You can actually feel the electricity in the air when "Shoc" trots through the gate. In a flash of red hot chestnut and with a charisma so dynamic that it makes him a phenomenal crowd favorite. That's the way the Arabian breed is getting to know Alicia and Jack Pace's superstar English Pleasure stallion, SF Specs Shocwave.

Who is this young horse that is already the recipient of high praise from some of the breed's legendary trainers? Ray LaCroix says he's "...redefining the English division." Tim Shea notes that "...he personifies what an Arabian performance horse should be," and Gene LaCroix calls him "...the best English horse the breed has seen in years, possibly the best ever." Gary Dearth also adds "I am certain that as a breeding stallion Shoc will elevate the standards of the Arabian breed."

Michigan Arabian breeders Jack and Alicia Pace have admired and bred for the English Arabian show horse for several decades. Shocwave is the result of years of studying bloodlines and searching for the best of the best in show horse broodmares. Like many Arabian breeders they found their finest came from the *Bask bloodlines and they concentrated on that stallion's top sons and daughters in their pedigrees. The *Bask son Promotion made his last home at Stonehedge Farms and Shocwave's dam Spectra PR, a daughter of Promotion, was the Pace's premier show mare for several years. Nationally respected by Arabian horsemen, Spectra PR was the 1991 US National Champion English Pleasure Jr. Horse and a 1992 US Reserve National Champion in English Pleasure. Her dam, Sedgia(Cognac x MS Judge by The Judge) was a US and Canadian National Top Ten Park Horse in 1986. Shocwave's four major crosses to *Bask, through National Champions: Promotion, Cognac, and The Judge, and through leading Dam of Champions, Autumn Fire makes SF Specs Shocwave more than just a great showhorse. He has both the genotype and the phenotype to be the next great sire of English motion in the Arabian breed. An interesting side note, Shocwave's brilliant red chestnut color comes directly from the great Park horse *Bask son The Judge, via his dynamic granddaughter Segia. The Judge was a full brother to Fame one of Lasma Arabians' most famous *Bask daughters. It's quite a legendary heritage for a stallion who almost didn't arrive here at all.

Spectra PR

In 1998, Alicia and Jack had decided on an embryo transfer for Spectra PR with Afire Bey V, but when the vet flushed the embryo, it was not a likely candidate at all. It graded as a three (with one being optimum), and the vet pronounced it not likely to survive. Paces opted to proceed anyway. En route to Colorado State the embryo container was lost in the O'Hare Airport for hours. Finally found, it arrive at the CSU lab and was implanted a day late in the recipient mare. The prognosis was not great. When it was time to check the mare at 45 days, Alicia was the only one left who believed she would be pregnant. She was. Obviously the flaming red chestnut colt had the will to live, a precursor to his will to win.

Alicia started Shocwave under saddle herself and found him easy to work with, eager to learn and very people oriented. Later, when Shoc went into training with Peter Stachowski, he declared him to be "...extremely talented," and noted that Shoc had real ability and an excellent work ethic. For Shocwave, the work was easy. A born show horse, he instinctively wanted to "Be Somebody" and was eager each day to get under saddle and get moving.

By the summer of 2004, he was ready to head for the US Nationals in the English Pleasure Jr. Horse. He was shown once prior to the Nationals, and that turned out to be a one-horse class. Everyone felt that with his complete lack of experience in the show ring he could never be expected to win. They just forgot to tell Shocwave.

In a field of 23 horses he was Unanimous US National Champion, and in the process he made his first group of wildly appreciative fans.

Today, at 15.2 hands, SF Specs Shocwave is a two-time US Reserve National Champion in English Pleasure and he's just getting started. His first foals are on the ground. No matter the mare, the look, act and move just like their sire. Each and every one of them wants to "Be Somebody."