ANZA PADRON — the quintessential Arabian performance horse Anza photograph chosen by AHA for traveling promotional booth When the Arabian Horse Association started up their promotional booth program, on loan to anyone free of charge in the industry, they contacted Margo Marbut and said they were designing a screen that could be used as a backdrop for the booth. They were putting only three photographs of Arabians on that screen — each of the three to represent one outstanding aspect of of the Arabian horse. They chose a photograph of Jim Stachowski riding Anza Padron to represent the outstanding performance aspect of the Arabian horse.

Few stallions are able to make their mark in history — and fewer still have the opportunity to make a real difference, to take the breed a step farther in its development. That is because being a “turning point” horse is about more than just an individual’s excellence; it is a matter of being in the right place, at the right time.
For the past quarter of a century, the English pleasure division has seen its action elevated with the bloodlines of *Bask and Huckleberry Bey. Now, for the next generation of beautiful horses with motion to spare, where do serious breeders go? What is the complement that will continue such consistent success?
The answer: the son of a legendary halter stallion and a mare with trotting credentials to equal the legacy of *Bask and Huck. A horse that circumstance and serendipity kept out of the breeding ranks for most of his life.

The Perfect Outcross Pedigree
A scan of Anza Padron’s pedigree reveals the traits all breeders look for — consistent, proven beauty and athletic ability. What sets him apart in this era is the fact that his bloodlines contain no *Bask or Huckleberry Bey. *Bask’s progeny dominated the English divisions in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and then combined with the descendants of Huckleberry Bey to assume that crown in today’s show ring. The next step, savvy breeders agree, will be a horse with a different but strong performance influence, as well as a re-emphasis on Arabian type.
Argyle Arabians’ Anza Padron offers those qualities on both sides of his family tree. And while it would be easy to assume that the “pretty” comes from *Padron and the “performance” from Anza Ramona, the truth is that both sire and dam provided both attributes.
“*Padron was fun and easy to ride, easy to train, and he had tons of motion,” recalls Bob Battaglia, who schooled the stallion after his U.S. National Championship in Stallion Halter. “I believe that if he had been trained for performance before halter, even in today’s competition he would have been a champion English pleasure horse. He had incredible motion off both ends.”
Anza Padron’s dam, Anza Ramona, qualifies in both categories as well. Don DeLongprè, who owned the mare’s sire, *Eter, remembers her fundamental excellence. “I have pictures of her as a yearling, and she was about as perfect a filly as you can imagine,” he says. “She was real level over her top, and she had an extremely long neck — and I mean long like you never saw; it was a pencil throat”
With her pedigree, it was axiomatic that she trotted. These days, the presence of *Eter in an English pleasure pedigree is a sign of performance ability; DeLongprè cites Ramona’s tail female line as well. “Not only was she by *Eter, but she went back to Bataan and some good-moving Kellogg horses,” he points out
He recalls that around 1990 or 1991, when he purchased Ramona for Maroon Fire Arabians, he also saw Anza Padron, who had just started in training. “That horse had a lot of ‘go,’” he says. “They turned him loose, and he was naturally gifted. He was set high in his shoulder, he moved off all four corners and he liked going forward. But I never had an *Eter horse who didn’t want to go — a lot.”
Bill Rodgers, who in a lifetime with Arabians has researched the use of the pedigree in breeding horses, reflected on Anza Padron’s unique attributes. “I’ve found that in a lot of cases, the dam’s tail female line produces the motion in an individual, while the tail female of the sire increases the odds of getting the ‘look,’” he says. “*Padron is about the most beautiful thing you’ve ever laid eyes on; ideally, if you cross that horse with one with extreme motion, you get something like what happened in Anza Padron. If you then use a tail female line with a lot of athletic ability to cross on Anza Padron, you should get the motion, but maintain the prettiness. That’s ultimately what everybody would like to do — have a beautiful, beautiful horse that can trot.”

