Breeding Information

A Tale of Wander

AKA "Zorro"

We have always been excited to share a bit of the traumas and adventures involved with the qualification or our precious stallion, Zorro - known now as Wander 352.

First of all, I wish I could tell you that he is the culmination of our twenty-year breeding program, but in truth, he was our first foal out of our only mare at the time. We are small breeders. We imported a colt, (now a wonderful star gelding, Mirage) and a filly, Nylke S. (Djurre x Mark) from The Netherlands in 1988. As a matter of fact, I bought the filly sight unseen. When Nylke (Nikki, to us) was three, we found the approved breeding stallion Barteld at Fred De Boer's in Ontario, CA. Even in our relative ignorance of the breed and bloodlines at the time, I thought he was very special and I knew enough to want compatible bloodlines.

In September, 1991, we dutifully brought our foal, Zorro (Barteld out of Nylke) to the inspection available in Southern California. Born in late June, he was the youngest baby there. Inspected by two judges from the Netherlands, he received a second premie and everyone really liked him. Even though we never thought "in our wildest dreams" he could have grown up to be considered for qualification, we felt strongly that Nikki should get her "star" which was, of course, a requirement for approved stallions. She received her star the next year, which gave Zorro, the 'full-papers" he needed to stay in the game. However, remember, we were thinking pipe dream here!

After looking gorgeous at three months, Zorro spent the next three years looking small, awkward, "laid back" but always very sweet. As a three-year-old, he seemed still too immature to present, so we waited until he was four, which brings us to September, 1995. We brought both Zorro and our then eight-year-old gelding, Mirage, son of Hearke. It was a good omen when Mirage received his star and then Zorro was presented.

This presentation was basically a halter performance. The handler stands up the stallion for inspection and then presents the stallion at a walk and strong trot. If you have never seen a Friesian shown in halter, it isn't a straight pass by the judges, it two full circles of a large arena with the stallion in hand with a show trot - not for the light-hearted or those not in top athletic condition.

When the judges motioned for me to come over to them after Zorro was seen, I was in shock. They indicated that they wanted to look closer at our horse and could we present him under saddle. Who were we to refuse! Zorro was ridden, measured, photographed and a lock of his hair taken for DNA. We were told that the judges would make a recommendation for the FPS (Dutch Studbook) to consider our stallion for the next step in qualification. That very afternoon the judges also became interested in the stallion, Arthur (Frans x Godiva), owned by California Carriage and we learned later that no other stallions were being considered that year.

That day in September set in motion an almost year long journey of waiting, hoping, accommodating - yes, praying - and finally organizing a Central Proving examination in Southern California. For me, and I'm sure for the Mellotts who owned Arthur, there were several main concerns. First, we had to find a neutral location - not a private ranch or farm owned by a major breeder, but hopefully, a location that was not associated with our breed. Yet, it must provide facilities necessary for the working of the horses. This not only included space for riding and driving and but also hopefully, housing for the trainer and the judges. After careful consideration, we approached the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center at the California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. They were wonderful, arranging for the semen to be collected and tested and making available their arenas, stalls, grounds and accommodations for the actual examination.

Another area of consideration was how to prepare the stallions for their test. We were advised that the important interest in this test was not necessarily how well trained our horses were, but how trainable they were. In trying to "prepare" for the experience, assuming we made it past the semen testing and the dreaded radiographs, we really weren't quite sure what to do to best help Zorro get ready for the most important challenge of his life. In The Netherlands, the stallion school takes place over three months. The test in North America is packed in to three weeks. We were told not to "over train" the horses as the Dutch trainer and Jury -traveling from the Netherlands just for this testing -- wanted to see HOW they learned rather than discover what they knew already.

We were formally notified in December, 1995 that the FPS had officially decided to move forward with these two stallions for further testing. The first task was to collect and test the semen, which was done at the Kellogg Arabian Horse Center. This is not as simple as driving the stallions over, "get it in the bottle" and drive home. The stallions actually spent some days at Cal Poly, being trained as to how to be collected utilizing a "phantom" and then several collections to make sure that the semen actually collected would be fresh and healthy. On the day of formal testing, each stallion donated semen twice with an hour in between. The semen had to reach a certain standard showing that it maintained its quality even on the second collection. Both stallions passed, no problem.

