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Blood Will Tell – Take a Chance, Have Faith – Isn’t that what Breeding is About?

This phrase has been said so many times and yet so many breeders ignore it.  When I owned Bellisimo BCR by Marquis I, several well thought of experts told me to geld him because they felt his face was not typey enough for him to remain a stallion.  I didn’t listen.  His body was impeccable and he was bred to a mare with a gorgeous face with more dish then Belissimo had.  Still Belissimo has everything else, body, movement, little ears, big black eyes and a super neck.  He had great tail carriage and perfect legs.  At 5 years old he coliced and died and so we only got one filly by him.  I wished I had started breeding him at 3 and that we had 10 foals just like the one we bred.  We knew his pedigree had alot of petty with Ruminaja Bajhat, Prima Bella KA, and many more – so we had a hunch the blood would produce, it it sure did… Alia Monet BCR is probably the prettiest mare we have on the farm.

I saw a stallion named Sahib EHAB recently.  His pedigree is phenomenal and yet no one was willing to buy him – even at a low price.  I thought of buying him myself but with 4 stallions – 1 more is waaaay more than I could add.  He himself has some phenotype issues.  He has a bit of white in the eye, a bit of a funky croup, etc…  But yet – I had a strong hunch about this horse – that he would also produce.  Today his first filly was born.  She is AMAZING!!  I’m so happy for Sherry his owner because she didn’t sell Sahib and now she owns an wonderful stallion who we now know can produce.  I’d rather have a stallion with flaws who won’t win in the show ring, than a world champion who can’t produce good foals any day.

Today a mare came to my farm who is a daughter of my stallion.  She had the body I love, great legs, neck, tail carriage, etc..  When I first saw her I liked her but I was thinking I’d like to see more type in her face.  In the last 2 years she has matured beautifully and I find that I really like her alot.  I love both her sire and her dam… I have another hunch!  This one’s going to produce – wait and see…  If you like the sire and the dam, chances are you will like their grand get.

I also have another mare at the farm – by Majestic Noble SMF – she has her little issues here and there too – but I have a strong hunch she will produce the best and she is now in foal to Nebras Al Rayyan who has been producing fantastic foals – all the owners are thrilled with their foals by Nebras.

Next year will be so interesting we will see how  good my hunches were…

Happy breeding, and don’t forget that blood will tell, and breeding involves science, faith and following your “educated hunches”.  Don’t be afraid to push the envelope…

Thaqib Al Nasser Son at Bear Creek Ranch

Bear Creek Ranch welcomed the only Thaqib Al Nasser son in the US recently!  He is a beautiful colt out of a gorgeous Prince Ibn Sheikh daughter named Meadow Mirabella.   Thani Al Malki has named this amazing boy Suhail Al Shafalahia.  It gives us such great pride to have the opportunity to raise Thani’s horses for him and see them mature into adulthood.

I’m going to be taking photos this weekend for all the clients and will look forward to posting them!

Turning Lemons into Lemonade – the Story of Infinity Egyptian Stud

Courage. Tonight I’m going to blog about the courage of a breeder to stand apart from the rest and be unwilling to accept poor behavior and poor ethics by others. My dear friend and fellow breeder Kristy Caswell is the owner of Infinity Egyptian Stud in Jarrettsville, MD. Infinity Egyptian Stud is what I would call a model of everything that a good breeder does to help not only themselves to proposer, but also helps others in the process.

Kristy is the kind of breeder who is relentless about turning lemons into lemonade. In her personal life she has been given the short end of the stick in many ways. Her partner in life – who she would have expected to spend her future with – decided to pursue another path. Although she was upset for some time, she didn’t let it stop her. Instead, she focused on her business and her breeding program and her friends and now finds that all three aspects of her life flourishing.

Each time someone has tried to take away from her for their own benefit – Kristy has focused on what is “right” about that situation, embraced the change that was needed to be made and come out on top.

The lesson is that life is not about complaining when we are dealt an unexpected blow and then just accepting it and harboring anger because you feel there are no other options.  Often great things come from embracing life and disappointments it for what they are and moving forward as a stronger, wiser person.