Sales, it’s what drives most any commercial equine operation. Pays the bills, and allows you to purchase new breeding stock. If you don’t address your clients needs you won’t be in this business long. If you don’t stand behind your product you won’t be in this business long. If you’re not willing to go that extra distance to fulfill your commitments to your clients you won’t be in this business long. We have been in this business since 1985, 17 years now, and plan on being in it for at least that long yet.
When we began this journey we wanted to define what would set one of our foals apart from any other. Performance, well that’s not readily assessable at the weanling stage. Size or looks, well, we found that just about the time you think you’ve got those genetics figured out mother nature changes the rules. Pedigree, well we’d certainly be breeding the best we could afford. Temperament, now that’s a goal we could attain.
The basis of our breeding program is to provide our clients with a foal that is conformationally correct, suitable for it’s intended purpose, intelligent and tractable so training and handling would be a pleasure. They are handled from birth, imprinted and taught that in their herd of two with their person, they can trust and follow without reservation. If we can breed for and instill these qualities in our foals we will have produced an animal that will become a valued friend and companion, enhancing the possibility of a life long commitment by that owner to care for and keep the animal.
You’ll never see us claim an animal we produce will “take you to the top levels in competition” or “is a sure stallion prospect” or is “your next FEI level horse”. I’m afraid my crystal ball only has a two week range, any farther into the future and we’re just guessing, just like everyone else. I don’t honestly believe anyone can predict the performance or development attributes of any horse from it’s presence as a foal. Yes, we can definitely say that it’s the best we’ve seen, or is as good as any other in our opinion, or has a wonderful trot, but to say definitively what a horse will accomplish from it’s evaluation as a foal is not within our abilities.
So, we decided to breed for goals we could repeatedly accomplish. We choose mares that are athletically able, intelligent and well mannered, easy to handle and train, and breed them to stallions of like character. Our program and client feedback has proven its merit, choose one of our foals and we will provide you with a horse that can take you on trails, amature competitions, your childs pony rides, and will listen to all your tales of your days tribulations and never tell a secret. We’ll send you a friend.
We’re not trainers here at Jokar’s Hilltop Farm, we’ve hired, worked with and observed trainers, they work with our exhibition and competition horses and they are much more capabl
e than we are. We can condition a horse to be manageable, and we can teach a horse to rely on its person and set the foundation for trust, but we don’t train. If you’ve met my daughters you’ll understand the limitations on my training abilities. They’re still telling me what to do, ‘nuff said.
95% of our clients don’t ride upper level dressage, or advanced level combined driving, or five foot fences, and for those 5% that do and wish a horse capable of these regimens we advise they look for a trained older horse that will fill that need. It will be less expensive in the long run to do it that way. But for the other 95% of you, we can produce a wonderful equine companion for you, one you’ll feel safe with, one you’ll be comfortable to trail ride and then groom and hug, one that will never demand anything of you, and will always give anything you ask.
Well, that’s my sales pitch, now, how ‘bout a visit, even if you aren’t impressed with my diatribe, I’m sure you’ll be impressed with our foals.
