SPORT BREEDING ISSUE

hen Allyn McCracken served as an auxiliary timer in the jumper ring at the 1987 Pan WAmerican Games qualifier hosted by her Indianapolis hunt club, Trader’s Point, she wasn’t expecting the epiphany that occurred as she clocked in its winner, Big Ben. But the flashy Belgian sparked her fascination with the breed and led to the establishment of her Bannockburn Farm LLC in Patricksburg, Ind. In 2013, that farm ranked third in the 2013 U.S. Equestrian Federation standings for jumper breeders. “I was just so impressed with this horse that I began to do research on the BWP,” said McCracken. She spent the Allyn McCracken has a knack for researching year following that encounter studying bloodlines on paper bloodlines before purchasing her first and an eye for develop- stud, Branco, who was standing in ing young Belgian for hunter, Michigan and became the first approved jumper, or by the North American District careers. of the Belgian Warmblood Breeding Association (BWP/NAD). Wary after her past endeavors breeding Thoroughbreds and Quarter , for which she’d found a meager market, the mother of two knew she’d finally found her niche when she bred Branco to one of her Thoroughbreds in 1993 and reaped her first profit with the sale of that foal as a 3-year-old. Bannockburn Farm “I initially started out breeding Thoroughbreds,” explained McCracken, Thrives In A Business whose goal was to produce American- bred horses. “But the track was so For The Brave disappointing to me; I couldn’t stand it. I just felt like the horses were used up breeding is not for the faint of too early, and they were never given a heart, according to Allyn McCracken, whose chance. So as a horse lover, I couldn’t handle that.” Belgian Warmbloods exemplify her steadfast McCracken originally catered to the intuition—and success—within the industry. amateur market, in part due to her own humble beginnings as a horse-crazy kid in Kentucky, where her family was one of the rare few in the neigh- BY TAYLOR JOYCE PHOTOS BY THE EQUINE MEDIA PROJECT borhood which didn’t foxhunt, race a Thoroughbred or show a Saddlebred. By age 10, she joined the masses when

34 The Chronicle of the Horse gifted the latter. Bannockburn Farm, which she built up really good stallion to a not-so-good “They [made for] a huge sport in our from about five to 50 horses. Although mare and get something that’s good,” area. I had him all his life; we didn’t put her husband frequently offered her she added. “It doesn’t work out that way. him down until he was 32,” she recalled. business advice, she spearheaded the So I bought some really good mares, and “I showed him all through high school, operation singlehandedly. that was kind of my start.” and he came to college with me.” “What makes a difference to people Similarly, McCracken took advantage After she graduated with an art who are doing research is finding of the power of observation at horse degree from Indiana University and exactly what a horse’s pedigree is, so shows; she’d study the day sheets posted married Fletcher McCracken, who you can see what connection between about competitors’ breeding at Spruce worked in the Air Force ROTC, their what mares are making the best Meadows (Alberta). At other venues two children, Kevin and Michael, horses,” she said. She devotes endless that didn’t post such information, she’d took rides on the old Saddlebred hours to studying European websites frequently approach riders at the gate to before he passed away. McCracken detailing horses’ pedigrees and perfor- inquire about a horse’s breeding. learned to jump in her 30s and got the mance records. family, which moved to the more rural “I spent almost a year doing that kind Trying Times Patricksburg, into foxhunting. of work, and then I decided to go to Despite building up an encyclopedic Although she also whipped in for Europe and buy some mares. I’m way knowledge of the breed and industry— the New Britain Hunt (Ind.), they were more involved with mares than I am and serving roles as treasurer, secretary mostly involved with Trader’s Point. with because, in my opinion, and president of the BWP/NAD— McCracken’s patience to thoroughly the mare is the basis of everything,” she McCracken also had to brace for the research the Belgian Warmblood said. disappointments all breeders face at one poised her for the successful launch “What happens a lot in the United point or another. of her 1,200-acre breeding facility, States is people think they’ll breed a “With breeding, you have to

Bannockburn Farm spans 1,200 acres in Patricksburg, Ind.

