*Padron
(Patron x Odessa)
Owned by:
The *Padron Syndicate
United States National Champion Stallion
Canadian National Champion Stallion
Scottsdale Champion Stallion
When a little chestnut colt, bred by Dr. and Mrs. J.M.M Blaauwhof, was foaled in a Dutch stable near Kerkdriel on May 13, 1977, there was every reason to believe he would become a champion.
First of all, his pedigree was a delecatable blend of the best British, Egyptian, and Russian bloodlines available. His sire, Patron (Aswan x Podruga), was three times National Champion Stallion of Holland. His dam, *Odessa, had parents who won national titles. *Odessa's sire, Bright Wings, was the 1966 British Reserve Junior Champion Stallion, and her dam, Serinda, was the 1969 British National Champion Foal.
The youngster was cute, too. Born with a distinctive crooked blaze down his dished face, the colt's two opposing white socks, (off fore, near hind) and a sassy straw colored mane, accented his powerful body and strong legs.
But he had something more. The colt they called *Padron had that magic "something" that charisma that reaches out and embraces an audience. When *Padron appeared, you could not look away.
Niether could the judges. At the tender age of three months, he was named Dutch Junior Champion, and then won three more junior championships in that country.
Such a horse is seldom a secret. Soon, *Padron was on his way to the United States, imported on February 11, 1978, by Robert and Donna Stratmore of Make-Believe Farm, Alamo, California. He spent a couple of years growing up, and then destiny beckoned.
First paired in Semptember 1980, David Boggs and *Padron embodied youthful energy, with a style and zest for life that knew no bounds. During the next 24 months, and with the management guidance of veteran horseman Billy Harris, Boggs would show *Padron to virtually all of his major wins: champion stallion at the Cow Palace, Region III Champion Stallion, Minnesota All Arabian Supreme Champion, Scottsdale All-Arabian Supreme Stallion (1982), Canadian National Champion Stallion (1981), and the 1982 U.S. National Champion Stallion title.
By the end of thier run, Boggs and *Padron had formed an incredible bond. So strong was their relationship that, over the stallion's entire life, it defied the weadening forces of time, distance and even species differentiation. To the Arabian community, the words "David and *Padron" began to sound as familiar as "cream and sugar" or "silk and satin."
So what about his potential as a sire? Many show ring stars have failed to shine as brightly when back home in the breeding shed.
Luckily, *Padron's ability as a sire was predicted by his strong pedigree. His sire, Patron, in addition to the aforementioned wins, had sired the top stallions, *Puschkin, *Pattrone, *Patent, and *El Kasaka before and untimely death cut short his career.
All told, *Padron has sired 50 North American national winners, 12 international champions and more than 180 show ring champions from 770 registered purebred foals. Some have multiple titles in both halter and performance (particularly in the western divisions), and many bear his flaming red-gold color.
Information from Arabian Horse Legends book, by Western Horseman.
Khemosabi++++//
(Amerigo x Jurneeka)
Khemosabi was a horse of the people, a star spangled banner of the Arabian breed. Bright bay, with a distinctive blaze face and four snowy white stockings, he was as flashy as a sequined drum major marching and twirling in an Independance Day Parade.
When presented to an audience-- and gracious sake, how he loved a crowd-- everyone from toddlers and teenagers to parents and grandparents whistled and shouted and clappped their hands as he arched his neck and danced to their ovation.
In his younger years, he was wonderful to ride, powerful, animated, fiesty. Yet in his later years he lovingly tolerated school children swarming about his knees and face. Virtually every person who has evre met Khemosabi-- and there have been thousands-- has a heart-warming story to tell about the experience. Simply put, Khemosabi was the most beloved Arabian horse of his generation. Khemosabi (pronounced Key-moh-sah-be) was a show ring superstar, winning U.S. National championships in both stallion halter (1973) and western pleasure (1976). He won the same two top awards in Canada(in 1976) The only stallion to date ever to win both a halter and performance national championship in the same year (and, further, at the same national show). With a long list of other wins, as well, Khemosabi earned the highest IAHA lifetime achievement award offered, the Legion of Masters, which allows four "+" marks to follow his name. Only a handful of other horses have done so.
Even more impressively, Khemosabi has passed on his show ring panache and his sweet disposition on to an amazingly high percentage of his offspring. In all, he sired more than 1,200 registered purebred Arabians, of whom over 300 have won Arabian show ring championships in every event imaginable. Others excel in open competition in reining, dressage, jumping, cutting and other cattle events. His decendants also were -- and are -- successful in outside the show ring in racing, endurance riding, and competitive trail riding.
For much of his adult life, Khemosabi had been the leading living sire of champions in the breed and remains the all-time leading sire of purebred offspring.
Although it somehow seems unlikely, one could argue that Khemosabi might have missed the train to fame if not for the belief and efforts of a gregarious California woman named Ruth Husband and her warm-hearted spouse and companion, Dr. Bert Husband. Khemo and the Husbands formed a bond, which lasted throughout his lifetime of 30 years plus. Indeed, Ruth claims to have seen the stallion even before he was born.
