The Fredell Bloodline.
Our plans when *Slash became available, were immediately clear. Like "*Teddy,"
a second genetic giant... Preserve the awesome genes this boy obviously
possesses. Not often in the Curly world do you see this degree of quality.
*Slash is a smooth mixture of the old stock horse style with the classic
beauty of the highest quality Damele horses. Sue Weaver, his previous owner,
graciously allowed Old West Curly Horses the honor of adding *Slash to our
Preservation Project. Sue is an experienced equine judge, (Indiana Saddle
Horse Association listed judge), and she does know correct conformation &
quality. While in Sue's capable hands, Slash proved to cross beautifully
on athletic mares of Arabian and sporthorse bloodlines. The foals that *Slash
produced have proven his ability to reproduce his beauty. Being very western
in type and appearance, and being one of the last horses to carry the Fredell
bloodline, we knew he would add a rare dimension to our Preservation Project.
As a sire to the public, his mild Damele influence can lend smooth quality
to either the more classic or sport horse types, or his Fredell influence
will certainly enhance the quality old style Western types. We plan to collect
semen on *Rush River Slash in the future, and have frozen semen available
for discrminating Curly Horse breeders who want the very best for their
mares.
"The Fredell bloodline,"
From The Curly Horse in America; Myth and Mystery
(C.S. Fund; 1989) pp 43-44...
"A husband and wife team that bred Curly horses in Colorado ... [were] ...
Francis and Dora Fredell of Boulder, Colorado. The Fredells were active horse
breeders until ill health forced them to stop, and they sold the last eight
curly horses to Gloria and Russ Bratcher in Oregon around 1983. Mr. Fredell's
history with curly horses goes back to his first curly mare presented to
him as a gift from his father. At the time, Mr. Fredell's father bred horses
with curly hair and kept up the line until Mr. Fredell was old enough to
start up his own operation.
"When Mrs. Fredell joined the partnership, Mr. Fredell was already producing
a number of curly horses from his stock horses each year. The curly horses
were not his only goal, so there were straight haired horses on his place
as well. The curly horses at the time were typical stock horses from the
old Spanish feral stock--small, quick, rugged and straight faced, and often
rather rafter hipped.
"Mrs. Fredell's influence turned the breeding program more specifically toward
American Quarter Horses. By the time the Fredells sold their last stock,
their curly horses were 75 to 90% Quarter Horse according to Mrs. Fredell's
calculations. The horses were most often sold at the Ft. Collins Auction
and always with their pedigrees intact, so the new owner could register the
horse in the American Quarter Horse Association. Mr. and Mrs. Fredell always
liked the curly hair on their horses and thought the prohibition against
such a characteristic for Quarter Horses was foolish. They did not, however,
believe the curly horses were ever anything but descendants of the Spanish
horses left to run wild over the last 400 years, so they chose not to register
them with the American Bashkir Curly Registry.
"Mrs. Fredell described their breeding goal as producing horses with good
deep chests and long pasterns to improve the horses' stamina and action.
The round rump and Quarter Horse head were other typical features, although
they occasionally got one with rafter hips or a slightly dished face. They
never bred for size, sticking to the original Quarter Horse standards of
14 to 15 hands. They did breed for speed both on dam and sire sides. The
very fast little mare of barrel racing fame also introduced the chestnut
pinto coloring among their horses. The other horses were of all colors with
reds, sorrels, black, and palomino being common.
"A big issue in their breeding program was the horse's attitude toward humans.
Mrs. Fredell was most fond of the calm and intelligence of the horses from
the Quarter Horse lines of McCue and Oklahoma Star. She didn't feel that
the curly horses were any better in their temperament than the straight haired
horses, but then, the Fredells were aiming for all of their horses to have
good dispositions. Some of the curly colts, she remembers, were difficult
to handle because they became a one person horse too soon.
"The original black mare showed a thick double mane and this showed up often
among their horses. Mrs. Fredell said the sparse mane and tail often cited
by other curly horse owners did show up but not more than half a dozen times.
"Both Mr. and Mrs. Fredell have fond memories of their horses, curly and
straight, and were pleased to hear that there were still so many curly haired
horses in existence."
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