Experience the ENDURANCE of Foundation Breeding
NPF Horses
The future of any breed lies in the hands of the breeder.
Distance riding is a sport dominated by Arabians for a reason. The Arabian horse has thousands of years of breeding to survive in an environment of sparse grazing and miles between water stops. The breed was developed to work miles and miles of sandy hot terrain, carrying heavy loads either in the form of a warrior or moving the ever migrating families from location to location. Not all Arabians are suited for this sport as recent breeding practices have developed phenotypes within the genotype that are suited to other disciplines.
All breeds contain multiple phenotypes. Breeders are always searching to breed that perfect horse to compete in their discipline of choice. A Reining-Horse breeder will choose horses for their program that are vastly different from a Halter-Horse breeder. Even though the two breeders are registering their horses in the same geneotype (example, American Quarter Horse Association) the horse in each program looks and moves totally different from each other.
A distance horse is an individual that has the right conformation (long straight legs, short back, a neck set high on the wither, good tough round feet), the right muscle structure (slow twitch, lean and stringy muscle type), the right temperament (smart and bold with a touch of humor), and the right attitude (never die!).
These individuals can be found in all the breeds, from the POA (Pony of the Americas) up to the draft-cross. New Promise Farms has always been a breeder of athletic horses which excel in multiple disciplines as versatility horses. In 2000, NPF began gearing their breeding program towards the distance horse phenotype developing a broodmare herd of mares that compete and succeed in the distance sport and standing stallions that have been competed, or are currently competing, in the distance sport.
The beauty of our breeding program is that we are still producing a horse that is versatile, agile and intelligent that can work distance, or go into a family as an all around athlete. We have many foals that have grown into versatile horses performing on the trail, in the ring and bringing their new owners hours of joy with family members. This is our goal and we've been very successful.
Our adult horses that are for sale have been competed and evaluated for their suitability for the sport. Obviously, we can't guarantee that you'll be a Top Ten contender! Only YOU can bring your horse to that goal with consistent hard work, training, conditioning and partnership. We do, however, guarantee that the horse you choose has performed well in the past and is sound, healthy and sane.
Our foals are evaluated during their first 6 months for suitability. This takes into consideration many facets of the foals personality, temperament, movement while at play, over all conformation and raw talent. The parents of the foals are proven on the distance trail which (genetically) means that the foal should be able to perform as well or better than the parents. Again, only YOU can bring out a foal's full potential through diligent raising practices until it reaches the age it can begin training and conditioning. We give you the edge by providing a foal bred specifically for the sport.
We have chosen our distance horses from two breeds...the Appaloosa and the Tennessee Walker. A breeder always chooses that horse which is nearest and dearest to their heart, and both these breeds are American History alive in modern times.
The tough and hardy Appaloosa was developed by the Native Americans in a wilderness where only the strongest survived. The old foundation-bred Appaloosa bloodlines contain some of the hardiest, toughest, wiliest horses you will ever meet and at NPF, we have gathered together some of the best of those bloodlines to produce a horse that can't be killed on trail. We don't work with modern bloodlines, mostly due to the infusion of heavier muscle structure (fast twitch) into the breed to produce large halter-type and pleasure-type horses within the breed. The best running horses come from the older bloodlines that contain a heavier influence of Appaloosa, and even Arabian breeding. At NPF, we have developed hardy tough Appaloosas through the influence of Prince Plaudit bloodlines, known for his versatility and Red Eagle bloodlines, known for his die hard work ethic.
The elegant and leggy Tennessee Walker, with its smooth mile eating gait, was developed in the south to work mile after mile overseeing the daily routines of running a huge plantation. Only the best gaited and long-winded horses were bred to maintain a horse that could work from dawn to dusk without tiring. The stamina of the Tennessee Walker is amazing. The older bloodlines within the breed contain many horses that were well known for their versatility and athletic ability. These horses could go from the show ring, to the field, to pulling buggy to church. Most these horses were also used by the children of the family which speaks loudly for their overall temperament. At NPF we have developed naturally gaited walkers through an old bloodline, Merry Go Boy (a VERY versatile and die-hard stallion) and have found these horses to be absolutely the best running horses we have sat on. We don't work with modern bloodlines, mostly due to the fact that these horses are bred to strut their stuff in the show ring (a beautiful gait but not practical on the trail).
All our horses perform without enhancements, special training, or drugs. Simple conditioning and hours in the saddle have produced our distance horses. We invite you to come and visit our facility!
Instructor/Manager: Dodie Sable
Located in New Smithville PA at 37 Fenstermacher Road, 3 miles north of Kutztown University
Call us at 610.756.3836 or email us at dodie@newpromisefarms.com