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.
Drum roll, please....
Let's go oldest to youngest
LaVita keur preferent (Elcaro x Belisar)
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.
Nemels elite (Samber x Lector)
We're going to start with Chagall 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.
Orchis keur preferent and 2 points from prestatie (Jazz x Roemer)
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.
Werites SSF sport/dressage (Freestyle x Orchis)
I think we have access to one dose of Netto. 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.
ZaVita SSF ster (Contango x LaVita)
If this mare can produce the top dressage foal in North America by crossing her with Governor, I don't see any reason to mess with success.
*filly option is taken on this breeding
BoWendy (Sir Sinclair x Jazz)
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.
Carpe Diem SSF keur-eligible (Farrington x Pass the Glass xx)
This big, perfect conformation mare is going to Governor this year. Her Connaisseur foal due in June is already spoken for.
D'Orites SSF keur (Donatelli x Orchis)
Dior is going to Franklin 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.
Eliscia SSF keur-eligible (UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx)
I continue to be really excited about what Lily can produce for us. I think this year's Governor foal is going to be awesome, so the plan is to repeat the cross.
Galearites SSF keur (Totilas x Orchis)
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.
*first option on a colt is already taken by a stallion station in Holland--fillies will not be for sale.
Gazania keur and NMK top six (Bon Bravour x Santano)
Michaela has called dibs on this breeding to produce a filly for herself, which I'm delighted about. Keep your fingers crossed for a Dream Boy filly in 2017
Hyacintia keur and NMK top five (Charmeur x Santano)
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 Indian Rock to have a foal from his first crop.
That's a lot of foals...a lot of EXCITING foals!
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Monday, February 8, 2016
2016 KWPN Stallion Show: Last updated 3/6/16
As 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.
Overall, it was a fantastic year for dressage horses. The horses described below are selected to go to testing.
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.
Apache x Houston x Purioso
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.
Apache x Rousseau x Farrington
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.
Apache x Ferro x Calypso
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.
Apache x Flemmingh x Sultan
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.
Apache x Vivaldi x Cabochon
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.
Blue Hors Zack x Fidertanz x Rubin-Royal
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.
Bon Bravour x Jazz x Variant
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.
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.
Bordeaux x Jazz x Ferro
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.
Bordeaux x Sandro Hit x Rubinstein I
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.
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.
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.
The committee only took two of the Charmeurs:
Charmeur x Balzflug x Cadmus xx
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.
Charmeur x Gribaldi x Clavecimbel
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.
Chippendale x Jazz x Vincent
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.
Connaisseur x TCN Partout x Rosenkavalier
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.
Cover Story x Jazz x Casanova
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.
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.
Cupido x Special D x Wellington
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.
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.
Dark Pleasure x Blue Hors Zack x Flemmingh
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.
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.
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.
Davino VOD x Vivaldi x Houston x Donnerhall
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.
Davino VOD x Wynton x 00 Seven
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.
Davino VOD x Jazz x Darwin
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.
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.
Desperado x De Niro x Warkant
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.
Don Schufro x Ferro x Florestan I
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.
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!
Dreamboy x Jazz x Goodtimes
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.
Dreamboy x Negro x Monaco
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.
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.*****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:
Everdale x Johnson x Variant
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.
Everdale x Don Romantic x Furst Heinrich
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.
Eye Catcher x Lorentin I x Cor de la Bryere
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.
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.
Furst Wilhelm x Don Frederico x Wolkenstein II
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.
Furstenball x Lord Sinclair x Montmarte
Another outcross for us. Good canter, nice front, could be a little more rectangular. Not a stand out in any way.
Furstenball x Sandro Hit x Silvano N
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.
Hofrat x Zhivago x Ferro
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.
Hofrat x Del Piero x Madison
OK. Not special. Would not have accepted him.
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.
Johnson x Farrington x Flemmingh
Johnson type. Good mover. I think this is a horse that's going to look better under saddle.
Johnson x Tuschinski x Scandic
Good mover. A little stiff laterally. Really free in the front, especially interesting in that his shoulder is fairly straight.
Johnson x Kennedy x Farrington
This was my favorite Johnson. Best mover of his sons and best type. Beautiful horse.
The KWPN continues to look for Negro blood.
Negro x Jazz x Ulft
I missed this horse. Someone came over to the table and needed to talk to me.
Negro x Lord Leatherdale x El Corona
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.
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.
Sir Donnerhall x Krack C x Rohdiamant
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.
