In Pursuit of Northern Gold...
By Christy Egan
There’s more than one place to look for World class Arabian bloodstock but there’s not a lot of places. The best and the smartest among us have a circuit they travel when they’re in the market for a winner. In the last few years, one of the stops has been Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Wow. Saskatoon!? Really? Yes, really.
There are at least three farms in that area breeding exceptional quality Arabian horses and one of them is Willow View Arabians.
Established in 1995, Willow View is the dream and passion of Bob and Cathy Wasylyk. Willow View is a small farm by Saskatoon standards, just 160 acres of beautiful rolling pasture and forested land. There’s a barn and paddocks. Everything a horseman needs, including the horses. Bob and Cathy’s bloodstock is a careful blend of *Bask, Ali Jamaal, a bit of Bey Shah and, on the tail-female, Azraff. Everything a breeder needs to make a functional, beautiful Arabian horse.
The Wasylyk’s bought their foundation broodmare, Burgundy Lace (Burgundy Parke x Bay Leora by GG Jabask), as a yearling from Ed and Laura Friesen. So far she’s given Willow View five foals ... all mares. Burgundy Lace’s first foal, Magnificent Lace by Executive Class, was a yearling Sweepstakes Reserve Champion and twice a Reserve Regional Champion Mare by the time she was three. Her third foal, a Concensus++++// daughter named WV Lexus, is a three-time Regional Halter Champion and 2005 Canadian National Top Ten Junior Halter Mare. Burgundy Lace’s fifth filly (by WV Maximus Jamaal) was Western Canada Champion Yearling and Top Ten Canadian National Futurity Filly.
WV Maximus (Soho Carol x Madison) is also a Willow View-bred Canadian National Halter Top Ten.
The Willow View breeding program has added the National Champion Bey Ambition and a Padrons
Psyche son to their sires of expected foals in 2012. Expect to see more of them in the winner’s circle at Canadian Nationals soon. As for finding the finest Arabians up in Saskatoon. You might consider look-
ing north for your next winner. But a word to the wise ... do it soon. Like finding gold in the Yukon these “best kept secrets” don’t remain secrets for very long.
Willow View Arabians
Bob and Cathy Wasylyk, Porcupine Plain
