​GFS Sporthorses
Here at GFS we developed a specialist horse breeding program originally based in the heart of the Cotswolds and run in conjunction with the existing mixed livestock farm that had operated from this address for many generations. In 2018 following our retirement from the farming aspect and with the business requiring more specialist facilities, we relocated to a rather special Equestrian property in the Devon countryside on the outskirts of Exeter where we continue to indulge our passion for breeding our rather special horses.
ABOUT US
From its concept, GFS Stud has been a labour of love. Many years have been spent developing our 'brand' and breeding the type of horses that we aimed to produce, having the undeniable quality, temperaments, ability and sheer beauty without compromise. The horses are very much a source of pride and a joy born of an almost obsessive passion to produce an equine 'living fairy tale'.
Our horses are bred for sheer pleasure and are specifically aimed at a discerning market, catering to enthusiasts of superbly bred, high quality sporthorses of extraordinary beauty and faultless temperament. The aim is to breed horses of a lifetime who will have had the very best start in life and arrive in their new homes with trusting natures, excellent manners and ready to perform willingly in any job asked of them.
We breed up to fourteen foals a year, using a selection of top quality mares sourced from all over Europe to compliment our stallions with the specific purpose of breeding attractive horses of excellent conformation, athletic versatility and exceptional temperament – the type of horse that can be relied upon as a true partner and trusted friend in any and all situations.
Our breeding goals are to produce a horse that has a calm confidence and the physical ability to compete across each of the three major disciplines. A horse who is both a pleasure to own for amateur and professional riders alike.
Our breeding program stems from the selection of carefully chosen bloodlines and decisions are made with real intention and attention to detail. This is critical when breeding future sport horses of true versatility, rideability and good temperament. We strive to breed through studying the bloodlines; their physical and ancestral potential and probability capable of both reaching a high level of competition in the right hands and yet equally to retain the balanced mind and character that would also make them a horse still suitable for the more leisure oriented rider.
Our speciality is producing these wonderful animals in a variety of unusual colours, patterns and often with the rare and mystical 'iridescent coat', a legacy of our stallions ancient Akhal Teke origin either directly or through the lovely natured all round splash of Kinsky ancestry.
Our horses benefit from an idyllic existence on the rolling pastures that surround the farm. Living a life as natural as possible from birth, but with the benefit of developing close ties and trust of human company. Their exposure to the chaos, noise and the natural bomb-proofing that comes with living on a working farm, combined with careful age appropriate training this makes our young horses very well rounded and relaxed characters from day one. Something that our clients always comment on and perhaps the reason that we have so many repeat clients!
If you are serious about buying top quality, well handled, carefully bred foals and youngstock of sound wind, limb and mind we hope that you will find what you are looking for here at Gassons Farm. We pride ourselves on having one of the largest selection of foals and young horses available for viewing in one place!
We only sell from May to October each year, but are always delighted to welcome guests to view our horses and to talk through any requirements or answer any questions.
Our horses are 'top end', but they remain reasonably priced and we strive to keep the prices both realistic and sensible in terms of cost of production and work involved.
A GFS horse has had the very best opportunity to become the best they can be regarding breeding providence, welfare, handling and health care from day one! We do not breed by accident or whim, our horses are bred with absolute professionalism from conception to the moment they leave us.
Our resident stallions are Paddy of Liosin, GFS Fire and Ice, GFS Eskimo Jo and GFS Lord of the Dance. They have been selected because aside from their stunning colours, conformation and athletic prowess they are simply the most gentle and generous natured stallions you could hope to meet. Their offspring speak for themselves!
Our mares are all carefully selected for our stallions, are also Graded and are of such stand alone quality that we expect them to bring as much to the quality, temperament and capability to the foals we produce as our stallions.
ALL OF OUR STALLIONS ARE GRADED WITH THE ANGLO EUROPEAN STUDBOOK AND TESTED WFFS FREE.
ALTHOUGH ALL ARE FULLY LICENSED OUR STALLIONS RARELY STAND AT PUBLIC STUD.
​GFS Fire and Ice.
This unique coloured warmblood colt was bred by us and is currently the only perlino leopard spotted warmblood stallion in existence to our knowledge. Standing at 16.3hh this truly outstanding young horse is showing enormous talent both over fences and in the dressage arena where he is being slowly and carefully produced using classical dressage principles.
His sire was our own Colourthyme Kajika and his dam is a most impressive NTR thoroughbred mare Folly's Rock by the legendary eventing stallion Rock King and out of the prolific sire of eventing stock Bohemond.
'Ice' is a big moving young horse with rhythmic, balanced and powerful motion though all gaits. He has an effortless jump with a natural text book bascule. His foals are consistently of superb type, athletic paces and wonderful disposition. They all inherit his beautiful head, powerful, compact conformation and kind,outgoing character.
