17 h.h. HOMOZYGOUS Black Oldenburg Stallion

      2005 & Earlier FOALS      

GUNNER
< Gatsby  x  TB mare >

2003 gelding by Gatsby

Gatsby would be a good hunter sire, but also jumpers as well. Gunner is extremely quick with his front end. I can get him right to the base of the jump and he can pat the ground and snap up with the best of them. Another thing that I love about this horse is that he always knows where the jump is.  Regardless of the spot he jumps from, his technique is never compromised.  He rocks back, pats the ground, snaps up, uses his shoulder, pushes through with his back and hind end and has a consistent bascule from launch to landing.  I didn't have to teach him that!  All I had to do was give him a little polishing on squaring his knees. He respects the jump and always jumps, even cross country fences as well.  He can turn on a dime, completely balanced, whether turning left or right.  I believe he is ambidextrous. Gatsby definitely gave him good balance. I may compete Gunner in the jumpers in the future.  I just don't want to miss this opportunity to show him off in the hunters!

- Owned by Tania Siniard, FL

GALA  (FOOTNOTE)    
< Gatsby  x  Trakehner  >
(Born in 2004)

Photo courtesy of Pam Olsen of Pro Photo

UPDATE:  MAY 3, 2009 Gala went to his first horse show ever last weekend and was reserve champion in the baby green division! It was held in a pretty intimidating indoor arena – day 1 he was a bit nervous, but the next day completely relaxed, and of course won the hack!  I just adore him! - Betsy

 

  

GALILEO 
< Gatsby  x  TB  >
(Born in 2003)

Galileo (Cruise) is gorgeous, eye-catching, and so quiet that he is bombproof.  He has been shown successfully in baby green and low adult divisions and is now ready to move up to pre-green.  Jumping the 3 foot height is like nothing to him and he could easily jump much higher!  He is BEAUTIFUL to watch under saddle, and you will never leave the ring without a ribbon.  He is also a barn favorite! - Owned by Stacy Sibel,    Clarkston, MI

GISELLA 
< Gatsby  x  TB >

September 12, 2008
"I just wanted to give you an update on my mare, Gisella, a 2003 mare by Gatsby out of my thoroughbred mare.  Ella has been competing in Dressage for the past year and a half, and has won multiple championships, including the 2007 Blue Heron Farm 4 year old Dressage Prospect Championship with a score of over 75%. She also has won multiple championships at Thunderbird Show Park and Southlands Riding Club at Training & First Levels.  I have started Ella over fences and she shows great form and willingness."

- Owned by Jenna MacKay, Delta, BC, Canada

 

GABORONE
< Gatsby  x  TB mare >

2004 mare by Gatsby, Gaborone placed 2nd overall at the 2008 USEA Young Horse Event Series in the 4 year old class.  The event was in Parker, CO on 5/29.   She was required to be shown in hand, dressage, and to jump a 3' course of 10 fences including a series of banks and drops and a spooky banked coop.   She will be four years old in July, so this was a LOT to ask of her after a winter turned out in the snow and only 3 weeks back in training with Christian Eagles since last fall.  She was nervous but obedient and did her job.  

She placed first for conformation with the judge's remarks being, "nice sport horse type horse/should develop well.  Good shoulder, good bone, needs muscle" (she's fat from winter!).  

In the dressage (she talked a lot) she was judged to have "good suspension, shows potential with a good overstep."  In the jumping phase she was labeled "very green" which makes sense, because she IS very green. 

I was asked about Gatsby a few times down there and spoke very highly of him.  She is really a dead ringer of her father and I think she does him proud! 

- Owned by Tania Coffey, Colorado

KE KE
< Gatsby  x  TB mare >

UPDATE:  April 2008 Ke Ke went to her first show over the weekend (in the pouring rain). She really did rise to the occasion.  She won both her classes and the judge noted her elegance and huge potential. I was extremely proud of her!   (Pictured at the free walk in Intro. Level Dressage)

"Ke Ke is maturing beautifully, and she is very balanced and lovely in every way.  She now has 60 day under saddle and is stretching beautifully at walk, trot and canter.

