VON FAUST
1994 - 2009

     They have seen dozens of lovely horses, run in turn. There is enjoyment in the air and a hint of expectation. He is a favorite, as much for his beauty as his character.

harmony of both that is matched by a purity of character.

                        Such was Faust.

     Although, the noble head will not bend to me again and the velvet softness of his muzzle will not come to rest in my palm with the soft warmth of his breath caressing my fingers; although, the sculpted ear will not turn to her even before she rounds the corner of the pasture fence; although those who watch will be no longer see that ripple of muscle beneath the moire black silk of his coat as he taunts them with his breath taking gaits; although the boy who grew with him will never again run with him in perfect harmony, the images and memories will stay forever etched not in just in each mind’s eye, but in our hearts.

     In Geothe’s timeless masterpiece, Dr. Faust abandons his cynicism and immortality only when he finds that life holds moments of such infinite beauty that time and life itself mean nothing without them. And, no matter how fleeting these moments may seem, they feed our hearts and souls for a lifetime. Such was Faust.

     There are a thousand moments that float across the minds of those who loved this rare and beautiful creature. Splashing through the stream driving the two wheeler cart, strutting through the Christmas parade as if he owned the street, riding through the flood plains mane and tail flying, standing in a perfect silhouette proud and assured over the pastures he came to call his own, and sitting beside him for an evening feed simply breathing in the esence of his magestic beauty at rest. Registry rivals, arguments of breeding direction for barque versus modern, all fell aside in his presence. An ambassador for a breed known for beauty, he was a constant reminder that beauty lies not merely in form, not merely in motion, but in the

     In midsummer we will stand at the pasture fence, each of us an integral part of Faust’s life. As we stand together, we will not allow ourselves to feel the hole of his absence, we will not so disgrace him, instead we will indulge ourselves and feel him there in the flick of a breeze, hear his chortle in the murmur of summer sounds and most of all celebrate him in the confident strut of the young foals, his legacy. Immortality lies not in the length of years, but in what is left behind, the legacy of his foals and the etchings on our souls of the black stallion who looked into hearts and loved us. He never belonged to any one of us. Faust belonged only to himself.      But, we will know for the rest of our days, that somehow, in those fleeting moments of infinite beauty that define life, we each belonged to him.

      Faust, the approved FHS stallion died on April 8, 2009. In late 2007, he was offered the performance opportunity that those who raised and loved him could never refuse, the role of foundation stallion for Linda Clair’s Noble Acres purebred Friesian breeding program. Faust’s first foals with Linda are due next month. Linda and Fox N Firkin Farms, have pledged to work together to continue his legacy and the extraordinary qualities Faust personified. With the store of Faust’s frozen semen, Linda will continue to produce foals sired by Faust.)

Linda Clair- Noble Acres, Stillwater Oklahoma

Cheryl Skigin-Fox N Firkin Farms, Inc., Orange, California

     Still, when the lead is handed to the tall lanky young man, every expectation is surpassed. Human and horse move with a unique harmony. Eschewing the speed which so often characterizes this ritual, the stallion allows his companion to match his pace with the purity of his power and athleticism providing the spectacle. While the height and extension of this gait is beyond human performance, beyond what these seasoned watchers have come to expect of even the very best equine performances, it is as much the magic of the harmony of the species as the unsurpassable quality of the stallion’s movement that captures the hearts. There is in every mind the recognition that the performance is foremost given for the grown boy at his side as for the wildly applauding crowd.

    I see him now, that magnificent powerful neck stretched in an elegant arch, his noble beautiful head reaching to the boy. I can hear the chortle and the boys soft responses as they stand together in the center of the arena. Among the twelve stallions and handlers they are the stand out, as much for the harmony of their relationship as for the stallion’s extraordinary beauty.

     She sees him and a sculpted ear turns subtly towards the sound of her footfall on the path near the pasture gate. With a playful shake of mane and head he bursts into an explosion of movement, effortlessly floating in perfect form above the green pasture floor. In the year he has been here, she has come to know the amazing symmetry of the extended trots that have driven spectators from awed silence to standing applause, but in the quiet of the late afternoon, this performance for her
leaves her breathless.