breedingphilosophy

The heart of our breeding philosophy can be summed up as this: The
desire to produce horses that are an improvement on the previous
generation.

That improvement is seen in a variety of areas; most importantly- better
conformation and increased intelligence, willing temperments and
athletic ability. Using welsh, thoroughbred, and fresian bloodlines, we
have produced both purebred and crossbred foals- with the goal of
improvent always in mind. These are the two most common questions
people ask about our breeding program:

Why would you want to cross a pony with a thoroughbred?

What is the purpose of a fresian cross?

Sportpony crosses are a marvelous and fairly recent trend in the United States. In
the last 25 years, U.S. breeders have been refining a pony that stands under 14.2
hands but which moves and competes like a much larger horse. Sportponies are
competitive in a variety of disciplines, including: endurance, dressage, driving,
eventing, hunter/jumper, etc. Most ponies compete in under 14.2 events, but they
can be athletic enough to hold their own in open classes. Sportponies are suitable
for both adult and youth riders. They have inherited the tenacity and curious nature
of their pony forebearers, and the athletic abilities of their thoroughbred ancestors
as well. These little horses have huge hearts, and many characteristics to
recommend them. For one thing, they require less turnout acerage due to their
size, and are much easier on the feedbill than a warmblood or thoroughbred. In
addition, ponies bring a sturdier frame, and excellent hooves into the cross.

Of course, one of the surprise factors in breeding sportponies is the way that the
genetics involved in equine height work. You would think that if you cross a 12h
pony with a 16h thoroughbred, that you would end up with a 14h sportpony- right
in the middle. Crossing two differently sized equines does not usually result in an
average. Instead, a foal will exhibit the height that it inherited from one of it's
parents. That said, there is much that we do not yet understand about equine
genetics, and right now crossbreeding is far from an exact science when it comes
the height. We generally find that foals end up within 1-2 inches of the height of
one of their parents. Their are rare exeption to that, but most often the cross of a
12h pony to a 16h horse results in one of two things: an 11.2-12.2h pony, or a
15.2-16.2h horse. We like to say the surprise is half the fun! Whether they stay
under 14.2h as sportponies or move over 14.2h to become sporthorses, our
reasons for crossing ponies with thoroughbreds is evident in the finished product:

A powerful athlete. One with the endurance of a warmblood, the performance skills
of a thoroughbred, and the intelligence and stamina of a welsh pony. To see
pictures of our Sportpony crosses, click here.

Friesian horses were originally used as a light draft horse, utilized for agricultural
work and as a war horse during the middle ages. The modern friesian served as a
carriage horse. During the past 30 years in the U.S., fresians have gained popularity
as a riding and performance horse. This has lead to the breeding of a lighter weight
and more refined looking friesian. However, the friesian is still a draft breed and as
such its performance capability is limited in certain disciplines by its sheer size. Many
other draft breeds (including shire, percheron, ect) have been successfully cross bred
in the U.S.; with the goal of creating a more riding-suitable horse, that still retains the
best qualities of its draft breed parent.

In the case of our friesian crosses, we want to combine the athletic ability of a
thoroughbred with the majestic carriage of a friesian. Our goal is to maintain the
amazing friesian temperment and its baroque movement, but to breed a lighter
version more suitable for competition under saddle. Our mares are carefully chosen,
and our friesian sporthorses are a credit to both their ancestries. To see pictures of
our Fresian Sporthorse crosses, click here.