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California Riding Magazine • May, 2009 Watchman Pura Raza Española
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Tiza JIM and Tahiti WAE. Watchman, a Pura Raza Española (P.R.E.) breeding business, was started by Terry Waechter several years ago in Modesto. Waechter takes a slightly different approach to the business by focusing 100 percent on mares. Waechter originally bred Warmbloods as dressage prospects for 10 years. She bought the mare she started with, Perquisite, as a 4-year-old and the mare is now 26 and living on Waechter’s property in comfortable retirement. Perquisite produced several nice babies that successfully competed in dressage; one by a young rider up to Intermediare. Her babies consistently won all-breed awards. Waechter became acquainted with P.R.E. horses by chance and recognized their beautiful nature. “Their disposition and trainability is just fantastic,” Waechter says with a grin. The horses are so well behaved that she can handle all 15 on her farm single-handedly. From new foals to 10-year-olds, she can load them, manage them and handle the babies. Their willingness to cooperate with people makes them more like dogs than horses in the way they respond.
Galea MHf Campeona Joven de la Raza. Early on Waechter determined that mares would be the focus of her breeding business. While the stallion is very important and highly visible, Waechter feels the mares are an equally important part of the equation. The genetic, physical, athletic and mental contribution of the mare is, of course, important. But equally important is how the mare responds to and cares for her foal as well as the environment in which the foal is raised. This can affect how the baby relates to people and its physical development. “My whole focus here is to have a group of superior mares that will dependably produce superior offspring,” says Waechter. They are raised in an optimum environment with careful attention to the details of equine management. Strict breeding standards make P.R.E.s relatively rare, especially in the States. As such, U.S. buyers need realistic expectations about the selection process. More prevalent breeds here are also more plentiful, Waechter explains, and thus buyers are often accustomed to choosing from ample supplies. That is not the case when looking for a P.R.E. “You have to adjust your expectations,” she says. “Buyers will see fewer horses and it’s more likely that they will have to develop their own horse.” Her advice to prospective P.R.E. owners is to “buy younger, look longer and develop the horse yourself. You’ll probably pay more up front, but the investment is worth it because these horses are quite unique.”
Devoto WAE. Building Popularity With their continued success in the dressage arena, the beautiful breed is generating ever-increasing interest. Waechter encourages people to contact a local breeder, visit the horses and get to know the P.R.E. Once Waechter meets a prospective P.R.E. owner she can be on the lookout for the right horse for them. Watchman is a boutique breeder that produces five to seven foals a year. Waechter sells primarily to other high-end breeders or to people who want to show. The colts are sold as stallion prospects or competitive mounts. The mares and fillies are sold primarily as show horses or breeding animals. The whole P.R.E. industry is interested in having more horses in the performance arena, where the breed is well-known for its trainability and athleticism. While in the U.S. P.R.E.s are predominantly seen in the dressage court, in Spain they do jumping, driving, dressage and doma vaquero, the style of riding developed for working cattle ranches. In both countries these showy horses are used for pleasure riding. Since the 1600s, when the Spanish Horse Studbook was established, the P.R.E. has been carefully bred with a consistent eye toward culling horses that don’t meet the breed standard. There is a lot of stability in the genetic pool, which ensures reliable type, ability and the highly-prized disposition for which the P.R.E.s are known. Waechter enjoys breeding horses that have this kind of genetic promise and so far she hasn’t been disappointed.
Doctora AK and Devoto WAE.
She is a Best Movement winner. In order to start her business Waechter bought young horses and raised them. She showed the fillies in hand and her primary mares have all been shown to national championships. Her goal in creating Watchman is to offer people a well-bred horse with a distinguished pedigree. The P.R.E. morphology classes focus on two competencies; conformation and movement. “The frosting on the cake is to have a horse that can win in both categories,” Waechter explains. “I have a few mares that have done just that.” Waechter wants people to recognize that her mares are as individual as stallions. If people like the mare, Watchman will breed that mare to a specific stallion to produce a baby that meets the client’s desires as closely as possible. “I’ll help people select stallions that best cross with the mare of their choice. Together we can create a baby that will closely match their expectations,” Waechter says. “Of course sex and color are always surprise elements. I sell babies based on quality but with current genetic testing and expert ultra-sounding, it is even possible to close the odds on a client’s desire in these areas too. In horse breeding, science is our friend.” For more information on Watchman, contact Terry Waechter at 209-549-1268 or via e-mail at terry@purespanishmares.com or visit the website at www.purespanishmares.com. |
