As it stands now the KFPS Member Council will not be downsized in the short term. This is the most prominent outcome of the General Meeting of the Member Council which was held in Putten on May 23rd. The idea to downsize the number of representatives of the Member Council had come from its own ranks because this was expected to increase efficiency and attention to detail. The Board was commissioned to look into this matter and subsequently presented a motion to downsize the number of representatives from three to two. However, on second thoughts the Member Council is not in favour of such a reduction. The most important reason is the general feeling that a smaller Member Council will make it more difficult to staff internal committees. Vice-Chairman Pieter Tuinman countered that a Member Council consisting of 27 dedicated members should be sufficient to form a Confidential Committee (with 5 members) and a Finance Committee (with 3 members), but he could not persuade the Member Council.
Three new Preferent stallions? Also on the agenda were the regulations for Preferent status of mares and stallions. From now on Preferent Studbook and Foal Book mares will also bring in points for Preferent status. This is a minor but rather essential change which will not greatly increase the number of Preferent mares. Probably the most conspicuous consequence is that the mare Pyrrha fan Synaeda owned by Anne Oosterbaan from Tzummarum is now in the books as a 13* Pref. mare which makes her the leading lady with the highest number of Preferent points. The proposed amendment for the stallions certainly kicked up more dust. This change has kept the Breeding Council on its toes for two years and it took two General Meetings of the Member Council to reach a decision. With this change it is no longer possible for fluctuations in the number of services to affect the Preferent status of stallions. Economically trend-proof we like to call it. Incidentally, this also means that the emphasis will be slightly more on quality than quantity when it comes to a stallion´s Preferent status. The stallion who obviously stands to gain from this change is Heinse 354. Heinse 354 is widely known for passing on his qualities but also had his limitations in terms of fertilisation. He stands a fair chance that the change in regulations will win him the Preferent title. As with Heinse 354, the new regulations for Preferent status will also bring Fabe 348 and Beart 411 on board. All that is needed at this stage is the official ‘blessing’ of the Inspection. After all, when it comes to regulations the KFPS Inspection have the power of veto, but they will have to come up with really good reasons to keep these three stallions from receiving their Preferent status.
Inspection regulations The inconsistency of the quality in the category Crown mares during the last Central Examination was reason to review the selection policy for Crown mares. The decision has been made to raise the threshold for first premiums (up to the same level as applies to Star mares). Crown mares who have not obtained an invitation for the Central Examination will not receive a second premium and this result will not be publicised on, for instance, the studbook certificate. This is because a second premium in fact equals a downgrading for this group of mares. The representatives from the region ‘Blauwhuis’ wondered if this isn´t actually ‘turning a blind eye, for at the end of the day, breeding is a selection process?’ The region Mid-Netherlands disagreed. The ‘fear’ to end up with a second premium does in fact stop people from presenting older mares at examinations which again, is also harmful for breeding. Therefore they argued their case by wishing to extend these regulations to also apply to Star mares. And so on submitting this amendment they managed to win over the majority of the Member Council.
The (outdated) regulations for the Short Test were also on the agenda with a motion for an amendment. The Short Test will continue to be linked to the Central Examination (during the last two weeks) with the selection for the Short Test taking place on the first day of the Central Examination (arrival of the accepted Central Examination stallions) instead of during the First Viewing as was the case up till this moment. This means that it will no longer be possible to present the selected stallions at the Stallion Inspection in Leeuwarden before the date of the Short Test, as was common practice before. For a while the Member Council contemplated the option to place the Short Test stallions (after having been admitted by the Re-inspection Jury) under the wing of the Stallion Inspection Jury for the duration of this two-week examination. This is common procedure for the Central Examination, but after due deliberation the Member Council decided against it. ‘We don´t issue individual certificates. When a jury advises the Board about registration this advice is based on a stallion´s overall picture and not merely on the last part of the course, in this case the Short Test. After their initial rejection on the basis of lineage, exterior and sport aptitude you cannot expect a Stallion Inspection Jury to abruptly switch to a positive advice based on a Short Test (completed with positive results)’, Studbook Director Ids Hellinga explained.
The maximum age for stallions to take part in the Central Examination was put at 6 years. For one thing because an aptitude test for stallions older than six is not constructive but also to inform the foreign countries where stallions from this age category are quite commonly presented for this purpose.
Applause During Friday´s General Meeting decisions were taken on the basis of contributions from the KFPS associations, enhanced with some finishing touches by the members. And this is how it should be with a society like the KFPS. This resulted in an efficient meeting, for the first time chaired by KFPS Chairman Bert Wassenaar. And he did well. The Member Council gave the Finance Committee an applause for its policy. In spite of slack times and a (slightly) negative budget the year 2013 showed a nice positive balance of well over €30,000.-. The entry for office accommodation promises a financial windfall for the next few years. With this in mind the Board has received the go-ahead to continue negotiations regarding the rental agreement of the present accommodation. These negotiations also leave room to secure an acceptable price for the organisation of the Central Examination in the former Paardencentrum in Drachten for the next five years. Even though the First Viewing will probably be held again in Drachten this year, this is not part of the negotiations.
DNA tests Even though the present developments in breeding were not on the agenda, the DNA tests were briefly mentioned. By means of an incoming letter the Board received a request to reconsider testing previously approved stallions. But the Board once again indicated that focussing on stallions would not serve the interest of the Friesian horse as at this stage it could lead to a restriction in breeding. The aim is not to exclude carriers but to avoid risky matches. To achieve this it is key to have all broodmares tested. In the case of mares who are revealed to be carriers after testing, the advice from stallion keepers or the KFPS will make sure that no combinations will occur that may lead to foals with dwarfism or hydrocephalus. All stallions that will be approved from this year onwards will be tested and the results will be publicised. This means that in the long run all stallions will have undergone testing. By that time the testing of mares and the attitude towards carrier status will be commonly established.
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