Arabian Horse Times

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Life Inthe Fazt Lane

Cover Story - Vol. 51, No.6, issue 2

COVER STORY: Life Inthe Fazt Lane

By SARAH JAYNE JOHNSON

When it comes to Amazing Horsewoman LLC’s founder, Dr. Nancy O’Reilly, never did she expect that her involvement in the Arabian horse industry would include ownership of a performance stallion such as Life Inthe Fazt Lane (Vegaz x Riverdance NA).

 

Located at Dr. O’Reilly’s Southern California Equestrian Center (SCEC), the 9-year-old bay stallion has been in training with Lowe Show Horse Centre for just under three years and each year has been better than the last. When “Eddie” stepped foot into California, trainer Jim Lowe was so in awe of the stud, he went and bought a broodmare to breed Eddie to so he could have his own Life Inthe Fazt Lane baby.

 

Since training with Lowe, Life Inthe Fazt Lane has won two reserve national championship titles, both in the Open English Pleasure with Lowe up at the 2019 and 2020 U.S. Nationals.

 

During last year’s class, Eddie got to trot in the arena with his sire Vegaz, ridden by trainer Chris Wilson. Vegaz performed for the first time in years and looked his best yet. Those who got to see both stallions in the arena witnessed a historical moment. There were four breeding stallions in the English Open class to close out the nationals show, and Life Inthe Fazt Lane proved he belonged at the top of the judges’ cards with his father and the rest of the competition.

 

“He is going to do great things for our breed,” Lowe said. Highlighting the best features of Eddie, Lowe continued, “He has an unbelievable amount of talent. He is kind, hardworking, beautiful, and trains like a million bucks. I am excited to see his babies on the ground and see how they perform. I think they’re going to be special.”

 

Dr. O’Reilly has several foals on the ground by Life Inthe Fazt Lane, which she has high expectations for. Exhibiting their sire’s same beautiful features and great necks, his get are proving to be trainable and showing the same performance potential. It is hard not to fall in love with the next generation of these “easy on the eyes” champions.

 

Despite her shorter (8 years) and later in life involvement with horses, Dr. O’Reilly’s love for the Arabian breed is apparent. From humble show beginnings in liberty classes, her Southern California Equestrian Center is now home to top show horses, as well as a successfully growing breeding program.

 

Life Inthe Fazt Lane is just one of three stallions at Lowe Show Horse Centre. Eddie’s stablemates include the legendary Mamage, owned by Beth Jupp, and Dr. O’Reilly’s multi-national champion Affliction, by Mamage. Each stallion brings their own excitement to the show ring, as well as their babies.

 

The sky is the limit for Eddie and Dr. O’Reilly’s potential within the industry. We saw just how talented his get can be when one of Life Inthe Fazt Lane’s progeny hit the show ring this year. It is only a matter of time before the public will be joining Dr. O’Reilly and Jim Lowe’s excitement for more Life Inthe Fazt Lane babies in 2021 and on.

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Magazine Cover Stories

Garavani AN—Carrying On A Legacy

Cover Story - Vol. 51, No.5, issue 1

Cover Story: Garavani AN—Carrying On A Legacy

By COLLEEN SCOTT

When the world lost DA Valentino nearly a decade ago, the entire international Arabian horse community mourned. Now, it’s beginning to seem apparent to many that one very special young stallion, with DA Valentino on both his sire and dam side, could be the one to carry the torch of his grandsire’s legacy.

 

Garavani AN (Polidoro FC x Maria PCF), owned by Anivia Equine, LLC, captured the Arabian horse community’s attention with his championship titles of 2019 Gold Champion Colt at the Arabian National Breeder Finals and 2020 Scottsdale Junior Champion Colt, winning the hearts of many with his stunning and striking resemblance to DA Valentino. David Boggs, who is enamored with the young star, led Garavani to his victories, and says the Scottsdale win in particular was a rocket launch and a thrill.

 

“Garavani has a great attitude, is very charismatic and reminds me so much of DA Valentino, it’s actually spooky,” says David.

