NEWS
ALISTAR ARABIANS
& ASA SCANDALOUS AFFAIR...TURNING DREAMS INTO REALITY
By CATHERINE COLE FERANDELLI
Kim and husband Dr. James “Jim” Blevins are pleased as punch to be immersed in the next chapter of their Arabian horse dream, breeding multi-generation 100% Alistar Arabians bloodstock.
Kim enthuses, “Our next breeding chapter took our homebred stallion ASA Scandalous Affair (Always A Jullyen V x Sweet Saphire V) from the show pen to trainer, Dale Brown’s breeding shed.”
ASA Scandalous Affair (aka “Scandal”) is a big spoke in the Alistar Arabians wheel of bloodstock-producing aspirations. Breeding him to their homebred mares was the next big step and the results are in … meet the sable stunner, ASA Mercedes.
Born in March 2020, this ebony black filly is out of Alistar’s ASA Midnight Lucille, daughter of Western Pleasure National Champion Midnight Magnum. A classic representation of the Varian breeding program, Kim attests, “Mercedes possesses correct type, substance and athletic, balanced movement. All in all, the perfect combination of her sire and dam.” Energized with Mercedes’ beauty and conformation, the decision was made to start her show career in the yearling filly breeding stakes competitions.
Earlier this year, Mercedes was sent to renowned halter trainer Michael Wilson to prepare for her show debut in Region XII’s Spotlight Stallion Futurity Yearling Filly class. Mercedes’ elegant performance, splendidly handled by amateur Katie McGregor, was rewarded with Champion Spotlight Futurity Filly and Reserve Champion Spotlight Futurity Auction Filly. At Region XV, Mercedes thrilled the spectators again, winning ABS Arabian Yearling Filly. Kim and Jim are overjoyed with her stunning performances, yet equally pleased to see her calmly settle in at the show grounds, always greeting them with a nicker and a contented lick of the lips.
“Through good fortune, listening to expert advice and having brilliant horse friends willing to share their triumphs and failures,” Kim continues, “we’ve been very blessed. We are very small breeders, usually producing one, perhaps two foals a year. Those small numbers typically create lower odds for success, so our breeding results have pleased us beyond measure.”
Alistar Arabians’ goals are not exclusive to simply producing Arabian show horses. From the beginning, their dream has evolved by carefully crafting a small select herd of happy, classically beautiful, athletically gifted bloodstock; horses who are enthusiastic about doing their job, whatever that may be, willing to give their all.
“The foaling journey begins at birth and then proceeds, taking twists and turns,” Kim smiles, and the babies we’ve bred have mostly come from western pleasure ancestry mixed with some halter breeding. Still, we always are attuned to what each of our horses want to be. We have produced hunters, western pleasure horses, and even several reiners. We let our horses show us what they do best, then give them the best training we can find to further their talents.”
Kim and Jim are in every sense, the very essence of Alistar Arabians. Their lifestyle is all about performing the daily duties around the farm and for the horses. “We are the farm staff,” Kim laughs, “hands on with the day-to-day tasks and even the late-night foal watch. Living this life is a huge part of how our big dream started small and stays small, but most of all, carries on with wondrous rewards.”
Looking forward, Scandal has several more purebred and Half-Arabian foals on their way for 2022. He is a Region 12 Spotlight Stallion, Scottsdale Signature Stallion and AWPA Enrolled, giving opportunities for Scandal’s offspring to compete in varied show competition venues.
At only 6 years old, Scandal’s trainer, Dale Brown, has him in a full bridle, which Kim views as a better than ever western pleasure Scandal. Always a believer in giving a horse plenty of training time, Scandal’s show career and breeding career will continue with Dale and ultimately include Kim showing him in western pleasure amateur competition. It’s the icing on the cake for Kim, who has dreamt since childhood of having her very own Arabian black stallion.
Alistar Arabians surely embodies the words that great dreamer Walt Disney once declared, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Kim enthuses, “Our next breeding chapter took our homebred stallion ASA Scandalous Affair (Always A Jullyen V x Sweet Saphire V) from the show pen to trainer, Dale Brown’s breeding shed.”
ASA Scandalous Affair (aka “Scandal”) is a big spoke in the Alistar Arabians wheel of bloodstock-producing aspirations. Breeding him to their homebred mares was the next big step and the results are in … meet the sable stunner, ASA Mercedes.
Born in March 2020, this ebony black filly is out of Alistar’s ASA Midnight Lucille, daughter of Western Pleasure National Champion Midnight Magnum. A classic representation of the Varian breeding program, Kim attests, “Mercedes possesses correct type, substance and athletic, balanced movement. All in all, the perfect combination of her sire and dam.” Energized with Mercedes’ beauty and conformation, the decision was made to start her show career in the yearling filly breeding stakes competitions.
Earlier this year, Mercedes was sent to renowned halter trainer Michael Wilson to prepare for her show debut in Region XII’s Spotlight Stallion Futurity Yearling Filly class. Mercedes’ elegant performance, splendidly handled by amateur Katie McGregor, was rewarded with Champion Spotlight Futurity Filly and Reserve Champion Spotlight Futurity Auction Filly. At Region XV, Mercedes thrilled the spectators again, winning ABS Arabian Yearling Filly. Kim and Jim are overjoyed with her stunning performances, yet equally pleased to see her calmly settle in at the show grounds, always greeting them with a nicker and a contented lick of the lips.
“Through good fortune, listening to expert advice and having brilliant horse friends willing to share their triumphs and failures,” Kim continues, “we’ve been very blessed. We are very small breeders, usually producing one, perhaps two foals a year. Those small numbers typically create lower odds for success, so our breeding results have pleased us beyond measure.”
Alistar Arabians’ goals are not exclusive to simply producing Arabian show horses. From the beginning, their dream has evolved by carefully crafting a small select herd of happy, classically beautiful, athletically gifted bloodstock; horses who are enthusiastic about doing their job, whatever that may be, willing to give their all.
“The foaling journey begins at birth and then proceeds, taking twists and turns,” Kim smiles, and the babies we’ve bred have mostly come from western pleasure ancestry mixed with some halter breeding. Still, we always are attuned to what each of our horses want to be. We have produced hunters, western pleasure horses, and even several reiners. We let our horses show us what they do best, then give them the best training we can find to further their talents.”
Kim and Jim are in every sense, the very essence of Alistar Arabians. Their lifestyle is all about performing the daily duties around the farm and for the horses. “We are the farm staff,” Kim laughs, “hands on with the day-to-day tasks and even the late-night foal watch. Living this life is a huge part of how our big dream started small and stays small, but most of all, carries on with wondrous rewards.”
Looking forward, Scandal has several more purebred and Half-Arabian foals on their way for 2022. He is a Region 12 Spotlight Stallion, Scottsdale Signature Stallion and AWPA Enrolled, giving opportunities for Scandal’s offspring to compete in varied show competition venues.
At only 6 years old, Scandal’s trainer, Dale Brown, has him in a full bridle, which Kim views as a better than ever western pleasure Scandal. Always a believer in giving a horse plenty of training time, Scandal’s show career and breeding career will continue with Dale and ultimately include Kim showing him in western pleasure amateur competition. It’s the icing on the cake for Kim, who has dreamt since childhood of having her very own Arabian black stallion.
Alistar Arabians surely embodies the words that great dreamer Walt Disney once declared, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”