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Unique Logo Created for Thoroughbred Stallion Sea Lion
Press Release, November 2015
Thoroughbred stallion Sea Lion now has his own logo, which reflects his name and his courage as an internationally successful event horse. Created by Freestyle Graphic Design, the logo depicts Sea Lion himself as he gallops splashing through the water obstacle on the cross country course of the Rolex 4* international event. Sea Lion’s reflection in the water changes into the image of a galloping lion.
Sea Lion’s owner and rider, Pam Fisher, was thrilled with the logo and what it represents for her stallion.
Logo Image credits. This logo is based on an image of Sea Lion at the Rolex 2012 4* taken by Equinus International photography. The lion image, titled Serengeti Lion Running, was taken by Schuyler Shepherd and was licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons. Logo concept: Anna Goebel. Logo realization: Anna Goebel and Katherine Johnson of Freestyle Graphic Design.
Thoroughbred Stallion Sea Lion is Making Waves!
Press Release, July 2015
Sea Lion, a thoroughbred stallion who has already proven himself at the Advanced levels of eventing, is now making waves in the world of breeding. In July 2015, Sea Lion (Sea Salute/Caveat) added to his list of registry accolades when he was approved by the American Hanoverian Society. The judges – who believe Sea Lion’s score may be the highest ever awarded to a thoroughbred – confirmed their opinion by inviting the dark bay stallion to stand at stud in Germany for a season. He is already approved and licensed by the Oldenburg Verband and the American Trakehner Association (2013).
Sea Lion was also the only stallion in North America to be included in Tom Reed’s short list of thoroughbred stallions that “should be considered for an eventing breeding program.” (Tom Reed of Morningside Stud and the Warmblood Studbook of Ireland, from his article, “A Critical Shortage of Blood,” published in Horse International, 2015 Volume 3, pp 56 – 57.)
Sea Lion started breeding after retiring from his competition career in eventing, so his oldest foal is now two. Says owner Pam Fisher, “I always told him that if he took me to the Rolex 4*, he could start breeding. In 2012 he did that, and he bred his first mare that summer.” The foal, Seacret Agent, qualified in his first Future Event Horse competition in 2015 to go the national finals. His foals of 2015 are bred for eventing, and are registered Oldenburg, Hanoverian, and Irish Draught.
Sea Lion had a respectable racing career as a two-year-old under his Jockey Club name, Sea Elephant. He won his first race at Belmont Park, and placed in the top three in seven of twelve starts. Under owner Pam Fisher he competed successfully at international levels in eventing. He competed in twenty-one international competitions, including fifteen at the 3* level, and was Regional Advanced Champion and USEF/PHR National Advanced Champion. He retired from eventing sound in 2013 and has demonstrated his versatility with jumpers, hunters, trail riding, and fox hunting.
After their long and successful career together, Sea Lion and Pam have a special bond. “Every day is a blessing with this horse. He is a sweetheart; he can breed a mare on one day and compete the next and win.”
Is There a Critical Shortage of
Thoroughbred Blood in Eventing?
Is there a critical shortage of Thoroughbred blood in eventing? Tom Reed, of the Warmblood Studbook of Ireland and Morningside Stud in Co Clare, Ireland, tackled that topic in the most recent issue of Horse International. He kindly passed the article along to us, and it’s very much worth the read.
When it comes to the hot topic of safety in eventing, Tom suggests the influx of “faux blood” horses in eventing may have contributed to this latest safety crisis, as horses that lack the stamina to go cross country at the upper levels can tire more easily than their counterparts with a higher percentage of blood, and “tired horses sometimes become dangerous horses.”
In looking at the breeding of the top 50 eventing stallions in the 2014 World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses rankings, Tom found that the prevalence of full Thoroughbred or half-bred stallions has dropped from 84 to 32 percent since 1991, while warmbloods and other breeds have quadrupled from 16 percent to 68 percent over the same time period.
Only 23 of the top 100 eventing sires from last year’s WBFSH rankings are full Thoroughbred. Most of these sires are no longer living, with no frozen semen available for breeding.
“Looking further down in the ranking of eventing sires, I see no Thoroughbred stallion that might have in the future a profound influence on eventing breeding,” Tom said. He calls the lack of using Thoroughbreds in sport horse breeding, and particularly event horse breeding, a “tragedy of the commons.”
“To prevent eventing from becoming even at top levels a sport for failed show jumping and dressage horses, and to prevent further ‘dumbing down’ of the sport by transforming the cross-country phase into a showjumping exercise on rolling hills and plains, the rules of eventing must change so that success at medium to upper levels requires the use of true blood horses,” Tom said.
There’s much more to sink your teeth into in this meaty piece, including a list of Thoroughbred stallions currently standing around the world that Tom believes should be used in eventing breeding programs. Pam Fisher’s Sea Lion is one of the few stallions that makes the cut, and the only one standing in North America.
Click here to read the whole article, and be sure to weigh in with your own thoughts in the comments below.
[A Critical Shortage of Blood]