By Chris Gould / CWHBA
Photography: Amanda Straughan
The 28th Fall Classic Breeders Sale, hosted by the Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association Alberta Chapter, will once again be held online in cooperation with Clip My Horse. Running from September 29 to October 3, the sale will feature nearly 50 quality Warmbloods, from foals to performance horses.
Following the successful sale tradition of its European counterparts, the CWHBA sale has established a reputation for reliable representation of quality horses that will fit every budget, drawing many repeat buyers over the years.
Among these repeat buyers is Paula Leweke breeder of the 2021 Canadian-bred Equestrian Canada Horse of the Year, Beneficial. Her dam, Ivy (Time Breaker - Willow x Wagner) was purchased by Paula as a two-year-old at the 2010 Fall Breeder's Classic Sale. She was bred and consigned by the Acton family from Saskatchewan.
Sired by Banderas x Balou du Rouet, Beneficial competes in the 1m50 classes, piloted by her owner Alicia Gadban-Lewis from Langley, BC. Ivy is just one of 12 horses Paula has purchased and developed from the sale over the years, either in person or online. Whether she buys online or in person, as in the past, Paula has had consistent results with her purchases by developing and selling them on to a variety of competitors in Canada and the United States.
Further proof of the sales impact in the breeding shed comes from another multi-horse supporter of the sale, Sandra Donnelly, who competed for Canada at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong in the three-day event. Her horse Buenos Aries (Bajazzo - Amphora x Arkansas) has an identical Fall Classic Sale connection. Her dam was purchased at one of the early sales at the prompting of Sandra’s mother Mary. This purchase proved to be foundational to a successful breeding program. Sandra has not only been an astute buyer, but has also been a regular consignor to the sale.
The sale is firmly established as an important fixture in the North American horse market. Each year a significant number of horses are sold to the United States and throughout Canada. Sales to Europe have been few, in spite of the low cost of transport from Canada, but the switch to an online sale has expanded the market reach and it is only a matter of time before more Europeans take advantage of the positive exchange rates and low transportation cost – approximately one half the cost of transporting horses from Europe to Canada.
