Update development young horses

Frequently we post about the great results of our international horses. Behind these established names we have a lot of young horses at Sterrehof Stud that develop well and have taken their first steps into what hopefully will be a fruitful career. Our stable rider Edward van den Bragt is keen on highlighting some of these talented horses. He starts with the five year olds: ‘First I would like to mention is Igor (by Canabis Z). He is doing well although at the moment it’s a bit easier for him outdoors. Igor is pretty big and has had a growing period recently, something you can notice as a rider. Also Ivo (Sterrehof’s Opium x Padinus) still needs some extra time, which we will give him. He is getting stronger now. Finally I mention Ivo-c (Sterrehof’s Opium x Numero Uno). He is developing fast into the right direction. I will start him at 1.20m level during Spring.

Practising

Some time ago we posted an update of our four year olds on the website. In the meantime some of them have gain their first practice experiences in a show jumping course. Edward tells: ‘I practised this already with Jerom, a son of I’m Special de Muze. A very sympathetic horse that shows quite some jumping intelligence. Also Joop Junior (Sterrehof’s Opium x Corland) has experienced a show jumping course and the same applies for Joint, the full sister of the mentioned Ivo-c. She is a bit more long-lined than her brother and still needs to strengthen a bit in canter but for sure looks very promising. She is quick, sharp and already ‘searching’ for the fences.’

Broken in

Last but not least we have our three year olds. Recently we have broken in the mares of the 2015 crop. Edward: ‘I have now ridden these three mares a couple of times. First Kherna, a daughter of Sterrehof’s Opium and Sterrehof’s Pherna, besides her also another daughter of Sterrehof’s Opium out of the mother of Valdato and finally a daughter of Sterrehof’s Great Blue out of Legende Z (s. Lasino). With all three it went very well. These lovely horses will go back to the pasture in the beginning of Spring. Besides the mares we also have four gelding. They still have to be mounted for the first time.’

The process of breaking in the horses is of course very important and at Sterrehof Stud we have developed a good systematic for it. More about this you can read in this post.’