Mannhattan

Owner: Jos Mottershead and Kathy St. Martin, Avalon Equine, Oklahoma

What is it about stallions? There are many extra special horses that we have truly loved - but it seems like a stallion can inspire even more attachment. And when a special stallion has been with you for decades, the connection is deep. Kathy St. Martin of Avalon Equine owns the stallion Mannhattan, who has been with her for 29 years.

“I purchased him sight unseen at three days old. He was shipped to me at five months and I've had him since then.

“Cornell University had a warmblood breeding program way back in the day. They stood the stallion Obelisk at the time, but were a quarantine center for horses that were coming in from other countries. Mannhattan’s sire, Finesse (Furioso II x Franziska/Vollkorn), was imported from Germany and his dam was owned by Cornell, so as part of Finesse’s quarantine requirements, he was bred to Mannhattan’s dam. I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase him from Cornell.

“His pedigree fit what I was looking for. Fortunately he was, in person, what I thought his pedigree said he should be.”

Kathy’s ownership of Mannhattan predates most of the digital revolution, so “I do have a few photos of him as a foal, but I would have to delve into boxes to find them. Most photos are actually hard copies!”

Kathy first met Mannhattan when he stepped off the trailer at 5 months old.

“When I purchased him, he was supposed to be my next ‘dressage’ gelding. But, the boy loved to jump. As in drag-you-to-the-fence type of jumping keen. I am NOT that brave so had to think long and hard about what direction to go with him. And in my early naiveté of warmblood breeding, I decided I would pursue getting him licensed. That was a real education!

“I lived in a very small remote town in Colorado. I was fortunate to have a good friend there that was also a very good hunter/jumper rider. So, we teamed up to get him going and compete him. She competed him in the hunters before he went to his stallion performance test and when he came back from that, he went on to compete in the jumpers.

“Mannhattan has always been special for me. He was ALL boy in his younger years, but always easy to keep directed to the task at hand. He has, over the years, proven himself to be the one you can always trust, and certainly has given me babies that are the very best broodmares I could hope for as well as a couple of my personal riding horses.

“All of our stallions live in a certain section of the farm - it's the All-Boys Club. No girls allowed! They have individual paddocks with a 10-foot space between them. We try to make sure everyone is next to another stallion they like. Funny how they become buddies with other stallions and people are always amazed how peaceful and quiet they are here. Mannhattan's paddock "buddy" is Goldmaker and we can always tell when they are having a 'discussion' on the property. But if you take one of them away for anything, the other one becomes a bit frantic and will pace the fence until he's brought back.

“Mannhattan is a funny soul. He nickers at the people he loves best when they walk by his pen. Those he doesn't know or doesn't like, they just can't catch him unless he deigns to allow them to touch him. He lives outside in a paddock with a run-in shed and has a certain tree that he prefers to hang out under. He loves apples. Peppermints, not so much - but he'll do anything for an apple.”

Manhattan hasn’t competed for quite a few years now, but at 29 he's still making babies! Watch for a few Mannhattan foals coming in 2021!

Kathy is achingly aware that nothing lasts forever. “It’s hard. Any time he decides not to eat or takes a wrong step, I worry.” But for now he’s doing great. “He sleeps a lot, but he’s in good weight and healthy.” So, “as long as he is comfortable, he will live out his days here.”

The best thing about him? “His ability to produce kids that are so user friendly. Mannhattan had that big, rocking horse type canter that was a dream to sit, and almost all of his kids have his beautiful canter and jump!”