P E R R Y and SUZANNE PERKINS
SMALL BREEDERS D E L I V E R I N G B I G T I M E R ES U LTS W I T H T H R E E N AT I O N A L C H A M P I O N S H I P S I N H A LT E R by
Catherine Cole Ferandelli
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Perry and Suzanne Perkins with, JB Hometown Hottie, 13 Time National Champion and 4 Time National Reserve Champion and I Believe FF, U.S. National Champion and 4 Time U.S. National Reserve Champion.
Perry Perkins and his wife, Suzanne, storied breeders of Arabian horses for over four decades, have as
much spirit, scrutiny and passion for breeding great horses as ever. “Maybe even more so,” laughs Perry. “To say that the 2017 U.S. Nationals was good and gratifying to our breeding program,” he continues, “is an
understatement. Nowadays we breed only one or two mares a year. We brought three horses to Tulsa and all
three came away as national champions in their division!” Arguably it’s a remarkable achievement by these self-proclaimed small breeders of Arabian and Half-Arabian prized bloodstock.
Though producing significantly smaller numbers of late, Perry and Suzanne are no strangers to the winners’ circle—past or present. Perry remembers, “At the height of our numbers, we had around a dozen mares producing annually. Those who have been in the industry over time remember some of our proudest
accomplishments.” Indeed, to know Perry and Suzanne’s breeding contributions to the Arabian horse industry is to know the stuff that makes legends.
How did the Perkins get ‘bitten’ by the Arabian horse bug? For both Perry and Suzanne, the answer is quite
similar to great breeding itself … genetics. Perry is the nephew of Dr. Bert Husband, one of several mid-20th
century visionaries who raised the Arabian horse breed from a small registry to the vast domestic and global
industry of today. Perry is nostalgic, “Uncle Bert has been my mentor as long as I can remember. A successful physician, he had a scientific mind and a sense of curiosity. This sense drew him into learning all he could
about genetics and breeding. Uncle Bert proved that to breed great bloodstock, one had to breed the best
to the best. And even then, there were no guarantees. He proved this time and again with his most famous
result being the iconic Khemosabi, by Amerigo.” Perry chuckles, “When Uncle Bert purchased Khemosabi’s
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dam, Jurneeka, the price was more than he and Aunt Ruth had paid for their home. Aunt Ruth told
Uncle Bert he had lost his mind! But breeding the best to the best, he made his point. And no one received more joy from their horses than Uncle Bert.”
Inspired by his mentor and affected by this fervor, Perry bought his first Arabian, a bay gelding by
Witezar from foundation breeder Burr Betts. Perry looks back, “We bought our first Arabian for the kids. From there, the wonder of Arabian horse ownership grew to breeding our own.” Taking Uncle
Bert’s words to heart of “you cannot breed with the heart, because there are no brain cells in the
heart,” Perry studied Arabian horse pedigrees and gene pools with every spare moment. Two results
of this meticulous labor of love were Baskhemo (*Bask x Khara Mia, by Khemosabi) and The Chief
Justice (*Bask x Sey Cherie), both breeding stallions who went on to make their own mark siring multiple national champions.
Native to Lexington, Kentucky, Suzanne has her own third generation genetic origins of passion
for all things equine. In the early years of the 20th century, Suzanne’s uncle, Walter Baker, was one
of the first equine judges for the then newly formed American Horse Show Association (AHSA,
now known as USEF). Early on, Suzanne created opportunities to be with horses; even to the tune
of neighbors’ calling her mother to proclaim, “Suzanne has stolen our pony to ride … again!” Like all little girls of her era, Suzanne dreamed of riding a golden Palomino, having a true schoolgirl
crush on Roy Rogers (“all I wanted to do was ride Trigger!”). Young Suzanne worked, scrimped and saved, paying fifty dollars for her first horse, a Standardbred gelding named Sir. Later while living
in Southern California, she acquired her first Arabian, a real McCoy-bred mare named WA Silver
Lace. Around this time, Bob and Dixie North who lived nearby, bought their first Arabian. A dear life-long friendship ensued. Unbeknownst then to Suzanne, Perry bought his first Arabian horse
virtually at the same time. When they met in 1976, both owned Arabian horses. They wed in 1982. Always seeking knowledge and expertise, Suzanne studied, acquired and kept multiple judges’ cards for nearly three decades, including: Arabian and Half-Arabian, Andalusian/Lusitano, Friesian,
Morgan and Miniature Pony. Her judging jobs spanned the globe.
