tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56185240398971753732024-03-13T09:01:17.245-07:00Scot's Journalshootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-62518077687433661712018-02-11T16:40:00.002-08:002018-02-11T16:40:16.557-08:00Backing Up the BitchingSeriously, I'm trying to write more. I just have too many damn balls in the air. Sorry this entry took a few weeks to see the light of day. The title is "Backing Up the Bitching", but I'm not sure how much "backing up" this will be--it's more of an attempt at conversation.<br />
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Facebook Thread</h4>
I've been pleased, and a little concerned, about the conversation my journal has initiated on FB. There's definitely a need for conversation, but open up the gateway, and a flood of bitching begins. That's the beauty and the beast of social media. We need to have a platform to express our frustrations, but we also need to step back and look at the bigger picture. Since most of us breed in isolation, it's easy to become hyper-focused on our own issues. Some of them are universal, effecting all of us--some of them, however, are, indeed, individual. A horse did badly at a keuring. The jury didn't license your stallion prospect. You got taken advantage of by a KWPN stallion owner who was happy to sell shitty frozen semen to North America. Oh, wait. That's all of us!<br />
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Backing Up the Bitching</h3>
I am a supporter of the KWPN system, and, by proxy, the KWPN-NA system. There are problems in both systems--they're not all insurmountable, however. Let me throw out a few thoughts:<br />
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KWPN vs. KWPN-NA</h4>
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In the bigger picture, we are both blessed to be held to the same standards and protocols of the KWPN, and cursed by it. What works in Holland doesn't necessarily work here. There has to be a balance of maintaining the standards and continuity of selection with the specific and particular needs of North America. It doesn't seem as if we have anyone currently in our corner on this. Yet, when people make broad statements about the KWPN never allowing the KWPN-NA to become competition, or they're protecting their frozen semen market, so that's why they don't approve stallions, I don't buy it. Yes, I've seen some politics in play over the last 30 years, but I don't think that's the norm. I think the bigger issue is that North America remains a market to sell riding horses for big bucks, and the breeding stock and frozen semen market has been a disappointment overall. As a matter of fact, if we had a bigger market for breeding stock and frozen semen, I think the KWPN would be all over it, and we wouldn't be in the bind we're in.<br />
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Another bigger picture issue is that the KWPN-NA, whether due to its contractual or perceptual adherence to the KWPN philosophy, or due to its lack of awareness of the bigger picture in general, has tended to be an organization ruled by what we can't do, instead of an organization that looks at the possibilities and figures out how to get there. In any progressive business model, "Can't do it" and "No" are off the table in the brainstorming sessions. Nothing short circuits progress faster than a contingent of people who negate every idea because it's going to be too difficult, too expensive, or too risky. The place for realists is in the implementation phase, not the vision phase.<br />
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Stallion Approvals</h4>
As far as stallion approvals and the scarcity of stallions available fresh cooled, there are a lot of factors in play here. Yes, we're in trouble. As much as I have pontificated about the importance of marelines over the years, it's still the stallions that have the biggest impact on the breeding population. We definitely need more stallions and younger stallions in North America. That being said, standing a stallion in North America is a nightmare. We don't have a big enough mare base to sell enough breedings year after year to offset the costs of buying, importing, marketing, and, if necessary, competing a stallion. Consequently, anyone who brings in a stallion is bringing him in either for their own breeding or sport purposes. Also, North American mare owners are unrealistic in their expectations. Every stallion needs to be the winner of his performance testing, have all first premium foals, be available for fresh cooled semen six days per week, and be out competing and winning with good video online to prove it. We're ridiculous. Yet, we'll spend thousands of dollars on frozen semen from a three year old stallion, with no offspring on the ground, whom we've never seen in the flesh, because he's black and we saw one fancy video on Facebook. Crazy. Still, we need new, young stallions. I go to Holland at least twice a year, definitely once for the Stallion Show and once for the Horse Days. I have internalized what the modern KWPN dressage horse looks like. We have only one KWPN-approved stallion standing in North America who is producing anything close to what the modern Dutch dressage horse looks like. If it weren't for frozen semen, we would already be at least a full generation behind our Holland counterparts. There are some solutions to this. One, say a prayer, and hope ISF buys a new stallion. Two, say another prayer and hope someone, anyone, buys a new stallion. Three, and the more practical, establish a KWPN-NA Stallion Selection Team that is not beholden to the KWPN Selection Committee. Right now, any stallion approval decision isn't based on North American need, it's based on significant input from the KWPN Stallion Selection Committee. Four, similar to what the regions of Holland and Germany did before the advent of transported semen, let the KWPN-NA function as stallion station for frozen semen. In the days of old, breeders of a region established niches based on the stallions available to them. This was a really good thing for the breeding populations. Why not have the KWPN-NA buy 25 or 50 doses of a one or two stallions every year, then sell those doses to breeders at cost? We could have a team in place that determines the needs of the breeding population--the team negotiates the price of the doses--and, best yet, the team holds the sellers accountable for the quality of the product. Years ago, the KWPN-NA sold Ferro, Ramiro, and others. It was a great thing for the breeders, and it produced some really good horses. There's no reason we can't do this again.<br />
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Register A</h4>
As far as Register A and its value to the studbook, I maintain it's a very good thing. There's a comment on the FB thread about its muddying the quality, or causing some interruption in the consistency of the KWPN standards, but I don't see it this way. As I remember, when the Euro culture was created, all European studbooks were charged with finding a way to incorporate each other's breeding stock. The KWPN is the only one that did. The other studbooks just accepted an inordinate number of foreign stallions with limited inspection and limited requirements. I see Register A as an improvement section of our studbook. I also agree with the KWPN's loosening of the Register A requirements for entrance into the studbook. Granted, it may appear that I have an ulterior motive in saying this since we now own Gaudi, an AES-approved stallion whose offspring will all be Register A, but if you look at the requirements, he has fulfilled all but the performance--the new requirements for Register A horses to enter the studbook are for keur-eligible mares to undergo the performance requirement. The only thing that changes is that a mare can receive the ster predicate and still be Register A. This is a good thing. It brings more horses to keurings. It recognizes the positive influences through Register A. Win win situation.<br />
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Growing Our Organization</h4>
I may be wrong about this, but I think our organization has had about 1400 members consistently for 20+ years. It hasn't grown. Stating the obvious here, but any business needs to constantly vitalize its base and attempt to increase its market share to stay viable. We haven't figured this out<br />
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The most profitable thing we do for our members is register foals. That brings in a shitload of money...which ends up paying for a really expensive Annual Meeting, benefiting, on average, 50 to 100 people per year not on the BOD, Member's Committee, or some supporting committee. The Annual Meeting costs A LOT of money. I'm talking multiple tens of thousands of dollars. It is our biggest outreach and expenditure of the year, yet it benefits well less than 10% of our membership. There's a problem here.<br />
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Don't get me wrong. I have loved Annual Meetings. Some of the best parties I've attended in my adult life were at Annual Meetings--and, there were some great personal connections, networking, and general information. All this being said, overall, they are a waste of money. If the purpose of the Annual Meeting is for the different boards to get together in person, that can be accomplished more cheaply and more efficiently than by paying for expensive rooms in a top Florida hotel. If the goal is education of the membership, then that, too, can be accomplished more effectively by reaching out to multiple regions of the USA and Canada, and hosting a series of regional meetings, rather than one "resort" location that asks the attendees to shell out a significant amount of time and money. Again, I have wonderful memories from Annual Meetings, but, as a business owner and long-time member of the KWPN-NA, I'm offended by the amount of money spent on such a small percentage of the membership. The one benefit I see to the Annual Meetings is networking. You do make connections with other breeders and enthusiasts. Still, there are more effective, more efficient, and more cost-proportionate means of doing this, especially given the social media tools at our disposal.<br />
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Bitch, Bitch--Moan, Moan</h4>
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So, that's my rant. It's easy to bitch when you're not involved anymore. By "not involved", I mean in the day-to-day workings of the organization--I'm certainly involved in breeding, stallion ownership, and the promotion of the KWPN horse. This is all about progress. It's all about improving the breeding environment for Dutch horses in North America. </div>
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<br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-42427866727469954032018-01-07T11:31:00.004-08:002018-01-07T11:35:25.852-08:00Gaudi<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Gaudi</h3>
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By now, I'm sure you've heard our big news: We have purchased the AES approved, KWPN stallion, Gaudi (Totilas x DeNiro x Romancier x Troublemaker xx)! We are beyond excited both about Gaudi and the response the news of his coming to North America has generated. Not including our own girls, we've already booked almost 40 mares! So, a huge thank you for those of you who have already scored a date for your mare with Mr. Gaudi.<br />
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First and foremost, thank you to the Jansen family for agreeing to sell us this special stallion. We are thrilled that he will become a major influence on our breeding program, as well as the programs of many breeders in North America.<br />
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We're in the middle of a big website overhaul, so if you have questions about Gaudi or breeding to him, give me a shout. Right now, the best place to find information is on his FB page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GaudiatSSF/" target="_blank">Gaudi at SSF</a>. Our new site is gorgeous. Tami Johnson from Masterworks has designed it. Scot's Journal is moving back to shootingstarfarm.com, so be on the look out in the next couple weeks.<br />
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In short, he is Totilas x DeNiro x Romancier. Anyone who has read my journal over the years know how I feel about Totilas. He will go down in history as one of the most influential sires in Dutch breeding. Then DeNiro. Hard to beat that combination. DeNiro continues to lead the World Breeding Rankings for Grand Prix dressage horses. Add the R line and a dose of TB, and you get an unbeatable pedigree.<br />
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More importantly, this mareline is amazing. Gaudi's dam, Annabel, is the leader of the KWPN index for dressage mares. She herself is elite, preferent, prestatie, and did a top performance evaluation. She's produced the approved stallions, Bretton Woods and Chagall D&R (both of whom are schooling Grand Prix)--plus is grandmother to the KWPN stallion, Four Legends. She's also produced multiple keur mares, NMK mares, and top, high-selling auction horses.<br />
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Gaudi himself made it through the first three steps of the KWPN approval process with much promise and praise, but was injured before he could attend the 70 Days Test. He was licensed AES, then received his full approval once the selection committee saw his offspring. Consequently, he's not approved KWPN, but he's approved AES, which is an erkend studbook. This makes all of his offspring out of KWPN mares or other erkend studbooks eligible for Register A papers. Gaudi is PROK, so he has completed all the requirements of an approved stallion except for the performance test. Due to breeder demand, the KWPN is in the process of adjusting the Register A requirements for entering the studbook--it now appears that only keur eligible mares will have to do the IBOP.<br />
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Gaudi brings the best pedigree possible, out of arguably the best contemporary KWPN mareline, and a super character and type, all wrapped up in a 16.2 hand, black-with-four-white-feet, supple, powerful dressage package. On top of this, he's free of Jazz, Ferro, and Flemmingh, making him an important outcross for a huge percentage of the KWPN mare base. He is a "dreams come true" horse for the Tolman family and the SSF breeding program. You can thank my wife that he's being made available to North American breeders--I wanted to keep him just for our program.<br />
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A Change in Focus</h4>
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In keeping with the impetus for my recent journal entries, I'd like to share some of our thoughts, history, and long-range planning that have gone into this shift in the SSF breeding program. We have decided to build our program a bit, and, in doing so, try to fill a void that exists for KWPN dressage breeders in North America: Affordable access to quality younger stallions. Actually, we can't "fill the void," because we don't have the facility or financial means to bring in the number of stallions we need, but we can at least begin to do our part.<br />
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KWPN-NA dressage breeders have relied on the generosity, good will, and good selection of Iron Spring for a long time. And thank god for them. We would be in significantly worse shape without their stallion offerings--and I mean "we". Carol and I have bred to ISF stallions over 30 times. Their stallions have played a huge part in shaping our program. But, if we want to grow and meet the demands of the market, we need other people to come forward and take some of the risk, and the heat; we can't rely on one farm to suffer the responsibility of providing the bulk of the quality stallion selection for our mare base.<br />
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Of course, ISF is not the only farm that stands quality stallions, but of the 10 dressage-bred stallions activated with the KWPN-NA, only one of them is under 10 years old, and only two of them under 15. If no one were to import a new stallion in the next three to five years, we would be down to three or four stallions available with fresh cooled semen. And, given that we see on average one new stallion made available every two years or so, the numbers are looking grim. Plus, the core of the KWPN's breeding success has been early identification of top sires at a young age. Breeding programs make the fastest progress by breeding to the younger stallions. Of course, fastest and smartest progress are two different concepts, yet without our having access to younger stallions, we're not only NOT keeping up with the demands of our growing market, we're backsliding. Yes, the heart of a breeding program is the mares. I don't have access to the KWPN-NA data base to back this up, but from my observations, the number of quality mares is steadily increasing. Still, a national breeding program has to have quality sires available. We can rely on frozen semen for some of our options, but until a fair method of purchase is put in place and we have a more reliable product, it can be an expensive and frustrating option. When it works, it's great. When it doesn't, it's easy to lose thousands of dollars per cycle. We need quality younger stallions available in North America.<br />
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We're starting with Gaudi. We have a DeNiro x Santano x Biotop stallion prospect in Holland who will begin the selection process next year. We kept two colts from our 2018 crop as stallion prospects--I'm pretty sure we'll send at least one of them to Holland. We will either keep or buy at least one stallion prospect each year for the next few years. These efforts are more self-serving and self-preserving than they are altruistic. We will breed a minimum of eight to ten mares again this year. For the past few years, I've bred almost exclusively with frozen semen. How much have I spent filling my tank with enough doses to breed eight to ten mares per year? How many of those doses might as well have been flushed down the toilet as put into a mare? How many of my mares decided they didn't want to be pregnant no matter how many doses of frozen semen with no LFG I put into them? It doesn't take long to get well into the tens of thousands of dollars and almost nothing to show for it.<br />
We will breed two or three of our mares with frozen this year, but the bulk of the girls are having a date with Gaudi.<br />
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The title of my next entry was "Backing up the Bitching", but I think I'm going to hold off on that for just a bit. In the last couple days, we've had some inquiries about our 2018 and 2019 foals, so I need to do a journal entry that specifies our breeding and sales plans.<br />
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In closing, thanks again to the people who have already booked to Gaudi. We appreciate your enthusiasm about him and your trust in us.</div>
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shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-91619731210817317712018-01-04T10:47:00.004-08:002018-01-04T10:51:37.366-08:00A Call to Action<h3 style="text-align: center;">
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In North America, as I have certainly belabored in my previous post, we Dutch breeders are really on our own. Publications and show programs rarely list bloodlines, let alone the name of the breeder; we have no universally accepted national data base to track the success of our products in sport; the physical distance between us makes eyes-on self-education difficult; we have access to few quality stallions, and are subjected to the ridiculous arrangement of paying almost the full cost of breeding to a stallion in Europe for one dose of frozen semen with no guarantee; and the North American branch of our studbook is constantly stymied by a lack of vision and poor financial management. And I know I'm being repetitive and less than subtle here, we would be better off registering our horses directly through the KWPN and functioning as a breeding region rather than be a separate-but-not-separate organization. Breeders, and their needs, opinions, and decisions, in Holland drive the future of the KWPN. Breeders here drive nothing. We do not have a voice. In spite of the organizational systems and committees in place, our needs are not addressed except by proxy when the needs of the breeders in Holland coincide with our needs. Therefore, it falls to the individual breeding programs to set the standards. I'm too old, too opinionated, and too impatient to have our breeding program continue to be limited by other people's lack of vision.<br />
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In my reactions to warmblood breeding in North America (and in other things), I can be accused of many things: blatant egotism, vociferousness, intolerance...and more. Yet, anyone would be hard-pressed to question my passion for breeding or my decades-long support of hundreds of fellow breeders. I look out into the world of warmblood breeding in North America, and see a significantly more educated population of breeders with a significantly higher quality of breeding stock. If we can find some means of cohesion, our breeding programs are poised to rival those of Europe. We continue to suffer due to the limitations I mentioned in the previous paragraph, but, despite these inherent restrictions, the passions, research, hard work, and financial investments of North American breeders have substantially improved our situation--I'm just not sure we realize this yet. I'm not sure, as a whole, we recognize the potential that exists.<br />
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There are a number of viable paths moving forward. Staying the course and allowing the effects of time and market to prevail will, most likely, be the option most people select, albeit by default. We have North American studbooks and organizations that will either self destruct or become obsolete, but the sport horse industry is only going to grow. Tell me Andreas Helgstrand doesn't recognize this. What about the now-annual VDL auctions? Yes, we have some significant shortcomings to overcome, especially in that all-important aspect of network of affordable, quality young horse trainers who can take the stock from North American breeders and get them to a place, training-wise, market-wise, and proximity-wise, that it becomes more viable for buyers to shop in here rather than in Europe. I'm not pollyanna about the significance of our lack of a training system and breeder-to-buyer network--it is a huge obstacle. But, I'm saying we have more pieces in place than we've ever had, and our market is becoming stronger and larger. We, as breeders, need to start making some more productive noise than bitching on Facebook. We need to sharpen the focus of our individual breeding programs, and, at the same time, come together, regardless of studbook affiliation, both to address the growing demands of our growing industry and to take advantage of the opportunities inherent in this growth.<br />
