CRACKLE E

CRACKLE E has a pretty simple paddock name and its just simply Crackle. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity however at 17.3hh this horse is huge and we know so is his future! He was born in 2014 so in horse terms he is still quite young, having just turned 9.

Crackle was bred at Elmare Warmbloods in the Yarra Valley and is owned in partnership with Stephen Smith of Elmare Warmbloods and his rider Kate Beadel  otherwise known as KFab or sometimes just Beadel! 

Crackles Dam is Zelda Elmare who is by Copabella Visage and as we all know his lineage shows Concorde. Concordes sire was, Voltaire and his dam, Flyer, is by the legendary Marco Polo. Here’s some fun facts about the famous Copabella Visage. According to Copabella, Visage was actually found by Vicki Roycroft in France back in 2003,  from the moment he landed here in Australia he was a sensation. His performances are too many to mention however it must be said that even to this day 20 years later from when he was first found, the majority of the progeny of Copabella Visage are all very successful. He would almost have to be one of the greatest sires we have here in Australia for jumping lines. Visage passes on to his progeny great bone, athletic frame  and movement on top of that Copabella also note him to be calm, intelligent and friendly. Not only are his manners impeccable, but his frozen semen is of excellent quality. His strike rate has been well over 80%. For those interested in colour, the statistics to date seem to be levelling out at about 70% coloured offspring. Aah the perfect sire!

The  Dam of Zelda was a thoroughbred who has Kaoru Star in her lineage. Kaoru Star is a revered name not only in racing circles he is also a great name to have in a pedigree amongst early jumpers in Australia. His sire, Star Kingdom, needs no introduction well known in early Australian lines for movement, racing and also producing jump talent whilst Kaoru (Kaoru Star’s dam) brings a long line of fleetness, sturdiness and staying talent.  Fun fact number 2: Star Kingdoms grandsire was Hyperion. Whose progeny have been influential in US jumper breeding as well as influential in Holsteiner breeding as you can trace Hyperion back in Ladykiller lineage who was one of the most influential stallions in German sport horse breeding. Ladykiller was the sire of Landgraf I.

On the Sire side there is the amazing Caracas who has Cassall, Colthaga, Colman in his lineage and can be traced all the way back to Cor De La Bryere..

So yep we are calling it another one in the purple! (There is also literally “In the Purple” in Zelda Elmare’s lineage..ironic)

 

Crackle is a beautiful BIG grey pony. He gets his size and his colour from his sire. Speaking of colour much to Kates frustration one of his favorite things to do is roll in the mud! (one must wonder how many bottles of Glo White are used cleaning such a big pony.) His other loves are licorice and carrots.  

In Crackles spare time he really likes  to play chases on the arena with other horses. If Darby (Kates daughter) is riding with Kate, Crackle will follow her horse and make it into a game of chasey. 

The other side, the dislikes you ask? Anything spooky on the side of the arena, according to Crackle monsters are real. He also is very opinionated on the paddock he goes into each day. If he is put into a paddock he doesn’t like he will not stay there and he will tell you as soon as you let him go it’s not acceptable. If you ignore him he will either break out or gallop until he’s moved. 

Have you seen a 2 year old child throw a tantrum? Crackle is good at these too… If he doesn’t get brought into his stable at the time he wants he has a full blown temper tantrum and gallops and bucks until someone comes to get him. He may even break down the gate. 

Kate and Crackle have a long partnership in fact Kate has been with Crackle since he was a 3yo breaker. Because of his size he has taken a little extra to come along and is now just stepping up to the bigger Grand Prix’s. Whilst it has been slow and sometimes possibly challenging this is deliberate as rideability with Crackle is key..

 

Kate tells us however, now the fences are getting bigger the distances are getting a bit easier to ride and Kate is learning to ride him better too .

Kate pinches herself everyday that she gets the opportunity to ride such nice horses, and she cannot thank Stephen Smith enough for the opportunities, however Crackle is one that really has captured her heart.

Crackle we are excited to start watching you take on the bigger tracks!

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See you the Classic!

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Crackle and Kate would like to thank their sponsors for keeping them looking and feeling amazing!
Elmare Warmbloods,  Rosehip Vital,  Equine Health Science, Chase Equestrian

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Photo Credits: Images provided by Kate and credits to  Shoulder In photography,  James Abernathy