I am an event rider so I took her to the USEA Future Event Horse competitions and she was 2nd in region II and was 6th in the USEA Championships at Morven Park. She was perfectly behaved and presented like a pro. The comments she received were: "lovely expression, good hip and shoulder, elegant with good substance for age, VERY PROMISING!" They said her gaits have good thrust, fairly light while covering ground, very straight. 

The general impression was that she was very balanced and suited for eventing.  I have worked with many horses in my career and have found her to be just amazing in everyway.  Linda her breeder definitely did her homework when looking for a fabulous stallion. 

It is my hope that she will help to capture all of my CCI goals in the future. Because I am a trainer most people expect everything is for sale but no amount of money could buy this one. I know she is the real deal. 

Thank You so much for seeing all the attributes he so clearly passes on to his babies. and keeping him a stallion.  I will greatly look forward to filling you in on Ke Ke and her future accomplishments."

- Bred by Linda Melgram, MD
- Owned by Jacquelyn Dickey, OH

GEZEBELLA 
< Gatsby  x  TB mare >

OCTOBER 2007
Yvonne Welz & Gezebella received 2nd place in the USDF
All-Breeds Awards for RPSI, Training Level AA!!

I have owned Gatsby's daughter, Gezebella, for the past year.  I could write a book about her, as she is the most incredible horse I have ever been around in my life. Her temperament is a perfect 10, and everything written on your webpage about Gatsby babies, being "beautiful, talented, trainable and sweet" describes her exactly. She is really the perfect horse, and is amazing every one around us. I want a whole stable full of horses just like her!

Late this summer I just started tacking her up and riding her once or twice a week. She took to it like a duck to water!  She's very unusual - so well balanced for a baby, and has always looked (and acted!) like a much more mature horse. She has never even misbehaved in any way under saddle! She has that so desired "hot/cold" attitude, because she is very forward and willing, but totally calm. When loose, or even on the lunge, she will buck and leap in the air like you would not believe! But under saddle, perfect manners, no bucking ever. She takes both canter leads with ease, and has 3 excellent gaits.  

Another thing she does that I can't believe is that she jumps all on her own. Turned out in arenas with jumps, she will jump just for fun! She has done this many times so far, last week over a 2 1/2 foot fence, back and forth about 10 times!

I am a hands-on amateur owner, and I like to do all my own groundwork and saddle training, with regular lessons from my instructor. Training Gezebella has been incredibly rewarding for me, because her progress is so rapid. She retains everything, and takes every new lesson in stride and with total ease. It all comes so easy to her! There is a well-known rule of training - you have to teach each side of the horse separately. Not in Gezebella's case. I would teach her something on the left side, and when I got to the right side to start from scratch, she'd look at me like I was silly.  She already knew how to do that!  

I can't rave enough about her temperament. Everyone who meets her falls in love with her. She has incredible athletic ability, and can do these bucking leaps and unbelievable movements in the pasture - then under saddle she is a perfect angel - rhythmic and forward in total relaxation. She has been easy to handle in every situation, even at a couple weekend shows we attended recently, just for the experience of it. She has a really good mind, very sensible, and not spooky at all. She takes everything in stride.

She is now 3 years old, started under saddle - walks, trots and canters on both leads with ease. She also enjoys walks in the countryside with our other horse. With three excellent gaits, she is headed to the dressage arena, where I expect her to be a superstar, but she might take a little jumping detour somewhere along the way, as she regularly enjoys jumping fences - totally by herself - whenever she is turned out in an arena!

- Owned by Yvonne Welz, AZ

GANDOLPH
< Gatsby  x  TB mare >

RhPSI GOLD PREMIUM FOAL

Gandolph is in the Top 5 Colts in the Nation in 2005 with the 
Rheinland Pfalz-Saar International !!!

