February, the “month of love,” brings the spirit of romance and prepares us for spring. We are caught up in the spirit by playing Cupid for your eligible bachelorettes (mares) as we showcase some of the top paint bachelors (stallions) in the industry to be “the one” for your mares this breeding season.
One of the many reasons mare owners love to breed to paint stallions is because of their stunning coat colors. Right before foaling, many horse owners are praying for that “spot” on their baby so that they can be registered for the regular paint division.
Since color and spots are a must, there are several paint stallions in the industry that are known for their color and throwing spectacular chrome and coat patterns on their foals. If color is what you are looking for, then look no further.
In our Valentine’s Day paint stallion edition, we have featured some of the leading western and English paint stallions…. and let’s just say, any mare would be happy to choose from any of these handsome studs. Happy stallion shopping.
Take this quick, fun quiz to find out which of these amazing stallions you are most like and share your results with your friends. Stay tuned next week for our paint halter edition.
Meet our Bachelors:
Western
Bachelor #1
A Scenic Impulse
A Danson Impulse by A Sudden Impulse (Sire of Multiple APHA World Champions) x Ima Scenic Pinebar (World Champion Producer)
Barn name: “Loyd”
Age and Color: 15-year-old sorrel overo stallion
Owned By: Darol Rodrock
Accomplishments: Loyd was the winner of the first ever Reichert Celebration Color Classic in 2002 and the following year, he was Top Five in Thee-Year-Old Western Pleasure at the APHA World Show. He ended his brief show career with over $37,000 in earnings before retiring to the breeding barn.
Accomplishments of offspring: Loyd has sired 31 World and Reserve World Champions with a limited number of foals each year. On average, his foals have earned $7,300.
What makes him an outstanding sire? On top of his amazing movement and conformation, Loyd is great minded and trainable. His fabulous disposition made him a favorite as a show horse and he continues to be quiet minded to this day, making him a favorite, as a breeding horse, as well.
What dominant traits does he pass on to his offspring? Loyd stamps his foals with his great legs, fabulous mind, strong shoulders, and color.
What types of mares cross best with him? Loyd’s magic cross is Zippo bred mares, especially mares sired by Zippos Sensation. These crosses have resulted in numerous World and Reserve World Champions. Additionally, when crossed with many different types of mares, he is known to be able to shorten a longer back, help to slow down a front leg and pass on his quiet mind to his offspring.
Fun Fact: When trainer, Mike Hachtel, flew to Iowa to look at Loyd as a prospect, it was during a horrible ice storm. Mike had to navigate gravel and back roads to see him. Upon Mike’s arrival, he realized there was nowhere to work Loyd since the weather was dismal. So, he looked at him and loved his conformation and just had a good gut feeling about him. He resorted to watching him move up and down the barn aisle and, even though he never saw him lope, he just knew Loyd was going to be a great one. Mike wrote a check and took a chance. The rest is history.
CLICK HERE to view his ad in the February issue of GoMag for more information
Bachelor #2
John Simon
Special Invitation (Sire of multiple APHA World and Reserve Champions) x Sensational Leaguer (Multiple World and NSBA Champion, over $100,000 in lifetime earnings)
Barn name: “John”
Age and Color: 11-year-old bay tobiano stallion
Owned By: Charla & Erin Bradshaw
Accomplishments: John is a multiple World and Reserve World Champion in Western Pleasure, a World champion Halter Stallion, a Reserve World Champion in Trail, a multiple PtHA World Champion, and a futurity champion at the Southern Belle and Reichert Pleasure Celebration.
Accomplishments of offspring: John has sired multiple APHA World and Reserve World Champions.
What makes him an outstanding sire? John is an outstanding sire because he is not only well made, gorgeous, and fabulous legged, he is also extremely trainable and kind minded.
What dominant traits does he pass on to his offspring? John passes on his 
great mind, trainability, and movement to his foals. His foals are very sound and conformationally correct. John also has fabulous color percentages with many of his resulting foals being bay tobianos.
What types of mares cross best with him? John has bred a wide variety of mares and he seems to cross well with many different bloodlines. He is very good at quieting minds, tightening up jogs, and siring big-bodied foals with a lot of versatility.
Fun Facts: According to John’s owner, Erin Bradshaw, John has to have a water bucket in his stall instead of an automatic waterer. John makes it his own personal mission to destroy automatic waterers, and he has been known to flood the barn. Another fun fact about John is that he has become their barn cat’s lounge chair. The cat has learned to climb up the rafters and jump onto John’s back, where she then snuggles up and makes herself comfortable. It is not unusual to see John going about his business with a cat on his back.
