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Equitana Nov 08

My first ever time away from home what a thrill, I had to face my fear of flying but I survived YAY!
the experience was very enjoyable, spend far to much money but hey you only live once, the displays, entertainment and education were overwhelming and there were plenty of laughs to be had. I am saving for the next one in 2010 I can't wait!

Foal Report 08

There has been a number of foals born to far, but the latest's ones are:

Jenny Pike had a colt foal out of Amber by La Croix Called Andante;

Sarah Bartram had a colt foal out of Molly by La Croix Called Killmurry Killinascully (they are for sale)

Tina Wraight had a colt out of Sharna by La Croix no name and no photos as yet.

Linda Brown had a stunning filly out of Patarangi Road (Kave) by La Croix no name as yet.

As reported by Nyrene Mills

Dosti (Feuertanzer) is now over a year old & she had her first inhand show

on Sunday.  She won her age group class, & got reserve champion.  She

was picked in the top 6 out of 20 horses including 3 and 4yr olds for

best movement but didn't get a ribbon, the judge said she is going to

have great movement but didn't show it off as well as the older horses

South Island Warmblood Show

It took some arranging but we managed to get the two boys to a show at the same time, thanks to Feed on Tram for the use of their float, and Phil and Marie Price for the loan of their Jeep, without any of this we would not have been able to go! We set off nice and early David had to go to Emil's place to pick up Emil and La Croix, I had set off a little earlier but at 8:30 they still had not shown up at McLeans Island, but sure enough they eventually showed up we had OODLES of time to get organised, neither of the boys were overly excited about being out and about, La Croix happily stood to munch on his hay and watched the world go by, we tacked them off and wandered about the grounds, both were very well behaved and we even took a family photo, then on with the show classes, I was very pleased with Emil and La Croix for their effort on the day, Reserve Champion Led Stallion and a 4th in his first EVER ridden show class, in mixed company no less, he lined up beautifully, and gave a very nice workout!
Luxurious was not so settled in the ring this time (even tho he ran out beautifully out side the ring lol) never mind its all good experience, he went home with a second place ribbon and 4th in turn out. All in all a very long day and thankfully no more shows until Jan YAY!

La Croix was awarded the Highest placed Trakehner award at the Warmblood Show, which was a very pleasing result as well, a lovely ribbon to add to his growing collection.

Christchurch Show 08

Well what can I say, what a horrible day it started off bad and just did not get better, we had everything organised and ready to go, we set off at 7am as the show started at 8 and we were the 8th class so had a little bit of time up our sleeves, normally tho its NOT THAT BUSY on the road, but when we hit Yaldhurst Road it was bumper to bumper until we got to the show grounds, there is nothing more frustrating than seeing the light GREEN up ahead and no one is moving, especially when the time is ticking by, stressed and frustrated we arrived at 8:45 having to rush around getting back numbers unloading the horse and getting organised to get in to the ring, which was only 3 classes away by the time we got there, we only just managed to get organised in time, once we arrived at the class I noticed that Luxurious had managed to get his tongue over the bit so was making odd faces (this obviously does not help at a show) but this aside we managed to trot out nicely along side me without playing about and he looked lovely (so I was informed) so progress was made there, we were still awarded 3rd place which I was stoked with as he had done all I had asked of him even with being uncomfortable in his mouth.

	$Luxurious\$

Cushla and Bonny's Gift Update

Attached are a few photos I took today at the Ellesmere Pony Club Show over in Leeston. It's the first show we have done, since Tinwald. Cushla entered in the Pony Club Hack section & won 8 ribbons!! Bonny was such a good girl & the ring steward commented on what a lovely horse Bonny is, & the judge said Bonny was very laid back!! 1st-Novice Pony Club Hack 2nd- Rider 15 years & over -Shepherd's Hack - Unity 3rd-Journey Hack- Hack most suitable for dressage (judged on impulsion, suppleness,manners & obedience) 5th-Best trotting hack-Best mannered hack.

Emil and La Croix' First Lesson

I was invited to come and watch Emil and La Croix have a lesson with Helen Egan, I was pleasantly surprised on how well they got the job done, Helen was most encouraging and was very impressed with his "great" trot and canter and is confident that this combination will go out and do well, obviously he is still green but will be able to perform the party tricks with ease!
In case anyone is wondering how tall that rider is brace your self Emil is a whopping 6'6"!

Amalibelle (La Croix Yearling) update send in by her owner Jenny Pike
(top show hunter judge)

I thought I would send you some photos to update on how the girl is progressing , So here she is at the Ashburton A & P show. Second in the yearling class but the judge said she was second because she couldn't see her trot towards her (had the most pathetic bit of ring amongst the showjumps) and showjumpers walking the course while I'm trying to do her workout. The fourth in the paced and mannered ahead of all the two and three year olds . Judge literally whispered in my ear " get it educated so it can show the trot - the most beautiful walk she has seen". So considering it was her first time out I was thrilled - hadn't expected to have her leave the yard. Square halts "what are they?" Collected canter on a 20cm stride - Stunning!!!! Amazing temperament - totally unphased by the loud speakers, noise, big horses all around her. Spent half the day standing by ingate watching the showjumpers and behaving like an old kids pony (asleep). I Am going to see if I can find a round ring to have a go at freejumping her for some photos. Went to walk her over a jump pole the other day for the first time but she just sat on her hocks without hesitation and jumped a metre into the air in perfect form. Nearly had heart failure I was so excited!!! Definitely bred to jump. Jenny also is looking forward to her next foal due this week by La Croix (same dam as this lovely filly), it certainly will be intresting to compare the two

Arabian All Breeds In hand Show & Luxurious' first Champion Ribbon!

i am so pleased I had a brain wave to use one of my stables as a indoor wash bay what a difference it makes on a day like today when it is a howling wind and raining, nothing worse for the horse of me to have to get ready in the rain, so Luxurious is washed and ready to go for tomorrow, I will report on how we went when I return.

We have just come home from a full on morning, things were moving very fast and running on time so we were all done and dusted in a flash, I was suprised to win the turn out class as I had not realy put to much efford in but my outfit is apparently very nice. On to the stallion class and we won that, called back in for champion judging and we were selected to win that beautifull ribbon as well, very pleased, loads of fantastic comments were spoken about Luxurious, such as stunning head, fantastic conformation and excellent paces, and not just from the judge! of course it would have been easier to show those paces properly had he not been keen to play as can be seen in the picture below pulling the whip out of my hands to play with it.

