Here is a photo of the sire of my mare Lacinda. He was not used a lot by Pete McNeil but I have heard stories of his uncanny intelligence.

It was told to me that once they were breeding a very difficult mare so they had to hobble her. They did so...and the mare fell over with the stallion, Gai Dancer becoming tangled amongst the hobbles. The handler simply told him "Ok Dancer, step back one step at a time, very carefully". Dancer glanced at her and did so every so gingerly avoiding hurting either himself or the mare.

Once free he arched his neck and waited for the mare to get up, they then were ok to proceed!! I heard many stories like this about the horse from his favorite person at Petes ranch, Janet Carlson.

I think this stallion was under used and should have been sold and used and shown. Just my 2 cents. Pete really didn't need to use him a lot as he had Gai Danizon.
The few horses left on Petes ranch including my mare Lacinda and her full sister Classical Dancer are ethereal in their beauty. Quite amazing and it will be a true shame if I can't end up getting Lacinda in foal. The beauty they have is not something I can put into words. Its the type of horse that people gather around, we all know those



Lacinda, beautiful daughter of Gai Dancer, Drinker of the Wind

Heather:

Was Asil Lyric the chestnut mare that Pete got from Alice Payne or was it Asil Phantasy?

Regards,
Peter Mileo

I believe how it went is that Asil Phantasy was at side of Trity who he purchased from Alice and the filly was NOT included in the 7500.00 price. He saw her at a show and she asked Pete "Would you like to buy the filly too? So Pete paid around 5k for Phantasy . By the way when he told me this story he told me that for some reason at that time Alice was going through an anti chestnut phase which is how he ended up with the filly. Funny because you thought Pete did not like them but he does, I think it may have been Alice who didn't.

Then I am sure he owned Asil Lyric too....but she was grey according to lacindas pedigree so Phantasy would be the chestnut you are thinking of most likely. I put her pic up in this section too actually.

I plan to put pics up in a week or so of Amerigo and a pure polish import that Pete presented ribbons too that he has photos of. Pretty cool pics I just did not want to take too many and end up losing any so Im taking them in lots and returning them before taking another.

Oh it was definitely Alice that didn't like them. Neither did Frank McCoy and his student Dan Gainey, Sr. They all liked grey horses due to Skowronek. That was McCoy's breeding premise; breed to Skowronek sire line horses and use Bint Sahara as the tail female line.

I just always assumed because of Pete's association with these horses that he would not be overly fond of chestnuts either. I know that he ended up with Gai Danizon because he was not grey. Afterall, do you think Dan Gainey, Sr. would have named him Gai Danizon if he wasn't impressed with him? I'm sure he was.

Regards,
Peter Mileo

Well the "Dan' name sure does carry on, now my guy is "Dantastik". So old Daniel can be smiling down upon us hopefully!

Pete does like chestnuts as he breeds Outrageousss to everything and hes a chestnut plus a lot of his favorites over the years seem to have been chestnuts including a mare who is in foal right now. Ill post pics of the baby when its born. I think Asil Phantasy was gorgeous and can you imagine her bred to Magic Aulrab? Oooh la la now that would be a baby to see!!! In fact I'd like to think if I get to breed to Magic I will have a really nice full bodied chestnut for him!! Thats my next mare after I get Dan and Unbelievabel paid. (chestnut with lots of white or at least flaxen, and a full body and pretty head and eye, I dont ask for much!!)

I like all colours of arabians, and tend to go with the rest of the horse first, colour second. I don't mind a lot of white and in fact at some point in the future hope to encourage it. I love the splashy baby that Chasenit has out of her Khemo horse. Its great to see that being celebrated instead of hidden.

It is a shame that Gai Dancer was no used more as a stallion, he looks like he was quite goregous.

Was curious if you know why Pete didn't use Asil Lyric more? It shows her as only having had 4 foals.

Thanks so much for sharing these photos!

Lorelei,

I am not sure why she only had 4 foals but I will ask him for you when i see him this week. Sometimes some of his mares just stop getting in foal, but it is possible she either died younger or just went sterile on him and with so many of them he decided not to pursue putting a lot of money into it.