Gandolph is going great!  He is getting SO big... He is still as sweet and easy going as ever. We are ground driving him and he has really taken to it, I go all over the farm with him. 

November 2009

  

I just wanted to give you a quick update on how Gandolph is doing. He turned 5 this summer; he hit 16.3 and is still growing!  I always said I wanted a 17H horse. We have had an amazing year!! I just can't express in words how proud I am of him and much I love my horse. 

GINELLE
< Gatsby  x  TB mare >

- Owned by Kitri Falxa, Bend, OR

GINFIZZ 
< Gatsby  x  TB mare >

"Ginfizz is loved by all who have the opportunity to handle and/or ride her.  She has already won hunter classes at 2'6" and is my personal dressage mount.  She is most of all my best friend who will be my last mount."

- Bred and Owned by Sonja Walker, British Columbia  

GIOVANNI MVF   
< Gatsby  x  Mustang mare >

Giovanni at the NWEC Mother's Day Classic - Owned by Tram Williams, WA and ridden by Michele Pestl.

UPDATE  -  May 2010 Giovanni went to his first Event ever at the NWEC Mother's Day Classic in Rainier, WA. (May 7-9, 2010) Gio had a 23.5 on the Dressage (2nd place) and a nice clean XC round (2nd place) and he finished 3rd overall in the Beginner Novice Horse division!  Gio was ridden by Michele Pestl. Great job Michele and Gio!!  Photos courtesy of Yve' Baumann

Giovanni MVF is by Gatsby and out of a Lillianna, a cremello Baroque mustang mare.  When we went looking for a stallion we wanted/needed a tall stallion that was well balanced in jumping and dressage ability, who had a good loin connection, correct conformation, straight legs and who really stamped his foals.  Gatsby fit the bill.  Now all we needed to know was how was his temperament?  We arranged to go and visit him.  He was more than we could have hoped for.  He has a personality and sweetness about him that just sucks you in.  You want to cuddle up with him.  He was simply wonderful!   So that was it, Gatsby was Lillianna's new boyfriend.

Later we asked if he was possibly homozygous black.  It was not known at the time, so hair was sent into UC Davis and it came back that he was. WooHoo! We then knew that we would be having a buckskin foal!  YEA!  Lillianna had previously been tested homozygous for the agouti gene.

 

Giovanni arrived April 22, 2004.  He was confident and sweet right from the start.  He had beautiful head - Thanks Gatsby! -, conformation, great personality and the talent was oozing out everywhere.  This boy had balance, confidence, freedom of shoulder which made him float when he moved and he loved to jump!!  Gio was more than I expected. :)  Gatsby is simply amazing in how well he stamps his foals!

Because Gio wasn't a filly, we sold him to Yve' Reed in North Carolina.  She is looking forward to showing Gio in Eventing and Dressage.  She is always emailing me and telling me how wonderful he is, what a great temperament he has, how she is so impressed with his movement and how everyone in her barn just loves him.  For a breeder those are the best things you can ever hear!

 - Bred by Monique Matson, 
    Meadowview Farm

   GISELLA04
< Gatsby  x  Appendix mare >
(Born in 2004)

UPDATE  -  June 25, 2007 Just wanted to pass along a picture from our filly's FIRST hunter/jumper show.  Gisella had only been under saddle less than 2 weeks when we decided to show her.  Our intentions were just to have her get some experience, so you can imagine how absolutely THRILLED we were when she took 1st place in her class!  Everyone just loved her, and she was an absolute angel.  We are really excited about the future!  Hope you enjoy the picture! -  Cyndi & Lauren Cherkaoui

Our June 2004 Gatsby foal, Gisella, has ALL the qualities that every Gatsby foal profiled here is blessed with. She too is amazingly loving. She will actually PLAY with you in the ring. She will run with you, stop when you do, and loves to jump the jumps just to show off! She amazes us every day, with her grace, sweetness, and the absolute ease she accepts new experiences. She tacked up for the first time with the ease of a seasoned lesson horse. She never so much as moved when her girth was tightened and took the bit like a pro. Gisella’s future is in the Hunter/Jumper arena, and although she is just beginning under saddle, we thought we would enter her in a model class for some ring experience, and once again, she exceeded our expectations. Her manners were impeccable, and we were so impressed with the attentiveness she showed at such a young age. Gisella truly is a fantastic horse, and we wouldn’t trade her for the world!  Thanks Gatsby!

