If there’s one way to describe The Krymsun Kruzer, a 2004 bay stallion by One Hot Krymsun and out of Pleasure N Passion, it’s that he’s not afraid of the winner’s circle.

He was the American Quarter Horse Association’s 2009 Featherlite Superhorse, a title given to the horse that earns the most points in three or more events in two categories during the AQHA World Championship Show.

A few weeks prior to that coveted award, he was crowned the 2009 Quarter Horse Congress All-Around Champion.

“Kruzer” was an early bloomer in the show pen. He was named the National Snaffle Bit Association’s Western Pleasure High Point 2-Year-Old in 2006. That same year, he tied for the Congress Championship in the 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Futurity and went on to place third in the 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure at the AQHA Open World Show.

“And that’s strictly in the western classes,” emphasizes Mike Hay, breeding manager at Pilot Knob Quarter Horses, where the stallion has stood since his show retirement in 2009.

Hay goes on to explain that by the stud’s 3-year-old year, he was already starting his all-around career which included English classes.

“He was just so trainable,”  he says.

Hay attributes much of the stud’s success, disposition and trainability to the bottom side of his pedigree. His second dam- an important contributor to a bloodline- was one of the greatest show mares of all time, Miss Docs Melody. The mare was shown well into her 20s and earned over 1,100 AQHA points over the course of her career and was a two-time AQHA World Champion.

It was at the Tom Powers Futurity in 2006 that the stud caught the attention of Gerri Leigh Pratt, a long time AQHA amateur and owner of a successful commercial real estate corporation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

“No, I was not!” Pratt exclaims when asked if she was actively looking for a stallion when she happened upon Kruzer. “He was just such a beautiful magnificent horse, I had to have him.”

He continued to prove his excellence throughout his career and in 2009, he qualified for the AQHA World Show in seven events, the most any horse had qualified in that year. With a World Championship title in Working Hunter (first under all five judges) and a Reserve in Hunter Hack, a third place finish in Pleasure Driving, a fourth in Hunter Under Saddle, a fifth in Performance Halter Stallions and a 15th in Western Riding, he secured the Featherlite Superhorse title.

After the success of 2009, Pratt decided to retire the then 5-year-old stallion and start his breeding career. His final record shows a total of 327.5 AQHA points, an AQHA Performance Championship, three Superior Performance awards, an Open Halter Register of Merit and $31,711.60 in National Snaffle Bit Association earnings.

But The Krymsun Kruzer is perhaps best known for his level of his intelligence.

“Sometimes people think of an intelligent horse as one that takes advantage of you and I don’t mean it in that way,” he says. “He’s so intelligent that you really have trouble staying out of his way. He’s not using his mind to try and out-think you, he’s using his mind to try and please you.”

His babies have followed suit, proving their pliability in the show pen.

His oldest foals have just entered their 3-year-old year as of Jan. 1.

“His first foal crop was his smallest crop,” Hay says. “There were only 20 babies his first year.”

What Matters Most, a now 3-year-old stallion by the stud and out of Nothin Like A Blue by Skys Blue Boy, was the 2012 Congress Champion in the NSBA Open English Yearling Longe Line Stakes and then tied (and lost the tie breaker) to win the Congress Masters Hunter Under Saddle class this past October.

Because of Kruzer’s initial accomplishments in Western Pleasure, his first breeding season mostly consisted of pleasure bred mares. With the success of this young stud, the hunter world has taken notice, resulting in an influx of English breeding.

Another success story of the stallion’s first breeding season is a colt by the name of Pleasure Kruze, out of Hot Lopin Louise and owned by Pratt. In 2013, he was Top 3 at the A Little Futurity and Top 10 at Tom Powers Futurity. Vicki Holt has taken over his training and he is expected to start showing the All-Around classes as a 3-year-old, following in his father’s footsteps.

Kruzer has had success in other associations as well. This past October, Kruzing For TheLadys, out of Lady Of The Hunt, was the Appaloosa World Champion in the World Sale 2-Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle Incentive class.

As for later foal crops, his 2012 babies are having just as much early success. Kruzen For Cash, owned by Jana Imrie and shown by Bill Rinzema, tied for first in Yearling Longe Line at the Ontario Quarter Horse Breeders Futurity. At the 2013 Reichert Celebration, Impulsively Kruzin, owned and shown by Daryl McDaniel, won the Non-Pro Yearling Longe Line class.

The Krymsun Kruzer stands at Pilot Knob in Pinnacle, North Carolina at a fee of $1,500 and shipped semen is available. He is OWLS, EVA, HERDA and PSSM negative and HYPP N/N. Visit The Krymsun Kruzer on his website at www.thekrymsunkruzer.com. You can also contact Pilot Knob for additional breeding information by calling Mike Hay at (336) 368-5235, by emailing pilotknobqh@embarqmail.com or by visiting the farm’s website at www.pilotknobqh.com.