Featured in Arabian Horse Times
Lucky people come across their “dream horse” at some point in their lives, luckier people have the chance to own that dream horse, and the luckiest can say they bred, raised, and still own them. ASA Scandalous Affair (“Scandal”) is Kim Butler self-identified dream horse. She falls into the category of the “luckiest” equestrians, as the breeder and owner of Scandal. The nine-year-old homozygous black stallion has never known a life without his owners Kim Butler and Jim Blevins.
Scandal has an impressive performance career, including a regional championship in open western pleasure. He has also sired a dozen quality foals. The first of which was a national top ten halter horse, and others have been seen in the winner’s circle of the Region 12 Spotlight Futurity halter classes. Part of the reason Scandal is Kim’s dream come true is because of the proven success of his foals already on the ground, and potential of those to come.
“It is not easy to breed and raise such a nice horse like him,” trainer Jody Strand said about his Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show western pleasure mount. “Kim and Jim have to be proud of him and themselves.”
Scandal has been part of the Strand’s Arabians Stables since the 2023 show season. Butler says that she and Blevins are thrilled with his placement. Butler’s hands helped bring Scandal into this world, so there is no doubt that she has a uniquely vested interest in his future.
“I got emotional seeing him at the Scottsdale Show this year,” Butler said about the duo’s successful week in the desert. “I could just tell Scandal was so happy. He and Jody are clicking.”
Strand has complimentary things to say about the stallion in both a performance and breeding angles. The second-generation horse trainer has seen and trained some of the best western pleasure horses over the last few decades, so his assessment of any western horse is taken with a lot of merit.
“He is a beautiful horse,” Strand said. “Whether he is under saddle or loose in the pasture, you can’t miss his quality.”
Butler and Blevins were hoping for greatness when they bred Scandal when they bred Always A Jullyen V and Sundance Kid V’s full sister Sweet Saphire V. Butler extended sincere gratitude to Frank Chisholm for letting them have the chance to breed the iconic stallion’s sister. From the day he was born, Butler and Blevins knew the surprisingly-black colt was going to not only be special to them, but (hopefully) to the Arabian industry as well.
“We have had multiple people choose to breed to him not once, but twice,” Butler said about the stallion’s off-spring. “Our biggest hope for the future is that he continues to thrive as a performance horse and continues producing pretty babies. We want to be part of Scandal’s bloodline’s legacy carrying on, and hope to help create a small legacy of his own.”
Strand was very pleased with the stallion’s performance at the recent Scottsdale Arabian Horse show. He finished in the top half of the top ten in the Purebred Western Pleasure Ladies and Gentlemen, behind many multi-national champions. Although Scandal has not yet seen the western pleasure arena at U.S. Nationals – in Strand’s opinion – it is not out of the question for the future.
“He definitely has the confidence needed to be a top-performing pleasure horse,” Strand, who has been in the winner’s circle of the Purebred Western Pleasure many times, shared. “Scandal is also very smooth and correct. I am a stickler about many things, and he passes those tests.”
With success of many kinds in the rearview, and opportunities for further triumphs on the horizon, anything is possible for this “dream horse” and the “dream team” backing his efforts.
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