2016 black Dutch Warmblood stallion, 16.2hh

Special D x Orchis (Jazz)

Introductory Level Dressage

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Opal was one of just three stallions we purchased when we were first bringing Warmbloods to RTS. We weren't originally planning on bringing Warmblood stallions to RTS but when we were on the lookout for a few competition mares Elizabeth ran across his sales add and her husband, who is RTS' Dressage and Warmblood aficionado, fell absolutely in love with his dam line. After seeing his dam line he researched into him further and watched a few videos and ultimately convinced Elizabeth that she absolutely had to bring him to RTS. When Opal arrived at the property he was even more confident in his decision to bring him home. He is incredibly hot and sensitive, James calls him a typical "Jazz", but he is also incredibly confident and willing. In the pasture he is in one of our "bachelor herds" with a couple other stallions and they all rough house and play chase together and he happily sits second in command to our big boy, Fremont. Once he's in hand he prances and dances and while he is not easy to handle he is also not dangerous in any way, he has never offered to kick, bite, buck, or rear in hand. We learned very quickly that he does not stand tied well and he likes to prance and fidget so we typically give him a "chew rope" (aka an old lead rope) to keep him occupied while we groom and do show prep. Opal is also one of the horses that we have to lunge for 20 or so minutes before hopping on his back just to give him time to get his head into work. Once you are on his back Opal is still hot and sensitive so he needs a rider that is quiet in the saddle, confident, and consistent. He does not react well to harsh handling and due to his power he is more than likely going to toss a harsh rider in the dirt. Opal can be a difficult ride but he is intelligent and incredibly willing once you get his brain into work mode so that makes him a lot of fun for a confident advanced rider who enjoys a talented but difficult horse. He may be hot and sensitive but Opal is the furthest thing from spooky and is actually incredibly confident and brave. When he sees something new he doesn't bolt or rear or anything, at most he may sidestep or get "snorty" but that's about it. When he isn't training or competing his rider likes to take him out on the trails and even pop him over a few of the low cross country jumps to keep his mind happy and engaged. He'll never be an Eventer or Show Jumper and probably won't produce them either but he has a cute jump and he enjoys it. When riding a test you can easily see the barely contained power and it makes his rides absolutely electric to see which should be extremely helpful as he moves up the levels. If it was personality alone that made James bring Opal to RTS he may have been gelded and just brought up the levels like any show horse on one of the advanced rider's strings but he also has a stunning build, gorgeous movement, and a fantastic pedigree going for him as well. Opal is incredibly modern with a huge and powerful hip, long elegant legs, a strong shoulder, and beautiful head and neck. His stunning build gives him beautiful natural carriage and they work together to give him three fantastic gaits. His walk is big and active, his trot his bold and beautiful, and his canter is big and scopey. Opal shows a lot of talent for upper level movements and collection and a lot of promise for the top levels of Dressage. That talent isn't surprising when you look at his pedigree. He is sired by the talented upper level Dressage stallion, Special D, who brings to his pedigree the likes of Olympic Ferro and G Ramiro Z through his sire Metall and his dam line is known for producing quality movement as well. Sire lines are what a lot of people look at when looking at potential breeding horses but it's his damline that really drew Elizabeth to Opal. His dam by herself is amazing and has the highest Dressage index of any mare outside of Holland and she's out of one of the highest ranked Dressage mare lines in Holland with her dam being one of the top three or four producing mares, not to mention the fact that she is sired by Jazz as well. Opal really has everything going for him as both a potential upper level Dressage horse and a future breeding stallion and we can't wait to see where he goes.