On May 13, 1967, Ruth was having dinner after a horse show in Stockton, Calif., with 10 other well known Arabian enthusiasts, including Sheila Varian, Jeff Wonnell, and Red and Bobbie Beyer. Studdenly, she recalled, " I saw a vision of what our mare Jurneeka's baby was going to look like. I saw him exactly: a mahogany bay horse with four high stockings and a broad blaze."
Ruth mentioned it to her companions, "and they all looked at me like I was crazy, but that was not unusual -- I often do crazy things." she laughed. Her companions calmly continued their dinners.
Just a few hours later, at 2 a.m. on May 14, the phone rang in Ruth's hotel room. "It was way across the room, and I stumbled to it and picked it up-- my heart was racing," she said.
Dr. Bert was on the other line and excitedly told Ruth that Jurneeka (the Husband family's multiple national award-winning mare) had just foaled-- a birth witnessed by a small crowd of neighbors and the Husbands' three sons. "As he described the new little colt, shivers ran up my spine," Ruth recalled. "It was eerie. He was exactly as I had envisioned him hours before-- a bay with four high stockings and a blaze. It scared even me."
Right from the start Khemo loved an audience, and he semed to prefer people to horses. "He was born loving people." Said Ruth. "When we tried to take pictures of him, all we ever got was a nostril. He was right in your face, a tiny baby who just wanted to be loved."
Mo Morris was Khemo's first professional trainer. He started driving the colt at age 2 (but showed him at halter) and showed him again, in both performance and halter at the ages of 4 and 5 years old.
"The first time I showed him was in 1968 at a show in Salem, Ore.," Morris recalled, "The night before, he managed to wriggle out of his stall and went visiting but no harm was done. The next day he was junior champion at halter, and then stood reserve show champion to the stallion Tornado, shown by Howie Kale.
"Khemosabi has been perfect since he was a baby," offered Morris. "He never went through and ugly growthy stage; he stayed proportionate and muscular throughout his life. And hes still looks wonderful. I think you could hitch him up today and drive him off. He'd love it," Morris said in a 1997 interview.
"He was one of those horses who learned his lessons the first time through, and you never had to teach him that skill again. He had a good brain, he was a good student," added Morris. "He was a wonderful halter horse-- bright and animated a real show off. Later, we also won some fine harness. He could move very well, with power and flash. Khemo loved that, too, and he was god at it."
Ruth, who would become Khemo's greatest fan, continued to remain skeptical of Khemosabi's abilities for quite some time. "I guess I thought we were just lucky," she said. "Once, early in Khemosabi's show career, at the Daffodil show in Washington, I had my faith tested. All day the judge had been lining up in the middle those horses who won and placed, and had been excusing those left on the rail. In Khemosabi's class, he lined up his horses, tunred in his card, and left Khemo on the rail! I thought, 'Oh well, he probably isn't as good as we think.'
"Suddenly, a very large man came crashing down those rickety, noisy old bleachers and started yelling to the judge that he had 'Left out the best horse!' and pointed out Khemo. Just then, the announcer started reading the judge's card and said 'In first place Khemosabi.........' The judge had just been playing with the crowd. The man was so embarrassed, but even he a total stranger, was a believer. And I finally stared to see Khemosabi's magic."
At the national level, 75 sons and daughters have national awards. Further, 55 of his daughters and 22 of his sons have gone on to produce and sire national winners (through 1997).
Khemosabi is best known for passing on his distinctive color and markings, soundness and athleticism, and a sweet, kind dispostion. Although space limits preclude a complete list of superior individuals he has sired, among his best offspring are: Khari, his first born son; GS Khochise, who has won more national titles (36) than any other horse in history; Khemanche, who shares with his sire a rare Legion of Masters achievment award and "made people groan when we took him in the arena, we won so much," laughed Ruth; Khara Mia and Kharinosa; Rho Keem and Rho Sabee; Khemander Kody, a national champion cutting horse; Kaiyoum, bred by Varian; Kharino, a champion field hunter; the lovely halter mare GA Honisuckl Rose; and the list goes on and on.
Over the years, as one might imagine, the Husbands were offered a king's ransom for Khemosabi. But as Dr. Bert often said, "Anyone can have a million dollars Only we can have Khemosabi." In 1981, however the family decided to syndicate him, and sold 126 shares to 76 owners.
In February 1997, during the annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, Khemosabi at age 30, was inducted into the very first Arabian Horse Trust Hall Of Fame. He was the only living horse to be so honored.
As Khemosabi entered the ring the final night of that show, with Paul Husband gripping the lead line and grinning ear to ear, there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Some of the thousands in attendance had flown to Scottsdale for this moment alone. Then, as he always did, Khemosabi pranced and danced for his cheering fans as the strains of the William Tell Overture filled the desert night air. He continued to preen as those people who had been a significant part of his life were introduced by veteran show announcer Harry Cooper. When he and Paul finally exited the ring, to a thunderous standing ovation, those present knew they had witnessed one of the greatest moments-- and greatest stallions-- in Arabian horse history.
Information from Arabian Horse Legends book, by Western Horseman Books.
