Here at West View Horsemanship, we are blessed to have not one, but two phenomenally bred Mountain Pleasure Horses, Goldfinger's Honey Joe and her daughter Raven Remembrance.
Raven is the last daughter born to the top stallion Maple's Squirrel (aka Squirrel). At the time of her breeding, Squirrel was so old and decrepit that he needed human assistance to get the job done. While Stable Boy thinks that is awesome (as in "What a way to go!"); Honey Joe's trainer and owner were both a bit horrified by this and were unwilling to subject Squirrel to a second round of breeding. They felt that it was unlikely that conception had taken place under the circumstances, so they selected an alternate stud.
When Honey Joe was confirmed pregnant, it was assumed that the second stud had done the deed, but DNA testing after Raven's birth revealed Maple's Squirrel as her true sire. It was a wonderful surprise! With Maple's Squirrel, Tobe, and Goldfinger all on her pedigree, Raven Remembrance definitely has royal bloodlines.
WVH is striving to preserve these top-notch bloodlines by breeding Raven to the MPHA stallion Ghost Ryder for a 2016 foal. The veterinarian will perform a pregnancy test in less than two weeks. Keep your fingers crossed! We are super excited!