Perry & Suzanne Perkins, published in Arabian Horse Times, Vol48 No6

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

Perkins | 1 | Ar abian Horse Times

P

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

Perkins | 2 | Ar abian Horse Times

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.” ■

Perkins | 3 | Ar abian Horse Times

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

P

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

Perkins | 8 | Ar abian Horse Times