Stallion Parade 2008

The weather was so foul on Saturday that I ended up washing La Croix in the stable which was quite confusing to him as he normally does not get wet inside lol, he was a gem, stood quietly while he was being washed and preened and I must say he did look good today during the parade.
We had to be there at 9:30 and have the horses boxed, so we set off quite early and had plenty of time to get it sorted, as we were in the new box area it was a learning curve on where to put things up, less space etc but we managed and I was quite pleased with the layout in the end, we had lots of enquiries and chatted to many nice mare owners and stallion owners alike (the stallion parade is rather social) we had fridge magnets, flyers, caps and T-shirt to give away and they were very well received by those who came and chatted. We were last to parade and La Croix was very well mannered and wowed the public , as soon as he had returned to the box we were inundated with people wanting to get closer to the "beautiful stallion" all the while La Croix lapped up the attention and adoration.
The parade finished up around 3pm and we were one of the last displays to pack up and go home. If you missed going to the parade feel free to make a time to come and view the boys at home we welcome visitors!

Rangiora Show 08,

Rangiora Show is always the first show of the season for us, this year was made a little bit more fun thanks to Tina Wraight from Oamaru way, she is expecting a foal by La Croix this season and thought it would be great to come and see him at the stallion parade this year, (unfortunately our Tina got the days wrong and was just in time to see the Rangiora show).

She arrived in time on Friday to lend a hand with washing and plaiting and helping me as my back is giving me grief and this makes washing sox etc rather difficult thankfully Tina was more than happy to lend a hand, to boot she cooked a lovely Salmon meal (we felt rather spoiled here).

We set of on sat morning to the show (thankfully the rain held off) we were there in plenty of time, Everyone had their job, and we ready and waiting, Luxurious was rather excited being the first show of the season but was very patient waiting along the side line, however running out proved to much fun, he was keen to play during the work out, all in all the judge could see his quality and awarded him two firsts, a very pleasing result for the day. We packed up and headed home, where Tina again helped out with a photos shoot of Luxurious (new photos on his web page).

We then collected La Croix from Emil's and headed towards Toni Hannah's arena for a second outing for the combination, he was a little excited (there was a mare in season next to the arena)
but he soon settled down once he realised he was there to do a job, and showed some nice work. It had been a long day and I would like to thank Tina, for her help, David for putting up with horsey chicks, Emil for riding even tho he had "Man Flu"and to Toni for letting us use her arena.

La Croix Progress Report:

Emil and my self had planned to take La Croix out to a few different venues before we get him going at shows etc, it was decided that we should take the plunge yesterday, and so we loaded him on without any issues and set off down the road, we unloaded him, let him look around and tacked him up, it was very windy and the arena we had gone to has quite a spooky arena so hey if he could work in there surly there would be no issues anywhere else!
Emil got on and started warming him up, it is still in the early training stages but WOW what a difference a few weeks have made, he is so much more forward and soft and the two really get along, it is very obvious that they have bonded (Emil affectionately refers to La Croix as daddy's boy) I can't wait for the proper show/dressage season to start, I'm sure that both boys will do them selves proud.
Thanks Emil and Selina for taking such good care of my boy.

I am hoping to take some better photos next time, this time I was to excited to get the camera to work properly so most turned out fuzzy..

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Finally the float is sign written

The float was skillfully stripped and recovered from the frame up in 2007, when I was thankfully assisted by my Uncle Jan, and his daughter Lotte, both from Holland when they were here on their holiday, I had said way back then that I needed to get it sign written now that I had a nice blank canvas, so after all these months the big day was Yesterday and I must say I am extremely pleased by the outcome, and I am sure every one can easily find us now at shows.

The sign writing was done courtesy of Phil Price Signs in Christchurch, who did a wonderful job, Thanks Phil and Marie for your sponsorship!

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New Rider for La Croix,

I feel my self very fortunate to have found someone kind and talented to ride La Croix the man for the job is Emil Murphy. He and La Croix seem to have clicked straight of, and I look forward to watching this combination grow together.

I asked Emil to write a little about him self;

Emil was brought up around farm animals back in Sweden, with Dad being a feed researcher and a horse rider. Emil began riding regularly when he was 9 years old, with his early riding schooling, following the principles of the Swedish Cavalry training. Since age 16, he has been training and competing horses for their owners, mainly in eventing and show jumping. For the last 8 years he has primarily been riding young, inexperienced horses, and as such this has limited my competing to 1.10m. He firmly believes in the need for proper basic schooling for all horses regardless of discipline. He is so far really enjoying working with La Croix as he is a talented and willing horse and I'm looking forward to a rewarding competitive career together.

So watch this space for updates on how they are progressing.

Water Water and even more Water!

We were warned that there was bad weather on the way, but I was not expecting as much rain
as we got over night, we awoke at 5:30 to running water around the house, on further inspection we noticed that the driveway had flooded as well as all he paddocks, I had a look in the stables and found water in there as well, so called work and told them I would be saving my valuables from the water. I had to quickly move Laharrah from his watery paddock where he was up to his knees in water, I dragged him inside (he seemed very pleased about this) and put him in the stable, followed by rescuing La Croix, I had no choice but to park him in the next stable right along Laharrah but I was very pleased that they behaved like the gentleman I know them to be, not a peep squeal or any raging stallion behavior in sight. I also moved the two weanlings into one box to try and keep them all from harm, the others were spread along a few other properties and have no stables but they are all fine and coping (at least they have dry land to stand on) it is now 2:30pm and we have just heard that we are expecting even more rain over night, I am definitely not looking forward to this at all.

Amselruf; (WP La Croix Grand Dam)

I was recently send a email by Rikke Stautz from Denmark, who owns the grandam of
WP La Croix, who wrote Its so nice to see that her special expression is still found in your lovely stallion, so without further adue here is a picture of "Grandma" as you can see they are very much alike, thanks to Rikke for sending photos and allowing me to put them on the site.

Amselruf

Bonny's Gift

I am so pleased to hear that Bonny's Gift who is ridden by her new owner Cushla are both doing so wel together, they have been out and about and attending show hunter clinics and have also completed their first dressage test scoring a whopping 76% well done guys keep up the good work and do keep me posted on your progress!

Bonny

Thomas Oldridge

I had been awaiting the return of Thomas who was going to take La Croix eventing, sadly Thomas had to undergo a second operation which thankfully went very well, however after the operation he was advised to cut back on the riding as his leg would never be quite the same, so sadly I am now again without a event rider, so if you know anyone who is capable to take on this role please contact me

Branding and Weaning

7th of June was an eventful day and as it turned out we experienced 4 seasons in one day finishing with 4 inches of snow here on the farm, I had organized the Vet to arrive early in the morning (at 8am we had a Norwest blowing) but things went down hill pretty quickly by 5pm we decided to abort the mission as the vet was unable to come due to the snow and bad weather, I had the mares locked in yards and they soon turned to a bog, with all the snow and rain it just turned to custard pretty quickly, we finally managed to get the foals branded on Sunday morning and then we weaned the foals and took the mares down the road,a good distance away from the foals who were now in the stable listening to the radio and contemplating life as it was now going to be.
The foals have been away from their dams for 5 days and seem to be adjusting very well, I spend a little time each night playing with foals using the clicker and getting them to pay attention to me and this seems to be working very well.