United x Welt Hit II x Ulft
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.
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.
Voice x Florencio x Rubinstein I
He looks a lot like Voice. Could use a little more power from behind, but beautiful front. It's a good German mareline.
Winningmood x Oscar x Adonius (Apollonios xx x Maykel--NRPS stallion) x Cabochon
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.
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.
****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.
Overall, it was a fantastic year for dressage horses. The horses described below are selected to go to testing.
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.
Apache x Houston x Purioso
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.
Apache x Rousseau x Farrington
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.
Apache x Ferro x Calypso
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.
Apache x Flemmingh x Sultan
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.
Apache x Vivaldi x Cabochon
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.
Blue Hors Zack x Fidertanz x Rubin-Royal
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.
Bon Bravour x Jazz x Variant
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.
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.
Bordeaux x Jazz x Ferro
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.
Bordeaux x Sandro Hit x Rubinstein I
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.
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.
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.
The committee only took two of the Charmeurs:
Charmeur x Balzflug x Cadmus xx
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.
Charmeur x Gribaldi x Clavecimbel
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.
Chippendale x Jazz x Vincent
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.
Connaisseur x TCN Partout x Rosenkavalier
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.
Cover Story x Jazz x Casanova
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.
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.
Cupido x Special D x Wellington
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.
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.
Dark Pleasure x Blue Hors Zack x Flemmingh
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.
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.
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.
Davino VOD x Vivaldi x Houston x Donnerhall
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.
Davino VOD x Wynton x 00 Seven
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.
Davino VOD x Jazz x Darwin
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.
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.
Desperado x De Niro x Warkant
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.
Don Schufro x Ferro x Florestan I
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.
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!
Dreamboy x Jazz x Goodtimes
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.
Dreamboy x Negro x Monaco
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.
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.*****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:
Everdale x Johnson x Variant
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.
Everdale x Don Romantic x Furst Heinrich
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.
Eye Catcher x Lorentin I x Cor de la Bryere
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.
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.
Furst Wilhelm x Don Frederico x Wolkenstein II
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.
Furstenball x Lord Sinclair x Montmarte
Another outcross for us. Good canter, nice front, could be a little more rectangular. Not a stand out in any way.
Furstenball x Sandro Hit x Silvano N
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.
Hofrat x Zhivago x Ferro
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.
Hofrat x Del Piero x Madison
OK. Not special. Would not have accepted him.
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.
Johnson x Farrington x Flemmingh
Johnson type. Good mover. I think this is a horse that's going to look better under saddle.
Johnson x Tuschinski x Scandic
Good mover. A little stiff laterally. Really free in the front, especially interesting in that his shoulder is fairly straight.
Johnson x Kennedy x Farrington
This was my favorite Johnson. Best mover of his sons and best type. Beautiful horse.
The KWPN continues to look for Negro blood.
Negro x Jazz x Ulft
I missed this horse. Someone came over to the table and needed to talk to me.
Negro x Lord Leatherdale x El Corona
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.
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.
Sir Donnerhall x Krack C x Rohdiamant
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.
United x Welt Hit II x Ulft
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.
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.
Voice x Florencio x Rubinstein I
He looks a lot like Voice. Could use a little more power from behind, but beautiful front. It's a good German mareline.
Winningmood x Oscar x Adonius (Apollonios xx x Maykel--NRPS stallion) x Cabochon
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.
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.
****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.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Balance
I 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.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
2016 Foals for Sale: Updated 3/18/16
A Place Where Dreams Come True
Keno SSF
(Governor x ZaVita SSF x Contango)
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.
Other than the two we're keeping, all of our 2015 foals are sold.
2016 Breedings
Shooting Star Farm is a dream come true for my family and me, and we strive to be "a place where dreams come true" 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.
Mares in order of age: (for detailed information about our mares, please see the Mares' Page)
LaVita keur preferent (Elcaro x Belisar) In foal to Florianus II (Florestan I x Damenstolz)
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.
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.
Mistral ster (Vincent x El Corona) Hopefully, in foal to Governor (Totilas x Jazz)
We lost Mistral this winter. She had lost her pregnancy to Governor prior, but still a sad situation.
Nemels elite (Samber x Rechter) In foal to Governor (Totilas x Jazz)
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.
Orchis keur preferent and almost prestatie!!! (Jazz x Roemer) In foal to an experimental stallion.
This foal is not for sale...unless our stallion-prospect-out-of-Orchis luck holds and we get another cryptorchid!