CLICK HERE to view his ad in the February issue of GoMag for more information
Bachelor #3
Lazy Luvah
Lazy Loper (Sire of Multiple World and Congress Champions) x Luv Me Good (APHA World Champion Producer)
Barn name: “Lazy”
Age and Color: 6-year-old bay roan overo stallion
Owned By: Top Line Breeding, LLC
Accomplishments: Lazy is a multiple APHA World Champion in Western Pleasure and Longe Line and an APHA Reserve World Champion in Western Riding. He also won the APHA Honor Roll in 3-year-old Western Pleasure.
Accomplishments of offspring: This is the first year Lazy’s foals will be shown.
What makes him an outstanding sire? Lazy is well made, extremely athletic, great-legged, and versatile.
What dominant traits does he pass on to his offspring? In addition to siring a wide variety of roans with his signature bald face and many with similar belly spots, Lazy is also passing on his quiet and kind disposition. His foals are big-bodied, have a lot of natural self-carriage and rhythm, and are very striking with a lot of eye appeal.
What types of mares cross best with him? Since it is still very early in Lazy’s breeding career, they are breeding him to many different types of mares, and he seems to cross well with mares that are bred in many different ways. He is helping to shorten backs, tighten up jogs, helps to add muscle mass, and is stamping his babies with his thick forelock, manes, and tails.
Fun Fact: Owner, Erin Beasley, calls Lazy, “The Italian Stallion” because of his dark, handsome looks and the fact that he has such thick forelock, mane, and tail hair. In fact, his forelock seems to get bigger every year. His forelock is so noticeable that it has become one of his signature traits. Recently, it has gotten so full that they had to order a headstall with a brow band to keep it down and out of his eyes when he is showing so that he can see where he is going.
CLICK HERE to view his ad in the February issue of GoMag for more information
Bachelor #4
Lopin Lazy
Lazy Loper (Sire of Multiple World and Congress Champions) x R Fancy This (Multiple APHA World and Reserve World Champion producer)
Barn name: “Beamer”
Age and Color: 7-year-old bay overo stallion
Owned By: Tony and Patti Cerio
Accomplishments: Beamer is a multiple APHA Reserve World Champion in Western Pleasure, a multiple Honor Roll Champion winner in several events, and a multiple Reserve World Champion Halter Stallion. Beamer holds the record for being the Lifetime Leading Point Earner in Green Western Pleasure
Accomplishments of offspring: Beamer’s oldest babies are 2-year-olds, and this is the first year they will be shown under saddle. His yearling foal crop already yielded an APHA World Show Champion in the BCF Longe Line.
What makes him an outstanding sire? Beamer is very versatile and excelled in numerous events. He has beautiful conformation and a kind disposition in addition to being a great mover.
What dominant traits does he pass on to his offspring? Beamer is siring quiet minded foals that are a pleasure to be around. They are well-made and great movers with a lot of size and eye appeal. Additionally, he is a fabulous color producer.
What types of mares cross best with him? Since Beamer has not had many breeding years, it is hard to say this early on which types of mares cross best with him. However, they have crossed many different types of mares with him (both AQHA and APHA) and all of the resulting foals have been very strong, quiet, and exceptional legged.
Fun Fact: According to Beamer’s owner, Patti Cerio, Beamer has always loved to play ball. The first year he stood as a stallion, he would occasionally toss his ball back and forth with the stud next door. One day, they got a little bit carried away and tore down the whole fly system in the barn. Oops! Needless to say, his ball privileges were suspended for a little while after that incident.
CLICK HERE to view his ad in the February issue of GoMag for more information
Bachelor #5
Gentlemen Send Roses
Whata Investment (Sire of multiple World and Reserve World Champions) x HF Runforthe Roses (Multiple World Champion)
Barn name: “Gus”
Age and Color: 18-year-old sorrel tobiano homozygous stallion
Owned By: Harnish Performance Horses
Accomplishments: Gus was injured as a yearling, and unfortunately, he was unable to be shown due to a bone chip in his ankle. He started his breeding career earlier than some stallions, but his foals’ accomplishments have more than made up for the fact that he never made it to the show arena.
Accomplishments of offspring: Gus has sired multiple APHA and PtHA World and Reserve World Champions in multiple events from western pleasure to hunter under saddle. He is the sire of APHA World Show High Point winners, winners of the Versatility Class at the PtHA World Show, and numerous year end High Point award winners. He is currently #4 on this APHA Leading Sire List for both halter and performance.
What makes him an outstanding sire? Gus has a fabulous pedigree, great conformation, amazing movement, and a spectacular mind. In addition, he is homozygous which takes the gamble out of whether or not the resulting foal will have color.