Sandy the Founder Mare

Sandy is a 23 year old TB mare whom I was lucky to accuire last season unfortunately she has been batteling Founder since the drought and I have tried everything in my power to help her get wel enough to breed this comming season, she has had bloods, special feeds, blocker, old macboots you name it I have tried it to no avail, till I read in the NZ Organic Equine magazine about a supplier called Animal Health, who have a Homeopathic remedy for sale, I called them and spoke to Heather who was very kind and thought that what they had on offer would be suitable for my mare, I carefully asked for the price and decided that hey it was not bad for a near years supply so went ahead (after all I had nothing to loose but money and everything to gain the old girls health) the package arrived the very next day, and I looked surprised, a luchbox with small bottles with little pills, add one tablet of bottle 1 and one tablet of bottle 2 put it in the small bottle supplied and feed iit to the mare with a eyedropper three times a day, (you could add it to the water trough but i wanted to make sure she was getting it) the whole process takes less than a minute and within four days I could see the change in her she was walking better, and seemed happier within her self, by day 5 you cut out the second tablet from bottle 2 and go it alone, currently we are at day 10 and she is walking like a brand new one, this is where we give her a liver potion for a day and then resume the first tablet once a week for maintenance if I had know it was this easy I would have bought it straight off, I can not recomment this product highly enough.

Luxurious Progress

After a few months of we decided to bring Luxurious (AKA Taffy) back into the yards to get him backed, the first few days was lunging with a saddle on again, followed by jumping up and down next to him and leaning over him, he was not fazed at all his mind was more on chewing the lungeline and yawning rather than get worked up about what was happening ( I was very pleased with that type of behaviour) so after a few days we got in the saddle again with no fuss, and moved a few steps and then got off, not once did he looked like he wanted to do anything spectacular, then today we went through the process again and once Katherina was in the saddle we walked on, he had his ears forward, and was very relaxed head low and long and just cruised around the arena, tomorrow we will try the steering and then slowly progress to trotting, first things first learning to relax (don't think this is going to be to difficult) and go long and low, before we start to trot, to say I am stoked would be an understatement, this little chap has just impressed me so much with is temperament and laid back attitude. (thanks to Katherina Holhbaum for her assistance)

Nadine Fransiour Classical Dressage Clinic

WOW what an experience and what an eye opener, Laharrah and I had booked in for two days, the first day we were worked very hard, but what satisfaction, we video'd the lessons and by the second lesson you could definately see improvement in the way of going, we worked on cadence and getting much more relaxed (both Lahrrah and my self) a week on I still feel that we are riding in a much more productive way and we are actually enjoying each others company more (who knew that was possible) I will be keeping up regular lessons with Nadines Prodogee Sabina Holle, who has recently moved to the South Island, we have had a lesson from Sabine over the weekend and she has broken things down for me in even smaller steps to ensure both Laharrah and I get it. I certainly enjoy the new system of riding and I will endevour to get it right (it won't happen over night but it might happen)

Canterbury Dressage 6 April 2008

The very long awaited dressage debut since Hypnosis had to happen sooner or later, I had registered Laharrah for dressage and decided that I may as well have a go, to be fair this day was going to be more about ME getting on and riding him at an event rather than doing well, if I had made it on him and managed to ride around the event then I would have been super pleased as it was, I even rode the two tests I had entered us in, I realised the night before that we had been practicing the wrong test so had to re learn the first then and then on the day the first test was a complete disaster not helped by having a absolute blank moment of where the heck do i go.... followed by Laharrah getting very worried about the Gray horse in the next arena all in all we completed it and I knew that we had turned it into a mess, I was ok with that proud as punch that I had managed to get on and ride.
Off we went to go and learn the next test in less than 30 min and I was so stressed I just could not get it in my mind, so a very kind lady named Donna offered to help me out and call the test for me (thanks Donna)
Well we did ride the second test, no gray horse in sight so no drama there however I did find it quite difficult to listen to Donna and ride at the same time, all in all this test was MUCH better and the scores reflected this. I had a fabulous day all things considered and would like to thank the Canterbury Dressage Group for their friendly reception and helpful people for those of us who are quite new to the whole scene. I look forward to the next installment on May 4th.

Dressage

Oxford Show

What a morning we have had, I am over the moon with Laharrah and his performance today, we set out this morning on a cold and miserable looking day and headed of towards Oxford A&P Show, we arrived in plenty of time and went to get back numbers and catalogues while Laharrah remained in the Float, came back and we took him of the float to get him measured for the day, he was measured at 163cm so a smidgen over 16 hands, we put him back in the float and went so see how the program was running it seemed a little slow so we waited till class 154 to go and get him as it was we still had to wait by the sideline for some time, we soon got chatting to a few interesting people who were asking about Laharrah commenting on his handsome good looks and very quiet disposition and where did I get his bridle from. We entered the class and were the only stallion there which is such a shame, the Judge was very pleased with him and also commented on his quiet nature, and superb shoulder and how well he moved, so we left with our red ribbon, we had to wait for the champion ship judging and took the Champion title as well, on to the next class the Supreme and I was blown away when Laharrah took the Supreme Champion Title, it made braving the cold horrible day well worth while, on to the dressage tomorrow morning..keep your fingers crossed for us!

The day the English came over,

Friday the 28th of March was a special day for me, I was prevlidged enough to meet and greet the Breeder of 4 approved Trakehner stallions among them Fleetwater Opposition, I had received a call from a English lady by the name of Louise King who had looked up the NZ Trakehner Website and found my details, she called to see if I would be intrested to meet a Trakehner Breeder from the UK and to show her my Trakehners here, I said I would be delighted to meet a fellow Trakehner Enthusiast and so we confirmed a day and time,
I was trying to clean La Croix for her arrival (very dusty) as she drove up the driveway she imediataly picked the black horse in the front paddock to be La Croix and a definate Trakehner as he is very typey for the breed, she was impressed with his gentle disposition and mentioned he was not to disimilar to Fleetwater Opposition in type and stature (what a buzz) and she said she really liked him. we soon chatted freely about her breeding achievements of which there are quite a few, Loise has been part of the Classification Panel for the UK for many years and religiously goes to Neumunster every year to view the inspections, I could hardly wait to show her my two Feuertanzer colts and ask her for her expert opinion, she had a good long look at Luxurious, she really liked Luxurious, and said that if he was hers she would not geld him just yet, as he is very Modern in Type, has a very good foundation, good sloping shoulder and above all he moves uphill, and in her opinion shows a lot of pressence. She also looked at Ludwig, who she thinks will make a Awsome riding horse as he has an amazing shoulder, good movement and a very kind eye, she was very impressed with the stock I showed her and after a good two hours we had to say goodbye we have swapped email addresses so no doubt we will keep in touch, It was a fantastic opportunity to get a diffrent prosective on Trakehner Breeding and a second oppinion on the quality of stock I have.

Sad News, RIP Feuertanzer 08

It is with much sadness that I have to report that Feuertanzer has been put to sleep for humane reasons after he lost his battle with Colic, my thoughts go out to his current owner Cindy and his previous owner and dear friend of mine Jennifer Oetle. Feuertanzer has left many outstanding individuals and I feel privileged to own two of his sons, this special stallion has passed on way to soon.

