About Formosus
We are a boutique breeder of warmblood and warmblood crosses located in southern Alberta in western Canada. We call ourselves a boutique breeder because we only breed a few foals each year in order to really concentrate on their upbringing. We currently have mostly dressage bloodlines, but we like well-rounded horses and we have bred a few jumping and eventing prospects over the years.
We breed what we know best; the all-around sporthorse for the amateur.
We currently focus on the bloodlines of Rubinstein, Donnerhall, Florestan and Ferro – to combine the superior temperament and trainability of those older lines with the look and athleticism of the more modern lines such as Zack’s and Sandro Hit’s.
We are breeders, yes, but perhaps most importantly, we are foal raisers.
All our foals are handled, hugged, scratched, groomed, and loved from day one. They learn to wear a halter in the first week of their lives and they learn to trust us over the next few months as they pick up the basics of good horse behaviour.
We don’t claim to be unique in doing any of this, because frankly, we think all good breeders should be doing the same.
At Formosus, we play to our strengths and expertise. We concentrate our efforts on handling young foals in order to give them the best start possible, studying bloodlines and genetics, and constantly educating ourselves on behaviour and training approaches.
When you get a foal from us you can be assured that it has been handled with patience, consideration, and firmness. A foal born here is well on its way to being a solid equine citizen; the rest is up to you!
About Me
One could say that my interest in breeding horses goes back a long way. While so many of my horse-obsessed friends were dreaming of riding and competing, taking riding lessons, and emulating Ian Millar, I was always more interested in learning about horse breeds, their history, and their characteristics.
Early on, I dreamed of combining the various qualities of the horse breeds. What if we could combine the elegance of the Arab, the strength and might of the Percheron, and the athleticism of the thoroughbred?
I imagined what it would take to create this ideal horse; I had mock pedigrees and ideas about how to test mares and stallions to reach this ideal. The idea fascinated me for many years until I came across the warmbloods and discovered that breeders in Europe had been doing this for a few generations, transforming their carriage horses and re-purposing them to sport.
I was hooked and I’ve now had the privilege of pursuing this passion for more than 17 years.
Beyond the mix of bloodlines, traits, and ability, I discovered that the upbringing and handling of the foal was often neglected in larger operations. I became determined to offer foals that were handled from the start with the amateur market in mind.