SPORT HORSE BREEDING ISSUE

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1 SPORT HORSE BREEDING ISSUE Bannockburn Farm Thrives In A Business For The Brave Sport horse breeding is not for the faint of heart, according to Allyn McCracken, whose Belgian Warmbloods exemplify her steadfast intuition and success within the industry. BY TAYLOR JOYCE PHOTOS BY THE EQUINE MEDIA PROJECT Allyn McCracken has a knack for researching bloodlines on paper and an eye for developing young Belgian Warmbloods for hunter, jumper, eventing or dressage careers. When Allyn McCracken served as an auxiliary timer in the jumper ring at the 1987 Pan American Games qualifier hosted by her Indianapolis hunt club, Trader s Point, she wasn t expecting the epiphany that occurred as she clocked in its winner, Big Ben. But the flashy Belgian Warmblood sparked her fascination with the breed and led to the establishment of her Bannockburn Farm LLC in Patricksburg, Ind. In 2013, that farm ranked third in the 2013 U.S. Equestrian Federation standings for jumper breeders. I was just so impressed with this horse that I began to do research on the BWP, said McCracken. She spent the year following that encounter studying bloodlines before purchasing her first stud, Branco, who was standing in Michigan and became the first approved stallion by the North American District of the Belgian Warmblood Breeding Association (BWP/NAD). Wary after her past endeavors breeding Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, for which she d found a meager market, the mother of two knew she d finally found her niche when she bred Branco to one of her Thoroughbreds in 1993 and reaped her first profit with the sale of that foal as a 3-year-old. I initially started out breeding Thoroughbreds, explained McCracken, whose goal was to produce Americanbred horses. But the track was so disappointing to me; I couldn t stand it. I just felt like the horses were used up too early, and they were never given a chance. So as a horse lover, I couldn t handle that. McCracken originally catered to the amateur market, in part due to her own humble beginnings as a horse-crazy kid in Kentucky, where her family was one of the rare few in the neighborhood which didn t foxhunt, race a Thoroughbred or show a Saddlebred. By age 10, she joined the masses when 34 The Chronicle of the Horse

2 gifted the latter. They [made for] a huge sport in our area. I had him all his life; we didn t put him down until he was 32, she recalled. I showed him all through high school, and he came to college with me. After she graduated with an art degree from Indiana University and married Fletcher McCracken, who worked in the Air Force ROTC, their two children, Kevin and Michael, took rides on the old Saddlebred before he passed away. McCracken learned to jump in her 30s and got the family, which moved to the more rural Patricksburg, into foxhunting. Although she also whipped in for the New Britain Hunt (Ind.), they were mostly involved with Trader s Point. McCracken s patience to thoroughly research the Belgian Warmblood poised her for the successful launch of her 1,200-acre breeding facility, Bannockburn Farm, which she built up from about five to 50 horses. Although her husband frequently offered her business advice, she spearheaded the operation singlehandedly. What makes a difference to people who are doing research is finding exactly what a horse s pedigree is, so you can see what connection between what mares are making the best horses, she said. She devotes endless hours to studying European websites detailing horses pedigrees and performance records. I spent almost a year doing that kind of work, and then I decided to go to Europe and buy some mares. I m way more involved with mares than I am with stallions because, in my opinion, the mare is the basis of everything, she said. What happens a lot in the United States is people think they ll breed a really good stallion to a not-so-good mare and get something that s good, she added. It doesn t work out that way. So I bought some really good mares, and that was kind of my start. Similarly, McCracken took advantage of the power of observation at horse shows; she d study the day sheets posted about competitors breeding at Spruce Meadows (Alberta). At other venues that didn t post such information, she d frequently approach riders at the gate to inquire about a horse s breeding. Trying Times Despite building up an encyclopedic knowledge of the breed and industry and serving roles as treasurer, secretary and president of the BWP/NAD McCracken also had to brace for the disappointments all breeders face at one point or another. With breeding, you have to Bannockburn Farm spans 1,200 acres in Patricksburg, Ind. March 17 & 24, 2014 chronofhorse.com 35

