PrintThis North Carolina breeder has found unexpected rewards in producing young horses and owning a Grand Prix stallion.
Twenty years ago, Maryanna Haymon was just looking for a way to subsidize the expenses of her horse.
“My husband and I had five kids between us, and we barely made ends meet. I said, ‘I’ll buy a mare, we’ll have a foal every year and sell it, and that will pay for the gelding’s show career.’ But it never works out that way! I was a bit naïve at the time. I still have that first foal!” she said. “I never imagined where it would end up.”
Haymon’s breeding operation might not have served its intended purpose, but along the way she’s turned into one of the top dressage breeders in the country, finishing second in the 2010 U.S. Equestrian Federation dressage breeding national breeder standings.
Haymon, 56, has held various jobs, working as an emergency medical technician, a neonatal nurse, a research assistant in the feminine hygiene product division of Johnson & Johnson, a nurse at a summer camp, a caterer and a 911 dispatcher. But the journey eventually led her to a career as a breeder of dressage horses.
“I’ve been trying to breed horses that someone like me, an amateur who rides at the lower levels, can handle, but that at the same time, if you’ve got the talent or you want a professional to sit on the horse, it has the talent and athletic ability and work ethic to do the Grand Prix,” said Haymon.
She owns and stands the Grand Prix stallion Don Principe. Jennifer Baumert rode the Donnerhall offspring to win all four Grand Prix classes at the Kentucky Dressage Association CDI on May 26-29, and she’s planning a two-month trip to Germany with Don Principe to train with Klaus Balkenhol. They’ll return in time to show at Dressage At Devon (Pa.) at the end of September.
“I’m so enthusiastic about Don Principe himself, and I really believe in her breeding program as well,” said Baumert. “I’ve had five of his babies in my barn, and they’re all absolutely rock solid—wonderful temperament with great quality. I’m very impressed with them.”
From Babies To Foals
“Hands-on” is an understatement when it comes to Haymon’s approach to her horses. For the past 20 years, she’s done all the work herself, getting up at 5 a.m. to feed, turn out and muck stalls. It wasn’t until late May this year, after she broke her elbow and required surgery, that she hired an employee to help.
Haymon houses 27 horses, including 10 mares, on her 33-acre farm in Columbus, N.C. Five of the older mares are active broodmares, while the other five are 3, 4 and 5 years old. Haymon breeds from four to eight foals a year, though she’s scaling down. One of her broodmares, Windsong, was the first foal she bred, though she passed away on June 9.
Haymon moved to her Marydell Farm in 2002. She and her husband Wendell built their home on top of the 16-stall barn. “I have an interior staircase and closed-circuit TV in the foaling stalls. I can check on mares no matter what the weather,” she said.
As a former nurse for newborns in intensive care, Haymon is uniquely qualified for foaling duties for her mares. “I had the medical background, and I loved babies. And I knew I had a gift with handling horses,” she said. “I’m good in an emergency. All the training kicks in, and you start thinking and you have a checklist to go down.”
