-ext D-OC by Connect, bred by Jan Greve) from Kees and Natasja Kleer and Ringo Starr (O'Neill van 't Eigenlo out of Elijanta stb PROK by Numero Uno, bred by Frans van Boxtel) from Egbert Schep presented themselves. “Reflex is a well-developed stallion, who is very easy to ride and jumps over high obstacles with great ease. He has a lot of athletic ability and gives his rider a good feeling,” explained committee chairman Wout-Jan van der Schans. “Ringo Starr is an impressive stallion standing at 1.77m, who despite his size is very light-footed and has a lot of blood. He is honest and cooperative, gallops with great balance, and always jumps with a lot of impulsion, bascule, and excellent leg technique.”

Good feel
Next, it was the turn of Harley VDL son Rebellion R.A.G. VDL (out of Charistia Z by Crawford, bred by Henk and Sannah Angenent) from Robert Rikkert and the VDL Stud, and the Lambada Shake AG son Rock Me Zsazsa (out of La Zsa Zsa elite sport-spr D-OC by Cornet Obolensky, bred by Gerrit and Karin Huisman) from Jan van Meever. “Rebellion R.A.G. VDL is an athletic, youthful, and attractive stallion who is very easy to ride. He can easily adjust his gallop, has a good attitude, and jumps with great control. He gives his rider a very good feeling. Rock Me Zsazsa is also a well-developed stallion who has progressed well in the performance test. He gallops with impulsion and ease, has excellent front leg technique, and shows a lot of effort when jumping. He is also very quick off the ground and appears to be very careful.”

Son of an Olympic mare
Finally, the five-year-old Patapsco (Diamant de Semilly out of Tequila by Campbell) earned the KWPN breeding license. This stallion, designated through the stallion competition, is bred by Jan Tops and registered with Black Horses, and is the son of Edwina Tops-Alexander’s Olympic mare Lintea Tequila. “I believe this is the first time we’ve been able to register a son of an Olympic mare,” said committee chairman Wout-Jan van der Schans. “Patapsco is a very modern sport horse with bloodlines. Nothing seems to hold him back, which was evident when jumping. He has a very good attitude, a very functional gallop, and jumps with a lot of impulsion, ease, and lightness.”

Characteristics
In the KWPN database, the full reports of the stallions will be available shortly. These reports will also highlight the strong points of the stallions at the characteristic level. This addition was made on the advice of the Breeding Council, following a two-year pilot project in which no points were given to stallions in the performance test. This change aims to provide breeders with more specific information about the strong and weaker points of the stallions.

At 12:00, the program will continue with the two dressage stallions and the awards ceremony for the previously approved Gelder stallions.

Overview page performance test