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Joy, passion, love, family, connection—these are the reasons the Hagale family is back after a 20-year hiatus from Arabian horses. And they’re not just back—they’re back in a big way.

Twin sisters Jamie and Jennifer Hagale, along with their parents Jim and Mary Martha, were a common sight on the Arabian horse circuit two decades ago and were particularly known for owning the stunning chestnut stallion Mamage (Zodiac Matador x CF Fire Magic). But life happened, the twins went off to college, got married and moved—Jamie to Steamboat Springs, Colo. and Jennifer to Nashville, Tenn. Children were next for Jennifer and Jamie and their lives seemed to be full—too full to add something else. So, they satisfied their Arabian horse passion with visits to ChriShan Park (where they rode as youth riders) on their trips back home to their native Springfield, Mo.

But a few years ago, those “visits” sparked a question, “Why couldn’t we get back into this?” And the question sparked a conversation and before the twins knew it, Jim and Mary Martha were on board and the family started horse-shopping and showing. Fast forward to today and Hagale Family Arabians is fully immersed in the Arabian horse industry once again, even more so than they were before.

The Cornerstone

While the family has amassed an impressive show string and are in the process of building their own barn in Springfield, Mo., undoubtedly SF Aftershoc (SF Specs Shocwave x SF Sweet Elegance) is the cornerstone of their breeding program. More importantly, he’s arguably the horse that embodies their passion for the breed. Purchased in November 2020 after the passing of his longtime owner and promoter L.A. Flynn, SF Aftershoc made a stunning reappearance in the show ring at the 2021 Scottsdale Show, winning a unanimous championship in Liberty with Shan Wilson and Vicki Humphrey handling.

Those who witnessed his performance were blown away—many recalling it as the highlight of this year’s Scottsdale show.

During their time out there, Jennifer took a few memorable casual laps around Wendell Arena with him. “We were trying to ride him when no one was around,” recalls Shan. “But word soon got out and people were coming to watch. He was just so bright out there, never dropped an ear. That kind of planted the seed and I told the Hagales that they really needed to show him at some point.”

With no specific plans for when SF Aftershoc would potentially return to the show ring (he hadn’t been shown in a performance class for nearly a decade), the Wilson brothers continued to work him lightly to keep him conditioned. Jennifer and Jamie even rode him at the farm the weekend of a photo shoot. And, one famous photographer, Stu Vesty, even hopped on for a spin.

“The photo shoot with everyone riding him, me, Shan, Stu, the twins, really sealed the deal for me,” says Chris Wilson. “Even at the end of a long day he was still so game and looked so good.”

But the family was still a little unsure about showing Aftershoc. It was a risk—he’d been out of the performance spotlight for quite a while—and what if things went poorly? Would that ultimately hurt his reputation? Mary Martha, generally the voice of reason, was especially concerned about showing him.

“It was a lot of back and forth,” recalls Jennifer. “Should we show him? What if something happens? Which class should it be?”

Chris concurs, “It was a big decision to show him at the U.S. Nationals. So, we just entered him and decided to take him and see how he worked there.”

Ultimately, the family and Chris and Shan would decide to have Aftershoc return to the ring. They even sent out an eblast the day before announcing it. “There was no going back after that,” says Jim. The intuition the team had was right on. With Jennifer in the irons, SF Aftershoc returned in glorious fashion, capturing the ABS Arabian English Pleasure AAOTR Jackpot unanimously.

“The only other experience I can compare it to was riding Mamage in Madison Square Garden,” says Jennifer. “Aftershoc was just so much fun and it was just so special. I keep watching the video over and over again.”

Shan thought the horse looked incredible in the class. “He was in a great place mentally and physically and Jen rode him really well. Everything just came together. It felt like it had some magic to it. He made it look effortless.”

Chris concurs, “He just looked as good as he ever has. I am sold on that horse. He is the real deal.”