- Owned by Cyndi & Lauren Cherkaoui, Knoxville , TN

ALRIK
2004 gelding by Gatsby out of Itsall an Illusion 

I bred two of my mares to Gatsby in 2003, and had two colts by him in 2004.  Both are remarkable, smart, kind horses to deal with, and the trainers love them. At age two he was already 16.2 in this photo, and he has leveled out to be built very nicely uphill and is a great mover.   The one I kept is out of my Swedish Warmblood mare and is just incredible.  Currently 16.3H (although still growing), almost black, very forward, can go anywhere, as he is an incredible mover.  The trainer loves his mind and regrets not buying him when he was a baby.  He is a sweet, sensitive horse, who everyone at the barn wants to own, although he is no longer for sale. He is spending the year in full time dressage training, and he will be shown this year.  New photo coming soon!

- Bred by Carrie Wootton

GWENEVIERE  
< Gatsby  x  TB mare >

UPDATE  -  June 2007 Gwen is now 3 and I just broke her. Took me a total of 15min from the time I pulled her out of her stall to the time I had the saddle, bridle and me on for the first time. She didn't care about any of it.  I am looking forward to starting her off in the eventing world next year.  Once again I thank you for standing such an incredible stallion!

Gweneviere is out of my TB mare, Fleetness, who stands at 15.3h & raced until she was 7 or 8 before I took her on to compete in Eventing.  Gweneviere (by Gatsby) has been a joy since day one. She has had the best attitude toward everything and is the biggest sweetheart.  At 6 months, she would jump our pasture fences or hedgerow, which are both between 3'3" and 3'6" just for fun. All I have to do if she gets out is say her name, open the gate and she comes running right back in. My wife is a very timid and inexperienced horse person, but can do anything with Gwen, including leading, loading, grooming and bathing. Both my vet and farrier have remarked on how nice and easy she is to handle. She is beautiful and is such a lover. The thing I like most about her attitude is that even though she is a lover, she is not disrespectful and is very quick to learn. Having had her dam for approx 12 yrs now, I know that this gentle and willing nature has to come from her sire, Gatsby.  Though her Dam is a wonderful mare she is definitely the epitome of an alpha Thoroughbred mare. My plans for Gwen are for her to compete in eventing when she is 4, and to hopefully move up the levels and be one of my upper level event horses.  I believe that with her movement and her temperament she will excel in this discipline. The main attribute that I see that Gatsby has passed along is his movement. She has a lovely floating trot that is just effortless, and when you see it you think, I can't wait to get on that horse and really see what she can give for an extension. “ In my professional opinion the two most important attributes are temperament and movement. You can teach a horse to move better, but a horse that starts off with nice movement you can make exceptional if they have the right attitude to develop it. " I was very unsure when I decided to breed my mare because she isn't the ideal broodmare due to height and conformation. However I knew that if the foal was at least as nice as she is I would be happy. With Gatsby as the sire I feel I got more than what I paid for - a truly wonderful foal, who since day one, has fit into my farm and family. And she is a foal that I can see achieving great things. I think Gatsby's foals are a force not to be reckoned with!

