Breeding top racehorses

The world reflected through the eye of a horse is at the centre of the ethos of a boutique racehorse stud set in the Breede Valley in the Western Cape. Sabrina Dean spoke to John Köster to find out how Klawervlei Stud has added value to the Thoroughbred studbook over the years.

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Third-generation Thoroughbred breeder John Köster of Klawervlei Stud in the Breede Valley in the Western Cape has a twofold motto for his operation.

First is to breed the perfect Thoroughbred, or “as near perfect” as he can achieve.

Second, he strives to pursue this goal sustainably through a community-based lifestyle and working in harmony with nature.

“The horse is the noblest of God’s animals, and it is this magnificent animal that has also brought us together as a community,” he says. Köster’s breeding philosophy is focused on balance. His herd comprises female lines that stem back to the distance or stamina type first imported from the UK by his grandfather Ralph Köster in 1953. He believes the traits from this legacy remain core to breeding the type of horse that will not only perform as the sprinter demanded by the market nowadays, but will also go on to excel at premier distance races like the Cape Town Met or the Durban July Handicap.

NATURE AND TERROIR

Klawervlei is based near Bonnievale in the Breede River Valley on the edge of the Klein Karoo. It receives an average of 175mm of rain per year, and according to Köster, enjoys the same type of unique 'terroir' as experienced in Napa Valley in California, US, and Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia.

He describes horses as nomadic creatures that do best when they are farmed as naturally as possible.

“The nutrition goes from the soil to the plant, into the horse. The closer you can be to nature, the better for the horse,” he says.

His pastures and natural camps are all carefully analysed to ensure nutritional balance, while soils are also analysed for mineral and trace element composition so that feed content can be balanced accordingly. The stud's feed is supplemented with Klawervlei Balancer, which is custom-manufactured by the feed company Equifeeds.