Each year the ASVH in
Sweden works closely with SWANA in the U.S. to plan a successful
inspection tour of North American horses. The tour usually takes
place in the late summer, with two inspectors from Sweden spending 10
days in the U.S. traveling to 9 or more sites. The goal of the
tour is to examine and evaluate the NA bred horses, and ensure that
breeders maintain the quality and standards of the Swedish Warmblood
horse.
This is an important aspect of protecting the quality of breeding that
has been practiced for hundreds of years!
Not only is the tour
important to breeders for getting feedback on their breeding program, it
is also a useful tool for evaluating stallion prepotency which can be
used for a NA BLUP Index someday. The inspection results can also
be useful for those shopping for a SWB. A horse's inspection score
cannot predict future talents, but it is an indication of potential
based on conformation and gaits at that time.
There are a variety of
different tests performed at the inspection sites, depending on the
age, gender, and use of the horse. There is foal grading, 3/4 year old testing, Diploma
testing, broodmare evaluation, and stallion approval.
If you own a Swedish horse that has not been inspected, it's never too late!
Contact the SWANA
Office now to request an Inspection Guide, and start preparing your
horse for the next Tour!
The annual inspection tour is an exciting time that all SWB enthusiasts look
forward to. The tour dates and sites are announced in advance on the
SWANA
Office 2006 Inspection page. Stay tuned in to this page for
announcements of dates and sites so that you can attend an inspection near you!
Inspections are very educational, whether you are taking a horse or going as a
spectator. It's a great way to learn what the Swedish judges are looking
for, and a fun insight into the Swedish culture.
The Inspectors
The ASVH in Sweden always
sends very qualified inspectors to NA to evaluate the horses. For
the past several years, the inspectors have been Leif Nilsson and Jan-Ove
Olsson. The inspectors are always praised for the time they take
with each horse, the thoughtful quality of the evaluation, and above
all-their detailed explanations of why they applied each score.
They welcome questions from spectators and always provide useful
information. Many, many people have commented that the Swedish
inspections are by far the most informative of any of the sport horse
keurings. We appreciate their time and effort on behalf of the
breed and the breeders, and we look forward to their visit each year.
Leif Nilsson
has a long family history of breeding horses. In the early 80's he
was ranked as one of Sweden's top riders, winning the Swedish
Championship in 1984. Leif is the top jumping judge at the Swedish
stallion tests, and is a highly sought after judge both in Sweden, and
internationally.
Jan-Ove Olsson
is a trainer, judge and breeder of dressage horses. He is on the
board of the ASVH, where he has the responsibility of training and
educating judges in conformation, gaits and jumping. In addition,
Jan-Ove instructs riders, and is a popular clinician both in Sweden and
North America.
Karl-Henrik Heimdahl, DVM is a veterinarian specializing in horses. He
has been in horse practice since 1977, working especially with jumping and
dressage horses. Dr. Heimdahl does have a small breeding farm, which he says he
does "at home for fun." In Sweden, Dr. Heimdahl is conformation judge and
president and veterinary member of the Swedish Warmblood Stallion Committee. He
has also served as part-time breeding consultant to ASVH. Since 1995, Dr.
Heimdahl has been president of the inspection committees traveling through North
America for the SWANA Inspection Tours.
Lars Berglund is the ASVH-appointed jumping judge for the 2006 North
American Inspection Tour. He focuses on starting young horses and bringing them
up to 1.40 m., however, much of his time is spent judging young horses
throughout Sweden. Lars judges 400-600 horses in free jumping every year. He has
also judged the finals for the Swedish national foal championships several years
in a row. He has judged horses in Holland and Germany as well as participated in
international judge forums. The 2006 North American Inspection Tour will
be his second time in the US and Canada.
