A wonderful first edition of DPC Stallions Night

Stunning stallions, a fantastic program, and a huge, enthusiastic crowd. These were the ingredients of the very first edition of the DPC Stallions Night at Zilfia’s Hoeve in Houten, which created a fantastic atmosphere. “We didn’t know what to expect when we took a chance and organized this pony stallion show,” says Lars Pronk, the proud chairman of the Dutch Pony Championship Foundation. “But what a crowd, what an atmosphere, what a success—unbelievable!”

Late into the night the evening before, a large team and heavy equipment had been hard at work decorating the indoor arena in Houten: floral arrangements, barriers, seating, lighting—for the spectacular light show by Relight! – and a giant backdrop featuring two top-level sport ponies.

The speakers, which ensured that the musical accompaniment and the commentary by announcer Andries van Daalen came through clearly, were also present.

And then it was 7:30, and time to get started. The parking lot was packed, as were Tante Fie’s restaurant, the bar, and the viewing areas along the track… spectators lined up in droves, and benches were pulled up so that even those in the back rows could follow the stallions‘ performances. The hip-hop dance group ’Are U Kidding’ came running in and really got the crowd going with a spectacular dance performance.

Tjiësto L.H.

They then formed a guard of honor for Levi Heusinkveld, the dressage champion of the 2022 DPC competition, who kicked things off with her pony Tjiësto L.H. The dark bay gelding demonstrated his beautiful gaits, posture, trainability, and attitude. The young rider said she is very much looking forward to participating again this year in the DPC selections with, among others, her now 6-year-old star.

Brisk pace

The stallion show then really got underway with the (future) sires. The ponies were called in at a brisk pace, yet in such a way that each stallion had ample opportunity to take center stage. Young stallions were mostly presented in hand, while the ponies competing in the sport—many of whom we had already encountered during last year’s DPC selections and finals—were expertly presented by their riders.

Springboard

Cocacola, Heihoeve’s Berlin, and D&R Sportpony’s Ziro La Di proved that Dutch sport ponies can jump too. No matter how high the jumps were set, the ponies and their riders remained unfazed. A great little show segment from these three pairs!

Inspiration

With the beautiful program booklet in hand—definitely worth keeping and reading again!—and the expert commentary, the audience clearly enjoyed the show. Pony sport enthusiasts had come out of curiosity and to see as many stallions as possible that might serve as a partner for their broodmare. Breeders from Belgium were willing to make the two-hour (one-way!) trip to gain inspiration.

Father and son

Speaking of long journeys: the pony stallion Hexagon’s Dragonfly, the 2022 DPC champion among 4-year-olds, was also presented. He traveled from Schore in Zeeland together with his sire, Hexagon’s Double Dutch. Their regular trainers, Benedek Pachl and Thamar Zweistra, put on a fantastic father-and-son show, making it clear why the strikingly marked young chestnut stallion is called ‘mini-Double-Dutch.’.

Color

We also saw some striking colors, such as the pair of double-dilute stallions Ducati du Bois (cremello) and Cream de Luxe DV (perlino), as well as the two falcon-colored brothers Daimu NVF and Golden Star G. The palomino color was also well represented that evening. There was also a duo performance by father and son, the New Forest stallions Borgerhof’s Orion and Gulikhoeve’s Menno.

Pas de deux

Claire Vermaes and Pem Verbeek performed a beautiful pas de deux on the stallion Nia Domo’s Bolero and his son Dempsey Sam. Impressive work by the riders, who not only guided the ponies smoothly but also stayed in sync with the music and each other. Kudos!

Overwhelmed

And so, nearly forty pony stallions were presented to the public that evening. In addition, to add some variety to the lineup of pony stallions, the horse This is Naqueen—the top performer of the NRPS and the German Oldenburg studbook—was in attendance under rider Kim Noordijk and put on a fine show.

“We are overwhelmed by the show’s success,” said Lars Pronk. “A huge thank you to the audience, stallion owners, volunteers, and all our sponsors! We can be proud of our talented stallions here in the Netherlands. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves and found inspiration. Here’s to a great year for breeding and sport!”

Text: Christine Dijk