Shakespeare RSF Rolling Stone Farm is a lovely forty acre facility located
in the rolling hills of Slatington, Pennsylvania, and is operated by Mo Swanson and her husband Jim. Mo has been breeding primarily Hanoverians and GOV Oldenburgs for thirty-two years. She says an average foal crop at Rolling Stone Farm is 25–30 foals and estimates she’s produced 500–600 foals. When asked which horse is her favorite of all the horses she’s bred, she doesn’t even hesitate: Shakespeare RSF. Shakespeare is a dark brown Hanoverian stallion foaled in 2004. Shakespeare is by Sandro Hit. Known for his propensity
to produce pretty foals with uphill movement, nice necks, good rideability and popular dark coloring, Sandro Hit has become world famous as a dressage sire. In the U.S. he was the leading sire of dressage horses for 2011 according to the USEF’s rankings. “I had seen Sandro Hit on video, and I loved him,” recalls
Mo. “This was back in 2003, and he was still considered somewhat new at the time because his semen hadn’t been available previously in the U.S. It was also risky because there were no guarantees with his frozen, and the semen was more expensive than what I usually would spend. But after seeing Sandro Hit I knew I had to have a Sandro Hit foal.” Sandro Hit was bred to Acapella, a 1998 Elite
Hanoverian mare by Arrian. On April 2, 2004 Shakespeare was born.
“Shakespeare was special from the moment he was
born,” according to Mo. “He was beautiful even as a foal, and I had a very good feeling about him right from the beginning.” She remembers how she began hiding Shakespeare when she had buyers coming to the farm. He was so nice buyers would be drawn to him, and she really didn’t want to sell him. She once had someone offer her $35,000 for Shakespeare as a foal. “I turned down the offer and went in the house and had a glass of wine,” laughs Mo. Mo did not breed to Sandro Hit again. “His semen
became very expensive, and since I felt I had a stallion prospect in Shakespeare, it wouldn’t make sense to have too much Sandro Hit blood in my program.” In 2004 Shakespeare was named Top Colt at the
Hanoverian inspection at Rolling Stone Farm, and the inspectors recommended keeping him as a stallion prospect. “This was the first milestone for him, but there are many milestones in a horse’s career,” says Mo. The next milestone was starting Shakespeare under
saddle. “I was a little nervous,” admits Mo. “You never really know how they’ll be under saddle until you actually start them—but Shakespeare was wonderful.” The following step was to present him for licensing with the AHS (Hanoverian) and GOV (Oldenburg), where he was licensed
by both registries. “The next step
was huge. I had to decide if I was ready to send him to the 70 Day Stallion Test,” recalls Mo. “This was another leap of faith. I loved him, but I wondered, will they love him too? Luckily they did…” Shakespeare went on to become the winner of the 2009 70 Day Stallion Test at Silver Creek Farm in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. (Shakespeare was also featured on the cover and in the article “70 Days in Oklahoma” in the March/April 2010 issue of Warmbloods Today.) Shakespeare has now had
a few foal crops. The oldest are turning three this year. Two of them have been started under saddle so far, and Mo reports “they are as good as Shakespeare was as far as gaits and rideability and balance. It’s as if they were born ‘on the bit.’” Shakespeare and trainer John
Above, top to bottom: Conformation shot of Shakespeare. Photo by Mo Swanson
Shakespeare and John Amber. Photo by Susan J Stickle
Amber competed at Third and Fourth Level in 2011, and they plan to make their FEI debut in 2012. They were also invited by Debbie McDonald to participate in the USEF’s Developing Young Dressage Horse Program. Recently, Mo was awarded the Dressage Foundation’s Michael Poulin Grant which made it possible for Shakespeare and John to train and compete in Florida this winter.
Shakespeare as a foal. Photo by Susan J Stickle
Warmbloods Today 43
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