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GFS Lord of the Dance
One of our junior stallions. At five years old 'Django' as he is known at home has spent the winter schooling and learning the fundamentals of classical dressage training before commencing his jumping work this summer. He is a highly talented young horse who is immensely powerful and is being produced slowly and carefully to develop his skill set without overfacing him too soon as he is still physically immature.
He stands at 16.3hh and is a kind and gentle stallion with impeccable manners both in and out of the stable.
His foals to date have been quite exceptional in their physical qualities and their enormous athletic scope.
GFS Eskimo Jo​
Standing at a mighty 18hh. This five year old stallion has the most incredible brain for learning and rarely needs to have things explained many times. For such a big horse he is remarkably light on his feet and has thrived this winter being trained using classical dressage principles. He will commence his jumping training this summer and with a maternal pedigree that is of such superb jump bred ancestry and solid proven competition providence on that of his sires we will be looking forward to seeing how he progresses.
This stallion is a wonderful character, quite naughty and full of fun but definitely with a heart of gold.
He has covered three mares this year and we are eagerly anticipating those foals next year.
Paddy of Liosin.
We bought Paddy in utero along with his dam who was kept there to be returned in foal from the Liosin Stud in Ireland. He has been notably special from day one. He is a very correct and balanced young stallion with a very impressive presence, powerful, active paces and a natural affinity for people.
Standing at 17.2hh. He is kind, trainable and incredibly gentle without losing any of the masculinity and charisma that makes a stallion stand apart from others. He is a proven sire of really super versatile riding horses of high trainability, good action and a powerful jump.
Paddy is the sire of our junior stallion GFS Eskimo Jo
Colourthyme Kajika
Now sold
Kinsky/Oldenburg/Trakehner/ Knabstrupper warmblood bred from some exceptional and rare European bloodlines. His bloodlines can be traced back to the legendary racehorse Eclipse!
Kajika Possesses excellent conformation and movie star good looks. He is an intelligent horse who moves like a dream and has been proven to compliment a variety of mares, always producing incredibly beautiful foals of exceptional quality and frequently amazing colours. He is proven to be a suitable sire for both ​horses and ponies. He throws a lot of height and passes on his good nature, fabulous movement and undeniably pretty head.
​Destello
(Deceased)
Destello was imported by us from Estonia as a yearling, he brings both ancient and modern bloodlines that are as rare as they are sought after. He is a cremello warmblood that is unique in this country as his breeding contains no Kinsky or German warmblood in his impressive pedigree. His Akhal- Teke and Russian Trakehner ancestry have been painstakingly bred from highly prized and jealously guarded Russian breeding programs. He brings a whole new dimension to breeding possibilities in this country with much of his bloodline unavailable until his arrival from Estonia. Destello is bred from a long line of high performance eventing, dressage, show jumping and endurance horses making him an ideal sire of offspring destined for disciplines. Not only will he throw the highly desirable dilute colours but also the mystical and highly prized ethereal 'metallic' coat and physically tough constitution and muscular skeletal frame of his Akhal Teke breeding.
Destello's breeding can be traced directly and without interruption or missing link to the three founding Arab stallions of the thoroughbred breed; Godolphin Arabian, Bryerly Turk and Darley Arabian. He is also directly related to the foundation stallions of the Trakehner breed; Pythagoras, Dampfross, Tempelhuter and Perfectionist.
His ancestry is an outstanding testament to the purity of his breeding and single minded determination to produce the ultimate equine athlete. Yet to prove himself, we lost Destello to a tragic accident as a rising six year old. He was an incredibly bred young young horse who showed early signs of exceptional promise and who certainly brought exciting new bloodlines to the UK which was an exciting step for us and the future of Sport horses of British breeding.
Destello stood at 16.3hh. always an incredible athlete with expressive and powerful movement, enormous presence and has a wonderful kind temperament. Destello had the true iridescent sheen of his Akhal Teke ancestry which made him a most incredible shimmering silver. This amazing sheen was notably passed to his few offspring in varying degrees.
Destello is the sire of our junior stallion GFS Lord of the Dance who as a rising four year old displays many of his sire's physical attributes as well as his gentle nature and keen intelligence.
IF WE CAN BREED BEAUTIFUL HORSES OF ABSOLUTE QUALITY, WHO PROVE VERSATILE, CAPABLE AND WILLING. IF THEY BRING HAPPINSS AND PRIDE TO THEIR OWNERS AND ARE A PLEASURE TO DEAL WITH IN ALL WAYS....WE HAVE ACHIEVED WHAT WE SET OUT TO DO.