2007 SPT

GATSBY PASSES
THE PRESTIGIOUS 100 DAY STALLION TEST!!!
August 1 – November 11, 2007
Paxton Farm in Batavia , Ohio

Out of only 16 stallions in North America that participated and passed, Gatsby proudly achieves:

9 - Character
8 - Temperament
8 - Willingness to Work
8 - General Jumping Aptitude
7 - Rideability

Both the judges and the Training Director stated emphatically and repeatedly that this was the best class of stallions ever in the history of the test!

Photo courtesy of the Midwest Breeders Group

The Training Director and Staff Rider’s commentary about Gatsby included remarks such as what a pleasure he was to work with due to his excellent mind & attitude, how much he loved having a job to fulfill everyday, and how he loved to jump the BIG jumps! Heike, his staff rider, laughingly recalled how he would actually “ask” her if he could jump bigger by subtly steering himself toward the larger jumps on the cross-country course. She said that he was clearly up for more of a challenge. For fun, the test riders would jump him over bigger jumps (4 ft. & higher) to see how he would rise (literally) to the occasion, which he gladly did with vigor. We were grateful for the revelation of what a great jumper Gatsby is, especially so because of his legendary international jumping heritage!

Gatsby displayed an incredible level of heart and obedience when he continued with the 97 days of training in spite of an injury he sustained in transit from Oregon to Ohio , an injury from which the Training Director wasn’t sure he ever fully recovered. He again showed his sound mind, willingness, and heart when just minutes into the cross-country phase he lost a shoe. Instead of giving up or showing resistance, he completed the entire course, never refusing a jump and never missing a beat. Immediately following the cross-country, they galloped the stallions at full speed for 1000 meters, and at the end of this phase, his test rider said he wasn’t tired at all and was ready to keep going! This was great news to us because the purpose in galloping the horses right after a grueling cross-country run with lots of jumps was to reveal each horses’ level of physical stamina and strength. Not only did he pass this phase, but when we visited him in his stall shortly thereafter, he had a happy, bright expression and had clearly enjoyed himself, all in spite of having thrown a shoe.

Of course, we would be remiss if we failed to mention how Gatsby’s striking beauty & presence drew lots of remarks both from casual observers and other stallion owners. In light of this remarkable class of stallions, the “best class ever,” this is a lot to be proud of.

Photo courtesy of the Midwest Breeders Group

The significance of this test with regard to Gatsby’s breeding “credentials” is that he was presented to and achieved a lifetime breeding license for The International Sporthorse Registry (ISR) - Oldenburg Registry North America, he was reinstated to Studbook I for the Rheinland Pfalz-Saar International (RPSI), and he remains approved for the Belgian Warmbloodpaard (BWP).

One thing the 100 Day Stallion Performance Test does not reveal is the consistency with which a stallion “stamps” himself on his foals. Gatsby has proven himself to be an incredible sire, producing beautiful foals with consistently excellent temperaments, gorgeous movement, correct conformations, and lots of jumping desire and ability. He truly is an amazing all-around sire for the amateur or the professional, bringing a great mind and lots of talent to his get.

We would like to thank all of our Gatsby supporters, from the awesome folks who head up the Old/NA ISR, BWP and the RPSI, to our faithful friends, family, and trainers back home who were routing for him (and us) all the way.