Nevertheless, Suzanne’s Palomino passion never abated. After a ten-year absence from horses,
both Suzanne and Perry dove head first into fulfilling her dream of breeding national champion
quality Half-Arabian Palominos. Says Perry, “Despite small breeder numbers, our results have been spectacular. Nearly every year, one of our progeny ends up in the winner’s circle at U.S. Nationals.
For 2018 we plan to breed our Three Times Alady FF to Vitorio TO, and Uptown Hottie FF
to Soul Of Marwan AS. Davincis Ebony GA embryos are getting great attention too, with our
approval of the sire.”
For Perry and Suzanne, the future beckons bright. “Yes, breeding great horses is always a roll of the dice; particularly when you breed but one or two mares a year. But when you’re coupling the genes
of an ‘eleven’ in terms of great dams and sires, you magnify the odds of hitting it out of the park and creating your next home-bred national champion.” ■
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Perry Perkins receives the 2013 AHT Readers’ Choice Award for Half-Arabian Halter horse, JB Hometown Hottie.
Boyz Willbe Boyz
FF
(Vitorio TO X Three Times ALady FF+) 2016 Black H/A Gelding
2017 U.S. National Champion Breeders Sweepstakes H/A Yearling/Gelding Colt 2017 Scottsdale Champion H/A Junior Gelding 2017 Region 1 Champion Breeders Sweepstakes H/A Yearling Colt/Gelding Shown by Sandro Pinha Proudly owned and bred by Suzanne & Perry Perkins
Davincis Ebony (Da Vinci FM x Ebony By Valentino) 2014 Black H/A Mare
2017 U.S. National Champion H/A Mare S/H 3 & Over 2017 U.S. Reserve National Champion H/A Futurity Filly 2017 Scottsdale Reserve Champion H/A Senior Mare 2016 U.S. National Champion H/A 2-Year-Old Filly 2015 U.S. National Champion H/A Breeders Sweepstakes Yearling Filly Shown by Rodolfo Guzzo Proudly owned by Suzanne & Perry Perkins
GA
Uptown Hottie (Vitorio TO x JB Hometown Hottie+//) 2015 Chestnut H/A Filly
FF
2017 U.S. National Champion H/A 2-Year-Old Filly 2016 US National Top Ten H/A Breeders Sweepstakes YearlingFilly Shown by Sandro Pinha Proudly owned and bred by Suzanne & Perry Perkins
Three Times Alady (Aria Impresario x PF Just Peachy Keen) 2013 Palomino H/A Mare
3 Time U.S. Reserve National Halter Champion Dam of U.S. National Champion Boyz Willbe Boyz FF Proudly owned and bred by Suzanne & Perry Perkins
FF
PF
I BELIEVE FF
Just Peachy Keen
DA Valentino x PF Just Peachy Keen U.S. National Champion 4 Time U.S. Reserve National Champion
EASTER C
Eden C x PF Just Peachy Keen U.S. National Reserve Champion Multi-National Top Ten
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COUNT ME IN FF
Magnum Psyche x PF Just Peachy Keen U.S. National Top Ten
THREE TIMES ALADY FF
Aria Impresario x PF Just Peachy Keen 4 Time U.S. Reserve National Champion
EASY DOES IT FF
Eccentric Valentino x PF Just Peachy Keen Multi-National Top Ten
National winning Half-Arabians bred by Perry and Suzanne Perkins, out of ASHA mare, PF Just Peachy Keen.
PERRY AND SUZANNE PERKINS Santa Barbara, California JPerryPerkins@yahoo.com | Suzanne@suzanneperkins.com
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