Stutteri Ask facilities. IYB World Championship

The World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) is currently hosting the International Young Breeders World Championship at Stutteri Ask, the stallion station located on the Danish island of Funen.

The event, which started on July 4th and will end next Sunday, is hosted by the group of competitors who have been breeding and training Danish Warmblood horses at this facility all year round.

This biennial championship has broken its own registration record this time, with a total of 154 participants from countries such as Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Latvia, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Additionally, it is important to note that the number of studbooks participating in the competition has reached twenty, a figure that has only been surpassed a couple of times: in 2013 (Sweden) and in 2015 (Great Britain), where 22 studbooks were achieved.

The competition structure consists of two different categories. The junior category includes contestants aged 16 to 20, and the senior category includes young people aged 21 to 26. Each team has three or four members who also compete individually to accumulate group points that can lead to the title.

The intensity and the rich array of activities have set the tone in the early days. The opening began with a theoretical written test covering questions on nutrition, stable management, animal anatomy, breeding, international sport, and equine health topics. The tests continue today and tomorrow with a practical program highlighting conformation evaluation, in-hand presentation, and athletic analysis of the horses (movement and jumping).


Hurdle jumping at Stutteri Ask. STUTTERI ASK.
Hurdle jumping at Stutteri Ask. STUTTERI ASK.


There are also special competitions underway, such as the "Turn-out," which aims to meticulously prepare the horse's appearance before it is presented. On Sunday, 7 July, after the awards ceremony, young breeders, team leaders, and supporters can relax and spend time together on a guided tour of Stutteri Ask and Schelenborg Gods, followed by an excursion to Altano Hojgard Horse Hospital.

For Anja Hansen, from the organising committee, this is an "excellent opportunity that offers young breeders the chance to connect with each other, share knowledge, and build an international network for lovers of this sport." Jan Pedersen, president of Danish Warmblood and president of WBFSH, highlighted the organization's hard work in preparing the championship.

Stutteri Ask is a renowned stud farm characterized by its focus on breeding Danish Warmblood jumping horses. It features high-quality facilities, housing young horses as well as stallions and broodmares, providing an environment conducive to the breeding and development of high-performance horses in equestrian sports.