The Lesson

Well Laharrah and I set of to silverlining equestrian (a lovely set up with a very kind lady in charge) to have our first lesson with Sally Field Dodgeson, admittedly I was quite tense which definitely showed , I received some very nice comments on Laharrah and he was a little angle while we waited, however once I got on it was a different story I guess with me being so tense he soon picked up on it and could not relax like he does for me at home, racing instead of nice calm steady work he felt very tense which completed the bad cycle we were feeding of each other and that is no great help I am pleased I had the lesson before the dressage tho gave me a little bit of a chance to get over it, I did have a great lesson, and Sally was very encouraging and patient (thanks Sally).

News Or Lack There Of...

Well I noticed it had been two months since my last update which is not really how it is supposed to be but to be fair I have been rather busy (no excuses tho!) so here I am thinking of news worthy stuff to report....

I have been spending more time in the saddle and making progress (well at least I think I am) Laharrah and I will be testing the dressage waters on April 6 for our debut in registered dressage classes, I am sure we will be fine (If I don't have a nervous breakdown before then) I am looking forward to finally getting out and about competing it has been a while!

Woodfieldpark Chantal has been sold to a very nice new mum, who has already started to back her and so far there has been no trouble she seems to take it all in her stride, I wish them both well and Anna assures me she will keep me posted on any progress they make.

I am awaiting the return of Thomas Aldridge from the HOY, who will be taking on La Croix to get him out and about over the winter period at first doing some low key eventing, this will be very exciting in deed and I am positive they will make a great team.

Rosalie Bakker from Rakaunui Farm also send a very encouraging email about her Foal by Woodfieldpark La Croix stating that everyone who sees Merryleggs comments on how STUNNING she
i is,and I have to agree I would not mind having her in my paddock my self.

My two fillies are growing very fast, Calamity Jane (Woodfieldpark Candries x Coronada Star) is the same height as the rather tall Mosaic, (Kasimir x Marcella) even tho she is a good month younger than Mosaic, Candries certainly throws height, both fillies are developing very well they seem to have coped very well through the draught but it had been very hard on the mares who are being fed a bale of hay per day each plus hard feed and are only just maintaining their condition.. I am pleased we had some rain to make the grass grow again.

Family Shot

From left to Right Foal is Mosaic (Kasimir) and her Dam Marcella, Chestnut foal Calamity Jane (Candries) and her Dam Coronada Star

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Getting the Boys Started!

With the new year on the way we decided that we should really get stuck in and finish a few jobs around the farm as well as start the two boys, Candries (well over due) and Luxurious (only lightly started to prepare him for next spring) Freddi had already spend a few weeks playing with candries, to get him to lunge and accept the whip without fuss, this has paid of very well as the two of them have now got a nice bond of trust which clearly shows, so for the last two days we have gotten Candries to the front of the property and into the area where Freddi has done some more lunging and getting on, so far all without any fuss, really showing Candries' gentle disposition even tho he is rather large he is more of a cuddle monster and likes to stop regularly for cuddles, below are some photos of his first ride around the arena, (I'm a firm believer in safety hence the rider is wearing all protective gear including body protector). Luxurious is also taking everything in his stride, happily wearing his saddle and nothing really bothers him, we will start leaning over him tomorrow and I cant see a problem with this one either, I will keep you all posted on any progress we make.

Reflecting on 2007

X-mas has been and gone, all without to much of a hitch, my family and Freddi spend a lovely day with my partners family, and then went home to serve some more mares (I guess "love" does not wait for xmas or any other public holiday). This season we have had the pleasure to meet many nice mare owners and their mares, and provide them with a exciting prospect for the future "their FOAL" I sincerely hope that they are what they have hoped for (So far no complaints from previous owners who keep coming back for more foals!) and I like to thank all my clients for their continued support.

Personally I have been very pleased with the foals that have hit the ground this year and that I have been privileged enough to be send photos off so please if you do have a foal by one of my stallions please send a photo so this nana can see her grandchild!
On a personal note I am very pleased with my own two FILLIES this year the horse gods must be shining on me, and I hope to have a few more fillies next year so that I can start to expand my gene pool a little and replace my aging mares.

The show season was very rewarding as you will have read about, we are looking forward to a few more shows while Freddi is here. The Photos in the H&P have also made my day and I thank Annie Studholme and H&P for the exposure.

There are many things to be thankful for this year, and I hope that you all will reflect as the new year approaches for all the good things in life, even the bad things can be a blessing in disguise so never take anything for granted and live life to the full.

Happy New Year from the team at Woodfield Park Stud!

Woodfieldpark Calamity Jane born

Coronada Star was 9 days over due and we had been waiting a while for the arrival of what would be the first foal for my self by Candries, we had two previous attempts with a different mare but were unsuccessful. This looked like it was going to be the same, the mare went into labour at 11:20 I was watching from a distance, but soon jumped into action as it was not progressing as it should, there was a bag but not much else a hoof appeared and did not seem to have second one there, mare was getting up and walking around to try and reposition it, which made very little difference, I got on the phone woke my vet who said he was on his way, in the mean while we tried to assist the mare as she lay down by getting the second leg out, and kicking the rest of the process into action, the nose soon followed and the exhausted mare finally gave it a huge push and out she came, a Chestnut filly with star and four small socks/bands and very long legs, a lively little girl who was very keen to try her legs, slipping and sliding on the sack made it very tricky but she managed to get up and away in a short time, the dam was over the moon and insisted she kiss her every stride she took, making life just that more difficult for the filly, bumping into the post and rain and falling over only to have to try to get up again, followed by more kissing from the mother.

Calamity Jane

14 December 2007

First Kasimir Foal born in Australasia

Marcella (Falkensee x Megan's Rose) in foal to Kasimir had been ready to foal for some time just waiting for the foal to give the all clear before delivering the most exciting parcel this side of xmas, it was just after 12 midnight that I went to check the progress as she had waxed up in the afternoon, mum had taken the first shift and had found nothing exciting, so off I toddled to go and look, found her standing not doing a great deal of excitement when I spotted some extra legs so I went in for a closer look, and sure enough there was a foal, bay in colour with socks and a star I was very excited the mare on the other hand was a little nervous about the whole torch thing so found it tricky to get close enough, I went on to check the placenta and sack (not my favorite thing to do at midnight) it was all complete so that is always a great relief for me, the foal was already up and standing and drinking well, so we went inside and watched for a while then off to bed as I had work in the morning, still unsure of the sex at this stage I obviously could not sleep wondering if I had received what I had ordered. at first light I got up and inspected the foal some more, found the marconium and got close enough to the foal to see under the tail, and blow me down it was a FILLY, this just made my day, I had imported the semen especially to try and breed some fillies to expand the the Gene Pool for the Breed here and for me to breed on with but to actually get one was just amazing, at this stage she has no name but feel free to suggest some staring with M to follow the Trakehner Tradition. I will update the photos on a regular basis so you can watch this little one develop.

