Fox Hollow Sport Horses

Padi's Celtic Measure

2012-01-30T19:16:00.005-06:00

It's past time I showcased the Padi's Celtic Measure success story. She is by Mountain Pearl out of Magrathea (by TB stallion Ten Yard Star and out of an Amish bred mare). Mountain Pearl has exhibited great jumping ability and is producing good jumpers in Ireland. One of his grandchildren scored 10 out of 10 for jumping in Ireland. Much lesser known is Magrathea's jumping. Maggie jumped at least 4 feet as a weanling. Maggie was in a paddock with some other weanlings - 1 in particular was her best buddy. He best buddy's owner took him out of the paddock. Maggie thought that she should be able to go with him and jumped out the gate to join him. The gate was 4 or 4 1/2 feet tall. I don't recall any other jumping episode but I think it is a good illustration of her ability none the less. So it is not that surprising that her daughter Maggie Junior can jump as well.

Maggie Junior is living with Sarah Greenway at Levremont Farm in Powhatan Virginia. Sarah reports : "

I am the owner of "Moo" aka "Maggie" to us. I love her tons (she is def a barn favorite, everyone who rides her falls in love). These pictures were taken at her first jumper show ( I bought her in May '11 and started showing her a couple of weeks later, she had done mostly dressage and some hunting). She is now showing in the 1.10 classes and placing very well (at the bigger A shows). She is a total sweetheart who tries her heart out for me."

It's heartwarming for me to find one of my horses placed in such a wonderful home but also that she is performing successfully. Maggie Junior seems to have won the lottery. Photos are from Sarah.

2012-01-15T21:27:00.001-06:00

It has come to my attention that someone has spread some false information about the stallion Regalia Prince Arthur. Regalia Prince Arthur was inspected initially and was given a deferment based on his immaturity but mostly for the fact that his right hind was weak. His subsequent passing inspection scores are available on his webpage at www.solutionfactor.com/stallions/regaliaprincearthurrid.html If anyone has any questions about any of Fox Hollow horses please feel free to ask me. I have nothing to hide and will tell you what I know about any of my horses. And please don't believe everything you hear.

Thank you.

Diane

Photos

2011-12-04T18:09:00.005-06:00

I have promised a new photo of Banner. Pat was over a week or so ago so I asked her to take some. One was okay(meaning not horrible). She actually looks a heck of a lot like her Mama now. She's by Silver Granite out of Loguestown Classic by Annaghdown Star

Pat also took a photo of Brian. He looks great! Now if only I wasn't in the way! Brian is by Regalia Prince Arthur out of Magrathea by Ten Yard Star xx

Bone

2011-09-29T21:40:00.002-05:00

I will briefly reiterate my points from my previous blog. The system of inspection used is a minor consideration. However, the inspectors need to be in agreement about the ‘’type” that they are inspecting for the system to be successful. The continental warmblood organizations are successful for the simple reason that their ‘vision’ of the horse they are selecting for is uniform regardless of inspector. What you are seeing currently in the Irish Draught breed is the result of the inspectors selecting and passing horses based on their own individual idea of what the ‘Irish Draught type’ is. Until breeders tackle the elephant in the room and come to an agreement about type the breed will continue to flounder.

I am also concerned about bone after reading what the task force recommended. “The task force indicated that nine inches of bone should be a goal for IDs.” This statement is inexplicable to my understanding of bone and its function. To say that nine inches of bone is the goal for IDs is to say that 4 x 4s are the goal for columns in all buildings – from a shed to a skyscraper. 9 inches of bone in a 15.2 hh horse is more than adequate. On larger 16.2 hh or so 9 inches of bone is inadequate.

In a series of articles by Dr. Deb Bennett in Equus magazine, she discussed conformation in detail using photographs, illustrations, table and graphs. The article on proportion, was in the January 2010 issue which is where the gist of the following information was obtained.
Dr. Deb Bennett used an example of a 10 hand pony and a 20 hand heavy draught horse. You will note that the 20 hand draft horse is 2 times the height of the 10 hand pony. Duh you say. The pony weighs in the range of 320 to 350 lbs. Does the 20 hand horse double the weight making him 640 to 700 lbs? Certainly not. The 20 hand horse weighs between 2600 and 2800 lbs. for an eightfold increase in weight.

