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Although DPA was officially created in 2001, Arabian horses have always been a huge part of Kristi & Janel Hopp's lives.
Janel started out as a young horse crazy girl, finally convincing her parents at the age of 13 to buy her a horse. Janel grew up in the small college town of Bellingham, WA on Lake Whatcom. Her family home was in a community on the Lake named Dellesta Park. The family home is still there to this day. Dellesta Park, the family home and Lake Whatcom hold a special place in the hearts of both Janel & Kristi. When it was time to come up with a farm name it was the uniqueness and specialness of Dellesta Park that inspired the naming of Dellesta Park Arabians.
From Janel's first horse, there was always something about the beauty of the Arabian horse that captured Janel's eye. Though the first horse was an unruly black Morgan mare, Janel bred that mare to a purebred Arabian Stallion. From that point forward it was All Arabians. Janel often recalls her first experience attending US Nationals in 1979 watching one of her all-time favorite stallions Aladdinn win his National Championship title.
It is believed by most that Kristi Hopp was born on an Arabian horse. Growing up around the horses with her mother Janel was just their life. Most girls seem to grow out of the horses eventually, this was just the opposite for Kristi. Her love for the Arabian horse continues to build even to this day. Kristi was determined later in life to make horses her career, staring with working at several local Arabian horse farms and Vet Clinics through High School and College. With the assistants of friend Greg Knowles, in 1996 Kristi moved away from home starting a barn managers position at Las Colinas, Lucy Whittier's farm in Pilot Hill, CA. It was here that Kristi gained valuable experience from Lucy in breeding, pedigrees, herd management and general horsemanship. Also admiring the passion that Lucy had for her amazing herd of broodmares. The year spent at Las Colinas was also another beginning to the DPA story with the birth of a "Spirited" black bay filly by the name of Magics Charisma, later becoming the foundation mare of DPA.
Kristi moved back to Washington State where she worked as the Breeding Manager at Bennett Woodland Farms for almost 10 years. Long days were spent with AI, Stallion Collections, Freezing Semen, Embryo Transfer and foaling out hundreds of mares. It was also a great opportunity to stand many Champion Stallions of all breeds. Little did Kristi know that one day a stallion by the name of EF Kingston would come through the barn doors to change everything. Kingston came to stand at "BWF" the year of 2004, staying to the start of the breeding season of 2005. Breeder and former owner Bruce Edwards said to Kristi "treat Kingston as if he was your own." Well that is exactly want happened, Kristi & Kingston became Best Friends. In May 2005 Kristi became the proud owner of her beloved EF Kingston!!!
The foundation mare Magics Charisma gave birth to the first official DPA bred horse, Caro Lynn DPA, by the Brazilian National Champion stallion *Form Carillon. The following year, ;2002, DPA had 3 foals, Angelina DPA (by EA Echstravagant), Citatious DPA (by Audicious PS) and Echcentric DPA (by EA Echstravagant). The 2 boys were sold as weanlings going onto be wonderful show and sport horses. As for Angelina DPA she became part of the DPA broodmare herd. DPA now had the base of their broodmare band with Magics Charisma, Caro Lynn DPA and Angelina DPA.
DPA finally had the birth of their first EF Kingston foals in 2007, with the welcoming of the exquisite foal Vegas DPA (x Angelina DPA) and the darling Half-Arab Palomino filly Kingston In Gold DPA (x Zips Pale Moon AQHA).
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