PO Box 1207 Enumclaw, WA 98022 Phone: 253-833-0621 Fax: 360-825-1681

The farm has been producing Arabians for decades -- Debbey’s parents Robert and Jeanne Middleton, founded their Arabian breeding program over 40 years ago, with roots firmly planted in Egyptian lines. Stan and the Middletons met over thirty years ago and there after business and life took it’s course. Gradually, with Stan’s wife Debbey Middleton, they developed Midcrest Farm into what it is today -- a breeding farm focused on excellence in the show ring.

As the decades passed, the prefixes RDM (for Robert D. Middleton-the prefix originally used by the Middletons for all their horses) and MFA (for Midcrest Farm Arabians) came to be associated with extreme, classic Arabian type- and strong Egyptian lines. Many important individuals were produced by the farm over the years. These include:

- Mar Rae
- RDM Maar Hala- #1 producing mare of straight Egyptians
- Drifronna- Artistocrat mare
- RDM Moon Gypsy-Reserve National Champion, dam of National winner, Aristocrat mare
- MFA Hucklehoney Bey-dam of National Champion and 1st foal of Huckleberry Bey
- Moon Gypsy- dam and granddam of National Champions
- MFA Mareekh Amir
- MFA Maar Halima- dam of Champion Aristocrat mare
- MFA Monien- dam of Champion, and many straight Egyptian Champions.

Today Stan and Debbey are continually working to maintain Midcrest’s high standards for quality and, as one of the leaders of the Arabian horse industry today.

The present day Midcrest Farm Arabians has many branches and at its roots include the contributions of some of America’s pioneer breeders. Its phenomenal success developed from the farm’s ability to manage a variety of breeders interests, all channeled into one progressive program that continues to be one of the leading breeding entities in the Arabian industry. “Midcrest Farm continues to be a team of players who are very successfully making a untied effort to produce annually one or more National Champions and improve and elevate the quality of our own breeding programs, as well as the expectations of breeders everywhere,” comments Stan. “All of us share a common interest in bringing the best breeding horses together and developing an intelligent, far sighted program capable of creating the finest Arabian bloodstock the world has yet to see. Much of the accomplishment and energy attributed to it is truly the collective vision of a number of individuals all focused on the same net result. Midcrest Farm just happens to be where all these amazing horses, breathe, and propagate,” Stan adds.

The solid reputation for first-rate bloodstock; so painstakingly established during the early years at Midcrest Farm, has continued to build during Stan and Debbey’s more than 29 years of marriage. The scope of the farm continues to expand and develop with each mare added and each new crop of foals. Smash –hit stock produced by the farm’s discriminatingly selected stallions and mares has assured that the Midcrest “seal” continues as an assurance of quality and marketability. Midcrest Farm’s stallion roster has had, and still has, some of the industry’s most resoundingly successful bloodlines and show horses. This hand-picked group has been chosen to serve the demands of the current marketplace – a market which requires nothing short of excellence.
“I don’t want Midcrest to be on the cutting edge”, says Stan “I want it to be the cutting edge.” The cutting edge of today’s Arabian industry means not following trends, but setting them. Trend setters in the Midcrest stallion barn have included; Thee Egyptian Prince, the Middletons first stallion (in which they owned a quarter share);*Farazdac; MFA Mareekh Amir Midcrest (bred by Midcrest); Triple Crown winner Echo Magnifficoo; WN Ultimate Star(the only unanimous Triple Crown winner in history), and Audacious PS. We have had a unique group of stallions, and bred them to a cross-section of hand picked mares. The results speak for themselves, and have helped this farm stay at the top of today’s show horse market. With the recent addition of the imported stallion, Rashid Van Ryad, from Brazil, we have added yet another extreme look, and with crosses with some of our mares again have produced a group of future winners. With RashidVan Ryads Grand Champion Scottsdale win, no farm since Lasma in the early 80’s has had three Scottsdale Grand Champion Stallions, except Midcrest Farm Arabians.