Dr. Bennett recommends B-T (bone-tendon circumference) measurements of 8 inches per 1000 lbs in a riding horse. This figure is also in line with what the old Quarter horse folks told me many years ago. The 20 hand horse would have 12 inches of bone at the average 1700 lb horse of 6 inches of bone per 1000 lbs. At the recommended B-T measurement o 8 inches of bone per 1000 lbs. in a riding horse, the 20 hand/2000 lb horse would need 16 inches of bone. This B-T figure is impossible to attain.

In studies where actual measurements of horses were taken and graphed, suffice it to say two things. Large horse = large limbs and feet , & bigger horse = less substance. The survey included data about whether the horse was lame or not. The lameness tended to “lie toward the high end of the weight range and toward lower substance. This data suggested that “regardless of a horse’s breed or weight, if his B-T circumference falls below six inches per 1000 pounds, he has an increased chance of experiencing unsoundness.”

Dr. Bennett briefly touched on bone density. She said that density means mass per unit volume. It doesn’t indicate anything about quality of bone. “Abnormally high bone density is a condition called pachyostosis; osteoporosis is its opposite.” In horses of the riding type weight of 900 to 1300 pounds, the normal bone density is about 19 grams per cubic centimeter, with a range from 15 to 22 considered the norm. The findings from the data collected indicated three things.
-Bone density is related to weight not breed.
-The smaller the horse, the greater the chance that bone density will be normal.
-The larger the horse, the lower the bone density is likely to be.

To summarize, Dr Bennett recommends that you select riding horses between 900 and 1300 pounds with B-T measurement equaling about 8 inches of bone per 1000 pounds but no less than 6 inches per 1000 pounds.

Rooney's cross country and Stadium jumping

2011-09-26T20:46:00.003-05:00

Rooney is such an impressive lad. I am very proud of him. Carol would have been thrilled to pieces with his presence and his progress.

Declan's cross country round

2011-09-26T18:15:00.003-05:00

This is Declan's cross country round from this past weekend. He won 2nd place in his 1st ever horse trial. I have discovered that I made his name too long...... Poor Declan

Final Otter Creek update

2011-09-26T07:17:00.003-05:00

Ralph Hill walked the course with Sarah and then boosted her up on the Rooney. While they were walking the course Christina was holding Rooney trying to keep him awake. ;) He's pretty laid back unless he's working. Rooney pulled one rail down by a hair so ended up fourth. Ralph proclaimed him an excellent jumper and everyone's happy. :D Hope to have photos soon (maybe video even!)

Otter Creek update

2011-09-24T21:16:00.002-05:00

Here's the update from the field:
"Rooney did great, awesome, fantabulous. He gota few time faults but was truly spectacular. Ralph Hill was there and coached Sarah in the warmup. After the scores came out she told him she was disappointed in the time faults and he threw his hands in the air and said "WHO CARES??? YOUR HORSE WAS AWSOME!"

Declan was also a star. He was very looky the whole time around and Jenn had to encourage him to gallop on, but that's normal for a beginner. Went clean with no time faults. He was 7th after show jumping yesterday and finished 2nd for the competition. GO DECLAN!

Rooney's group starts show jumping about 9:30 in the morning. Don'tknow the order yet."

Hip hip hurray!!!!!

Some Pearls go to Otter Creek Fall Horse Trials

2011-09-23T13:45:00.003-05:00

Placings after dressage:

Padi's Copper Flash "Rooney" 1st place with score of 31.80 in Training Championship

Padi's Shuttlewood Danny Boy "Declan" 4th place with score of 33.30 in Open Beginner Novice

Thoughts on the 'Irish situation'

2011-09-20T20:51:00.001-05:00

Many months ago a friend requested that I read some material on the current status of inspections, the Irish Draught, the methods being used etc. and share my thoughts. My friend probably thinks that I blew the request off but in actuality I’ve been contemplating things on and off for quite some time. As an Irish Draught breeder and admirer I feel that it is not only my right but my duty to add my thoughts. It isn’t about politics. It is about the survival of the breed and those that breed them.