Jamie, who rode CSP Adriana (Vegaz x CSP Gisele) in the same class, says that it was the highlight of the show for her. “Getting to ride alongside my twin sister and then watching the awards and getting to run back in there for the photo—the energy of her winning that class was just incredible. Aftershoc is such a special horse. I’m really thrilled she had the opportunity to show him.” 

The Aftershoc Superstars

It wasn’t just Aftershoc making headlines at U.S. Nationals. His get had the most championships at the show, with ten rose garlands being awarded to them. In addition to those ten championships, SF Aftershoc get claimed three reserve titles and 46 top tens. These were awarded in a range of classes, including halter, English pleasure, country English pleasure, driving, hunter pleasure, show hack and native costume.

Lauren Adamek, owner of Captivating Shoc WA (x Captivating Style), winner of the Half-Arabian Mounted Native Costume AAOTR class, says Aftershoc is her sire of choice when it comes to her show horses. “His offspring are always so beautiful with loads of talent and personality.” Besides Captivating Shoc, Adamek also owns the purebred stallion Afterburner (x Quintessential Fire) and the 2-year-old Half-Arabian gelding The After Life (x Victoria’s Charm). “We are really excited for The After Life to start his career next year with John Rannenberg. I am very blessed to have these fabulous horses to love and show!”

Many people who have bred to Aftershoc have never had the opportunity to see him show, which added to the excitement of seeing him in Tulsa.

“It was a real treat to be able to watch Aftershoc show,” added Lauren. “It was awesome to see him in action and it reminded me of why we continue to buy his breedings. I personally got to spend a lot of time with him outside of the show ring. He is everything you would expect an Arabian horse to be. I am so glad the Hagale family has invested so much of their love into such an outstanding stallion, and continue to share him with us.”

The Half-Arabian mare Savage Love VH (x MBA’s Nuttin’ But Thyme), captured the Reserve Champion title in the Country English Pleasure Junior Horse Championship with Jessica Clinton aboard. Owner Jenny Lau says, “This is the first Aftershoc baby that my family has owned, but I’ve seen Jess, Vicki and Andy work with so many over the years. One thing that is so clear when breeding to Aftershoc, is that you will get a horse with a great temperament, which can make all the difference! ‘Nikki’ is just the sweetest mare, whether I’m giving her some love in her stall or riding her, she has such a willing and happy attitude. That, alongside her beauty and talent, make her a pretty special horse!”

Wendy Potts, who captured the Arabian Hunter Pleasure Futurity title with Culture Shoc (x HF Luck Bea Lady), for owner Mari Perczak, says she has loved this particular mare ever since she first saw a picture of her. “I asked Todd Hickerson to get me a video and booked a flight to go see her right away. She was the smallest horse in that class, but you’d never know it—so much ring presence!”

Lisa Blackstone, owner of Shocked N Bewildered (x Bothered and Bewildered), won both the Half-Arabian Country English Pleasure AAOTR 60 & Over and Maturity on the gelding. She was also top ten in the Half-Arabian Country English Pleasure class with Jessica Clinton. “Vicki tells me Aftershoc is one of the kindest and most willing horses she’s ever been around. ‘Kenneth’ is the same. His ears are always up, he goes forward eagerly, trying to do whatever you ask, all with the best attitude possible! He also inherited Aftershoc’s elegant beauty and fluid motion. At only 6 years old, Kenneth has earned four national championships and two reserves in the Half-Arabian country English pleasure division which speaks to his amazing talent and picture perfect suitability in that division. Thank you Aftershoc!”

The list of accolades for the stallion from owners of his get goes on and on, with the underlying theme of him passing on to his offspring an incredible work ethic, great attitude and Arabian type and beauty.

The After Party

As if seeing him show and win unanimously and seeing his get perform so well wasn’t enough, like the true superstar he is, Aftershoc had his own party. Hosted by Cedar Ridge Farm, Tom and Emily Moore, Hagale Family Arabians and Arabian Horse Times, it had the feel of a Hollywood legend being bombarded by paparazzi.

