Falabella Breeders & Owners Society

Falabella Breeders Newsletter   April 2002 Issue

Falabellas in FRANCE
by Mareen Tyzack, KAZMIRA FALABELLAS

Kazmira Falabellas was founded by accident in England in 1988 with a nucleus of four pure bred Falabella horses. Originally I was put in touch with Rachel & Joe in Essex, keepers of a small herd of Falabellas with the intention of trying to buy one, but at the time nothing was available for sale. 

However, a couple of months after the first inquiry, Rachel telephoned me to say that she and Joe were separating and all of the stock were for sale and gave me first option to buy.

Several Falabellas were chosen along with some miniature Shetland ponies but over a couple of months some were re sold.  The ones that remained formed the nucleus of the stud to be and are still with me today are Tommy FMHA #230, Christo FMHA #217, and Tabatha FMHA #149. All were originally bred by J.M. PINKERTON & SONS in Essex and were all descended by original stock imported to England by Ian Pinkerton.

Advertisements in various horse magazines followed to announce their arrival and soon telephone calls were received from various interested people.  Some were of pure interest of the breed, some were for studs to Shetland mares and a lot were for publicity events. The summer in 1989 was taken up with various charity events, fetes and the opening of a golf club!

About this time a phone call was received from a lady who had previously contacted me to say she had bought a  Falabella stallion from Pinkertons, which she had gelded and kept as a pet with much fun.  This time she telephoned to say she had purchased a young mare two weeks earlier, but she could not control her and was virtually begging me to buy her.  She was not refused and this was when Twilight FMHA #237 joined the small band of Falabellas.  
 Chelsea & Chelsea Bun

The four foundation horses are very closely bred, but over the coming years it was possible to successfully breed on with them to form the second generation, Kazmira Brown Sauce FMHA #623, Kazmira Periwinkle FMHA# 622, Kazmira Midnight Lace FMHA# 618 and Kazmira Cafe au Lait FMHA#620.

In  1996 an old Falabella stallion Frederick FMHA #240 was offered for sale and duly purchased.            
He was only used on one pure Falabella mare owned by Mrs Yolande Surcouf in Essex and a stunning red & white colt was born in 1997 and named Comet Bopp.

It was in this year that the move to France was planned and would happen in December but before the upheaval of this large exodus three more Pure Falabellas were to join the growing herd.   All were purchased from Tikki Adorian’s Toyhorse Stud, Toyhorse Mexican Highlight FMHA# 624 (bred by Mrs. Valerie Underwood), Prince Faustus FMHA# 619 (bred by Tikki Adorian), and Chelsea FMHA# 617 (bred by Cath Tudor)   

The move to France was completed over the six months from December 1997 to July 1998 and was not just the Falabellas – there were 12 Arabian horses and 10 Scottish Terrier dogs that had to make the big move along with all the household things!  Eventually it was complete and all the horses could get used to their new paddocks, stables and wonderful French grass (a luxury after England).  A bonus was to be had in the late summer with an endless supply of apples from the 30 apple trees on the property.

The breeding of the Falabellas had never been undertaken seriously and only the odd one or two were ever bred just really to keep the lines going or for the novelty value of the foals.  Now it seemed the mares only had to look at a stallion and they were in foal! Twilight produced a tricolour colt in 1998 to Christo and a red & white colt in 2000 to Frederick. Tabatha produced a long awaited red & white filly in 1999 to Frederick.  In 2000 both Chelsea and Kazmira Café au Lait produced virtually identical red & white fillies by Frederick and Kazmira Midnight Lace (black) produced the tiniest of foals by Frederick, a black filly.   In 2001 Chelsea produced another red & white filly to Frederick.

Frederick is now 23 years old and suffered a mild stroke last December and is on permanent medication so the decision has been taken to retire him.  Part of his medication also has to be steroids, which will render him infertile so he is able to live with his favourite mare Tabatha who is also retired at 22 years old.   Fredericks genes are now safe with several daughters to continue the line and there is the filly from Tabatha who will hopefully continue her lines.  This year we wait for two foals by Prince Faustus and in 2003 we will start the breeding programme with the younger generation of mares.

Stock is of a level here now that we can offer a few Falabellas for sale.  Contact is always welcome from other Falabella keepers and breeders and pedigrees swapped so that we all know the ancestry behind the Falabella.

You can visit us on   www.geocities.com/kazmira_falabellas  
Or contact me by e-mail    maureen.tyzack@wanadoo.fr
Telephone France    0033 233 68.39.29

See photo of Chelsea FMHA #617 and her filly above.