Also, he may have gotten her at an older age and she only had 4 left in her. I will find out.

I think Gai Dancer is probably the prettiest stallion of his I have seen save Gai Danizon and Danni Boy and Dynamic Dan. Outrageousss is gorgeous but he is not on par to me with the others I mentioned. I like a bit more substance, though if I had a course mare who was correct I'd breed her to Outrageousss, he is Arabian type personified. Of course I only saw pictures of Dancer but I have heard stories about his personna and I can only imagine his inner horse matched up to the outer horse!! I heard he had almost human like reactions and intelligence and this was not from Pete, I don't know that Pete really favoured him too much, it was from someone that used to work there and work with the horse daily. If I do not get Lacinda in foal I am pretty sure that is it for Gai Dancers line but not sure on that I would need to check.

I also like the mares Pete has that Dancer sired like Lacinda and Classical Dancer, good strong bodies, straight legs and nice arched clean necks. Like beautiful swans. Classical Dancer is a true beauty but she is 25 which is why I took Lacinda. Classical Dancer is one of those totally white mares, that pearlescent white you don't see often with cream points. Gorgeous.

According to the CD I have, Pete got Lyric as a 2 year old. Would definitely be interesting to hear the story behind her.

Dancer has 10 progeny, including 2 more full siblings to Lacinda. They are W W Corrigan 1988 grey stallion and Desi Dancer 1989 grey mare. They are both shown as still being owned by Pete, but I've got an older CD (98). Also according to the CD Lacinda is the only one of Dacner's kids to have been used for breeding.

There's one here that I would be interested to see pictures of, his name is Asil Dancer 1986 bay stallion. He is by Dancer and out of Asil Lisa (Gai Danizon x Asil Phantasy). Very interesting pedigree on him. Asil Dancer

Wow! Good work there Lorelei!! That is a great pedigree, now Im going to have to ask Pete lol.

I will ask him but what he told me is that a LOT of his horses did not get used for breeding due to the market crash and he only just started breeding again about 6 years ago so many of his best stock stood around in the pasture for many years, for the best years of their lives mainly.

He absolutely loved Lacinda and practically asked me to take her (sorta kinda, he definetely directed me right at her lol). Her daughter La Lacinda died as a 2 year old due to a twisted gut and that was right as he stopped breeding he said. He had a few offers from people in Nor Cal and Nevada to buy her but he had refused and then she died Sad really, Lacinda is just so darn pretty and her mnid is so good.
I want a baby out of her for the mind more than anything about the looks.

I'm scared about how smart his horses are sometimes lol....did someone throw some human genes in there at some point? They sure act like it sometimes. They look you right straight in the eyes and just want to know what to do next, maybe you find this with your horses too?

Once I was leading Lacinda right after I got her and she really had not a clue on how to lead right and I walked up and over a hay bale and that rascal walked right up and over it with me !! That is just how good they are. Is like point and they go there. There is also the story of Gai Dancer and how he was trained on step commands and once got tangled in breeding hobbles when a mare fell over he was breeding and they carefully told him 'step back' 'step side' 'step forward' and he did and they untangled him by that manner .

I can't wait to break Dantastik, I think he might turn out to be something special with cutting or team penning. He LOVES to herd, its his whole existance in life is to herd things. His sire is Petes most gentle calm stallion. Dantastiks only issue is with his water trough, go figure!! He likes to back into it and kick it. What a weirdo.

Anyways, I will definetely find out these stories for you soon, I did not see Pete the last 2 times as our paths have not crossed on schedules but I am bound to see him today or tomorrow.

Lorelei asked Pete and he said Lyric died after she foaled out Gai Dancer That is why he stopped breeding her, she was 68% something Raffles blood by the way he said.

Also he said that Asil Phoebe's picture was in the old stud books that used to show photos . And that Raymond Mazzei owned her. He sold the stallion Asil Dancer so its anyones guess where that one ended up.