and can create a legacy of good producing daughters.” Sadly, Reina H mysteriously died during the night of July 16th, 2010. “She was pregnant and we were all so excited with the prospect of another special Reina foal, but it was not to be,” Judy remembers. “So I will keep her two best daughters, Dream Rubina and Finale, to carry on her legacy along with that of their unforgettable grand dam Helena.”
JP Adonia BAROQUE FARMS USA is located on over 130 acres in
the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. Jean-Philippe (JP) Giacomini and his wife Shelley have operated their Iberian breeding and dressage training business for twenty two years standing four Lusitano and two Luso-Spanish stallions, first in Texas and now in Kentucky. JP estimates that they have produced 45 horses on their farm. He hesitates when asked which one he considers his best or favorite. “We have a few very special horses for very different reasons; it is so hard to choose,” he says, “but if I had to pick just one it would be JP Adonia.” When JP met Shelley she had a small Andalusian
breeding program. They kept a mare named Sultana from that program, and she became the foundation of their current breeding program. “She is a fabulous broodmare and we owe her credit to our breeding program as we have kept nearly all of her fillies,” remarks JP, “and her best filly was JP Adonia.” JP Adonia is a gray mare by Istoso and out of Sultana. Sultana is a pure Spanish mare and Istoso is a Lusitano stallion so Adonia (considered a purebred Andalusian in the U.S.) is a genetic outcross. JP explains, “On paper the outcross was going to work, but we had to try it out ourselves to know for certain.” He believed that the best possible Iberian horses would come from outcrossing the different bloodlines that exist in both Spain and Portugal. “Our entire program is based on outcrossing these bloodlines and then line breeding our foundation stock to reinforce their innate traits to make them homozygous.” Their goal is to breed a unique “JP type” horse based on rideability and a great work ethic. Adonia was the first horse produced from their
outcrossing program. “We were very pleased with Adonia,” he says. “This outcross produced a ‘blue hen,’ meaning whichever stallion I cross Adonia with, she produces a great horse.” The Giacominis went on to breed Adonia’s dam to other stallions, but felt the cross to Istoso (Adonia’s sire) had proven to be the most successful. “This cross produced Adonia, and we feel it proved to be the best cross for producing a top broodmare that meets the goals of our breeding program,” he adds. They have repeated the
102 January/February 2012
cross with Istoso three more times now, hoping to achieve more fillies out of Sultana, but they have generated three colts instead. “We haven’t given up. We will keep crossing Sultana and Istoso, and we will keep hoping she’ll give us more mares like Adonia.” JP recalls that
they didn’t fully realize how special Adonia would be right away. “Breeding is a marathon, not a sprint,” according to JP, “and because Adonia’s value is as a producer it took a while to fully recognize how special she was, because we had to see how her foals would be under saddle. To me, breeding riding horses means that they have to be good under saddle before we can pass too many judgments about their quality.” To date, Adonia has had
From top: Adonia, their special broodmare. JP Giacomini on Adonia’s sire, the Lusitano stallion Istoso in pirouette. Both photos, Shelley Giacomini
seven foals, and the Giacominis have been very pleased with each of them. JP feels that her two-year-old colt JP Zorba (by Lusiadas) may be her best offspring so far. He comments that Zorba has a shot at becoming the best horse they’ve ever bred judging from his trainability so far and his physical attributes, but adds that Adonia’s weanling filly by JP Zatopek is also spectacular. As for Adonia’s future, JP is clear about one thing.
“Neither Adonia nor her dam Sultana owes us a dime. They have a place on the farm until they die.” For now JP says that they will continue to breed Adonia who is only fourteen years old. “She has been a fabulous mare so far and we hope that it is still a long time until the end of her breeding career.”
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