Finals

For exterior inspections the Central Inspection represents the absolute climax. It’s an event we all eagerly look forward to: who will become our new champions and which horses will make it to Crown and Model?’, KFPS Chairman Ids Hellinga begins his column in the September issue of Phryso. ‘A fitting moment too to take stock of the present state of our breeding. It’s also encouraging to see that the number of horses that have made the mark for the Central Inspection is still at an all time high. It’s evidence that the decrease in stud services of recent years has not harmed the top echelons of breeding. Now that prices are clearly on the rise again and stud services are expected to follow this development over the next years, we may safely deduce from these data that it is key to keep a very critical eye on which parent animals should be used for breeding. Our Studbook must unwaveringly represent a steady selection policy unaffected by economic fluctuations. And breeders are well-advised to do the same! To get a feeling for the state of affairs in breeding the finals for young sport horses are probably even more important. Especially now that the sport is claiming a growing role in the long-term objectives as described for the Friesian breed and her Studbook. This is in line with what has been discussed during the spring meetings, but the Studbook must make responsible choices. We are definitely not a sports organisation. The KNHS is the appointed institution for organising competitions and there are several competitions for Friesian horses. The KFPS’s prime core business is breeding and therefore all sport competitions under the auspices of the KFPS are always breeding-related. Consequently, these competitions are open to young horses for the purpose of assessing natural aptitude. Aptitude relating to the levels as formulated in the breeding- and sport objectives. Hence the often quoted misconception that for instance the results of the Pavo Fryso Cup should always be equivalent to the results in competition sports. We’ll say it again, it must be kept in mind that assessing aptitude is different from evaluating the perfection of a test. It certainly looks like a promising month packed with thrilling finals in Drachten, Ermelo and Kootwijk. Stay alert and critical, but above all, come to enjoy the Friesian horse and all that we have achieved together!’

As presented in the September 2015 KFPS Newsletter