After seeing the thread of Charlotte Dujardin buying two babies from a breeder in the UK it got me thinking… Who are the best dressage breeders in the US? Specifically for people looking to find their next Grand Prix horse not necessarily the most amateur friendly horse. Who do you think consistently breeds top quality dressage horses that have the ability to make it to high levels in the sport?
I am not sure about the answer to your specific question, but I can say that Emma Blundell of Mt Saint John has gathered probably one of the most impressive mare bases in the world in a very short amount of time. I had the pleasure of spending 2 weeks last year with Emma at the Hanoverian Breeders Course in Germany and she has really done things the right way. She believes in strong mare lines (sometimes a very foreign concept in North America) and has seriously educated herself about breeding etc… So it is no surprise she is getting the clientele that she is!!
[QUOTE=monami;7621654]
I am not sure about the answer to your specific question, but I can say that Emma Blundell of Mt Saint John has gathered probably one of the most impressive mare bases in the world in a very short amount of time. I had the pleasure of spending 2 weeks last year with Emma at the Hanoverian Breeders Course in Germany and she has really done things the right way. She believes in strong mare lines (sometimes a very foreign concept in North America) and has seriously educated herself about breeding etc… So it is no surprise she is getting the clientele that she is!![/QUOTE]
I too have spent time with Emma and her mother. They are wonderful, driven and very educated. They also have a lot of money:) which greatly helped them amass that amazing mare base. I am not sure we have a breeder here in the US that has that level of interest and resources available to them.
I agree Blume… their resources seen limitless !
Linda Woltz/ Walnut Farm
http://www.walnutfarmhanoverians.com/home
Eliza Rutherford/ Foxwood Farm Hanoverians
http://www.foxwoodhanoverians.com/
One way to answer this question is to go look at the USEF rankings list of top dressage breeders.
But as with all things USEF this only includes properly recorded horses.
I like the USEF list in theory, but in practice I don’t know if it’s really the best indicator of “who are the best dressage breeders in the US”. For example, a breeder could produce many mediocre horses and end up with a lot of points (but many mediocre horses wouldn’t really indicate someone was one of the best breeders in the US), or they could produce one homerun horse which earns a lot of points (but one homerun wouldn’t necessarily indicate someone is one of the best breeders in the US either.)
For example, the breeder of my stallion is #13 on the USEF list, and every single one of their points was earned by my stallion, but they’ve probably bred 500-1000 horses in the last 15 years.
Some names I think of when I think of quality dressage breeders in the US are people like Seigi Belz, Judy Yancey, Mo Swanson, locally there’s Mary Lou Winn, plus the “big names” like Iron Spring and Hilltop. That’s just for starters, for certain I’m going to log off and think of a dozen more 
-Gigha
Jenn Tousignant at Rhodes Farm, Sutton, Massachusetts. They don’t breed very many but they do breed the best.
As we are interested in FEI (excluding young horse classes which equate first through third level) I think Wally Woo Farm certainly has shown success with their lovely WakeUp.
Mo Swanson of Rolling Stone Farm has a wonderful and proven program. Based out of PA
USDF Breed Awards
Just a thought that possibly a little sleuthing at USDF Breed awards, etc.may also bring some to light that the USEF doesn’t.
Although honestly, the entire question gets murky. I stood a stallion in the USA for a few years with a good trainer/breeder, and I know there are offsping not only in that state but in the East,etc. yet, I have no idea who or where hardly at all. Stallion was USDF reserve Sporthorse stallion in the region,etc. But…records are not always kept, nor registered names, nor horses registered by mare owners.
There are some good breeders in Canada coming on with dressage doers. Such as Dreamscape Farms, Dreamcatcher Meadows, to name 2. Interesting, just realize they both use Dream in their name, are both in B.C. and both have hannoverians in their barns (plus GOV).
What about DG Bar? Hilltop? Iron Springs?
It is a tough question because you’ve got the smaller “boutique” breeders like Siegi that turn out quality horses but in small numbers, then you’ve got the big breeders. If you just look at “points”, it has to be a big breeder. But if you look at % of success, there are some smaller breeders who are quite consistent.
Never Say Never Farm in Nova Scotia is another small breeder that has produced some exceptional foals. Prima Equestrian in Ontario is another.
[QUOTE=J.A.Martin;7623486]
Never Say Never Farm in Nova Scotia is another small breeder that has produced some exceptional foals. Prima Equestrian in Ontario is another.[/QUOTE]
Neither in the US
Ken Borden at Little Bit Farms has bred some really nice horses.
[QUOTE=ladyj79;7621944]
https://www.usef.org/_IFrames/pointsAwards/points/leadingBreedersM.aspx?year=2011§ion=1500&viewCat=Dressage
But as with all things USEF this only includes properly recorded horses.[/QUOTE]
This is horribly incomplete. Just saying…
[QUOTE=RiverOaksFarm;7622089]
I like the USEF list in theory, but in practice I don’t know if it’s really the best indicator of “who are the best dressage breeders in the US”. For example, a breeder could produce many mediocre horses and end up with a lot of points (but many mediocre horses wouldn’t really indicate someone was one of the best breeders in the US), or they could produce one homerun horse which earns a lot of points (but one homerun wouldn’t necessarily indicate someone is one of the best breeders in the US either.)
For example, the breeder of my stallion is #13 on the USEF list, and every single one of their points was earned by my stallion, but they’ve probably bred 500-1000 horses in the last 15 years. [/QUOTE]
This deserves repeating, for anyone being tempted to rely too heavily on rankings such as USEF’s.
Of course it is, hence my not so subtle codicil. But it directly answers the question asked. I’d love to see improved record keeping by riders, owners, and breeders so that such questions can be more readily answered via documentation of success in the show ring.
