SSS Absalon

EDIT: Updated his genotype a bit.




Doodling around this time of year is a joke, lol. This week started with assisting in moving 18 horses 1000 miles south and ended with a broken thumb (my drawing hand, no less!)
Anywho, this is obviously not my best effort, but I just really wanted to finish this boy's stud pic so I could kick things off with my new HARPG project barn. I'll try to draw more worthy pictures of him in the near future, hopefully.

Now, without further ado, here's Absalon!





Registered Name: SSS Absalon
Barn Name: Axel
Gender: Stallion
Age: 9 years old (in this image)
Breed: Knabstrupper (KNN)
Type: Classical (Baroque)
Bloodlines: Foundation-bred
Phenotype: Mealy bay-based extreme few spot leopard
Eyes: Left is cloudy white and right is dark brown
Genotype: Ee/AA/Pg/LPLP/PATN1
Height: 16.1hh
Build: Robust yet athletic, he boasts an imposing and square frame with a masculine presence and deep chest. His neck is naturally arched and very developed. His head is slightly roman-nosed, with wide-set but bright eyes, fine ears and sharp features. His limbs are clean and large-jointed, but leggy, with perfectly balanced, wide, strong hooves. His back is realtively short and sturdy, leading to a ruggedly chiseled and impressive hindquarter with excellent angles. His tail is low-set, but unusally full and thick for the breed, much like his mane (although it's usually roached, because part of it is burned.)
Breeder: SWE
Owner: Hazel-rah of Six Star Stables, DEN.
Temperament: Wary. He is an overall incredibly intelligent animal, who seems more akin to a philosphy professor than livestock. He has an aura of sublime dignity to him, and you can’t help but respect and revere him when you first lay eyes on him. However, due to his shady past, he is rather cautious around people, and is constantly analyzing those who handle him. He gauges their horsemanship, tact, and patience before judging them. Around the barn, he’s quiet, polite, and oddly gentlemanly for a breeding stud. He knows his boundaries and is seemingly always cool as a cucumber, unless something sets him off. When that happens, though, batten down the hatches, because he flips his lid in the blink of an eye and, before you know it, you have a loose stallion in your midst. As such, he can be a volatile horse to work with, and needs an astutely attuned handler/rider, since he’s relatively unpredictable and feral seeming; you don’t really know what will trigger the fluke outbreak. It’s usually the unexpected, too – not your typical horse-scary puddle or tarp, but possibly a distant gunshot or barking dog that will send you face-down in the dirt, watching his speckled self gallop off into the horizon.    
Bio: Born to a prestigious top Knabstrup breeder in Europe, he completed his grading, licensing, and stallion testing with flying colors as a young horse, then named "Brömsebro". He was hand-selected to be their next star stud, but in an unfortunate twist of fate, the farm that he had been born and raised at violently burnt down from a generator fire. 80-some horses were killed by the flames, with only a handful surviving, including him. This incident is where he gained all of his extensive burn scars (as well as his blind left eye.) After the fire, he was passed around a plethora of trainers and owners across all of world, sometimes landing himself in very unfortunate situations with abusive new people, and even a hobby color breeder in America, before being flown back to his homeland when we were able to acquire him, somewhat by happenstance. It was only during the veterinary examination we had executed that they discovered that he had sustained a career-ending suspensory ligament injury in the past; probably from poor or excessive training. We knew this hind leg injury could be rehabilitated with extensive time and therapies, but we also didn’t feel the need to do so, since he had obviously led a rough life of showing and training, and we felt he deserved a retirement that consisted strictly of breeding lovely mares! Since then, we've renamed him to validate his fresh start, and he has settled in nicely at Six Star Stables, but has his fair share of ups and downs. While gradually gaining his trust, we're discovering that he's slowly developing his character and blooming in our patient care. Shortly after we acquired him, we decided to roach his tangled, matted mane, partially because the midsection was burnt off at the roots anyway, so it would never fully grow back. We think it makes him look rather dapper!
Discipline(s): Dressage; retired
Rider: N/A
Brand: Knabstrupper "K" on left hip
Offspring: N/A
Restrictions: Must be bred to realistic colored mares, only; ideally warmbloods or baroque breeds.
Availability: Currently available for breeding (contact Hazel-rah.) 

Sport Stats:
Walk:
The walk gets short and lateral when he’s anxious, but is great and over-tracking once he relaxes.

Trot:
The trot is nothing exciting; he lacks articulation in his extensions, but the gait itself is pure.

Canter:
The canter lacks ground-cover and elasticity when he’s nervous, it has a tendency to be choppy.

Jump:
The jump shows very good scope and technique, but lacks a bit of form over obstacles.

Collection:
The collection is not particularly exceptional, but nice and versatile.

Level:
Prix St-Georges





Art & character © Hazel-rah
Design based off of: www.altamontsporthorses.com/im…