The philosophy behind the Serpentine Farm breeding program: Horses for the Rest of Us

I started out breeding Hanoverian horses primarily for dressage in 1999. At the time I had a lovely 17hh Hanoverian Gelding with unlimited athletic potential. As I developed him it became apparent that he was too much horse for me - his gaits were too big, and his "little" misbehaviors were unrideable. I am a middle aged female amateur dressage rider, representing the majority of the dressage riders in this country. My peers, who also had these brilliantly moving Warmbloods, loved to watch their horses work with the trainer, but we all had the same complaints. As we aged, our bodies just couldn't take that much. I regretfully sold my gelding to a younger, more athletic rider and began trying to figure out what to do next. I love dressage, but my body can't take the more competitive gaits. Softer moving breeds were easier to ride but they couldn't compete with the movement of the "big guys", and I didn't want to be stuck in lower levels forever. And temperament rose to the top of the list of priorities when evaluating prospective mounts.

In 2001 I purchased Metis, a Holsteiner/TB mare that had competed successfully through the medium levels of dressage. My primary intent was to use her in my breeding program but I also enjoyed riding her. She was a bit burned out of the show ring, so I took her up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains to trail ride and relax. We were both very happy through the summer and fall while I searched for an appropriate mate for her.  Because I was unable to get papers for Metis, I decided I was not restricted to Warmblood sires to produce a marketable foal. That left the choices wide open. I had seen a few Andalusians in the area and decided to include that breed on my list of potential suitors. As I learned more about the breed I grew to like what it could offer to Warmbloods. Andalusians are very elastic and collect naturally. They are experts at the high school movements. They also have tremendous rideability, something that is not often apparent, given the spirited picture they make under saddle. I observed that almost all the male Andalusians I saw were intact, not gelded. Not all Andalusian stallions are approved for breeding, but the temperament is such that gelding is not mandatory to make for a safe riding horse. The Andalusians I know personally are all very people oriented and gentle.

The Andalusian as a breed is sometimes criticized for weakness in the loin and inability to lengthen the stride. While that may be true of a few lines, many breeders in Spain and the U.S. are focusing on breeding sport horse type, with engaged, forward gaits. Jalisco X, in particular, is very much a sport horse type. His back and loin are short and strong, and his extensions often received 8's in dressage competition. So did his collected and lateral work, but that was easy for him anyway.

By crossing the Andalusian with the Warmblood, I am creating horses, known as Iberian Warmbloods, that are suited to the typical American rider; the middle aged, less-than-perfect-physique, getting-arthritis woman who wants a fun, safe ride without 30 minutes of lunging and the trainer to ride first. The movement is fluid and forward, sometimes a little extravagant, but the horse's back remains soft and level. The Iberian Warmblood is a good riding size, but not a giant, between 16-17 hh, and athletically built, slightly uphill, with good bone. He has an attitude of confidence for the show ring, is submissive to the rider, sensitive to the aids, and forgiving of mistakes. Oh, yes, and drop-dead gorgeous. Being an outcross (hybrid), the resulting foals tend to receive the best (most dominant) traits from each parent.

In 2002 I bred Metis to the PRE stallion Impresario DW. He was a young stallion with sport horse movement and a fledgling career in dressage. The resulting foal, the Iberian Warmblood Afortunado SF, encouraged me to continue with my program.
In 2005 my foal crop, all by Jalisco X, included two Iberian Warmbloods. That year Jalisco also sired an Azteca (x AQHA) and a Morgan cross. All of his cross-bred foals show strong characteristics from both parent breeds, but they also share certain common traits: long, straight legs, long, well set necks, balanced bodies, extravagant and very correct movement, and superb dispositions. The foals are all confident, friendly, and gregarious with people and are exceptionally easy to handle.

So what do you do with an Andalusian crossbred? All foals resulting from at least one registered Andalusian parent are eligible for registration with the International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association (IALHA), as either purebred or half Andalusian. Some crossbreds, depending on the other parent, may also be eligible for registration with other registries. Some of them are:

    Iberian Warmblood - x TB or other sport horse type
    Spanish Norman - x Percheron (we're talking nights in shining armor, here)
    Azteca - x Quarter Horse and Paint
    Hispano Arabe (Aralusian) - x Arabian (also Half Arabian)

I also continue to breed top quality Oldenburgs. I use sires that are notable not only for their athletic ability but for temperament and their ability to pass along their favorable traits.