Photos at a few hours old

Christchurch A&P Royal Show

The day could not have been worse, the whole night pre show it poured down with torrential rain, it truly kept us awake almost the whole night, the morning was not much better the rain still persisted down, however we were determined to go and packed the car and trailer and set off, realising we left the lunge behind had to drive back to get that, then after we set off again we had lost the entry tickets "panic set in" but Freddi soon found them again in her pocket of all places. We arrived in plenty of time to unload and get ready, and still the rain would not let up, as they were calling for competitors to get ready we made out way to the ring where we waited for our class, once every one arrived for the class we did the best we could and duly won our class, (very exciting) and then to be awarded best adult was an even grater thrill, however with that reveling came the waiting for the young stock classes to be judged this took a long long time all the wile waiting in the rain, wind and to top it off bursts of HAIL yes HAIL in November, not a pleasant experience at all, we were soaked to bone and poor Laharrah was shivering all over, thankfully a fellow competitor who was in a few classes landed us her cover and we could try and keep him warm with this, so a big thank you to number 31 Loretta Watson for her kindness, then after about 2 hours of waiting, the supreme title was to be awarded and the competition was of a high standard but I was thrilled that Laharrah was awarded the title of Supreme In hand Hack by an International Judge, I am very proud of his achievement at such a high profile event all the while fellow competitors were asking about his breeding, and if he was available to outside mares as his disposition truly shone through, being very calm cool and collected with so much going on including mares standing right next to him waiting and he never put a hoof wrong.

We had to wait till 2:30 to be judged for the All Breed Supreme title, sadly disaster struck while we had to run out Laharrah and Freddi slipped in the wet conditions and fell over, and hurt her knee and we lost the chance to show his true potential, never mind I am sure there will be other times.

A huge thanks to Freddi and Laharrah who kept giving their best throughout the day in such trying times.

istchurch A&P Royal Show

SI Warmblood Show 11 November 2007

This was the first show that we entered the turn-out class, we usually avoid this class like the plague but thought it would be a nice class to warm up and in and an extra class to enter while we were there, so even tho we were not serious about the whole class we gave it a bit of a try, we went and bought a hat and I made a stock tie in a colour to match the hat, it all came together nicely I thought, were pleasantly surprised to be awarded 4th, apparently the outfit impressed enough. (It was rumored that the judge thought the standard of turnout here was higher than at the Sydney Royal she had judged)

the rest of the day went well and I believe we all enjoyed the morning but were pleased to be able to go home. I did mange to take a few photos and these are some of the ones.

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Freddi & Woodfieldpark Luxurious First Show

With the Show season on the way we thought we would start to take Luxurious out to a few shows just to see what he was going to be like, as he had not been out to a show since he was 5 months old.

Thankfully the Pinto Association put on a all breed show with a our class starting at 1pm which was just great, time to slowly get organised and make it a relaxed day for all concerned, we set off well in time for the 1pm kickoff we unloaded in the rain, and took our time to settle him in.

Luxurious was placed in all his classes so we were very pleased to be awarded a second place for best paced a total of 4 ribbons out of 4 classes, a very pleasing result.
All in all it was a fun and very pleasing outing. Freddi did a wonderful job of being the handler on the day, thanks Freddi for a job well done!

Horse and Pony Magazine

I was delighted (actually over the moon is more accurate) to learn that la Croix had in fact been chosen to be the cover boy for the October 2007 H&P magazine, it is the first time that a Trakehner has made the cover so a very special moment indeed. Needless to say I have the front cover printed and hanging on the wall. I have had a number of people send emails to say they enjoyed the article and the photos, it is always nice to get positive feedback.

Frederika's arrival

This morning (18th September) we set off to pick Freddi up from the airport, took a sign saying Hi Freddi in the hope the right person would come to see me, she spotted it fairly quickly so that was perfect, in and out of the airport in less than 15 minutes it was awesome, we then set of to the SW and had a look around, bought a few items and then went home, where after a bite to eat we set out to meet the horses, she had a ride already and it is looking very good she is def a nice rider, and I am looking forward to getting a few lessons from her, just a reminder that she will be available for private lessons so if you are interested please email us to set up a time.

Inhand Clinic

We are looking for interested people who are keen to learn how to lead their horses out properly, and to raise their standard be it in the show ring or at classification. If you are interested in attending this type of clinic please drop me a line and I will organise it with Heike McLean (Trakehner and warmblood Classifier and Vice President of the NZWBA and Judge). We will be looking to host it in October.

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Stallion Parade!

The long awaited weekend arrived and Saturday was spend getting La Croix ready for the big day on Sunday, on Saturday he was scrubbed and lathered within a inch of his life and then had to endure being plaited, a very boring task if you were to ask him, he had to resort to undoing his leadrope 800 times to entertain him self much to my disgust.

Sunday arrived and we set off to join 28 others stallions at the 2007 stallion parade held at the RDA in Christchurch, I was lucky enough to have the assistance of Peggy Storer (my trusty side kick) and Brad Price as the stallion handler,(without those two the day would have been even harder than it already was so thanks for being there for me) we set off very early on Sunday morning to get there in time to settle La Croix in, and set up the stall, with loads of Posters, Pamphlets and information on the Trakehner breed, we had a German Trakehner Verband Video to play to show the visitors how things were done in Germany, (unfortunately it was only in German and had no subtitles) but it did not seem to bother the many people who came by the stall to visit ,view the video and chat, it was a very busy and full on day which all in all was a success, we met loads of nice people and had plenty of time with the visitors in La Croix stable oohing and aahing over his soft coat! (La Croix has requested that next year all visitors wear name badges as he was getiting confused about who was who).

It was also a great time to meet up with many friends including Kim Annan who was the photographer on the day as well as Annie Studholme who we had visiting us the weekend before, for those who missed the opportunity to meet the La Croix person, feel free to contact us if you would still like to come and visit, we look forward to seeing you here!

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On 2 September 2007 Annie Studholme visited the stud to interview us for the Horse & Pony Magazine, it was a pleasure to talk to her and I thoroughly enjoyed the time she spend here, taking photos of the boys and getting to know us, Annie seemed very impressed with the boys very laid back attitude during the photo shoot with Candries being the most smootchy of the three on the day, he was definitely far more interested in snuggling up to me than having his photo taken!
Look for our interview in the October Issue of H&P!
A public thanks to Peggy Storer (this web sites biggest fan) for all her help getting the horses ready, your help is very much appreciated.

Only one more week to go till we will be at the stallion parade, loads of preparation has gone into this years effort and Woodfield Park La Croix and our Team look forward to meeting you on the day, come and say hi we promise we won't bite!
We will have booklets available for you to take away and peruse in the comfort of your own home and should you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us, we will be happy to answer any queries you may have.

