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White Horse Vale has been breeding purebred and part bred Lipizzan horses
since 1984 making it one of the oldest Lipizzan breeding programs in North
America.
Each spring sees the production of between nine
and twelve purebred foals by White Horse Vale stallions, as well as stallions
from other breeding programs. The goal is to produce baroque Lipizzan
horses from classical bloodlines. Horses from all six classical lines:
Maestoso, Neapolitano, Favory, Conversano, Siglavy and Pluto are represented
in the breeding herd.
Located on the Eastern slopes of the Cascade Range in Washington State,
WHV's 117 home acreage plus additional summer pastures make it possible
for the mares, foals and young horses to experience life in the herd. In the
tradition of the great European Lipizzan studs of Piber, Austria and Lipica,
Slovenia, WHV believes that young horses develop the best when they are
allowed to develop their bodies and intellect in a healthy natural setting. Foals are handled regularly and learn to trust in their human caretakers.
As the Lipizzan is slow to mature, formal training is not begun until the
horse reaches the fall of his three year old year or sometimes later. Since
the Lipizzan is also long lived, the horse has many years to reach his
potential and give pleasure to his rider or driver.
The Lipizzan horse is extremely rare with only about 3,500 to 5,000 true
purebreds in existence worldwide. This rarity makes it necessary for the
serious breeder to take great care in selecting suitable stallions for each
brood mare. Not only must the best conformation and movement be considered,
but inbreeding must be avoided in order to keep the horses free from genetic
defects. In order to avoid inbreeding, no matings take place between horses
that have a common ancestor in the first three and preferably four
generations. For these reasons, WHV works with other breeders to trade or
purchase breedings of outside stallions. At the onset of the WHV breeding program, owners Leonard and June Boardman
recognized the necessity to
find a knowledgeable mentor to guide them. With
so few Lipizzans in the United States, there were even fewer, if any,
experts available. At about the same time that WHV was founded, a new
director was selected to head the breeding program at the Austrian Federal
Stud Farm at Piber and, eventually, the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.
Dr.Jaromir Oulehla was willing and interested in sharing his expertise with
interested Lipizzan breeders in other countries. Several other breeders in
the U.S. who had also seen the need for an outside expert, joined together
to invite Dr. Oulehla to judge Lipizzan shows and, then, to eventually evaluate
breeding stock. WHV has hosted five breeding stock evaluations since 1995. |
 WHV believes that the beauty, strength, and talent of the Lipizzan can only
be retained and strengthened if breeders can make intelligent breeding
decision. Driven by that belief, WHV has also hosted four two-day Lipizzan
Breeders and Judges Seminars which are linked with the evaluations.
Lipizzan enthusiasts from as far away as Germany, France, and Slovenia have
participated, along with breeders from across the U.S. and Canada.
 June Boardman and her late husband, Leonard Boardman, have both been school teachers in
the local Goldendale School District. Throughout their 20
years of experience with Lipizzans, they have been active in regional and
national Lipizzan organizations, and most recently in the foundation of the
Lipizzan Federation of America, an umbrella organization which will
represent U.S. Lipizzan interests here and abroad. They have visited most
of the government stud farms of Europe, attended three international
Lipizzan meetings, and visited many private breeding farms in North America
and in many other countries. Due to their dedication to children and to the
Lipizzan breed, Leonard and June have hosted several working exchange
students including students from Hungary, France, Germany, and Slovenia.
It is their strong belief that the future of the Lipizzan is held in the
hands of our young riders.
Early in their experience with Lipizzans, the Boardmans discovered that,
although these wonderful horses had great name recognition, most riders
never considered the possibility of actually owning one. Even
knowledgeable dressage riders thought the Lipizzan was too rare or too
expensive for the average competitor. With the popularity of the larger
European warmbloods, a few riders also believed that Lipizzans could not be
successful in dressage competition. Of course, there is nothing further
from the truth, but someone needed to prove that to the American rider.
By now many WHV Lipizzans have entered boldly at "A" ridden by professionals,
amateurs, and youth. In the fall of 2003 Maestoso II Gaetana, owned by
Gayla Edwards won the Oregon Dressage Championships for Intermediare I.
Other horses who have reached international levels are Conversano II
Pirouette, Maestoso II Athena II, and Maestoso II Catrina. Several young
horses are on their way up the dressage ladder with wins at the lower
levels. WHV Lipizzans have won numerous USDF All Breeds Awards over the
years but, according to June who trains and shows her own horses, the real
success of the Lipizzan is that the average amateur lady competitor can ride
one, be safe, have fun and win. (June received her USDF Bronze Medal in
2002 with all her rides on Lipizzans.)
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