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For the Tolman family and Shooting Star Farm, this means we need to grow our program...and, there in lies the topic for my next journal entry!<br />
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<br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-50688608402970242412017-12-30T16:46:00.000-08:002017-12-30T16:46:12.848-08:00Looking Forward at SSF at the Beginning of 2018<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Hawking, Frost, and Tolman Time</h3>
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Stephen Hawking's latest newsworthy update is that the Earth will become an uninhabitable fireball about 600 years from now. Is it wrong, or, more accurately, inappropriately self-serving, that I'm thinking about exactly where my breeding program will be at that time and who will be in charge of it? The following thoughts are second, third, and fourth impulse. My first draft seriously hated on the KWPN-NA, Trump, and breeders who don't take their craft as seriously as I do. With some rather direct feedback from the love of my life, I've modified the" adolescent" tone of my initial writing and focused the goals of this entry. I want to see change in the approach to sport horse breeding in North America, and, although I'd love to spout off in an emotional and verbose post, for the benefit of the greater good, it's worth modifying the alacrity and impulsiveness of my reactionary voice.<br />
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Life is so funny. And short. Of course, it doesn't seem short when you're living it, but it really is. It's been ages since I've done a journal entry. Part of it, as I've said before, is that 300 likes on Facebook seems a more effective means of communicating and significantly more gratifying than writing into the empty space of my journal, but another part of it is my total immersion into the world of breeding KWPN dressage horses for 30 years and my frustration with the limitations inherent within the structures of our current studbook organizations and national mindset for breeding the best sport horses in the world. I've allowed myself to get to a point of not caring--which is not good. As my wife would say, "Be part of the solution, not part of the problem." I have enough of a platform to at least make some noise.<br />
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Not to veer into politics, but take a page out of Mueller's playbook: Follow the money. The dairy industry is huge. The USA is the leading milk-producing country in the world. Look at corn. Who produces better and more corn than we do? What about pork? Or eggs? Or wheat? Soybeans? Beef? If sport horses were a larger aspect of our economy, we would have a more systematic, unified, research-based, and enthusiastic approach to producing them. As it is, it appears that we have myriad individual organizations competing for a limited number of breeders and buyers. Yet, if you look at the numbers, the equine industry in North America is HUGE. Have you been to an Equine Affair? There is an opportunity for real growth in our world, but we are limited by the constrictions of our current systems. We can be breeding, training, and selling the best horses in the world. To make matters worse, maybe we already are. But, guess what? No one is listening. We are working in a void. Of course, if Stephen Hawking is right, which I believe he probably is, then my consternation is completely moot. Who gives a crap, really?<br />
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Unfortunately, I still do. Our farm motto is "A place where dreams come true." This remains more than a platitude for me. For those of us who truly love horses, they are stuff of which dreams are made. This love is visceral, part of our very beings. Every time Carol and I talk about slowing down or minimizing our program, something inside me hurts. I still envision the enormous potential for breeding in North America. I know that I still have things to offer people that can make a difference in our achieving this potential. I see our own program as just beginning to reach a place of producing really important horses who can be part of this potential. I am not, in my heart, an isolationist--I am a gatherer of information and ideas, an educator, and an artist, of sorts. I am a voice. Perhaps, that is my most important contribution to the future of breeding KWPN sport horses in North America: My voice. So, that's what this convoluted, self-indulgent introduction to a journal entry is really about, I guess. After a bit of an absence, I have things to say.<br />
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Carol and I have seriously thought of moving our entire breeding operation to Holland. In addition to the obvious benefits of stallion selection, breeder recognition and appreciation, the access to a systemic approach to training, and the proximity of competitive venues, there's also the benefit of a studbook that is responsive to its breeders' opinions and needs. We don't have that here. The KWPN-NA is, for the most part, a volunteer organization made up of people who genuinely want what is best for sport horse breeding in North America. But, we have always been confined by individual egos, a lack of vision, and the demands of the parent organization, the KWPN. As it stands, we as breeders and owners, would be much better served if there were no KWPN-NA--if we were to register our horses directly through Holland and function as a breeding region, with a small board of directors who organize the keurings and specific demands of our particular region. Since we, the Tolmans, don't get to make this decision, we have to work within the system that currently exists. This is frustrating to me. I am a person of ideas. I am a person willing to take risks, knowing I may fall flat on my face and suffer the ridicule of peers and those people who, due to their own insecurities and shortcomings, are happy to see other people fail. This being said, I'm also a person who does extensive research, has more than a modicum of insight into the workings of the equine industry, and has the benefit of 30 years of successes and failures, the latter probably being the more important. I believe we, as a country, can produce the best sport horses in the world. I also believe we are limited by disparate organizations, a lack of vision, and a lack of focus.<br />
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So, what can be done? A more idealistic and altruistic Scot has tried a number of approaches over the years: I devoted myself to my studbook, only to have my efforts consumed by the egos and personal agendas of the leadership; I played the altruistic card and imported stallions for the benefit of as many North American breeders as I could accommodate, only to have my motives held suspect and my credit card balances exploded; additionally, and more effectively, I've offered free counsel and advice to anyone who asked, with much appreciation and subsequently established friendships. Therein, lies my answer to this quandary for me personally. I need to focus on what I do best. Create the best breeding program that my instincts, research, and passions can engender, then share my thoughts and experiences with people who are interested enough in the ideals of their own programs to seek out more information.<br />
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I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, but this year is different. Carol and I have decided this is my last year teaching and that we will focus more on SSF. It's going to be a year of changes, adventures, and challenges. I don't have the need or desire to completely reinvent myself at this point in my life; however, the older I get, the more meaning Robert Frost's words hold for me. "The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. But I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep."<br />
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I will begin 2018 with some thoughts and plans for Shooting Star Farm, some thoughts on the direction of the KWPN, and the current state of breedings and breeding plans for the SSF girls. Look for more entries in the next few days.<br />
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shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-49609082804530236692017-07-09T19:56:00.004-07:002017-07-09T19:56:52.057-07:00Summer UpdateHey, everyone. Thanks for bearing with through yet another LONG journal/blog hiatus. Lots to catch up on.<div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Young KWPN-NA Event</span></b></div>
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Kate Bruning and Michaela have planned an educational day at SSF this coming Saturday. We're going to start the day with a conversation about breeding and the philosophy behind our breeding program, then a show and tell of all our horses. I haven't heard the whole schedule, but I think we have a young horse trainer, an equine dentist, and a blacksmith doing demos and answering questions. Plus...I'm making lunch and hosting a cocktail hour in the afternoon. If you're interested in any or all of the event, you don't have to be young or KWPN-NA to attend. Just shoot me an email or a text and I'll get details to you.<br /><div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2017 Foals</span></b></div>
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All babies are safely on the ground (knock on wood). For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you know already we had a banner colt year. Six colts and one filly. This was supposed to be the year we kept a few fillies, and, as luck would have it, the one mare that had a filly is the mare we kept a filly from last year....oh, well--there's always next year. Here are the babies and descriptions:</div>
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<b>Magic Mike SSF </b>(Governor x Contango x Elcaro)</div>
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Mikey is a big, solid, beautiful boy. Solid bay except for one hind white foot. He looks almost exactly like his full brother who was number one in NA two years ago. Mikey may be a little heavier in type, but he's equally as good a mover. He had a pre-sale option on him, but the buyer backed out. No reason. I'm hoping to get some video footage of him this weekend during the Young KWPN-NA event that is being held here. </div>
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<b>Milestone SSF </b>(Uno Don Diego x Totilas x Jazz)</div>
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Tall, black, and beautiful. This boy has the best walk we've ever seen on a foal. His movement is very much like his famous mom's was at this age. Miles is already sold, and I'm sure he'll be a phenomenal dressage partner in a few years.</div>
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<b>Marcus Aurelius SSF </b>(Roven xx x Jazz x Roemer)</div>
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Marcus is Orchis's last foal. He's smart as a whip, beautiful, and the easiest to handle of any of the dozen Orchis babies we've had. I haven't decided just what to do with Mr. Marcus. I really want a stallion from this mare. We'll see. </div>
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<b>Mamet SSF </b>(Vitalis x Donatelli x Jazz)</div>
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It looks as if Davey is moving to Holland to be raised as a stallion project. I'll keep you posted. We have a stunning collection of foals this year. Davey is my favorite.</div>
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<b>Mahatma SSF</b> (Vitalis x Freestyle x Jazz)</div>
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Matty is all dressage horse. He's got the perfect neck set; he lifts his body up and carries himself; he is super expressive with both the front and hind legs. He maybe a little small, but he's fancy as hell. Carol and I are both excited about the Vitalis cross on your mares. Matty has a first option on him, but I haven't gotten off my ass to get any video footage of him for the buyer. Hopefully, this weekend will give us that opportunity.</div>
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<b>Mona Liscia SSF</b> (Netto x UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx)</div>
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What a character Ms. Mona is. She is so damn athletic. I think I keep saying this, but I have no doubt Eliscia SSF will become one of our best producers. This is another top filly from her. Mona is already sold.</div>
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<b>Moves Like Jagger SSF</b> (Totilas x Sir Sinclair x Jazz)</div>
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You have no idea how disappointed I am this foal wasn't a filly. Oh, my god. We have loved the UB-40 cross on BoWendy, but the Totilas cross is even better. This boy has the killer Totilas walk and canter and his mother's trot mechanism. He's a super colt. He's already sold.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2017 Breedings</b></span></div>
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We're running about 50/50 on breeding success this year, which is a lot lower than I normally run. I've heard of a lot of people having a tough time getting mares in foal. Hopefully, the second half of July will bring us some good heat cycles and get us some pregnancies.</div>
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<b>Gazania </b>(Bon Bravour x Santano)</div>
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-ET from Vitalis</div>
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-pregnant to UB-40</div>
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<b>Hyacintia</b> (Charmeur x Santano)</div>
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-ET from Gaudi</div>
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-pregnant to Just Wimphof</div>
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<b>Galearites SSF </b>(Totilas x Jazz)</div>
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-bred to Vitalis to carry--no pg</div>
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-bred to Don Martillo for ET--no embryo</div>
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-bred to Veneziano for ET--no embryo</div>
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<b>D'Orites SSF</b> (Donatelli x Jazz)</div>
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-pregnant to Belantis</div>
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<b>ZaVita SSF</b> (Contango x Elcaro)</div>
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-bred to Democraat--no pg</div>
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-two funky cycles without breeding</div>
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-this mare didn't conceive the last time she was nursing a foal</div>
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<b>Werites SSF</b> (Freestyle x Jazz)</div>
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-bred to Veneziano--no pg</div>
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<b>Eliscia SSF </b>(UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx)</div>
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-bred to Don Olymbrio--too early to check</div>
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<b>Carpe Diem SSF</b> (Farrington x Pass the Glass xx)</div>
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-bred to Governor--don't think she's pg--need to check again tomorrow</div>
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<b>BoWendy </b>(Sir Sinclair x Jazz)</div>
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-haven't bred yet</div>
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I am determined to spend no more money of frozen semen or breedings this year, so we'll use up what we have in our tank, then whoever is not pregnant by early August gets the year off. We have Don Olymbrio, Wynton, Don Tango B, Democraat, Donatelli, Governor, Barroso, Roven xx, and some Nubian goat semen that I'm saving for when I get really desperate.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sales</b></span></div>
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Knock on wood, people like our horses. Thank you for that.<b><i> Katmandu SSF </i></b>(Governor x Samber), <i><b>Felicites SSF</b></i> (Rousseau x Jazz), J<b><i>'Orites SSF</i></b> (Florianus II x Donatelli), <i><b>Liberto SSF</b></i> (Sir Sinclair x Freestyle), <i><b>Lamborghini SSF</b></i> (Sir Sinclair x Donatelli), <i><b>Milestone SSF</b></i> (Uno Don Diego x Totilas), <i><b>Mona Liscia SSF</b></i> (Netto x UB-40), and <i><b>Moves Like Jagger SSF </b></i>(Totilas x Sir Sinclair) have all found great homes this spring and early summer. And, I'm pretty sure <i><b>Mahatma SSF </b></i>(Vitalis x Freestyle) will convince the woman who has an option on him how cool he is once I get off my butt and get her a video. </div>
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That means we don't have a lot of horses for sale:</div>
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<b>Magic Mike SSF (Governor x Contango)</b></div>
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-description above</div>
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<b>Kublai Khan SSF (UB-40 x Vincent)</b></div>
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-we have held on to this special boy because we really wanted him as a stallion. Unfortunately, he just isn't tall enough. He's only 15.1 hands as a two year old. I'm sure he'll grow and hit damn near or above 16 hands, but, as a two year old with his pedigree, the KWPN wants him taller. He's one of our best movers ever, and he's super sweet. He will make someone an exceptional dressage horse. I just have to decide if we're going to geld him before we sell him or not.</div>
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and, maybe...</div>
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<b>Marcus Aurelius SSF (Roven xx x Jazz)</b></div>
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I'm really hoping to keep this boy. But, I'm also committed to simplifying our lives, and having stallions on the property does anything but simplify a life. I just don't know what to do on this one.</div>
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As always with any sales, we're happiest with payment plans, so tell us what works for you. On most horses, we give an automatic 20% discount to return customers and FEI-level riders.</div>
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shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-21153146703514463972017-04-06T14:28:00.002-07:002017-04-06T14:29:25.295-07:00Excited and Ready for Spring!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkTmsKzy-R4q6M_UCiH7k2FGGPuM6Vbl2HtzBCmJOOGhPDFabG8-qA-bxr5eLWVSPL1I5Mvxj0x068zn2QACEUdulmH-QCaRrdcw4DNI8Stl7usEPrm1rvlH0O31nVzca1HkYUu1pD5mJ/s1600/Don+Olymbrio+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkTmsKzy-R4q6M_UCiH7k2FGGPuM6Vbl2HtzBCmJOOGhPDFabG8-qA-bxr5eLWVSPL1I5Mvxj0x068zn2QACEUdulmH-QCaRrdcw4DNI8Stl7usEPrm1rvlH0O31nVzca1HkYUu1pD5mJ/s320/Don+Olymbrio+.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Don Olymbrio</b></h3>
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(Jazz x Ferro x Sultan x Doruto)</div>
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I'm so excited that the KWPN has given erkend status to both Vitalis and Don Olymbrio. We're expecting two Vitalis babies this year and purchased two more doses, and we purchased three doses of Don Olymbrio last year for use this year. As much as I love the flexibility of using the Register A option, I hate the logistics necessary to complete the studbook status of the offspring. </div>
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We're headed toward foaling season at SSF! ZaVita SSF is first up, but Orchis is threatening to foal early again this year. She's due about three weeks after ZaVita, but my guess is she will foal first. Knock on wood she holds out until at least 310 days. Orchis is at 294 days today. Keep your fingers crossed. This will be Orchis's last foal. At her age, her body deserves a break. She's been an amazing producer for us. We wouldn't be where we are as a program without her.</div>
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<b>2017 Foals</b></div>
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We still have some options open on upcoming foals. Our plan is to keep at least two fillies, but it will depend which mare produces what. I've instructed each of them in both our desired color and sex, but who knows if they've listened to me.</div>
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<b>Governor x ZaVita SSF (Contanto x Elcaro) </b> </div>
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colt option taken, filly option not available</div>
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<b>Uno Don Diego x Galearites SSF (Totilas x Jazz)</b></div>
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colt option may be available, filly option not available</div>
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<b>Roven xx x Orchis (Jazz x Roemer) </b> </div>
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possible colt option, filly option not available</div>
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<b>Vitalis x D'Orites SSF (Donatelli x Jazz) </b> </div>
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colt option taken, not sure if filly option is also taken</div>
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<b>Netto x Eliscia SSF (UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx) </b> </div>
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colt option taken, filly option open</div>
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<b>Vitalis x Werites SSF (Freestyle x Jazz) </b> </div>
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colt option open, Michaela has first choice if it's a filly</div>
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<b>Governor x Carpe Diem SSF (Farrington x Pass the Glass xx)</b></div>
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both options open</div>
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<b>Totilas x BoWendy (Sir Sinclair x Jazz)</b></div>
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colt option possibly open, filly option not available</div>