The foals born and raised at Serpentine Farm receive a careful and healthy upbringing.
They participate in a comprehensive worming and vaccination program and are raised in family groups so they become good "horsey citizens". They grow up in large, level to sloping pastures that are safe but also have obstacle in them to help them develop sure-footedness. They are handled at least twice daily and are exposed to all sorts of situations and objects. They enjoy being scratched with rakes and playing with big plastic feed bags. They do not fear noisy farm equipment or strange animals, such as donkeys, pigs, turkeys, cats, barking dogs, etc.  Most important is the way I begin handling the babies. I used to imprint my foals following published methods, but I found those foals to be extremely distrustful of humans later in life and therefore difficult to train. Now I take a much more laid back approach to handling them. I start by delivering them of their mothers and handling them enough to make sure they are normal in structure and behavior. I then leave them to bond with their mothers. Starting the day following birth I quietly touch the foal every time I enter the stall or pasture, which is several times a day until the mare is rebred. This is just a light caress on the body as I walk by, not enough to make the foal try to run away (which is normal behavior in a neonatal foal). In a couple of days the foal is generally allowing me to touch it's back and rump, although it is still defensive about it's head and neck. This is natural behavior that goes away as the foal matures a bit and learns to interact with it's environment. I do not restrain the foal in any way at this time, as it does not have good neurological control and its flight reactions are instinctive. It can throw itself to the ground trying to escape and can become irreversibly distrustful of humans. When the foal is about two weeks old its curiosity starts to take over and it will begin approaching me. It has no reason to fear me and because it is starting to molt its birth coat, I can take advantage of finding good itchy spots to start scratching. Soon I can hug it gently around the neck and body. I do this every time I enter the pasture, and it takes only a minute or less per foal (but I usually spend more time - I can't help it!). I act very casual and if the foal doesn't want to participate on a given day, I don't force the issue. I am laying down a foundation here, and I don't want the foal to have any reason to distrust me. It's all downhill once they discover you can scratch where they can't reach. Usually by the end of the foal's first month I can do pretty much anything I want with it - pick up feet, put on a halter and lead it, bathe it, etc. The first foals I handled this way, which includes stallions, are very gentle and trusting and take new situations in casual stride.

Serpentine Farm conducts business with integrity and honesty.
I have been on the "customer" end of the horse business for many years. While I have enjoyed many good experiences buying, breeding and boarding out my horses, I have also had to deal with some horse breeders and sellers that do not seem to have much in the way of scruples. A newly purchased mare miraculously shrank four inches in height during her journey to my farm. I purchased a mare with a breeding contract that vaporized into thin air as soon as the ink on my check dried. I have purchased several horses that were pending in their registration, only to discover that, in fact, the seller had no intention of completing the requirements for registration once the sale was finalized. All these negative experiences have caused two distinct reactions in me. One, I fear I have lost a lot of trust in people. Two, and most importantly, is that I will NEVER knowingly cheat one of my customers. If I tell you that you are getting something, that is what you will get. You are my customers, and you will always come first.

Suzanne Reed Hunters & Jumpers joined Serpentine Farm in 2005

Suzanne's philosophy and breeding direction are very similar to mine, so naturally her horses and ideas were warmly welcomed. Here are a few words from Suzanne:

" I began riding Hunters, Jumpers, and Equitation on the East Coast. I moved to California in 1976 where I continued my passion in the Amateur Adult Division on the Appaloosa/TB cross, Chocolate Moose. In my late 30s I stopped riding to raise my children, and then, having launched them into adulthood, I returned to riding 20 years later.

"When I was young, everyone was riding Thoroughbreds and 16 hands was considered a large horse. But now Warmbloods have replaced Thoroughbreds as the horse of choice in the Hunter and Equitation rings. At 5'10", I am expected to be mounted on a horse that is at least 17hh. I began my search for a "comeback horse", looking at Warmbloods, but had trouble finding the right combination of looks, movement, and feel that appealed to my Thoroughbred-loving background. The Thoroughbreds I tried tended to be very hot and had a level of excitability that my old bones were no longer able to tolerate. I feel blessed to have now found my personal competition horse; an Oldenburg mare named Falina, by Landkonig, who suits me in temperament, size, and ability.

"I know that there are many riders like me, returning to the sport after years out of the saddle, so I decided to breed horses for all of us: Warmbloods with good size, bone, gaits, and temperament, but also with the refinement and flair of the Thoroughbred. I honor the Thoroughbreds that have contributed to our sport by including the best temperaments and athletic abilities in my lines. While I seek to breed the ideal horse for the Amateur, I also create horses with the pedigree and scope to please a professional."

Suzanne Reed owns Helms Deep, D'Lady and Valentine Knight (in partnership with Serpentine Farm), as well as several lovely offspring from these horses.