Sparlock

Sparlock is a 1987 American Bashkir Curly stallion. He is remarkable for his gentle disposition and his willingness to please. Sparlock is the foundation stallion for a dreamed therapeutic horsemanship program in the mountains of New Mexico. Cloudcroft is located above the 8,000 foot level in the Sacramento Mountains of South-central New Mexico.

The curly horse found on the Western plains seems well suited for the rigid discipline and gentle behavior necessary for the mount of a handicapped rider. The dream is to create a center for handicapped riders in these mountains, using curly horses as the basic mounts.

The curly horse is also well suited to young riders, providing a strong, stable mount with plenty of power, but not the sometimes intimidating size of the European warmbloods. The curly horse is a true American warmblood and Sparlock is registered with the American Warmblood Society, as well as the Pinto Horse Association of North American and the American Bashkir Curly Registry.

More information on the curly horse in general can be obtained from: American Bashkir Curly Registry, P.O. Box 246, Ely, Nevada 89301. Telephone: (702) 289-4999; FAX: (702) 289-8579

The surprise with Sparlock has been his amazing success in the sport of Dressage. Since the acquisition of Sparlock in February, 1995, he has been in serious training with Martha Diaz. Martha and Sparlock have qualified for the 1997 Regional Championships at Fourth Level, in Fourth Level Musical Freestyle and at Prix St. Georges, both in Region V and also in Region IX. In November, they came home with two Regional Championships and one Reserve Championship. Martha and Sparlock also had the highest scoring FEI ride of the Regional Championship. Sparlock suffered an injury in March 1998 and did not return to competition until the year 2000. In Santa Fe, Sparlock showed he has not lost any ability with scores of 66 and 67 in the FEI Intermediare I test and a 70 at Albuquerque. In his first Intermediate II test, Sparlock scored a 65. Sparlock suffered a case of laminities during the 2001 season. We did not discover the condition until after the regional championships. Sparlock and Martha were the Reserve Champions at Intermediare I in Region V, in spite of the condition. Sparlock was laid off completely for six weeks, has fully recovered, and competition is resuming for the 2002 season. This could be the year an American Curly horse competes at the Grand Prix level in dressage. We'll keep you posted.

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