Two wins for Goldwind's Empire's Bride at Subtop debut

With her 11-year-old NWR mare Goldwind's Empire's Bride (by Orchard Red Prince), Bente van Kernebeek triumphed twice last weekend during her Subtop debut class ZZ-Zwaar. “What a topper it is huh! And that for a pony among horses,” she emailed Bride's breeder Anton ter Bogt afterwards.

Bente van Kernebeek won two ZZ-Zwaar classes with Bright - as she calls the silver-apple brown mare - at CH Eext on June 1 with 64.29% and 62.79%. “A fairy tale,” says Anton ter Bogt slightly emotional on the phone.

From Goldwind Empire's First Lady

Ter Bogt bred Goldwind's Empire's Bride (by Orchard Red Prince) out of the elite, performance mare Goldwind Empire's First Lady (by Leuns Veld's Elegant), who in turn has the crown, preferent, sport mare Jenny (Tetworth Crimson Lake x El Kafif ox) as her dam.

First Lady produced as many as 18 offspring registered with the Welsh Studbook. These include Verona's Bo-Gi offspring, crown mare Goldwind Empire's Choice and studbook stallion Goldwind Empire's Design, two star mares, a designated stallion and a second viewing stallion.

Good sport ponies

“Many of First Lady's offspring are also doing very well in the sport. I try to follow them all,” says Anton ter Bogt. “The fact that Bride is doing so well does make me a little emotional and I immediately think back to when she was five years old.”

He continued: “After Bride was foaled as a four-year-old by Nia Domo's Bolero, I couldn't get her pregnant that year. Since we have enough ponies here, I decided to have her under saddle and sell her. I sold her to a rider. She then fell off at home and her father threatened a lawsuit if I didn't want to take the pony back.”

“That does make you wonder. When she came to try the mare, I did tell her to take it easy because it was a young mare. The test ride went well and they wanted to take the pony home right away. I could not imagine that the pony was no good. I select stallions precisely on character, because in most cases they end up with children to ride.”

‘Really super that she ended up like this’

“I did mediate at the time and the mare was eventually sold to Bente, who was 14 years old at the time. She was very happy and successful with it from the beginning, first in the ponies. I am so happy about that! And now that she is doing so well with the horses, it's like a fairy tale! Really super that she ended up this way,” Anton ter Bogt concludes.

The Hoefslag interviewed Bente van Kernebeek: read the interview here

Source: NWPCS