Golden Gambler.

Golden Gambler fit the bill to perfection. I chose Gambler for his intelligence, beauty, willing disposition, and of course for his wonderful 4 beat gait, both under saddle and at liberty. Before I chose him as my “herd sire” I went on a trail ride with Stephanie riding Gambler and me on my TWH mare. I was so impressed by the way he behaved and his nice gait, that when she asked me if I would like to ride him, I didn’t hesitate long before I was up and enjoying the ride. I must say that surprised me, because I am not an expert rider and I am afraid of stallions. I had watched Gambler and Stephanie interact for a while and did not feel threatened by him. I have known Steph and Gambler for several years now and still choose him as my herd sire. His behavior has always been impeccable and he is a joy to be around. I'll paraphrase from his website since it describes him to a T:

Intelligence. This is a trait that Gambler had in vast amounts. He loves to learn and therefore has been exceptionally easy to train.

Disposition. Gambler's disposition is second to none. While Gambler has a great deal of presence, he is also very laid back. He is a perfect gentleman in every sense of the word. He is ridden with geldings and mares in heat and doesn’t take one step out of line. Gambler loves people of all ages, but is especially fascinated with children. He is pictured at right with three year old Cassidy Newman. The photo was taken in 2005 by Maggie Moore for her book, Walking With Friends.

Gait. Gambler is 100% naturally gaited. Gambler has a 100% natural 4-beat running walk and a fantastic smooth, fast rack. He performs his gaits the way that the Walking Horse was meant to: with no artificial aids and no special technique required. He has never been shod and performs his gaits at liberty. Not only are his gaits smooth, but he is surefooted as well. He easily navigates steep inclines and declines and treads rough terrain carefully and precisely.

Conformation. Gambler's conformation is excellent. His neck is absolutely perfect...it comes out of his shoulder just right and has a gorgeous natural arch to it. It is long, elegant, and shapely. His shoulder is large and sloping. His tail is set high and he carries it with a natural, old-time "waterspout arch." Gambler has an incredibly expressive face: his large, soft eyes help indicate his kind disposition; his muzzle is tapered, well formed and gives him an inquisitive look; his ears are shapely and expressive; his profile strong and refined at the same time. His hooves are as hard and strong as a mustang's. He has never been shod and can travel over gravel and rocky terrain without taking a lame step.

Bloodlines. Gambler's bloodlines are a unique blend of the western working bloodlines through his sire, Blue Gold (who goes back to Roy Roger's own "Trigger Jr." aka Allen's Gold Zephyr), and the old eastern show lines through his dam, Cindy's Image-GH. We believe that this unique blend gave Gambler the best of both worlds. Not only is he a gorgeous, showy stallion, he's also a truly versatile and usable mount. Gambler's bloodlines are also unique in that he does not trace back to Pride of Midnight H.F. or The Pusher C.G. This makes him an EXCELLENT outcross for mares who are heavily linebred to those sires.

Color. Gambler's striking color is the icing on the cake. He is a true gold with jet black points and silver frosting in his mane and tail (the frosting is believed to be caused by the same gene that gives you flaxen manes and tails on chestnuts). Gambler has been DNA tested by UC Davis. He is homozygous (AA) for the agouti (bay modifier). This means that he CAN NOT produce black or smokey black foals even when bred to black mares! Instead, he will produce buckskin or bay.

Prepotency. The traits listed above are what made Gambler a "stallion prospect", but it is his proven ability to pass these traits on that have made him our herdsire and a true "breeding stallion." His foals have inherited more than just their sire's good looks and cream gene. His foals have inherited Gambler's natural gaits, disposition, personality, and intelligence.

For more information on Golden Gambler visit Westwood Farms.
See his foal gallery for foals produced or the studbook for foals coming!

And best of all, Golden Gambler is a PROVEN CROSS on the Last Chance line!