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Appaloosa History
Friedrich Stocker

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Eulogy

What an awesome, unwelcome task lies before me... How do you say goodbye to a friend not only of ourselves personally, but also to the foundation Appaloosa?

For Friedrich Stocker of Austria was a great friend of the Appaloosa, and a friend to many ICAA members. Friedrich first made contact with ICAA (and US Appaloosa breeders) through the web site in 1998. He traveled around the world in his work, which was data storage. On his travels his first stop to a US breeder was Holly Robinson and Dick Foster in Nebraska. He purchased a filly from Dick that year. The next year he visited the Judson's in Colorado, and purchased a colt from them. In 2000, he searched for another mare and found her in New York state. This mare was bred before being shipped so Friedrich got a foal as well in 2001.

With those imported Appaloosas, and the ones that he already had in Austria, Friedrich was well on his way to a good foundation program in Austria. He was instrumental in founding the Austrian Foundation Appaloosa Breeders Association. He promoted the Appaloosa in Austria by showing in breed classes as well as riding on trail rides in the Austrian Alps. He got articles about Appaloosas published in European horse magazines. He usually supported the foundation Appaloosa ads in the Appaloosa Journal, and was a member of most US Appaloosa organizations.

His friend Peter Schnabel said that it was always Fritz who brought new knowledge and new bloodlines to Austria from the United States. On this side of the Atlantic, he gave friendship, and passion, and hope to us.

The young and talented and passionate are not supposed to go early - the world still needs them. We still need them - the Appaloosa still needs them.

However.... On December 14, 2004 Friedrich died in an automobile accident.

In the words of Alfred, one of Friedrich's best friends, we must go on living for the foundation Appaloosa spirit. Good advice, but rather hard to follow right now. All I can think of is how much his family and friends in Austria must be suffering his absence. And that this wonderful person is just gone.

Good bye, Friedrich, my friend. May you ride an Appaloosa on interesting trails with good companions, under perfect skies, to your heart's content. It is my wish for you.

~ Gretchen

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Getting To Know Friedrich

We became acquainted with Friedrich Stocker through e-mail in 1998. He had come across the ICAA web site, and was inquiring about the organization. He became a member shortly thereafter and we continued to correspond and get acquainted.

At the time Friedrich had three Appaloosas (out of the 80 registered Appaloosas in Austria):
"I have one mare, Cheyenne Fancy Free # 554396, Red Roan [Fewspot?], Foaled 1988 in Canada. Her sire: Ninja I, a Colida Bloodline and her dam: Cheyenne Summer, Paisano and Wimpy BloodLine."

"One Gelding: El Diego Chex #541650 Sire: Eliot Ciedy Chex," whom he later sold and then purcahsed another American Appaloosa mare.

"And One Stallion, Che Bug Going # 571053, Foaled 1998, bred by Friedrich." [I think Che was his first foal and the one who most likely gave him a bad case of 'spotted fever.'] Colt's sire: Ladybugs Flasher by Brightest Bug Going by Lady Bug's Moon by Top Moon, and his dam: Cheyenne Fancy Free: Colida, Paisano and Wimpy Blood Line.

He was a member of the Appaloosa Horse Club since 1996 and his interest was "the old blood line Appaloosas, but it is hard to get one in Austria." Appaloosas were his hobby. He was also a member of the Austrian Appaloosa Horse Club. Friedrich was also the founder of the Austrian Foundation breeders group.

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Friedrich's Travels - Nebraska

On his February 1999 trip to the U.S., he said he wanted to meet an ICAA member, and possibly do some riding. He was going to Kansas, so we connected Friedrich with Holly Robinson and Dick Foster in Nebraska, the closest-to-Kansas ICAA members at the time.

The visit went well even though it was February. He and Holly went riding for a short time only, because, as Holly reported: "The weather was pretty nice, [Nebraskanese for 'not a tornado'?] but the wind was blowing 45 to 50 miles per hour.  Friedrich and I went riding.  We only went about 3/4 mile from home.  The wind was blowing so hard it made it hard to ride and the horses were a little spooky."

Later they visited the Dick Foster Ranch. Friedrich was quite taken with the Foster ranch and Dick's Appaloosa herd. I think he could imagine himself as a cowboy with Indians on the horizon. He wanted to come back to the Foster's when he could stay longer and go up into the pastures where you can ride all day without seeing anyone or anything but pasture.  He said "you cannot do that in Austria, it is mountains and not much open space."  He was amazed at how far you could see and how much open land there was. Friedrich arranged to purchase his first American Appaloosa from Dick Foster. He selected a filly, Dude Tuff Jungle. She was by Deacon's Dude #558548, out of Tuff Jungle #336963.

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Colorado

Later that summer Friedrich was on a business trip to the western United States. Again he wanted to ride so we pointed him in the direction of ICAA member John Judson, who operates a guest ranch and raises foundation Appaloosas on the Quarter Circle Circle Ranch near Gunnison, Colorado.

