2001 saw the birth of the spotted mare Melody's Banndana (Holly Akala Banner x Renaissance Evergreen Melody) a great-great-granddaughter of our foundation mare Evergreen's Dark Melody (Hot Diggity X Evergreen's Golden Melody) Also foaled in 2001 was Renaissance Miss Fitt, a cream daughter of Holly Akala Banner, whose grandsire was a full brother to Evergreen's Dark Melody.

Stud book research into the family of Dark Melody has continued here, and we are still looking for more horses of these bloodlines to utilize in our breeding program. Unfortunately, most of the horses have dead ended; a story that is becoming too common for the American Saddlebred today. It has become quite clear that these horses have become endangered, with only aprox 900 foals registered in the last year reported from the registry office, and 750 each of the two preceding years. With the wonderful way that these mares produce, it is no wonder that they are popular in other breeding programs. Evergreen's Dark Melody #64841, photo above, was just one example. She had only one purebred foal; a filly, who was only bred once. At age 22, this third Melody produced a daughter, photo below. This Melody produced only two foals to date, and one of them was a cross bred. While I understand the appeal of this wonderful breed as both youth horses, outcross stock and show horses, it is imperative that they breed on. I have managed to breed my mares most years, and still ride them and show the foals.

Please stop for a moment and consider repaying this breed by breeding your mares for purebred foals too.

There are now five new additions to the Evergreen horses.

Renaissance Miss Fitt, a creme colored filly by Holly Akala Banner x Miss Wonder Boy's Dare, was foaled on April 13th, 2001. She has a historic pedigree, for as well as being of the Evergreen bloodlines this filly comes from the last producing mare of Mrs. Elsie Long of Kamloops, whose Golden Horse Stable was famous in the 1960s - 1980s for her palomino Saddlebred Parade Horses. What an exciting filly this is! Miss Fitt is a full sister to Miss Dare's Evening Serenade and Dunn Storming. A breeding to Renaissance Legacy is planned for her for 2006.

Melody's Banndana, a 2001 buckskin and white pinto filly by Holly Akala Banner x Renaissance Evergreen Melody, was foaled in CA. This filly is a direct female line descendant of Evergreen's Dark Melody. Her sire is a grandson of High Commander of Pendelton, the full brother to Evergreen's Dark Melody. A precious foal indeed.

Renaissance Legacy, a stunning red roan colt was foaled in 2002. By Holly Akala Banner, and out of Capitola's Tiffany Diamond, this young stallion is assured a place in the stud barn. Bookings began as he turned two months old. Banner's grandsire High Commander of Pendleton was a full brother to Evergreen's Dark Melody. His first foal crop arrived in...

2005 brought two new fillies: Renaissance Promise, a chocolate Brown x Star's Golden Love, who is related to the Evergreen lines, and Bequest, a palomino filly who is the last foal of Miss Wonder Boy's Dare.

Of the four foals by Hot Diggity #39562 x Evergreen's Golden Melody #55237, only their daughter Evergreen's Dark Melody and her full brother High Commander of Pendleton #46799, bred on. Commander sired only one son who bred on; Lucky Hi-Ball #60961. I have found one foal of his breeding to date, the buckskin stallion, Holly Akala Banner, and have been fortunate enough to have added him to our breeding herd for a time. There is also one young colt in Utah carrying these lines, The Smart Prince #100553, but althought I have phoned them many times, his owner has not been available to speek with me and I do not know what his current plans for this horse are.

Other horses who trace to these lines, but who I have yet to track down include: Evergreen's Ribbon's & Roses #97925, (just found out that this mare has not produced any purebred offspring) Coquette's Vanity's Grey Rex #62053, Dilly Genius #83922, Commander of Stonewall # 62251, Golden Commander Stonewall #62800

Danny's Misty Memory #111959, Stonewall's Commanding Mandolin #116524, Bourbon's Autumn Fawn #107589 have been reported on. Misty is owned by a student at William Woods University who use all Saddlbred horses in their equestrian program and who sponsor the official Saddlbred home page. Mandy was sold but has bred on. Fawn was sold and resold without the papers being transferred and has not been heard of in the past few years.

I have also found a son of the Hot Diggity daughter Princess Shy Anne. Kid's Captain is a breeding stallion in CA. Unfortunately he has had only one foal to date, an unregistered filly, but his owners were excited that we will want to use him at stud in the near future. The new owners of Renaissance Evergreen Melody, the 5th Melody in her pedigree which began with the dam of the mare above, also plan to use this stallion and hope to visit him soon. They are BR Saddlebreds in CA.

I was sent the address of Mr. Robert Bafus, the owner of Evergreen Farm and wrote to him telling him of my interest in his breeding program and his farm. In reply I recieved a phone call from Mrs. Bafus who told me that her husband had passed on recently at the age of 82. She had disposed of any records and photographs that he may have had. Mrs. Bafus handed the reins of the Evergreen breeding program to me and we agreed that the best thing for me to do was to continue on as I had been going, looking for these horses myself.

If you have horses of these, or other Evergreen bloodlines, or information on any of them, we would be so happy to hear from you. Email

Last updated July 26th, 2005

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