Video Clips are now available for some of the stallions featured on this website, (Candries and Feuertanzer are loaded) La Croix and Laharrah are to come in the next week please check back regularly for any updates.

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Winter 2007

I am proud to announce that I have just secured two more stunning fully classified mares for the stud, both mares have impeccable breeding and stunning good looks (she was chosen by Melle van Brugg'es as a broodmare she was Open Medium Dressage)This mare will be put in foal to La Croix this season for hopefully a repeat stunning foal, (Willowvale Second Edition was their first) classified extremely well we look forward to producing some top quality progeny from them, photos of the new lladies to come shortly... So many of you have emailed wanting to view the mares well so far I only have one photo that is of Bella Katrinka a very special mare who impressed the German Verband Classifiers with her stunning good looks.

Bella Katrinka

we are very excited to announce that will only be few more weeks (6 in fact) until our German rider arrives to spend the breeding season here, Frederike Liersch will be bringing her riding skills to the stud and will be competing the boys over summer keep an eye out for them.
Frederike has been competing in germany in dressage and jumping and is looking forward to seeing the country and learning more about stud work.

Frederike may also be available for lessons please enquire after 20 September 2007
i if you are interested.

In the meanwhile the phone and inbox have been red hot so far with enquiries and booking are steadily coming in it is promsing to be a very exciting and busy season, I am sore you won't hear the boys complaining!

Winter is well and truly here, much to every ones disgust, all this rain is certainly depressing the boys and girls on the farm, mind you the shortest day has been and gone so we are finally on the way up again Yay bring on spring, to get rid of that mud and cold weather.

2006 / Autumn 2007

Trakehner Verband Classification
(photo courtesy Kim Annan)

I had been very stressed with the classification looming so I had been spend considerable time preparing him to be presented in the best condition he could be in, which meant for poor La Croix he had to go on a diet, much to his disgust. I also had to teach him to free jump which I had never done before so it was a first for me and him, luckily he is an obliging lad and took it all in his stride unfortunately during one of our training sessions he slipped on some wet grass fell and pulled both his hamstrings and was very sore and unable to move out as well as I know he should, I decided to try Equine Laser Therapy on him as time was short 2.5 weeks till the BIG day, the improvement was def noticeable and he continued to have three sessions and his movement had come back to what it was before the accident and his hamstring problems are in the past a very pleasing result.

The big day arrived and I did not sleep the night before as I was just to nervous, I got up super early and arrived in plenty of time to watch the mares and foals being presented, I was particularly pleased when a very nice colt by La Croix was presented for his foal classification and was awarded an 8 out of 10, validating La Croix as a stallion who is able to provide the goods.
(This colt WILLOW VALE SECOND EDITION is offered for sale by Sandy Dickson please contact me for more information)

It was then time to present La Croix in hand and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brad Price for his assistance on the day in leading La Croix, it was a very warm and humid day and thus the Riding for the Disabled arena became a sauna, spectators horses and handlers were sweating to try and make it through the day,
The first part was the free running around the arena which La Croix was happy to oblige with, however as soon as he would run past the area where I was watching in the spectators he slowed down and looked my way I was lucky he could not wave at me or he would have but he did have a huge twinkle in his eye as if to say “look mum how am I doing” and wanted to come over and see me! I had to send him back on his way to do a few more laps.

The second stage was the free jumping and as he was used to me leading him in and asking him to go and so I decided I best to stick to what we had practiced and he was an angel I would let him go he would do his three jumps and wait at the other end of the lane for me to collect him and do it all again, he never once complained what a wee trouper!

The last and final stage consisted of measuring him he measured 158cm, then the trotting out on the tar seal which was fine and then back inside to do more running in-hand. Through out the day his temperament really showed through he was easy to handle and every one felt comfortable around him, never putting hoof out of place.

Then the nerve wrecking waiting period arrived, I was so nervous I felt ill, they finally tallied the scores and it was announced only three stallions were passed, thankfully La Croix passed and I was ecstatic and very pleased when the ribbon was put on his neck, we now have three years to compete and pass the performance part of the classification,
I will be taking La Croix to the stallion parade this year to give him a little more exposure.

Booking has already begun for services to this stallion for the 2007 season so if you are interested please don't wait or all 10 places will be gone.

Laharrah Foals Started Under Saddle

I am always thrilled to hear of progeny and how they are coming along, with having a few of them now started under saddle I thought I would put a photo of Fantastique on this site, the first one to be started , I believe this was her 10th ride so still very green but relaxed and happy looking

Photo to the right
Fantastique (Laharrah x Mystique)

Woodfield Park Maranello's owner Rebecca Pyke (photo below) is very pleased with his temperament and trainability, he accepts things quite easily and is very quiet, you just can't beat the Trakehner willing nature and people orientated temperament. Maranello who was started by Tina Reid spoke highly of his huge trot and willing nature.

Photo Woodfield Park Maranello aged 3 (Laharrah x Marcella)

Oxford A&P 2007

I am pleased to report that the Oxford Association put on a special in-hand stallion class on my request, so of course I took the opportunity to take Laharrah for an outing, it was a very pleasant day, and people remarked once again that he was very well mannered for a stallion leaving me very proud to be his owner, he quietly stood by the sideline like all other geldings and mares and waited his turn, he won his class and then went on to win Reserve Champion Led Hack, I normally take the foals and do well at the Oxford Show in the foal class but since they put on the class I should at the very least attend it, and it was pleasing that we again did well at this show be it with adult or young stock.

Whahoo I am Back in the Saddle

It has been some time since I had been comfortable in the saddle, being a nervous rider I decided I should try Hypnotherapy and I am so pleased I did, I now enjoy riding again I find I am doing things that before I had the therapy I would not even contemplate,
and don’t feel panic or ill when I fill out entry forms or contemplate riding I actually look forward to it all day, this is also helped by my stallion Laharrah and my Irish mare Bonny’s Gift (aka Foaly)I took her to the green horse day and my mission was to just get on and if I did not make it to the arena so be it as long as I got on and rode her around the show grounds, well I am pleased to report that I did even better than my goal, I entered the classes I had entered and even came away with a second and sixth place for our efforts and not once did I feel scared or uncomfortable.
So for anyone out there who are feeling nervous or uneasy I strongly recommend you find a Hypnotherapist and give it a go it has changed my life and I now enjoy the horses again.
I would also like to thank Charlotte Nugteren for being my groom and helping me out it was much appreciated.

2006 Foals

Libelle produced a healthy colt by Feuertanzer late November, we have named him Woodfieldpark Ludwig, a bay with star, snib and sock and lots of elasticity, a very kind nature and easy to do anything with, Libelle will be put in foal to Tambour this coming season.

Candries had two foals born this year a colt and a filly both Large foals long legs and with well set on necks, with very good temperaments and ground covering movement, I am awaiting one for my self this year out of Coronado Star here is hoping for a filly!

I also had a many repeat mares to la Croix as the owners were very pleased with the progeny he produced which is a very big compliment.

