14.2h | 2002 | Westfalen Pony Stallion

FS Pour l’Amour – Night Star I – Nobel

Photo By: Stacy Lynne Photo
Photo By: Brant Gamma

14.2h | 2002 | Westfalen Pony Stallion
Color: Dark Bay
Owner:
Ilona English
Breeder:
Hans Bockholt
FS Pour l'Amour FS Picasso Power Boy
SPS Veruschka
Eileen 2 Black Magic
Heidi
SPS Nice Touch Night Star I Nalet ox
Mona
Nibelungenblut Nobel
Nibelungenlied

Popeye finished fourth overall at his 30-Day test in Germany with an 8.3 overall. His walk and character were highlights, each receiving scores of 9 or higher. In his first year in the US, Popeye was the Reserve Champion of the USDF East Coast Stallion Final at Dressage at Devon. Popeye has shown through Fourth Level dressage with scores into the 70’s and was the 2011 Reserve Champion at Fourth Level at the BLM Finals. To showcase his versatility, Popeye began eventing in the fall of 2012. He was successful up to Training Level, competing with two different riders and often finishing on his dressage score.

Popeye’s sire competed in the Bundeschampionat for dressage ponies three times and has sired a number of approved sons and several highly decorated mares. Popeye’s dam is a Westphalian breeding federation show winner and received her States Premium status. She has produced four States Premium daughters in addition to Popeye. Popeye’s grandsire, Night Star I, won his licensing and placed second at the Bundeschampionat for show jumping ponies in 1987.

Popeye has sired many Premium offspring and two licensed stallions. He is the only pony stallion (and one of only a handful of all stallions) that has been awarded 5 Stars with ISR/OldenburgNA. His offspring are successful in multiple disciplines and inherit his kind eye and intelligence. In 2021, Popeye gelding Meant To Be made his first trip to USEF Pony Finals and earned a top ten placing in the Large Green Pony Hunters Undersaddle. The 2022 show season brought multiple Popeye offspring to the top of USDF All-Breeds and Zone Horse of the Year rankings, including Pixar who was Reserve Champion for Third Level Open, Princi who was Reserve Champion for 4-Year Old and Older Broodmares, and Poseidon IRF who was named Zone 2 Hunter Breeding 3-Year Old Champion. Midsummers Night’s Dream also earned a top five placing at the USDF Region 8 First Level AA Championship in 2022. Popeye is a wonderful choice for pony breeders as well as breeders looking to downsize their larger mares.

Headlines

Performance Test: 8.3 Overall Dressage Index 80, Jumping Index 75

  • Scores of 9 & 9.5 on walk and 9 on character

 

5-Star Stallion with ISR/OldenburgNA

2011: Reserve Champion BLM Finals ~ Fourth Level

2010: USDF All-Breeds Awards ~ Westfalen 1st Third Level

2008: Champion Second Level ~ East Coast Pony Cup

2008: USDF Horse of the Year Awards 9th Second Level Jr/Yr

2008: USDF All-Breeds Awards ~ Westfalen 1st Second Level Jr/Yr, 2nd Second Level Open

2008: USDF Region 1 Reserve Champion Second Level Jr/Yr

2007: Fair Hill Breed Show, MD – Champion Stallion & Champion Mature Horse

2007: USDF/GAIG – Reserve Champion East Coast Stallion Final

Breeding Information

Breeding Fees & Contracts
$350 Per ICSI Session
Details: Allows for access to frozen semen for one Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) session performed at New Bolton Center.

Download Per ICSI Session Frozen Agreement

$350 Per Dose
Details: Frozen semen sold by the dose with no guarantee. 

Download 2024 Per Dose Frozen Agreement

$750 1-Season
Details: 1-Season multi-dose agreement completed when your mare maintains a pregnancy for 60-days. Contract allows for a maximum of six (6) doses of semen from the Stallion to produce one foal.

Download 2024 1-Season Frozen Agreement

$950 2-Season
Details:2-Season multi-dose agreement. Rebreed available for the 2025 season should your mare not produce a live foal after the 2024 breeding season. Contract allows for a maximum of six (6) doses of semen from the Stallion to produce one foal.

Download 2024 2-Season Frozen Agreement

Submit A Contract Online
Details: Visit the Book A Contract page to electronically submit your contract. This option allows you to quickly book and submit payment via PayPal or Credit Card. 

