56 Magazine December 2013 57

Eye-opener on the Open Days Open Days Zangersheide, 8 and 9 March 2014

No present yet for under the Xmas tree? Or do you fear to receive the umpteenth Bongo coupon? Why not do something different this year, a stallion coupon, for example? A present for your studfarm, for which all friends and family chipped in… it is just an idea. But imgaine that, a coupon for a stallion service of your choice? Which one will you choose? After New Year every breeder has to make the most important decision of 2014; which stallion best fi ts my mare?

It is every year’s ‘one million dollar question’. By all means take your time under the Xmas tree. And before you make up your mind, you really should visit the Zangersheide Open Days, in the weekend of 8 and 9 March. We are sure that also this year we have a stallion in our collection that is a fi ne match for your mare.

That would be no exception, last year more than a thousand breeders found what they wanted in the Zangersheide stallion collection. In a time in which breeding is in decline the demand for Z-stallions grew

to record height. This is the result of the democratic stud fees we apply and the great variety of our stallion offer. Every year we manage to make the best bloodlines available to our breeders. During the Open Days you can get acquainted with several new stallions.

The reason why Z-stallions are so popular and in demand is because of the correct information and honest presentation. They are sport stallions also performing stud duties or licensed stallions performing in the sport. Every breeder knows what they can do and what they are

able to do. Quality is the line of action. For several years less, but better horses are bred and only the Z-stallions are used more often, because these days only the very best is good enough. Therefore there is a good chance that you will again discover your favourite stallion during the Open Days and the stallion presentation.

Freedom is in our genes, that is why we respect every opinion and accept every licensed stallion. After all, the breeder knows his mare best and makes the decisions. And the Open Days are also a crowd puller, because they are about more than looking at stallions.

During the Open Days everyone meets each other, professionals and interested people. To take a look behind the screen or to select a stallion. The Open Days can be taken literally, it is an excellent occasion to see how Zangersheide works. You can join a guided tour or explore the stables by yourself.

For many a visit to Zangersheide is an outing by itself. It is a little day-dreaming, looking at how the neighbours are doing it, how they organise things. You can always learn something. ‘I can not copy this, but after the tour I did have more insight and I got a few tips’, said a visitor last year. Breeders who choose a Z-stallion can ask highly practical and concrete questions about their choice and how to handle the rest. During the Open Days you also get acquainted with the people behind the screen, the face on the other side of the telephone. The Open Days bring the breeder closer to Zangersheide. That, too, is part of our service. So, be sure to pay us a visit and join our big family of befriended breeders. Many understandably see the Open Days as a social event, a family outing to the family of Zangersheide.