The next step was taking an entire series of x-rays, which turned out to be far more complicated than we expected. Between December and April, the Mellotts and I sent at least three sets of x-rays back to the Netherlands. Apparently, there was no concern regarding the soundness of the horses, but an insistence that the x-rays be of a superior quality for the examination. Even at the excellent clinics which we utilized, there was some confusion about which shots were needed -- did you know that if they ask you for a picture of the knee, they mean stifle? Finally, in frustration the FPS veterinarian sent pictures to our vets to show exactly what they wanted!

Finally, in April, 1996, we received word that both horses had passed and could proceed to the Central Proving Examination. We were given the names of the judges - Harm Mulder and Ms. Deker-Wortel, and the trainer, Sybren Minkema. The trainer, Sybren, would be in California for three weeks, working with the stallions through the final testing day. The two judges would fly in for the last week, observing the training and then scoring the final tests. John Mellott and I worked diligently to organize the logistics of the test. We did, I thought, a pretty good division of labor. John and his family put together much of the equipment needed for the examination - he was kind enough to provide driving harness, a cart and formal carriage for the training and final test. I spend numerous hours on the phone with arranging travel, rental car and some housing for the examiners and trainer.

There were so many things we needed to consider and had no guidance for. The main purpose of the neutrality was to erase any hint of favoritism. Therefore, John and I were even concerned about casual contact. During the three weeks of the school, the owners are not allowed on the property to have contact with the horses, staff, trainer or judges, unless it is prearranged. John and I decided that a neutral party unrelated to the Friesian horse should pick up the trainer arriving at LAX and were lucky enough to have a friend who spoke fluent Dutch to do the honors. Imagine that, a Dutch man in California NOT in to Friesian horses!! This worked out exceedingly well and Sybren, the designated trainer and handler, shared his appreciation to us that he did not have to think and communicate in English after his long trip.

The first two weeks of the three-week test were spent with the trainer, who wisely brought a schedule of days he would ride, drive or otherwise work with the stallions. Both John Mellott and I had heard rumors that the stallions might be worked several hours a day - both being ridden and driven - and had been concerned for the horses' stamina as well as working in the 100 degrees weather we were having. It was a relief that Sybren had pre-planned a schedule that was rational, but I have to tell you it was quite traumatic, putting our special "child" in a stall and walking away!

During the next two weeks, Sybren pretty much had the horses to himself. We were invited once a week to observe the training, once while they were being driven and once under saddle. Talk about being nervous. It was hard to read what progress or direction of the training. Of Course, we didn't ask the trainer anything and really had to wait patiently for the final day.

The beginning of the third week, the two judges arrived. We were beginning to get a sense of what was and was not a violation of keeping the judges in "neutral" territory. Things seemed to be a bit less formal and it seemed appropriate that the familiar faces of Jack and Tillie Tuls (local and well-known breeders in Southern California) could retrieve them from the airport. Jack and Tillie are always wonderful hosts and it seems traditional that judges enjoy being escorted to the various ranches during visits.

The judges spent a day at the Mellots' ranch over the weekend and, I'm sure, wanting to keep things balanced, we received a call the next day from Sybren suggesting that he bring the judges over to our home for a visit. We have a small property, under two acres, and, at that time, two Friesians and several Andalusians to show - and we were not quite sure what to do. We did the mad house-cleaning sweep and called a friend to ask what might be an appropriate light snack to serve. The suggestion was ice cream and fresh fruit. The main reason I am relating this part of the story is to validate the judges' impartiality. They were incredibly good sports. It turned out our air conditioner was broken. They were politely sitting in our over 90-degree living room, sweat pouring down their brows, with a dish of vanilla ice cream and a language barrier. Teasingly we thought that if the judges, for some reason, wanted to NOT pass our horse, they certainly had an excuse now!

