Let's give… Tineke van der Weerd a call

Last week, Tineke van der Weerd posted on her Facebook page that their mare, Wheemhoeve’s Nikita, had given birth to her 20th foal. That’s quite remarkable for a 23-year-old mare. But what else makes Nikita so special to Tineke?
Nikita is already 23 years old and hasn't missed a single year, and when you look at the list of her offspring, you'll understand why Nikita is used for breeding.

You breed with several Section B mares—which mare are you most proud of, and why?

Both Wheemhoeve’s Nikita and Warmtebron’s Mirthe are our pride and joy. Both mares have achieved Elite status, but Mirthe herself, unfortunately, never became a Star mare; however, she proves she produces excellent offspring by having already achieved Elite status at the age of 18. Both mares also produce truly outstanding sport ponies with wonderful temperaments.

Nikita has produced several excellent offspring for you—what consistently stands out about her offspring?

Nikita creates luxurious ponies with beautiful heads and expressive eyes. They’re always a sight to behold.

Have you guys already picked out a stallion for next year?

Next year, we’ll be using a 2-year-old stallion from our own breeding program, Warmtebron’s King Bhumibol. We have a lot of confidence in him and plan to enter him in the stallion inspection next year as well.

What is your breeding goal?

We want to breed ponies with a beautiful head and good movement, but temperament is also very important. 90% of the ponies will eventually compete in sports, and for that, temperament is of course very important—especially for children’s ponies.

Are there still things you’d like to achieve with your breeding program, since you’ve already bred just about everything by now?

We are trying to take our breeding program to the next level by creating the right pairings between mares and stallions.

Nikita's offspring, thanks to whom she earned the "elite" designation at the age of 14:

The preferred mare Warmtebron’s Gwendolyn and the Crown mare Warmtebron’s Nina.
In addition, she has also produced two approved stallions: Wartembron’s Hielke and Warmtebron’s Napoleon.
And the second group of stallions up for viewing: Warmtebron’s Niamigo, Warmtebron’s Nightrider, and Warmtebron’s Next Twan.