Beauty And Ability
“A beautiful horse that can trot” is just another way of saying ‘Anza Padron.’
“It’s extremely unusual in an English performance class to see an Arabian horse with so much quality and type, who looks like an Arabian horse, and can be so athletic on all four legs,” comments Duane Esser, one of the judges who named Anza Padron 2004 U.S. National Champion. “He has so much elevation and strength from behind, with a lot of expression and an absolutely free shoulder. It’s highly unusual to see that, and obviously, that’s what we’re all breeding for. This horse has all of these qualities”
“He sits down on his hocks and gets great impulsion from them,” agrees Jim Stachowski, who trained Anza Padron to his championships. “You don’t see that too often in the ring these days. That’s one of the best things about him — that’s what makes him such a great show horse. It all pushes from behind. He’s very flexible, very willing. When you have that all happening, it makes it much easier to ride the horse.”
And that now-famous rear end is not all hocks. “He has an absolutely incredible tail carriage,” Shawn Stachowski notes. “If you want a better tail and a lot of quality, you’ll have to breed to something like Anza to get it.”
Longtime breeder Pam Bauerline marvels at Anza Padron’s physical ability, and recalls once when she asked Jim to pull the stallion out of the stall and trot him away. “The first thing that horse did was drop his rear end and motor on,” she says. “To some degree, you can train them to do that, but for this horse, it was such a natural thing — all of that impulsion from the hind end was phenomenal. He looks like he enjoys his job and his life. It’s easy for him to do what he does.”
That is only the beginning of what Bauerline admires about Anza Padron. “He has tremendous width between the eyes, which is something we’re not seeing a lot of anymore. And he has tiny little ears — a beautifully classic Arabian head. The other thing I love about him is the big bone, and he has big feet. This is a horse that you want to put a saddle on and ride.”
David and Terry Anne Boggs see the total package as well. “Being in love with *Padron the way that we are, Terry Anne and I think that Anza is one of the most exciting of all of his sons,” says David. “What makes him even more special is that he is a magnificent English pleasure horse, which is one reason Terry Anne is absolutely crazy about him. She bought the Minnesota Medallion program auction breeding to him, and we’re going to linebreed back to *Padron, in hopes of maintaining that magical *Padron type and getting some of the wonderful English pleasure trot that Anza has such an abundance of.
“But it’s not only *Padron in the pedigree that makes him so special; we knew his mother, Anza Ramona, very well, and she was incredibly beautiful and extremely athletic. We believe that Anza Padron’s ability to pass on this greatness comes from both his sire and his dam.
“We love everything about Anza Padron except one thing … the ownership. We wish he were ours.”

Temperament
Pedigree and ability are only part of the picture; a champion has to have the will to win — and an attitude that accepts training is a valuable asset. Anza Padron’s personality and heart have been demonstrated time and again.
“Anza is really, really mellow and kind,” says Stuart Vesty, who has photographed the horse extensively, “but he’s all show horse. He’s a nice horse to be around, but as soon as you turn him loose, he ‘turns on.’ He’s all about his job.”
Mike Clark, Anza Padron’s caretaker, loves the stallion’s common sense. He keeps Anza fit with long rides around the farm. “I can take him out back with the broodmares and he’s never a problem,” Clark says. “He’s kind and mannerly; he’ll go through anything. He’s fun to ride. He’s a very solid and powerful horse — you feel that ‘English horse’ when you’re on him. There’s a lot of power there, but he’s generous and kind about everything.”
He recalls when one of the earliest Anza Padron foals was born at Stachowski Farm. “I took Anza right down to see his colt, and he was gentle as a lamb with him.
“Little kids can brush Anza,” he continues. “He doesn’t act like a stud. He loves to be ridden; he loves to perform. If you lead him to the ring, he knows he’s going. He won’t walk; he prances. He loves to get out and have something done with him.”
Clark has a unique perspective on the champion. “I
wish everyone could have the opportunity to ride an
Anza Padron.”

