New Life - Dacafoise van de Meele Z

Jan van Ankum from Nieuwleusen is active in the breeding of both cattle and show jumping horses. Together with his partner, he runs KI Service Salland, where he and his team inseminate and scan cattle in the Salland region. Additionally, he trades in bull semen. On March 25, the mare Dacafoise van de Meele Z (by Dacantos Boy Z) was born.​

"For years, I've been involved in cattle breeding as a hobby. We flush embryos from multiple cows and heifers. About seven years ago, the market was a bit slow, and I happened to come across a broodmare. That got the ball rolling with show jumping horse breeding. The horses are truly a hobby for me; in recent years, we've bred 3 to 4 foals. These foals are always registered with Zangersheide. I use the internet and podcasts extensively to gather as much information as possible about breeding."​

The dam of this foal, Quelquefois v/h Castaneahof, was purchased by Jan early last year, in foal, from Steven Dewaele in Belgium. The sire of this mare is Dieu Merci van T&L Z, with Toulon bloodlines. "This mare has a good size and a strong character. Dacafoise is her fifth filly; the first is already under saddle in Belgium."​

Jan approaches breeding the same way as with cattle. "I often try to use the first generations of young stallions, allowing me to easily stack many good stallions in the foal's pedigree. I am convinced that modern breeding can certainly help improve the sport horse."​

Furthermore, Jan finds it important to breed with minimal inbreeding. "This brought Dacantos Boy Z into the picture; an impressive stallion with fresh bloodlines. With Dieu Merci x Silvio I x Jokinal de Bornival x Voltaire, this filly has excellent genes to contribute to both sport and breeding later on. Dacafoise is intelligent and quick to understand. In terms of appearance, she is nicely upright and has sufficient length. She often walks ahead of her mother, which I like to see."​

Jan and his family take great pleasure in caring for the mares and foals together. "We don't have space at home to raise young animals, so Dacafoise will likely be available for sale. Interested parties are welcome to inquire."