LaFollie 1989-2003

If you’re very, very lucky, once in a great while you’ll meet a horse so special that it captures your heart and lives on forever in your memory. Over the years, I’ve known many horses but a wonderful Haflinger mare named La Follie was the most exceptional horse I’ve ever had the privilege to be around, much less own. Here are some of my memories of her.

La Follie was born April 27, 1989, at MacArthur Farm in upstate New York. Her sire and dam, Ancora and Lilli, were both Austrian imports. As I remember the story, Bob's wife, Ginny, was in the midst of participating in her annual local musical production. So when La Follie was born, they decided a "musical" name would be appropriate. Therefore, they named her La Follie (La being the feminine French article for "the" and Follie for the theatrical musical revues or shows called "follies". Her name was soon shortened, and to us she became just "Follie".

Bob consigned Follie to the 1989 HRNA fall sale, and while we were there attending our first Haflinger show and sale, I saw and fell in love with her. I was extremely excited when she was named the Weanling Futurity Champion. Then on sale day, with Gary’s encouragement, I bid on and bought her for my birthday present. That was when this very special horse came into my life and changed it forever. Follie was such a joy that she sold us on the Haflinger breed, and when Gary retired, we moved from Virginia to Ohio in order to raise Haflingers.

As a young horse, Follie was full of mischief and seemed to get into absolutely everything. As a 2 year old at the National Show, she refused to stand still during the halter class and danced in circles around Gary. Fortunately the judge got a good look anyway because she was named the National Junior Champion. As a 3 year old during her saddle training, patience was still not one of her virtues. However, she matured into the most patient, gentle, and trustworthy horse we ever had. When we had youngsters visit the farm, Follie was the one we chose for them to pet. I’ve seen toddlers grab her around the nose and squeal with delight as they hugged her. Follie would stand like a rock, barely batting an eye until the child was pried loose and was safely back in its parent’s arms. She had the calmest, most dignified personality I’ve even seen in a horse--nothing phased, scared, or excited her. She was even quiet and calm at feeding time. Now imagine this for a Haflinger!

I can’t tell you the number of hours I’ve spent in Follie’s stall brushing her, stroking her, hugging her and telling her how beautiful she was and how much I loved her. I confided my hopes, my dreams and my heartaches and she never seemed to become weary of being my confidant. I watched eight of her foals born and she was a wonderful mother--patient and good with the babies and with the humans who wanted to play with her foals.

Follie was at the top of the pecking order with the other horses at our farm, but she didn’t accomplish this by kicking, biting, squealing or baring her teeth. Instead she calmly walked toward a group and they parted instantly to let her pass through with no fuss at all. She was the “queen” and the other horses recognized her as such by her dignity and her regal bearing. She had what Emily Gibson so aptly described when she visited our farm and saw Follie, as the “awe factor” and even the other horses seemed to recognize this.

I did research a few years ago and at time Follie held the record for the most national show titles. Since there is no longer a "Best in Show" title, I suppose she will retain that record. To summarize some of her wins, she was Champion Futurity Weanling (not shown as a yearling due to Operation Desert Storm) and then with Gary showing her at halter for the rest of her show career, as a 2 year old she was National Junior Champion, and went on to become a three-time National Grand Champion Mare and two-time National Best of Show winner. She was also shown in harness and under saddle--English, Western and jumping, before she was retired from her show career to have no responsibilities other than to make wonderful babies.

Now Follie's legacy lives on through her offspring (6 fillies and 4 colts), many who are futurity or national champions themselves. They are: Limited Edition WBF and Legendary WBF (by Aladdin Van de Peelkant), Lady Aristocrat WBF, All That Jazz WBF, and Luck of the Irish WBF (by Aristocrat TOF), Legend WBF, N'Credible WBF and N'Vincible WBF (by Nobleman of Tudor Oaks). When I had to sell her and Follie went to live at New Trend Farm, she was carrying a Walzertakt foal. This breeding resulted in World Class NTF, the highest selling stallion (as a weanling) at the 2001 Buckeye Sale in Ohio. Follie's last foal, La Follie's Legacy LNY, was born in March 2003 and sired by Afghan III NTF.

Follie's filly, Lady Aristocrat was only shown once in her career and that was at the 1995 National Show and futurity when she was just a weanling. She was named the Champion Futurity Weanling, National Champion Weanling, and went on to be named Reserve National Grand Champion mare! She sold at auction the following day for $10,500, which I believe still stands as the highest selling price for a Haflinger weanling sold at public auction in the US.

1999 was the last year Willow Brook showed in the Haflinger futurities, and at the AHR show in Ohio in the Pleasure Futurity classes, N'Credible was the Champion Futurity Weanling Stallion, Legend was the Champion Futurity Yearling, and Luck of the Irish was the Champion Futurity Two Year Old. ALL champions were out of La Follie, by two different stallions. This had to have been a first in Haflinger showing! The following weekend at the GLHA Futurity in Michigan, N'Credible won his Weanling Futurity Class, Legend was the Champion Futurity Yearling, and Luck of the Irish was the Champion Futurity Two Year Old and won the President's Award. What wonderful offspring this incredible mare produced.

My friend in Kentucky, Barb Dickison, has two of Follie's "kids", Luck of the Irish and N'Vincible (Loti and Vince). Some Haflinger friends from Washington state visited her after the Rolex event in April and told her Vince's full sister, Legend, is becoming very well known in their area because her owners, Larry and Emily Smith, have taken her to so many halter and driving competitions on the West Coast. After hearing this, it seems as though I named her appropriately.

La Follie was indeed a credit to the Haflinger breed. Not only was she beautiful to look at, but she was also gentle, sweet, amazingly kind, and she had the softest big brown eyes you could imagine. She died far too young--just a few weeks short of her 14th birthday. She was loved by those who knew her and the world is truly a much sadder place without her.

Thanks to all of you for letting me share a few of my memories of this wonderful mare I was lucky enough to call mine for eleven years. She was truly one of a kind and will remain in my heart forever.
Anita Sweeney