Last spring the Revised Stallion Selection Regulations were approved during the Meeting of the Member Council. In conjunction with the Stallion Inspection Committee, Inspection, Breeding Council, Board and MT everything has been scrutinised from A to Z. From the side of breeding people expressed the wish to give more stallions a chance. From a legal perspective we need to have more clarity. The Stallion Selection Regulations is one of the most important set of regulations of our Studbook because sires do have a huge impact on breeding. Since the financial interests are also very significant everything must be laid down in clear legal terms. This topic was discussed with the regions in a very transparent and open manner and several more points for improvement were raised.
The biggest change for breeders is that from now on stallions can be selected that did not make it to Star at the First- or Second viewing. Eventually every stallion needs to have the Star predicate, but some stallions simply need a bit more time to mature. It will be beneficial for breeding when more stallions get chances.
With the Presentation Days underway the stallion selection process is in full swing. Many hopefuls are still in the race and it’s great that everything has gone well again. It represented the first working day for the new Head of Training of the KFPS, Henk Hammers. This is well-known territory for him since he has been in charge of the same process for the KWPN for years already and he knows many people in the Friesian horse world.
It is a long process that goes on for almost an entire year and it’s understandable that at times the wider picture gets a little bit muddled. Which is why we try to give a helicopter view of it all with the help of so-called infographics, a good, comprehensible diagram outlining the chain of events in the selection course at one glance. Improvement is an ongoing process.
In the end it is all down to the Central Examination, when after ten exciting weeks it finally becomes clear which stallions are going home with that highly-coveted stud license. Many drop out, the best make it. And as is always the case, we all have our personal opinions on everything and we can always find some fault or other with every stallion. At the end of November we will know which stallions can boast a number behind their name. After that it’s all up to the breeders. Ultimately they are the ones who decide which stallion they want to use for their mares. Luckily, most breeders are confident enough to follow their own advice and opt for those stallions they think will lead to further improvement. That too is work in progress.
Marijke Akkerman
Director KFPS
