The inaugural Future Sport Horse Sales is a real family affair: Eric jr. van der Vleuten came up with the idea, and quickly got the support from his father and their long-time business partner Kees van Otelar – himself a very successful breeder. Together the three horsemen make out the selection committee of the Future Sport Horse Sales, that will take place at Manege Heijligers in Asten on the 5th of September.

The three don’t only know each other very well, they also have a history with many of the horses they have selected for the sales. Two of the horses up for sale – the 4-year-olds El Wikke and Nebraska de Muze – are bred by the van der Vleutens and van den Oetelaar, and have been produced at Stal van der Vleuten in Someren. Also the 4-year-old Hoover has been bred by Eric van der Vleuten together with Stoeterij Duyselshof.

“In our opinion we have selected a very good group of young horses for the sales,” Eric van der Vleuten says to World of Showjumping. “All of them have very good mother lines, and are also by quality stallions. El Wikke’s mother Wikke is the full sister to Vleut, and the mother line goes back to my former Grand Prix mare Audi’s Jikke – and on the father side is Eldorado van de Zeshoek that jumps on international level with Willem Greve. Like El Wikke, Nebraska de Muze is out of Wikke and by the now legendary Nabab de Reve. Hoover is by Verdi, out of the mare Unique that again is out of the mare Parmala Douche – all three competed by Maikel. Our 7-year-old stallion Cadouch Z – which has been in our stable since he was three – is also included in the group of selected horses and Unique is also present in his mother line.”

This family affair runs like a red thread through the group of selected horses, and Eric jr. explains the advantages of already having a good selection in their own stables to put into the first edition of the sales: “The majority of the horses that have been selected for the sales have been here at our stables and produced slowly step-by-step. Quite a few of them I have even competed myself, or our stable jockey has been showing them. We also have the advantage of having Kees on the team, as he is a really good breeder of quality horses and has a lot of knowledge about young horses.”

“A horse like Cadouch Z we would be happy to keep for ourselves,” says Eric van der Vleuten. “But, we would like to present horses of a high quality and that’s why we have included our own best youngsters. I am sure Maikel would not mind keeping a few of them,” he laughs.

The inaugural Future Sport Horse Sales comes on the initiative of Eric jr., who got the idea when he was speaking with the organizers of the foal auction in Asten. “They put on the foal auction for one day, and there is so much work connected to it – so I started to think that we could make something more out of it. Manege Heijligers is a bit like a second home to the whole family, as we all train there a lot and always did – so it feels great to have the sales there.”

On his aim for the first edition of the sales, Eric Jr. is clear: “I wish for happy buyers, so I would like that each horse gets it’s right rider – and a good rider – so that they can develop correctly, and hopefully be seen on top level in the future.”

Text and picture © World of Showjumping