As
the Friesian breed becomes increasingly popular in the dressage
world and beyond, coupled with the fact that, until recently,
very few Friesians have competed in open competition dressage,
an important question is raised.
Are Friesian bloodlines a reliable predictor
of the offspring’s potential for high-level competition?
This
is simply the last of three logical questions that Proud Meadows
has needed to answer to increase the value of the breed beyond
its traditional high status as a carriage horse.
Let’s revisit the historical
mission of Proud Meadows.
Click
each photo for larger view
Question
1 was: Does a Friesian belong in Open Dressage
Competition?
When Proud
Meadows first brought its Friesians into USDF
Open dressage competition we had to pass the laugh
test. The first reaction among many was to laugh
or sneer at “a carriage horse” attempting
to compete with the Warmbloods that dominate the
sport.
Thus
the Friesian had to prove itself equal to the
traditional dressage breeds, and we at Proud Meadows
made answering that challenge our first mission.
Once Sabine started competing with Jorrit in the
USA, it was apparent that at least one Friesian
was not to be laughed at.
Jorrit
has done more for Friesians in the minds of the
equestrian community than any other horse
Question
2 was: Are there any more Friesians capable of doing
well in Open Competition?
Our next task
was to prove that more than one Friesian could
compete strongly… that Jorrit was not some
kind of freak of nature. This became a long and
very discriminating selection process that taught
us that only about 20-25% of Friesians exhibit
the forward movement necessary for dressage. But
we did find a number of horses over the years
that proved the strengths of Friesians in competition:
Tjerk, Drummond, Rampart, Illiad (now at Prix
St. Georges), and, most important to date, Tinus,
our 4-time USDF Horse of the Year Champion, now
competing at Grand Prix.
Beyond stallions
Proud Meadows’ Model mare, Xanadu, was discovered
in California during USDF Open Competition. Sabine
observes that the mare’s sensitivity, rhythm,
balance and gaits are the equal of any great stallion
she has seen. Her unbridled recommendation of
Xanadu led us to purchase her as our Foundation
Mare.
We also helped
Jane Savoie, world-recognized trainer and author,
find a horse that could match her reputation.
This was Menno (“Moshi”), a seven-year
old gelding delivered in 2003. Jane has scored
extremely well with Moshi in his first year of
USDF competition.
"Working
with Proud Meadows it took a year to find my Friesian.
Given the difficulty of finding a good horse it
makes sense for Proud Meadows to breed a new generation
of Friesians with potential for high-level dressage."
"I am
impressed with the quality and accomplishments
of the Foundation stallions and mares in the Performance
Breeding Program. I applaud them for this bold
new step which will be a great service to the
serious dressage community."
-
Jane Savoie
Tinus’
great performances in competition and demonstrations
have proven that Friesians belong at the highest
levels of dressage
Our
Model mare, Xanadu, is the Program’s Foundation
mare, and is the equal of any stallion.
Question
3: The final question is: Can we reliably breed
Friesians capable of going to the higher levels
of dressage?
To answer this question our Performance
Breeding Program (PBP)
is designed to:
1) produce
offspring with a variety of bloodlines from our
horses that have proven themselves in competition.
We know there are other fine dressage Friesians
not owned by Proud Meadows, but we will begin
with ours for initial control and continuing management.
2) sell PBP
offspring to owners who will commit fully to train
and compete the horses, then to document the offspring’s
development and performance history,
3) validate
for the Forward-Moving competition Friesian the
generally accepted principle that equine bloodlines
do make a difference.
FOUNDATION
STALLIONS
FOUNDATION
MARE
PROGRAM
BREEDING MARES
PROGRAM
STALLIONS
Jorrit by Mark 232 Preferent
out of Hendrina 6648 Star
Tinus PM by Jillis 301 out
of Carilien 7386 Star
Illiad PM (Ids R.) by Bendert 281 out
of Jaeitske 8224 Star
Xanadu PM
(Wietske B.) (deceased) by Barteld 292 out
of Lenske 8811 Star
Bacall
PM, foaled
2000
by Jorrit out of Xanadu
Katrina PM,
foaled 2001
by Tinus out of Xanadu
Bogart
von Jorrit PM by Jorrit out of Xanadu
What
criteria do we use to admit a horse into the Performance
Breeding Program?