We also have had good success with chilled semen on first cycle, lee Morris of EFS said his semen was of very good quality so again I was thrilled with that.

Stallion Parade 2006

I had been pondering the idea of going to the stallion parade for a while and finally took the first step and took Laharrah, who was so non stallion like that people thought he was a gelding as he was happily tied to the stable door eating his hay I had to ask them if they wanted to come in and meet the stallion some seemed very surprised that he was so gentle for a stallion.
We had made plenty of posters advertising all the other stallions as well as offering 12 months interest free on any frozen semen bought on the day, we had loads of brochures all of which went on the day. It was a very fun day meeting loads of new people and old friends; we are looking forward to the next one.

Winter / Spring 2006

Just a few more months and we are back on the upwards slope of good weather, and just four months until we are back in full breeding swing.

We have some very exciting stallions lined up, including our own resident stallions Laharrah, Candries and La Croix but this year will also include the outstanding German Verband Licensed Trakehner Stallions Tambour, Elitar, Kasimir, Interconti and Herzog and top it all off we are going to have Feuertanzer Frozen again for both NZ and Australia.

This promises to be a very exciting year ahead for us.

NEWS FLASH

I would like to say a HUGE congratulations to Wendy McMahon whose rising 3 year old filly "FANTASTIQUE" by Laharrah took out South Island Supreme Part Bred Arab recently and who was also awarded National Top Three Part Bred Filly. She is a stunning individual who keeps getting better and better. Wendy does an outstanding job with her and I can see this filly go on to win again and again.

2005 Foals

As part of the ongoing education we take the foals to a few shows and they have been doing quite well. Savannah (La Croix x Shirley P) was awarded Best Warmblood Foal at the South Island Breeders Show. I was very pleased with that result for La Croix's first and only foal this could be just the beginning ... watch for her in the future.

Then recently at the Oxford A&P show Libretto (Laharrah x Libelle) won his class and then went on to be awarded Reserve Champion Led Hack (over older stock) - not bad for his first ever show. The Oxford A&P hack or hunter foal class is turning into somewhat of a Woodfield Park event with our foals doing very well each year they are entered.

We attended the Foal Show with the two boys for an outing. They were not looking their best with having reached the awkward-looking stage a little a head of time and not being able to wash them the day before did not help either, (the rain was so heavy it would have been unfair to wash them). As it was I wanted it to be JUST an outing and we did surprisingly well regardless of the way they looked, 5 ribbons from 7 classes. I had entered Luxurious in the Coloured section; he was not placed there as I don't think he was quite coloured enough for the section. All in all it was a fun day with plenty of excitement all round they were well behaved. The only problem was that they did not like to be apart (they share everything - nearly eating the same blade of grass - in some cases they are very close!)

We had also entered the Sire Class and Feuertanzer was awarded the second place for two foals by the same sire, which was a pleasing result.

Thanks to Michelle from Alasaan, Felicity and Aaron for their help at all the shows.

Just after the foal show we put the foals in the front paddock. I had been admiring Savannah (Best Warmblood Foal at the Breeders Show) thinking to myself she is going to be one heck of a show horse/broodmare. I turned around to do what ever it was I was doing when the foals got a fright from the cat who had been chasing the chickens. The filly ran through the post and rail fence, jumping the neighbours fence but slicing all the skin from her front and back leg - the sight was anything but pretty!

The vet came out very quickly and we stitched the lot back together hoping it would reattach itself. The top part of the leg certainly had but the bottom half just above the fetlock had been rubbed open by the little madam so we had to chop that skin off. After two months of bandaging it was definitely shrinking in size so I hoped the wound would not scar too badly. The back legs are slightly swollen and I am hoping that too will go down with time. It would be a real shame if it did not as she is filly with much quality.

Now, after three months of bandaging and care the scar is very minimal and some of the swelling has gone down as well. Fingers crossed she will look even better come show season.

New Arena Completed

I am so happy to report that all my goals for 2005 were completed with the arrival of the sand for the arena. This did not go without a hitch but the end result was worth it. I found a renewed interest in riding since putting it in as it makes me feel safe and secure no slipping or wondering if the horse is going to trip. But the best part is that I now have an area where I can take horses to take photographs as well and even produce a video which is the goal for 2006.

La Croix Under Saddle

After waiting for nearly 3.5 years to finally be able to ride him it was time to send him away the difficulty was to find the right trainer and Alasaan Performance Horses was my choice for him. To date he has been very calm and laid back about the process, nothing is a problem and he has proven to be smart and keen to learn. I am looking forward to riding him and having regular lessons so that we both can learn and hopefully progress through the ranks (albeit at a slow rate due to my lack of skill and confidence).

Michelle from Alasaan has proven to be an excellent teacher, building my confidence with each lesson and pushing me just that little bit further each lesson, unfortunately for my lads I am not the world's most gifted rider nor can I afford to get the best dressage riders to ride them for me, so they have to make do with who I am. This in turn I believe is a HUGE positive for them as well as it shows how quiet and lovely they are to be able to be ridden by the less gifted among us.

Laharrah

Under the expert guidance of Michelle, I had been working on getting my confidence up and feeling comfortable enough to make mine and Laharrah's debut on a winter series dressage day.

I had put off entering so many times keen to go but never quite have enough courage to go ahead and just do it ... (maybe I should have listened to those Nike adds more often and JUST DO IT).

Anyway the day of entries closing Michelle even called to make sure I had put my entry in as she was confident we could do it and survive, (easy for her to say I thought). On the day Michelle came along to give me strength and courage, definitely not because Laharrah is handful but purely because his Mother is a wuss!

Laharrah was absolutely fine but I was a ball of nerves stressing every step ... but after 5 minutes of singing and being lunged I too was starting to feel better, so Laharrah and I set off to conquer the dressage arena. We completed the whole test and I was very surprised to learn we achieved 57.5% on our first go, with some very nice comments. I am looking forward to taking him out more often and I hope that with time my nerves will go away.

(A big thank you to Paul and Michelle for keeping me sane and helping me in so many ways, you guys are the best).

Candries

We are looking to have this big boy started under saddle in a few months, Michelle, who has taken a shine to him because of his quality and presence that he offers, has kindly offered her services to take him out competing we look forward to that.

The big lad has been very laid back this winter and we even took to clicker training him, he is very keen to play the game we call Click to Win, and tries his best to come up with the answer each time. Point the whip and he knows I want him to touch the end of it and he duly does then looks for his snack. We have a lot of fun playing this game until he is under saddle and if nothing else it makes us bond even more.

FROZEN STALLIONS FOR 2006

It is with great pride that I announce that we have secured the chance for NZ breeders to breed with some outstanding German and American Trakehner Stallions.

I think most of us are by now very familiar with Feuertanzer and he has started to leave his mark here in NZ with breeders who already have a foal on the ground by him being very pleased with the results and looking to breed another. We are lucky enough that Jennifer Oettle will allowed us to have him collected and frozen once again as the demand is still high.

