Holly Farm Stallions

Saturday March 31 2007 Holly Farm Stallions The gray stallion, Pradaa, showed off mightily for us, absolutely ROCKETING around his paddock. What a ham! He's 5 now, and David just had him going when he had an accident that put him on the ground for 2 years (cracked his pelvis in half on a bucking horse). The horse is going to be a firecracker when David gets back on him. I had a look in a stall where David was trimming the feet of this dark gray horse, and wow, my eyes popped out of my head. It was their 4-year-old stallion Zaddam - half Crabbet, half Egyptian; he has the look that represents both lines well. I don't know much about conformation or type; I just thought he was a solid, strong, good-looking horse - I couldn't take my eyes off him. He's the first homebred to be kept here as a stallion. David showed him as a yearling and a 2-year-old, and both times he was Supreme Exhibit. David plans to endurance him next year, get him qualified, keep him in endurance a bit longer then show him. I took pictures of him in the round pen - nice mover too! Can I make room in my suitcase?? Then we had a look at Simeon Sapar, the 10-year-old bay Straight Egyptian stallion. David pulled tangles out of his mane, with no halter on, and he just stood there sniffing David's feet. Then David got his bag-on-a-whip and ran him around. I don't know who enjoyed it more, the stallion or David keeping him going. Of course, Sapar didn't need much encouraging. He was showing off, sometimes keeping an eye on me and my camera as he sprinted by me. Then he'd come up and sniff the bag-whip, snorting and playing like he was afraid of it, when he was really asking David to wave it at him again as an excuse to take off. David had seen Sapar as a weanling, and he "broke out into a cold sweat" because he knew he wanted that horse! "You see one like that," said Sandie, "it works on your eyes, it plays on your mind; you have to have him." David got him for a reasonable price, and here he is. Due to David's incessant traveling (which may ease up a bit now), he's never been broken in or shown. It hasn't been a priority, because he's already throwing some nice foals. Later we looked at Imperial Maakir, their other Straight Egyptian stallion. This gray 19-year-old is Sandie's pride and joy. He was bred at the Imperial Egyptian Stud in Maryland, and went to Australia as a yearling. David saw him there and really liked him; when he and Sandie were there in 2005, he said she had to see this horse. Sandie saw him and fell in love immediately, told the owner if you ever want to sell him, call us. Last year she called and offered him; here he is at Holly Farm. He was injured on the plane to Australia so was never shown, but he proved himself as a sire in Australia, and has had some nice foals here. Check out the stallions at www.hollyfarmnz.com... only if Zaddam is no longer on there, look for him hanging out with Stormy and the Raven in California!

---