Cover Stories
January 2003 Stallion Issue
By Jack Kintner
January 31, 2003
Townend Rheged
1999 English import Fell stallion
Guards Patrick x Robbswater Ruth
His Accomplishments: Rheged’s grandsire, Lownthwaite Gary, produced Waverhead Flash, winner of the Colt class and Best Foal at the Fell Pony Society 30th Annual Breed Show (2000). Rheged’s dam, Robbswater Ruth, twice won Best of Breed and once won best of show against all native British pony breeds including Fells Ponies.
The Bottom Line: Stud Fee: $800, includes $150 booking fee. Collection/shipping fees additional. Shipped cooled semen available, or A.I. at Heritage Farms in Spanaway, WA
Owners: Wendy & Larry Ihlang; Musta Hevonen Farm Fell Ponies; 360-446-0143; www.fellponies.com
Standing: Heritage Farms; 253-847-0456; heritagestallions.com
The Story: Fell Ponies are native to the Cumbrian mountains in the northwest corner of England (at the Scottish border), where Romans crossed native Celtic ponies with Friesian stock during construction of the massive 73-mile stone Hadrian’s Wall in the second century. The name comes from fiall, an Old Norse for mountain. They’re known for durability and stamina in extreme conditions. Once near extinction, most of the growing breed’s 6,000 head are in England.
Wendy and Larry Ihlang opened Musta Hevonen Farm (“Black Horse” in Finnish) south of Fort Lewis near Rainier, Washington, in 1997 when their single animal was one of less than 30 Fell Ponies in the country. “Two years later, said Wendy Ihlang, “we went to England to purchase one colt and came back with our stallion, *Townend Rheged, another colt and a filly!” It fits their farm’s motto, “helping return a breed with enduring strength, perseverance and loyalty back to the world.”
“We currently have three of our mares in foal by Rheged due the summer of 2003. All are registered with The Fell Pony Society in the UK,” said Ihlang, who is also chairman of the Fell Pony Society of North America, Inc. “The official, and only, registry is with the British group, the ‘mother society.’ Our North American group is a support organization, and until the day we have our own registry, we’ll work directly with them.”
Zan Chubby Eye
1996 14.3 Mahogany Sorrel
Zans Two-Eyed Bar x Breezeseyes
His Accomplishments: Aged Stallion Champion, Junior Reining, High Point and Junior All-Around, Idaho Quarter Horse Breeders’ Association 2001. Heading & Heeling Champion, Reserve High Point, Washington State Quarter Horse Association, 2001. 22 1/2 AQHA points in Reining, Heading, Heeling and Working Cow Horse.
The Bottom Line: Stud fee is $850 plus $10/day board; $12/day wet mare by private treaty
Owner: Tony Stokes; 1287 Wapato Lake Road, Manson, WA 98831; 509-687-9428
The Story: Tony Stokes was barely out of high school when he moved from Seattle to Manson, WA, and re-opened the Ruby movie theater in nearby Chelan. “First movie I showed was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” said Stokes, 48.
Five years later he had his own horse, a mare named Missy, and in return for construction work he bred her to Two Eye Dick, sire of 35 point earners, including seven register of merit, 2 world champs and one superior world champion. Ironically named Lucky, the foal was lost to wild dogs. He bred his mare again and got Breezeseyes who in 1996 was bred to Zans Two Eyed Bar and gave him Dan Chubby Eye, whose barn name is “Chubby.”
Stokes credits his grandmother, Barbara Bauman Stokes, with getting him started in horses. The former trick rider once performed with Roy Rogers, and said to Tony Stokes that you can do “anything you want to with a horse as long as you do it with kindness, and just listen to them.”
Because of this orientation stokes was able to teach his mare Breezeseyes to lay down, allowing a paraplegic friend to mount and, on horse-back, get up into the high country she loved, where she’d been hurt in a climbing fall and where she never thought she’d return.
