This might stump you...

[Kyzteke]

I have a friend of mine who is a serious endurance rider. She has been mileage champ (or VERY close to it) at least two years in a row in her region. Naturally she has always ridden Arabs.

Well, I turned her on to WBs, and at the same time she got a horse in for training that was sired by a WB (other half is QH/Arab, I think).

Now she just loving this horse in terms of balance, trot, the way it can carry itself (round and not as highheaded) and ability to sit -- all without alot of effort.

I told her I loved my WB/Arab cross, as do most endurance riders who have seen her. Even if she is only 15hh tall (and 15hh wide). She has fantastic bone, feet, engine, gaits -- just the whole shebang. But she is actually only 25% WB, since her sire was Werigo (so that makes her 50% Arab, 6.5% Shagya, 18% TB & 25% WB).

Well, now my friend wants to breed one of her Arabs to a WB. Again, this is NOT to win the Tevis...my friend doesn't ride to win. She rides for completion and does alot of the XP rides (where you do 25-50 miles a day for 5 days -- doesn't all have to be on the same horse).

So -- help me find her a stallion!

She wants to improve the mare's neckset, add bone and length of leg, plus more engine. And of course improve gaits.

I was thinking she should look for one with alot of blood, either TB or AA, but she doesn't want a fruitcake foal -- so a good mind is very important. And she doesn't want alot of high knee action -- more of a sweeping motion.

Any suggestions -- any jewels out there I might have missed?

I also said she might look more at WBs that were successful in eventing, since that shows alittle more stamina.

Also the stallion must be in the US and offer chilled semen.

[Carrera]

Look into some trak studs some carry quite a bit of AA blood

[stolensilver]

What about Grafenstolz? He's a young Trak stallion who qualified for the finals of the Bundeschampionat in all 3 disciplines and won the eventing. His first offspring are looking good and while it will be a few years before he's proven he may be a candidate for ticking the boxes for your friend.
http://www.trakehneronline.de/zucht/hengste/grafenstolz.html

[Kyzteke]

What about Grafenstolz? He's a young Trak stallion who qualified for the finals of the Bundeschampionat in all 3 disciplines and won the eventing. His first offspring are looking good and while it will be a few years before he's proven he may be a candidate for ticking the boxes for your friend.
http://www.trakehneronline.de/zucht/hengste/grafenstolz.html

Lovely, but isn't he in Germany?

I did go back and edit my post to say she wants a stallion in the US/ chilled semen.

I also suggested Trakheners...maybe I should go visit their auction.

What about Freedomhall? He's young, but I like him...never seen him in person, though.

[Fairview Horse Center]

The Sporthorse Nationals Payback stallion roster is offering half off, and there are many warmblood stallions included. http://www.shnpayback.com/Stallions_09.html

Nevada is available thru this to Arabian and half Arabian mares.
http://www.shnpayback.com/Stallions_M-R/Nevada.html

[MagicRoseFarm]

Throwing Happy Hour in as a choice....

[Molly Malone]

if you're considering Trakehners, then I would think Windfall would be worth a look.

Also Tanzeln.

[Ajierene]

I sent you a PM about a promising young Hanovarian stallion - Fielding. Top American bred horse in the 100 day test, 5th overall. He is only 5 this spring (if I remember correctly), so he doesn't have any foals showing yet, but he has one crop on the ground and another small crop due in 2009.

He seems a promising stallion and he has a great temperment in work.

[Sakura]

Rosenthal has sires some absolutly stunning Half Arab foals :yes:

[Kyzteke]

if you're considering Trakehners, then I would think Windfall would be worth a look.

Also Tanzeln.

Windfall is certainly a wonderful stallion, but isn't his stud fee something like $2500? Probably alittle rich for my friend.

[Kyzteke]

Rosenthal has sires some absolutly stunning Half Arab foals :yes:

Yep, he's on the list as well, but even though I love this stallion (and have a foal coming from him this spring), I'm not so sure he'd be the best choice in this case. But my friend LOVES him.

[NoDQhere]

Trakehners are well known for their endurance. I believe the Trakehner is also the only non-TB breed that has ever won the Grand Pardubiche (sp) Steeplechase in Poland. There are numerous very nice TK stallions in NA that cross well with Arab mares.