Inspections provide an opportunity for breeders to learn an expert’s opinion of a certain horse through the use of scoring a certain selection of traits that should be breed specific. I’ve said for more years than I care to admit that in the end inspections are just numbers on a sheet of paper and the opinion of the horse for the period of time of the inspection. I don’t think they serve any purpose whatsoever unless the results are published. The scoring of the horse for each trait can then be used by the owners of any horse that may want to breed to that inspected horse. For example, if a certain mare scores low in hind end, hind leg then the mare owner could look for a stallion that scored strongly in that area. The publication and access to this information is what makes inspections effective. Without publication and access the information is worthless. My first action would be to publish the scores of all stallions inspected and have access to mare’s scores available upon request. I would publicize the accessibility and purpose of publishing the data. The current practice of publishing negative comments (such as: “He has a long back, flat croup, shallow girth and is slightly toed out. He is close in behind in walk and trot but shows good extension although he was slightly incorrect in trot.”) is unnecessary, bad for the promotion of Irish horses in general and the Irish Draught in particular. Let the scores do the talking. There is no incentive for anyone to associate with an organization that works against the members’ best interests.

If you are breeding warmbloods and want to develop an inspection process you might gather information from other warmblood organizations or create your own system. If you are working with a specific breed than any scoring system you use needs to somehow reflect the unique characteristics of your breed. Type is the most important score on the entire inspection sheet. The warmblood organizations have been successful because they have defined the type and purpose of the horse that they are breeding and then utilizing inspectors that envision the same ‘type’ during the inspections.

I read with dismay that ‘type’ is not formally defined and is left to the individual inspector. I found this exceedingly distressing because ‘type’ is the proverbial elephant in the room. It is paramount that an agreement about the purpose and type for the Irish Draught horse is settled.
One need not look far to exemplify the problems associated with a lack of a united vision. Tors Gentleman Farmer’s status of approved, failed, failed again and then approved again plus two wins at the RDS stallion class illustrates the significance of inspectors using the same vision of the end product. In a seminar about the Irish Draught, the audience was told to look at the horse from a distance and ask “Does it look like an Irish Draught?” first. Experienced Irish Draught people might think it is an easy question to answer. To those unfamiliar with the breed and without a consistent result coming out of inspections to use as examples it is a question that is impossible to answer. What makes King of Diamonds, Clover Hill and Pride of Shaunlara such influential bloodlines in the breed? How can three such diverse horses typify one breed? If I didn’t know better I would never guess that they were all considered one breed.

I know what I think an ideal Irish Draught looks like and which mare & stallions are most likely to produce that ‘type’. I also know that there are as many visions of what an Irish Draught is as there are breeders. The Irish draught breed will stagnate and disappear without a vision of one ID ‘type’.

Next topic: Bone

A grand-Pearl

2011-09-18T23:57:00.006-05:00

Pearl's of Faith gave birth to a bay colt by Hangon Johnny a few months ago. I received some photos I thought I would pass on. Is this colt more proof that Mountain Pearl is a broodmare sire? Enjoy :)

Pearl's of Faith gave birth to a bay colt by Hangon Johnny a few months ago. I received some photos I thought I would pass on. Is this colt more proof that Mountain Pearl is a broodmare sire? Enjoy :)

Half siblings

2011-08-11T08:04:00.004-05:00

Two horses out of our homebred thoroughbred mare Incredustar (Portia). Calum (in halter) is a 2 year old gelding by Regalia Prince Arthur (Cork Arthur/Mountain Heroine). Una (in fly mask) is a mare by Mountain Pearl (Mountain View/Grey Streaker.

