Every year, the world’s best breeders in the disciplines of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing are honoured in the "Longines WBFSH Breeder Awards".
This year, we are celebrating the breeders of the highest-ranking horses in Bordeaux, on Saturday 4th February after the CSI5*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup . Longines will award the winning breeders a watch and the breeders receive framed certificates and embroidered blankets from the WBFSH. The studbook representatives are also invited to the award ceremony.
It was a pleasure to catch up with each of our Longines WBFSH Breeder Awards Winners for the 2022 season. Each breeder has a unique story, but all share a wealth of skill and passion that lies at the heart of everything we do.
Particularly inspiring is the fact that once again, none of our 2022 award winners are large breeders, each only breeding a limited number of foals every year. And passion lies at the heart of their breeding.
Silke Druckenmüller
Breeder of TSF Dalera BB
Silke Druckenmüller has been fascinated by horses since she was a child, and came to breeding by chance, through a friend that is a breeder. The foals captivated her, and once she started breeding, she couldn’t get away from it anymore.
Her breeding goal was always to produce a good riding horse, with the hope that it would also be a good sport horse – a horse with a good character and attitude, and a willingness to perform. And of course, a horse that is fun on a daily basis! To her, these traits are much more important than any other criteria, also at a high level of the sport.
As a foal Dalera was essentially just as one knows her today, and how Jessica von Bredow-Werndl always describes her. She was always even-tempered and drawn to people. You could already see the quality of movement, always moving in the field in a loose and elastic manner. And she was simply uncomplicated.
Wim Impens
Breeder of King Edward
Wim Impens got into horse breeding through his father and grandfather, who took him to stallion shows from a young age, and also encouraged Wim to share his ideas freely. He now does the same with his sons, who are also involved in the family breeding operation. Wim has always been interested in breeding and genetics, and he strongly believes that when breeding horses, you have to think in generations and look to the future.
His breeding goal is to breed horses for his sons to ride. He wants to produce horses that can jump, with good gaits and a good gallop, but that can also perform at a low level of dressage. But he certainly never dreamed that he would breed a world champion!
As a foal, there was nothing particularly special about King Edward. He was rather small and lacking long lines. But when Wim sees him now, in action on television, King Edward is so much like his mother, Koningin de Lauzelle. He says he is a carbon copy.
On winning the Longines-WBFSH Breeder Award: He is incredibly proud to win the Longines-WBFSH Breeder Award, especially as Longines is such a big name in the equestrian world. Winning the award is a wonderful validation, that even a small breeder can be the top breeder in the world.
