The Farm
Ivan and Sheryl Osorio’s aspiration to breed and show world-class Arabian horses was the inspiration for Aspire Arabians. From the purchase of their first mare in late 2015, their passion for horses and dedication to learning both the intricacies of the Arabian horse industry and the science of breeding has catapulted Aspire to elite status. That first mare, the Afire Bey V daughter Flirtacious Fire PF, earned the farm its first U.S. National Championship in 2017 in Ladies Side Saddle English. Sheryl recalls poring over Ivan’s issues of Arabian magazines with him many years earlier, waiting for the time when they could turn their attention from career-building to horse ownership. As Ivan approached his retirement, Sheryl started taking riding lessons at Sharon and Glen True’s nearby Glass Farm. Their initial focus on the performance end of the Arabian business led to visits to the Nationals and meeting and gleaning information from a plethora of knowledgeable horse people. Ivan especially credits Tim Shea and Chris Wilson for generously sharing their accumulated wisdom about performance horses.
In 2018, Ivan turned his attention to the halter division, fascinated with pedigree research and the creativity of breeding. He and Sheryl continued to ask questions of everyone they met. “Our name describes our intent,” Ivan explains. “We don’t know as much as many others, but we aspire to learn more every day. We talk to people who are knowledgeable about the Arabian horse.” Sheryl adds,“We feel it is important for there to be a balance of beauty and movement. Greg Gallún suggested we take the judge’s course to learn correct conformation and what judges are looking for, which gave us a good foundation. We also took a workshop with Cindy Reich and got great advice from our Florida neighbors, George Zbyszewski and Frank Hennessey.”
After hearing of the wonderful opportunity to lease fantastic broodmares from Hennessey’s, Ivan knew where to look to get the right cross for a breeding to Emerald J (QR Marc x Emandoria). “The secret to linebreeding is to use a very strong female line,” George Z informs. “When Ivan asked if I would recommend H Embrace H (Besson Carol x Embra), I said it was a perfect choice because she shares the same great “E” dam line as Emerald J.” The resulting colt, Ernando AA, was exceptional from the day he was born, and Sheryl and Ivan were careful to place him in trusted hands to see how he developed. “We are very sensitive about the well-being of the horses,” Ivan explains. “We want our horses treated humanely, and Andy Sellman has both the skill and the understanding.”
They soon found out their trust in Andy was well placed. To their great joy, Ernando was named the 2021 Scottsdale International Champion Yearling Colt in his show debut. He followed that by winning the Silver Supreme Champion honors at the 2021 Arabian Breeders World Cup and the U.S. Reserve National Champion Yearling Colt title at the Mid Summer/Youth Nationals. Then, in February 2022, Ernando became the Scottsdale International Gold Champion Stallion Junior Stallion. As their first homebred representative, Ernando’s weighty victories have elevated the young Aspire Arabians breeding program to the industry’s highest level. Meanwhile, Andy became aware of an opportunity to purchase another colt born in 2020, Aria La Croixx (Delacroixx x La Belle Shawan HVP). He had earned the Champion ABS Yearling Colt title at the 2021 Mid Summer/Youth Nationals. After debating the wisdom of campaigning two top contenders of the same age, Ivan and Sheryl decided La Croixx was too good to pass up, and they made the purchase. They opted to enter both colts in the Arabian Breeders World Cup because, under its European system, horses are presented individually, allowing Andy to show them both himself.They arranged for Ted Carson to handle one, should both colts advance to the championship. And it was a good thing they did! Aria La Croixx was the unanimous choice of the six judges as 2022 ABWC Gold Supreme Champion Junior Stallion, while Ernando AA was the unanimous Silver Supreme Champion!
Sheryl was elated to witness their success. “It was an unbelievable thrill, and we look forward to what they will do in the future,” she says. “We recently bought a 140-acre farm in Ocala, so our immediate plans are to get that up and running and continue to breed beautiful horses that can move.” Adds Ivan, “We are interested in seeing what both colts will do under saddle. We believe Andy has earned a say in their future, and he will help us decide when to start them.”
“Those boys have a big future!” Andy offers. “We talked with a top performance trainer about the timing for getting them both broke to ride. But they are both eligible for the new Futurity for two-year-olds at the Nationals, and I think they could win most of the $100,000 prize money! They may breed a couple of mares, and there are fun times ahead in the Three-Year-Old Futurity the following year. Ivan and Sheryl are a pleasure to work for. They are smart, authentic, and modest and always try to be objective and learn more. It’s a drama-free relationship where everything is out on the table.” George Z couldn’t agree more. “The Osorios are the best kind of people. They are level-headed and dedicated and can have intelligent conversations about bloodlines and the horse business. I am delighted to be a factor in their learning process and expect that Aspire Arabians will have great success in the future.”
