MANNOG APRIL BLUES: APHC USA 523866  APHC UK A.18   BAPS GD/M/1589

It was with great sadness that we had to euthanise our most beautiful and wonderful mare Mannog April Blues on 4th December 2018.  We tried all we could for her but unfortunately had to make the very hard decision to let her go.

Having had April since a foal she was probably one of the last surviving direct descendants of Amazing Blue in the UK.  She inherited his beauty, temperament, conformation, muscling and movement.  A multiple champion in hand from the beginning including  BAPS Supreme Champion in 1997 (when there was real competition then with 130 Appaloosas forward for the show) and ending with APHC UK Female Champion and  Reserve Supreme Champion in 2011 competing against some wonderful multi champion mares such as Constant White Magic and Capitall Lola (who was sired by her son Mannog Moonriver!).  With 12 in the mare class - numbers rarely seen nowadays - it was a huge achievement.  We did not overshow her as she had nothing to prove but her type is now rarely seen in the APHC UK halter classes these days.  However when we did take her out she was much admired and photographed.  We loaned her out for a few years to our friends in Hampshire (Gillian & Alex York Wright) so they could have some fun with her under saddle and she had an aptitude for jumping but we missed her so much we got her back! Richard would hack her out when he could and she was just so easy. The sweetest and gentlest of natures at all times.

April was our foundation mare and probably one of the most prolific  mares in the APHC UK of producing champion stock through her offspring of which there are too many to mention.  She was everything you could wish for in an Appaloosa  and still looked great at the age of 25 years plus she could still  party with the rest of the brood mare herd when she wanted to.

Thank you for everything APRIL  .  RIP.

"When we think of those companions who travelled by  our side down life's road , let us not say with sadness that they left us behind, but rather say with gentle gratitude that they once were with us"

With the 2018 monthly APHC USA International rankings coming out at the end of the show season there is much deserved congratulations  on the APHC UK facebook page (and the individuals own sites) .  However one remark "it is very rare for a stallion located in the UK to be listed" is somewhat incorrect. 

It is such a shame that the APHC UK appears to forget the past APHC USA registered UK stallions (including the best USA imports) listed in the International rankings including :

2004 Mannog Moonriver & APHC USA Grand Champion:  5 Entries Aged Stallions: 1st Mannog Moonriver. 2nd. Private B Riker. 3rd: Amazing Blue. 4th:Mannog Moonshadow. 5th:Wa Ha Dar.  

2009 Mannog Moonshadow & Reserve USA Grand Champion:   4 colts/stallions: 1st Mels Wa Ha American Star.  1st Rustlers Private Bill.  3rd Mannog Moonshadow. 4 th  Mannog Moonriver.

2010 Mannog Zips Rio Grande & APHC USA Grand Champion & 1st FPD Halter:  3 colts/stallions: 1st Mannog Zips Rio Grande. 1st. Mannog Zips Imagine. 1st. Wa Ha Dar

2013 Mannog Zips Candy Man & APHC USA Grand Champion:  3 colts/stallion: 1st. Mannog Zips Candy Man. 1st. Peyres Sully Cortez R. 2nd Amazing Technicolour. 

The Mannog Appaloosa Stud is the only Appaloosa stud to have gained FOUR APHC USA International Stallion listings in the UK and all home bred with proven American pedigrees.   Not such a rarity then. 

The current APHC USA points system is : Rule 701.A.  "All nationally pointed open classes shall count towards national point system based on awards.  Points shall be earned according to the number of horses shown and judged in a class as follows:

#of horses        1st   2nd   3rd

2                      1/2   

3-7                   1      1/2

The Grand Champion shall receive an extra  1 pt and the Reserve Grand 1/2 point.