Destiny
“Seventeen years ago, I had a dream about a red horse,” Argyle Arabians’ Margo Marbut reflects, “and I bought a red wooden horse for my shelf. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I connected that red horse dream with the red Anza Padron. By that time, I’d already begun to believe that Anza could make a valuable contribution to the Arabian breed — and that it is his destiny to do so.”
Anza Padron himself has exemplified that elusive factor in greatness — destiny. Marbut has made well known his Cinderella story, his good fortune in the face of often overwhelming odds. His first 11 years were marked by happenstance; had one event here or there not come to pass, Anza Padron would not now be on the brink of a standout breeding career.
If longtime Ohio breeder Faydelle Schott had not purchased a breeding to *Padron, and then, when her mare slipped, traded it to Anza Arabians for a filly …
If Anza Arabians had not chosen Anza Ramona to be bred to *Padron …
If, at Scottsdale in 1991, Arabian enthusiast Mimi George had not been mesmerized by a barely-broke 3-year-old with an unknown trainer …
… Anza Padron’s life would have been spent in obscurity
Instead, his best years were about to begin. Four years later, George again was in Scottsdale when she learned that the memorable stallion was for sale. Anza Padron’s show career, in the hands of a trainer who knew little about Arabians, had stalled, and he was being used as a lesson and trail horse. But George’s instincts told her that the big engine she’d seen in him earlier still was there. Envisioning him in amateur English, she bought Anza and set out to strengthen and settle him.
The turning point came when she watched Jim Stachowski work horses at Double Diamond Ranch. She decided that Anza Padron deserved a chance with a top English trainer.
From the time the late Diane Neeley, who first looked at Anza Padron for Stachowski, reported that the copper-red stallion rated serious attention, the stage was set for success. There would be more setbacks, but by then Anza belonged to Margo Marbut, whose number one priority was to see that he got his shot at making history.
Over the next five years, Anza Padron marched through the top shows in the industry — through the U.S. Nationals, Scottsdale, Regionals and the Buckeye — consistently racking up championships, with a few reserves and a couple of top tens.
The road was not always smooth. In 2001, the stallion had to overcome a colon resection to show at the U.S. Nationals.
Marbut recalls the moments she spent with Anza in his stall just before his 2004 U.S. National Championship class. “I don’t know for sure if Anza understands what I say, but I like to think he does and I had to speak my piece. After all, he now was 16 years old and was competing in a very tough class. So, I assured him that he’d never let us down, that he was the best, and that with his two reserve national championships, he didn’t have to prove himself to anyone. I told him that Jim would be watching for signs of resistance during the warm-up, and that if he didn’t want to show in this class again, to let Jim know — and it would be okay with us. Then I looked him in the eye and said, ‘But if you want to do the class one last time — just go in there and win!'”

Bright Future
Now the focus for Anza Padron changes from the show ring to the breeding programs of knowledgeable horsemen.
“Anza Padron’s a great answer to all of the Hucklebey Berry mares that we have, the Afire Bey V daughters, the Apollo daughters — the whole slew of Huckleberry Bey-bred mares that are out there to be bred,” says Shawn Stachowski.
“He would make a good cross on the Half-Arabian as well,” Jim adds. “Even there, they want that same set of hocks. We all know in the industry today that we need a horse with better hocks, and Anza Padron can offer that. That’s one of the reasons he will be one of the great sires of the future.”
Breeder Pam Bauerline sees it all — the solid old pedigree, the beauty, the explosive, leg-waving trot, and a temperament that makes anything possible. Her family has been breeding Arabians all her life, and she intends to continue that tradition. “Anza Padron spoke to my heart,” she says. “I’m breeding a horse that will last me a lifetime.”
Responses like this to her stallion mirror Margo
Marbut’s belief in Anza Padron as a horse destined
to leave his mark on the Arabian breed. It is a vision that has been tested through their years together. “Several times, we’ve had to face the likelihood that his career might have hit an insurmountable obstacle,” she says. “Each time, I reconciled myself to the fact that if it went no farther than this, it would have been a privilege to own a horse like him. But every time, he overcame the hurdles. In the years ahead, I think we will see even more of Anza’s time in the sun.”

Arabian Horse World - cover story from December, 2003
written by Lynn Anderson

He's one of the best known names in today's English showring, but he didn't start winning in that division until he was 12 years old. His is a combination of Cinderella story and Horatio Alger with a dash of Seabiscuit for good measure. From a humble background, he rose to success through a serendipitous series of circumstances involving the right people, the right places, the right timing, and a large measure of conviction on the part of all involved.