Jamie recalls, “So many people were there to see him, and the moment they brought him out was just so special.”

Evidence of his popularity was not only witnessed at the party itself, but all over social media, with admirers taking selfies and posting things like: “I got to meet someone famous tonight.”

Jim and Mary Martha were excited to see so many people turn out to meet Aftershoc. “A lot of people came by to see him and it was such a fun night.”

The Future Party

While a lot of their current excitement centers around Aftershoc’s stellar return to the ring at U.S. Nationals, the stallion isn’t the only exciting horse in the Hagale Family Arabians barn.

There’s I Love Luci (HA Toskcan Sun x Laurel Hill Pennies from Heaven), who was Shan’s mount in the AEPA Half-Arabian Saddle Seat Futurity. The mare, who was Mid Summer National Champion Arabian English Pleasure Junior Horse (in a class immediately after she was named champion in a walk/trot class with Shan and Molly’s daughter Ellie), finished fifth in the AEPA class and was also top ten in the Half-Arabian English Pleasure Junior Horse class.

Debonheir DGL (Afires Heir x Felicia Afire) was top ten with Chris in the Arabian Country English Pleasure class, and Jamie rode CSP Adriana to a top ten in the Arabian Park AAOTR. Jennifer piloted CSP Hot Dam (Mamage x The Vintage Rose) to top tens in both the amateur Half-Arabian Park and Mounted Native Costume classes.

Another Hagale stallion, SF Destination Victry (SF Specs Shocwave x Aparty Girl) capped off an incredible year with a Reserve National Championship in Arabian English Pleasure AAOTR 19-49 with Jennifer, and a top ten with Shan in the extremely competitive English Pleasure class. The Hagales were extremely proud of his performance throughout the year, including English pleasure championships at Region 11, 12 and 13, as well as claiming Mid Summer National Champion in both the AATR division with Jennifer and the Open with Shan.

“Destination Victry is the future of our breeding program,” says Jim. “He’s had tremendous success thus far, at only 7 years of age, and we cannot wait to see where he takes us, both in the show ring, and once his foals start developing.”

“We just love him,” states Jennifer, “He’s such a joy to ride—super powerful and athletic, but also so willing to work, and he has such a great disposition. Outside of the thrill of riding Aftershoc to his unanimous win, riding ‘Dusty’ is always rewarding.”

But beyond the performances and success of Destination Victry, or Aftershoc and that of his get, and even more than the victories with their other horses, the Hagale family is excited about how getting back into horses has sparked a new chapter of passion in the family.

“We’ll use any motivation that gets us to see the girls and grandchildren more,” joke Jim and Mary Martha. “We get to see them a lot more often and we are all having a really great time.”

Jamie concurs. “We really thought we would just be too busy to get back into horses with our kids and other commitments and living out of town,” she says. “But there has been something so special about getting back into horses and spending more time with my parents and my twin sister. When the Arabian horse is in your blood, I don’t think it ever leaves.”

Jim and Mary Martha are supervising the final touches of their new 100-acre farm in Springfield. The family’s future plans include continuing to breed to SF Aftershoc and their other foundation stallion, SF Destination Victry). They are also breeding to a handful of outside stallions.

Besides making plans for the business side of Hagale Family Arabians, rest assured they are making plans for the family side, and the reasons they do what they do—passion, real connection, heartfelt joy and true love—for each other, their horses and the entire Arabian horse community.

For over 50 years, the Jerland Arabians horses have emerged as stellar representatives of the storied diversity of the Arabian breed. With innumerable national championships in halter and nearly every discipline of performance, they are sought after by enthusiasts across the spectrum of horse ownership. Larry Jerome’s passion for the Arabian horse defines his philosophy as a breeder, which includes taking responsibility for the horses that are the results of his Jerland program.

