interested in sharing what they have, and what their aims are. Some are looking to breed horses for top pros requiring that bit of fire, international-quality gaits along with rideabil- ity. And some are breeding more for the average rider who needs rideability and a less reactive temperament. Those are different markets.” She began her search for a top prospect. “I followed bloodlines and followed breeders, cultivating wonderful rela- tionships with them. I wanted a stallion of inter- national quality—a nicely bred stallion here in America,” she says. After searching for two years, she still hadn’t
found quite the right horse. Then one day on Facebook she saw her dream horse’s photo. “He was a foal about ten minutes old. I jumped off the couch. ‘OMG, that’s my baby.’ I messaged the breeder. I knew who the foal’s father was and a little about what the dam had done.”
Linking with Breeders The young horse she bought is a 2016 Olden- burg, Fortunato H2O, honored as a Foal of Distinction by the German Oldenburg Verband. “His sire is Floriscount, who’s in Germany trained to Grand Prix,” says Lehua. “For my pros- pect, I thought it would be neat to have a sire also trained to Grand Prix.” In fact, Floriscount (Florencio I x Donnerhall) was first in dressage at his 70-day stallion test. “The dam is by Rascalino. I’m excited to get the R and F
he would be a horse I would enjoy riding. He has that power in the hind end.” Kendra Hansis of Runningwater Warmbloods, Frenchtown, New Jersey, is Fortunato H2O’s breeder. “I ended up building a friendship with the breeder,” Lehua says. “We chat pretty much daily. She’s also a rider. I’ll ask her what she thinks of this or that bloodline. We will talk about what we like. She’s very meticulous with her pairing. And my students have bought foals [from her].” “Through Kendra, I’ve networked with
other breeders who have a good perspective. I’ve learned a lot about why certain trends work, why they don’t and how breeders go about marketing their babies.” Lehua says she continues to learn about bloodlines by connecting with breeders on Facebook and online forums. “I like support- ing America and the relationships with the breeders are fantastic. I think there are a lot of possibilities.” She mentions the 2012 KWPN stallion,
Lehua with her young Olden- burg stallion, Fortunato H2O, bred by Kendra Hansis.
Harvest Ster, owned and ridden by Alice Tarjan, as an example. “Although born in Europe, he lives in America and went through the stallion approval here in 2017. This year he went to the young horse finals.” Harvest
(Connaisseur x Ulft) was reserve champion at Lamplight and at the Six-Year-Old championship. His sire Connaisseur was imported in Canada, Lehua notes.
lines together. I was excited to find those two together. We are lucky we have Rascalino here in the U.S.,” she adds. The dam is also American-bred, EM Raleska (Rascalino x
Warkant). She was bred by Linda Woltz of Walnut Farm. “I knew in my heart he was the right horse,” Lehua says of Fortunato. “I didn’t buy him till I saw him move. Then I knew
Role Model Hilda Gurney
Lehua’s mentor, Hilda Gurney, breeds, rides and trains Warm- bloods. She has produced several generations of dressage horses. In 2018 Hilda ranked second for the Adequan/USDF award as Dressage Breeder of the Year.
She emerged as a world-
class competitor at the 1976 Olympic Games, and also rode in the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Her career has inspired many future dressage stars in California and throughout the western United States.
Photo: Hilda Gurney on her homebred Luminence (Leonidas x Werther), winning his first Six-Year-Old test in 2005 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. Hilda also bred his sire the Trakehner Leonidas *Pg*E* (Condus x Siegbert).
“There are super stallions available for breeding. We’ve got to appreciate and support the breeders here in America.” From her years watching Hilda’s breeding program, Lehua understands both the gamble and the possibilities of breed- ing. “To me it’s so fascinating and so unpredictable. You just never know.” “Now it’s moving the generations through quicker, which is a little bit of a risk but could be a bigger payout. It’s not advantageous to wait 12 years to compete through the levels, because bloodlines change. The trends change quickly—you may like it for a while, and then the trend changes into something else that you aren’t as interested in,” she says.
She also enjoys following dressage horse results through
generations. “What did the sire do and what did the damsire do? From my perspective as a buyer, trainer and rider, I want to see how to get the most for my money. I am finding some American-bred horses that are really taking off. I’m trying to promote that, to represent our country when I ride.” She does point out that she likes European horses and
loves watching what the breeders produce there. Yet she sees a bright future for the horses born in North America. “We have the same quality as in Europe. You can find the right ones and train them up correctly. Breeders know what they have and they are trying to get the right horses with the right people—buyers who appreciate what they’re buying.”
Warmbloods Today 43
Charlene Strickland
Barbara Bella
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