 

Breeder Sam Peacemaker was on the sidelines at the show and recalls, “The quality he exhibited, his scope, cleanness of throat and elegant standup were unmistakable. I was very happy with how well he showed and as the breeder, of course I was thrilled to see him win unanimously.”

 

David says the young stallion is following in his grandsire’s footsteps and predicts Garavani will reach the same popularity as DA Valentino both in the show ring and in the breeding barn.

 

“DA Valentino had an incredible international fan club during his lifetime,” recalls David. “Not only did he have show ring presence that was unparalleled, but he also became a very popular sire and his offspring, including Garavani, are representing him well.”

 

Sam Peacemaker had that in mind when he decided to breed Polidoro FC (DA Valentino x Abha Palma) to Maria PCF (DA Valentino x MCA Afire Beylee). “As I evaluated the phenotype of the individuals combined with the known pre-potency of the pedigrees, I felt I had a good chance of getting a long elegant neck, well set into a deep laid back shoulder with a smooth and balanced body.”

 

Anivia Equine’s Stacy Sachen, a life-long horsewoman and Arabian breeder, felt the same and purchased Maria PCF while she was carrying Garavani in utero and she couldn’t be more pleased with the end result. “Fixing the throatlatch, neck set and balance of body is very difficult to achieve as a breeder,” she says. “For these reasons, Valentino always stood out to me as not only a great show horse, but the top choice for a breeder. I feel Garavani is positioned to bring back to life that answer for the Arabian industry.”

 

Looking to the future, the Garavani team plans to provide the support necessary to make him as much of a legacy to the breed as his grandsire. Stacy plans to breed him to a select group of mares herself, and there are already significant breeders lining up with their best mares to capitalize on the stallion’s unique ancestry.

 

Peacemaker predicts Garavani will pass along great attributes to his progeny. “The qualities of the individuals in his pedigree are very similar to their phenotype and consistent deep into the pedigree,” he says. “I think the key features he will contribute will be a well-set long neck with a clean throat, tight well-shaped ears, a deep laid-back shoulder, balance through the body with smooth coupling through the hip and a well-set tail.”

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Magazine Cover Stories

Monticello V

Cover Story : Monticello V

...The Western Phenomenon

by EVIE TUBBS SWEENEY

Monticello V was the only sire to have two progeny in the AWPA $100,000 Western Pleasure Futurity in 2019. And he did it from a foal crop of just nine foals in 2015. One of these two progeny, the stunning Hendrixx WB, was crowned National Champion.


His story is one for the ages. And we have the privilege of bearing witness to its coming culmination.


Monticello V is a son of the late, great supersire, Jullyen El Jamaal, and out of one of Varian’s most prepotent broodmares, Mosquerade V, daughter of the incomparable Moska. It goes without saying, that greatness is layered into the DNA of Monticello V, as does his ability to pass it forward.


But filling the shoes of a sire such as Jullyen is difficult given even the finest parentage.


Enter Carolyn Lesley.


Carolyn grew up with horses, sharing the bond with her mother, longtime horsewoman Mary Lesley. A 17-year equine hiatus ensued as Carolyn’s involvement in her father’s thriving event company amplified. But in February 2015, through a twist of fate, she found herself walking through the Scottsdale Arabian Horse show, and the mother/daughter team shared their passion in horses once again. Not even Mary’s tragic diagnosis of terminal Sarcoma shortly thereafter decelerated their enthusiasm.


The day that Carolyn walked into Monticello’s stall and met him for the first time at Setting Sun Stables was a moment that redefined both of their futures.


“It was love at first sight, and I think Monticello sensed his role immediately when my mom walked into his stall,” Carolyn recalled.


Carolyn and Monticello were inseparable from that point forward. The final show Mary attended, she witnessed Carolyn and Monticello crowned Canadian National Champions. Mary passed away during U.S. Nationals just two months later.


“When my mom and I got back into horses, we had no idea she was sick – and then it all hit,” Carolyn said. “And I think, what a blessing we did it together and she was able to get to know Monticello. The timing was amazing. God had a plan.”


Carolyn and Monticello traveled the country, picking up title after title, before his official retirement to stud in 2017. Following his final show ring performance, Monticello boarded a trailer to the west coast, where he would return to his birthplace of Varian Arabians and fill the empty stall of his father, both literally and figuratively.


