JUMPER COLLECTION BORCULO: CONFORMATION AS A PRIORITY
Aug 23, 2021
Floris van Leuken en Pieter Jan Berkers were on the hunt for a strong collection. They hit the road with one mission in mind: to select foals with an exquisite pedigree, good model and elastic movement mechanism.
Damline is important
Pieter Jan explains why the damline is very important when it comes to selection: “The damline is the vital to us, this forms the expectation value of the foals. The mare and her breeding thus greatly influence our choice in selecting the foal. It gives us additional information if the real mother is with the foal. We want mares with a good conformation and an easy manner of movement. The opportunity to look at the dam is certainly of added value to us.”
The best from the Netherlands
There are a lot of foals ‘bred from Dutch Soil’. Is there a focus on Dutch-bred foals? Floris; “Foal Auction Borculo is originally an auction that provides the Dutch breeders with a platform to sell. You currently see many auctions auctioning foreign blood, which is in demand so easy to understand. However, as an auction you want to stick to your image and offer exclusivity. For that reason, we try to select as many foals from Dutch descent as possible. That concept is catching on internationally and besides, the Dutch breeders have interesting material. In many auctions you see a comparable list of sires, we as the selection committee of Foal Auction Borculo try to remain our own identity and offer a wide range, including foals by young interesting stallions. So far, we have selected foals by 27 different sires and we are quite proud of that.”
Conformation as a priority
Pieter continues: “Buyers must be able to trust blindly that they buy a correct foal at Foal Auction Borculo. Conformation is therefore very important to us. The correct stance of the hooves and legs, they have to be built uphill with a good top line. The canter is powerful, supple and with abundant ability to collect and extend. The trot must not be underestimated, it displays the elasticity of the foal.”
Tailored selection
Since the auction will be held online, the committee tailored their selection. Floris: “The online auction brings on new opportunities and we expect the international customerbase to expand. It is easier to buy a foal for buyers and nearly every auction is going online, which is another advantage. A solid collection and good marketing will make the difference this year. The bar was already high, but maybe we have set it even higher this year, primarily when it comes to sport in the damline.”
The auction is organised online on August 24. Browse the entire collection here.