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WIITBY FREE PRFSS. WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 3, 1986, PAGF 9 0.... CLIPCTHISAD4AND SAVE 20% ii on all your PICTURE FRAMING THIS WEEK 7 THE FRAMING CENTRE 668.4521 John Austin with one of his Local couple breed Horse of Kings By MIKE JOHNSTON Free Press Staff What started out as a hobby for John and Mary Ann Austin has grown into an obsession. And that obsession has introduced Canada to the horse of Kings. There are only eight Andalusians in Canada, according to John Austin, and two of them now reside on the Austin's farm in Little Britain, a community located 10 miles north of Port Perry. "Whenever you see an old painting of a King he is usually sitting on an Andalusian. The reason being that they are a very comfortable hor- se," said Austin. Because they are so comfortable, Austin said they are used for dressage and bull fighting. "The Lippizan is a derivative of the Andalusian," said Austin. "They are smooth because of the way their legs move and the con- tour of their backs." Austin explained that the horse's ancestry goes back to Portugal and Spain where they had to develop a smooth gait because of the rocky terrain. "Most of them were destroyed during the Napoleanic and Spanish Wars and it wasn't until 1962 that Spain allowed the horses to be expor- ted," said Austin. Today there are only 3,500 Andalusians in the world and 700 of them reside in North America, said Austin. Three years ago there were only 300 in North America. The Austins imported their two Andalusian mares from the Texas Mexico border at a cost of $18,000 a piece. But according to Austin, they received a good bargain on the horses. "A mare can go for $26,000 U.S.," said Austin. The other six An- dalusians residing in Canada are kept on a farm in Bolton, Ont., two stallions and four mares. Austin's original plan was to import two mares from Portugal but none of the horses passed blood tests to allow them into Canada so he ended up bringing the two mares in from Texas in March. Both of the Austin's brood mares, Desida, seven years old and An- tiquia II, five years old, have been bred with the two stallions in Bolton. The Austin's plans are to breed their two mares. Through in- creasing the herd in Canada the Austins hope to raise the profile of the horse. They have taken one step towards that goal by helping to form the Canadian Andalusian Association. There are currently only six members in the association but the Austins expect that number to grow. "It is wonderful to be at the bottom of something and build it up," said Austin's wife Mary Ann, who has been a grade two teacher at Palmerston school in Whitby for nine years. "If we do this with our lives it will have been worthwhile," said Mary Ann. CPR course at FROM PG. 7 be conducting introduc- of interest to adults are tory courses dealing the small business with basic program- development workshop, ming techniques and the Tilîcan Financial computer problem seminar and the CPR solving skills designed information evening be for children at different followed on subsequent stages of development. Wednesday evenings by Among the upcoming a Heart Saver and Basic programs which will be Rescuer Course. The Austins moved to their farm in Little Britain last year after their farm on Scugog Island in Port Perry became to small to ac- commodate their growing herd. Besides the two Andalusians, the Austins have four other horses, which includes a Quarter Horse, an Arabian, a thourough- bred and a Morab, a cross between a Morgan and a Morab. Austin works at Millwright in Pickering. The Austins are both taking riding lessons and John is learning how to properly train the Andalusions which Mary Ann calls the "Farrah Fawcett" of the horse world because of their long mains. The Andalusians have also attracted the in- terest of at least two Hollywood stars. According to Austin, whenever you see Bo Derek ride a horse it is usually an Andalusian and Dean Martin breeds Andalusians on his Garrison Ranch. Austin said he has about 100. Now, the Austins are waiting patiently for the foals. They are hoping for one mare and one stallion. The stallion they will keep, the mare the Austins will sell which could bring in a price of more than $10,000 Canadian. Until the foals appear the Austins will sit back and enjoy the two An- dalusians. Mary Ann said there is a saying which ex- plains that enjoyment. "The outside of a horse appeals to the inside of a man." library If you'd like to know more about the programs offered by the Whitby Public Library this fall drop in and con- sult one of the librarians. The Whitby Public Library is located at 405 Dundas St. W. Custom Framing•Stretchng•eMatboard -Gloa WHITBY*82 FROSTeWHITBY FURNITURE & UPHOLSTERY LTD. *ANTIQUES *NO-DIP RESTORED STRIPPING •CUSTOM •REPAIRS UPHOLSTERY *REFINISHING A large selection of Victorian parlour furniture available 413 DUNDAS ST. E. WHITBY 668-5481 THANK YOU The management and staff of Dickson Prin- ting and Office Supplies would like to express their appreciation for your kind indulgence during the recent flooding of our premises the end of last week. We wish to apologize for the interruption of service and lack of telephone com- munications, Wednesday, Friday of last week. rare Andalusians OFIC SUPIE Thursday and j)jCý5on rinfine PHONE 683-1968 118 HARINOOD AVE, S AJAX SHOPPING PLAZA & ffice SupplieS AJAX. 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