The 2019 U.S. Nationals turned out to be a defining moment in the breeding career of Monticello V; his progeny wins and statistics were simply profound:


Four out of six progeny by Monticello V that were shown in Tulsa garnered Top Ten Championships or better in their western divisions, and are as follows: four Top Tens, and one Reserve National Championship and three U.S. National Championships …


Hendrixx WB – Champion AWPA Arabian Horse World $100,000 Western Pleasure Futurity with Stanley White III (for trainer Joe Reser)


Hendrixx WB –Champion Arabian Western Pleasure AAOTR Maturity with Andrea Martoglio


Cello Shots SS –Champion H/A Western Pleasure AAOTR 36-54 with Carolyn Lesley


Honeys Rockin Cello – Reserve Champion H/A Western Pleasure Open with Joe Reser


Monticello progeny made up 20% of the Top Ten finalists in the most lucrative class of the show, the Arabian Horse World AWPA $100,000 Western Pleasure Futurity, with one of them, Hendrixx WB, winning it.


Monticello V was the only sire to claim more than one progeny in the Arabian Horse World AWPA $100,000 Western Pleasure Futurity Top Ten… and this against major western sires such as Zefyr, Sundance Kid V, and KM Bugatti. What’s more, Monticello achieved this feat from a foal crop of just nine foals.


Put simply, his consistent percentage of western pleasure winners at the highest levels of competition is utterly astonishing.


Combine that with the love-filled team that has supported him every step of the way, along with his massive social media fan base around the world (Facebook.com/ItsCelloTime), and his story becomes one for the ages. 

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GSF Rizing Son

Ames Divine

Leader of the Times: Cedar Ridge Arabians

Cedar Ridge Arabians in Jordan, Minnesota, breeds and promotes English and Western Pleasure, Halter and Reining horses of the highest quality.

 

 

This year’s focus is to have horses in top shape for U.S. Nationals, showcasing talent in the futurity, junior horse and AEPA classes. Farm Manager, Stephanie Davisson, shares,” We have some of the best we have ever had coming up this year, and we can’t wait for them to be able to shine at U.S. Nationals.”

 

In the breeding barn, Cedar Ridge is always looking to breed new crosses, and are looking forward to an AWPA Auction baby for next year, as well as Perfinka babies. Some very exciting English embryos are also in the works, including one out of their sensational English Pleasure Mare, Ames Divine.

 

It’s already been an exciting year for Ames Divine with her first foals hitting the ground—and they are incredible. Both sired by SF Aftershoc, one filly has already been purchased by Joel and Ashton Kiesner, and the other filly Cedar Ridge is excited to share. Until then, their mother continues to rise to the occasion, having captured a unanimous Championship in the Amateur English class with Lara Ames and a unanimous Reserve Championship in the Junior English with Laura Rodel this year at the Scottsdale show. Their sights are now set on U.S. Nationals.

 

Beyond Cedar Ridge’s upcoming incredible and promising young talent making their debuts at U.S. Nationals, others are growing up in the pastures, and from Davisson’s viewpoint, “it’s sure looking like the years ahead will have a lot to celebrate with CRA’s young breeding stock!”

 

Having celebrated 50 years in the industry last year, what is Cedar Ridge’s next 50 years looking like? “We plan to continue moving forward by breeding the best of the best,” says Davisson. “We also are proud of the strong marketing program we have built, and being a place that people like to come shop for their next champion, we will continue to build upon that; providing top quality Open, Amateur and Junior exhibitor horses for the show ring at all levels.”

 

 

Khadraj had already achieved an excellent show record himself, winning the 1991 Brazilian National Champion Foal at Side title and Canadian National Championships in both Western Pleasure Open and AAOTR, with six additional top ten honors in halter and performance. He has also proven to be an even more successful as a sire, with eight national championships, six reserves, and 73 top ten titles earned by his progeny through 2006. Larry was looking for a stallion whose bloodlines would complement those of his beloved head stallion, MPA Giovanni (Da Vinci FM x Glitzy, by FS Ritz), the 2005 U.S. National Champion Futurity Colt whose Fame VF/Bey Shah sire line crosses with a Padron/Crabbet mare.