“I have an extremely beautiful and intelligent wife, and I want those same qualities in my horses,” Larry quips. “I also have seven pretty talented and good-looking kids, too. It’s all about the genetics! Seriously, I strive to create an animal that is extremely correct and beautiful, but I’m not looking to make a mantlepiece statue. They must also have a great temperament and be athletic and functional. I appreciate halter and have shown and won national championships, but I strongly believe that every foal needs to have a value and a purpose beyond that of a short-lived halter horse; they need other activities in their life.”

The results of the recently held 2021 Youth and Mid Summer Nationals underline the fact that the Jerland influence is as strong now as it has ever been. In an incredible demonstration of top-class versatility, Jerland-bred horses earned National Champion honors in both Arabian Western Pleasure Junior Horse (Verdict J) and Arabian English Pleasure Junior Horse (Notably Divine J, bred w/Joni Hyrick), as well as Half-Arabian Ladies Side Saddle Western (Blue J) and Arabian Hunter Pleasure AATR Elite (Acclaim J, bred w/Bond Show Horses). In addition, Reserve National Champion titles went to Eclipse J (Half-Arabian Western Pleasure Junior Horse), Elusive J (Arabian Western Pleasure AATR Choice), and Promise Me J, who scored big in the prestigious and lucrative AWPA Arabian Horse Times $15,000 Western Pleasure AAOTR Maturity.

Larry is constantly looking through the lens of a farsighted breeder eager to improve his output. “When I go to a horse show, I pretty much sit in the stands and watch every class,” he states. “I still need to learn; I need to know what genetics have contributed to the greatness of each animal and what trainers have contributed to allow the horse to achieve these accolades. I’ve been in this industry a long time, but there are a lot of things I still want to accomplish.” Larry continues, “When you are breeding, you must recognize the strengths and the weaknesses of every animal. Without being overly critical, you must ask yourself, if you could change something about them, what would you change? How could this be a more functional or purposeful animal? Our breeding program is basically founded on two stallions: Khadraj NA (Ponomarev x Khatreena NA, by Padron) and MPA Giovanni (Da Vinci FM x Glitzy, by FS Ritz). They worked very well together to create outstanding halter and performance horses. But you always have to be thinking about the next generation of what you are going to do.”

That attitude led Larry to embark on a fact-finding mission to make him aware of what options were available globally. “I was in Europe to promote MPA Giovanni and to see mares that I thought he would work well with,” Larry reminisces. “I was looking for the next step in my program and Karl-Heinz Stoeckle’s was one of the stops I made. He was standing WH Justice, who I was extremely excited about, although he was still a young horse at the time.” Larry’s desire to add Justice to the Jerland pedigrees was realized when he acquired two breedings to the horse from his good friend, Bart van Buggenhout, who was standing the stallion at Aljassimya Farm. Finally able to fulfill his dream of adding WH Justice to his program, Larry chose two Giovanni daughters to make the cross.

“I thought that was the ideal mating,” recalls Larry. “Genetically, they were very compatible, not closely linebred. Giovanni brought the size, the hip, and a strong back; Justice brought a beautiful face and bend of the neck. Giovanni horses are level-headed and mellow, Justice gives a show-ring attitude; plenty of snort and blow. I thought that if I could take these traits from each horse and blend them together, I would be closer to my ideal. I also maintain that a stallion cannot ‘fix’ everything, neither can a mare ‘fix’ everything. But when you get the right blend, magic can happen. I was fortunate and it worked in both cases. I ended up with both an extremely beautiful filly, Galaxie J, and an extremely exotic colt, Puccini J, that I felt could be the next step in my genetic program.”

Puccini’s dam is one of Jerland’s elite mares, U.S. and Canadian National Futurity Champion, Miss Giovanna. “The one thing that I wanted to change about her was that she was very comfortable in her own skin, like Giovanni,” Larry explains. “She was not the hot, fire-breathing dragon who exudes enthusiasm. But Puccini was another story. James Swanepoel, from Belgium, said he was the most perfect Justice foal he had seen in the United States, if not the world. Andy Sellman fell in love with him as a foal and was the first person to take him into the show ring, where he did very well as a yearling. He continued to win as a two-year-old and into his three-year-old year with Michael Byatt.”