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Even if an option is taken and you're interested in one of the potential babies, give me a shout. Last year, we had an option on our Governor x UB-40 filly. The woman came to look at her and thought she was too tall. This filly went on to be the number one foal in North America and a permanent member of the SSF herd. Our base price is 15K, 12K to repeat customers and current FEI level riders. The prices will be higher on both the Uno x Totilas and the Totilas x Sir Sinclair if they're colts we decide to sell. Generous payment plans available on all of our babies.</div>
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<b>2017 Breeding Plans</b></div>
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It's the first week of April, and I'm just about committed to my breeding picks on all our mares...at least, I'm committed to my frozen semen purchases--it's still possible I'll change my mind about which straws to thaw for which mare. Here's where I'm at right now:</div>
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Governor x Elcaro x Belisar</div>
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Governor x Sir Sinclair x Jazz</div>
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Don Olymbrio x UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx</div>
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Don Olymbrio x Farrington x Pass the Glass xx</div>
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Vitalis x Donatelli x Jazz</div>
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Vitalis x Freestyle x Jazz (Michaela could switch this one)</div>
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Experiment x Bon Bravour x Santano</div>
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Experiment x Totilas x Jazz</div>
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Desperado x Charmeur x Santano</div>
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Sorry, Carol gets mad at me when I give away absolutely everything I'm thinking. Both the experiment breedings are intended for us to keep, colt or filly.</div>
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Back up semen in the tank: Roven xx, Donatelli, and Democraat. And, as always, I will rely on the kindness and solid genetics of Iron Spring Farm stallions if my frozen exploits aren't working out.</div>
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shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-62207361031417257882017-02-07T12:45:00.002-08:002017-02-08T04:48:29.205-08:00KWPN Stallion Show 2017I had decided not to do a Stallion Show recap this year, but my thoughts are so jumbled and undecided about what I saw, the state of dressage breeding within both the KWPN and KWPN-NA breeding populations, and how both of these things affect our breeding program that now I'm thinking it could be a helpful process to write about it.<br />
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<b>Qualifier </b> </div>
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As I say every year, these thoughts are just my opinions. I'm not intentionally trying to bash anyone's horse. Because of conversations I've had with a number of people over the last few days, I know there are number of people who disagree with me; so, take this for what it is, one person's opinion.<br />
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<b>Overall Focus of Stallion Selection Committee and Direction of Dressage Breeding</b></div>
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A strong mareline has always been a consideration when selecting stallions, but, over the last few years, we've seen the SSC put a markedly stronger focus on sport results in the mareline. In theory this makes complete sense. A young stallion from a mother line that has produced successful sport horses should himself have a higher probability of being a sport horse and be more likely to produce sport horses. Not rocket science. Yet, this has led to the selection of a number of stallions that are just not breeding horses. Having a strong mareline with sport results isn't enough to make a top stallion. The horse himself has to have that something special or extra that makes him a stallion type. From watching the newly selected stallions and the four, five, and six year old stallions under saddle, I think we've approved a number of nice geldings. During the first years of specialization, the KWPN's focus was all about type--they wanted uphill, modern horses in a rectangular dressage model. As can be documented in other breeds, cattle and dog breeding, etc., selecting for a specific type for too long hurts the overall soundness and functionality of the population. We saw this in the overall balance and temperament of some of our horses. There was a rash of horses with such extreme movement that they could barely take a corner, and we've seen some horses with questionable rideability. What we've seen the last few years is a necessary correction--the jury has been looking for lines proven in sport, so they know the horses have stayed sane and sound, and taken type off the table. Additionally, we've had to look for non Jazz, Flemmingh, and Ferro blood, so the jury has accepted some horses that may have been worth the try, but haven't consistently worked on our population. What this says to me is that it's more important than ever for us as breeders to have our own plans. We need to be clear and strong in our vision for what we want our programs to produce. It is through the work of strong breeders that we can bring more focus and consistency to the direction of KWPN dressage breeding.<br />
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<b>This Year's Selected Stallions</b></div>
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The stallions presented for the second ring this year were a manifestation of what I've written above. They're mixed in type and quality. There were a lot of good dressage horses--I'm just not sure how many breeding stallions. </div>
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<b>Ampere</b><br />
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The Amperes were not special this year. The Ampere x Jazz x May Sherif made it through. He's nice, but by far not the nicest Ampere I've seen. I will feel more comfortable breeding to Ampere or an Ampere son when I see some upper level sport horses being produced. I still worry about the stifles and the temperament. I know it's not completely Ampere's fault he didn't make it in sport, but neither did Rousseau, so that's two stallions in a row in a pedigree that didn't have what it takes to stay sound and sane enough to become competition horses. Gives me pause.<br />
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<b>Apache</b><br />
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Well. I've been seriously bummed that neither our two attempts with Apache frozen nor our multiple attempts with Indian Rock (Apache x Cabochon) worked, but now I'm thinking fate may have been being kind to us. It was not a good stallion show for Mr. Apache. His newly presented sons were nice but not as nice as in previous years. The SSC took the Apache x Hitchock x Onyx, and he was selected for the Championship Ring, but he didn't show well. His sons under saddle were the real story, though--they were difficult as hell. Grand Galaxy Win was the only one who appeared truly rideable. Combine this with the fact Apache himself is so hot and has such difficulty traveling for competition and I'm putting the brakes on my Apache fandom. Fantastic movers and fairly consistent types, but he needs to be bred to a mare with a stellar work ethic and temperament.<br />
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<b>Aqiedo x Jazz x Juriaan</b><br />
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Aqiedo is one of Adelinde Cornelissen's top horses. I'm sure the jury took this colt because of this. He has a lot of power, but not enough front. The mareline is uninteresting. Even if he eventually gets approved, no one will breed to this horse.<br />
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<b>Blue Horse Zack</b><br />
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With Zack recently becoming erkend, the jury clearly wanted one of his sons. Well, not only did they take one, they made him Champion of the whole shebang. Zack x Negro x Krack C x Contango. Good pedigree. Weakish mareline, though his mother is producing well. The horse is definitely uphill and has good use of the hind leg, but he doesn't use his body well at all. He's short coupled and stiff in the back. Not a breeding stallion in my opinion. He's also really tall for a horse who won't be three until May 1st--1.71. The jury has seen him more times than I and they have more information about the mareline, so I'm assuming I'm wrong about this horse. Which is fine. I liked him, and he was the best of the ones presented, but he wouldn't have been my pick for the Championship Ring, let alone the Champion. I spoke with a number of people who really liked this horse, so, again, I'm probably just being grouchy or something.<br />
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<b> Speaking of the Championship Ring</b><br />
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The KWPN charged the owners of any horse selected for the Championship Ring 7000 Euro for the extra promotion and time in front of the audience. 7000 Euro. Evidently, they get at least some of it back if they put the horse through the testing and all of it back if they put the horse in the Select Sale, but that would certainly put a damper on my stallion being selected for the Championship Ring if I knew it was going to cost me 7000 Euro.<br />
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<b>Bon Bravour</b><br />
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Regular readers of my journal know I'm a huge Bon Bravour fan. Well, unfortunately, my disappointment in his sons is growing. The one son they accepted this weekend should not have been accepted. He had no canter. Bon Bravour x Flemmingh x Jazz x Chronos, so double Chronos. He's a beautiful type and showed a lovely trot in hand, but, overall, a really disappointing horse. The Bon Bravour son, Iconic B ( x Jazz), was Champion of the testing this year. Under saddle this weekend, he, too, was disappointing. He seems to be a nice horse, good character, decent trot, but I really didn't like his canter either. It had power, but almost no articulation in the joints. I don't think anyone has found the right niche for Bon Bravour. Now, given that he's been chemically gelded, we'll see if anyone gets that chance. <br />
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<b>Bordeaux</b><br />
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Here's another stallion we've bred to repeatedly without success, and maybe that's not a bad thing. I was super disappointed in the Bordeauxs this year. The SSC took two of them, the Bordeaux x Apache and the Bordeaux x Painted Black. All of them are wide behind and long in the hind leg. Just not impressed.<br />
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<b>Capri Sonne Jr. x Hexagon's Louisville x Rubiquil</b><br />
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They must have wanted a Capri Sonne son badly to take this horse. He's really old fashioned, completely uninteresting pedigree (although he does have some sport horses in his pedigree), and he became less and less impressive each time we saw him. He might turn into a good dressage horse, but he is not a breeding stallion. I will be surprised if he breeds half a dozen mares.<br />
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<b>Charmeur</b><br />
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We've seen enough Charmeurs now to know what to expect. They tend to be a little heavy, old fashioned, powerful, and hot. Some of them are really special, but even the special ones tend to push rather than lift in their movement. I loved the Charmeur x Rubin Royal horse. He was my third favorite horse of the whole show, but I would like to see him lift more in his movement and sit a little better. The jury also selected the Charmeur x Hotline--another good horse who had more lift, but was a little stiff in the topline. He looked better in hand. I think it's time to break from Charmeur and see what his offspring do in sport.<br />
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<b>Danciano x Diamond Hit x Belissimo M x Sandro Hit</b><br />
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I quite liked this horse. Short front leg, good use of his body, good in hand, a little slow in the hind leg. He's not an ideal type, but he uses his body well, has a good depth of muscling, and has an interesting outcross pedigree. No information on the mareline.<br />
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<b>DeNiro</b><br />
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We all know DeNiro is currently the top producer of dressage horses across all studbooks. It's just no contest. You may also know we bought a DeNiro colt this summer as a stallion prospect, so I'm obviously a fan. That being said, he's a really inconsistent producer type wise. Some are small, some huge. Some really strong movers, some seriously lacking power and articulation. I know the jury was disappointed in the selection of DeNiros presented to them. They are giving three of them a chance at the testing, the DeNiro x Santano (full brother to ours, half brother to both our UTV mares, Gazania and Hyacintia), the DeNiro x Riccione, and the DeNiro x Florencio (out of the Wendy line)--all three of these boys are completely different types and different kinds of movers. I think we're going to have to see them under saddle, and, maybe, wait a few years to know just how successful DeNiro is going to be on the Dutch mare population.<br />
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Good news and bad news for us: Having the full brother of ours accepted is great for our mareline and reassures me that our colt has the pedigree and mareline to be interesting to the KWPN, but it's doubtful a full brother will get approved in Holland, so we'll most likely bring him to North America for approval.<br />
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<b>Desperado (Vivaldi)</b><br />
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The Desperados were really consistent. Nice strong types, good bodies, but all of them are a little to heavy on the forehand. The jury took the Desperado x Wynton and the Desperado x Fidertanz. Both are good horses, but both could come off the forehand a little more. <br />
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<b>Easy Game x Summertime x Sixtus</b><br />
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All Trakehner breeding. Lovely horse. Flat in the movement and needs more power, but nice breeding to cross on the KWPN population. We'll have to see what he produces.<br />
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<b>El Capone</b><br />
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I loved the El Capones. Super dressage horses. A little inconsistent in their power, but super articulation--all of them were better in hand, showing really good bending of the joints. The type is consistent, maybe could be a little longer lined and slightly more modern. I was surprised the jury didn't put the one they selected in the Championship Ring. El Capone x Krack C x Roemer.<br />
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<b>Enzo Ferrari x Jazz x Burggraaf</b><br />
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This was a nice horse. Super supple, powerful, really expressive with the knees and hocks. In hand he looked weak in the loin connection, but I didn't see this in his free movement.<br />
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<b>Ferdeaux</b><br />
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A number of people were quite enthusiastic about the Ferdeauxs. I am, too, but with reservations. I can't get over their hocks--sickled and pointy, consistently. They're uphill, large framed, a little old fashioned and good movers. They accepted the Ferdeaux x Jazz and the Ferdeaux x Metall, who was invited to the Championship Ring.<br />
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<b>Ferdinand x Santano x Hemmingway</b><br />
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This was my second favorite horse of the show. Loved him. Big frame but still modern, powerful, very good mover, balanced, maybe a little straight in the shoulder. I knew he was going to be invited into the Championship Ring--I would have made him the Champion.<br />
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<b>Five Star x San Remo x Gribaldi</b><br />
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Another super horse. I thought he was going to be invited into the Championship Ring. Fantastic mover. Powerful and supple. Great type. Maybe a little short in the croup. Especially good bending of the joints.<br />
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<b>For Romance x Don Crusador x Wolkenstein II</b><br />
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Nice horse. Really nice in hand. I think he's an interesting outcross. Supple. A little heavy.<br />
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<b>Gandhi x Don Vino x Weltmeyer</b><br />
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Beautiful horse. Uphill, great type, slow in the hind leg.<br />
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<b>Johnson</b><br />
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The Johnsons were really consistent in type and movement. They tend to have really pretty fronts, a lot of depth in the muscling, maybe a little short in the croup and slow in the hind leg, but nice dressage horses. The jury only selected one of the Johnsons, the Johnson x Fidertanz x Rubin Royal. Interestingly enough, he was the one that least looked like a Johnson. He was a really good mover, really supple and through his body. In hand, he began to look tired and sunken in the back.<br />
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<b>Lord Leatherdale</b><br />
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The KWPN has jumped on the Lord Leatherdale x Negro cross hardcore over the last few years. It's produced some good horses, but we've yet to see those horses produce especially well. They only took one this year, the Lord Leatherdale x Negro x Ulster. There was nothing special about this horse; however, his dam is the famous mare, Dolly. She has to be the reason he was accepted.<br />
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<b>Negro</b><br />
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Understandably, the SSC has taken a chance on any halfway decent horse with Negro in the first three generations over the last few years. I've become a Negro appreciator, but not a huge Negro fan--still, there is no denying he produces FEI horses, and lots of them, and all of them with a strong ability for collection. The type is often a little too short and thick for my tastes. Of course, if you think of the Andalusians and Lipizzaners that are so well-suited for the extreme collection necessary for exhibition dressage, it's no wonder the the Negros also excel at the collection--many of them are built like the Iberian horses. There were a bunch of Negros in Den Bosch, but the SSC only took one of them, the Negro x Johnson x Vincent. He's a big, oddly built, heavy horse with a weak loin and back, and a short croup. Imagine my surprise when the jury put him in the Championship Round. I was stunned. He has a good use of the hindleg. He has a great mareline. But...not a breeding horse in my estimation. Again, I've only seen the horse once. The jury has seen him a couple of times. There's obviously something I don't see they really like about him, so I'm probably off about this one, too.<br />
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<b>Ravel x Krack C x Wolkentanz II</b><br />
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Here's a horse I thought should have been in the Championship Ring. Lovely, long-lined horse. Super mover. Great articulation of the joints. Interesting pedigree and mareline. He's a little long in the hindleg, but he uses it super well. He's the best Ravel offspring I've seen. I'll bet he gets some mares.<br />
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<b>Rousseau x Apache x Jazz</b><br />
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This was an interesting horse. Really nicely balanced. Modern type. Pretty front. He could have a little more power, but he improved in hand. I was surprised he didn't go for a higher price in the Select Sale. Could be that his pedigree is so infused with KWPN stalwarts he won't attract that many mares. Could also be that some Rousseaus are known to be sensitive and we had just witnessed a number of Apaches being difficult. Put that on top of Jazz, and you could have a handful.<br />
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<b>Sezuan</b><br />
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The jury wanted a Sezuan. They took two. I liked both of them a lot. You couldn't have found two half brothers who looked and moved much more differently. The Sezuan x Jazz is HUGE. 1.77. Great horse. Got a little tired as the day went on and seemed slower in the hindleg, but I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt because of his size. In contrast, the Sezuan x DeNiro is 1.63. Short legged, supple, weaker in the back, but super expressive.<br />
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<b>United x Uphill x Metall</b><br />
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This was a really nice horse. I thought he had a chance of being invited for the Championship Ring. Great mover, nice type, good use of the body, supple. Maybe he could have a little more power, but he was fantastic in hand, and he looked better and better every time we saw him.<br />
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<b>Uthopia x UB-40 x Flemmingh</b><br />
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Such a pretty horse. Beautiful front. Lovely mover. Could use more power.<br />
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<b>Vivaldi</b><br />
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We have a lot of Vivaldi sons now, so it takes a really special one to get approved. The Vivaldi x Ferro is special. For the record, this was Keagan's favorite horse of the show. Great mover. Lots of power. I don't understand why he wasn't in the Championship Ring. He was the high seller of the Select Sale. Went for 160,000 Euro. Super nice horse.<br />
