Futurity
Gold awards at
British breeding futurity evaluations
T
he British Breeding Futurity evaluations started back in 2005, with the aim to identify British bred, young potential sport horses and ponies that are destined for careers in dressage, eventing, show jumping or endurance and may even find the Olympic Champions of the future. Entries are categorised by discipline with different age groups for foals, yearlings, two and three-year olds. It became clear earlier in the year that the coronavirus outbreak would affect everyone well into the summer season. With restrictions on international travel and the need to take the right steps to maintain social distancing while still allowing everyone to interact, to give the evaluators a chance to discuss their observations, the Virtual Futurity 2020 was formulated. For the first time The British Breeding/ Baileys Horse Feeds Futurity Evaluations saw breeders submitting their entries in a digital format in sets of detailed videos taken on hard and soft ground that were examined by a team of international experts, including a senior veterinarian, Baileys Horse Feeds
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breeding
nutritionist, linear scorer and highly experienced International evaluators from the UK, Holland and Germany. Endurance magazine talks to the owners of the amazing horses that achieved the
coveted Gold award in the endurance category, who have qualified for preselection into the first ever Futurity Elite Online Auction, to be held in September this year in cooperation with ClipMyHorse.TV.
Nutritional Building Blocks Baileys have supported the British Breeding Futurity Evaluations since their inception in 2005, and been actively involved in the assessment of youngsters, through Body Condition and Muscle Scoring, since 2010. The combined input of Vet and Nutritionist provides unique and invaluable feedback for breeders, to help ensure their young horses are given the best possible start in life. Body condition is a reflection of the horse’s diet and the Futurity, whether virtual or in “real life”, allows this to be adjusted accordingly. “It’s about providing nutritional support and the right building blocks for correct growth and development,” says Baileys Director of Nutrition, Liz Bulbrook.
features | endurancegb.co.uk