[busybee]

It seems like a Trakehner would be a good choice. They have that sweepy movement that some of the stallions mentioned don't have. That seems to be important for an endurance horse.

[not again]

A friend of mine has a very successful 100 miler that was 1/4 Hanoverian, 1/2 thoroughbred, and 1/4 Arabian. He chose all of his horses using a heart rate monitor and getting resting pulse/respiration numbers so he could have some idea of recovery times at the vet checks during a ride. He had a lot of success as a competitor. (His cross bred sold to Italy for international endurance competition BTW.)
Maybe stallion owners would be willing to get heart and respiration numbers for the mare owner to help make the choice more scientific.

Studies on conditioning were conducted at the NAYRC for many years, which showed the fittest horses were the dressage horses. An interesting footnote.....

[horsechica58]

I also second Rosenthal for producing fabulous Half-Arab foals :yes:

[sterlingshagyas]

You friend should look into one of the many Shagya stallions here in the US. Shagyas are wonderful in endurance- look at Hungares who won the WEG gold in endurance - he is a purebred Shagya. Shagyas add the size, bone and gaits of the warmblood while still retaining the elegance, intelligence and endurance of the arabian - and all with a calm, even temperament. You will find Shagya bloodlines in all the warmblood breeds - Trakehner, DWB, RPSI, Oldenburg, Westfalen, etc. Ramzes was in fact 1/2 Shagya - not an AA; and Lapis, used in the Trakehners, was a purebred Shagya. We have several stallions listed on our website at www.shagyabreeders.com.

[poneez]

We were thrilled to discover upon purchasing our Canadian Sport Horse Stallion Outrageous Fortune (Hennessey, Trakehner x Hechzeba by Perrel, Selle Francais) that he not only had a good number of truly fantastic foals out of Arab mares on the ground, but that he also had been chosen as the ideal compliment to a couple of mares owned by world class endurance competitors. A mare in foal to "Ray" for 2009 is a Canadian Champion (Gold team, Bronze individually), and was bred to correspond with their schedule to qualify for the World's in 2010. Another Arab mare booked in 2008 to be bred this season, belongs to a husband and wife duo who have toured the world as very successful international endurance competitors.

He's bred for the hunter ring, but has been thoroughly enjoying campaigning as an eventer this season with an Olympic rider who is really keen on him. While he's becoming a terrific sire of hunter and dressage prospects, I'm quite eager to see these beautiful endurance babies!

Good luck to your friend in her search, you should post photos of the mare.

[silver2]

Have you thought about an ISH or Connemara/Tb cross? I've seen some really nice ISH/ Arab crosses and I think you'd get the bone and engine you want, a better size (cobby), more straightforward gaits, the disposition would be there and also the endurance (especially with the Conn blood).

I love Trakehners but something about the Arab/TB cross can make unexpectedly huge babies and that might not be what she wants so make sure you look at the size of the offspring!

[Kyzteke]

Have you thought about an ISH or Connemara/Tb cross? I've seen some really nice ISH/ Arab crosses and I think you'd get the bone and engine you want, a better size (cobby), more straightforward gaits, the disposition would be there and also the endurance (especially with the Conn blood).

I love Trakehners but something about the Arab/TB cross can make unexpectedly huge babies and that might not be what she wants so make sure you look at the size of the offspring!

The mare is only 14.2 and one of the things my friend wants to do is add height. She'd like 15.1-15.2hh.

Now the ISH might not be a bad idea....

[Shawnda N]

The current top eventing stallions in the ATA are:

STILETTO *Pb* OSB-A-S339 by Martini *Pg*E*, out of Suprecocious by Abdullah *Pg*E*; bred and owned by Jean Brinkman, Wellborn, FL; ridden by Andrew Palmer

WINDFALL *Pg* OSB-E-S353 by Habicht, out of E.St. Wundermädel xx by Madruzzo xx; bred by Heinz Lembke, Kaufbeuren, Germany; owned by Timothy Holekamp, Columbia, MO; ridden by Darren Chiacchia

DONAUDEEN by Aberdeen, out of Donauperle by Tannenberg, bred and owned by Rolling Oaks Farm