In just three years of showing thus far, Anza Padron (*Padron x Anza Ramona by *Eter) has been a Regional, Scottsdale, and Buckeye English Pleasure Champion as well as earning two U.S. National Top Tens and two U.S. National Reserve Championships in that division, all accomplished with trainer Jim Stachowski. Anza's beauty and power coupled with his gleaming copper coat have a tendency to rivet the attention of show goers the moment he comes through the gate. To owner Margo Marbut, of Argyle Arabians, his showring efforts never disappoint. And, if possible, she's even happier with his work ethic and his essential character.

Since he first burst onto the show scene, the many offers to buy Anza Padron have all met with rejection. "I would never sell Anza Padron," Margo says. "How could I? He has helped form my values and has become synonymous with my belief system. He's the lynchpin. You don't sell that. There's no price on it."

The many ways Anza Padron's story meshes with her own beliefs is a subject that has occupied Margo ever since she acquired the stallion in late 1999. Recently, she summarized her thinking by creating a list: "Ten things I know about success that I've learned from Anza Padron." There are lessons here, she believes, for everyone.

1. In order for your brilliance to be seen, the right people have to be looking.
"A woman named Mimi George was the first to see something special in Anza Padron," Margo says. "He had been used as a western lesson horse for years, but she was convinced there was a lot more to him than that. In fact, she bought Anza (he'd been for sale for years) and began a campaign of badgering Jim Stachowski to come and see him. No one had ever given Anza a chance to show his true potential, but Mimi recognized it and sought out exactly the right person. Something must have told her Jim was another one whose eye could see what was really there in Anza."

2. If championships are late in coming, it could be you never tried a high-stepping trot.
"How could this horse have been used as a lesson and trail horse for so long before anyone understood his potential?" Margo wonders. "My guess is that nobody looked at him as a horse that could do English. Maybe it was his breeding, and maybe he wasn't a good western horse. My guess is he wasn't - he wants to hold his head high and he has such powerful motion. At any rate, he showed off all that English aptitude when Jim finally sent his employee, the late Diane Neely to look at him. He was living in Mimi' s backyard in Reno, Nevada. It was icy and he was kicking and bucking and full of energy when they took him down to a field to let him show off. Diane looked at him and knew this would be a horse Jimmy would like. Mimi knew who to call, Diane knew who to call, and Jim took a look and said this could be a National Champion. Finally people understood that Anza Padron was an English horse."

3. Great hocks are a gift you're born with - but it's training that builds the muscles and stamina to show them off.
"Sometimes, we don't know what our gifts are, and once we do recognize them, they must be developed," Margo notes. "Anza's body structure was always there, but it took the right kind of training to show him off to his best advantage." Jim Stachowski adds, "Anza's gifts are many. As an English horse, he's so flexible. He has a shoulder that's laid back and a neck that sits high up on the shoulder and makes it natural for him to be trained. Another strong suit: great hocks. His hock are perfect. Those hocks help him push off from the hind end. Anza is a great English horse because he's made for it - it's easy for him."

4. A proud headset and high tail carriage will always catch a judge's eye.
"Anza was a born show horse - he just didn't get to show for a long time. But when he did, the judges couldn't fail to notice. His pride, animation, and tail carriage are natural and genuine - it's who he is. When something is that authentic, it always gets attention."

5. The years you spend as a lesson horse can prove you're a gentleman as well as a champion.
"In 2001, I got a letter from a woman who had seen Anza at the Scottsdale Show," Margo recalls. "She wrote that Anza had taught her daughter to ride, and I was so moved by that. For, you see, Anza is a gentleman - a sweet, gentle horse who taught people to ride for years. We all sort of cringe when we think of all that time when he was figuratively toiling away in the basement with the cinders. But the truth is that his is a Cinderella story. It was a combination of everybody having the right attitude and believing in him that brought him to where he is today."

6. Even when life throws you a setback, surprise everyone by coming back stronger than ever.
"In 2001 at Buckeye, Anza was unanimous EP Champion. One month later, at Region 14, Jim was going to show him one more time before Nationals," says Margo. "The morning of his class at Region 14 they called me from Rood and Riddle Clinic in Lexington and told me he needed surgery. He had a three-and-a-half hour surgery and a colon resection. Luckily it did happen at Region 14, where he was near the best doctors and the best hospital in the world. At the end of the surgery the doctor said 'You're lucky he's an Arabian. They recuperate more easily, are stronger, and his chances were better.'

