After two successful embryo auctions Flanders Foal Auction is getting ready for the ‘real work’: the live foal auction on Saturday 3 July, for the first time held in the indoor hall of Equestrian Centre de Peelbergen. The collection features 30 jumping foals by 17 different, proven sires, all bred out of performance damlines.
“What to expect? The collection is very promising”, Luk Van Puymbroeck and Gerald Lenaerts assure us. “We do have to face a wealth of online auctions. Last year we used the same weekend and believed we were early in the season. Now many auctions have already preceeded ours.”
In any case, the breeders already know their way to the Flanders Foal Auction without fail. “The offer was staggering. We even had to pass over very good foals for our collection. We wanted to offer complete foals on all fronts: pedigree, conformation and movements. They have to be commercial horses with several options for the future. For the stallion selection, for the topsport, as hunters for the USA. Their canter is of extreme importance”, Gerald Lenaerts explains.
A foal that already shows a good canter now, well-carried and with balance, will normally also turn out well under saddle. “We can not breed riders, but we can breed horses that will fit many riders. There are riders that perform very well in the ring, but not everyone of them is also a good trainer. We have to take that into account in breeding. Working with a athletic horse, that can can lengthen or shorten its stride, is a lot more pleasant than one that first has to be thoroughly trained to achieve the same. The fact is that the number of riders that want to invest their time in more difficult horses is dropping.”
With a Flanders foals, you will do well on that score. “We offer really special foals. Three by Emerald, for example, including a pinto. Not only a special color, but also a really good foal. One Emerald is out of a 1.50m level showjumping mare by Heartbreaker. We have three very handsome Balou du Reventon’s, one out of the half-sister to Emerald and one out of a daughter of the top mare Larthago. We offer four Chacco Blue’s, one out of the dam of Carrera VDL who is making a name for himself in breeding. Another interesting one is the Cornet du Lys out of the full sister to George Z with Usha van ’t Roosakker as grandam. Fantastic movements are displayed by the Diamant de Semilly out of the half-sister to Plot Blue and Oklund. And did you already see the very modern Carthago x Calvino Z?”
The auction will take place during the CSI2* showjumping weekend at De Peelbergen and will start at 20.00 hours. Clipmyhorse.tv caters for the live streaming. Bidding can be done live, online and by telephone.
www.flandersfoalauction.be