What dominant traits does he pass on to his offspring? Aside from color, Gus sires foals that have the “whole package.” They are pretty, natural movers, consistent performers, versatile, conformationally correct, and have the desire to be show horses in many events for many years.
What types of mares cross best with him? Gus’ golden cross is any mare that is Zippo Pine Bar bred, as this cross has resulted in numerous World Champions. For the most part, his foals are the color of the mare to which he is bred (example: black mare would foal a black tobiano). No matter what, Gus takes the color gamble out of the equation, so he is a great option to breed solid or AQHA mares. He has had numerous minimal tobianos when bred to solid mares. Additionally, he is a broodmare sire and has had many of his daughters become World Champion producers and some of them are even homozygous.
Fun Fact: According to Gus’ owner, Julie Harnish, Gus has the back stall in their breeding barn. As soon as the weather permits, he has full access to watch all the broodmares and babies and horses in training. Gus spends the majority of his time watching them just as any proud sports dad would do.
CLICK HERE to view his ad in the February issue of GoMag for more information
Bachelor #6
Invited to the Dance
Invited Back (Sire of multiple World Champions) x MBF Principle Dance
Barn name: “Warren”
Age and Color: 8-year-old homozygous sorrel tobiano stallion
Owned By: Vanessa Kliemchen
Accomplishments: Warren fractured his knee as a 2-year-old in the round pen and that kept him from the show, pen. He started his breeding career earlier than originally anticipated, but his foals’ accomplishments are making up for the fact that he was never able to be a show horse himself.
Accomplishments of offspring: Warren has sired a Top Ten finisher in the 2-year-old Hunter Under Saddle at the APHA World Show and two Top Ten Honor Roll finishers in Novice Hunter Under Saddle and Hunt Seat Equitation.
What makes him an outstanding sire? Warren is great-minded, athletic, big-bodied, and well made. He is very slow legged and has a lot of reach with his front leg as well as a very strong hock and steady topline. He is homozygous and takes out the gambling aspect when it comes to breeding for color.
What dominant traits does he pass on to his offspring? Besides color, Warren is siring tall, great minded foals with a ton of versatility.
What types of mares cross best with him? Since Warren is homozygous, they have bred a lot of solid and AQHA mares to him and they have all made big beautiful babies with great legs, beautiful conformation, and all around potential. One of his best crosses so far is with Last Detail bred mares. The resulting foals are exceptionally leggy, have a lot of reach, and are striking and beautifully refined.
Fun Facts: According to Warren’s owner, Vanessa Kliemchen, one winter at Fedore’s (the vet clinic where Warren stands at stud), it was too icy for him to go out in his pasture, so they just turned him out in the arena and the staff just worked around him. On a slow day, they decided to teach him to play soccer with them and apparently, he is quite a natural talent. Warren is also very kind and gentle with Vanessa’s kids. Her youngest son has long blond hair and her oldest son thinks it is hilarious to put his baby brother in front of Warren and let him nibble on his hair like it’s hay. They both laugh uncontrollably.
CLICK HERE to view his ad in the February issue of GoMag for more information
English Stallions
Bachelor #1
Living Large
These Irons Are Hot (Sire of multiple World Champions and Congress Champions) x Quit Staring (Multiple World Champion producer)
Barn name: “Shaq”
Age and Color: 8-year-old AQHA/APHA/PtHA sorrel overo stallion
Owned By: Cathy Frank
Accomplishments: Shaq has earned multiple APHA World Championships, Multiple PtHA World Championships, multiple AQHA Reserve World Championships, and multiple Reserve Congress Championships. He is still continuing to make his mark in the show arena and has recently started his over fences career. He is currently working on qualifying for the 2017 AQHA World Show. Shaq is still showing and winning in the pleasure driving, including a recent APHA World Championship in 2016 with his owner, Cathy Frank.
Accomplishments of offspring: Even though his oldest foals are only 4-year-olds, Shaq has already sired an APHA World Champion, a Reserve Congress Champion, a multiple European Champion, and multiple futurity winners in events ranging from yearling-in-hand trail to over fences, hunter under saddle, and pleasure driving.
What makes him an outstanding sire? Shaq has outstanding conformation, substantial bone, and stellar movement combined with his excellent mind and trainability.
What dominant traits does he pass on to his offspring? Shaq’s foals are good-minded and trainable, in addition to being great moving and sound individuals. They are gorgeous to look at and the icing on the cake is the fact that most are double registered and have the ability to be competitive in a wide range of events.
What types of mares cross best with him? Shaq seems to cross well with both Western and English mares. He sires foals with his conformation, bone, brain, and color. It is important to note that he is a registered Appendix with AQHA, so he should only be bred to AQHA mares with white papers.