Knowing he had something very special on his hands, Larry let the horse indicate the tempo of his career. “When I show a horse, I do it in steps,” he continues. “After going to a few of the big shows, we thought it would be best for Puccini to mature both physically and mentally. He had a juvenile attitude, and his color also needed to mature to its eventual white to complete the total package. We decided to bring him home and let him grow up before adding another part to his career. We put him in western training with Roxanne Schall, while at the same time we bred him to a few select mares.

“Roxanne was the trainer of choice because she has a soft, quiet hand and would bring the horse along slowly. I didn’t want too much intensity, but we knew that the horse was bored living in a stall. He wanted to do something. Too many halter horses just come out to get lunged and be set up; they have no spice in their lives. They need variety. I like to take my stallions and give them another job. In doing so, we realized that Puccini, like many of the Giovanni relatives, had the ability to become an incredible performance horse.”

Larry bred several mares to him, with exceptional results among the five or six foals on the ground now. Some have already been snatched up by savvy breeders, including Smile J, who has found a new home in the Middle East. “We are still at the beginning, but I am looking at Puccini as having a dual career,” Larry avers. “We’ve kept him in training now for the last year as a performance horse, with Jeff Schall monitoring his physical condition. Our plan is to bring him back out into the world as a halter horse at Scottsdale in February 2022, with Michael Byatt. We think Puccini could be the unique individual who succeeds in that atmosphere. At the same time, we are creating foals with functionality that can be used in the western arena. Do I think Puccini will produce an English horse? Probably not. But he produces an athletic western horse with all the qualities that you want to see in that discipline.

“One of his first foals was out of Promisa J, the full sister to Broken Promises PGA and Khaja J, who is the father of our multiple-Scottsdale and U.S. National Champion Western horse, Kola J. I am quite thrilled with the outcome. The oldest Puccini daughters will probably be bred in the next year or so, and we intend to try them with Verdict J, who just won his first national championship in Oklahoma City. He has phenomenal genetics, being a full brother to Virtuosa MLR, the dam of FA El Rasheem, who sold for over $4 million to the Dubai Stud as a halter horse. This will be the next genetic cross for the Jerland program.”

Larry continues to look to the future with a clear gaze. “You must have a vision,” he declares. “Too many people who get into this industry want instant gratification. I have had many, many wins. I have all kinds of trophies and ribbons, but I display very few of them in my home. I feel my greatest accomplishments in life are my family, my friends, the relationships that I have cultivated. Don’t get me wrong, I like to win as much as the next person…maybe more so. I play to win. But you need to prepare to win. Things do not happen to you overnight. When I sent Verdict to Liz Bentley I said, ‘This horse is not going to be ready until he is five or six years old, but I need these genetics in my bloodlines. I do believe this is going to happen, but we need to take the time to let it happen.’ It happened with Verdict, it happened with Kola—you can’t throw in the towel.

“I wanted to feature Puccini on the cover because, whereas Khadraj and Giovanni have made their marks, and Khaja and Kola are now making theirs, I think Puccini is going to be the next horse coming up. And Verdict is the horse coming up right behind him. I’m very grateful to all the people who support my breeding program and to all the trainers that support our program and do phenomenal work with our horses. It is well-known in the industry that I have a lot of great trainers that I support because they support me.” In addition, Larry is grateful to the many people who have mentored him over the years, freely sharing their knowledge and insights.

He continues to keep his fingers on the pulse of the Arabian horse industry. “We live in a world now where halter horses have a place,” he says. “But the group of people who are most active are people 50 years and older, many of them women who have waited a lifetime to raise their kids and have careers, but who have always dreamed of being in horses. Now they are riding. The amateur area has grown tremendously. I am honored to be serving on the AHA Board and I can tell you, our industry has changed, trends have changed, COVID changed us. But we are always thinking how we can keep the industry vibrant and exciting. That’s what it’s all about.”