Book A Contract

Mare Information
Mare Management Reminders

At Hilltop Farm we want to work closely with you and your veterinarian to ensure a successful breeding season and are available for questions at any time. The following information includes some basic suggestions as well as reminders on a few requirements for your breeding contract.

A Breeding Soundness Exam including a uterine culture is recommended, but not required, for all mares prior to breeding. If a mare fails to settle after two breeding cycles, Hilltop Farm will require a culture and cytology to be done at that time prior to any additional shipments of semen. We always recommend your vet checking your mare post-breeding to confirm ovulation. If a mare hangs on to a follicle longer than expected, it can be less expensive to ship additional semen than it would be to breed a second complete cycle. Getting your mare settled in foal is just the beginning. We recommend multiple pregnancy checks to help prevent cases of twins, misdiagnosed pregnancies, or lost time in the breeding season. The following schedule is what we recommend; only the first and fourth checks however are required by your breeding contract.

  • 1st check (Required): 14-16 days post ovulation – optimum time for vet to pinch off a twin if more than a single ovulation is noted.
  • 2nd check (Recommended): 28 days post ovulation – to confirm a viable pregnancy as the heartbeat normally appears by day 25.
  • 3rd check (Recommended): 35-40 days post ovulation – to confirm maintained pregnancy prior to endometrial cup formation. Mares that slip foals early may not come back into heat.
  • 4th check (Required): 55-60 days post ovulation – final confirmation of pregnancy in its critical first trimester.

Following your mare’s 14-16 day pregnancy check, please have your vet complete the Mare Breeding Passport received with your semen shipment and return it to Hilltop Farm. Any changes in pregnancy status after the 14-16 day check must be communicated to Hilltop Farm immediately. This Passport is used in all stallion reports to various breed registries and is used to generate a Breeding Certificate so that you can register your foal.

 

Links and Downloads
Cooled Semen
Availability

Popeye is not available via cooled semen. Please see Frozen Semen for shipping costs and details on Popeye’s frozen semen.

Registration Information

 Your mare’s registration and approval play just as important of a role as the stallion’s approvals when determining registration options for your foal. Please keep in mind that in order to register your foal with a specific association, your mare may first need to be presented to that registry for approval. In addition to the registries a stallion is approved with, there may be additional registration options based on your mare’s eligibility and the stallion’s credentials. If you are confused at all on registration options for a potential foal, please speak with Hilltop Farm and your breed registry PRIOR to booking your breeding.

 

Popeye’s Approvals
  • ISR/Oldenburg
  • Westphalen
Frozen Semen
Availability
 

Frozen semen may be shipped year-round. Frozen semen is only shipped at the request of the breeder or their veterinarian, click here for instructions to Request A Semen Shipment.

Distribution Fee (per shipment)

Frozen Semen distribution is handled by Select Breeders Service, Inc. The Distribution Fee must be paid in advance of each shipment by check or credit card.

  • $440 for FedEx Overnight or $410 for FedEx 2-Day US shipments; $750 for Canadian shipments + duties/customs charges. These include round-trip FedEx shipping. $15 additional for Saturday delivery.
  • $170 for pick-up/return at Hilltop Farm or SBS with our container (does not include return by FedEx)
  • $55 for pick-up or shipment from SBS with own container (does not include return by FedEx); $55 additional client owned tank recharge fee for tanks that arrive warm.
  • $50 for each additional stallion if multiple stallions are being shipped together; $50 per each additional Mare Owner per shipment
  • Late Fee for requests received after the published notification time: $95
  • Container Deposit – $1350 (Secured by credit card – not charged unless container is not returned or is damaged)
Stallion Health Information
EVA: Negative, Vaccinated Annually
This stallion has been tested for and vaccinated against EVA.  Given his negative status, it is not necessary to vaccinate your mare prior to breeding to this stallion
WFFS Tested: Negative N/N
This stallion is not a carrier of Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome (WFFS) and may be breed to both non-carrier and carrier mares without risk. For additional information on WFFS visit the Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome page on our website.
Color Tested: Homozygous Black E/E
Popeye does not carry the red factor gene. He will not produce chestnut offspring.
Additional Testing Through Etalon Equine Genetics
Popeye has DNA on file with Etalon Diagnostics and is included in the Build-A-Horse module. With submission of your mare’s DNA, Etalon can provide feedback on potential characteristics of a foal resulting from Popeye and your mare. Use the code HILLTOP10 to receive a 10% discount off genetic testing through Etalon Equine Genetics.

etalon-equine-genetics-jumper-logo-txp

Offspring