LOCAL HORSE BREEDER GAINS ELITE PREMIUM AT THE BEF FUTURITY
Tuesday 27 August 2013
Local horse breeder, Karen Niklasson from Boomerang Equestrian near Lambourn, had a very successful outing at the Baileys Horse Feeds/ British Breeding/British Equestrian Federation (BEF) Futurity held on the 13th August at Catherston Stud in Stockbridge with her three year old potential showjumper, Kannanball.
The BEF Futurity Evaluation series aims to identify British bred young potential sport horses and ponies destined for careers in dressage, eventing, show-jumping or endurance, and may even find the Olympic Champions of the future.
Potential showjumper, Kannanball gained an elite premium of 9.06 at Catherston. An Elite premium indicates that the horse has the potential and outlook to perform at international level. Kannanball also earned an elite premium at the 2012 Futurity, where he was the highest scoring two year old potential showjumper of 2012.
Kannanball is by Kannan, out of a Perval mare, Brise de Maupertuis. Karen said, “He is a potential top class horse, I am hoping that he will be able to have a top competition career and also stand as a stallion. Kannanball was broken in this spring by Giovanni Ugolotti and he will start competing early next year”. Kannanball also attended the recent stallion grading at Addington and was one of only three horses to be awarded a stallion license. Karen intends to bring him back to the grading next year, where as a four year old, Kannanball we be able to go forward to be assessed to be an approved stallion. Karen added, “If he competes well he will hopefully be approved. I am also interested in taking him to the Futurity equine bridge. I hope he realises the potential he has shown to date. I think he is amazing and its great to now have two Futurity elite’s to back that up!”
The Futurity Equine Bridge is a new initiative for 2013 and will run as an extension of the Futurity evaluations. The Futurity Equine Bridge seeks to provide top Futurity graduates with the direction and support they will need as 4 and 5 year olds so that they begin their early years under saddle in a way that allows for sustained physical and mental development. In order to be eligible for the Futurity Equine Bridge all horses must obtain two scores of 8.5 or above, one of which must have been obtained in their three year old year.
Karen bred Kannanball out of her mare, Brise de Maupertuis. Karen said, “Brise was a lovely mare, I just wish I had her ten years earlier. She very sadly died after giving birth to Kannanball’s full brother, Flying Solo, last year. I may decide to sell Flying Solo, but if not he will go to the Futurity next year. He is the absolute spitting image of his brother”.
With entries limited to 60 at each evaluation venue, places are keenly sought after. Entries are categorised by discipline with age groups for foals, yearlings, two and three year olds and each horse is evaluated in hand and loose in a safe indoor environment as well as undergoing a vet’s assessment.
The BEF’s Head of Equine Development, Jan Rogers, said: “The Futurity continues to go from strength to strength. The results at Catherston were very encouraging and we are finding that the horses our breeders are producing have the range of talents that are likely to be needed by the growing base of riders who wish to participate in horse sports”.
The BEF Futurity Evaluations are held at 16 venues throughout the UK and young horses go home with a BEF Premium (grade), a stylish rosette and a detailed, informative score sheet. An attractive certificate to keep and frame follows on after the event. All results are published on the fully searchable British Breeding website. www.britishbreeding.org.