Friedrich again had a delightful and successful visit, and purchased another Appaloosa. This time it was a yearling colt, (O Cochetopa Print (or Buddy), sired by the Judson's senior herd sire, Cochetopa Smoke A-1173 and out of a Dick Foster mare, Deacon's Jungle, N-418490.

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Pennsylvania

By now Friedrich had learned much about foundation Appaloosa lines, both from Dick Foster and John Judson. John is a passionate breeder of the Candy F-320 line of horses, as the Quarter Circle Circle Ranch is the birthplace of Candy F-320. The two of them did a good job on indoctrinating Friedrich into the foundation Appaloosa, especially the Candy line. So it came as no surprise that Friedrich's next addition was specified to be a Candy line mare, and would I help him find one? Horse hunting is always fun, so sure, I would be happy to search for a mare. Well my first thought was John, but guessed that Friedrich and John had already communicated. I didn't have any, being more or less retired from breeding. I figured any 'Ulrich bred' horse was essentially a Candy horse, so I went internet searching. By mid-July I had found a candidate - a mare that seemed to fit Friedrich's requirements. After a long and furious day of e-mailing, Friedrich purchased John's Pride and Joy (Elly) from John Kreider at Sawyer Creek Appaloosas in New York state.

Elly was an Ulrich Kingpin daughter, out of a mare I had slobbered over years before, Snow Fury's Leopard Storm, because she was Argentine Appaloosa bred. John Kreider found her before I did, so he owned this treasure who came from the Pine Forest Appaloosa Ranch located in Georgia a long time ago. I was thrilled with Elly's pedigree as well as Friedrich [after I explained the beauty of her pedigree to him : )]. She was a bay fewspot, very heavily leopard bred, so I knew Friedrich ought to get great color from her. I had offered to breed the mare he bought if she were not already bred, if Friedrich wanted, and at no cost to him. Elly was not bred, so she was shipped to Wolf Oak Appaloosas in Pennsylvania in August. We bred her to WOA Sarcee Olepi (one of our 'Candy, but-not-Ulrich stallions). By the third week of September she was on her way to Texas for quarantine, and then in October she arrived in Austria.

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Friedrich then visited us in early September, while Elly was still here. Maybe he wanted to see if his new mare was what he imagined. :) He seemed very pleased with her. We had an enjoyable visit and it was just super to meet such a wonderful person and foundation Appaloosa enthusiast. I loaded him him with extra back issues of Appaloosa News, Sundance and the ICAA Report. We visited the only 2000 foal by Sarcee Olepi - Sarcee's Cocheta, who is owned by Freya Phillips. I was hoping that Friedrich would get a Sarcee/Elly foal that was as beautiful as Cocheta. Shortly thereafter Elly was shipped to Texas for the quarantine, and then was flown to Austria, following in the footsteps of Dude Tuff Jungle and Buddy. Elly arrived in great shape - and still pregnant. This was extra good news because his Foster mare, Dude, had aborted her Buddy foal. And thus began the long wait until Elly foaled.

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Double F Appaloosas of Austria

Friedrich decided on Double F for the name of his foundation Appaloosa program in Austria. One "F" for Foster and one "F" for Friedrich. Dick Foster was a big influence on Friedrich's view of the Appaloosa world. I think it was really neat that he honored Dick Foster in this manner. Friedrich also designed his logo - I can remember helping him hash out the wording for it.

In 2000, Friedrich's first Appaloosa filly from his Dick Foster mare, Dude Tuff Jungle, was foaled. He named her Double Nightwind. She looks like a copy of her mom. Her sire was Ladybugs Flasher #488879, the same as Che Bug Going. Friedrich said: "My friends like her. One of them, a veterinarian, said it is one of the best foals she has ever seen and it will be a great horse." Friedrich was very proud of this filly - the first ICAA filly foaled in Europe!
That same year, Cheyenne Fancy Free delivered a filly, Double Kon-It by Straw Castle King #530104, a Roman's Straw Man, Mighty Bright, Top Hat H bred stallion. Double Kon-It is now owned by Alfred Marek. Alfred is quite pleased with her!

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The fall of 2000, Friedrich took Buddy to his first horse show, where he placed second behind a Quarterloosa in the Appaloosa breed class. Friedrich said: "He (Buddy) could not win against an ApHC registered Quarter Horse. On the first place was a buckskin Horse (Absarokee Sunset line). Have a look at the picture." He went on to say: "This is one reason why I spend so much energy to promote the true Appaloosa - because everybody is thinking an Appaloosa is a spotted Quarter Horse as a paint is. The second reason why he is second is, the judges in Europe are Quarter people."
[Does that sound all-too-familiar?]

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The following year, 2001, Elly presented Friedrich with the most beautifully colored leopard colt of all the foals we ever had. [Wouldn't you know?] I had figured Friedrich wanted a filly so was somewhat sorry it was a colt. It turned out however that Friedrich was pleased as punch with a colt - especially one colored like Candy Mitakoza. In an e-mail Friedrich said: "I am happy to have a colt. It was my dreaming to have a three colored colt carrying those famous bloodlines he does - now I own one  - thank you for everything!!!"

