Young KWPN Meet & Greet - Event Recap

Young KWPN (Dutch Warmblood) North America presented a free educational event, giving attendees a glimpse into sport horse breeding this side of the Atlantic.

Our host, breeder Kim von Disterlo, gave us a tour of her Somis facility, Kimberlee Farms, and we ended up in a pen with weanlings that we got to snuggle with. Anna Beal then lead the conversation about the conformation of a couple mares and reviewed the mares' recent scores at the breed inspection. Kim and Liz Rothman talked about their California breeding programs and on the joy of watching their babies go off to successful careers. Kim demonstrated free jumping with a couple of her young horses, and it was fun to see the youngsters quickly fall into a rhythm. Finally, veterinarian Dr. Hannah Klasson gave an informative (and entertaining!) talk on breeding. She even took the time to demonstrate a pregnancy check using ultrasound. The little blob she showed us on her screen is a KWPN Governer (Totilas x Jazz) baby!

It was great to learn about sport horse breeding in California. Many thanks to the organizers for proving this opportunity!