"Jim sat in the stall with Anza heavily bandaged and all hooked up to IVs, wondering if he would pull through and if he would ever show again. Amazingly, the doctor said that if Anza recovered Jim would probably be able to start training him again, a little, in September and that he probably would be able to go to Nationals.

"Anza improved steadily and went back into training, but we didn't even know if he would show until about a week ahead of time. In fact, we didn't even know if we would take him to Albuquerque. But that year, 2001, he was Top Ten open English Pleasure - third on the cards. On that Saturday night he broke gait a couple of times, and I had tears in my eyes watching him. For a horse that had no muscle tone six weeks before, he was trying his hardest. Marcy, my daughter, and I, were so proud of him as we walked him after the class. Even to be at Nationals that year was an accomplishment, and that third was a triumph."

7. Attitude is more important than age - it's never too late to be a champion.
"Even though he's 15 now, Anza's fresh. He's not sour about showing - he loves it. He loves to work and he doesn't complain. He wasn't all worn down by all those years as a lesson horse; he didn't start to cheat. He listens and he does what he's told. He is an athlete who was underused for all those years and when it was his time in the sun, he went for it. He really is young at heart."

The Stachowski brothers are noted in the industry for the longevity of the careers of their show horses, and Jim Stachowski sees a continued bright showring future for Anza Padron despite his age. "He was just started in English when he was 12 so he doesn't have high mileage," notes Jim. "When he began, Anza had little to no wear and tear on him and as far as him lasting, he's just going to keep going and going. He requires no vet work."

8. Find a great trainer and then trust that person to bring out the best in you.
"Jim Stachowski has been such a right fit for Anza," Margo says. "He has had an instinctive sense about Anza. My husband calls him 'Anza's Tom Smith' (a reference to the gifted trainer of Seabiscuit). He has always gone with his instincts about Anza, and he's always been right. Today, Anza has never been in better shape. Are we going to keep showing him? Anza will tell Jim and Jim will hear him. I trust Jim to push Anza as far as he can go, but not to ever push him farther. Any great teacher should stretch you but not push you beyond what your limits are."

9. Winning championships gives you the right to prance a little.
"When we first got Anza, he was just a humble horse; then he started winning and became a show horse. He loves the walk to the arena when he's going to show - my daughter and I call it 'the Anza prance.' We always walk with him to the ring because we love his swagger. He knows where he's going and he's ready to go, an athlete ready to perform - almost like leading a prizefighter to the ring. He's a gentleman, a sweetheart, a show horse, and he's also now a breeding stallion and a champion, and it shows. That's how his personality has developed."

10. When you see your chestnut foal trotting in an open field with his head held high, you know you're leaving your mark on the next generation.
"The first foal we bred from Lady Aafire (Justafire DGL x VF Majorca), a colt named Anzafire, is just a little Anza," says Margo. We're so excited about Anza's breeding career, which is really starting to take off. Since his showring wins we've had so much interest from serious breeders, and those who have already bred are breeding back when they see their first Anza foals. Next year we will breed three Anza foals of our own, two purebreds and a Half-Arabian. Robin Derue, who operates the breeding center where Anza is collected, says he's not only a born show horse, he's a born breeder."

"Anza no doubt derives a lot of his beauty from his sire line, but it's very important to remember that Anza has a great dam, which is a main source of his genetic strength," Jim Stachowski points out. "Anza Ramona is by *Eter, sire of eight National winners and noted for siring excellent broodmares. In addition to Anza Padron, Anza Ramona has foaled at least three other Regional or National winners. The upshot is that Anza Padron is out of a great dam, is a real natural English horse with the structure to back it up, and we're confident he's going to pass that along."

Some might say that Anza Padron was fortunate to be brought from obscurity into the spotlight where his potential as a show and breeding stallion could be realized, but Margo Marbut knows she's the lucky one. "All that time before we found him he was waiting his turn - waiting for us, waiting for Jim - but once he began showing and breeding he was in his element," she says. "Anza has come to stand for so much that I believe in. Will I will give him a place to live forever? Absolutely.