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While I'm talking about Vivaldi, I need to state again how wrong I was about him as a sire. I still see his offspring sink down their backs and throw out their front legs, but under saddle they work. They have such good temperaments and attitudes that they work hard and get strong enough to compensate for the weakness in their topline. I'm way behind on using him in our program. I wish his frozen were better--I'd use him on a few mares this year.<br />
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<b>Zhivago</b><br />
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Zhivago wasn't used much in Holland, but he's been used extensively in Sweden and parts of Germany. Two sons were presented this year. They're remarkably similar in type, but one significantly stronger and more correct than the other. He produces a beautiful front, really good movement, but the offspring drop off behind the wither and can have a weakish back. He's another horse out of the Wendy line, so you can be guaranteed there's a strong capacity for movement in the gene pool. The Zhivago x Licato x Caretino was one of my favorites of the show. I think he would have been invited to the Championship Ring if he had been bred in Holland.<br />
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<b>Quasar de Charry x Londonderry x Bogenschuetze</b><br />
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I can't tell you anything about this pedigree, other than the Dutch typically don't like Quaterback or his sons. Obviously, he was chosen as an outcross for KWPN lines. He's a nice horse in type, but so clearly not Dutch that I'm afraid he won't cross consistently on our mares. He's really slow in the hindleg, needs more power, but a nice type and clearly a stallion type.<br />
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<b>Young Horses Under Saddle of Particular Note</b></div>
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As you have probably surmised if you've read the rest of this entry, there weren't that many young stallions under saddle that wowed me. I'll just write about the ones I did like and a couple a number of you are probably interested in hearing about.</div>
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<b>Dettori (Desperado (Vivaldi) x De Niro)</b></div>
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This is a nice stallion. He showed good use of his body, good movement, good depth of muscling, and the right blend of hot and workable. I liked him a lot.</div>
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<b>Four Legends (Wynton x Ferro)</b></div>
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When I saw Four Legends as a two and a half year old, I liked him, but I thought he was small and needed more power. As most everyone knows, he's gone on to develop beautifully under saddle, selling for 600,000 Euro at the Excellent Dressage Sale last summer. He looks fantastic. He's still a little small, but he's a top dressage horse. It will be interesting to see what he produces. My guess is he's going to need to be crossed on large-framed, long-legged mares.</div>
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<b>In Style (Eye Catcher x Lorentin I)</b></div>
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I wasn't crazy about this horse last year, but under saddle he's a really nice stallion. He got a little tired toward the end of the presentation and lost some of his strength and pizzaz, but he's a nice horse. Much better under saddle than he was in hand and free moving last year.</div>
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<b>Incognito (Davino VOD x Vivaldi)</b></div>
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North American breeders should pay attention to this horse. He's owned by Nijhof, so there's a good chance we'll have access to his frozen. He's a lovely horse. Supple, powerful, and really rideable from what I could see. I liked him a lot.</div>
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<b>Indian Rock (Apache x Vivaldi)</b></div>
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Mr. Indian Rock was better behaved than his half brother, but he was still a handful. I like him under saddle, but he may just need to get stronger to have the same impressive presence as he did last year at the selection. I was less disappointed about not having a foal coming from him after seeing him than I was before. Given what a handful the Apache offspring seem to be, I think I'm good waiting a bit.</div>
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<b>The Everdales</b></div>
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There were two, Inspire (Everdale x Don Romantic) and Inverness (Everdale x Johnson). I can't remember which one I liked, but I liked one of them a lot and one not at all. I know that's not helpful.</div>
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<b>Henkie (Alexandro P x Upperville)</b></div>
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Henkie is equally as impressive under saddle as he was a couple of years ago in free movement and in hand. He's really a top horse. And, for the first time ever, the Oldenburg Association has made an exception and licensed a Gelders stallion. He deserves it. From the first few foals of his I've seen, I don't think breeders have found the right mares for him, however. The foals are small, lacking power, and development. We'll see what they look like as three year olds.</div>
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<b>The Totilas Boys</b></div>
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Here we go! I'm not normally a vindictive person, nor am I one who is wont to rub people's noses in their own verbal feces, but from the beginning Totilas has struck an emotional nerve in me, and I have nearly deified him. Every negative post about him hurt me personally. "He's completely manufactured. None of that movement is real." "He will never produce offspring that move like him." "He's been bred to the best mares in the world, so if he does produce something good, it's probably the mare and not him." Bullshit. Bullshit. And more bullshit. Totilas is a stallion who produces balance, a great walk, a great canter, and a developable trot. Consistently. He's not consistent in type. Some of them can be small. Some of them can be hot as hell. But, without fail, he produces an athletic horse, and from a wide range of pedigrees. His sons were hands down the best young riding horses we saw in Den Bosch.</div>
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<b>Governor (Totilas x Jazz)</b></div>
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I don't know if Governor is my favorite of the Totilas sons under saddle, but he certainly appears to cross well on my marelines. Under saddle, he looks a little odd. His neck is developing muscling underneath rather than along the crest, he looks small and short coupled, and his tail is often held off to the side. That being said, he's super adjustable and really supple. His hind leg is always under him, and he shows great suspension and softness in his movement. He's also developing a lot more power. Additionally, he has a superior temperament and good rideability.</div>
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<b>Glock's Toto Jr. (Totilas x Desperados)</b></div>
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I stood next to this horse last summer at the PAVO Cup. He's not very big. In the ring, however, he looks huge. He has so much presence. And, he's HOT. His front leg use is expressive and commanding. His hind leg is not as good as Governor's. A bigger concern for me is how quickly he falls onto the forehand when his rider releases the reins. In the test we watched, the riders are supposed to bring the hands forward three times while on the circle to demonstrate the horse in self carriage. There were three horses in the ring during Toto Jr.'s test. The other two clearly put their hands forward, way up the neck, for a solid two count. Toto Jr.'s rider moved her hands forward about four inches in a half count. When she did release the reins completely, the horse clearly went onto his forehand. I don't think he's in true self carriage. I think a big part of that is he has a weakish hind leg. This being said, he certainly looks impressive, and he's bred a lot of mares. The foals I've seen are quite small, but they're good movers. We'll see.</div>
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<b>Trafalgar (Totilas x Lord Loxley)</b></div>
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Such a cool horse. He's gorgeous, really well put together, a super mover, super rideable. I was completely impressed by him. I don't know enough about his pedigree to make any commentary, but I'm going to be watching to see what he produces</div>
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<b>Total US (Totilas x Sir Donnerhall)</b></div>
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When Michaela and I saw Total US this summer at the PAVO Cup, he was so hot that I kind of wrote him off. At the Stallion Show, he was still really hot, but much more rideable. He is a fantastic mover and the best type of all the Totilas sons. I thought about breeding to him last year, but upon learning he is a cribber, I decided against it. Come to find out, there are a number of Totilas offspring that crib. I hate that. We've had two direct offspring and three grandchildren so far, and none of them show any indication that they're cribbers. For the positives he brings to the equation, I think it's worth the risk.</div>
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<b>The Valegro Show</b></div>
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I didn't take any notes during the tribute to Valegro, but there are a number of breeding observations that can be made from the horses that took part in it.</div>
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<b>Valegro Himself (Negro x Gershwin)</b></div>
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He is undoubtedly a cool horse. Such talent and physical ability. I don't know whether it's all of the muscling from years of dressage training and competing or if it's his genetics, but he's built much more like the horses bred and raised for exhibition dressage. His legs are short, his body is wide, he's fairly short coupled, and he's pretty heavy in type. On the pedigree databases, he's listed at 172 cm. I don't believe it. I haven't stood right next to him, so I could be wrong, but he seems much shorter than that. His dam is listed at 170 cm. In one of the loveliest moments of his tribute, his breeders led his dam through the arena to very appreciative applause. That mare is not 170 cm. She looks like a fuzzy pony. She's cute as can be, and she deserves as many accolades as the KWPN and the public can afford her, but she's tiny. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm just trying to put all the pieces together in processing what we look for when we're breeding dressage horses. I'm not sure size matters.</div>
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<b>The Negro Sons and Grandsons</b></div>
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I don't have specific notes on many of them. As I mentioned earlier in this post, Negro consistently produces horses with a capacity for the movements and rigor of upper level dressage. There were a ton of Negro offspring in the ring at one time. All of them were demonstrating a strong ability for collection. I'm just going to talk about a couple stallions to whom we North American breeders have access</div>
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<b> Everdale (Lord Leatherdale x Negro)</b></div>
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I've always thought Everdale moves and looks more like a cart horse than a dressage horse, but I was so blown away by his offspring inspection that I had to breed to him. Now that he's a few years older, he's looking better and better. He wasn't terribly expressive, but he actually looks more modern in type and more correct in his movement than he did as a young horse. I was impressed by him. I'd like to see him have more power and be a little more electric, but he's developing really nicely.</div>
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<b> Glamourdale (Lord Leatherdale x Negro)</b></div>
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I've seen this horse a number of times now. He always looks the same to me. Black. Powerful. Not much bending in the body. Consistent. He's beautiful and clearly talented, but I just don't see him progressing and developing as much as I would like. He looks the same now under saddle as he did a couple years ago in the PAVO Cup.</div>
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<b>A Few Other Horses of Note</b></div>
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I'm going to wrap this up soon. We have a snow day today, and I had all kinds of plans, but I've spent most of the day watching the Patriots' Victory Parade on TV and writing this journal post. Carol is outside working on the barn, so I should probably get my lazy butt outside and help her. Before I close, I want to mention a couple other stallions, however.</div>
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<b>Eyecatcher (Vivaldi x TCN Partout)</b></div>
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I have loved this horse from the first time I saw him under saddle in the warm up ring. There are very few horses that have his ability to articulate the joints in movement the way he does. I could watch him all day. He had surgery a bit ago and had to go through a recovery period, so he's a little behind in his training, but he looked amazing in Den Bosch. He was my favorite of the entire show again this year.</div>
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<b>Expression (Vivaldi x Vincent)</b></div>
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Here's another impressive Vivaldi son. Expression is much longer lined than Eyecatcher, but he clearly lives up to his name. I love to watch him under saddle. When he was a bit younger, I thought he looked kind of big and clunky, but he's developing beautifully. </div>
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<b>Jack Sparrow (Expression x Vivaldi x Negro x Rohdiamant)</b></div>
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If I could have taken home one horse from this year's show, this is the horse I would have picked. Given his pedigree, he was the center of some confusion and controversy. He's the product of two half siblings. His breeder ordered Uphill for his mare, but, without knowing it, received Expression. I don't think they figured it out until the DNA test. At any rate, he was the best young stallion presented this year. Of course, the jury couldn't accept him because of the inbreeding, but he sold to Andreas Helgstrand and is now licensed Oldenburg. If his frozen semen becomes available, I will breed to him.<br />
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<b>Jurist (Don Tango B x Krack C x Aram x Pion)</b><br />
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This colt was not selected for the testing. He's one of four I put an asterisk next to immediately. He's one of two for which I wrote, "Wow!" Within 30 seconds of his being in the ring, I was sure he would be Champion or Reserve of the whole show. He was also Michaela's favorite. Someone had just asked me if I had seen any horses that blew me away, and I had had to reply, "No." This horse blew me away. Super balanced, super bending of the joints, supple. And, he got even better in hand. The jury said he didn't have enough power, so they didn't accept him. There were a hell of a lot of horses with significantly less power than this horse they did accept, so I was suspicious and did a little investigative work. It seems that Don Tango B has been turned out and taken out of training because he is so difficult. Interesting. He was approved, even with OCD, because his full brother was a successful Grand Prix horse being groomed for the Dutch team, but died unexpectedly. Hard to have better sport in the mareline than that. Again, the jury has a lot more information at its disposal than do I--they probably know something I don't know, but the Tolman family loved this horse. </div>
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<b>In Conclusion</b></div>
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I hope this is helpful information. Again, take it for what it's worth. For all you know, I'm Trump's 600 pound kid sitting in a bedroom in New Jersey trying to hack the KWPN. Advice is always worth what you pay for it. Nonetheless, writing this has helped me articulate my thoughts, so I appreciate the forum. </div>
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<br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-55403325033330124332017-01-27T18:43:00.000-08:002017-01-27T18:43:29.343-08:00It's 2017 Already?I didn't realize until I logged into my blog that it's been since the beginning of October that I've done a post. Unbelievable. November was "write 1700 words/day on my novel." December was "still obsessed with my novel," holidays, family, etc. January has been "holy shit, I'm a teacher and I've been ignoring a shitload of work for the last two months" kind of thing...so, that's my excuse. Now, we're five days away from leaving for the Stallion Show, and I need to play catch up.<br />
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All kinds of horse activity has been going on at SSF. There's nothing particularly noteworthy to talk about, however. We have a bunch of hormonal mares who are either not pregnant and having screwy heats or pregnant with future stallion prospects in a year when I want to keep fillies.<br />
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Sad news: Gazania, our Bon Bravour mare, lost her Governor foal at 7+ months. Perfectly formed colt. She has an infection. Always something.<br />
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Carol and I visited our two boys at Phil and Emilie Shipman's Lockehaven Farm. Katmandu (Governor x Samber) and Kublai Khan (UB-40 x Vincent) are both looking really good. They've been in manners training for a few months now, and, according to Phil, Kublai needs to go for his MD or EMT rather than KWPN approval. We'll see.<br />
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There are no particular stallion or stallions' offspring I'm excited to see this year at the Stallion Show, but I am excited to spend the weekend with Keagan and Michaela and catching up with friends. It's always one of my favorite weekends of the year. Next year, knock on wood, we'll have one or two of our homebred boys headed to the Brabanthallen...maybe we'll convince Carol to spend a weekend surrounded by horse people for that occasion!<br />
<br />
It looks as if we dressage breeders are going to have a few more options for fresh cooled semen in 2017. <br />
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Olivi has a rock star pedigree. He can produce small and he can produce hot, but he produces movement and strong dressage ability. He's definitely worth considering. <br />
<br />
Ampere has certainly proven himself to produce some super moving horses. I'm not always crazy about the type; they can be heavier than I like. I'm also really suspect of some of the stifles. Our table at the Stallion Show is front row, exactly in the spot horses head to when they're coming across the diagonal in the free movement. Many Amperes have really loose stifles. That doesn't mean I wouldn't consider him, but it does mean I would be careful to whom I bred him.<br />
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I'm pretty sure we're going to have a couple more option, too, but I can't talk about those just yet...<br />
<br />
I would talk about my breeding picks for this year, but Carol gets mad at me when I give away my stallion choices too early. She doesn't mind when the breeding season is over, but she likes us to be at least a year ahead! So far, I've only purchased five doses of frozen, so there's not that much to tell. of course, we're in a transition period and have fewer mares to breed. Hopefully, Orchis is having her final foal, though she, with her very pregnant-looking belly, was teasing to the teaser stallion tonight; Nemels won't keep a pregnancy; so that leaves us with only eight mares to breed this year. Although, we are having thoughts of trying ET with both Galearites and Nemels. No more offsite mares, however. We'd have to find a couple of recipient mares I could follow and time with our girls. I'm only interested in doing direct transfer, not transported and leasing mares.<br />
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Anyone going to the Annual Meeting for the KWPN-NA? Michaela and Keagan have been devoting so much energy to developing and promoting the Young KWPN-NA, I 'd love to go for their sake--their both going to be there, but the life of a teacher doesn't allow me as much flexibility as I would like. I am donating a painting to the silent auction. Oh, yes. You could own a Scot Tolman, original, floral painting. It could adorn your wall for years to come, be passed down to generations of a family members, accrue pennies worth of value over the next 50 years...what an investment! In other words, bid on my painting so it sells for more than $5.00. It will probably cost you more to ship it home than you'll have to pay for it.<br />
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Oh, and, really big news: We are now Platinum Level Breeders in the KWPN-NA. That puts us among the top five breeders in North America! So excited!<br />
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Again, I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written in my journal. I miss the correspondence and commentary it used to generate. That being said, there's been a lot going on over the last few years that have pushed me over the proverbial edge--just haven't had the time or energy to devote to keeping up this this blog. 2017 promises to be a fantastic year. Michaela and Cho are getting married, we have an exciting foal crop on the way, all five of us have lots of travel plans that are taking us al over the globe, and we're surrounded by love and laughter. Could a guy ask for any more?<br />
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<br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-82981377391136783262016-10-09T15:35:00.002-07:002016-10-09T15:35:58.049-07:00October 9, 2016Whenever I start getting emails and texts from people asking if I'm OK or prompting me to get my ass in gear and write a new journal entry, I know it's been way too long. Sorry about that. I have no excuses other than the life itself. <br />
<br />
