Khvida of Solstice

Khvida’s (Katie) sire Izar was imported from Russia by Alexandr Chterba from the Starozhilovsky State Stud, where he was graded Elite-1 at his bonytkiokva (inspection). He was owned and trained by Nanette Sexton of Palm Beach, who schooled him up to Grand Prix. Sexton, a Harvard Ph.D. and great-niece of the famous sculptor Alexander Calder, was well-known for her equestrian pursuits, including her passion for dressage.

Katie’s dam Khvoia was imported from Russia by Tito Pontecorvo. She is a purebred Akhal-Teke, one of the world’s oldest breeds, originally from the deserts around Turkmenistan and now a keystone of Russian horse breeding. The Akhal-Teke has unique soft gaits, with a trot that snakes from side to side. They are legendary for their stamina, devotion to their humans, and ability to subsist on little forage and water. They provide great reliability and speed and are easy to train.  Akhal-Tekes have routinely performed well in the longest endurance rides in the world, including 2600 miles from Ashkhabad to Moscow with 300 miles of Kara Kum desert which is crossed in 3 days with only the water they can carry! 

Katie is part of the reconstruction project of the Russian Warmblood or Orlov-Rostopchin breed, undertaken in the US by Dr. Barbara Weber of Solstice Farms. The history of the Orlov-Rostopchin dates back to the middle of the 18th century, when Russia was breeding horses not only for carriage and military use, but also for dressage riding. Through its associations with the French court, the Tsarist upper class was introduced to and practiced horsemanship as an artistic pursuit, and the foremost breeders of that day were called upon to develop a riding horse which was to be the horse of the Russian court (Catherine the Great is said to have enlisted the talents of the Orlov brothers from the prominent land-owning family of the day).