KB Farm is pleased to offer for sale Kingston, an 11 y/o, 16.3h bay thoroughbred gelding. (And yes, he's a TRUE 16.3h!). Now that we've been in the breeding business for 4 years, I have young sporthorses who are ready to start their riding careers, as well as a rescue horse that needs to be trained, so I am reluctantly offering this gorgeous gelding to a home who will better be able to take advantage of his athleticism and desire to work and perform.

King's Story
King was born in 2003 and raced at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana until 2008, at which point he was retired and stood in a field to be 'let down' from race life. I was told that he was gentle enough for his elderly owner to hop on him bareback and ride him to the mailbox! After a year of pasture dwelling, he was purchased by a jumper trainer in Tennessee who chose him based entirely on his looks and conformation. She found that King was capable of jumping, but that he really seemed to enjoy dressage work, and that he had the natural movement and self-carriage for the discipline. Plus, he had 'a brain'; King was sane enough that she would throw a stock saddle on him and use him to move cows back and forth over a mountain. I bought King in late 2010 after being impressed with the quality of his gaits, and I officially started his dressage training. We have been working together on and off for four years with trainers and attending a few schooling shows here and there. He has progressed nicely, having won training tests with scores in the 70s and schooling all First and some Second level movements. However, this guy deserves to do much more than my busy schedule as a breeder and farm-owner permits. He needs a mom (or dad) who can focus only on him and develop him into the winning athlete I know he has the potential to be.

King trailers easily, stands quietly in crossties (he will fall asleep if you point a fan at him!), clips, bathes, lunges (both free and with a lunge line), and stands dutifully for the farrier. No cribbing or other vices. He's a typical thoroughbred in that he does not love being groomed due to skin sensitivity - he prefers to be rinsed or bathed. But, you can play with his mane/tail all day long because he's a total diva about his hair! King lives outside 24/7 with automatic waterers and shelter and blanketing in the winter on the cold/wet nights. He does prefer warm weather climates, so I would like to see him go to a home in the south. However, I will be including all of King's sheets and blankets in the deal, so a perfect home in a colder climate is not out of the question.

King pastures easily with mares or geldings, and he is an amazing babysitter to foals. He teaches them manners in a gentle but firm way, and he seems to really enjoy playing with my youngsters. (For this reason alone, the breeder in me is hesitant to let him go, but this handsome guy deserves to do more than function as babysitting yard art.) He has lived in a stall for part of the day, but I think he actually does better on 24/7 turnout. He stays fit even when not in a regular riding program, and he's an easy keeper for a thoroughbred; he gets plentiful grass (with unlimited grass hay in the winter) and 1 cup ration balancer (Nutrena Empower Balance) and 1/4 scoop of Nutrena Safechoice twice per day.

He is shod in the front only, and that is due to our excessively wet weather coupled with our extremely rocky terrain. During our dry season, I was able to keep King barefoot for nearly 6 months, and his movement was even better when he was barefoot. I believe that if King were to go to a dryer, less rocky environment, he could be converted to a barefoot horse.

Mild maintenance required (annual hock injections, thought the right hock is close to fusing) and daily Previcox.

King goes happily in a rubber mullen mouth bit, even when working in wide open spaces. His brakes are as good as his gaits! On a long rein, he is happy to plod around like a beginner-safe lesson horse, but as soon as the reins are taken up and contact is established, this horse is ready to work. King is not suited to a beginner rider, primarily because his movement can be quite big and his brain is forward-thinking. However, he is well suited to an intermediate adult amateur or ambitious junior rider who works at least semi-regularly with a trainer. He is not dangerous or spooky, but he is athletic/forward and light in the bridle, and he requires a rider with an independent seat and soft hands.

Although we have focused almost entirely on dressage training, King is also quite happy to pop over some low jumps when presented with the opportunity. He has a nice round bascule and maintains a steady rhythm between jumps.

Video of Kingston ("Southwesterly Wind", #6) winning one of his last races on 6/4/08

King loves to warm-up on a loose/stretchy rein.










Look at the hind leg action! My trainer says that King has a "4th level canter" when he's in shape.




The boy can jump!


(First time in 4 years I asked him to jump anything higher than a crossrail, and he happily went over it several times while free lunging.)