Werites SSF sport (Freestyle x Orchis x Jazz) In foal to Sir Sinclair (Lord Sinclair x Flemmingh)
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.
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.
BoWendy (Sir Sinclair x Jazz x Ulft) In foal to UB-40
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.
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.
Carpe Diem SSF keur eligible (Farrington x LaLiscia xx x Pass the Glass xx)
In foal to Connaisseur (Con Amore x Donnerhall)
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!
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.
This foal is already spoken for.
This foal is already spoken for.
D'Orites SSF keur (Donatelli x Orchis x Jazz) In foal to Sir Sinclair (Lord Sinclair x Flemmingh)
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.
Eliscia SSF keur eligible (UB-40 x LaLiscia xx x Pass the Glass xx)
In foal to Governor (Totilas x Jazz)
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.
First option taken on this foal.
First option taken on this foal.
Gazania keur (Bon Bravour x Santano) In foal to Florianus II (Florestan I x Damenstolz)
Gazania lost her pregnancy to Florianus...
Honorites SSF ster (Totilas x Orchis x Jazz) In foal to Florianus II (Florestan I x Damenstolz)
If you've been reading our blog, you know how devastated we are at the loss of Nora. She can't be replaced.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Crazy Summer Recap!
I don't even know where to start...
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!
Breeding Update, oldest to youngest:
LaVita (Elcaro x Belisar) is in foal to Florianus II. She will be 23 when she foals. Amazing.
Mistral (Vincent x El Corona) has had two cycles to UB-40 with no luck yet. Will breed her this weekend with our experiment stallion.
Nemels (Samber x Lector) is back in foal to Governor.
Orchis (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.
Werites SSF (Freestyle x Jazz) is in foal to Sir Sinclair.
ZaVita SSF (Contango x Elcaro) is not in foal. Tried once with Apache, but no pregnancy. She hasn't been cycling well.
BoWendy (Sir Sinclair x Jazz) is back in foal to UB-40 for the fifth time. This one better be a filly!
Carpe Diem SSF (Farrington x Pass the Glass xx) is in foal to Connaisseur.
D'Orites SSF (Donatelli x Jazz) is in foal to Sir Sinclair, after a couple of failed attempts to Fairytale.
Eliscia SSF (UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx) is in foal to Governor.
Felicites SSF (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.
Gazania (Bon Bravour x Santano) didn't take with two perfect breedings to Bordeaux, so she's in foal to Florianus II.
Honorites SSF (Totilas x Jazz) is in foal to Florianus II. This foal already has a first option reserved.
Hyacintia (Charmeur x Santano) is in foal to Chagall D and R.
We should have a busy foaling season in 2016! Anyone want to sign up for foal watch now? Happy to have you.
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?
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.
KWPN National Championships in Ermelo:
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.
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.
Open House and Keuring:
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.
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!
Breeding Update, oldest to youngest:
LaVita (Elcaro x Belisar) is in foal to Florianus II. She will be 23 when she foals. Amazing.
Mistral (Vincent x El Corona) has had two cycles to UB-40 with no luck yet. Will breed her this weekend with our experiment stallion.
Nemels (Samber x Lector) is back in foal to Governor.
Orchis (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.
Werites SSF (Freestyle x Jazz) is in foal to Sir Sinclair.
ZaVita SSF (Contango x Elcaro) is not in foal. Tried once with Apache, but no pregnancy. She hasn't been cycling well.
BoWendy (Sir Sinclair x Jazz) is back in foal to UB-40 for the fifth time. This one better be a filly!
Carpe Diem SSF (Farrington x Pass the Glass xx) is in foal to Connaisseur.
D'Orites SSF (Donatelli x Jazz) is in foal to Sir Sinclair, after a couple of failed attempts to Fairytale.
Eliscia SSF (UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx) is in foal to Governor.
Felicites SSF (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.
Gazania (Bon Bravour x Santano) didn't take with two perfect breedings to Bordeaux, so she's in foal to Florianus II.
Honorites SSF (Totilas x Jazz) is in foal to Florianus II. This foal already has a first option reserved.
Hyacintia (Charmeur x Santano) is in foal to Chagall D and R.
We should have a busy foaling season in 2016! Anyone want to sign up for foal watch now? Happy to have you.
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?
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.
KWPN National Championships in Ermelo:
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.
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.
Open House and Keuring:
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.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Foaling 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.
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.
This year's foals:
Knockout SSF (Eye Catcher x Gazania x Bon Bravour)
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.
