Hertog Jan v.d. Paddensteeg 

 

Jan is the essence of all things strong, all things beautiful and all things kind.  He is truely the most magnificent horse that I have ever had the priviledge to know.   It was 2004 when we purchased Jan as a newly imported 2 yr old.  He was my fantasy turned reality from the moment that he stepped off the trailer and on to my farm.  Little did I know how my life would change from that moment on.  


Standing and owning  a stallion the caliber of Jan is an amazing experience!  Because of Jan we were blessed with the company of many wonderful people who shared our admiration of him and of the Friesian Horse in general.  We jokingly said it was like having Brad Pitt living in our guest room, because the volume of visitors, calls and emails never stopped!  I was living my dream: I was a professional breeder, I had people lined up to breed to my stallion and some coming to visit solely for the opportunity to just touch this amazing stallion in my barn.  I was living and breathing horses 24/7. By the end of the 2007 breeding season Jan had bred almost 200 mares via shipped semen or on farm breeding.  Life was good!!  But, the flip side of this is that by the end of the 3rd breeding season  I was plain worn out, the quality time I spent with my kids was usually while we were cleaning stalls and the words they heard me say most often was " not now, we have clients coming".  It was then the we realized that Jan needed more than we had to give, and at that point we took on Derrail and Mindy Roland as partners in his ownership.  


I had met Mindy in 2005 when she called about breeding some of her mares to Jan. From the beginning it was apparent that God had used Jan to bring Mindy and I together; we formed a friendship that I have no doubt will last forever.  Mindy and I share the same passion for horses, the same values and the same belief system that she named her ranch for "I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me" -Phil 4:13. Jan went to stand at their ranch, The 4 13 Ranch,  in 2008.  Then, after a year of joint ownership, as of  August 2008,  Mindy and Derrail became the sole owners of Jan.   


There was a mixture of laughter and tears the day that Jan left Kadan Farms for good...  I was happy because I knew that Mindy loved him as much as I did and that he would have a long and happy life at The 4 13 Ranch.  But there were also tears, with the realization that although Jan made a dream come true for me, it was a dream that wasn't meant to last forever.  I love Jan and miss him terribly, but have no doubt - I will always be Jan's "Other Mom" and I will always be thankful for being a part of his life and thankful for the wonderful friend that I have because of him.


-Karen Peak, Kadan Farms