A DEAR FRIEND COMES TO VISIT - Arrival of Trailhead Tuscon!!!

Click here for Tuscon's Breeding Contract.

We love it when friends come to visit and stay awhile...whether they be horse friends, or human friends!! Tuscon is VERY dear to us...and has been for YEARS! I first met him some 7 years ago when I visited our dear friends the Barretts in Riverton WY. He was then, but a youngster...about 3 years old. It was love at first sight, and that admiration has grown over the years as we've watched Tuscon mature into a lovely, elegant, sweet horse. He has everything we look for in a stallion - upper level dressage quality movement, clean pedigree, superb conformation, and good size. On top of all of this, his sweet disposition rivals that of a gelding! In the off breeding season, you can find him turned out with young colts, playing "uncle." THIS is the type of stallion we want to be sire of our youngsters!! Some of you may remember, we had his son with us for about four years - Trailhead Absaroka (aka Rocky), but now we have the MAN HIMSELF!!

We are THRILLED that the Barretts have let us lease Tuscon and prep him for his dressage career!! Tuscon will be bred this year to our lovely Statesmans Lady Grace (who just gave us Amazing Grace, a huge palomino filly in 2009); to the elegant Kells Magic in the Heir (who gave us an enormous chestnut colt by Cameleon this year); and to our exquisite Mandolyn (Ensigns Stately Mandolyn), who is a maiden mare. We seek to eventually cross one of these foals with a foal from senior stallion Statemans Eclipse - who himself is about to go Prix St. George next year! - and our lovely Trailhead Lucy. That cross, two generations from now, will double up on both the Statesman lines and the Circle H lines that both Lucy and Tuscon carry. We think this concentration of those two lines will ENSURE upper level dressage quality movement for generations to come!

After Tuscon performs his paternal duties, he will be sent for a few months to Ange Bean, our trainer in PA. Once he gets a few months under his belt, he is going to have to put up with ME riding/showing him! We couldn't be happier!! WELCOME DEAR TUSCON! See his pedigree here.

Tuscon is shown above with Ann Max. Tuscon was bred to Statesmans Lady Grace, Ensigns Stately Mandolyn and Kells Magic in the Heir for 2010 foals. This crosses him on our two best Statesman bred mares, and our LOVELY Kells mare "sophie". We are thrilled to have these crosses and can't wait to show you their babies next Spring. He also bred Lynne Shpaks LOVELY palomino Chief of State daughter, Statesmans Audacious. These should be fantastic crosses!

Kate injured her hand in the barn door on July 4. When it came time to breed Grace, she only had one good hand. Tuscon is SUCH a gentleman in the breeding shed, she could do this easily with only a lead rope and voice commands! This is one VERY VERY special stallion!!!

Tuscon starts his undersaddle training in earnest now that his "paternal" duties are over. We expect as great things from him under saddle as we do from his offspring."