News and Events

2009 has been a year of excitement, disappointment, tragedy, and wonderful new beginnings.   It has been a roller coaster for sure.   As we come into the end of the year here are a few highlights, lowlights, and some fantastic news to move forward into the holidays with.

Show season was of mixed results this year.   There were some disappointing rides here and there and while Regionals did not go as well as we would have liked, the season as a whole still turned out pretty good.   Paradigm’s horses Aaron and Pia were both ranked nationally for their respective breed organizations.   Aaron was 4th place in 2^nd Level, Open Division for the American Trakehner Association and Pia was 3^rd place in Training Level, Open Division for the Swedish Warmblood Association of North America.   Other results from Paradigm include their young filly Rivera taking top honors at the Dressage in the Rockies Breed Show in Parker, CO.   She then had strong placings at the RMDS Breed Championships as well.   Paradigm’s mare Raven Review earned her Elite status with the American Hanoverian Society as well as claiming the Champion Mare title, besting several other mares from host facility Horses Unlimited, a premier large scale breeding operation.   There were many other highlights for Paradigm over the year, proving once again that quality, not quantity, is the key to success in any breeding program.   Keep your eyes on this farm as they continue on their path to become a nationally recognized producer of top-quality horses.  

Other highlights include Montesserat, the Swedish gelding from Wahoo Farms, bringing home scores in the 70’s once again this year.   Watch for him to keep progressing and working up the levels as he will likely continue to dominate the show ring.   Katherine Pettus claimed top honors with several horses at breed shows during the year. And Camelot Friesians posted good results with their young horse Mysti scoring in the high 60’s during her first season of showing.   She too should only continue climbing in her scores as her strength and balance continue to improve.  

Other awards include Sean (finally) turning in all of his scores to earn his Bronze Medal with USDF and then continuing on with Paradigm’s Oldenburg stallion Rosenkönig to also earn his Silver Medal.   Tragedy struck soon afterwards, however.

In September, complications resulting from kidney failure led to the loss of that wonderful stallion.   He will be remembered always for his kind nature, exceptional talent, and outstanding progeny.   He will certainly live on in our hearts and minds and through those offspring, who are already proving their worth.   In a strange twist of fate, out of this heartbreak came the new beginning.

On the day that König was put to rest, a day which could not have been much darker, a new light began to shine.   At the Friesian Keuring later that same day in Castle Rock, Colorado, Sean met Acacia Coast.   They kept in touch over the ensuing weeks and a developed a bond.   Through this bond they discovered that their paths, both personally and professionally, were very closely matched.   So it is with great pride that beginning in early December, STC Dressage announces the addition of Acacia to our ‘family.’

Acacia is the owner/operator of Elevation Friesians, based out of Elbert, Colorado.   Elevation has produced top-quality friesians over the last few years and captured several top honors at the Keuring this year.   Her operations will be moving down here to Los Lunas and will join forces with STC Dressage.   In addition to her knowledge and passion for horses and what it takes to run a successful breeding program, Acacia brings many other things to the table.   She has a degree in International Business from Fort Lewis College and has spent time studying abroad in Europe as part of that degree.   After working up the ranks for several years, Acacia has been the Custom Solutions Project Manager at the Center for Creative Leadership(CCL) for some time now.   CCL is one of the largest management training firms in the world, with campuses both here and abroad, and works with such clients as the Energizer Battery Corp. and NASA.   Acacia’s time with CCL has given her experience with international travel, event planning, sales and negotiation and information technology, among other things.  

Once the transition is made, Acacia will be helping with the day to day operations of STC Dressage, as well as continuing to improve our networking and marketing pipelines.   With the combination of STC Dressage and Elevation Friesians, there will be no better team in the state of New Mexico or the entire Southwest Region.   With an extensive network of contacts both throughout the United States as well as Europe, we can help with shopping for horses.   If we don’t have it here, we’ll help you find it and can arrange buying trips both domestically and abroad.   If you’re looking to advance your knowledge and abilities with riding, training and general horse management, we’re the place to be.   With a consistent string of top-placing horses, we can give you the experience and exposure of what it takes to be at the top.   When you’re ready to take your ride to the next level, give us a call!