It was a close call for Obe Mous because this brand-new Breeder of the Year 2019 almost missed his own tribute. On the Saturday morning of the Stallion Inspection, the day when he was going to be awarded this ultimate breeder prize, Obe Mous suffered a heart attack. Fortunately, he must have had an angel looking over his shoulder because later in the day he was able to follow the Stallion Inspection on TV from a hospital bed. ‘It was a blow but I feel reborn now.’
Fan de Klaster
With his wife Grietsje, son Klaas plus wife Marjolein, Obe Mous runs a dairy farm with 85 cows and 60 hectares of land. That´s where the Friesian horses are, most of whom listen to the name of ‘Fan de Klaster’. That refers to a street in Hemelum which was named after a Russian Orthodox Monastery. Obe Mous´s father was absolutely not interested in horses. Nevertheless, in 1968 a horse arrived in his yard when his 15-year-old son Obe traded a yearling bull for a Friesian foal. That foal was Wilma Foal Book (Kaey 227) who never made it into the Studbook because of one white sock. Wilma has six offspring, all by Ygram 240 (Mark 232).
Pedigree 14
It´s not only the work for the farm Obe Mous shares with his son Klaas, they also share
their passion for driving sports and breeding. So the prize for Breeder of the Year 2019
is also for Klaas, actually. ‘You have to give credit where credit is due’, Mous says,
who has always remained faithful to pedigree 14. ‘That pedigree brings horses that are keen to work and are as good as gold, horses that hold a promise and that´s my kind of horse.’ They will never kick you but they´re smart fellows.’ From first horse Wilma he has bred a few foals. One of them was Ljurkje Star Preferent (Ygram 240). She is the foundation dam of Mous´s successful breeding stud. Lurkje, who was born in 1975, became mother of seven Star offspring, including Fabiolaa Star Preferent Performance (Reitse 272). ‘We had no money but with her we had a good horse for showdriving. I only rarely trained her but still she always ranked with the best. She would never quit!’ Sadly, she died too young but has earned her merits as an excellent broodmare too. From her six offspring three were declared Star and two sons were crowned Studbook stallion: Ulke 338 and Karel 490.
Ideal Friesian Horse
For Mous the ideal horse first of all needs to have a fine character. ‘Not a miserable wretch who refuses to work. Other than that I like a beautiful stallion, with a bit of class. Auwert 514 (Jehannes 484) pretty much approaches my ideal. I always try to take low kinship into account but I want the stallion to be something special. Before I take things any further I want to see the stallion in the flesh.’ As a measurer and micro chipper with the KFPS, Obe Mous gets to see many young horses, like the first crop of young stud stallions. ‘For me the First Viewing represents an important inspection because that´s when you can see and assess a whole bunch of offspring from one and the same stallion.’
Saying farewell
In the previous year the ‘Fan de Klaster’ stud was very successful with for instance
three Star mares with a first premium, one stallion selected for the Central Examination and the mare Marrit fan de Klaster Model Sport (Andries 415) who collected a stunning three predicates in 2019: Crown, Model and Sport. The 8-year-old Marrit, who´s no longer owned by Mous, is an echo of her 3rd dam Fabiolaa.
As new
With an eye on the future Obe Mous is a bit apprehensive. As a measurer he kept having to adjust his measuring stick upwards in recent years and in his book that´s not a good development. ‘With a long hind leg the gaskin is usually too long. Because they lack strength the hind leg is then pushed forwards rather than lifted up properly. We have to get rid of that. This year the horses I got under my measuring stick were smaller than in previous years. So hopefully that means people start using their common sense again.’ Another development that´s worrying him is the ageing issue and the high financial threshold for young people to go into breeding. ‘For most of them it´s financially very difficult. So then it´s not exactly helpful when Studbook costs keep going up.’ Asked about his personal plans for the future Obe Mous replies, pointing at his heart: ‘As long as this here keeps ticking we´ll go on. It´s as good as new.’
Top 10 breeders of the year 2019
1. O. Mous, Koudum
2. Demro Stables, Mierlo
3. Ensing family, Diphoorn
4. W.E. Lokhorst, Ederveen
5. Kruis family, Heeg
6. D. Foeken, Bolsward
7. P. Okkema, Witmarsum
8. Mrs G. Oldenburger-Wessels, Hooghalen
9. Th. Fopma, Gauw
10. W. Wijbenga, Veenwouden
