December 5, 2020
Joey Lems and Debby de Graaf portrayed together with Kai Galloper Sport Elite (Uldrik 457), the 100th Sport Elite KFPS horse
Last summer Kai Galloper (Uldrik 457 x Doaitsen 420) earned the Sport Elite predicate. The Star gelding, owned by Stud Galloper and ridden by Debby de Graaf, is the one hundredth Friesian horse who can now flaunt this sport title. So time for a little celebration in Berkel and Rodenrijs where Kai was presented with a beautiful KFPS rug.
Super nice and clever horse
The 9-year-old Kai Galloper – Studbook name Knillis V. Fan de Miedwei – has lived in the Stud Galloper yard for eighteen months now. He was bred by René Veenstra out of Star mare Tjikke V (Doaitsen 420), who’s also Sjouke 453’s dam. ‘When he arrived here he was Z2 level with one winning point’, says stable rider Debby who herself is Grand Prix qualified. ‘Within one year we’ve made enormous progress’, Debby states. ‘Kai is such a nice horse: he is smart, always keen to work and has a super mentality. I absolutely have a click with him.’
Kai is the stud’s figurehead
Kai is a great ambassador for Stud Galloper, Joey Lems says. ‘The figurehead of our stables. He showcases what Friesian horses can achieve in the sport. He has earned high scores in the subtop and in doing so has outdone lots of KWPN horses. That’s not just a boost for our own stud but in fact also for Friesian horse sports as a whole’, we hear from Joey, who’s in charge of horse sales. But not Kai. ‘No, Kai’s not for sale, he still has a long future with us.’
International Grand Prix
This year Debby is happily fine-tuning him still further and once the competitions start again it’s straight to the Inter II. ‘The step-up from Inter I to Inter II is pretty demanding with piaffe, passage and the one-time flying changes. Once familiar with the Inter II the transition to Grand Prix is smaller.’ To improve themselves Debby is taking lessons with Grand Prix rider Danielle Heijkoop, Joey’s girlfriend. ‘The ultimate aim is to ride international Grand Prix’, Joey confides.
25 Sport Elite Friesian horses per year
The Sport Elite predicate was introduced in November 2016. This 100th benchmark with Kai means that every year about 25 Friesian horses acquire this title. Before Corona we even noticed a rise in the number of Friesian Sport Elite horses.
In order to qualify for the Sport Elite predicate a horse has to acquire the Sport predicate in three disciplines, so in showdriving, driving and dressage. An alternative route is five 60% scores in the Prix St. Georges. Applications for the Sport- and the Sport Elite predicates for Friesian horses have to be handed in to the Studbook by the owners.