Khadraj NA (Ponomarev x Khatreena NA, by *Padron) offered a double-Salon sire line with a second helping of *Padron and a female tail line back to Lady Anne Blunt’s desert-bred Crabbet Park foundation mare, Rodania. In 2007, Larry was traveling, promoting Giovanni, when agent Brad Gallún contacted him with good news, Khadraj was available for purchase. Since Larry already had some Khadraj mares, believing in the cross, he jumped at the opportunity, and a deal was negotiated.

It didn’t take long for Khadraj to fit in at Jerland. “We put him in the stall right next to Giovanni,” Larry recalls. “They both reached up and touched noses over the top of the stall and nickered to each other. That was it. They never screamed and hollered at each other; they never kicked the stall walls.” Larry was thrilled with that development and became even fonder of Khadraj. A deep respect was amplified by the end of the 2007 show season; Khadraj offspring won three more national championships and three reserves, with a host of top ten winners. It was a prelude to an eventual tide of champions that have made Khadraj the all-time Leading Sire of national winners in the Western Pleasure division.

Larry’s dreams for Giovanni to win a national senior stallion championship were shattered when he suffered a broken leg shortly after winning the 2008 Scottsdale Champion Stallion title, necessitating seven years of rehabilitation in California. Broken-hearted, Larry credits Giovanni with telling him “to stop feeling sorry for himself and get back in the game.” With Khadraj continuing to produce champion after champion for Jerland, many from Giovanni mares, it was easy for the excitement to build anew. According to Larry, when Giovanni finally returned to the farm, he and Khadraj recognized each other immediately. “Their relationship started all over again,” Larry recalls. “They had an unspoken love.”

Many of the Jerland clients and friends have remarked about the depths of Larry’s emotions where his horses are concerned. They saw Khadraj and Larry as extensions of each other and recognized the bond that grew between them. Khadraj was just the fuel that Larry had needed to rocket Jerland Farms into the upper echelon of Arabian breeding operations. In turn, Larry used his sound insights and steadfast belief in Khadraj to promote him, propelling the stallion into the stratosphere as a sire of great Arabian halter and performance horses. It was a perfect example of the sum being much greater than the already significant parts. Larry’s inexhaustible passion and enthusiasm fanned the flames, and the two became inseparable in the hearts and minds of the Arabian community.

“Khadraj was a spectacular horse,” says Aljassimya Farm manager Bart Van Buggenhout. “He was well put together, beautifully bred, and above all, Larry’s great love and pride.” Trainer Justin Cowden agrees, “Larry truly wants what’s best for the Arabian horse and the people that love them. I don’t think there was a better place for Khadraj to land for the latter part of his life, and it was clear to see he was the King of the farm and adored by Larry.”

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Categories
Calendar spotlight

Ames Divine

Ames Divine

Leader of the Times: Cedar Ridge Arabians

Cedar Ridge Arabians in Jordan, Minnesota, breeds and promotes English and Western Pleasure, Halter and Reining horses of the highest quality.

 

 

This year’s focus is to have horses in top shape for U.S. Nationals, showcasing talent in the futurity, junior horse and AEPA classes. Farm Manager, Stephanie Davisson, shares,” We have some of the best we have ever had coming up this year, and we can’t wait for them to be able to shine at U.S. Nationals.”

 

In the breeding barn, Cedar Ridge is always looking to breed new crosses, and are looking forward to an AWPA Auction baby for next year, as well as Perfinka babies. Some very exciting English embryos are also in the works, including one out of their sensational English Pleasure Mare, Ames Divine.

 

It’s already been an exciting year for Ames Divine with her first foals hitting the ground—and they are incredible. Both sired by SF Aftershoc, one filly has already been purchased by Joel and Ashton Kiesner, and the other filly Cedar Ridge is excited to share. Until then, their mother continues to rise to the occasion, having captured a unanimous Championship in the Amateur English class with Lara Ames and a unanimous Reserve Championship in the Junior English with Laura Rodel this year at the Scottsdale show. Their sights are now set on U.S. Nationals.