Stallions-
PBP Breeding
stallions must have competed successfully at FEI
levels in USDF Open competition. Thus our Foundation
stallions are Jorrit, Tinus and Illiad.
In addition to his impressive athletic ability,
Illiad brings the Classic conformation and an
incredible mane to the Program.
Mares-
Because mares cannot simultaneously compete
and breed, our first criteria requires a
knowledgeable and professional evaluation
of the mare’s walk, trot, and canter.
All gaits must be judged as excellent by
dressage experts, not necessarily by registry
standards. The second criteria is that the
mares must have spent time in dressage training
in order to show that they have the natural
balance, rhythm and sensitivity for dressage,
along with the temperament and intelligence
expected from a Friesian.
Xanadu, our Model mare, is the Foundation
mare, and her offspring- Bacall by Jorrit
and Katrina by Tinus- serve as our second
generation Program mares.
Bacall,
by Jorrit out of Xanadu, is our first-born
Program Mare. She s almost indistinguishable
from her mother.
Katrina,
by Tinus out of Xanadu, brings in a different
bloodline, and slightly different conformation
traits
Our Initial
Success
We
are very encouraged by the performance of Bogart
von Jorrit, the first program stallion to reach
maturity. In 2004, “Bogie,” trained
and ridden by Sabine, scored regularly in the 70’s
in USDF Open Competition, Region 9, Training Level.
We look forward to a full year of scores from Bogie
in 2005. His initial performance gives much hope
to the Proud Meadows Performance Breeding Program.
Beyond his scores we will critically evaluate his
aptitude for rapid learning and the pace of his
development toward the higher levels of dressage.
Sabine
says of Bogart,
"The first thing I noticed about Bogart when
I rode him as a 3-year old was his incredible
uphill balance in the trot and the canter. He
has that freedom in the shoulder so important
for extension. His excellent canter work, so unusual
in a young horse, especially reminded me of the
young Jorrit."
"In addition to his three
excellent gaits, Bogie combines the calm Friesian
temperament with good sensitivity to my aids.
In his first show he did not get distracted, but
stayed focused, and scored well. His sensitivity
and temperament are what make him so special.
Bogart has all the qualities anyone could want
in a good dressage horse, even up to the FEI levels."
FOR THE OWNER
OF A PERFORMANCE BREEDING PROGRAM OFFSPRING
It
is the intention of the PBP to sell all offspring
starting in 2005, except for a planned filly by
Illiad out of Xanadu.
Refer
to the Proud Meadows Sale section
for available foals.
What can
the potential owner expect of a horse
from the Performance Breeding Program?
1
Not
many horses will be available each year, due
to the small number of mares, so the owner
can expect to have a rare horse with proven
performance bloodlines
3
Owners
can realistically expect the grown horse
to have an excellent chance of receiving
FPZV registry awards, either Star or Model
for mares, and Approval for stallions. The
rationale for this expectation is that FPZV
favors proper dressage movement, and movement
is weighted heavily in the final selection
decision.
2
Foals
will be sold only to owners who have a demonstrated
commitment to dressage, and who will communicate
the training development and performance scores
of the horse as it progresses
4
As
more Friesians succeed at the higher levels
of USDF Open Competition, regardless of
farm or owner, the PBP can expand to include
more bloodlines from horses outside of Proud
Meadows
CONCLUSION
Why does Proud
Meadows make such an effort?
In
short, the answer is that Proud Meadows loves
the Friesian breed, from our first moment of seeing
one noble stallion in a fantasy movie, to every
moment with our first imported horses, through
the early successes of our competition and demonstration
stallions, and to the highest accomplishments
of all horses over the years. We express this
love by creating new value for the Friesian breed
beyond its well-known beauty, temperament, and
carriage horse tradition.
We
believe this breed deserves a place of honor among
all of the world’s great horse breeds, that
the Friesian is special in its own unique way,
and that those who come face-to-face with a good
Friesian know this to be true.
Sabine
says of Bogart,
