BREEDER SPOTLIGHT DAYNA GANT • Apple Lane Farm, Lancaster, MA •
www.applelanefarm.com
How did you become involved with the KWPN breed? I bought my first Dutch horse in 1991. He was born in Holland
but purchased as a youngster by Deidre Pirie, from Hamilton, Mas- sachusetts, to add to her string of four-in-hand Advanced driving horses. He ended up competing in a couple of World Equestrian Games and she retired him when he turned 12. I purchased him and began eventing him. I was probably the only person in the event world competing on a Warmblood back then! His athleticism, tem- perament and soundness were amazing. The highlight of our career was completing a long format three-day event at Preliminary Level in Bromont, Canada in 1993. No one except my trainer believed we could get him fit enough because he was 17.1 and a Warmblood. But we knew how fit the Advanced driving horses had to be so it was easy.
What is the primary focus of your breeding program (dressage, jumping, harness, etc.)? The focus of my breeding program is first, healthy, athletic, sound horses that are trainable, but I use horses with jumper breeding and jumping sport results.
How long have you been breeding KWPN horses? I began breeding in 2001, so about 14 years.
What makes the KWPN breed special for you? The KWPN registry has strict guidelines, which improve every
year, for what constitutes a great sport horse. The registry is con- stantly working on cutting edge technology to better understand horse genetics and breeding goals. One example is breeding out OCD (ostechondrosis, a type of joint disease).
Why should equestrians choose a Royal Dutch Sport Horse as their next mount? Athleticism, soundness, temperament and trainability.
What are the goals of your breeding program? As a small breeder, one to two foals a year and to produce healthy
foals—that’s just about all anyone can handle. And if they don’t have enough ability to go to the highest levels, then are they horses that anyone would like to ride or drive.
If you had to pick a favorite horse from your program, which one and why? That question is really tough because they are all special in their
own way. My husband (who doesn’t ride but handles the horses), my barn manager and I, we all agreed that Ketel One, or KK as we call her (Zavall VDL x Alexis Z out of Alexis Titty 11 Z, elite sport eventing) is our favorite. The reason is that she’s very talkative and affectionate. She’s a real character, even as a young foal.
What breeding lines have been the most influential in your breeding program and why? As an event rider, I love the success Judgement ISF had across
three jumping disciplines, big classes, speed classes and derbies, plus he retired sound. I have eight Judgement ISF offspring out of three different mares.
Chivas, 2014, in a 1.35M class at Blowing Rock, NC.
What are some of the major successes of your program or what aspects are you most proud of? There have been
many highlights! What I’m most proud of is assisting a mare in foaling out a healthy foal. Another is sensing a youngster’s talents and encouraging them in that direction. “The B boys,” Bono Sinclair and Bombay Sinclair, by Sir Sinclair
The 2015 filly Ketel One at home.
x Recruut (out of Ouija keur) are truly a delight. As two-year-olds they went to Mike Keatley, of Southern Pines, North Carolina, who trained them for six years. Harmony Sporthorses purchased them for Paul Maye to drive with the goal of reaching the World Eques- trian Games one day. In 2014 they won their first two Preliminary CDEs and then the Preliminary Championships with Paul at the controls. Another highlight is Chivas by Judgement ISF x Alexis Z (out of
Alexis Titty 11 Z elite sport eventing). I knew Chivas would be a great jumper and had grit. In 2010, as a three-year-old, he was the KWPN-NA Keuring Jumping Champion for studbook/star geld- ings. In 2011 he was again KWPN-NA Keuring Champion in the ISF Cup. When he was six, I handed the reins to Daniel Geitner of DFG Stables in Aiken, South Carolina and he’s competing successfully at the 1.40m level. Daniel says we haven’t hit his limit yet. Perhaps the biggest success so far is my mare Alexis. Thanks to
Chivas in the jumper world and his brother Cuervo in the event- ing world (another embryo transfer), Alexis has earned two points towards her prestatie predicate. Daniel has their four-year-old full sister Ghiradelli and he says she is more talented than her brothers, so knock on wood, she’ll deliver the final point. Alexis is still very healthy and KK is her last foal. I plan to ride her again and compete in low-level eventing, Beginner Novice, where our combined age will be most likely be five times everyone else in the division. v
38 September/October 2015
SPECIAL KWPN-NA SECTION
Cathy Geitner
Donna LeBlanc
KWPN-NA
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