As many of you know, my dad died this summer. He was almost 98. He lived alone in his own home until about two months before he died. He lived a long and full life. Although I don't have any unresolved issues or unspoken conversations with him, his death has left me diving into some unexplored, and unexpected, existential depths. It's not really an angst in the traditional sense of the word, but I'm unsettled. My mom died three years ago, and my only full brother died in 1989. I'm all that's left of my nuclear birth family. Of course, life has been kind to me and I am surrounded by boatloads of love and a strong, capable family who buoys me even on my worst of days--so please don't infer any self pity in this statement. I'm just in unchartered territory, as it were; hence, you haven't seen a lot of writing from me as of late.<br />
<br />
In the horse world, we've hit some milestones this year. One, we achieved our Platinum Status with the KWPN-NA. I haven't filled out or submitted the paperwork yet, but we have the points. Two, we bred the number one foal in North America for the second year in a row--out of different marelines and both out of SSF-bred mares, I might add. Three, this number one foal, LeLiscia SSF (Govenor x Eliscia SSF x UB-40) is the closest is type and movement to the ideal of what we've been breeding for for almost three decades. Is she had a little more expression in her trot, I would say we had hit perfection and needed to stop breeding. Four, as it is, after 25 foal crops, I think we're just hitting our stride with our breeding program. The next two generations are going to blow people away. <br />
<br />
Not including poor Last Child SSF (LaVita's colt who was struck by lightning), out of six foals, we're keeping the Governor filly and have sold four others. We only have one boy left for sale, Liberto SSF (Sir Sinclair x Werites SSF x Freestyle). We owe many thanks to our friends, repeat customers, and SSF fans out there who believe enough in our program to snatch up these babies before they're even weaned, year after year. Thank you. <br />
<br />
Next year could be a record year for us (hopefully, Carol isn't reading this post...); I can see us keeping half a dozen babies from the 2017 crop. Colt or filly, we most likely won't sell the Uno Don Diego out of Galearites SSF, the Totilas out of BoWendy, the Governor out of Gazania, or the Roven xx out of Orchis. Add to these four a Governor filly from ZaVita SSF and a Vitalis filly from either D'Orites SSF or Werites SSF, and we're up to enough horses to need an addition on the barn next year. Then, if by some miracle, Nemels is pregnant to Donatelli and gives us a pinto filly, we're completely screwed. <br />
<br />
Next year's sales are already looking good. We have three people interested the Governor x Contango if it's a colt, one person interested in the Netto x UB-40, and one person interested in the Vitalis x Donatelli--plus, a number of people asking about foals we don't intend to sell. <br />
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As you can imagine, I'm already scheming and planning about my 2017 breeding picks. I've actually already purchased three doses of a new stallion! All I'm going to tell you is we're going to have to use him on my non-Jazz mares. I'm going to hold off buying anymore frozen until after the Stallion Show in February. I'm resigned to the fact that we have almost no option but to go with all frozen semen again next year. Knock on wood we have a similar success rate to this year. <br />
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Again, sorry for the long dry spell. Don't hesitate to give me a shout via email, FB messenger, or text if you're getting desperate for a journal entry or have something in particular you want me to write about. I appreciate how many of you have followed my thoughts over the years. <br />
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<br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-49230089973136618692016-07-03T08:38:00.000-07:002016-09-18T14:03:08.468-07:00Breeding 2016: Updated 9/18/16It's been a busy breeding spring, and I have the manure-stained t-shirts to prove it! Here's a list of who's pregnant and who's still to be bred and to whom:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Confirmed:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
1. Uno Don Diego x Totilas x Jazz (1st cycle Dream Boy, 2nd and 3rd Franklin w/1 lost embryo)</div>
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<br /></div>
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2. Governor x Contango x Elcaro (filly option already sold)</div>
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<br /></div>
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3. Governor x Bon Bravour x Santano</div>
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<br /></div>
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4. Roven xx x Jazz x Roemer</div>
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<br /></div>
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5. Vitalis x Donatelli x Jazz</div>
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<br /></div>
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6. Netto x UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx (1st cycle to Chagall, 2nd cycle to Governor--on 3rd cycle)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
7. Vitalis x Freestyle x Jazz<br />
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8. Governor x Farrington x Pass the Glass xx</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
9. Totilas x Sir Sinclair x Jazz</div>
<div>
<br />
10. Devon Heir x Samber x Lector (pg to Chagall, gone at 30 days; 2nd cycle to Florianus II; can't remember if there was a Governor attempt, also...; finally, pregnant to DH.)<br />
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11. Indian Rock x Charmeur x Santano (bred five cycles. PG on the fifth try, but lost it by the 2nd check)<br />
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<br />
Summary: We have a lot of babies coming next year, knock on wood.<br />
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shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-36913539017391081262016-07-03T08:09:00.003-07:002016-07-03T08:09:47.855-07:00Uno Don Diego x Galearites SSF<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSq9bZ4llarBYZh-FYMiKegXLJ2tybdVA4KObObvmgViI8hFw6KjRwAy4qr6gkP5Uh3SZe4o71kGC5YRz_AUUiG3-oZtStdsZe3x3G4xpej-plljlxmTbrLanihSPTzc7aJQF7MqVxn4qY/s1600/Whiskers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSq9bZ4llarBYZh-FYMiKegXLJ2tybdVA4KObObvmgViI8hFw6KjRwAy4qr6gkP5Uh3SZe4o71kGC5YRz_AUUiG3-oZtStdsZe3x3G4xpej-plljlxmTbrLanihSPTzc7aJQF7MqVxn4qY/s320/Whiskers.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Meet Whiskers. This lovely, large girl is carrying a special embryo. Uno Don Diego x Totilas x Jazz! Thanks to KC Dunn for her never-ending support and friendship, thanks to Dr. Deme Erickson from TNT Equine in North Berwick, ME, for the successful flush, thanks to Meghan DeGaray and Iron Spring Farm for all they do for North American breeders, thanks to Dr. Foss and his team at Equine Medical Services for a successful transfer, thanks to Jane Hannigan for her support and willingness to give Mazey a bit of a break, and, most importantly, thanks to Carol Tolman for believing we should give it one more try. Fingers crossed for a happy ending to this story.shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-31791918326427653252016-06-02T17:41:00.001-07:002016-06-02T17:41:37.155-07:00Maybe There Is a Santa Claus...We got an embryo today. I was there to personally witness the event. Many thanks to Dr. Erickson and her fantastic staff at TNT Equine, in North Berwick, ME. The microscopic Uno Don Diego x Totilas x Jazz embryo is probably being implanted into, hopefully, a BIG mare in Missouri as I write.<br />
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Fingers crossed. shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-38225473474452118982016-05-30T07:39:00.003-07:002016-05-30T08:04:13.295-07:00Update on Foals for SaleNow that the babies are arriving in earnest, let's take stock of who's sold and who's available:<br />
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<b>LeLiscia SSF</b> (Governor x Eliscia SSF x UB-40)<br />
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The person who had an option on this filly thinks she is too tall. We think she's the most perfect filly we've ever produced. So, we're planning on keeping her for our program. <br />
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<b>L'Amour SSF</b> (Roven xx x Orchis x Jazz)<br />
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We did this breeding with every intention of keeping a filly for the program or a colt as a stallion prospect. As luck would have it, Louie (originally, Lefty) appears to have only one testicle. We'll give him a little time for the second one to descend, but I'm not hopeful. So, if you're interested in a cocky, personable, smart, and freakishly athletic future performance partner, give me a shout. I will take $1000 off the purchase price of this colt to defray the additional costs of gelding a cryptorchid.<br />
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<b>Last Child SSF</b> (Florianus II x LaVita x Elcaro)<br />
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LaVita fans, this is our girl's last foal, and he's a beauty. He is uber pretty. Bright bay, big white star on a dished face, gorgeous uphill conformation, and already a lovely, supple mover. Carol is threatening to keep him--that's why he is named after an Aerosmith song and his nickname is Smithy. But we both think he's too fancy to be a weekend trail horse.<br />
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Still to come in the next couple weeks:<br />
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<b>Sir Sinclair x D'Orites SSF x Donatelli</b><br />
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<b>Sir Sinclair x Werites SSF x Freestyle</b><br />
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-we have an order for a Sir Sinclair colt, so, hopefully, one of these girls will cooperate and produce a little boy! Since we're keeping LeLiscia SSF and all the rest of the foals are sold or boys, we may keep a filly from one of these two mares so we can raise the two together.<br />
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<b>UB-40 x BoWendy x Sir Sinclair</b><br />
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-this foal is already sold<br />
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<b>Connaisseur x Carpe Diem SSF x Farrington</b><br />
<br />
-this foal is already sold<br />
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*foal prices are $15,000. Twenty percent discount to repeat customers and FEI-level competitors. Super generous payment plans.<br />
<br />
*at least one foal is already reserved for 2017--it's never too early to inquire about what will be available.shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-74163873667112286792016-05-25T03:15:00.000-07:002016-05-30T07:20:31.264-07:00How Many Times Do I Need To Be Kicked in the Head?I'm an English teacher. I even just finished teaching <i>Slaughterhouse Five</i> for about the hundredth time. In the contest between fate and free will, fate wins. Intellectually and philosophically, I accept this. There are multiple examples of fate controlling things in my life, from career choice, to meeting Carol, to the liquid nitrogen ice cream shop opening within 20 minutes of me. Why, then, can't I get it through my thick skull that we are not destined to be successful with ETs?<br />
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<div>
History: </div>
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We put Orchis in training after her W foal, deciding we would get her sport predicate and try some ETs. Four or five attempts later, we had multiple embryos, none of which stuck in a recipient mare. Circumstances occurred so that we pulled her out of training, but the repeated flushes and change in jobs for her resulted in a mare who didn't get pregnant again for two years. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We had the chance to sell Werites (that W foal mentioned above) to a top international trainer. We agreed with the caveat that we get at least one foal from her via ET. Our first series of attempts in North Carolina resulted in multiple embryos, none of which stuck in the recipient mares. We shipped her to a specialist. Three cycles later, she had produced no embryos. We gave up and were shipping her back for training when Jimmy Welsh, of Elite Horse Transport, crippled her while transporting her, basically leaving her injured in a van in Pennsylvania, and finally costing us over $30,000. for her care and rehab at New Bolton. Not only did he never cover the cost of treating her, he didn't even refund the shipping fee, even though he brought her only half the distance and left it to us to figure out how to get the injured mare to New Bolton.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Fast forward to this year. We were fortunate enough to breed two incredible Totilas daughters from Orchis, Galearites SSF and Honorites SSF. We decided one of the mares belonged in sport and one in the breeding program. As you've probably read, Nora fell on the ice, broke her pelvis, and had to be put down this winter. So...Carol and I decided we really wanted to preserve the genetics--we would try ET one more time with Mazey. We pulled out of training, took her to a super vet clinic, paid the reservation for a recipient mare with Dr. Foss, and were already to go. First stallion choice turned out to have crappy frozen. Once cycle down. Second cycle was great, got an embryo, it made it into the recipient mare, was there for the 15 day check, gone at that 30 day check. Third cycle, good frozen, no embryo. Mazey had now been at the vet clinic for almost two months. We bring her back to Jane Hannigans, giving up on the idea of ET. While Jane and I are talking recently, we decide it's worth trying one more time with fresh cooled, and I will drive Mazey to the clinic for the flush. Mazey comes into heat, vet gives me the go ahead to order semen for Tuesday delivery, I order from the most fertile stallion I can find, and FedEx loses the shipment--we miss the cycle. </div>
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I'm not going to go through this diatribe and try to calculate how much money we have spent on our ET attempts over the last 13 years, but suffice it to say, we could have purchased multiple foals in Holland and imported them. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So, I guess I have my answer. I have to be kicked in the head about fourteen times to get it.<br />
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Update: FedEx ignored Meghan's request to return the shipment to ISF and delivered it to Larkspur Farm a day late. Jane decided to have the vet out to check the semen and check and see if Mazey still had her follicle. Uno Don Diego has incredible semen--still lots of swimmers. Mazey still had a huge, soft follicle. We head for TNT Equine on Wednesday night for a 6 am flush on Thursday. Thank you, Jane Hannigan and Dr. Amy.</div>
shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-42246841031907419882016-03-02T17:02:00.002-08:002016-03-02T17:02:48.888-08:002016 Breeding Picks (with some foal options already taken for 2017!)Can you believe it's March 1st, and I have yet to post my breeding picks for the year? What an outrage! Nonetheless, now that the kids and I have been to the Stallion Show and the family has endured my endless texts about stallion selections, I think we're ready to go public. Plus, it looks as if a couple of our 2017 foals already have options on them. Of course, it's hard to tell how things work out eventually, but we certainly appreciate the trust and enthusiasm people have for our breeding program.<br />
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Drum roll, please....<br />
<br />
Let's go oldest to youngest<br />
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<b>LaVita </b>keur preferent (Elcaro x Belisar)<br />
<br />
Our queen bee is 23 this year. She looks and acts fantastic, and is due with a Florianus II foal in May. Am I going to breed her again? I have no idea right now. We'll have to see how this foaling goes and whether or not she cycles well. Her mareline is so strong and long-lived there's really no reason to stop breeding if she is healthy and happy. Plus, she's the grandmother of the 2015 top dressage foal in North America--there's something to be said for the gene pool.<br />
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<b>Nemels</b> elite (Samber x Lector)<br />
<br />
We're going to start with <b>Chagall </b>and deep horn insemination. I have a couple of doses left, and since there have been four pregnancies that I know of from the frozen, maybe our luck will change. If the Chagall doesn't work, then I'll try a dose or two of our experimental stallion. We'd love to get a filly from this mare to keep for our program.<br />
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<b>Orchis </b>keur preferent and 2 points from prestatie (Jazz x Roemer)<br />
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We had a colic scare with Orchis last week. After losing as many horses as we have this winter, it's hard to describe how emotional it made me at the thought of losing her, too. She's been the life blood of our program. Right now, I'm just crossing all available digits for a healthy foal come June. If we do breed her back, it will be to our experimental stallion again.<br />
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<b>Werites SSF</b> sport/dressage (Freestyle x Orchis)<br />
<br />
I think we have access to one dose of <b>Netto</b>. That's my pick for Werites this year. (I know, Natalie--I keep changing my mind). Werites has produced three fantastic UB-40s for us, and I'm anticipating an equally exciting Sir Sinclair from her at the end of June, so I can be really happy with a couple of ISF options as well.<br />
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<b>ZaVita SSF</b> ster (Contango x LaVita)<br />
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If this mare can produce the top dressage foal in North America by crossing her with <b>Governor,</b> I don't see any reason to mess with success. <br />
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*filly option is taken on this breeding<br />
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<b>BoWendy </b>(Sir Sinclair x Jazz)<br />
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Speaking of messing with success, Bo is going right back to UB-40. We're expecting her fifth UB in June. Every single one of them is an outrageous mover. <br />
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<b>Carpe Diem SSF </b>keur-eligible (Farrington x Pass the Glass xx)<br />
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This big, perfect conformation mare is going to <b>Governor </b>this year. Her Connaisseur foal due in June is already spoken for.<br />
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<b>D'Orites</b> <b>SSF</b> keur (Donatelli x Orchis)<br />
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Dior is going to <b>Franklin</b> this season. And, I'm thinking this could be one of our top foals next year. I love what Franklin is producing, and I think the cross on Dior could be super.<br />
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<b>Eliscia SSF</b> keur-eligible (UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx)<br />
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I continue to be really excited about what Lily can produce for us. I think this year's <b>Governor </b>foal is going to be awesome, so the plan is to repeat the cross.<br />
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<b>Galearites SSF</b> keur (Totilas x Orchis)<br />
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After Mazey's top IBOP and international press, we were considering an ET attempt or two--however, with the loss of her full sister, Honorites SSF, this winter, our decision was made for us. The Totilas x Orchis cross is really important to the future of our program, so we'll do what we need to do to get a couple Mazey babies on the ground next year.<br />
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*first option on a colt is already taken by a stallion station in Holland--fillies will not be for sale.<br />
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<b>Gazania</b> keur and NMK top six (Bon Bravour x Santano)<br />
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Michaela has called dibs on this breeding to produce a filly for herself, which I'm delighted about. Keep your fingers crossed for a <b>Dream Boy </b>filly in 2017<br />
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<b>Hyacintia</b> keur and NMK top five (Charmeur x Santano)<br />
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We've decided to leave this special mare in Holland so we have access to stallions we can't get in North America. Keagan really wants some Apache blood in our program, so, since all three of us loved the Apache x Vivaldi x Cabochon Champion of the Stallion Show, we're going to use <b>Indian Rock </b>to have a foal from his first crop.<br />
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That's a lot of foals...a lot of EXCITING foals!<br />
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<br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-89435668534748441662016-02-08T16:45:00.001-08:002016-03-06T13:34:45.448-08:002016 KWPN Stallion Show: Last updated 3/6/16As I mention every year at the start of my Stallion Show Report, the following observations are just that, observations. We don't stand a stallion or broker frozen semen. I'm just trying to feed that insatiable need for more information we all crave when it comes to breeding KWPN horses. My opinions are just as fallible as anyone else's. As a matter of fact, I didn't do so well in the "pick the top three" competition among the KWPN-NA attendees. We had to make our final selections before the third round of the last group of horses, so we knew some of the selected stallions for the Championship Ring, but not all of them. I picked the Champion and Reserve Champion, but my choice for third (Davino x Wynton) wasn't even aangewezen--he was tossed out in the final selection. The jury's reason was that he doesn't have enough sport horses in the mareline. Hmmm. Neither does the Champion, Igor (Apache x Vivaldi)...but more about that later.<br />
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Overall, it was a fantastic year for dressage horses. The horses described below are selected to go to testing.<br />
<br />
