Welcome to Old Bull Farms

Selective Breeding of Fine Warmblood Horses

Jumpers - Hunters  - Prospects

Who Are We?  

Old Bull Farms is a a warmblood breeding farm located in the beautiful Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, Canada which has been developed over the last 18 years by veterinary husband and wife team Dr. Paul Johnston and Dr. Jeannine De Luca.  Paul originally from St. Stephen, NB, and Jeannine, a native New Yorker, both with unique equestrian roots, joined their strengths and passion for horses to fuel the beginnings of  their current day breeding operation. We started with four and have grown to 40+ horses, including top quality broodmares and an assortment of exciting young prospects. It's been a thrill to follow our horses and their growing successes in hunter and jumper competitions across North America.  In 2009, we were honored  to have bred the winner of Canada's Royal Winter Fair Lieutenant Governor's General Cup. Our young horses are making names for themselves all over the globe. During the 2011 BWP North American Keuring Tour, we were awarded the all time high score given to a foal in North America ("Lenox"), the highest score on tour for 3-6 year old mares ("Havana"), & the highest score on tour, for North American colts ("Lamaze")!

Each year, we gain more insight into sport horse breeding by closely following the leaders in sport, visiting and studying top breeding operations abroad, and being active members of several breed organizations. We are firm believers, that "highly successful horses are seldom a random product", and thus, strive to improve upon each new generation of young horses. It is surely an asset that Dr. Johnston holds Veterinary Board Certification in equine reproduction and Dr. De Luca a special interest in neonatology. This has allowed more control and flexibility in the breeding operation. Through the acquisition of embryo's from world class mares, and importation of quality breeding stock, we have carefully amassed a band of mares representing many of the worlds leading jumping lines.  Paul's professional qualifications have also opened doors to access frozen semen from the most sought after jumping stallions. This has enabled Old Bull Farms to produce horses here in North America that are equivalent in pedigree and quality to those found anywhere in the world. Although, most of their horses are registered with the BWP (Belgian Warmblood), leading Hanoverian, Dutch, and Holsteiner jumping lines can be found in their bloodlines. Voltaire, Heartbreaker, Concorde, Clinton, Escudo I, Lupicor, Numero Uno, Indoctro and Contender are some of the best producing stallions of show jumpers in the world, and are commonly referred to when describing Old Bull Farm horses. When crossed to a top quality mare, any one of these stallions can be expected to produce offspring with the potential to compete at  a top level. We stand apart from other breeding operations for producing horses that have not just one, or two, but several "modern type" jumping stallions in their pedigrees. We are also excited to be developing our own young stallions as performance and breeding animals. Iceburg, a son of Escudo I, has been provisionally approved by the BWP. He had an exceptional crop of foals in 2011 and is expecting his second crop in 2012.