ABOUT THE FARM AND SUBTITLEIST

Five Gaits Farm, owned by Sue Schumacher and Dan Cox, founded in the 1970s, began when Sue Schumacher, who had trained Saddlebreds and taught lessons at numerous barns in Virginia and North Carolina, decided that she wanted to develop a line of American Saddlebreds that were not only suitable for showing and futurities, but had dispositions to make them versatile enough for pleasure riding, trail riding, dressage, and keeping at home for owners who could not afford trainers or chose not to show.  She selected a young mare, Funtown, by Yorktown and out of Darling Christiana, by Christiana King and the well known brood mare, Ina Walker.  When Funtown was bred to World Champion Titleist, the result was a horse with beauty and intelligence, and a desire to learn and please.  The first foal of this crossing was Subtitleist, a chestnut stallion with the looks and disposition ideal for breeding.

Because Subtitleist suffered an injury as a weanling, he was never shown.  But it was soon evident that he passed these desirable characteristics to his offspring, regardless of the mare’s bloodlines.  His photos shown here are all with keg shoes or no shoes, demonstrating his natural motion in spite of his injury. 

SUBTITLEIST AS A 2 YEAR OLD                                       PAPERS

He produced such winners as Toast to the Bride (futurity and amateur five gaited), Supreme Subtitleist (futurity), Supreme Easter Victory (five gaited and pleasure), and Subtitleist’s High Flight (NC State Champion Yearling and Two Year Old in 2002 and 2003 Futurity).

In 1986, Sue and her husband, Dan, moved the farm to Southeast Guilford County in North Carolina.  Here they breed, raise, sell, and start their young horses.  Sue also teaches lessons to a few special students on a volunteer basis, and brings the University students in the Animal Behavior class she teaches to the farm to see demonstrations on various aspects of horse behavior.  She is now setting up a leather shop where she will repair tack and make unusual gifts out of leather.  Subtitleist has been retired to outside mares, but remains healthy and active, with a life of grazing and occasionally breeding to one of the Farm’s mares.