The Apaches, in particular, were really strong. They seem pretty hot, but, then, I clearly remember Apache as a coming three year old spending half of the presentation standing on his hind legs, screaming, with a constant erection. None of his sons were as badly behaved as he was at this age. It's also striking that the Apaches are getting better and better each year. My guess is that it's taken breeders a few years to take their best mares to him. At any rate, whatever the reason, he's producing some really top horses now.<br />
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Apache x Houston x Purioso<br />
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Super mover. Really nice riding type. The Houston comes through quite strong in the conformation, especially of the hind end--quite round and a little short in the croup.<br />
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Apache x Rousseau x Farrington<br />
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This was one of my least favorite Apaches. He was super hot and seemed difficult. I also thought he was stiffer in the use of his body than the other sons. He is from a famous mareline that has produced Grand Prix horses and approved stallions, so my guess is that's why he went through. Still, would not have been my choice to select him.<br />
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Apache x Ferro x Calypso<br />
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This boy is out of the full sister of the approved stallion, Osmium. He has always been my favorite Ferro son, but he was never used that much, nor did he do much in sport. His sister, the dam of this horse, the NMK Champion in 2005, however. Super mare. I loved this colt. Great sit. Maybe a little chunkier than some of the other Apaches, but has upper level dressage horse written all over him. He was invited to the Championship Ring.<br />
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Apache x Flemmingh x Sultan<br />
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Does this pedigree sound at all familiar? The dam, Roxanne, is the mother of Johnson. This colt looks a lot like Johnson did as a young horse. Super supple, smooth, but needs a little more power.<br />
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Apache x Vivaldi x Cabochon<br />
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I had heard that this was the top horse of the year before he came out. He did not disappoint. He may be one of the best young stallions I've ever seen in Den Bosch. Big, long lined, powerful, perfect conformation, WOW mover. His dam was NMK Champion in 2010. She had really high-scoring IBOP and is a keur mare. Behind that, however, are three studbook mares--no predicates--no sport results--one offspring of the Cabochon mare who has gone into sport. I'm not arguing that he should have been accepted and named Champion. I agree completely with the jury's decision. My only quarrel is that the Davino x Wynton had a star/PROK dam, then three keur mares behind that. Maybe the jury has information we in the audience were not privy to. I don't know. Igor (the Apache) is a highlight of generations of KWPN breeding. He reproduces himself and his dam, that's good enough for me.<br />
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Blue Hors Zack x Fidertanz x Rubin-Royal<br />
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This horse looked better every time he came out. At first, I thought he had the kind of flat-sided look Rousseau can produce and a bit of a heavy neck, though, overall, uphill. In hand, he looked better. In the third ring, he looked better still. Hard to tell much about his mareline since it's not Dutch, but the blood distribution is important for us--plus, Zack has been producing some really good young horses.<br />
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Bon Bravour x Jazz x Variant<br />
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Michaela and I are huge Bon Bravour fans. Our Bon Bravour mare was #6 at the NMK in 2014. We love the brain, the movement, and the suppleness he produces, so we were excited to see this guy accepted. He's out of an STV mareline. Remember Junior STV, Uniform, etc? Good, good mareline. Moves through his whole body. Really nice horse. He could lift a little more in the wither and there are moments when he hits the ground a little harder than I would like, but I'm really pleased the jury accepted him. Two German studbooks have recently approved a couple of Bon Bravour sons. We need them in the KWPN. My guess people will be paying a lot more attention to this colt in about six months when Anky has started competing Bon Bravour. He's going to make a big splash. That, combined with the fact she chemically gelded him, will make all Bon Bravour offspring hot commodities.<br />
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I didn't think the Bordeauxs were as impressive this year. We've really liked them in the past, but the few boys presented this year, although two were accepted, and one to the Championship Ring, weren't as good as the ones over the last couple years.<br />
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Bordeaux x Jazz x Ferro<br />
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This colt is out of a good mareline that produced the approved stallions Foundation (by United) and Redford (by Krack C). He was the best of the three Bordeaux sons, but I wasn't crazy about the way he used his hind legs in the canter, especially on corners. They kind of hopped and stayed together, as opposed to stepping through. Could be just a growth/development thing. We expect an awfully lot from these horses, some of whom are months away from turning three. <br />
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Bordeaux x Sandro Hit x Rubinstein I<br />
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This horse is powerful and a nice enough type, but he's significantly sickle hocked and could be quicker with his hind leg. I was surprised he was accepted.<br />
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The Charmeurs...first of all, let's talk about Charmeur himself. What a horse! He is so freaking impressive athletically. He is a mass of stunning power. Of course, along with that mass, comes what appears to be a really difficult temperament. He has all the talent in the world, but I'm not sure what it's going to take to make him a consistent competition horse. Maybe he doesn't need to be one. Maybe he just needs to make babies. <br />
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His offspring are certainly impressive. In type, they are heavy. The have a lot of power, but could have more suspension in the trot. Their canters are really good. This may sound petty, but my biggest problem with the sons we saw in Den Bosch is that they are all screamers. Holy crap. Screaming behind the stands, screaming in the ring...they are boys and they know they're boys. Hyacintia, our Charmeur daughter, is not like this at all. In her conformation, she needs more size and bone, and her temperament is a little sensitive, but she's really smart and workable. She could use a little more suspension in her trot, however.<br />
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The committee only took two of the Charmeurs:<br />
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Charmeur x Balzflug x Cadmus xx<br />
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This is a super pretty colt who completely fits the description above. He's out of super mareline, but there are other horses out of this mareline who are known to be difficult. <br />
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Charmeur x Gribaldi x Clavecimbel<br />
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Another big, long-lined horse with lots of power. A super mover. Also a major screamer. This is the mareline that produced the approved stallion and upper level dressage horse, Ziesto. This colt was invited to the Championship Ring.<br />
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Chippendale x Jazz x Vincent<br />
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This was my favorite Chippendale son of any selection. Good mover, beautiful type. In free movement, he elicited the following comment from a dressage rider who was sitting near me: "I don't like horses that fall down." He did have a little trouble keeping his feet under him, but, in hand, he looked spectacular. The mareline on this boy is not that spectacular, so we'll see how he does or if people breed to him.<br />
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Connaisseur x TCN Partout x Rosenkavalier<br />
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Since we have our first Connaisseur foal coming this spring, and I'm usually pretty crazy about any horse with Partout close up in the pedigree, I was excited to see this boy. Of the horses in the earlier rounds, he was my favorite. Super mover. Really nice type. He could have been a little freer in the should, have had a little more power, and have had a little nicer neck, but I liked him. Unfortunately, once the Apaches came out, he wasn't in the same league. Still, I think he's a nice horse and worth approving. He's out of the same mareline as Rubels.<br />
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Cover Story x Jazz x Casanova<br />
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Did you now that Cover Story died? I didn't until last weekend. This colt looks a lot like him. He has tons of power and is a good dressage type. He's a little sickle hocked. His mareline is a little mixed, but his great granddam has produced a number of sport horses.<br />
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I'm really pleased to see so many Cupido sons presented. Cupido himself was one of my favorites in the C year. It looks to me as if he's really producing well. His sons have powerful movement, good dressage horse conformation, and especially powerful asses.<br />
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Cupido x Special D x Wellington<br />
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Liked this colt a bunch. Super muscular butt. Maybe a little heavy in his movement, but powerful. Has Ferro hindleg. He was invited to the Championship Ring.<br />
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Three years ago when I attended the first full day of foal inspections all held at the KWPN center in Ermelo, Dark Pleasure's foals were the talk of the day. He'd bred very few mares and only had eight foals--all of them were at Ermelo that day. My take on them then was that they were super movers and really interesting, but I didn't like them quite as well as everyone else--they had giraffe necks, and some of them appeared to be horses in two parts. Well, I feel the same way about them as adults.<br />
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Dark Pleasure x Blue Hors Zack x Flemmingh<br />
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OK. Before I start, this horse was invited to the Championship Ring. Fantastic hind leg. But, for my money, he has a giraffe neck and a hind end and front end that don't go together. Maybe once he's under saddle a rider can pull it all together, but I think he's a little weird looking.<br />
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A selection from Davino's first foal crop was also presented in Ermelo the year I was there for the foal inspections. I loved his foals. Gorgeous types, really rectangular, most lacking power, but super dressage conformation and appeal. As adults his offspring are similar to this description. <br />
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For those of you not aware, Davino is half brother to UB-40--same dam. He's by Hotline, so on a Michelangelo dam, that's a lot of Trakehner blood.<br />
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Davino VOD x Vivaldi x Houston x Donnerhall<br />
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The description above fits this colt. Lovely horse. Needs more power. He's out of the same damline as Edward Gal's Undercover, so having the Donnerhall back there is certainly interesting, though his dam must have been inspected at home because she has the stb-ext designation, and his granddam is only ster. The important mare is back in the fourth generation.<br />
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Davino VOD x Wynton x 00 Seven<br />
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This is the horse that I thought should have placed third in the Championship Ring, but the committee didn't even select him to go past the third ring, let alone the Championship Ring. If I didn't think Carol would have killed me, I would have bid on him in the Select Sale. Super horse. Best mover of all the Davinos, and with power. Although the committee said they didn't select him because there isn't enough sport in the mareline, I think it may have to do with the Wynton. I love Wynton, but there was an absolutely fantastic Wynton on Saturday that should have been selected and wasn't. All of the Wynton's presented were pretty fancy. The one I liked the least was the one in the Gelders selection, and he was the only one accepted...go figure. My only guess is that the Wyntons are a little heavy, sometimes a little short legged, and often have lots of knee and hock. They look like upper level dressage prospects to me. Time will tell.<br />
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Davino VOD x Jazz x Darwin<br />
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This colt is also gorgeous. He has beautiful articulation with the hind leg, but not enough power for my tastes. He was the Davino selected for the Championship Ring.<br />
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I should go back and reread my report from that offspring in inspection day in Ermelo so I know I'm not contradicting myself, but, as I remember, I liked the Vivaldi sons' offspring better than Vivaldi's himself. Desparado is the sire of the next group. They didn't mature as well as some of the other Vivaldi grandsons. Not that impressive. The committee only took one of them.<br />
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Desperado x De Niro x Warkant<br />
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Yup. De Niro x Warkant. That probably has more to do with why this colt was accepted than the Desperado. This colt is a nice enough type, good balance, a little fine boned, and lacks power. <br />
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Don Schufro x Ferro x Florestan I<br />
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Here we have the best Don Schufro I've seen out of a KWPN mare. Granted, I haven't seen that many, maybe six, but, until now, I haven't been too impressed with how he's nicking with Dutch mares. This colt is quite nice. He's the kind of horse that's going to look a lot better under saddle. Right now, he needs more power, lacks balance, and is a little weak in the loin connection. I wouldn't breed to him until I see what he produces, but it's an interesting pedigree and an interesting horse.<br />
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Dreamboy looks fantastic. Now that Hans Peter has the ride on him, this horse should be headed for the international stage. Eye Catcher is still my favorite Vivaldi son, but you can't deny the talent and charisma of Dreamboy. That being said, his offspring are inconsistent in type in my opinion--they seem significantly and noticeably influenced by their damlines. If they get their sire's talent for dressage and good temperament, then that's good enough! Let them look like their damlines!<br />
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Dreamboy x Jazz x Goodtimes<br />
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This colt went on to be Reserve Champion of the show. He's a gorgeous type, lots of presence. He looked better and better every time he came out. I wouldn't be surprised if he turns into quite a heavy horse as he matures. In keeping with my comment above, the most interesting thing to me is how much the Goodtimes comes through in this horse. The hindend, both in shape and power, is pure Goodtimes. He's also shorter coupled and has the Goodtimes face.<br />
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Dreamboy x Negro x Monaco<br />
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This is the only other Dreamboy that was accepted. He's nice, but he didn't blow me a way. You can really see the Negro in him, probably because he's double Ferro, or, again, because Dreamboy offspring seem to take after the dam in type. The mareline is really interesting; the great grandmother produced the approved Chippendale son, Giovanni.<br />
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I loved the Everdales as foals. Every single one of them was a dressage horse, demonstrating adjustability and real sit even as foals. The adults were not as impressive. The committee didn't accept any of them.<b>*****My mistake! Natalie DiBarardinis emailed me to say I screwed up on the Everdales; two were accepted. Not sure how I missed that. My system is to circle the ones selected, then check them off when they're aangewezen....ADHD must have been in full force:</b><br />
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Everdale x Johnson x Variant<br />
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Fantastic motherline. The dam is just studbook, but behind that are three keur preferent prestatie mares in a row. This horse was the most complete of the Everdales. The Johnson in him is really obvious, especially in the hind leg usage.<br />
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Everdale x Don Romantic x Furst Heinrich<br />
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Interesting horse. Good leg technique. A bit giraffe-like. There's almost no information on the German mareline, but there's three times Donnerhall in the dam's pedigree.<br />
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Eye Catcher x Lorentin I x Cor de la Bryere<br />
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The selection committee must have really wanted to give an Eye Catcher a chance. This is a nice horse, but I don't think he's a breeding horse. He's supple and balanced, good mover, but he's off type a bit. The pedigree isn't especially interesting either. Nonetheless, I'll be he makes a hell of a fancy dressage horse.<br />
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The next few horses are by foreign sires. Although it's crucial we find new blood to cross with all the Ferro, Flemmingh, and, particularly, Jazz, I'm not sure we always look in the right places. If you watch the video of the Champion of the KWPN dressage horses this year, then watch the champions of other studbooks, the differences are striking.<br />
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Furst Wilhelm x Don Frederico x Wolkenstein II<br />
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The most interesting thing about this horse is motherline. It produced the German superstar dressage horse,Desperados, and Don Diego Ymas. The horse himself isn't that interesting. His hocks are out behind him, he's not carrying, he's completely horizontal in conformation and movement. We'll see.<br />
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Furstenball x Lord Sinclair x Montmarte<br />
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Another outcross for us. Good canter, nice front, could be a little more rectangular. Not a stand out in any way.<br />
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Furstenball x Sandro Hit x Silvano N<br />
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Again, an outcross. This Furstenball son is out of a better mareline; his dam is full sister to the approved stallion Santano. Again, the horse himself is not a stand out. Way too much Sandro Hit in type and movement for my tastes--really lacks power.<br />
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Hofrat x Zhivago x Ferro<br />
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This boy was clearly the best of the Hofrats. Of course, the mareline is one of Holland's best. It's produced multiple approved stallions, top mares, and Grand Prix horses. <br />
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Hofrat x Del Piero x Madison<br />
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OK. Not special. Would not have accepted him.<br />
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Johnson has certainly proven himself as both a sport horse and sire. He produces a distinct type; they're smooth conformationally and really look like riding horses--good depth of body--the hind legs tend to be well placed but slow.<br />
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Johnson x Farrington x Flemmingh<br />
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Johnson type. Good mover. I think this is a horse that's going to look better under saddle.<br />
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Johnson x Tuschinski x Scandic<br />
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Good mover. A little stiff laterally. Really free in the front, especially interesting in that his shoulder is fairly straight.<br />
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Johnson x Kennedy x Farrington<br />
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This was my favorite Johnson. Best mover of his sons and best type. Beautiful horse.<br />
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The KWPN continues to look for Negro blood. <br />
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Negro x Jazz x Ulft<br />
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I missed this horse. Someone came over to the table and needed to talk to me. <br />
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Negro x Lord Leatherdale x El Corona<br />
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I saw this one! Really nice dressage horse. He may be my favorite of all the Van Olst young stallions I've seen come through the Stallion Show. Super balance. Great type. I was surprised he wasn't invited to the Championship Ring.<br />
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This next horse is a Nijhof horse, so we'll have access via frozen semen next year. When the Nijhofs hit with a dressage stallion, they really hit. Think about Johnson, Florencio, Cocktail, and a number of others. I think this horse is going to be really good for them.<br />
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Sir Donnerhall x Krack C x Rohdiamant<br />
