Will's Gazette

Because both new owners required instruction about Saddlebreds, and riding in the Saddle Seat style, the horses came directly to my stables to become acclimatised. After a settling in period, instruction commenced, and within a short time, The Dancing Vixen was taken to her home in Kent. As Jane is local, Will’s Gazette is boarded here in Sussex next to Rare Visions.

Both these horses and their riders now join Rare Visions to create the only display team of Saddlebreds in Europe.

Mr Neal and his family were so impressed with their first Saddlebred that they have since purchased two more from training barns in Kansas City: Wildest Heart and Our April Memory.

Wildest Heart is the mount of Robin Neal’s elder daughter, Emily, aged 13 years; and April is the mount of his younger daughter, Holly, aged 11.

Wildest Heart

Says Robin Neal: "They are a truly wonderful breed, beyond comparison; and our recent holiday in Kansas has shown us that the background information, help, and encouragement given us by Cheryl and the ASAoGB was absolutely correct and based on the unique American ways and style. This started as a personal pleasure for me, but now I am totally involved in Cheryl’s vision of making a place for this wonderful breed in the UK. And it is so marvellous to see my daughters enjoying the displays and competitions with such fine elegant horses."

Latest arrival: Our April Memory, ridden here by breeder and trainer Jim Downing of Missouri, just prior to going into quarantine.

And a comment from Jane Green: "My boy, Will’s Gazette, has more than fulfilled my dreams, he has surpassed them. Learning to ride was more difficult than I imagined but the thrill of the rack has made the work worthwhile wonderful! And it is terrific to be able to make a contribution towards returning this breed to the land of its origins and ancestors. Britain lost a lot when the Old English Ambler was allowed to become extinct at least it survives in part in the American Saddlebred."

The Neal sisters, Emily and Holly agree: "The Saddlebred is an amazing horse. We love ours to bits and are thrilled to be part of something so special and different." These horses are primarily used for promotional activities if you see the team at a show or event, please come and meet them. Maybe a Saddlebred can be your ‘dream come true’ as well.

More news about these horses and their activities and displays in the UK will regularly be available through 'The Joy of Horses'. We are also planning an article regarding the training of American Saddlebreds.