March 17 & 24, 2014 • chronofhorse.com 35 Allyn McCracken stresses the importance of turnout and her youngsters’ socialization in a herd.

always a must as mares approach their births, and routine training schedules that aim for the sale of a 4-year-old pros- pect developed from birth require man and machine power. A six-horse exercising machine, for instance, is of great use to prepare mares for a healthy delivery without turnout. “If they don’t get a lot of exercise, then they can have really bad deliveries,” said McCracken. “I’m essentially the barn manager, so I make sure that whoever is supposed to be coming in gets there, that the horses’ general health is taken care of and whatnot,” said Mendoza. “I also get to play nurse maid, so when it’s 4 in the morning and time to receive the foals, I make sure everyone is in good shape.” They make sure the mares are up and healthy and eating within a reasonable amount of time. “After that, we try to lead them in and out every day so [the foals] get used to handling and moving with a person, even if it’s just 10 feet from their stall to the paddock at first,” Mendoza said. “We start picking up their feet after a week or so, just trying to handle them as much as possible without being overbearing about it.” love it, or you would never do it,” she meant for.” said. “You can put an enormous amount The pastureland produces about into breeding, and the mare can lose the 10,000 bales of hay per year and baby, or you can have a bad birthing, or provides ample turnout for 50 to 60 a lot of different things could happen horses, four to seven of which are bred along the way.” each year. Last year, she had to euthanize a prom- “We don’t like to keep the babies ising foal by her stallion Simsalabim stalled for very long at all,” said (Nonstop—Patina, Feinschnitt I V D McCracken. “A breeder in Belgium once Richter) who had fractured its shoulder told us, ‘I’ve never seen a champion at a week old. “If you let it discourage raised in a box.’ ” you, then you’ll never do it again,” she said. “It’s kind of like having your Training Philosophy first baby; you think you’ll never have Robert Mendoza is the head trainer and another one. go-to sales person who oversees the “Even though you do all your work on daily, unpredictable going-ons at the trying to make the right breeding deci- breeding facility. sions—a lot of really looking at horses, Of the five employees, two specialize studying their bloodlines, studying their in equipment maintenance—tuning actual performance record—things still and operating the machinery required may not work out,” McCracken added. to put up such vast quantities of hay “The thing that I had to learn about was —and other tasks that revolve around what we were actually doing here, or, in breeding and training young prospects. other words, what our farm was actually Night watch and milk testing is

36 The Chronicle of the Horse SPORT ISSUE

The young horses are exposed to that is educated,” he continued. “Some The Human Touch ground work, long-lining and free people are shopping for babies, and Mendoza and McCracken emphasize jumping. “As they get older, we tend to those people we can appease quite that athletic bloodlines aren’t enough; do a lot more riding,” said Mendoza. “I easily with wonderful bloodlines. But instilling a good temperament in the typically try to jump them two or three the average U.S. buyer wants a horse he babies is equally important. times a week depending on what we’re can take to a horse show, and educating “What we end up getting are a lot doing. We tend to do a lot of gymnastic a horse in this country is exceedingly of really talented horses that, from my work.” expensive compared to what educating experience—and part of it has to do In addition to his managerial tasks, a horse in Europe is. So our margins with Simsalabim because we have a lot Mendoza travels to horse shows and are far better for 4-year-olds and of his babies—tend to be very smart and is a well-known face in the competi- under. Once you get above 4 years old, very trainable,” said Mendoza. tive world. This is a part it’s harder to compete with what the “That helps a lot when you have of his own training business, which European prices are.” such a talented horse, that it has started with young Irish Sport Horses in New Hampshire, and it’s also supportive of Bannockburn’s word-of-mouth Cake And Icing advertising style. Of their business strategy, Mendoza said, “We try to keep it manageable but llyn McCracken explained “When I was a kid our farm tend to sell a fair bit as young horses. what she looks for in a mare overlooked a race horse farm, and So we keep enough to stay around Aand stallion to produce the I would go back to see them. The that 4-ish range. Even though the U.S. right match: “I always want to free manager would tell me that to market has changed, we’re trying to jump to see potential,” she said. choose a stallion, it has to have pres- adjust our plan a little bit, and we’re “Every horse has a certain sense ence. When you look in the field you trying to breed horses for the more about the jumps, and I want to see should be able to tell the horse is a experienced jumper riders; we’re trying how they react,” she said. “Good stallion. There are too many stallions to shift our margins a little bit. conformation is a must: medium that get approved that don’t have “Your average buyer wants a horse length of back, with the hocks under presence. In a natural herd, the stal- them. Of course bloodlines are very lion that is the best and strongest is important; there are a couple of lines the one that gets to pass on his genes, Much of the foals’ groundwork begins in Bannockburn Farm’s indoor arena, where that always produce great horses. as it should be. they become familiar with the sights and Certainly a mare with a good mind is “When we attend the stallion sounds of a future show career. very important. I want to see a horse selection in Belgium, one of the main that carries itself well. comments we will hear as to why “The walk is indicative of what a stallion that jumped and moved they can do, shows potential and well but did not get approved will ability. There has to be swing in the be, ‘That one is not a true stallion.’ In loins, and I look really hard at the other words, no presence. canter. What they do up front is not “There are several top stal- nearly as important as what they lions here in the States, but I also do behind. You can train through purchase semen from Europe. gymnastics to help create a better I choose a stallion that has had front end, but you can’t train or very good, solid performance and create a horse that doesn’t naturally consistently good offspring. I’ll have a good hind end. try a younger stallion that doesn’t “Essentially, the mare is the cake, have as many offspring if he has a and the stallion is the icing. You have fantastic mare-line and is with a top to have the foundation before you rider—much like Emerald. I find can add in the stallion. that there are too many stallions “I try to pair up horses for a good standing here in the States that lack weight; they cannot be too heavy good bloodlines and performance. for sale purposes. When looking at Breeders need to realize this and bloodlines I like to put or understand that paying a higher Dutch with French to balance out the stud fee for a higher-quality stallion ‘heaviness.’ If my mare is a heavy is at times necessary to breeding mare I will breed her to a lighter stal- good offspring.” lion and vice versa.

