South African Appaloosas have been gaining popularity further afield into Africa. Top SA breeder, George Contos of Kondos Appaloosa Stud, recently had the opportunity to visit several new breeding programmes in southern Africa. He shared his experience with HQ.
New beginnings
Luyts Appaloosa Stud, owned by a married team, Peter and Carla Luyt, was founded in 2006. The farm is conveniently situated on a sprawling 4,800-hectare farm (Wangwa Farms) in Chisamba, just 80km outside the Zambian capital city of Lusaka. This property forms about half of the total 10,000 hectares of the farming estate that has been established in the country.
The Luyts had wanted to breed spotted horses for a while, so when they saw an advert in HQ featuring horses for sale from the Kondos Appaloosa Stud, they jumped at the opportunity. They visited my stud and bought 10 Appaloosas on the spot, returning for another 20 the following year. The Luyts Appaloosa Stud had been born.
Attention to detail
The Luyts’ professionalism and attention to detail are evident in everything they do – from their high-tech new piggery, to their phenomenal stud cattle herd, game farm, maize and crop fields. The formation and running of the Appaloosa stud is no exception. After having ‘threatened’ to visit for some years now, I finally took my wife to Zambia to witness this wonderful operation and see what they had achieved with the original foundation stock that they had bought from me.
Diversity
Peter and Carla, having bred from their original southern African Appaloosas, decided to diversify their stud by introducing some new bloodlines in 2007. They went to the World Appaloosa Show in Fort Worth, Texas and bought the top-of-the-range colt, Ghostly Dream. They then proceeded to breed with this colt, producing some outstanding Appaloosas, many of whom have been sold to other East African countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
These horses are carrying the Appaloosa flag high, not only by being perfect for trail rides and general pleasure riding, but also by excelling in all equestrian disciplines and sports, made possible by their inherent versatility. Beautiful colour, great athletic ability and fantastic temperaments are what define these horses.
World-class stallions
Recently, the Luyts imported a further two world-class stallions. The one is the 2013 World Champion Hunter Appaloosa, What’s Hot What’s Not. The other stallion is Choc Tail Party. The sires of both of these stallions are multiple world champions.
As I see it, the Appaloosa breed is spreading its wings throughout the continent of Africa. Studs like the Luyts Appaloosa Stud, which have been founded across the borders of South Africa and into the greater southern African region, can only bode well for the future of the Appaloosa breed in Africa. I believe the Luyts could challenge Appaloosas bred in South Africa for top spots in our National Championships.
Text: George Contos
The full article appears in the April issue (98) of HQ.