The 2009 Baileys
Horse Feeds/British Equestrian Federation (BEF)
Futurity Evaluations have witnessed a high quality
entry at venues throughout the country with
over 900 entries and 52 horses earning an elusive
and coveted Elite Premium, a good indication
that there are some exciting prospects for the
future. This series of evaluations helps to
identify British bred, young potential sport
horses that are destined for careers as dressage
horses, eventers, show jumpers, endurance horses
and sports ponies, and could discover horses
and ponies that become future Olympic or British
Team stars.
Entries are categorised by discipline with
age groups for foals, yearlings, two and three
year olds and each horse is evaluated in hand
and loose in a safe indoor environment as well
as undergoing a vet’s assessment. An Elite
Premium is awarded to those with an average
score of over 90% for vet assessment, conformation,
paces in hand, athleticism, type and temperament,
indicating the potential to reach international
competition level. With 14 venues and entries
limited to 60 at each venue, places have been
quickly filled. In previous years half the entries
have been foals but as breeders recognise the
value of a good premium, more are bringing them
back for the older age groups and this year
just over a third of the entries were foals.
|
Ettonia |
The overall top score across
all the disciplines and age groups went to the
foal, Ettonia, who scored 9.61 in the show jumping
section at the Solihull venue for owners and breeders,
Sam and Nicola Burton of Wrestow Stud, Warwickshire.
This chestnut filly is by the internationally
successful, Holstein show jumping stallion, Carolus.
Her dam is Phonia V.S keur, who was awarded a
keur predicate at the KWPN gradings in Holland
and whose sire is Nimmerdor who was voted best
show jumping stallion of the 21st Century. |
| Sam and Nicola bought
the mare 3 years ago and since coming to the UK
she has competed to advanced medium dressage and
is now one of the 13 brood mares at Wrestow Stud.
Sam and Nicola began breeding horses for dressage,
show jumping and eventing 3 years ago and are
very pleased with their results this year. “We
have had 2 Elite Premiums, 3 First Premiums and
a second premium. The Futurity Evaluations are
great way to support British Breeding. There is
a lot to learn from the vet and the evaluators.
We plan to put Ettonia up for sale although she
would make a superb foundation mare”, said
Nicola. |
 |
The top
yearling was Janet Keith’s MFS Dandyman
in show jumping section. Bred by the Morayfirth
Stud (MFS) of Gamrie, Dandyman scored 9.21 for
an Elite Premium. “I bought him when he
was just a month old and he is the first youngster
I have had”, explained Janet, who wanted
a quality horse for the future. |
| Dandyman is by the
jumping sire, Marlon, and his dam, Why Bella,
also has an impeccable jumping pedigree. Janet
heard about the BEF Futurity Evaluations from
MFS and Janet thought it would be good experience.
“I think it is a really good thing to have
your horse evaluated for soundness and ability
to cope with the future”, she said. Janet
plans to keep Dandyman until he is broken and
ridden. “I will do as much as I can myself,
but if he turns out to be a real star then I might
need to pass him on to a professional rider to
reach his potential”, she said. |
 |
The top 2 year old, highest score
in the Dressage section and equal second highest
score overall was the filly, Flamingo, who scored
9.54 for owner and breeder, Christine Trednell
of Chalfont-St-Giles. Shown by dressage rider
and trainer, Paul Friday, this filly is a British
bred Oldenburg by the renowned dressage stallion,
Flemmingh KWPN. |
| His tall, long lined
and athletic offspring have been competing internationally
for many years, and include Anky van Grunsven’s
Grand Prix Dressage horse, Krack C. The dam, Hawaii,
is a Verband Premium Oldenburg by Harvard, a renowned
Oldenburg sire of talented dressage progeny with
excellent conformation. “Unfortunately,
her breeding is often given inaccurately as there
is no British register for Oldenburgs, so I have
to decide whether to register her with BHHS (British
Hanoverian Horse Society) or as a British Warmblood”,
says Christine. “I bought the dam as 3 year
old out of the Brightwells sale to use as broodmare
to produce dressage horses. I had researched her
breeding background carefully, as I firmly believe
that good mares will consistently produce good
stock and their breeding is as important as that
of the stallion”. Christine’s horses
are now with Paul Friday in Warwickshire who is
a dressage trainer and excellent producer of young
horses. He also stands the Hanoverian, former
advanced dressage stallion, Cardinar, the top
British based dressage stallion in the 2009 BEF
Stallion Rankings with 4 progeny scores and an
average top 3 score of 8.81. |
 |
The impressive 3 year old colt, Handels Classic,
was the highest 3 year old overall with a score
of 9.32 in the show jumping section. Owned and
bred by Vikki Evans of Chailey Stud in Sussex,
Handels Classic is by the well known show jumping
stallion, Handel II, who enjoyed tremendous success
with Michael Whitaker and accumulated over £300,000
in prize money. |
| The dam is Sasja, a
Danish Hanoverian who is a phenomenal jumper but
did not have a show jumping career due to injury.
“Broom” as the colt is known, will
be competing in young horse show jumping classes
with Vikki’s husband, Adrian, soon. “He
is so easy to do and I hope we can keep him entire
as we would like to use him as a stallion”,
says Vikki. |
 |
The highest scoring eventer this year was
the 2 year old gelding, Prosper II, by Pro Set,
with a score of 9.32 for owners, Charles Bosanquet
and Sheila Baker, who bought him as a foal from
breeder, Sharon Baldwin.
|
He is by the KWPN grand
prix dressage stallion, Pro Set, out of a dutch bred
mare. “The Futurity Evaluation was Prosper II’s
first ever outing and I was very pleased with the
result”, said Charles, who breaks and schools
event and dressage horses andhandled him on the day.
The Endurance section was a new addition at 4 venues
this year and proved to be popular and well supported.
The top endurance score went to the yearling, Bint
Matra, an 18 month old grey, Arab filly and the only
endurance entry to earn an elusive and coveted Elite
Premium. Bint Matra was bred by UAE endurance horse
breeder and trainer, Aziz Al-Redha and is out of an
international endurance mare called Brenta 3. This
mare competed at international junior level in both
Europe and the Middle East by Aziz’s daughter,
Layla, now a senior endurance rider for the United
Arab Emirates. Bint Matra’s sire is the Argentinian
bred Arabian, SM Matra, who had a very successful
International endurance career. The filly was presented
at the second Solihull evaluations by Layla’s
sister, Claire Al Redha, who is based at the family
farm, Lynaire Sport Horses, in Shropshire. “Bint
Matra will stay in the UK and I will back her. She
will then go on to be my sister, Layla’s endurance
horse and will spend the winters competing in the
UAE and the summer months in Europe”, says Claire.
The top sport pony was the un-named foal, by Littledale
Bright Star out of Catherston Goldburg, who scored
9.36 for the Catherston Stud.
The BEF Futurity Evaluations were held at 14 venues
throughout the UK and young horses go home with a
BEF Premium (grade), a stylish rosette and a detailed,
informative score sheet. An attractive certificate
to keep and frame follows on after the event. All
results are published on the fully searchable Futurity
site, and afterwards feature with those horses’
performance records on NED, the National Equine Database.
For more information, visit www.bef.co.uk/british_breeding.
|
