Best Stallion:
This is tough. My favorite stallion from last year, RA Amadeo, was at the Fair again, so I guess I could just award it to him. (See a picture gallery of his hotness here.) That doesn't seem quite fair though, because he would end up winning every year. Actually, I could probably pick any of the MC Horse Training stallions every year.
Ok, well this time I choose Pass the Asset! This gorgeous, incredibly tall hunter-style Quarter Horse has proven himself in the arena, has good conformation and was super sweet to all who visited. He's owned by Acclaim Performance Horses of Jefferson, WI. Acclaim seems to be one of the better breeders out there, though one of their five stallions, A Genuine Article, has Impressive blood but no HYPP status listed. Tsk tsk.
However, maybe English or European style horses aren't your cup of tea. I therefore suggest the small but rugged Holidocs Lil Peppy. Confusingly, he seems to be co-owned/managed by three different farms, and none of them have a decent conformation shot. I wasn't able to get a better one than this either, because of those bars on the stalls. You'll just have to trust me when I say that he's quite a looker. Performance-bred and muscly, I'd love to see him in action.
Worst Stallion:
This was a tie between an HYPP H/N monstrosity and a crappy Arabian.
Klassy Celebri Te (oh God what an awful name) is a giant, halter-bred buckskin AQHA stud from Sunset Sands farm in Montello, WI. He's handsome, but his bulk is reminiscent of a rhino on steroids and he's butt-high... and he's HYPP H/N. I don't care how many awards he's won, he has a genetic disease!! It would be nice if the Horse Council didn't allow stallions like this in the Fair. Klassy was also in the Fashion Show, where he spent his entire time in the arena rushing ahead, rearing, jigging, wheeling around and generally acting like a jerk. Video here, 15 seconds of him on his "best behavior." Hah. Seriously though, my camera was dying, so I wasn't able to film much more, but he was worse than that the rest of the time in the arena.Interestingly, Klassy's owners had a donation box with a plea for money, begging for the public's help to bring home a broodmare they'd previously owned. The mare had been seized by Animal Control in California. But the mare had been rescued and was already on her way home 1-2 weeks ago, according to the farm's Facebook page. I guess they still needed cash for her expenses? Funny that Sunset Sands can afford an incredibly nice triple booth at the Fair's stallion barn, and is charging $750+ stud fees, and is looking to lease broodmares, and has incredibly nice facilities... but needs to set up a Paypal account and a donation box to beg strangers for money. Huh.
Let's move on to the crappy Arabian:
DE Strikit Rich is owned by Kim Schmid of Willow Creek Farm Arabians near Stevens Point, WI. Kim was extremely nice and helpful... and I would never breed to her stallion. Look at these pictures. They make him look incredible, don't they? But notice how there's no conformation shot? In person, Strikit has a very weak hip, toes out and cow-hocks really badly in the rear, is a bit tied in at the knee and has the personality of an annoyed porcupine. (Of course, some allowances do have to be made for tired horses in a strange place.) And yeah, I know it's fashionable, but his face just looks grotesquely lumpy to me.
That's all for now-- stay tuned for more Midwest Horse Fair coverage!
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