Calum at 21/2

2011-08-10T21:38:00.005-05:00

Our Calum is 2 1/2 now. He is spectacular. Official name is Padi's Copper Key with barn name of Calum. He is by Regalia Prince Arthur out of our homebred TB Incredustar.

Declan goes to work.

2011-08-07T19:35:00.010-05:00

Padi's Shuttlewood Danny Boy (Declan) is by Mountain Pearl out of Diamond Shuttle by Cream of Diamonds. He is Ennis' 1/2 brother and best buddy. Declan is also know affectionately known as 'The Big D' -- he is very big. :) Like Ennis a few posts ago Declan also very recently went to work. There will before before-work-began photos and some after-I-started-my-new-job photos.

Padi's Celtic Measure

2011-08-02T15:04:00.005-05:00

I found some current photos of Padi's Celtic Measure (by Mountain Pearl out of Magrathea). She may have found her niche. Three of her brothers were here in the blog a couple of entries ago (the look-a-likes).

Three Mountain Pearl/Magrathea sons

2011-07-18T19:20:00.004-05:00

It's been mentioned that 3 of the Mountain Pearl/Magrathea geldings look an awful lot alike. 'Tis true. Aside from the bad color on photo #3 of course.

New Banner video

2011-07-18T18:53:00.002-05:00

New video of Padi's Classic Banner (by Silver Granite)

and it includes a tiny bit of her dam

Loguestown Classic

Ennis goes to work

2011-07-16T12:43:00.004-05:00

Ennis (and his 1/2 brother Declan - more later on him) have spent their early years staying at home doing a little trail riding and the like. They have been given a job now and appear to be having a grand old time. Ennis is by Mountain Pearl and is out of our Magrathea (by Ten Yard Star xx).

Last but certainly not least we have Maggie

2011-07-10T19:44:00.003-05:00

Here's the old lady keeping up with the young'uns

Magrathea by Ten Yard Star xx out of mare of unknown breeding

Ellie from today

2011-07-10T19:38:00.004-05:00

Ellie was coming to a halt after galloping down a steep hill -- that's why her hind end looks the way it does

Padi's Classic Elegance by Mountain Pearl out of Loguestown Classic by Annaghdown Star

Una today

2011-07-10T19:32:00.004-05:00

Una greeting Grania after a few months separated

Padi's Copper Bling by Mountain Pearl out of Incredustar xx by Ten Yard Star xx

photo of Grania today

2011-07-10T19:25:00.004-05:00

Shuttlewood Rose by Silver Granite out of Diamond Shuttle by Cream of Diamonds

Abbeyleix Imagination

2011-07-02T13:40:00.003-05:00

Valerie shared this photo of Abbey (Abbeyleix Imagination by Moorpark Image out of Pearls for Diana by Mountain Pearl). She says:

A friend borrowed Abbey (Abbeyleix Imagination RID) for her mount at a Medieval reenactment equestrian event. Doesn't my girl look regal?

What exactly is a warmblood?

2011-06-22T21:11:00.008-05:00

An inset in an article that appeared on page 82 in the January 2010 Equine Journal posed the question What exactly is a Warmblood? The response was written by Tonya Grant-Barber and follows here:

Warmbloods are a group of middle-weight horse types and breeds, primarily originating

in Europe, registered with organizations that are characterized by open studbook selection

and the aim of breeding for equestrian sport. The term distinguishes these horses from both

heavy draft horses (cold bloods) and refined light saddle horses such as the Thoroughbred

and Arabian (hot bloods). Warmbloods not based in continental Europe are the American

Warmbloods and the Irish Sport Horse.

Open studbook policies separate most warmbloods from all other breeds that have closed

studbooks and require two purebred parents. Most warmblood registries accept horses from

other breeding stock to continuously improve their own horses. The Trakehner is an exception;

This horse is considered a 'true breed'. I find that they can be stiff with a straighter movement

from the shoulder and a bit too straight in the hind legs making it hard for them to bend their

hocks; however, on the positive side, I have found many Trakehners to be good at passage, a

difficult Grand Prix movement. Having said that please note that 'open book' warmblood registries do combine Trakehners into their breeding program.

