Shady Maple Northern Diplomat


	16.0 hh 2001 Black Hackney Horse Stallion Shady Maple's Northern Gambler x Shady Maple Chocolate Lady Canadian Hackney Registry 4155 American Hackney Horse Registration pending Currently in ridden dressage training with Sarah Casey at Waltzing Horse Farm, New Berlin, NY My first Hackney Horse was Roman Gladiator, a dead ringer for his maternal grandsire Bobcaygeon Copper King. ‘Gladdy’ was the epitome of what a Hackney Horse should be. He was breathtaking to look at and naturally extreme, trotting over level barefoot with hock action to match. His temperament was outstanding. He also proved beyond a shadow of doubt the versatility of this breed. With his flashy high-stepping trot, he was the most exciting horse to drive! I trained him under saddle and we went on to compete successfully in hunt seat pleasure, hunter paces and competitive trail. Toward the end of his competitive career we studied classical dressage, where he again proved himself an apt and talented pupil. He had a piaffe and passage to die for! He also learned 3 of the ‘airs’ normally performed by Lipizzaners – pesade, levade and capriole. Over the years, I realized that a big part of what made Gladdy so unique was the blood of Bobcaygeon Copper King. Bobcaygeon Copper King was very prepotent, passing on his ideal conformation and temperament to all his off-spring and the succeeding generations. He produced a number of successful harness/carriage horses and, when crossed to other breeds, produced a large number of successful jumpers. Thus began my search for stallion carrying those genes to add to our breeding program. Shady Maple Northern Diplomat is one of a limited number of Hackney Horses carrying the direct blood of Bobcaygeon Copper King. He is the only stallion living today with Bobcaygeon Copper King on both sides of his pedigree, making him an important resource for the Hackney breed. You may view his pedigree here. I searched four long years to find this young stallion and finally found him on an Amish farm in Pennsylvania, where he was being used to produce draft/Hackney crosses. Many thanks to the Canadian Hackney Society, who remembered my request for information an entire year later, and contacted me when a transfer went through for his registration! We could not be more pleased with Merlin (his barn name)! He typifies the conformation we wish to preserve, has an outstanding disposition, is already proving his athletic ability and shows the eerie reach of the Hackney with hock action to match the front. We consider him to be an asset toward meeting the three main goals with our breeding program: to preserve as many of the foundation genes as possible; maintain the traditional conformation of the Hackney horse, which lends itself to natural high stepping ability; ensure workable/trainable temperaments and athletic ability by performance testing of all of our breeding stock. Here are a few shots from his first day of under saddle training: And a few more showing his natural action and reach (barefoot): Above photos by Marji Lexton, the ultimate equine photographer! Stud Fee for the 2008 season $500.00 for Hackney Horse Purebreds $750.00 all others. Mare owner to pay all Veterinary collection fees and shipping. Page currently under construction. More info and photos coming soon as his training progresses!
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