Frankly, Spring is the finest time of the year. Nature burgeoning into fifty shades of green, the scent of the first freshly-mown grass tickling the sense buds in the nose and – especially that – the carefree frolicking of young foals around their dams in the meadow. After a tense and enervating time of being alert and keeping watch, the time has come to relax and to enjoy watching a healthy dam and foal in the field after everything went well with the birth. We’re talking live animals, nothing is to be taken for granted, and all animal lovers need a bit of resilience. But now is the time to enjoy and look ahead. How is the foal going to develop? Has the combination between mare and stallion produced what you had hoped for? And to which inspection are we going to take our mini?
And because the inspection season is also gearing up for a great season. Yet again, History will be written in the upcoming months. With the Year Report – attached to this Phryso – at hand we like to bring the year 2022 back to mind. It already seems like ages ago when we had that second online Stallion Inspection, that the Jury members had to work around the clock to inspect a record number of horses within and outside our country. These were extraordinary horses and people who coloured in a remarkable chapter of the history of the Friesian horse in 2022.
And anyone with a pendant for lists can delve into the Year Report to their hearts’ content. The numbers of Preferent mares, as well as those with the Performance predicate have risen sharply. It’s the same with the Sport and Sport Elite horses. Most likely part of this has to do with some catching up, but the trend is clear. For our horses inspections and sport do not just go hand in hand, they reinforce each other. Gorgeous and sporty all in one, and topped off with such great personalities.
So looking back makes us even more chomping at the bit for the next season. Which mares are going to stand out? How will the young stallions fare when their first crop appears at inspections? Which drivers, showdrivers, and dressage riders are going to catch the eye with their black pearls? We can’t wait to share it all, via print with background information, reports and analyses as well as online via Phryso.com and not to forget our restyled KFPS.nl. And throughout all inspections and competitions we will continue to share messages about all and everything, because our community of Friesian horse lovers is vast and has a never-ending craving for news and knowledge.
Spring is beautiful, but Autumn also has a certain charm. By then we’ll know what fine memories we can put to paper in the Year Report 2023.
Alice Booij
Editor in Chief, Phryso
