Free jumping and auctioning at the same time. Horse Auction Belgium is back on Saturday evening, August 2nd, at Sentower Park. During the CSI3* competition, 34 young showjumpers will be presented and sold in the indoor arena. The jumping talent can be evaluated during the free jumping, but selection was also based on attitude, says Michel Spaas. “We definitely prefer horses that immediately move forward in the line. If they only start jumping after going through the line six times, you’re not going to enjoy riding them either.”
A horse can have all the talent in the world, but it’s the attitude that determines how far they’ll go in the sport. And during an auction, that’s precisely the hardest part to assess. “That’s why we paid as much attention to it as possible. How do they approach a jump, how do they canter around freely, how do they handle turns, how is their temperament – but of course we also focused on quality. You can choose to offer horses for every budget, but that’s not our goal. We want to auction truly top-quality horses.”Team expansion
Michel Spaas is the founding figure of Horse Auction Belgium and in recent years has been joined by Kevin Gielen and Lore Penders. Luk Van Puymbroeck, known from Flanders Foal Auction and his LVP Stables, is now also part of the team. “Luk has held a few auctions himself with young showjumpers and adds great value to the selection process. He raises many foals for owners who are ready to buy after three years and has a strong network in the western part of Antwerp. That area has become harder for us to reach due to traffic, even though the region between Antwerp and Ghent has some really top breeders. We held a special selection day just for them.”
Strong dam lines
What stands out is that most of the 34 young showjumpers come from exceptionally strong pedigrees. “Dam lines that ring a bell. I find that very positive, even though the horses still have to prove themselves in the free jumping during the auction. We set the bar high in the selection and were able to pick very complete and quality horses, most of them directly from breeders and raisers,” says Michel Spaas.
The collection can be viewed online at www.horseauctionbelgium.com, and there are plenty of highlights, such as three offspring by Chacoon Blue. Cuberdon van de Huffelen Z (Contagio Z x Comme il Faut) is an exceptional talent from the line of Emerald van ’t Ruytershof. Kensington (Kannan x Artifex), for example, was bred from the half-sister of Cornet Obolensky. Olympic showjumping mare H&M Butterfly Flip is represented by her daughter Tsarina Z (Taran de la Pomme). Catcher (Cornet Obolensky x Cassini I) is also likely to attract many fans.
Everyone is welcome to attend the auction. A VIP table can be reserved by emailing info@horseauctionbelgium.com or via WhatsApp at +32472 615504. A three-course dinner can be added for 75 euros per person.