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Friedrich and Dude Tuff Jungle did a 5 day trail ride across the Alps, 130 Miles, in the summer of 2001. Dude was one of the horses still running at the end. Quarter Appaloosas, Quarter Horses, Arabians and Arabian Mix, and others did not so well. But two horses were the best: two Austrian "Haflinger," but the Haflinger were in a very good condition and trained very well.

Friedrich's passion for the foundation Appaloosa continued to grow. He started his own web site as well as getting a Foundation Appaloosa Breeder's group started in Europe, with their own web site. He got articles written in European horse magazines. He said he was writing a book himself, about the bloodlines that he liked. All the while he was breeding, training, advertising, showing and promoting his own horses, and keeping me informed on the progress of Candy Mitakoza, and all his Appaloosas.

The visit to the Foster's in 2002 yielded a big present for Friedrich. Dick Foster gave Friedrich his last (literally) colt. He was sent to Canada for training and finally arrived in Austria. He was named Legendary Deacon (Joker). In 2003 there were 3 foals born out of Joker: no spots. "I use Joker as my saddle horse but do not breed him again."

In fall of 2002, when it came time for an Appaloosa Journal ad, Friedrich said that at "the time Candy Boy is a little out of balance because he is growing one time in the back and one time in the front. I hope I can picture him before he get his winter coat.

Today we gelded Buddy. [Because he was unable to be registered with the ApHC.] It was a hard time for me but think it was the best I could do. On September 25, I will take him to a horse trainer for starting him as a saddle horse. He later reported that after two months at the trainers he was riding Buddy, and loved it, but "for me he is little too small (14.37 hands)."

September 26 to 29(2002) is the Austria Western Horse Show. Beside the AQHA shows there are Appaloosa shows too. I am going to show Elly in Halter Open, Broodmare Halter open and the Austrian Champion Halter. The Judges are from USA. Elly is in training specially for this show for one month. At first I thought I will show Candy in Most Colorful too but at the end I will wait another year and give him more time to enjoy himself by running in the pasture. Let us see what we can do there and what the judges think about a 93% Foundation Appaloosa Horse.

Later Friedrich reported that Elly did a good job, she was cool and relaxed. We got the 2th place in Halter Broodmares (out of 3). The Judges were looking for big ( quarter type) horses. So we could not get any place in other Halter classes.

Friedrich continued showing in 2003. "Last weekend I went to a horse show for 4 days. I showed Elly 4 times a day. It was great and a big thing for the Foundation Appaloosa."

Candy Mitakoza's training progressed. Friedrich said: "I am pleased. He is learning fast. At the beginning he was a little nervous but after a week he is quiet. I do a half an hour work every two days with him. But I will stop in few weeks and let him be a horse till next summer. In the springtime, I will start him in Halter for the Appaloosa show in September.

In August 2003, Friedrich reported: Candy is in training and doing good. I know it is too early but he does so fine we could not wait to get up on his back. At the time he is changing his look from a colt to a young stallion. Candy got his first horseshoes yesterday - he was very cool, did not kick and walked away like a dancer. My plan is to promote Candy for the next breeding season as a sire. By November Friedrich was working on a new home page for promoting Candy as a SIRE for the 2004 breeding season all over Europe. "I am going to offer shipped semen too."

In November 2003, Friedrich scared me by saying that "A little part of the bone of Candy's left hind leg was broken away. He was 14 Days in a Vet Hospital so we could not go to the ApHC show. But now he is running and jumping and has no more problems." [Whew!! But darn, he missed the show]

Also in 2003 Friedrich branched out into Quarter horses. He said he was sharing the Quarterhorses, 2 mares and 1 stallion for next year with a friend. "We breed these horses for QH professional competitions."

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Afterword...

Like the foundation people in the U.S., Friedrich also encountered the bigotry against the foundation Appaloosa in Austria. He reported there is a big discussion in Austria coming up about what is a Foundation Horse and what is a foundation breeder. The discussion is very hard now because the people of the modern looking “ Quarter Horse Heads” are very strong because the ApHC is behind them. The ApHC people argue with: the Foundation Horse is bad looking, can not compete in any ApHC competition,  is hard to ride and has a no friendly mind. [In a nutshell] a foundation horse = bad conformation, but color.

This attitude can still be found in the modern Appaloosa proponent this very instant. I think more than the public's perception of the Appaloosa, how our "Own" people look at them is much more devastating. Until that attitude changes, the ApHC will not progress - or at the very least, progress as it could. Did this cause Friedrich to look to Quarterhorses? To geld both Buddy and Mitakoza? I don't know, but it was certainly possible. 

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From Friedrich

One of the most things I am proud for is being a friend of the foundation appaloosa community and having friends there. No one other than you made this happen, thank you very much for this. I found a friend in you, John [Judson] and Dick Foster and I think in many other Appaloosa people too. For all of this I would like to say thank you.

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My Thanks to Friedrich

Finally, to you, Friedrich, I would like to say thank you for the privilege of your friendship. My horses and I were honored to have known you. I am so sorry that I did not get on an airplane so I could visit you. I am most sorry you are not still with us to continue what you started - and started so beautifully, with such vigor and passion.

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