- Troy Wing,  Elred, PA

STYLES
RPSI SILVER PREMIUM FOAL
< Gatsby  x  Holsteiner mare >

Styles is by my 17.1h Holsteiner Mare, Charade, by Lepanto.  She is a beautiful bay with good conformation and body type.  Her gaits are fluid, and with grace she moves through her top-line.  She finds passage easy, and her lateral movements are performed on the lightest of aids. Her canter is ground covering with power to collect to the softest walk transition.  She presents herself at a show with confidence and presence, and then boldly takes the leads on a trail or beach ride.  Her ground manners are impeccable, and she always greets me at the paddock gait with a sweet nicker.

When I decided to breed Charade, I wanted to keep all her GOOD
qualities.  So I searched the Internet to find the perfect Stallion.  My criteria were:

1. A good personality, easy to handle and enjoys people.
2. Three good gaits: reach, suspension, scope, impulsion
3. Conformation with refinement to balance my mare’s body type
4. Athletic ability with good temperament to be detailed at Dressage

Gatsby caught my eye.  Although he was a young stallion, his spec-sheet and video had all the elements I was seeking.  The foals on the ground displayed wonderful conformation, size and movement.  I had found the Stallion!

Then came "Styles" (registered name: Classic Distinction). Born: Aug. 15, 2004 - Dark bay, star and 3 socks.  Beautiful baby of good bone and size.  After an hour of "imprinting" he stood with bold confidence.  At 5 weeks old he received Silver Premium at the RSPI Inspection.  The judge asked if I was going to repeat the breeding.

That same confidence is evident today at 19 months old.  He displays a wonderful "passage," an easy, elastic, over-reaching trot.  His canter comes through a rounded top-line and he performs canter to walk transitions with the greatest of ease.  His temperament is as if he says, “I'm willing to try anything, just show me how.”

As a dressage rider, trainer and instructor; certified to Prix St. Georges, I will be keeping Styles as MY next Dressage Partner and dream come true! I am looking forward to breeding Charade and Gatsby again!

- Bred and Owned by Cathy Yaskin,  Port Orchard, WA

2007 UPDATE:  ~  2nd Ride  ~ Styles is such an easy going guy at 2 1/2 years old.  T My husband with the longe-line and whip, encouraged my requests and it went so well... I said to unhook the longe-line, that "Styles" and I were free to roam the country!  I carried a buggy whip to snap BEHIND Styles and we rode for 20 minutes doing 20 m circles and crossing the diagonal to perform a figure 8  ---- Styles always stayed relaxed and listened to my voice. It was an easy, well balanced trot and he followed my balance and seat, and halted with no tension in the reins.  Incredible 2nd ride. "Styles" is going to be a awesome ride!!!!! AUGUST 15, 2007 ~ Birthday Ride Here is a picture of "Styles" on his Birthday Ride last night.  It's hard to believe he is 3 years old already!  He is a wonderful ride, always willing, light, forward and easy to balance.  I have only ridden him in the snaffle bit 4 times.  I started riding him in the "bit less" bridle, ground driving, trot poles and in-hand work. I have also worked him through small gymnastic jumps.  As a trainer..... It's so nice to work with a well rounded, good minded horse....  A nice horse with a good mind, will take you any where you want to go!

GRANVILLE   
< Gatsby  x  TB mare >

He is a very quiet and consistent youngster, very lovable “pocket pet” type.  He is very trainable, he learns quickly, and he "keeps" even if he doesn't work on it for awhile.  I plan on doing the jumpers with him, as that is where he looks like he will excel.

Bred by Lisa Ann Graves
Pardner' Farm, LLC
www.pardnersfarm.com

KRYSTAVAHLA 
< Gatsby  x  Paint mare >
(photos at 2 years old)

Although I had owned horses for over 30 years, I had never raised a foal, so decided in 2002 to look for a quality sporthorse stallion to breed my beautiful 15.3 hand Paint mare to.  I researched many stallions around the country, but once I saw Gatsby, I knew he was the one.  He was not only beautiful and a great mover, but as I stood for well over an hour talking with his owners and trainer, I saw that he was the most calm, friendly and well-mannered stallion I had ever seen, a real pleasure to be around.  My interests are dressage and low-level eventing, so I wanted a foal with size, quality movement and jumping ability, and also hoped for a calm, inquisitive temperament and intelligence.  My mare was a powerful mover with quality conformation, but was very heavy-built.  She also had a rather nervous unfriendly temperament and a coarse head, but was a hard worker and intelligent, so I hoped that Gatsby would improve on her weaknesses and the combination would produce a very high quality foal. 

