I have a small Arabian breeding farm and am interetsed in trying competitive
trail or maybe endurance with a 5-year-old mare I own. She is about 13.3h.
Her sire is the imported pure Polish stallion *Decade (Partner x *Forsa, the
Oaks winner) and her dam is a Ferzon/*Raffles/Witez cross with Babson on the
bottom. She loves to trot, and moves like a hunter. She's very calm, doesn't
spook. I've been trained dressage (very much lower level). I read in one of
the Arabian magazines that the smaller horses seem to be better suited to
competitive trail.
I also have a six-year-old mare who's 15.1, but a bit too hot for my taste.
She is Crabbet/Egyptian, with 3 crosses to *Kabara/*Count Dorsaz. I feel she
would be better suited to endurance, but I am a timid rider, having had a
bad fall a few years ago. This mare is tireless.
Any advice would be welcome.
RE the study of equine dentistry, Dr. Rucker, who is somewhere in northeast
Tennessee and also practices in the Bristol, VA area, is well known for his
skill with teeth. Try contacting him through information. Don't know if he
has e-mail. He has done seminars at the Virginia/Maryland Regional College
of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg. Good luck.
Susan Felker
Black Ridge Arabians
Floyd, VA