3 Allyn McCracken stresses the importance of turnout and her youngsters socialization in a herd. always a must as mares approach their births, and routine training schedules that aim for the sale of a 4-year-old prospect developed from birth require man and machine power. A six-horse exercising machine, for instance, is of great use to prepare mares for a healthy delivery without turnout. If they don t get a lot of exercise, then they can have really bad deliveries, said McCracken. I m essentially the barn manager, so I make sure that whoever is supposed to be coming in gets there, that the horses general health is taken care of and whatnot, said Mendoza. I also get to play nurse maid, so when it s 4 in the morning and time to receive the foals, I make sure everyone is in good shape. They make sure the mares are up and healthy and eating within a reasonable amount of time. After that, we try to lead them in and out every day so [the foals] get used to handling and moving with a person, even if it s just 10 feet from their stall to the paddock at first, Mendoza said. We start picking up their feet after a week or so, just trying to handle them as much as possible without being overbearing about it. love it, or you would never do it, she said. You can put an enormous amount into breeding, and the mare can lose the baby, or you can have a bad birthing, or a lot of different things could happen along the way. Last year, she had to euthanize a promising foal by her stallion Simsalabim (Nonstop Patina, Feinschnitt I V D Richter) who had fractured its shoulder at a week old. If you let it discourage you, then you ll never do it again, she said. It s kind of like having your first baby; you think you ll never have another one. Even though you do all your work on trying to make the right breeding decisions a lot of really looking at horses, studying their bloodlines, studying their actual performance record things still may not work out, McCracken added. The thing that I had to learn about was what we were actually doing here, or, in other words, what our farm was actually meant for. The pastureland produces about 10,000 bales of hay per year and provides ample turnout for 50 to 60 horses, four to seven of which are bred each year. We don t like to keep the babies stalled for very long at all, said McCracken. A breeder in Belgium once told us, I ve never seen a champion raised in a box. Training Philosophy Robert Mendoza is the head trainer and go-to sales person who oversees the daily, unpredictable going-ons at the breeding facility. Of the five employees, two specialize in equipment maintenance tuning and operating the machinery required to put up such vast quantities of hay and other tasks that revolve around breeding and training young prospects. Night watch and milk testing is 36 The Chronicle of the Horse

4 SPORT HORSE BREEDING ISSUE The young horses are exposed to ground work, long-lining and free jumping. As they get older, we tend to do a lot more riding, said Mendoza. I typically try to jump them two or three times a week depending on what we re doing. We tend to do a lot of gymnastic work. In addition to his managerial tasks, Mendoza travels to horse shows and is a well-known face in the competitive show jumping world. This is a part of his own training business, which started with young Irish Sport Horses in New Hampshire, and it s also supportive of Bannockburn s word-of-mouth advertising style. Of their business strategy, Mendoza said, We try to keep it manageable but tend to sell a fair bit as young horses. So we keep enough to stay around that 4-ish range. Even though the U.S. market has changed, we re trying to adjust our plan a little bit, and we re trying to breed horses for the more experienced jumper riders; we re trying to shift our margins a little bit. Your average buyer wants a horse Much of the foals groundwork begins in Bannockburn Farm s indoor arena, where they become familiar with the sights and sounds of a future show career. that is educated, he continued. Some people are shopping for babies, and those people we can appease quite easily with wonderful bloodlines. But the average U.S. buyer wants a horse he can take to a horse show, and educating a horse in this country is exceedingly expensive compared to what educating a horse in Europe is. So our margins are far better for 4-year-olds and under. Once you get above 4 years old, it s harder to compete with what the European prices are. Allyn McCracken explained what she looks for in a mare and stallion to produce the right match: I always want to free jump to see potential, she said. Every horse has a certain sense about the jumps, and I want to see how they react, she said. Good conformation is a must: medium length of back, with the hocks under them. Of course bloodlines are very important; there are a couple of lines that always produce great horses. Certainly a mare with a good mind is very important. I want to see a horse that carries itself well. The walk is indicative of what they can do, shows potential and ability. There has to be swing in the loins, and I look really hard at the canter. What they do up front is not nearly as important as what they do behind. You can train through gymnastics to help create a better front end, but you can t train or create a horse that doesn t naturally have a good hind end. Essentially, the mare is the cake, and the stallion is the icing. You have to have the foundation before you can add in the stallion. I try to pair up horses for a good weight; they cannot be too heavy for sale purposes. When looking at bloodlines I like to put Holsteiner or Dutch with French to balance out the heaviness. If my mare is a heavy mare I will breed her to a lighter stallion and vice versa. Cake And Icing The Human Touch Mendoza and McCracken emphasize that athletic bloodlines aren t enough; instilling a good temperament in the babies is equally important. What we end up getting are a lot of really talented horses that, from my experience and part of it has to do with Simsalabim because we have a lot of his babies tend to be very smart and very trainable, said Mendoza. That helps a lot when you have such a talented horse, that it has When I was a kid our farm overlooked a race horse farm, and I would go back to see them. The manager would tell me that to choose a stallion, it has to have presence. When you look in the field you should be able to tell the horse is a stallion. There are too many stallions that get approved that don t have presence. In a natural herd, the stallion that is the best and strongest is the one that gets to pass on his genes, as it should be. When we attend the stallion selection in Belgium, one of the main comments we will hear as to why a stallion that jumped and moved well but did not get approved will be, That one is not a true stallion. In other words, no presence. There are several top stallions here in the States, but I also purchase semen from Europe. I choose a stallion that has had very good, solid performance and consistently good offspring. I ll try a younger stallion that doesn t have as many offspring if he has a fantastic mare-line and is with a top rider much like Emerald. I find that there are too many stallions standing here in the States that lack good bloodlines and performance. Breeders need to realize this and understand that paying a higher stud fee for a higher-quality stallion is at times necessary to breeding good offspring. March 17 & 24, 2014 chronofhorse.com 37