And wow!  That dream certainly came true!  Missy (RPSI registered name Krystavahla) is absolutely gorgeous, almost 17 hands at this writing and not quite three years old yet.  She has an absolutely incredible disposition, is very athletic, naturally balanced in all three gaits, and transitions between her gaits with an ease and grace that just takes my breath away.  Her canter is very cadenced, naturally balanced front-to-rear, and she has excellent free-jumping form.  She is intelligent, calm and loves people and attention.  I first saw her when she was possibly two hours old and still, literally, wet behind the ears.  She and her dam were out at pasture and she immediately left her dam when she saw me, galloped across the pasture, stopped right in front of me and put her head in my chest.  She loved everyone and everything she saw that first day and she's still that same way. 

She learns very quickly and always tries to do what is asked of her.  Gatsby translated all his excellent qualities to Missy and erased the deficits of the mare.  Missy has a gorgeous head where the dam's was coarse, and she has a calm and friendly disposition where the dam's was flighty and distant.  She is refined and elegant where the dam was heavy-bodied.  Missy has a brilliance that her dam lacked entirely.  Recently I turned her out in a paddock and a horse called to her from another field.  Missy broke into a natural passage that was nothing short of a ten--incredible suspension, precision two-beat timing, perfect balance, and gorgeous hock and knee flexion.  And she kept this up for almost ten minutes! 

Needless to say I am thrilled with my Gatsby girl.  Gatsby seems to stamp all his foals with size, conformation, athleticism and excellent temperament.  I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a very high quality sporthorse foal that is a pleasure to own.

 - Owned by Karen Crane, Cottage Grove, OR

SHF BITBURG   
< Gatsby  x  TB/QH mare >

  

 When we decided to breed our mare Sara, we knew what type of foal we wanted, but we needed to find the right stallion to help us achieve our goal.  Sara is a very athletic Thoroughbred/Quarter Horse cross that I successfully Evented through training level, but we wanted improved movement for the dressage ring and to counter balance Sara's downhill build and her tendency to be a bit on the forehand, all without sacrificing her very correct and refined conformation.  We looked at several stallions, but finally one of our good friends, who has a knack for finding successful breeding combinations, suggested we look at Gatsby.  After seeing his presence, movement, uphill build, and athleticism, all without the coarseness sometimes associated with Warmblood stallions, we decided to give it a go with Gatsby. Our foal, SHF Bitburg, exceeded all expectations.  He has a great neck that ties in cleanly to a chiseled head with a lovely, soft, large eye.  He has the great uphill build we were looking for, with natural carriage and nice, loose movement in his shoulder.  He is now a rambunctious 2-year old, and because of his willingness, we look forward to putting him under saddle soon.  We were so satisfied with our Gatsby foal that we bred Sara back to Gatsby. 

Bred and Owned by April Hamlin, Elkmont, AL

GRACIE
< Gatsby  x  TB mare >
RhPSI SILVER PREMIUM FOAL

(Godiva) is now under saddle.  She has not been a hint of trouble.  Between Gatsby and my mare, her suspension is fantastic, her movement is phenomenal, and her jump has angle and is tight and reachy (not jumping under saddle until late this year or early next year).  I was hoping for a jumper like my mare, but she has exceeded my expectations, and her movement is so nice, she will spend her career in high level hunters.  I can't wait to take her on the circuit.  Hopefully she will be making her debut at the end of week 5 & 6 at Indio.  Lets keep our fingers crossed. 

- Owned by Tabatha Bates,  Corvallis, OR