Click here for a larger view of Rio.

Bay Arabian stallion with a white blaze connecting to his chin, left front and right and left rear stockings, right front sock, white underneath from chest to belly, and is fully sabino roaned. He has a dashing black and silver mane and tail, is definitely a sabino, and has plenty of white to be double registered as a pinto. We plan to test Rio for the silver gene.

Rio is our James Bond of stallions. He never puts a foot wrong, and manages to look suave, yet beneath that handsome tuxedo coat of his, is the body of an athlete. He literally begs to be shown in-hand, and will stop with a perfect open stance as if he’s been showing in sport horse competitions his entire life. In a couple of years we predict he will be making a name for himself in dressage and perhaps formal combination like his grandsire.

Rio in his first week of training

His trot is elastic and ground-covering, and he has a motor you wouldn’t believe. He drives like a warmblood and naturally collects his elegantly arched neck. He has a lovely topline and creates a rounded frame when he moves. Rio uses his ears like the best Saddlebred, yet he is debonair and wise--not at all flighty. This is a thinking, personable stallion.

Click here for a larger view of Rio.

Oh, and let’s not forget the color! Rio carries two, possibly five color genes--sabino pinto, rabicano (roan). He may also carry the splash and/or the silver gene. The silver gene is the one that creates cream or multi-color manes and tails on bay horses, as well as paler leg stockings. If you do not care for blue eyes, please note that while Rio’s eyes are dark and doe-like, both of his parents have at least one blue eye. If your mare carries the recessive gene for blue eyes, he could possibly produce a blue-eyed foal.

Wynter Sann, Rio's sire
(Courtesy ApacheBlu Ranch - Photography by Shannon McKnight)

Rio’s sire, Wynter Sann or "Sunny," is a handsome chestnut roan moderate sabino horse of great character. With stockings past his knees and hocks, and white under the jaw and to the throat, and pinto markings on the neck and belly, he’s one flashy horse. He’s 100% CMK, offering motion, kindness, and halter-horse elegance with correct movement.

Sunny’s pedigree is laden with winner after winner in performance and halter. His sire, Merlann, was US National Top Ten in Informal Combination, and the Region I champion. Merlann is out of Galan++, a US and Canadian Top Ten stallion, and US and Canadian 3-gaited champion at age 4! Like his son, Abu Farwa won championships in both halter and 3-gaited. Merlann’s grandsire on his dam’s side was an English Pleasure Champion, who also won blues in Western Pleasure.

Sunny’s dam’s is sired by Abu Malacar, a successful race horse and endurance sire, who in turn was out of Muhuli, the Oregon State Park Horse Champion. Muhuli also goes back to Abu Farwa. On Spring Wynd’s dam’s side, the winners just continue. Her dam’s sire, Wynterfyre, was a Champion in English Pleasure, Park, Native Costume and Halter. Muhuli appears again, and it is rounded out by Rabiycar, a National Top Ten Park Horse.

Dazzling Nobility, Rio's dam


(Courtesy ApacheBlu Ranch - Photography by Shannon McKnight)

Rio’s dam is a rare and exotic splash sabino with two blue eyes--definitely an Arabian of a different color. A Huckleberry Bey++ granddaughter by Windfall V, out of an Elimar daughter, she has TROT to go with her dazzle! With Bask++ twice, Bay El Bey++ and Celebes, how could you expect anything but excellent movement, substance, and a dash of snort-and-blow?

Rio has a promising future in performance. With a pedigree that screams ‘English!’ we may just have to step out of the sport horse arena and dabble in some of those ‘regular’ classes. He is backed up by the genetic strength of generations of National and Regional winners in his pedigree.

In the Summer of 2010, Rio started his basics with Heather Smith of Lost Creek Ranch Horse Training and is now in training with Tim Wigren of Command Performance Training, both in driving and under saddle. We're looking for forward to Spring 2011 shows with him.

Sold to the A. Family, Oregon! Congratulations!

Rio’s Piratical offspring:
Bella, a half-Arabian minimal sabino bay filly with faint rabicano markings born March 16th, 2009 out of Feather. She may carry the silver bay gene.







Purebred chestnut sabino filly born March 26th, 2009 out of Indie. Deceased due to complications from a red bag delivery.


April 24, 2010, Faye delivered a beautiful chestnut tobiano half-Arabian foal by Rio. Take at look at lovely Ivy.