5 SPORT HORSE BREEDING ISSUE Free-jumping develops the young horses comfort, natural shape and timing at Bannockburn Farm. the mental acuity to actually manage all of that [talent], he continued. A lot of very athletic horses have trouble managing themselves because they re like little kids; they don t know quite how to keep themselves together. The Belgian Warmbloods, from my experience so far, have been exceedingly trainable, which has made the ones I ve had the pleasure to ride very competitive in the ring. Lisa Goldman s show jumping partner Centurion B, perhaps one of McCracken s most successful horses (he s earned about $250,000 in the grand prix jumper ring to date), exhibits the result of that human touch. It s all about bonding, said McCracken, who praised Goldman and Centurion B s 10-year partnership. I m very careful about their feelings, and they do have feelings; they have feelings about people, and we grow with McCracken On Challenges Facing U.S. Breeders e need riders that really ride, said Allyn McCracken. Riders are so busy training and showing that they do not bond with their horses. I think parents are partly responsible for this by allowing their kids to just show up at the barn and ride, not being encouraged to learn to take care of their own horse. Learning the fundamentals at whatever point in life one begins to ride is critical. People need to take the time to learn the care, nutrition, farrier and conditioning of their own horses. We don t have enough people to properly start young horses, she continued. Young horse development training has been sadly overlooked by our riders. Finally, We don t have enough good mares to breed, she said. And by good mares I mean good bloodlines and performance. People that own a mare that they love unfortunately breed them because they love the horse, regardless of their bloodlines. Allyn McCracken and Robert Mendoza don t predetermine the discipline a foal is best cut out for; its own aptitude, or inaptitude, becomes apparent when the standards are raised and is based on its desire to jump. 38 The Chronicle of the Horse

6 Robert Mendoza (left) manages training and sales at Bannockburn Farm; he and his wife, Kezia (right), have lived on site with their two daughters for the past three years. our horses a whole lot because we know that they need to be able to relate to people almost more than they relate to other horses, said McCracken. Similarly, every socialization effort is thought out. New horses are introduced to a herd by first being stabled for a few days with the leader of its pecking order. Then the new horse has someone who s pretty big in that herd to relate to, and he ends up being OK, said McCracken. If you just stick him in there by himself, he worries about it, and he ll get picked on all the time. So almost all my theories and mission statements have to do with the horses feelings about different things, she added. McCracken has produced four horses that have jumped into the open jumper division: Centurion B, Baccarat B, who is a full brother to Centurion B and whom Mendoza rode to the grand prix level; El Dorado B and Etienne B. In vitro fertilization using outside semen, usually purchased from Europe, is McCracken s preferred method of breeding. Embryo transfer and standing one stallion have also contributed to successful foaling over the years. March 17 & 24, 2014 chronofhorse.com 39