To top it all off a very famous stud "Gestut Elmarshausen" a well respected Trakehner Stud in Germany has offered me the agency for their stallions.

These stallions are classified and licensed with the Verband in Germany and have produced many outstanding progeny to date. Some of their stallion's progeny include the 2005 Champion Stallion, a son by Tambour who sold for 275,000 Euros. Tambour also produced this year's champion mare. It is no wonder that this stallion was already nominated for ELITE status as a 6 year old!

Visit my Frozen Semen page for more details of the outstanding stallions on offer.

These stallions will be available this season!

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A VISIT FROM KIM ANNAN

I was well overdue for some new stallion photos of Candries and La Croix as the ones on the web site didn't really do the boys any justice.

Let's face it: we all know how difficult it is to do this job on your own - getting them to run out is one thing but usually by the time you have your camera set up they stop trotting or whatever and it is back to square one. It just results in being frustrating and the results are usually far from decent so I counted myself very lucky and truly privileged when an outstanding photographer offered to take them.

Kim Annan is a accomplished landscape photographer, and was interested in diversifying her work. She is new to the equine world but I am sure you will all agree she has a good eye and takes a mean picture, and I am sure it won't be long until she is well established in the equine world!

The results as you can see on the updated web site is something to be very proud of, she has captured the essence of the lads so well, I can't wait to have her update the shots on a regular basis.

You can visit her web site and as she offers her services at very reasonable rates - you too can have your horse captured in the best possible way.

A very big thank you to Kim Annan for some truly outstanding work!

This brings us to the end of this news update. So much happens that I really should take the time to write things down at the time. I am sure that would make writing the newsletters so much easier but I guess it takes TIME - something I don't have enough of these days.

I look forward to hearing from the clients who are now starting to put their young stock under saddle - it will be a very exciting time for me to hear how they are going.

I would like to say a big thank you to the clients who have already sent their stud contracts for this season, (makes planning so much easier). For those of you who are still unsure of which stallion to send your mare to remember that numbers are limited to the boys at this stage so first in first served (excuse the pun).

I wish you all an exciting breeding season with lots of healthy foals!

Breeding season 2005

Ever since I placed new photos of La Croix on the web site I have had enquires about using him and quite a number of mares have turned up this season.

I did not want to over-use him as he is so young but he has proven to be so very kind when serving mares that it hardly feels like you are holding a stallion - very calm and so relaxed about his new job he is a treasure.

His fertility has been very good getting first cycle conceptions. La Croix is being prepared for the 2007 Stallion Classification.

It was also pleasing to see that Candries has finally caught the eye of New Zealand breeders.

He certainly has a good trot and very nice canter to offer plus an enormous jump, he would be suitable as an all-round stallion. I look forward to see his foals on the ground - I certainly will be trying again this year.

It is hoped that we can start Candries under saddle this year if I can find a suitable rider for him after the staring process to take him out competing, if you know anyone who would be interested please feel free to drop me a line. (New photos will be posted very soon of Candries).

As always we took Laharrah out to a few shows that allow stallions to be entered. I took him out on my own to the Rangiora A&P for the first time with no helpers and he was just amazing, he happily stood tied to the float while I tried to get dressed in the horse float and never once batted a eyelid. We had people came over and asked about him not realising he was a stallion as he was so very calm and settled.

I also took him to the Christchurch show where he was awarded Reserve Champion In-Hand Stallion and also Reserve Champion Ridden Stallion (ridden by Louisa Kerr) he certainly has come a long way in just a short time under saddle and he will continue to improve no doubt if I get the time to get on board and do some more riding. He has the most wonderful canter to sit to and he is always willing to please - what more could you ask for in a stallion.

Kasparow

We tried to get the frozen semen organised but unfortunately nothing has come from this as the owner is now unsure if she wanted him to be collected, as he would be out of work for such a long time.

Frozen Semen

It has been a great year for selling the frozen Feuertanzer semen and our stock has completely gone, as demand exceeded supply, which was a great feeling. We are very pleased he was so well received by the NZ breeders, we are hoping to have more available next year although I am unable to guarantee delivery at this stage should we have more available it will be sold with a Conception Guarantee - that is how confident I am this semen is of excellent quality!

We are also bringing in other semen for just our personal use to expand the Trakehner gene pool here with some very impressive stallions so keep an eye out for our next newsletter when all should be revealed ...

Fingers crossed this one will go ahead so far everything is looking very promising with the E.T.A being Feb 2006.

There are also a few other exciting stallions in the pipeline but this all takes time and work to make it happen.

A big thank you to the stallion owners who are prepared to have their stallions collected and frozen without them none of this would be possible.

Foaling news 2005

Libretto (Laharrah x Libelle)
First to foal this season was Libelle who was in foal to Laharrah. She produced a lovely black/bay colt we named Woodfield Park Libretto (full brother to WP Lysistrata) or Burty for short, dark bay with one sock and a very loveable temparament.
He was pre-sold and will be going to a great home where he will be much loved. This lad is a charmer!

Luxurious (Feuertanzer x Liebesgabe)
Then the waiting began and we were counting the days ... it seemed like it would never happen, it was with much anticipation that we waited an additional 4 weeks and 3 days for the arrival of the purebred colt Woodfield Park Luxurious, the first foal born in NZ to Feuertanzer (USA Frozen Semen) and he was worth the wait. Everything I had ordered except the sex but then you can't win them all. He was healthy and a upstanding lad and that is what we aim for. (he is a half brother to the Phantom II and Lord Lagerfeld) and although I have clients keen to purchase him I am unsure at this stage if I will retain him for myself. It would be a real shame to have him gelded so I will keep my options open at this stage.
He is currently going a dark liver chestnut he will be a stunner for the show ring.

Savannah (La Croix x Shirley P)
Then on Labour day (I guess it is not called Labour day for nothing) Shirley P foaled the first foal to La Croix, this was obviously a very good match as she produced a very correct filly who is very typey for the breed. She is bay with a star and stocking with super movement. I can't wait to produce her for the show ring. This filly will be retained by the stud as a future broodmare.

Calypso (Candries x Bonny's Gift)
Then disaster struck my Irish hunter mare who last year lost her foal during labour. She was again in foal to Candries and I was determined to not miss the birth and be able to offer help where needed. I sure enough was there but again disaster struck, the foal was very much alive until the ribcage had to be pushed out I could see that the foal was well and truly stuck so ran inside to call the vet who attended within 5 minutes. Sadly by the time I got outside the colt had stopped breathing. I tried to give him mouth to nose but could not revive him. He would have been the spitting image of his sire - a real blow as I am so keen to get one out alive! Unfortunately not all mares are suited to being a broodmare, this mare is just not meant to have foals so she will be leased out as a riding horse.

And so another breeding season is nearly over, we will be serving mares until the end of February and be looking forward to the next load of foals to hit the ground. Enquiries are always welcome.

Wishing you all happy and safe 2006.

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