Bootin' Digger Equine at Red Hawk Ranch

Founded as Bootin' Digger Equine in 1991, Red Hawk Ranch is known today for breeding top quality Oldenburg Dressage horses from a program that Bridges Performance with Character.

Based on the breeding principal that superior quality for the future can only come from the best quality Mare Lines that tap into top performing Stallion Lines, the ranch’s foundation mares were hand-selected as foals for their bloodlines, then tested throughout their early years for character and trainability.

"A breeding program like this does not evolve in a year, but rather, takes horse generations to develop."

The constant winnowing of the mare herd to insure a solid bridge from performance to character is what separates the Red Hawk Ranch breeding program into a category that includes a very few number of professional breeding operations in America.

These top mares, representing the elite of German and Dutch bloodlines, help insure that every young horse coming out of this breeding program is given the headstart in life that only the best, and most educated, breeding decisions can produce: a top quality young horse with the physical potential to go "all the way" to International level competition along with a mind that wants to be on the rider's side.

In 2012, Red Hawk Ranch will be breeding the 4th generation of Red Hawk babies from solid mare lines that have performed better and better through the years as original dams have been replaced by even better daughters.

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In 2009, one Red Hawk foal was awarded "Premium Status," "Foal of Distinction," and "Stallion Prospect" by the German Oldenburg Verband ultimately tying as the top foal of the entire inspection tour of hundreds, if not thousands, of foals.

(NOTE: Premium status is awarded to about 12% of the foals inspected in any particular year. Foal of Distinction to about 5%, and Stallion Prospect to about 2%).

That same year, a Red Hawk mare sold to a professional trainer in Southern California and went on to win the Mare Performance Test for the Western United States.

In 2011, of six foals inspected at Red Hawk Ranch, six were awarded Premium Status and five were awarded the coveted award of Foal of Distinction.

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Breeding alone does not guarantee the success of a young horse, no matter how talented.

In America, unlike Europe, the market for foals is virtually nonexistent. Few Americans have the facility or the know-how to adequately provide for the needs of an adolescent Warmblood horse that is specifically bred for sport.

Years 1 thru 3 require constant attention to the feeding program, to a correct environment that includes being part of a herd as well as the freedom to play in a pasture environment, and to careful attention from farriers who understand how the foot ultimately dictates the correct growth of the legs. At Red Hawk Ranch, everything possible is done to make sure these young horses grow up healthy and free of bone issues that could negatively impact their futures as competition horses for American Adult Amateurs and Professionals.

“Specialized attention to the care of a young horse must also be coupled with proper handling that is adapted to the needs of each individual equine personality. Shy horses, sensitive horses, confident horses…all must be knowledgeably handled in order to insure their likely success as show horses in the future.”

At Red Hawk Ranch, the two year olds are worked with once a week for lessons that will eventually allow them to be successful in a world dominated by human beings. By age three they are becoming familiar with barn habits and are learning their first training basics on the lunge line. With the bloodlines represented at Red Hawk Ranch, we find today that most of our young horses are sold as they are coming 4 years of age and ready to have a rider get on and start regular training under saddle.

As the first six months under saddle are of critical importance to the young horse’s future, horses requiring training under saddle in order to be sold are sent out to carefully selected professionals who specialized in starting young horses under saddle. Red Hawk Ranch follows traditional German training methods where young horses are started under saddle following a progressive basic training program that allows each horse the flexibility of continuing down a dressage track or toward jumping, depending upon their personal strengths and weaknesses.

The net result? “Red Hawk youngsters that are a pleasure to be around, to train and to watch develop through the levels of competition and a News Page on our Website filled with happy testimonials.”

Bob (with specialized training from the University of California, Davis, and the Colorado State Veterinary Schools of Medicine, as well as certification in ultrasonography) is responsible for the breeding shed decisions, and a stellar 85% conception rate using frozen semen has given him an exemplary reputation among practicing veterinarians throughout the country.

Years of studying the European bloodlines for performance and trainability of the offspring, as well as continued discussions with experts throughout the world have made both Bob and Lynn well known for their expertise.

It is Lynn, now retired from competitive riding, who manages the day-to-day process of taking a youngster from weanling to young prospect, ready to start work with a new partner.

Lynn's discussions with prospective buyers invariably take a turn toward assessing each young horse’s temperament and suitability for meeting the buyer’s expectations. In an economic environment that has been made worse by horses being given away by owners who can no longer afford them, the young horses of Red Hawk Ranch stand out for the all-around quality that in the past could only be found by traveling to Europe.

"We purposefully keep our breeding program small, select and manageable, only occasionally augmenting a particularly small 'foal crop' with foals bred by fellow breeders in Germany from programs we know and respect."

Breeding decisions give the young Red Hawk Ranch horses the best possible foot forward by coming from European bloodlines proven in sport that include: Abanos, Akzent I, Barsoi, Caprimond, Donnerhall, Don Schufro, Fidertanz, Furioso II, Gotthard, Grande, Hohenstein, Idocus, Karon, Londonderry, Pik Bube, Quaterback, Rohdiamant, Rossario Rubinstein I, Rubin Royal, San Amour, Samarant, Sir Oldenburg, Sir Donnerhall, Voltaire, Wolkenstein, Wynton and Weltmeyer, as well as the occasional unproven young stallion, such as Fackeltanz…the sire of this year’s Inspection Champion, “Redhawk’s Fleurette.”

The Red Hawk Ranch heritage goes back generations - just like the lineage of the horses. Bob's great grandfather bred & trained thoroughbreds before World War I. However, it wasn't until Bob's experience at the 1984 Olympics, and after Lynn left Washington D.C. to come back home to California that they acted upon their shared passion for horses and the quest to breed the best possible young dressage horses to see select Americans through to the highest levels of the sport.

While making numerous trips to Europe in search of the right mare lines, Lynn continued to work on her credentials as an Amateur Rider of some distinction, ultimately riding and training three horses that went on to the top level of dressage competition, Grand Prix. One of Lynn’s last competition horses, “Hemmingway II” went to 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist Hubertus Schmidt’s barn in Germany to a competitive Young Rider.

"By 2002, the leap of moving the horses from a boarding situation with minimal control to a property owned, improved and operated to our specifications pushed the dream to reality"

The property, now known as Red Hawk Ranch, has become the “brand name” associated with young horses coming out of the Bootin’ Digger Equine / Red Hawk Ranch breeding program.

Located near the Temecula Wine Region of Southern California, Red Hawk Ranch actively participates in and sponsors educational venues geared toward educating Americans of the correct, progressive training of Young Horses.

The name, "Bootin' Digger Equine" origins from Bob's Plebe Year had at the U.S. Naval Academy. His roommate was challenged to pronounce Bob's French last name and formulated the nickname "Bootin' Digger" after watching Bob play soccer.

While the business name of Bootin’ Digger Equine continues, using “Red Hawk” in the naming of young horses from this breeding program has made “Red Hawk” a brand that is synonymous throughout America and Germany with top quality standards that can only come from a small, tightly-controlled, family-operated breeding program.

Red Hawk Ranch | 38770 Avenida la Cresta | Murrieta, CA
951.696.0265