Young stock update

Arghhh........ Dezina Diva my lovely yearling filly is turning Appaloosa!!!! She has now got a spotty nose. Also Dezina Double Dip (Dippy) is going the same way. Both are by the coloured stallion Gooseford Designer Genes, but are out of slightly spotty mares.

Diva with her mum who is by the 3/4 TB Appaloosa stallion Capital Luke, who goes back to the famous event Sire from the 1970s,H.I.S. premium stallion Paper Cap. Her mum was badly bitten on her neck as a foal and consequently has been a brood mare all her life. Diva has the most extraordinary toe pointing floating trot.

Dippy with his mum, she is by the stunning leopard spotted Appaloosa stallion Live The Dream.

It's a bit of a shock when you buy one colour and they change!!!! Luckily I quite like spotty ones as I haven't met one yet that can't jump really well. They always seem to bit a bit too bouncy for dressage though!!!

And to complete the picture here is a photo of their Dad too. His mother Harvey's Gazelle has had 2 filly foals by the world famous dressage stallion Tortillas. His father Goshka Ringo has sired Grand Prix dressage horses such as Amour G and he is also the maternal grandson of the world famous dressage and SJ sire Olympic Ferro.

And I thought I was just buying a couple of plain but pretty coloured cobs!!!!!

And here is my complete set of current youngsters including 3 year old Hartpury Top Gear who has been recently broken in and is now turned out for a break.

From left to right, Mighty Beetle, Dezina Double Dip, Dezina Diva, ( all yearlings) then Top Gear, and next the 2 year olds Professor Sprout and Mr Wizard.

 

 

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Show Jump Building

This weekend I was looking forward to running Rif Raf at Sapey but due to yet more rain it was sadly cancelled. I spent the weekend building 3 new show jump fillers which look pretty shiney new and spooky! I also made some blocks of wood into flower stands, by drilling holes into them. They will be good for getting horses used to flowers in the dressage and can also be used under the jumps. You can see my shadow in the picture kindly being assisted by 4 year old Middleton!!
Had some fantastic news about Hartpury Top Gun, who I sold earlier this year, he competed in his first ODE with Verity, his new owner, they won, double clear on a 15 dressage. Brilliant. Here they are show jumping.

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Middleton starts to transform

The top photo was taken the day he arrived 14th March and below was taken yesterday. He has lost some weight but he has gained muscle. Hopefully with the spring grass and now his sore tooth has been removed he will put some weight back on.

 

 

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Middleton Dressage Show on Grass

Middleton competed at his first show on grass at a local dressage event. We wobbled our way round, attempted to get canter at roughly the correct end of the arena whilst staying inside the boards too.
He scored 64% in prelim 1, but best of all he was so well behaved with all the small ponies and other peoples fresh youngsters warming up. Really pleased with him and how sensible he is. Especially as he had most of the week off as he managed to smash one of his front teeth into about 6 pieces. John from 3 Counties Equine had to be called out to come and remove it, sadly he had to take out the whole thing, as it was all so loose.
No idea how he did it, I don't turn them out together so he wasn't kicked, I guess he must have knocked it playing with the others over the fence, in the stable or even travelling in the lorry.

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Weston Park

Weather was good for us at Weston, bit cloudy but dry. Trying a new bit on Hartpury Take It 2 The Top for the dressage was a disaster, he dropped onto his forehand and lost rhythm. I had changed his bit as he had been throwing his head up in recent tests, the new bit had solved that and I was pleased with a much calmer test. However when I came out of the arena Ant said it was awful and the only good thing about the test was my hair had stayed in place (last week, hairnet trouble at Belton!) :-(

I was worried Show Jumping as we went over to watch a few and they were struggling in the sticky ground, the few we watched were putting in extra strides in the doubles, 2 got eliminated. It was so bad the stewards were rolling the take offs every so often and putting stone dust down too. However some jumped really well out of it and Monty is used to the mud.

I was thrilled with how he show jumped, there was a really tough curving line, of 3 fences, spread to upright to double, everyone seemed to be having one of these down. Monty jumped these clear and then clunked out an easy upright later on.

Xc he was fab, one scary moment at fence two where he took a stride out, clear all the way and all the direct routes. Should have some xc photos soon, video clip is of the sunken road, one of the fences that caused a number of problems.

 

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Middleton and Rif Raf Combined Training

Middleton was all grown up today competing at his first proper show, a combined training class at Allens Hill. He did a quiet dressage test and a clear round the 60 cm SJ course to win the class. I cannot believe how well behaved he was, he is the best behaved youngster I have ever owned. Next he came 6th in the 75cm with prelim 14, jumping the entire course from canter, he is so very brave and confident.

He is now due a few days off as he is having his back checked and a broken tooth removed. Also I feel these last few weeks have been a steep learning curve for him and a few days off will give him chance to soak it all in and let his brain and muscles rest.

Rif Raf came along too and won the 85 cm, she still felt green at times but jumped a lovely clear round.

 

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Middleton and Rif Raf - The 4 yr Olds are Busy Learning

Rif Raf went to Aston Le Walls 80cm ode on Suday and jumped a super double clear, taking after her brother Icon, she was a keen machine XC and met everything on a perfect forward XC stride, which is pretty rare for such a green baby.
Middleton has been to his first little show, clear round jumping at www.mooresfarmequestrian.co.uk where they have clear round jumping midweek. He was so well behaved, warming up calmly with the others. He jumped the course at 70 cm first in trot and then 80cm from canter.

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