Featured in the AEPA Brochure, Arabian Horse Times
Landon Equestrian is a family-first farm nestled in one of the most gorgeous parts of central California – the Santa Ynez valley. This area of the country has seen some of the greatest performance and halter horses the Arabian breed has to offer over the years. But, Jim Lowe – a trainer who has a long standing relationship with the breed and the region – says this valley has a new thing worth talking about – a passionate, pedigree-savant named Brooke Landon.
“There is not another Brooke Landon out there,” Jim Lowe said about the 16-year-old. “She has idols like Sheila Varian and Tim and Marty Shea. Our breed needs someone who is as passionate as her about breeding and raising horses. These young trainers need new, fresh stock.”
Landon sits at the helm of her family’s breeding program, which is heavily focused on the purebred and half-Arabian English pleasure division. The family owns purebred arabian stallions Black Daniels and Royal Nobility, along with a recent addition of the purebred Friesen stallion named Thomas.
“At Landon Equestrian, we want to be introducing some new bloodlines to the Arabian horse community and AEPA programs,” Landon stated about her plans. “Our new Friesian Thomas has exquisite natural movement and we hope that translates into some impressive, fresh-looking English pleasure horses.”
Black Daniels’ Legacy
This somewhat “new to the block” family and breeding program made a game-changing decision when they bought the stallion Black Daniels. If a word count could have been around tracking the most-used phrase during the conversations preparing for this piece the two, “Black Daniels” would have won by a landslide. Even Landon’s business-minded father perked up when chatting about this accomplished stallion.
“We are so fortunate to have been able to make Black Daniels part of our operation,” Landon’s father Hayden stated. “I think he is just beautiful and that he expands our possibilities as a breeding program.”
The Black Daniels’ progeny includes some of today’s most exciting names in the Country English and English Pleasure divisions. SR Cracklin Thunder is an impressive half-arabian gelding who captivated many audiences all season long. He earned two national championships at the 2023 Youth Nationals with Peyton Bergstad and was a top finisher in the HA/AA Country English Pleasure Junior Horse with Joel Kiesner.A
Along with his own reserve national championship in the PB Park Open with Jim Lowe, Black Daniels was named as the sire of multiple national and reserve national champions.
Black Label VH was the judges’ pick as national champion in the PB Country English Pleasure Junior Horse with Jessica Clinton. Four-year-old half-arabian Crack Me Up was named reserve national champion in the HA/AA AEPA Futurity with Nestor Gonzalez. Countess De Black earned reserve championships in both the PB Park AAOTR and PB English AAOTR 19 – 49.
Finally, full siblings Afirey Fireball VM and Afirey Brandy VM both finished with reserve national championships. After last year’s exciting performance that earned Afirey Fireball a reserve national championship in the PB AEPA, he and trainer Dalton Budd earned another bronze trophy in the PB English Pleasure Junior Horse. Afirey Brandy was the reserve champion in the PB Country English Pleasure AAOTR 19-39.
These horses’ successes under multiple training programs and in multiple disciplines is not a shock based on Lowe’s assessment of the teenage stallion.
“Black Daniels has turned out to be the best thing for the Landon Equestrian breeding program,” Lowe shared. “He is a working machine. I had no idea he had that kind of drive in him until I went to show him for the first time. That horse and his babies have back ends that are full of power.”
Black Daniels has quickly become a point of pride for the entire Landon family. Previous owner and trainer, Rob Bick complimented the family and Lowe. “I am very happy that Brooke and her family have Black Daniels. He is such a special horse to be around and I know they see that in him. Also, as a breeder, I think Brooke has the makings of being the next Sheila Varian.”
Trying new things with Royal Nobility and Thomas
Royal Nobility is another purebred stallion owned by the Landon family. He was purchased to be a teammate for Brooke and a part of their breeding program.
“Brooke and Nobility have a friendship,” Lowe stated about the purebred English horse. “He has a great mind and has built Brooke’s confidence as a rider. I am excited to see what some of his foals do.”
For breeding connoisseur Landon, Royal Nobility is revered for his even temperament and his lineage. This young breeder is obsessively – in the best way – when it comes to bloodlines. Royal Nobility has MHR Nobility (one of Lowe’s all-time favorites), Brassmiss, and Bask in his pedigree. These horses have produced some of Landon’s favorite horses.
“I have done my homework,” Landon stated in reference to her unique breeding plans. “I hope that Landon Equestrian helps to diversify the kinds of English horses in our industry. We want to use our fresh perspective to try something different than what everyone else is doing. I feel good that my family, Jim, and other respected breeders are encouraging my plans.”
One of the most “different” things Landon Equestrian has done is purchase purebred Friesian stallion Thomas, along with his dam Femke. It has become common practice for breeders to cross Friesian and Arabian blood to create a round-necked and big-bodied half-arabian hunter horse, but Landon has plans to use Thomas’ tall neck and high-stepping stride to create country English and English pleasure horses.
Landon Equestrian & The AEPA
The AEPA gives important framework and opportunities for all levels of breeding programs. Everyone surrounding Landon Equestrian is excited about being involved in “the Godfather” of four-year-old national performance futurity classes.
“One of my favorite things about the AEPA is watching the futurity at U.S. Nationals,” Landon said about the long-standing breeding and money program. “It’s such a good time to see what these stallions can produce and gets people thinking about their breeding plans for the next year.”
Landon goes on to state that she feels that class helps set the market demand for breeders’ following seasons. It was impressive to hear such a young person talk about horse breeding using such business-centric and strategic terminology. Not many 16-year-olds are forgoing traditional school to take online classes to allow themselves time to pursue passions in tech and horse breeding.
“Brooke has done her research, and we hope to put that research to good use,” her father Hayden Landon shared again. “We are bringing in the best people possible to help us with the horses, but – above all else – this is a family thing, and we are having fun. However, as a businessman I really appreciate the validation that a program like AEPA can give our farm.”
Landon Equestrian might be a newer name to the performance ring and breeding world, but as Lowe stated to open the article, the well-researched Landon has big plans and even bigger aspirations. Lowe makes another sound argument when he speaks to the benefit of having a robust English breeding program on the west coast. He hopes that Landon Equestrian can produce some quality foals for himself and his regional colleagues to select from.
If Landon’s plans work out in the way she thinks, then the hearing phrase “bred by Landon Equestrian” – while announcing regional and national winners – will become very familiar, very quicky.
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