 

Beyond Cedar Ridge’s upcoming incredible and promising young talent making their debuts at U.S. Nationals, others are growing up in the pastures, and from Davisson’s viewpoint, “it’s sure looking like the years ahead will have a lot to celebrate with CRA’s young breeding stock!”

 

Having celebrated 50 years in the industry last year, what is Cedar Ridge’s next 50 years looking like? “We plan to continue moving forward by breeding the best of the best,” says Davisson. “We also are proud of the strong marketing program we have built, and being a place that people like to come shop for their next champion, we will continue to build upon that; providing top quality Open, Amateur and Junior exhibitor horses for the show ring at all levels.”

 

 

Khadraj had already achieved an excellent show record himself, winning the 1991 Brazilian National Champion Foal at Side title and Canadian National Championships in both Western Pleasure Open and AAOTR, with six additional top ten honors in halter and performance. He has also proven to be an even more successful as a sire, with eight national championships, six reserves, and 73 top ten titles earned by his progeny through 2006. Larry was looking for a stallion whose bloodlines would complement those of his beloved head stallion, MPA Giovanni (Da Vinci FM x Glitzy, by FS Ritz), the 2005 U.S. National Champion Futurity Colt whose Fame VF/Bey Shah sire line crosses with a Padron/Crabbet mare.

Khadraj NA (Ponomarev x Khatreena NA, by *Padron) offered a double-Salon sire line with a second helping of *Padron and a female tail line back to Lady Anne Blunt’s desert-bred Crabbet Park foundation mare, Rodania. In 2007, Larry was traveling, promoting Giovanni, when agent Brad Gallún contacted him with good news, Khadraj was available for purchase. Since Larry already had some Khadraj mares, believing in the cross, he jumped at the opportunity, and a deal was negotiated.

It didn’t take long for Khadraj to fit in at Jerland. “We put him in the stall right next to Giovanni,” Larry recalls. “They both reached up and touched noses over the top of the stall and nickered to each other. That was it. They never screamed and hollered at each other; they never kicked the stall walls.” Larry was thrilled with that development and became even fonder of Khadraj. A deep respect was amplified by the end of the 2007 show season; Khadraj offspring won three more national championships and three reserves, with a host of top ten winners. It was a prelude to an eventual tide of champions that have made Khadraj the all-time Leading Sire of national winners in the Western Pleasure division.

Larry’s dreams for Giovanni to win a national senior stallion championship were shattered when he suffered a broken leg shortly after winning the 2008 Scottsdale Champion Stallion title, necessitating seven years of rehabilitation in California. Broken-hearted, Larry credits Giovanni with telling him “to stop feeling sorry for himself and get back in the game.” With Khadraj continuing to produce champion after champion for Jerland, many from Giovanni mares, it was easy for the excitement to build anew. According to Larry, when Giovanni finally returned to the farm, he and Khadraj recognized each other immediately. “Their relationship started all over again,” Larry recalls. “They had an unspoken love.”

Many of the Jerland clients and friends have remarked about the depths of Larry’s emotions where his horses are concerned. They saw Khadraj and Larry as extensions of each other and recognized the bond that grew between them. Khadraj was just the fuel that Larry had needed to rocket Jerland Farms into the upper echelon of Arabian breeding operations. In turn, Larry used his sound insights and steadfast belief in Khadraj to promote him, propelling the stallion into the stratosphere as a sire of great Arabian halter and performance horses. It was a perfect example of the sum being much greater than the already significant parts. Larry’s inexhaustible passion and enthusiasm fanned the flames, and the two became inseparable in the hearts and minds of the Arabian community.

“Khadraj was a spectacular horse,” says Aljassimya Farm manager Bart Van Buggenhout. “He was well put together, beautifully bred, and above all, Larry’s great love and pride.” Trainer Justin Cowden agrees, “Larry truly wants what’s best for the Arabian horse and the people that love them. I don’t think there was a better place for Khadraj to land for the latter part of his life, and it was clear to see he was the King of the farm and adored by Larry.”

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