Kiarites SSF (Fairytale x D'Orites SSF x Donatelli)
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.
Kanadian SSF (UB-40 x BoWendy x Sir Sinclair)
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.
Karmites SSF (UB-40 x Werites SSF x Freestyle)
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.
Keno SSF (Governor x ZaVita SSF x Contango)
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.
Kalliope SSF (Heir to the Throne x Sweetwaters Little Sea Me x NFC Egyptian Kings Impulse)
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.
Kublai Khan SSF (UB-40 x Mistral x Vincent)
Once again, UB-40 blows us away. When this colt was about a week old, Carol turned to me and said,
"This is your stallion. We're not selling him."
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.
Katmandu SSF (Governor x Nemels x Samber)
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.
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:
Eliscia SSF (UB-40 x Pass the Glass) in foal to Governor for Scot's competition entry
Honorites SSF (Totilas x Jazz) in foal to Florianus II for Carol's competition entry
Hyacintia (Charmeur x Santano) in foal to Chagall D and R
Felicites SSF (Rousseau x Jazz) bred to Florianus II, not in foal, not back in heat
Gazania (Bon Bravour x Santano) bred to Florianus II, not checked yet, for Michaela's competiton entry
LaVita (Elcaro x Belisar) bred to Florianus II, not checked yet
D'Orites SSF (Donatelli x Jazz) rebred to Fairytale, not checked yet
BoWendy (Sir Sinclair x Jazz) bred to Fairytale, not checked yet
Orchis (Jazz x Roemer) experimental breeding, not checked yet
ZaVita SSF (Contango x Elcaro) will be bred to Apache for Keagan's competition entry
Carpe Diem SSF (Farrington x Pass the Glass xx) will be bred to Connaisseur
Mistral (Vincent x El Corona) will be bred back to UB-40
Nemels (Samber x Lector) will be bred back to Governor
Summary: three pregnant, five to check, one uncertain, and four still to start breeding.
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.
This year's foals:
Knockout SSF (Eye Catcher x Gazania x Bon Bravour)
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.
Kiarites SSF (Fairytale x D'Orites SSF x Donatelli)
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.
Kanadian SSF (UB-40 x BoWendy x Sir Sinclair)
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.
Karmites SSF (UB-40 x Werites SSF x Freestyle)
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.
Keno SSF (Governor x ZaVita SSF x Contango)
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.
Kalliope SSF (Heir to the Throne x Sweetwaters Little Sea Me x NFC Egyptian Kings Impulse)
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.
Kublai Khan SSF (UB-40 x Mistral x Vincent)
Once again, UB-40 blows us away. When this colt was about a week old, Carol turned to me and said,
"This is your stallion. We're not selling him."
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.
Katmandu SSF (Governor x Nemels x Samber)
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.
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:
Eliscia SSF (UB-40 x Pass the Glass) in foal to Governor for Scot's competition entry
Honorites SSF (Totilas x Jazz) in foal to Florianus II for Carol's competition entry
Hyacintia (Charmeur x Santano) in foal to Chagall D and R
Felicites SSF (Rousseau x Jazz) bred to Florianus II, not in foal, not back in heat
Gazania (Bon Bravour x Santano) bred to Florianus II, not checked yet, for Michaela's competiton entry
LaVita (Elcaro x Belisar) bred to Florianus II, not checked yet
D'Orites SSF (Donatelli x Jazz) rebred to Fairytale, not checked yet
BoWendy (Sir Sinclair x Jazz) bred to Fairytale, not checked yet
Orchis (Jazz x Roemer) experimental breeding, not checked yet
ZaVita SSF (Contango x Elcaro) will be bred to Apache for Keagan's competition entry
Carpe Diem SSF (Farrington x Pass the Glass xx) will be bred to Connaisseur
Mistral (Vincent x El Corona) will be bred back to UB-40
Nemels (Samber x Lector) will be bred back to Governor
Summary: three pregnant, five to check, one uncertain, and four still to start breeding.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Breeding and Foaling Updates
We now have four foals on the ground and the fifth is imminent!
Knockout SSF (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.
Kiarites SSF (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.
Kanadian SSF (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.
Karmites (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.
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!
On the breeding front, we have two pregnancies to report and some more breedings. In foal for 2016:
Eliscia SSF to Governor
Honorites SSF to Florianus II
Bred in the last few days:
Felicites SSF to Florianus II
Hyacintia to Chagall D and R
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.
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.
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