BEHIND THE BARN DOOR
Your KWPN-NA E-Newsletter for August 2018
|
|
Keuring season is officially underway! Be sure to read all about what happened where and who won what in our
"Reports from the Road"
, posted on our website
www.kwpn-na.org
after each keuring, now through September!
|
|
So this is what a "10" canter looks like! Congratulations to KWPN-approved stallion
Glamourdale
(Lord Leatherdale x Negro) who stole the show in Ermelo (NED) as he and British rider Charlotte Fry posted a final mark of 87.050 to win the 7-year old finals at the
2018 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses
. Finishing in second was another KWPN-approved stallion,
Governor-STR
(Totilas x Jazz) and Dutch rider Adelinde Cornelissen.
|
|
US Equestrian
has named the
U.S. Team for the 2018 FEI World Driving Championships for Singles
, August 28-September 2, in Kronenberg, The Netherlands. Two of the three horses are KWPN including
Makari Design
, the U.S.-bred 10-year-old KWPN gelding (Makari Jetsetter x Nerina by Fabricius, bred by JD's Equine/R&D Egan), owned by Jennifer & Milton Hamilton of Alva, Fla. and driven by Jennifer, and
Uminco
, Leslie Berndl’s 17-year-old KWPN gelding (Manno x Marinka by Waterman, bred in NED by F.C. Raats), to be driven by Jacob Arnold of Snow Camp, N.C.
In addition, the
U.S. Driving Team for the FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon
has just been announced, and all three USA drivers have teams comprised almost entirely of Dutch horses! Good luck to all, and remember, Go Dutch - the choice of champions!
|
|
|
|
Read all about this year's KWPN Championships!
|
It was an exciting month in Holland as the annual KWPN Championships were held in Ermelo (NED). Check out the KWPN's thorough & interesting coverage of all of this year's champions, including results, photos, videos, interviews, and pedigree analysis.
|
|
Bloodline Analysis: VERDADES
|
Looking for some interesting reading? Check out this super story in
Dressage Today Magazine
about Team USA superstar Verdades' somewhat unusual pedigree. Very interesting reading with great input from KWPN experts!
|
|
|
|
|
KWPN-NA Member of the Month
Ellicia Edgar, Spruce Grove, Alberta
|
|
Breed the best to the best: words to live by for every breeder, including our KWPN-NA Member of the Month for August, Ellicia Edgar. As not only a breeder but an active competitor in the high-stakes world of showjumping, Edgar understands the power of a proven pedigree behind a talented equine athlete. At her Valleyfield Farm in central Alberta, Canada, Edgar has made it her goal to breed and produce elite warmbloods for international sport, and has invested in top mares with impressive performance records up to the Grand Prix level matched with the best stallions available. And now, an enthusiastic Edgar will also graciously welcome the public and fellow breeders to her stunning facility in September to host her very first KWPN-NA keuring. Let’s learn more about Ellicia:
KWPN-NA: Tell us a little about yourself and your farm.
Ellicia:
I started breeding horses in my early 20’s with the intention of just producing something to ride for myself. As it turns out I am really passionate about it and it has become a big part of our business. I have been lucky enough to acquire a number of top sport mares to introduce in to our breeding program, and I feel that this is a huge factor in our success as we can offer strong performance records on both sides of our foals’ pedigrees. Our farm is located just west of Edmonton, Alberta (CAN), and we operate on 29 acres of beautiful riverfront property. I have always competed myself, and between my competition schedule, sales horses and the breeding, horses have become my full-time occupation. I started my own family last year and am expecting my second child in November, so the competition schedule for me has been on a bit of a hold but I am looking forward to getting back to in the saddle for the New Year. We have recently amped up the breeding program (perhaps due to the slowed competition schedule): we had 15 foals born this season and have 10 mares in foal for 2019.
KWPN-NA: What are some of your most recent or notable accomplishments as a breeder, or things you are most proud of?
Ellicia:
I have two horses currently in my competition string who I bred: a five-year-old and a seven-year-old, and both are looking like they could go to the top of the sport. I feel an enormous amount of pride every time any horse I bred steps in to the ring, but these two in particular are very special. One of those is our 2013 stallion Messenger VF (Montebellini x Darco). This young stallion has proven himself to be not only a great athlete but an exceptional breeding stallion. He was champion of the 2017 stallion test for Canadian Warmblood and we are very excited about his invitation to be presented at the KWPN keuring in September. Our 2017 colt Major VF (Contefino x Darco) finished in the Top 5 in North America for jumper type foals on last year’s keuring tour.
|
|
KWPN-NA: What is your favorite thing about being a breeder? What is the toughest or least favorite?
Ellicia:
The favorite thing about breeding has to be the foaling season – it’s like Christmas every day. The foals bring me and the Valleyfield team endless joy. Of course this goes hand in hand with the least favorite part of breeding; it’s extremely sad if one doesn’t make it or something doesn’t go as planned for their future careers.
KWPN-NA: How did you become involved with the KWPN breed, and what do you think is special about the breed?
Ellicia:
I became involved with the KWPN because of the high standard they hold their breeders and horses to. I am very focused on sport and the results don’t lie. When you see time and time again that the Dutch horses are coming out on top, I guess they must be doing something right!
KWPN-NA: Who was/is your favorite Dutch horse?
Ellicia:
It is hard to choose just one! Big Star would have to be pretty high on the list; Hickstead was such an incredible athlete and a Canadian legend for sure; and while I am not very involved in the dressage world, I would also have to mention Totilas.
KWPN-NA: This is your first year hosting a KWPN-NA keuring – why did you want to do it?
Ellicia:
This is indeed our first keuring as a host, and Kelley and Drew in the KWPN-NA office have been amazingly supportive and very helpful with the organization of this event. One of the main reasons for hosting is that we have a large number of entries ourselves, but we are also looking forward to seeing the other breeders in our area. It’s also a great learning opportunity by having the knowledge and experience of the KWPN judges at our facility.
KWPN-NA: Is there anything that people don’t really know about you or would be surprised to know, or anything else you’d like for us to mention?
Ellicia:
This past year my amazing farm manager Heather Boskovic and I have been taking some extra breeding courses. Our hope is to be able to do all of our breeding work and embryo transfers in-house. We are very excited about this endeavor and even have our first few breeding mares confirmed in-foal!
|
|
Thank You to our Sponsors:
|
|
KWPN-NA | 859.225.5331 | drew@kwpn-na.org | www.kwpn-na.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