The Keeters know about campaign strategy; having campaigned two Triple Crown winners Echo Magnifficoo and WN Ultimate Star, and a number of National Champions. Echo daughters continue to produce get and grand get who win at the National, International, and World levels. These winners today can be seen on our website.

Today we still hand pick and match mares with stallions, both on and off the farm. We are still breeding and developing that extreme look that the winners of today need. Horses need to have that unique look that catches everyone’s eye; the attitude, the conformation, and the show stopping, breathtaking presence that demands the attention of all. We have just recently purchased a few different mares to add to our lines, continuing to add to our extreme collection.

This Midcrest group owns a number of the greatest mares I’ve ever seen. Not just National winners, but mares that have produced National Champions. I have to feel that our Echo Magnifficoo daughters have become prized possessions. They have National Champions by *Marwan Al Shaqab, Versace, Padrons Psyche, Magnum Psyche, etc. Recently I have seen two of the greatest colts in the last 20 years, by *Marwan Al Shaqab out of Echo Magnifficoo daughters. With our program today I feel no urge to own or campaign a stallion. I suggest that sometimes it impedes our progress. The integrity of making breeding decisions, if to outside sires, continually suggests that you could inhibit the promotional process for your own stallion. Midcrest’s group will and should breed these magnificent mares whenever necessary to annually create that extremely unique individual, these Echo daughters are capable of consistently producing and upgrading the models for the Arabian breed every year. However every serious breeding program, no matter how dynastic the stature of its head sire, must be multidimensional. And Midcrest and its close associates are nothing if not serious breeders. The goal is to have a breeding program- not just to have one great horse that can do all things to all mares. A combination of horses is what will continue to influence and improve the breed a few notches. The dilemma faced by breeder, then is finding that combination of horses. Producing a winner does not make you a breeder, repeating the process on a regular basis and improving the breed does.

Now one of the Arabian horse industry’s most successful sires, Echo Magnifficoo has changed the look of the Arabian. He has achieved this with a limited book and an exceptionally-high percentage of his foals that have become champions at top-ranked shows. “Our goal is not to produce multitudes of foals each year,” Stan says, “our gain, and the industry’s gain, is derived from producing a consistency of top quality foals.” “I want Midcrest to continue to be as good from a commercial standpoint as our ambition allows it to be,” Stan continues. “Over the years, our farm’s dedication and accomplishments have been read about as successes. I have always felt that one shouldn’t go around telling everyone in the country about what you’ve done and what you’re going to do—just do it. Just do it and then let your successes be read about in the history books. I don’t even know how many National Champions and Top Tens, Midcrest Farm and Associates has produced. I know it’s a great number, maybe 35, out of just a few mares. That’s a very successful program. But we will do better.”

“One thing I’ve been blessed with is a God given ability to look at young horses and go, “Wow, red alert” he says. Associates of Midcrest Farm Arabians watched Stan and Debbey with hard work and determination, turn Echo Magnifficoo into a Triple Crown Champion. Debbey Keeter’s hands on work and skill in grooming, was a major bonus in helping Echo acheive his Triple Crown Championships. No one can turn out a more beautifully groomed horse then Debbey. Her work has helped in the turning out of numerous Champions for Midcrest. Her continued input on babies is critical to our future.

Excellent communication skills have served Stan and Debbey Keeter well in life so far- in their marriage; in the rearing of their three children, Amy, Kristina, and Preston; and now two grandsons Jackson and Caden; and in the relationships they have cemented with others in the Arabian horse industry. My feeling for people has increased ten-fold because of some of the bad experiences I’ve been through in the industry over the years. All of the people closest to us in business have become personal friends and absolute family. Many people have been involved with me for a long, long time, and when I see horses that are terribly special, I make sure to share them. You take care of the people who take care of you, the people who are your friends. For Stan, taking care of friends and taking care of the industry are similar tasks. Both require a personal commitment to integrity and quality.

