Best in Show
Continued excellence in sport has kept the KWPN horse atop international rankings year after year.
By Jennifer M. Keeler
Pony Club rallies to Olympic stadiums. Tis success is no fluke: it is the result of unparalleled dedication by breeders and the KWPN to produce the best sport horse possible, generation after generation.
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“Te KWPN horse has been, and continues to be, so suc- cessful in sport because the parallel nature of the strictness of the selection and the openness of the studbook guarantee that we’re producing the best horses possible,” explains Scot Tolman of Shooting Star Farm in Spofford, New Hampshire, who has been breeding Dutch horses for 23 years. “Te KWPN is the
Merijane McTalley •
and is centrally located between Thermal, Los Angeles and San Di- ego. Owner and USEF Sport Horse Breeding Judge Merijane McTal- ley has been breeding KWPN horses since 1988, and she currently has six horses in addition to offering boarding, lessons and clinics at McTalley Manor. She is also an agent for frozen semen from top KWPN stallions.
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ocated in the Banning, California pass between the Big Bear and the San Jacinto mountains, McTalley Manor sits on 16 acres
ear after year, the Royal Dutch Sport Horse has proven itself as an outstanding performer and treasured partner for riders competing in all levels of horse sport from
only studbook that regularly and system- atically finds a way to include the top horses in sport in its stud- book. Te offspring of these top horses then funnel through our strict selection process, ensuring that future generations have the soundness, type, ath- leticism, and mental capacity for the very upper levels of dres- sage and jumping.”
McTalley Manor, Banning, CA •
www.mctalleywarmbloods.com
Charlotte Dujardin of the U.K. rides the KWPN gelding Valegro, the current world champion dressage horse.
Tis commitment to excellence has made the KWPN the
How did you become involved with the KWPN breed? I was a dressage enthusiast in the 1960s. I started with Thoroughbreds and then began looking at the various Warmblood breeds. I found Dutch horses while attending my first keuring as a guest.
Teir foundation mare Harmony and Merijane in 2007.
What makes the KWPN breed special for you? The strict standards for a healthy and easily trained horse.
What are the goals of your breeding program? We focus on dressage horses, and we produce one or two foals per year and compete one horse.
What factor is most influential for you in your breeding program? Choice of mare is the most important factor. My first filly’s mother was two-time reserve champion mare of Holland. I didn’t know anything about bloodlines at the time but I knew a good mare when I saw one, as I had been breeding Arabians prior to that. I followed up by buying her full sister the next year.
Fait Accompli MMW (UB 40 x Vivanta SHB by Sandro Hit).
If you had to pick a favorite horse from your program, which would it be and why? Harmony was my foundation mare so she holds a special place
in my heart. She is one of two American bred and born mares to achieve Keur, Elite, Preferent and Prestatie predicates. I believe
she is the only American-bred mare to have a stallion (offspring) to be approved in Europe. But Harmony is a heavy-type mare and with each successive breeding I studied bloodlines in order to lighten her offspring. She produced a lot of nice foals. I also knew that I needed another bloodline, so I went to the Netherlands and really searched until I found Vivanta (Sandro Hit x Wellington). It was love at first sight.
What breeding lines have been the most influential in your breeding program and why? Ferro—added ability to collect and no loss of presence.
What are some of the major successes of your program or what aspects are you most proud of? Becoming “Member of the Year,” Harmony’s successes, and also becoming a Silver-level breeder. I will really whoop it up when I attain Gold!
current number one ranked dressage studbook, the number-two jumping studbook, and the number-four eventing stud- book, according to the World Breeding Federation of Sport Horses (WBFSH). Tis suc- cess is all thanks to a roster of equine athletes that, year after year, are titans of equestrian sport. In 2014, just a few of these household names in- clude the amazing Valegro (Negro x Gershwin), who won not only the heart of a nation by earning Olympic gold for Great Britain with rider Charlotte Dujardin, but also of the world with his world record setting per- formances in the dressage arena. Not to be outdone, the legendary stallion To- tilas (Gribaldi x Glendale) changed the sport forever and now seems poised to reclaim his crown as king of dressage with Germany’s Matthias Rath. Jerich Parzival (Jazz x Ulft), who carried Adelinde Cornelissen to stardom and two consecutive World Cup titles, looks to be a key mem- ber of the Dutch team for the World Equestrian Games and may be joined by Edward Gal with his new star Glock’s Undercover (Ferro x Don- nerhall). In North America, Laura Graves is a relative
SPECIAL KWPN-NA SECTION Warmbloods Today 43
KWPN-NA Courtesy KWPN
Courtesy McTalley Manor
Lana Sneddon
BREEDER SPOTLIGHT
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