From: pallas@cephalo.neusc.bcm.tmc.edu (Sarah Pallas)
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: Texas Twin Gate Trakehner Farm
Date: 12 Jan 1993 17:14:48 GMT
Organization: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston,Tx
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: cephalo.neusc.bcm.tmc.edu
Keywords: breeders, Trakehners

This is a follow-up of sorts to the person who wanted to buy a
Trakehner filly.  Also, some of you may remember my post in the summer
about my visit to False Bay Farm, a Lusitano/warmblood breeding farm
in Washington.  I called to make an appointment to see their breeding
stock, and was rudely told they were not interested in showing me
anything.  This generated a long discussion about snobby breeders.

Well, my experience with Texas Twin Gate was very different!!  I
called up the owner to say that my sister and I were interested in
Trakehners, and would like to come see what she had available, and to
learn a bit more about the breed.  We made an appointment and went up
there, and she was extremely gracious and took a long time to show us
around.  Unfortunately it was pouring rain, so we could only look at
the horses in their stalls, but she invited us back to see them worked
another day, and even to ride her champion dressage gelding!

She has two stallions, Hitchcock and Parsival.  Both are truly
impressive.  Hitchcock looks to have lots of Arabian or Andalusian
blood- his head is very finely sculpted with a huge forehead and huge
eyes (well, one eye- he lost one in an accident just recently).  He has
a very close coupled back.  But he is also very thick and solid with
lots of bone.  He's a dark bay.  Parsival is much younger, and is
a light bay, with a similar beautiful head but longer lines.  Both
were imported from Germany.

She had some young stock for sale.  I will describe them a bit for the
person who wanted to know how much she should expect to pay.

She has three foals for sale.  A yearling colt, Essau, should
mature 16.2, is a medium bay by Onassis out of Erle XII.  He was very
comfortable with her but a bit shy of us.  Konan, a 10 month old colt,
is unbelievably huge and should come out at least 17 hands.  He was a
real personality, very loving and interested.  He's also by Onassis
out of her mare Kupferschwalbe.  Maria is a yearling filly and was
really cute and again with a great temperament.  She's out of the
Consul mare Mahagic, and by Hitchcock.  She'll mature about 16 hands.
All three foals are $5500 each.

She has one two year old, Elijah, a bay gelding by Hitchcock out of
Erle XII.  He's 15.1 hands now, and is described as having floating
gaits and classic conformation. He's $8,000.

There are two performance horses for sale.  A blood bay mare, Abdayla,
by Inspekteur, out of Ariaba by Abdullah.  She is going quietly under
saddle and has just started over fences.  She's 16.1 hands, $9,000.  I
didn't see her because she was out on trial.

Mendelssohn II really made our trip worthwhile.  He was imported from
Germany as a breeding stallion, but had to be gelded for medical
reasons.  He's 10, 16.2 hands, and possibly the most beautiful horse
I've seen with his gorgeous head and arching neck.  He's won numerous
dressage championships, including an ATA reserve championship in 2nd
level dressage and 4th in the nation overall with the USDF.  He's now
schooling 4th level.  Like all her horses, he had a wonderful calm but
alert temperament and was very affectionate.  He's $28,000.

She also has two brood mares, Ariaba by Abdullah out of Ariana for 
$6,000 and Erle XII by Catarakt out of Elchniderung for $5,500.

Sorry this got so long but we were mightily impressed and thought you
might all like to hear about it!

-Sarah Pallas