Fun Facts: According to trainer, Kevin Dukes, the most obvious story about Shaq is the skeptical reception of his bold color at AQHA shows and everyone wondering how this loud paint was showing in AQHA classes. Since he is so noticeable both by color and talent, he has developed quite the fan base over the years. At last year’s Select World Show, there was a little girl who came to visit him every day and would go in his stall with him. For most stallions, this would be worrisome, but not with Shaq. He is the kind of horse that loves attention and having this little visitor was one of the highlights of the show for him.
CLICK HERE to view his ad in the February issue of GoMag for more information
Bachelor #2
I Got Em Talkin
I Got Charisma (Sire of Multiple APHA World and Reserve World Champions) x Fight Over Emmie (Producer of multiple AQHA and APHA World Champions)
Barn name: “Buzz”
Age and Color: 7-year-old gray overo stallion
Owned By: Dominic DeStefano
Accomplishments: Buzz is a 19-time World and Reserve World Champion (APHA, PtHA, NSBA) in pleasure driving, over fences classes, and the Ideal Pinto class. Additionally, he has won the Superhorse title at the APHA World Show twice, has been High Point English horse twice, and was the winner of the Novice Amateur All Around at the APHA World Show this past year.
Accomplishments of offspring: Buzz’s oldest foals are yearlings and this will be the first year they will be shown.
What makes him an outstanding sire? Buzz is one of the last remaining sons of I Got Charisma. In addition to keeping that outstanding lineage going, he is great-minded, extremely trainable, a great mover, and conformationally correct.
What dominant traits does he pass on to his offspring? All of the foals from Buzz’s first foal crop were colored and qualified for the regular registry. Many have beautiful dishy faces, similar to his. His foals are great-legged with big strides and strong hind ends, in addition to being strong-boned with a lot of height.
What types of mares cross best with him? Buzz has been bred to many different kinds of mares, both AQHA and APHA, and both western and English. Buzz seems to be able to produce foals that will be able to do more than just the English events since he can jog and lope slow. It seems as though Buzz has passed on his versatility and disposition to his foals.
Fun Fact: According to breeding manager, Christi Christensen, Buzz is a total dead head and nothing bothers him. It can be the giraffes at Highpoint or a garbage bag flying across the parking lot. In fact, he is so quiet that he is almost sleepy. Much like the famous racehorse, Seabiscuit, Buzz is known for his long naps multiple times per day. He is always laid back, easy going, and must recharge constantly.
CLICK HERE to view his ad in the February issue of GoMag for more information
Bachelor #3
The Wow Factor
All Time Fancy (Sire of Multiple APHA World and Reserve World Champions) x MemoForEmma (Producer of Multiple APHA World Champions)
Barn name: “Neo”
Age and Color: 5-year-old bay overo stallion
Owned By: Nicole Dalton
Accomplishments: Neo is a multiple APHA World Champion in Open and Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle (by unanimous decision), a Reserve World Champion in Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle, and a Reserve AQHA Congress Futurity Champion.
Accomplishments of offspring: Neo’s first foals will be born this year (a few have already arrived!)
What makes him an outstanding sire? Neo has all three gaits and a ton of eye appeal. He is 18 hands and a gentle giant, so the hope is that he will pass on his size, movement, and temperament to his foals.
What dominant traits does he pass on to his offspring? Since he doesn’t have a lot of babies yet, it is hard to say, but the first few foals have a lot of leg, are well made, and are colored beautifully.
What types of mares cross best with him? Neo has bred a little bit of everything to see which crosses are the best for him. They are breeding him to western mares and all around mares. The hope is that Neo will add stride, size, and a great disposition. He is negative for the lethal gene and positive for the splash gene, so he can throw color, but they will not likely be very loud.
Fun Fact: According to Nicole Dalton, Neo’s owner and breeder, when he was a baby, he loved to have his ears massaged. He would even go to sleep when he was being clipped. He is and always has been so quiet that it is easy to forget that he is 18 hands because he is so gentle. These days, his favorite thing to do is to watch the foals from his pasture right next door to them. He is often seen grooming and licking them. He is truly a gentle giant.
CLICK HERE to view his ad in the February issue of GoMag for more information
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Anyone who has seen the show knows that in true Bachelorette form, we have to ask: “Will you accept this rose?” However, in this instance, it might be more appropriate to ask whether you accept this flake of alfalfa or peppermint instead. Whichever of these amazing matches you choose for your mare this breeding season, you really cannot go wrong because there are so many great ones. Hopefully, Cupid’s arrows bring good luck.
Stay tuned for our Paint Halter Stallion edition.