Prior to the final day of the test, Tillie Tuls had sent out invitations throughout Southern California to our Southern California Friesian Club members and other interested parties. She had also organized a potluck at Cal Poly to make sure everyone would be well fed and otherwise taken care of. There were many Friesian lovers and FHANA (Friesian Horse Association of North America) members, family and friends who came for the final test. Many of us arrived early, very nervous and excited, only to hear that even before the day started, the Mellot's stallion, Arthur, had already been eliminated as a stallion candidate. John and Anita were obviously disappointed and it clouded the day for us all. It also obviously added to our concerns as to how our Zorro would come through by the end of the day.

The Mellotts decided to present Arthur even though they knew he had been eliminated. They wanted a record of his performance and so both horses were exhibited for the judges, first in harness and then under saddle. They had completed the third part of the performance - pulling - on the day before. At the end of the examination, the judges spent some time conferring and then, individually, invited first the Mellotts and then myself and my husband, to speak with them privately.

When it was our time to join the judges, my husband, trainer and I sat quietly while they gave us our scores and finally congratulated us on the success of our horse. They cautioned us that their scores and decision was actually a recommendation to the FPS and that it would take a week or so to confirm and finalize his approval; but they reassured us that we could relax and trust that our horse would be approved.

It did not truly register for weeks, at least. We found everyone so very supportive and excited for us. Unfortunately, Zorro was approved so late in the summer, it was impossible to even get going at organizing a breeding program, so we started making plans for the next year's breeding season. The entire process was such a positive learning experience and we are more than happy, anytime, to share with other hopeful stallion owners in the future, our discoveries and thoughts.

Years later, we are grateful for all the support and help we received during the entire stallion approval process. For anyone out there who is married, you know how important our partners are at times like this. My husband, Bill, loved the horses (and dogs, cats, pigs and tortoises) and, even though he was not the addict I am, he was so supportive and helpful. Any errand, task, mundane or big, he tackled with a kind spirit and generous heart. He was a far better host than I will ever be and I couldn't have survived the judges' home visit without him. Bill died in May, 1999, but among my fondest memories, have been those surrounding his partnership and support during this time.

Prior to the stallion test, which, by the way took place in mid June to early July, 1996, we received a list of possible names that we had to choose from, if Zorro passed. Any approved stallion must have a Dutch (or actually Fries) male name - "Zorro" certainly not quite fitting the bill! Each year, the foals born take certain predetermined letters of the alphabet and obviously, Zorro was born during the WXYZ year. However, all they sent us were the "w's" and, I have to tell you, I couldn't pronounce 90% of them. I quickly faxed back and asked them where the XYZ names were (maybe there were other choices?) and they quickly faxed back and said that there were no male Fries names available beginning with XYZ. So, one name jumped out off the page and now Zorro (my TV hero from the fifties) has become WANDER 352 (the 352nd stallion ever approved in the Dutch registry).

By the year, 2003, Wander has grown and matured tremendously. He has become one of the most popular breeding stallions in North America. He has had his semen frozen and sent back to the Netherlands and New Zealand - the first American bred stallion to have that honor. He has been Grand Champion in halter and under saddle in various competitions. His offspring have, so far, been a credit to him with many above average second premies and a number of first premie champions.

In February, 2001, we had the pleasure of having Wander be a part of a major motion picture (along with several of our Andalusian stallions). Wander is prized new stallion the drug lord scene in the movie, "Bedazzled." Also, in October, 2001, Wander had the privilege of being photographed by noted international photographer Gabrielle Boiselle from Germany (www.editionboiselle.de) . He was "January" in her 2003 Friesian calendar and is on the cover of her Friesian calendar for 2004.

Most of all, Wander-Zorro - is an old soul and my very dearest friend. He will be a part of my family for as long as he lives. Thanks so much for sharing our story.

~ Nina Miller, Checkerboard Farms ~

Thanks again for listening to my story and sharing in the wild ride of this adventure.