Dalera was only the third foal Silke Druckenmüller has ever bred, and Silke can still not quite believe that as a small amateur breeder, she has achieved the highest award breeding has to offer. From the moment Dalera was born, it was clear to Silke that she had bred a highly athletic foal with great performance potential. As a young horse, Dalera already showed exceptional rideability and willingness to learn and cooperate, giving her riders a wonderful feeling.

Silke came into breeding as a keen amateur dressage rider, which has given her the experience of what to look for when it comes to selecting stallions for her mares. Her interest in breeding was sparked when she bought a Trakehner mare as a riding horse for herself and developed a friendship with the breeder. Silke soon bought a second Trakehner mare, again with the long term aim to keep her as a riding horse for herself, but not before breeding one foal from her. The result was Dalera. Silke continued to ride the mare several years before returning her to full time breeding when Dalera began to show her exceptional talent and aptitude for dressage.

The top showjumper of the 2021 season does not have one, but three breeders! Wim Vanderlinden, Chloé Ruys and Christophe van Turtelboom have known each other for a very long time and developed a friendship with started when Wim was training Christophe. Christophe and Chloé are married and run a competition yard with 20 stables. For all three of them, producing young horses, riding and competing are the main focus, and have influenced their breeding decisions over the years.

It is with this perspective that the team chose Kashmir van Schuttershof as a stallion known for exceptional temperament and trainability for their mare Halifax.

From a very young age, there was something special about Indiana. Chloé remembers fondly that she was a very confident, sweet natured and friendly foal, but that she also always made her opinions known, for example when it came to farrier visits or moving fields. Under saddle, she turned out to be no different, showing herself to be challenging to her riders on the flat, but exceptional over fences, as it was quite clear that she absolutely loved to jump.

With a horse of this talent, but also a strong will, an exceptional, sensitive rider was needed to be able to get the best out of this mare. The team all agree that in Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Indiana had found the perfect partner who was able to win this exceptional mare’s trust and get the best out of her.

(photo credit Dirk Caremans)

For our next Longines WBFSH Breeder Awards winning breeder, we travel north to the beautiful North Sea island of Föhr. With an area of just over 30 square miles and a population of a little over 8000, the island may not be very big, but it has long been the home of a community of small, passionate breeders and their much-loved mares. Here we meet Ocke Riewerts who inherited his passion for breeding from his father and who runs his small stud as a hobby, producing only a couple of foals every year.

London 52’s mother, Vernante, was Ocke’s first home-bred State Premium mare. His sire Landos was stationed on Föhr where he was available to local breeders, even for natural coverings. His power and performance focus made him an excellent choice for Ocke’s athletic blood type mares. London was sold as a foal as a stallion prospect, before being discovered for his eventing potential and ending up with the British rider Laura Collett.

In the meantime, breeding continues on Föhr, with Ocke’s sons lending a hand on the family farm and ensuring that we can expect great sport horses to come from this small island in years to come.