The 14,3 six-year-old is a deep rich mahogany sorrel and has such a good disposition that anyone on the ranch is safe with him, from little kids to older riders. “Just brush him, saddle him and go,” said Stokes, “he’s so kind it’s unbelievable.”
KS Montana Bold Rush
1999 tobiano bay & white
PKH Bold Eagle x Dancing Star Kameo
His Accomplishments: Sire was Canadian National Champion several times over in senior stallion
Tested positive for homozygous tobiano gene
The Bottom Line: Stud Fee: $500 for 2003; Mare Care at $10/day, multiple mare discounts and 4-H incentive, live colored foal guarantee.
Owner: Dawn Visser; Khemostar Arabians and Pintos;
1802 East Pole Road, Everson, WA 98247; 360-966-7726; Khemostar@attbi.com
The Story: Dawn Visser began with a pinto/Shetland cross at age seven and now keeps two stallions at her facility close by the Mount Baker foothills. In addition to “Rush,” she also offers at stud Khe-Raffon, whose grand-sires were Khemosabi and Raffon.
Rush’s full sister is already training in reining and hunter, and Visser said she hopes Rush will do reining, cutting, or both. “With these foals,” she said, “versatility is the name of the game.”
Rush’s great potential is based on the record of his sire, the 94% Arabian Pinto stallion PKH Bold Eagle. He’s sired many national champions, one of whom is Pretty Bold N Fancy, a half-sister to Rush and the 2002 Canadian National Champion Mare, Grand Champion Mare, and Champion of Champions. She is also a Multi-Halter Class A Half Arabian Champion and Regional Top 5 (third overall), showing the versatility of PKH Bold Eagle’s foals.
Bold Eagle is 2002 Canadian National Champion Senior Stallion, Reserve Grand Champion, and Reserve National Champion - Amateur Owner to Handle. Last year he was Canadian National Pinto Stallion. He also has Multiple Grand Championships at Class A Arabian, Pinto and Open shows, along with four Futurity Championships.
“In 2004 we’ll have our first crop of foals,” said Visser, “and they’ll be IAHA and PtHA with 95% Arabian blood. Rush’s fine Arabian bloodlines will combine with the blood of my mares to offer an exotic Arabian with color that’s also guaranteed.”
Freckles Tip Top
1989 Bay
Freckles Playboy x Top O’Lena
His Accomplishments: Until this year, leading sire at the famed Douglas Lake Ranch in British Columbia, Canada
The Bottom Line: Stud fee: $1,000 CAN which includes a $200 booking fee, live foal guarantee
Owners: Martina and Gerhard Loeffeler; PO Box 38; Canim Lake, BC, V0K 1J0 Canada; 250-397-2826; Loeffeler@bcinternet.net
The Story: German marketing executive Gehard Loeffeler retired five years ago to his 500-acre Canim Lake Quarterhorse ranch with his wife Martina and two kids, and has since been developing his part of a growing overseas market driven by the increasing popularity of European cutting and reining competitions, especially in Germany.
They purchased the 13-year-old bay stallion, Freckles Tip Top, last July. He was a former leading sire at Douglas Lake Ranch, at half a million acres the biggest cattle ranch in Canada with over 300 working horses. His sire, Freckles Playboy, was a multiple world champion and third best all-time producer among cutting sires in terms of earnings, which top $22 million. His dam, Top O Lena, was sired by world champion Doc O’Lena, whose get has earned over $47,000.
Loeffeler’s mares come from such high quality cutting and reining bloodlines as Peppy San, Sonitas Last, Cue Bar Peppy, Peppy San Badger, Teninolena Badger, Doc O’Lena, Jujo’s Jay Bar and Doc’s Lynx.
“If you’re looking for quality, conformation and disposition matched with a world champion pedigree, Freckles Tip Top is the right choice,” said Loeffeler. “His foals have been intelligent and easy to train and are also up to the mental and physical challenge and rigorous training necessary for both cutting and reining competition. We'll always have good foals from Freckles Tip Top for sale.”
Copyright © 2009 The NW Horse Source
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