Foal report in extraordinary inspection year

During the foal inspections of this unusual inspection year people were eagerly looking forward to the foals of the stallions approved in 2018: Matthys 504, Teun 505, Ulbe 506, Yme 507 and Willem 508. No Wardy 509 foals appeared at the inspections. An analysis of results and short descriptions of the KFPS inspection of this first crop of foals provide guidelines for breeding.

Five stallions presented their first crop of offspring in the past inspection season. Since this has been an extraordinary year, the number of inspected foals is lower than in previous years because foal inspections took place at a later date. Probably more pre-selection took place before entering foals, which is something that may influence the overall picture. For the interpretation of numbers it must be taken into account that some stallions get more opportunities than others when it comes to the quality of serviced mares, and that the percentage of inspected offspring shows considerable variation.
For instance Ulbe 506 and to a lesser degree Matthys 504, was offered a conspicuously lower percentage of Star dams (see diagram) than the other stallions. Relatively few Ulbe 506 and Willem 508 foals were inspected (17 and 8 respectively). No Wardy 509 (Hette 481 x Goffert 369) foals were inspected.

Matthys 504 (Norbert 444 x Beart 411) had 54 foals inspected.
The Matthys 504 offspring have satisfactory development, longlined conformation is more than satisfactory with average length of legwork and often downhill body shape. They are breed-typical foals with lots of front: long, vertical neck conformation (sometimes with under-neck) and noble expression of the heads is satisfactory. The head-neck connection is not overly light or heavy.
Shoulder conformation is average, many need to develop more strength in back and loin section. Especially the flow of the back is often weak or even very weak. Croup conformation varies and the croups generally have more than satisfactory length. Legwork is dry with correct stance of the foreleg as seen from the front. Many have sickle-hocked hind legs.
The foals walk with satisfactory to more than satisfactory power and good length of stride. The trot is roomy and powerful with good use of the foreleg and usually more than satisfactory suppleness. The use of the hind leg of the foals presents a variable picture. Body posture has satisfactory uphill quality.

Teun 505 (Bartele 472 x Rindert 406) had 56 foals inspected.
The Teun 505 foals are generally well-developed with correct conformation: longlined,
with good proportions, most of them high-legged and satisfactory uphill body shape. Thanks to their noble heads and long, vertically placed necks these foals have a classy appearance. The head-neck connections vary but are not extremely light or heavy. In general, shoulder conformation has satisfactory slope. The back sometimes lacks a bit of strength. Strength of the loin section is satisfactory. The croups are long and mostly with correct conformation. Quality of the legwork is good. Seen from the front the foreleg generally has correct stance, occasionally toeing-out occurs. In most cases stance of the hind leg is correct but around a third of the individuals are sickle-hocked.
Generally, the walk of the foals is good: powerful with good length of stride. In trot they present a fairly uniform picture: more than satisfactory scope, power and posture and with satisfactory suppleness. The use of the hind leg of the foals presents a variable picture.

Ulbe 506 (Anders 451 x Anton 343) had 17 foals inspected.
The satisfactorily-developed Ulbe 506 foals are longlined, most have satisfactory body shape and frequently should be more high-legged. In terms of breed expression the foals
have strikingly noble heads and light head-neck connections. The necks have satisfactory length but would benefit from a more vertical build. Shoulder conformation is usually with satisfactory slope. Quite a few need more strength in the back. The loin section usually shows satisfactory strength. Croup conformation and length are average. Legwork is dry. Seen from the front stance of the foreleg is correct but sometimes toeing-out occurs. In most cases stance of the hind leg is correct but around a third of the individuals are sickle-hocked. The foals generally walk with power and display good length of stride in walk. The trot presents a variable picture in terms of scope, power and use of the hind leg. The foals trot with satisfactory uphill body posture and more than satisfactory suppleness.

Yme 507 (Tsjalle 454 x Bente 412) had 43 foals inspected.
Yme 507 has a batch of satisfactorily developed, longlined, often a bit short-legged foals, frequently with downhill body shape. The breed-typical foals catch the eye with their expressive heads and fine front with long necks and vertical neck conformation. In general, shoulder conformation has satisfactory slope. Weak backs are fairly common. Connection of the loin section is usually good. In most, the croup is sloping but we also see croups with correct conformation. The croups mainly have satisfactory to more than satisfactory length. Dry quality of the legwork is more than satisfactory. Front view of the foreleg is usually with a correct stance. This is also true for stance of the hind leg seen from the side. Most foals show satisfactory length of stride in walk and with more than satisfactory power. The foals demonstrate a uniform trot with scope, power, uphill body posture and great suppleness. Placing the hind leg forward under the body is generally satisfactory.

Willem 508 (Hette 481 x Folkert 353) had 8 foals inspected.
Development of the Willem 508 foals is more than satisfactory and many are high-legged. Body model and body direction are fairly diverse. The noble heads, for the most part with a light head-connection and long, vertically-placed necks, give them good breed expression. Shoulder conformation is predominantly average. Many have a weak back and in the loin section they present a diverse picture: some foals have weak loins and others are tight in the loins. Croup conformation is usually average and most croups have more than satisfactory length. The legwork shows satisfactory quality. Stance of the foreleg seen from the front is correct in all inspected foals. In half of the foals the hind leg is (very) sickle-hocked. The walk shows satisfactory length of stride but clearly needs more power. In trot too the foals should move with more scope and power. Many demonstrate a downhill body posture in trot. The foals show a lot of suppleness. The use of the hind leg of the foals presents a variable picture. Only relatively few Willem 508 have been inspected which needs to be taken into account for the interpretation of the report.

Note: With croup length we refer to the anatomical length from hip bone to seat bone.

Photo courtesy of Ingrid Truijens

As posted in the November 2020 KFPS Newsletter