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This horse is out of the famous German mareline that produced Bordeaux, Gunter Seidel's U II, and a number of Grand Prix dressage horses. It's one of Germany's best marelines. The dam of this horse is only studbook and PROK. The great granddam is studbook and preferent. Close up, this is a lovely, lovely horse. He looks quite young and immature. He's super supple and free in the movement, but has no balance in the hind end right now. In hand, he looked fantastic. I'm definitely interested in breeding to him next year if makes it through the testing.<br />
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United x Welt Hit II x Ulft<br />
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This guy looks a lot like his half brother, Bordeaux. He's a little lateral, nicer trot than canter. Even though Welt Hit II makes some beautiful horses and has some upper level competitors, he's also known for producing really difficult temperaments.<br />
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Finally! We have a Voice son accepted. I'm a HUGE Voice fan, but the Stallion Committee has had difficulty finding a Voice son they could accept. Congratulations to my friend, Emmy de Jeu, who bred this colt.<br />
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Voice x Florencio x Rubinstein I<br />
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He looks a lot like Voice. Could use a little more power from behind, but beautiful front. It's a good German mareline.<br />
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Winningmood x Oscar x Adonius (Apollonios xx x Maykel--NRPS stallion) x Cabochon<br />
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Recognize the names in this pedigree? Who has to be the owner of this horse? Yup, GW van Norel and family. This is the best Van Norel horse I've seen in years. Big, strong, powerful. SUPER mover. This is another horse I thought should have been selected for the Championship Ring over some of the horses that were selected. This is a fantastic horse.<br />
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There were five Wyntons presented, four really good ones, all out of really good marelines, including a full brother to Dark President--and the brother is better. The Wynton x Ramiro x Pion, a Wynton x Krack C x Sultan (out of an outrageously good mareline), a Wynton x Flemmingh x Nimmerdor, a Wynton x Citango x Gribadi (out of Tuschinski's mareline), and a Wynton x Flemmingh x Wolfgang (super hind leg and a real stallion type). Four of the five were fantastic horses, all good and/or fantastic movers, really good riding types, powerful, muscular--I just don't get why none of them was accepted. When I look at Wynton sons, I see future Grand Prix horses. From what I could gather, the Stallion Committee thinks they don't lift enough in the wither and don't move through their bodies enough. Hmmm. Not my observation.<br />
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****That's it for the young stallions. I'll continue with some notes about the newly approved and older stallions when I get a minute.<br />
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<br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-89603842441998059452016-01-16T10:19:00.002-08:002016-01-16T10:19:44.536-08:00BalanceI have a lengthy first journal entry of 2016 in the works, but the emotions of the day and the events of late cause me to post a different entry. Carol, the kids, and I have spent the last month being reminded of the balance of joys and sorrows that comes with breeding horses. We produced our best crop of foals ever this year, we had enormous keuring success both here and in Holland, culminating in our oldest Totilas mare being featured in In de Strengen, and we were recently nominated for Breeder of the Year by our peers. That's a lot of joy to balance. But, as those of you who've been doing this as long as we have know, it's going to be balanced sooner or later. Within the last month and a half, we've now lost five horses. Our coming three-year-old Don Tango colt moved to his new home. He had a freak accident in the pasture and broke his leg. Our two-year-old UB-40 x Vincent colt tried to jump a gate while he was racing around playing, got caught on it, and fractured his pelvis. Mistral, our 22-year-old Vincent mare, dam to the two boys I just listed, pulled both suspensory ligaments so severely that she was having difficulty getting up and down, so we euthanized her to alleviate the pain. This week, our beloved younger Totilas daughter from Orchis, Honorites SSF, fell on the ice and fractured her pelvis. We've been treating her all week, but she aborted her 9-month-old fetus this morning--and, when she went down to deliver, she displaced the fracture and couldn't get back up. We are saddened by all of these losses, but losing Nora is the most difficult. She was a special mare, and just at the beginning of a brilliant career producing the next generation of SSF superstars.<br />
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<br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-26052237272111528132015-09-20T11:57:00.000-07:002016-03-18T18:14:18.874-07:002016 Foals for Sale: Updated 3/18/16<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">A Place Where Dreams Come True</span></b></div>
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<b>Keno SSF</b></div>
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(Governor x ZaVita SSF x Contango)</div>
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Here he is! The top dressage foal in North America for the 2015 keuring tour! Congratulations to Andria and Mike Allen--they had placed a first option on this breeding a few months before he was born, and are now the excited owners of the top foal in the country.</div>
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Other than the two we're keeping, all of our 2015 foals are sold.</div>
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<b>2016 Breedings</b></div>
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Shooting Star Farm is a dream come true for my family and me, and we strive to be <i>"a place where dreams come true" </i>for others. Our goal is to help people who want a top quality KWPN dressage horse for sport or breeding get the horse of their dreams. We offer generous, no-interest payment plans, so anyone who recognizes the quality of our horses can afford to buy one. The base price for most of our foals is $15,000. We offer discounts to FEI riders and repeat customers and friends. If you're seriously interested in a foal from a particular breeding, contact us and we'll give you first option on that foal. No deposit is necessary. Once the foal is born, we'll get pictures and some short video to you, and you have until the foal is two weeks old to make your final decision.</div>
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<b>Mares in order of age: <i>(for detailed information about our mares, please see the Mares' Page)</i></b></div>
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<b>LaVita </b><i>keur preferent </i>(Elcaro x Belisar) In foal to <b>Florianus II </b>(Florestan I x Damenstolz)</div>
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LaVita has spent the last few years with Sean and Melissa Hardy, in Vernon, VT, where she produced a two top mares for their new breeding program. She has come home to SSF to retire. Of course, I couldn't resist trying to breed her one more time. She will be 23 when she delivers this foal. Over the years, LaVita has been a fantastic producer for us. She's the grandmother of Keno, the top foal in North America this year. Local people also know her as the mother of Alisa Dearden's Rocco SSF and Melinda Johnson's Udo SSF. </div>
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Under Karin Rehbein, Florianus II was the most successful Grand Prix horse in Germany for a period of time. We've had two Flori foals at SSF so far--both Carol and I are really impressed by the strong conformation, athleticism, and tractability of his offspring. </div>
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<b>Mistral</b> <i>ster</i> (Vincent x El Corona) Hopefully, in foal to <b>Governor </b>(Totilas x Jazz)</div>
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We lost Mistral this winter. She had lost her pregnancy to Governor prior, but still a sad situation.</div>
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<b>Nemels</b> <i>elite</i> (Samber x Rechter) In foal to <b>Governor </b>(Totilas x Jazz)</div>
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We've come to really adore Nemels, and I love the strength of her mare line for producing sport horses. We're also thrilled with her Governor colt from this year. Unfortunately, she lost this pregnancy.</div>
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<b>Orchis</b> <i>keur preferent and almost prestatie!!! </i>(Jazz x Roemer) In foal to an experimental stallion.</div>
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This foal is not for sale...unless our stallion-prospect-out-of-Orchis luck holds and we get another cryptorchid!</div>
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<b>Werites SSF</b> <i>sport</i> (Freestyle x Orchis x Jazz) In foal to <b>Sir Sinclair </b>(Lord Sinclair x Flemmingh)</div>
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Werites has now produced three exceptional UB-40 babies for us. She consistently produces athletic, talented, and very pretty foals. Her oldest son was started under saddle this year, and all reports are that he's incredibly smart, super trainable, and super talented. This year's foal was reserved and purchased by Connie and Jackie Cartesio.</div>
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We haven't bred much to Sir Sinclair. Given the facts that he is one of the leading producer of FEI horses in North America, he has a number of FEI horses beginning to compete in Europe, our best moving mare is by him, and our one Sir Sinclair breeding resulted in a horse who went on to win the Reserve Champion title at Dressage at Devon and is now about to come out at PSG, I decided it was time to make up for lost time and breed a couple mares to Sir. </div>
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<b>BoWendy</b> (Sir Sinclair x Jazz x Ulft) In foal to <b>UB-40</b></div>
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It's hard to top the kind of movement BoWendy produces. We've had four full brothers out of this cross, and each one has blown us away--the most famous of which is Godot SSF, the high score mover in North America last year. This year's foal was reserved and purchased by Grand Prix rider Eiren Crawford.</div>
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<i>There is a potential first option already placed on this breeding. If someone else is also interested, contact me, and I'll confirm. We will most likely keep this foal if it is a filly.</i></div>
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<b>Carpe Diem SSF</b> <i>keur eligible</i> (Farrington x LaLiscia xx x Pass the Glass xx) </div>
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In foal to <b>Connaisseur </b>(Con Amore x Donnerhall)</div>
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We're delighted to have Carpe back at SSF to begin her breeding career. Thanks so much to Sue Wildman for the opportunity. Carpe suffered a neck injury and can no longer be ridden, so let the babies begin!</div>
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We get a number of requests for Donnerhall blood from our clients. As much as I love Donnerhall blood and would love to use his sons and grandsons in our program, it's difficult to access via fresh cooled semen from a KWPN-approved stallion. Connaisseur offers us this chance. I think he needs a bigger, more powerful mare, so matching him with Carpe is perfect. She's 17 hands and a power house. This should be a really top sport or breeding prospect.<br />
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<i>This foal is already spoken for.</i></div>
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<b>D'Orites SSF</b> <i>keur</i> (Donatelli x Orchis x Jazz) In foal to <b>Sir Sinclair</b> (Lord Sinclair x Flemmingh)</div>
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Dior has quite a fan base. Her first foal was a designer foal for Clark and Richard Moss. Her second foal sold in 15 minutes on Facebook. Her third foal was reserved and purchased by Rhodes Farm as an addition to their breeding program. We would really like to keep a Donatelli grandfilly for our program, but, since Dior is young and we have some older mares from whom we need to keep fillies, at this time, this breeding is available for 2016. </div>
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<b>Eliscia SSF</b> <i>keur eligible</i> (UB-40 x LaLiscia xx x Pass the Glass xx) </div>
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In foal to <b>Governor</b> (Totilas x Jazz)</div>
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Lily is one of my favorite mares in our program. She has the size, power, and elegance, combined with a strong dose of the best TB blood available, to produce top horses. Her first foal was a first premium, super elegant, black colt by Florianus II. From the Governor cross, I'm expecting a leggy, modern, super-moving foal. <br />
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<i>First option taken on this foal.</i></div>
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<b>Gazania</b> <i>keur </i>(Bon Bravour x Santano) In foal to <b>Florianus II</b> (Florestan I x Damenstolz)</div>
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Gazania lost her pregnancy to Florianus...</div>
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<b>Honorites SSF</b> <i>ster</i> (Totilas x Orchis x Jazz) In foal to <b>Florianus II</b> (Florestan I x Damenstolz)</div>
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If you've been reading our blog, you know how devastated we are at the loss of Nora. She can't be replaced.</div>
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shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-47621743012989984162015-08-23T16:09:00.000-07:002015-08-23T16:09:12.476-07:00Crazy Summer Recap!I don't even know where to start...<br />
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I've spent the summer either with my arm up a mare's rectum or cooking for a happy multitude of visitors. And, yes, I washed well in between! <br />
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<b><u>Breeding Update, oldest to youngest:</u></b><br />
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<b>LaVita </b>(Elcaro x Belisar) is in foal to Florianus II. She will be 23 when she foals. Amazing.<br />
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<b>Mistral</b> (Vincent x El Corona) has had two cycles to UB-40 with no luck yet. Will breed her this weekend with our experiment stallion.<br />
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<b>Nemels</b> (Samber x Lector) is back in foal to Governor.<br />
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<b>Orchis</b> (Jazz x Roemer), after a failed attempt to Apache, is in foal to our experiment stallion!!! Fingers crossed, knocking on wood, praying to the breeding gods.<br />
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<b>Werites SSF</b> (Freestyle x Jazz) is in foal to Sir Sinclair.<br />
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<b>ZaVita SSF</b> (Contango x Elcaro) is not in foal. Tried once with Apache, but no pregnancy. She hasn't been cycling well.<br />
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<b>BoWendy</b> (Sir Sinclair x Jazz) is back in foal to UB-40 for the fifth time. This one better be a filly!<br />
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<b>Carpe Diem SSF</b> (Farrington x Pass the Glass xx) is in foal to Connaisseur.<br />
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<b>D'Orites SSF</b> (Donatelli x Jazz) is in foal to Sir Sinclair, after a couple of failed attempts to Fairytale.<br />
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<b>Eliscia SSF</b> (UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx) is in foal to Governor.<br />
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<b>Felicites SSF</b> (Rousseau x Jazz) was bred to Florianus II, checked at the trainer's not in foal, but she's never come back into heat. I don't know what's going on with her.<br />
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<b>Gazania</b> (Bon Bravour x Santano) didn't take with two perfect breedings to Bordeaux, so she's in foal to Florianus II.<br />
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<b>Honorites SSF</b> (Totilas x Jazz) is in foal to Florianus II. This foal already has a first option reserved.<br />
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<b>Hyacintia</b> (Charmeur x Santano) is in foal to Chagall D and R.<br />
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We should have a busy foaling season in 2016! Anyone want to sign up for foal watch now? Happy to have you.<br />
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We had to abandon our Family Competition. Out of the four planned breedings, mine is the only one that worked. Carol's choice of UB for Nora ran into a bad collection day, so we ended up with Flori; Michaela's choice of Bordeaux for Gazania was a couple of thousand dollar bust; Keagan's pick of Apache for Orchis, then a switch to ZaVita, didn't work out for him, and was another couple of thousand dollar bust for us...HATE buying frozen without a LFG. Didn't I swear last year that I wouldn't buy frozen without a LFG this year? Stupid. Just stupid. When it works, it's great--like the Governor. We've used four doses and gotten four pregnancies. When it doesn't, all you have to show for it is an expanded credit card balance or a cashed check. Really pisses me off. At least I'm doing my own breeding work, so I don't have thousands of wasted vet bills on top of the lost money spent on the frozen. I know, "bitch, bitch--moan, moan." What are you going to do?<br />
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The issue remains that we just don't have enough options for KWPN dressage stallions standing in North America. Thank goodness there are a few that cross well on my mares. Not everyone is so lucky.<br />
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<b><u>KWPN National Championships in Ermelo:</u></b><br />
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I had an absolute blast attending the KWPN Paardendagen in Holland last week. Of course, it was extra special because our mare Hyacintia was invited to the National Mare Show. There were over 40 mares invited, out of about 1200 mares entered into keurings throughout the summer. These 40+ mares showed in four groups; Hyacintia was in the third. In her preliminary round, she placed FIRST and was invited into the top 12 to show again in the final class later in the afternoon!!! It was a magic moment. I had goosebumps everywhere. I'm not sure exactly what happened between the preliminary round, and I'm certainly not complaining--it was super exciting--but two of the mares she beat, the Davino VOD and the Quando-Quando granddaughter, placed first and third in the finals. Oh, well. At the end of the day, Hyacintia is the mare I wanted to take home...so it's a really good thing that she's already ours! She's a really lovely mare. We're going to leave her in Holland to produce the start of a breeding program for us there. Eventually, she'll make her way stateside.<br />
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I have tons of observations about the foals, the mares, the riding, the PAVO Cup, etc., etc., but haven't had the time to put any of my thoughts into writing. Will try to get to that. If you have questions about specific horses, give me a shout. I watched all of the babies and babies--and almost all of the riding tests.<br />
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<b><u>Open House and Keuring:</u></b><br />
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As you can imagine, we're in the final stages of getting everything ready for August 29th. It will be a busy week, but we're excited for everyone to see our horses. The day starts at 8:00 sharp at Taramore Farm, in Keene. We move to SSF for lunch at around 12:30. We end the day by showing babies, starting at 1:15. The jury has to be in the rental car and headed to the airport by 2:45. If you'd like a full schedule or directions, just shoot me an email. Everyone's welcome.<br />
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<br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-35561262881947178712015-07-06T11:04:00.000-07:002015-07-06T11:04:02.115-07:00Foaling Season is Complete!The equine gods have been good to us this year (knock on wood). We have eight healthy babies on the ground, and the biggest issue we had with foaling was a retained placenta. Of course, rebreeding is going quite as smoothly, but I'll get to that later in the post. Overall, this may be our best foal crop to date.<br />
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Before I get going, if you haven't friended me on Facebook, please do. I post pictures and videos of the babies and the farm frequently. My journal posts are longer and more detailed, but the visuals end up on Facebook.<br />
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This year's foals:<br />
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<b>Knockout SSF (Eye Catcher x Gazania x Bon Bravour)</b><br />
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Champ was born in early April, so, compared to the rest of the babies, he looks more like a yearling. He's a dressage horse through and through. He's supple, adjustable, and powerful. Type-wise, I'm not convinced the jury is going to like him as much as I do, but we haven't offered him for sale because his pedigree is so interesting. If he can develop into the kind of dressage horse I expect, then he deserves a shot at keeping his testicles. We'll see.<br />
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<b>Kiarites SSF (Fairytale x D'Orites SSF x Donatelli)</b><br />
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Dior is producing super well for us. This filly is a miniature, black version of her mother. Jenn Tousignant is lucky to have had a filly option on this cross. We would have been perfectly happy to keep this filly for our program. As it is, Dior has been bred back to Fairytale, but it's a little early to check for the pregnancy.<br />
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<b>Kanadian SSF (UB-40 x BoWendy x Sir Sinclair)</b><br />
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Sammy, Jr., is this year's cheekiest foal. He is absolutely the spitting image of his full brother, Godot SSF--same star, same type, same movement. He is much more independent at this age than his brother ever was, however. Mr. Kanadian is more than happy to stand in the aisle supervising the movement of horses instead of following his mother. He also thinks it's his job to chew off the halters of his friends. He's a real character. He's the perfect personality for his person, Eiren Crawford.<br />