Since Midcrests move in 2005 to our current location, a smaller, more elegant setting, we have approximately 30 mares who reside at the farm year round. Potential show weanlings and yearlings fill up the rest of our barn.
Our current facility has a foaling barn, broodmare barn, and a show barn which houses the stallions, show horses, and offices. Our offices are in the middle of the barn so our staff is at the hub of the day to day action and can monitor the barns at all times. Stan heads the farm and is active in the day to day basis in the care of the stallion, mares, and foals. Stan and Debbey, and a select confident few, are involved in the selection of which mares will be bred to the best stallion cross for the industry today.

Many of our associates and friends have introduced new strains to the breeding program, creating a slightly different look and enhancing the power of our stallions. We buy broodmares that add specific traits when bred to our stallions and hand pick outside stallions that enable us to get the extremes we desire. I can’t wait six years for a product; I just don’t have that kind of patience. I’m looking for a horse that will influence a look in one generation. I love the breeding end of this business.

Assisting Stan in the day to day operations is office manager Linda G. Voss. Linda has worked with Midcrest for over 9 years in the accounting department as part time office support services. In winter of 2004, she came on board full time, and now runs the day business office and assisting in various other aspects of the farm. As owner of her own small bookkeeping business, horse farm, and dog breeding business, she knows how important the organization and office aspect can be for the success of a farm. Linda has over 20 years bookkeeping experience; over 35 years working with horses, handling, showing, but is new to the Arabians. Though not part of her “job” description she does help when needed, holding horses, or working closely with the veterinarians. With her over 17 years working as a veterinary technician she is called on to put to use that former training, as she helps with mares and babies, in the health care, treatments, and shipments from our various stallions.

In its marketing approach, the staff at Midcrest is sensitive to the subtleties of salesmanship, and wants visitors to feel comfortable. “I know what it is like to show up at a farm just to visit— and instead be made to feel as though I was handcuffed to a chair while someone grabbed my wallet. Buyers don’t have to be persuaded to buy, just educated and directed.
We promote independent thinking. I was always so impressed with the way the Middletons handled clients. They never pushed a sale too hard. I’d go crazy watching them let clients leave without trying to make a sale… but they had an ace up their sleeve; they knew they
had great horses, and that the clients would seek them out. They used to tell me, ‘Don’t just listen to the trainers, develop your own eye for what you like in an Arabians horse. Unfortunately, it’s a lesson I learned the hard way. When we bred for the investment
market---instead of breeding what we liked—we were almost destroyed. When we bred for
our own look, we won and won and won.

I’m extremely cautious when I deal with our associates’ funds; I’ve never played poker with their money. We look at tons of horses each year in search of exceptional value for both seller and purchaser…and whether we spend two hundred thousand or five thousand, the client’s criteria and financial requirements are our guidelines. Buying individuals for prices which allow long-term goals to be realized has been an important part of Midcrest’s expanding business. We want to sell the ultimate product to the ultimate customer.

Midcrest is a team effort. It’s not just Stan or Debbey, but combined thoughts of Lee and Jacque Melchi; Trevor & Midge Lovett; Richard Nielsen; Cindy and Dan Fleming; Georgia and Monty Irby; Leeanne and Milt Davis; Dale and Gloria Hotchkiss; Mox Irmscher; and Peter and Sheila Stewart. We are a team, creating a dynasty. This year we have bred our Echo Magnifficoo daughters to Marwan Al Shaqab, Gazal Al Shaqab, Versace, and Rashid Van Ryad.

In 2007 we are rebreeding to the above stallions and will be breeding to Honorrs, DA Valentino(an Echo Magnifficoo grandson), and continue to look for potential other horses what will cross with our mares.

We are also watching for young colts to possible pursue a purchase if possible.

Midcrest manages Leading Sire Echo Magnifficoo and the breeders and owners of over 40 National Champion halter horses