for the British 2000 Olympic team. With
Louisville, Karin has moved into the CDI
Grand Prix, including a second place
finish in the freestyle at the 2005 CDI Ox
Ridge. “I enjoy riding stallions,” she
says. “I have been very lucky that all of
the stallions I’ve ridden over the years
have been well-behaved.”
For Karin, her mounts are riding
horses first and breeding stallions second.
“Tiamo was a former Olympic horse and
that had a lot to do with why I chose him.
He has taught me so much,” she says of
the bright chestnut Hanoverian with
whom she has earned two USDF
Regional FEI Level Championships and
numerous USDF All Breeds Awards. “I
was thrilled that I could bring him to
America. Not only was he a great
competition horse, but he has important
old Hanoverian bloodlines.”
Tiamo’s sire, Trapper, who stood at
the Celle State Stud, is known for
siring broodmares that produce
horses with tremendous trots as well as
other attributes. “There is so much to
learn,” Karin says. “I have been in contact
with people around the world trying to
learn not only the history of my horses’
bloodlines, but also the nuances. For
example, I have discovered that the
Trapper line crosses really well with the
Diamont line. These are the details that
you cannot learn in books, but that must
be revealed by breeders who have
devoted their lives to these discoveries.”
When Karin chose Hexagon’s
Louisville for the move into the CDI
Grand Prix ring, she held him to the
strictest standards. While some may
overlook lapses in temperament or
conformation because a stallion is
beautiful or has popular bloodlines, Karin
was unwilling to do that. She says, “When
I first tried Louisville, stallion or not, there
was no doubt in my mind that he was for
me. He gave me the exact ride that I love—
balance and lightness in my hand. He did
every movement that I asked of him. I
knew he was extra special!”
Of course, riding and showing stallions
does require strategic management. “One
should be overly concerned with stallion
issues when transporting and stabling on
the road,” Karin explains. To help prevent
incidents, the Offield Farms team builds
walls of plywood that are high enough to