March 17 & 24, 2014 • chronofhorse.com 37 SPORT HORSE BREEDING ISSUE

the mental acuity to actually manage Free-jumping develops the young horses’ comfort, all of that [talent],” he continued. “A natural shape and timing lot of very athletic horses have trouble at Bannockburn Farm. managing themselves because they’re like little kids; they don’t know quite how to keep themselves together. The Belgian Warmbloods, from my expe- rience so far, have been exceedingly trainable, which has made the ones I’ve had the pleasure to ride very competi- tive in the ring.” Lisa Goldman’s show jumping partner Centurion B, perhaps one of McCracken’s most successful horses (he’s earned about $250,000 in the grand prix jumper ring to date), exhibits the result of that human touch. “It’s all about bonding,” said McCracken, who praised Goldman and Centurion B’s 10-year partnership. “I’m very careful about their feelings, and they do have feelings; they have feelings about people, and we grow with

McCracken On Challenges Facing U.S. Breeders e need riders that really ride,” said Allyn McCracken. “Riders are so busy training and showing that they do not bond with their horses. I think parents are partly responsible for this by allowing their kids to just show up at the barn and ride, not being encouraged to learn to take care of their own horse. Learning the fundamentals at whatever point in life one begins to ride is critical. People need to take the time to learn the care, nutrition, farrier and conditioning of their own horses. “We don’t have enough people to properly start young horses,” she continued. “Young horse development training has been sadly overlooked by our riders.” Finally, “We don’t have enough good mares to breed,” she said. “And by good mares I mean good bloodlines and performance. People that own a mare that they love unfortunately breed them because they love the horse, Allyn McCracken and Robert Mendoza don’t predetermine the discipline a foal is best cut out regardless of their bloodlines.” for; its own aptitude, or inaptitude, becomes apparent when the standards are raised and is based on its desire to jump.

38 The Chronicle of the Horse Robert Mendoza (left) manages train- ing and sales at Bannockburn Farm; he and his wife, Kezia (right), have lived on site with their two daughters for the past three years.

our horses a whole lot because we know that they need to be able to relate to people almost more than they relate to other horses,” said McCracken. Similarly, every socialization effort is thought out. New horses are introduced to a herd by first being stabled for a few days with the leader of its pecking order. “Then the new horse has someone who’s pretty big in that herd to relate to, and he ends up being OK,” said McCracken. “If you just stick him in there by himself, he worries about it, and he’ll get picked on all the time. So almost all my theories and mission statements have to do with the horses’ feelings about different things,” she added. McCracken has produced four horses that have jumped into the open jumper division: Centurion B, Baccarat B, who is a full brother to Centurion B and whom Mendoza rode to the grand prix level; El Dorado B and Etienne B. In vitro fertilization using outside semen, usually purchased from Europe, is McCracken’s preferred method of breeding. Embryo transfer and standing one stallion have also contributed to successful foaling over the years.

March 17 & 24, 2014 • chronofhorse.com 39