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<b>Karmites SSF (UB-40 x Werites SSF x Freestyle)</b><br />
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I'm in love with this filly. She reminds me so much of her grandmother, Orchis. Not only does she look like her, she's hot, typey, and loaded with powerful movement. Again, this is a filly I'd prefer to be keeping for our program, but Jackie Cartesio has dibbs on her. She's going to make a hell of a dressage horse.<br />
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<b>Keno SSF (Governor x ZaVita SSF x Contango)</b><br />
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I loved the Totilas son, Governor, the moment I saw him, and we're certainly not disappointed that we took a chance on him during his first breeding year. Keno is a GORGEOUS baby. He's absolutely regal looking. On top of that, he has the loveliest personality and movement. We're waiting to hear if the person who had first option on this breeding has decided to take him or not. As special as he is, I can't believe she won't, but you never know how circumstances can dictate people's decisions. If he's available, I'll let you know.<br />
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<b>Kalliope SSF (Heir to the Throne x Sweetwaters Little Sea Me x NFC Egyptian Kings Impulse)</b><br />
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Imagine my surprise when I found an adorable little pinto filly with our Mini mare, a full three weeks before she was due. Did I know that Minis have a shorter gestation than regular horses? That would be no. At any rate, this filly is about the cutest thing you've ever seen. I call her Spawn of Hell. She is a holy terror! She is completely unconcerned about her mother, she loves racing around so fast you can barely see her legs move, and she regularly jumps in and out of her paddock and teases Jules, the old Morgan mare who is her mother's neighbor. Needless to say, Carol is in love with this little girl.<br />
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<b>Kublai Khan SSF (UB-40 x Mistral x Vincent)</b><br />
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Once again, UB-40 blows us away. When this colt was about a week old, Carol turned to me and said,<br />
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"This is your stallion. We're not selling him."<br />
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I can't remember another time that she has verbalized either sentiment, stallion prospect or not selling a baby. We love this boy. Actually, depending on how things play out, this is a colt we'd be willing to send to Holland to go through the selection process. It probably makes sense to keep him here until he's a two-year-old and can pass the radiographic requirements, but we'll see. Kublia is a fancy boy.<br />
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<b>Katmandu SSF (Governor x Nemels x Samber)</b><br />
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And...drum roll, please...our last foal of the year is a freaking fancy pinto Totilas grandson! As I said on Facebook, I don't think there's a better bred pinto colt on the planet. Even without being pinto, it would be hard to beat his pedigree. On top of that, he's our leggiest foal of the year and the most flamboyant mover. He's a big boy and not that old, so he's still unfolding and straightening out, but every time I look at him, I think that we might have just hit the equine lottery. Who knows? To quote John Sanzo for the umpteenth time, "Horses are born, and then spend the rest of their lives trying to kill themselves." We'll just keep crossing our fingers and toes, knocking on wood, and hoping that he continues to develop as nicely as he has in the first ten days.<br />
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So, breeding back. I'm a little bitter. For one thing, we have three mares being bred that aren't on the farm, so I have significantly more vet bills than I'm used to during breeding season. On top of that, on the four cycles that these three mares have been followed, we have only one pregnancy. For the second thing, we've had three frozen breedings not work to date--that's over $3,000 down the reproductive drain. I did those breedings, so I can't blame anyone but me, the semen, and the mares; nonetheless, it pisses me off. Two doses of Bordeaux frozen, perfect timing both times, 6-hour post insemination flushes, young mare on her 30-day and subsequent heat. Nothing. I'm pretty sure we had an Apache embryo in Orchis, but she came back into heat, so she didn't think she was pregnant. Here's an update on the breeding status of our mares--if you're interested in any of the 2016 crosses, get your option in early:<br />
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Eliscia SSF (UB-40 x Pass the Glass) in foal to Governor for Scot's competition entry<br />
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Honorites SSF (Totilas x Jazz) in foal to Florianus II for Carol's competition entry<br />
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Hyacintia (Charmeur x Santano) in foal to Chagall D and R<br />
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Felicites SSF (Rousseau x Jazz) bred to Florianus II, not in foal, not back in heat<br />
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Gazania (Bon Bravour x Santano) bred to Florianus II, not checked yet, for Michaela's competiton entry<br />
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LaVita (Elcaro x Belisar) bred to Florianus II, not checked yet<br />
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D'Orites SSF (Donatelli x Jazz) rebred to Fairytale, not checked yet<br />
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BoWendy (Sir Sinclair x Jazz) bred to Fairytale, not checked yet<br />
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Orchis (Jazz x Roemer) experimental breeding, not checked yet<br />
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ZaVita SSF (Contango x Elcaro) will be bred to Apache for Keagan's competition entry<br />
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Carpe Diem SSF (Farrington x Pass the Glass xx) will be bred to Connaisseur<br />
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Mistral (Vincent x El Corona) will be bred back to UB-40<br />
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Nemels (Samber x Lector) will be bred back to Governor<br />
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Summary: three pregnant, five to check, one uncertain, and four still to start breeding.<br />
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<br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-70082901785109149262015-06-04T09:43:00.001-07:002015-06-04T09:43:51.865-07:00Breeding and Foaling Updates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We now have four foals on the ground and the fifth is imminent! </div>
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<b>Knockout SSF</b> (Eye Catcher x Bon Bravour) is a chestnut colt with an outrageous propensity for passage already. I'm not convinced he's as modern a type as the KWPN selects, but we he's pretty close to Scot's ideal type: muscular, supple, balanced, and charismatic. He's a keeper.</div>
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<b>Kiarites SSF</b> (Fairytale x Donatelli) is a fancy black filly. She's the first of two fillies born so far that we would have been happy to keep for our program, but, alas, that's not how it has played out. This fancy little girl was prepurchased, so keeping her isn't an option. Our longtime friend, Jenn Tousignant is excited to add this filly to her program. We will, however, breed her mom right back to Fairytale.</div>
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<b>Kanadian SSF</b> (UB-40 x Sir Sinclair). It's a tall order to be the fourth full brother in a line of super fancy colts, including Godot SSF, high score adult dressage horse in North America last year, but this colt more than holds his own. Color and marking-wise, he looks just like Godot, light chestnut with a big white star--type and movement-wise, he's even fancier. If this colt hadn't been prepurchased, I would have put a price tag of $25,000 or $30,000 on him. He's that nice. As it is, I'm equally as happy that he's going to Grand Prix rider, Eiren Crawford.</div>
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<b>Karmites</b> (UB-40 x Freestyle) makes three chestnuts out of four foals born so far. Karma is a super pretty filly who looks so much like her grandmother, Orchis. I was really excited because the prepurchase on this breeding was for a colt, so I thought this little Orchis clone was going to be added to our broodmare band...not the case. Connie Cartesio is buying this filly as a future dressage partner for Jackie Cartesio. She's going to be a super star.</div>
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All and all, we're amassing an impressive foal collection so far this year (knock on wood)--four more to go! The next two foals are also pre sold if I decide to sell them. There's a colt option on the Governor x ZaVita foal, and a pinto option on the Governor x Samber. It's possible that we only have one more foal to sell this year, our UB-40 x Vincent. If that one is a filly, however, she's probably not going anywhere!</div>
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On the breeding front, we have two pregnancies to report and some more breedings. In foal for 2016:</div>
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Eliscia SSF to Governor</div>
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Honorites SSF to Florianus II</div>
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Bred in the last few days:</div>
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Felicites SSF to Florianus II</div>
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Hyacintia to Chagall D and R</div>
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Unfortunately, it doesn't look as if Gazania is pregnant from the first dose of Bordeaux. Expensive bummer. I love it when frozen semen works well; when it doesn't, it hurts. It looks as if we'll be breeding Gazania with our second dose of Bordeaux this weekend, as well as LaVita to someone. LaVita is an old girl now, and she's not cycling the way she used to. I'm not sure if she'll get pregnant or not. We'll just have to play it by ear and see if I have time to order semen, or if I need to dig into the tank.</div>
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Below is a picture of Felicites SSF (Rousseau x Jazz x Roemer) after her daily workout. She's developed really nicely, but was having some training issues. Thanks to Phil Shipman, it looks as if those are well on the way to being resolved, and we're gearing up for re-presenting her at this year's keuring. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaiL6F4Lshi-keJuGKEHFFrrOczKGhlMg9e6-bbg9F19XfVBwesv4HbpgW9sIfUTRo-bx1xzd27dqELwLf2_F0sQXsLx_1yDPnySrLQENGobDkxAH3DmIc2ds3gkXgzgGdHlRURFM6AJr/s1600/Felicites+SSF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaiL6F4Lshi-keJuGKEHFFrrOczKGhlMg9e6-bbg9F19XfVBwesv4HbpgW9sIfUTRo-bx1xzd27dqELwLf2_F0sQXsLx_1yDPnySrLQENGobDkxAH3DmIc2ds3gkXgzgGdHlRURFM6AJr/s320/Felicites+SSF.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-49686509748314891822015-05-08T04:15:00.000-07:002015-05-08T04:15:23.942-07:00And the Breeding Begins...So, this is what a just-under-40 follicle looks like on my ultrasound screen:<br />
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Good edema, strong structure to the follicle--I gave the shot of Sucramate this morning, so, hopefully, knock on wood, the breeding gods are with me and I'll be doing my first frozen semen breeding of the year tomorrow afternoon. This lovely follicle contains the egg which is the planned recipient of the fastest/in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time Governor sperm cell. Governor x UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx.<br />
<br />
You never know for sure, but, since I've already paid for my frozen semen and received the first three shipments (my experimental stallion is not getting used this year due to the family competition), my breeding picks are fairly settled at this point in time:<br />
<br />
LaVita x Gaspard<br />
Mistral x Gaspard<br />
Nemels x Governor<br />
<b>*Orchis x Apache</b><br />
Werites SSF x Gaspard<br />
ZaVita SSF x Apache or Governor<br />
BoWendy x UB-40<br />
D'Orites SSF x Fairytale<br />
<b>*Eliscia SSF x Governor</b><br />
Felicites SSF x undecided fresh cooled<br />
<b>*Gazania x Bordeaux</b><br />
<b>*Honorites SSF x UB-40 </b>(preg check next week)<br />
Hyacintia x Chagall D+R<br />
<br />
<b>*family competition entry</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Did you just count 13 breedings? So did I. If we decide to import Hyacintia and all the mares get in foal, then one of the older mares is for sale after I get her back in foal. We only have 12 stalls. <br />
<br />
*********************************************************************************<br />
<br />
I'm an idiot. Forgot to post this. So, update: Bred Eliscia SSF at 9:30 last night, within a couple hours of ovulation--lavaged her this morning at 5:30 and gave her a shot of Oxytocin. Keep your fingers crossed for a black dot in about two weeks. Perfect breeding. <br />
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<br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-46324749034527575502015-04-08T07:36:00.001-07:002015-04-08T07:36:33.466-07:00Godot SSF For SaleI'm really bummed about having to post this, and have been procrastinating. We sold Sammy two times as a young horse, and both times I backed out of the sale. As those of you who follow our horses know, he went to become the high scoring adult dressage horse in North America this year.<br />
<br />
He was started last year by Phil Shipman and Joe Forrest, brought along by Lilly Josephs, and then spent the winter in Florida with Eiren Crawford. He just attended his first show in the craziness of Wellington, winning the four-year-old qualifier, with super high scores for gaits, despite some really bad luck and some first-show jitters. He's a sensible, super talent who loves to work. Everyone who has spent any time with him has fallen in love with him.<br />
<br />
He's truly a young horse with international potential. I can't justify keeping him for myself. His price is in the six figures. I will post pictures, video, and complete contact information for Eiren Crawford on my sales page in the near future. <br />
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Godot SSF "Sammy"</div>
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(UB-40 x Sir Sinclair x Jazz x Ulft)</div>
<span id="goog_1813119547"></span><span id="goog_1813119548"></span><br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-79482896819444248842015-03-17T05:22:00.002-07:002015-03-22T07:46:25.697-07:00Update: A Little Family Competition or "Creating a Monster"I have to take complete responsibility for the events, both immediate and long-term, that have and will have transpired because of an idea I proposed to my family:<br />
<br />
(much of this conversation started via our family text message group)<br />
<br />
Scot: I would like to propose a little family competition. We each make an SSF breeding decision,<br />
choice of mares to be negotiated or by lottery, and the winner is determined by Bart and Lana<br />
via the ringing order at next year's keuring. Any takers?<br />
<br />
Carol: What do I get if I win?<br />
<br />
Scot: An orange ribbon! Isn't winning enough?<br />
<br />
Michaela: Not a fair fight, but I'm in. What are the terms?<br />
<br />
Scot: How not fair? I will obviously win; I know.<br />
<br />
Michaela: An opportunity to beat you is better than no opportunity to beat you. Name the terms.<br />
<br />
Scot: Option one--we each pick a stallion we really want to use in the program, which you and<br />
Keagan have already done, then we negotiate who gets which mare. Maybe no one else wants<br />
to use the mare you want to use, so your choice is available with no negotiation. Option two--<br />
We pick four mares out of the program, put their names in a hat, and the we draw names. Each<br />
person then has to pick the stallion he or she thinks will produce the top foal of next year.<br />
<br />
(more conversation about possible terms for the selection of mares and how to measure the success of our decisions--at this point in time, Keagan has not weighed in. Next conversation happened between Carol and me one night last week)<br />
<br />
Scot: So, what do you think of my breeding competition idea?<br />
<br />
Carol: Hmm?<br />
<br />
Scot: The family text message I sent. What do you think?<br />
<br />
Carol: Oh. You want me to be part of that?<br />
<br />
Scot: Yes! Absolutely. I want it to be a family competition.<br />
<br />
Carol: But I don't know as much about the bloodlines as you guys do. I'd have to start researching<br />
stallions.<br />
<br />
Scot: Seriously? I thought you'd already made your pick.<br />
<br />
Carol: No.<br />
<br />
Scot: Really?<br />
<br />
Carol: Who would I have picked?<br />
<br />
Scot: BoWendy bred to UB-40.<br />
<br />
Carol: And why would I have picked that combination?<br />
<br />
Scot: Because you're practical, you hate wasting money on frozen semen, and you've seen three<br />
babies out of this cross that are probably the best movers we've bred.<br />
<br />
Carol: Hmm.<br />
<br />
(This next conversation took place in the car on the way to NYC on Saturday morning. Keagan, Carol, and I drove together; Michaela took the bus from Boston and met us there, so her parts of the conversation were via text)<br />
<br />
Scot: So what do you guys think about the competition? Are you up for it?<br />
<br />
Keagan: This is the breeding competition?<br />
<br />
Scot: Yeah.<br />
<br />
Keagan: How would it work? <br />
<br />
(I explain again)<br />
<br />
Keagan: So it's a competition?<br />
<br />
Scot: Yeah. <br />
<br />
Keagan: Orchis.<br />
<br />
Scot: What?<br />
<br />
Keagan: I call Orchis.<br />
<br />
Carol: (starts laughing)<br />
<br />
Scot: Really?<br />
<br />
Keagan: Yup. It's a competition. I want to win. Apache on Orchis gives me the best chance of<br />
winning.<br />
<br />
(Carol is smiling. My heart has sunk to the depth of my bisected colon--I'm thinking this kid could actually beat me)<br />
<br />
Scot: OK. We'll have to see who everyone else wants, but thanks for putting that out there. Who's<br />
your pick, Carol?<br />
<br />
Carol: I don't know. I think Dior is going to be a great producer. I love Nora.<br />
<br />
Scot: (to Keagan) I told your mother I thought she'd already made her pick, but she says no.<br />
<br />
Keagan: Who did you say she picked?<br />
<br />
Scot: UB-40 on BoWendy. (to Carol) OK, who's your pick?<br />
<br />
Carol: UB-40 on BoWendy.<br />
<br />
(We laugh. Lots of joking about me losing and having to be handicapped. Now, we involve Michaela via text message)<br />
<br />
Scot: Keagan picks Orchis. Mommy wants Bo. Who is your pick?<br />
<br />
Michaela: Whoa!!! Not sure I like these mares being tied up...<br />
<br />
Keagan: You snooze you lose ;) We told dad he hows so much he gets Jules (our 24-year-old<br />
Morgan mare).<br />
<br />
Scot: It's all negotiable. Make your pick.<br />
<br />
Michaela: Gazania.<br />
<br />
Keagan: Big moves! This is certainly not a birthday present for dad ;) ;)<br />
<br />
Carol: Wait a minute! I want Gazania! I forgot she was available.<br />
<br />
Michaela: Hahaha! It's negotiable...Lilly is still available.<br />
<br />
(more conversation in the car--then Keagan texts Michaela again)<br />
<br />
Keagan: I'm good and dad wants Lilly, so that's set. Stallions?<br />
<br />
Scot: I need to think a bit.<br />
<br />
Keagan: I'm set with Apache.<br />
<br />
Michaela: Thinking.<br />
<br />
Keagan: Mom is going with UB.<br />
<br />
(and more back and forth)<br />
<br />
So, it looks as if the Tolman Family 2016 Best Foal Competition is under way. Interestingly enough, we all picked a different mare we think can produce the best baby. I think our decisions on mares are set, though Carol, while doing chores on Sunday night muttered something under her breath about switching to Nora, but not sure if she wants to take the risk since Nora is a maiden mare. <br />
<br />
Those of you who agonize over your breeding picks the way I do can imagine the mixed emotions coursing through me over this competition: I have to give up making the pick on three of my mares, but the people I love the most are completely engaged in making breeding picks this year--I could lose and have to live with that reality for a LONG time, yet, again, what's more fun than talking breeding picks with people you love? <br />
<br />
As the competition winds up, here's where we currently stand:<br />
<br />
Keagan: Orchis to Apache<br />
<br />
Carol: BoWendy to UB-40, or maybe take a chance on Honorites SSF<br />
<br />
Michaela: Gazania x undecided. We had a made a decision to keep her crosses pretty much Jazz free so we can use her offspring in our program, but this is a competition, so Michaela is considering all options.<br />
<br />
Scot: Eliscia SSF to Charmeur or Jazz himself.<br />
<br />
Anyone want to make a wager who wins this competition? I'd love to have some comments on this thread about your predictions!<br />
<br />
Update:<br />
<br />
And we an adjustment to the initial line up! Carol announced this morning she's going with Honorites SSF (Totilas x Jazz) as her mare for the competition. I don't think she's definitely settled on her stallion pick, but it's looking like UB-40. (I know, Meghan; you're heart just skipped a few beats!)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618524039897175373.post-28168746258889268322015-03-11T03:04:00.001-07:002015-03-11T05:30:04.040-07:00Interesting Mare Available: Elite w/Sport Predicate and Confirmed 3rd LevelOne of my contacts in Holland is focusing on other aspects of her horse business and, therefore, disbanding her breeding program. She contacted me to help find the right home for this mare. The mare is priced really reasonably, has an extremely desirable, contemporary pedigree, already Elite and has her sport predicate at 3rd level. The biggest concern is that this mare is in the right home. She's a super sweet mare with an exceptional character. Plus, you could breed her to any European stallion before importing!<br />
<br />
Let me know if you're seriously interested, and I'll give you more information.shootingstarfarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00539720130398619995noreply@blogger.com1