Bill & Vivian Blomquist

For Toni Wessell, owning a stallion like Allionce +/ is a significant benchmark in a lifetime with horses. "Arabian horses were my father's love," she says. "I grew up in Southern California's San Fernando Valley, where my folks, Bill and Vivian Blomquist, always had a handful of Arabians, starting with a *Witez II mare, Tazan. They're in their 80s now, and still have a few Arabians. I, too, know that I'll never be without Arabians. I remember stories of Dad as a little horse nut in Sweden, begging rides on the strawberry wagon just for the chance to sit on the bench behind an old workhorse and hold the reins. He'd ride those wagons way out of town, knowing that every step the horse took was one more step he'd have to walk home.

Toni Wessell & Dad -- Bill Blomquist

"Years later, after moving to California, he bought a purebred mare...and then another. This was back in the days when breeders would show their own horses -- I remember Dad and Frank McCoy out in the show rings with their mares. I'd help Dad handle the foals in the mare and foal classes, and in general, got quite an education. Dad was one of the first to hop on the Khemosabi bandwagon after seeing Bert Husband show him as a yearling. He put in his reservation for a breeding right then and there. When Khemo won his first National Championship, Ruth Husband called home with the good news, and her second call was to my dad."

Lynn Wessell with Naivete

When Lynn Wessell, a political consultant, and Toni married, he was not a horse person, but it wasn't long before he began to enjoy the Arabian shows. He was an academic who studied pedigrees, buying a library of books from Mary Lou Walbergh. His was the cerebral approach to horses, while Toni was in the barn getting dirty. "When AOTH classes were offered, he was in his glory," Toni comments, "grabbing the lead line and heading for the ring. He loved the camaraderie of the shows.

"Before long, Lynn began to talk about buying a top colt," she continues. "I was always more of a mares-and-foals person. But we both loved the look of Allionce as a late yearling on a video we got from Colonial Wood. When we saw Allionce at Scottsdale in February 1992, we just flipped for him, and made an offer there at the show. Lynn died at the end of 1992, but during that year with Allionce, he was more enthused about Arabians, and all that he thought Allionce would do, than he had been in the eight years prior.

Katie Wessell

Participating as a breeder whose association with the breed spans more than 30 years, Toni owns 13 Arabians including Allionce, several of his get, their dams and her daughter's favorite old gelding. She served as the first woman president of the Arabian Horse Association of the San Fernando Valley (1981), and is a proud member of the annual Cal-Bred Futurity's management team. She has attended many IAHA conventions as a Region II delegate, and has served on many a committee, as well as serving in virtually every capacity for her local club.

Katie & Toni

The love of Arabian horses has seated itself deeply in this family. Lynn and Toni's daughter, Katie, has fallen under its spell. Katie began riding around the age of five, helps to foal mares, grooms at the shows, and is becoming a discerning horsewoman. Katie enjoyed a particularly successful year in 1997 when she showed Jim and Dori Lowe's mare, Confessions, in the 13 and Under Western Pleasure JTR classes. The pair was unanimous champion in both Regions I and II and finished off the year with a Top Ten at Youth Nationals. Katie and her gelding, Halima El Nefous, are also Showmanship champions.

Katie and Confessions

Over the years, Ancient Oak Farms has owned or bred many wonderful horses. Their very special broodmares have included the daughters of *Bask, Ibn Moniet El Nefous, Aswan,

Allionce with Katie Wessell

*Muscat, Ariston, Huckleberry Bey, and *Muslin. Ancient Oak Farms has bred many highly decorated show horses with Championship honors in halter, western, English, hunter, and also Arabian racing. The herd size at Ancient Oak Farms has never been large, but has always been of superior quality. That focus on quality is an on-going goal for Toni, and her daughter Katie, as they continue to enjoy the legacy of their family - this satifyingly beautiful world of Arabian horses.