The most important characteristic of a warmblood registry is that the breeding goal is to

breed sport horses. Most breed primarily for show jumping, dressage, combined driving, and

eventing. The old fashioned, heavier type warmbloods have found their niche as family horses

and in combined driving.

This sentence bears repeating: "The most important characteristic of a warmblood registry is that its breeding goal is to breed sport horses". What is the breeding goal of the Irish Draught studbook? The Irish Sport Horse (or Irish Draught Sport Horse in the USA) is the sport horse or warmblood. They are specifically bred for sport.

I believe the Irish Draught is a 'true breed'. Like the Trakehner, some thoroughbred blood is allowed but it is not an open book. I also believe that the Irish Draught is not being treated as a true breed by any of the organizations that are charged with the breed's preservation. I would even go so far as to say that a lot of what occurs in the breeding of Irish Draughts is contrary to it's preservation and it's continued existence as a true breed.

........to be continued

The Equine Journal is available online in full text. The link is :

http://www.equinejournal.com/equine-magazine/

Regalia Prince Arthur RID aka Tristan

2011-06-18T22:11:00.004-05:00

Mr. Tristan is off to a new adventure. We trailered him up to Whispering Pointe Farm in Michigan. He is now in the very capable hands of Martha Denver. She will be continuing and advancing his training and has plans to breed some of her mares to him. His traditional type and small size are ideal for all of the waaay too tall Irish Draughts that have been produced in recent years.

People always seem to say that it is best to keep Irish Draughts busy because if they get bored they can find all sorts of trouble to get into. Tristan proved this to be true. On the long (9 hour? 10 hour?) drive we found it necessary to stop on the shoulder of the interstate numerous times (10 or so). It is incredibly frightening to look in the side mirror while traveling 65 miles an hour to discover that the side 'people escape' door is open. The first time it happens you assume that you probably just hadn't gotten it closed quite tightly enough. When it happens again you decide that Tristan has somehow learned how to unlatch it. We tried locking the door to no avail. He still opened it. After we closed it again, we tried to open it but couldn't because it was locked???? We then resorted to tying him in such a way that his head had to stay toward the center of the trailer. He still managed to open the door. Perhaps he's a magician as well? All I know is that I was a nervous wreck and exhausted by the time we reached Martha's place.

There are 2 Pearls within 15 minutes or so from Whispering Pointe so Martha took us over there after Tristan was settled into his new stall. Tom and Marcia were very gracious, have a gorgeous place and have two fabulous Irish Draught geldings. We got to see Liam (Padi's Granite Summit) and Kieran(Padi's Granite Partner)looking pretty darn grown up now. Liam is full of himself as he always was and know he is drop dead gorgeous. Kieran is the same old practical joker. Tom told us a story about his morning. It turns out that somehow the electrical fence was out. Tom went out to check it out. While he was working on fixing it Kieran sauntered up, put his foot in the water trough and splashed away. Tom just happened to be right next to the water trough. He ended up soaking wet and Kieran had a good laugh.

It was wonderful to see all four of them again. If we hadn't been drop dead exhausted it would have been great fun to stay and chat. As it was we needed to go to bed because we had an equally long drive home. It was a nice drive home -- too long of course. It was a much less stressful drive when you didn't have to worry about the door popping open at any time.

Alanna video :)

2011-06-10T10:37:00.003-05:00

Here's a new Alanna video that my sister Pat put together. Registered name -- Loguestown Classic

And the Pearls keep winning!

2011-06-07T22:34:00.005-05:00

Results are in from the past weekend's Indiana Eventing Association Horse Trials, T3DE/N3DE

Congratulations to Lynn and Bonnie (Seelie Court) for finishing the 3 day and bringing home the purple

Sarah and Rooney (Padi's Copper Flash) held their 2nd place dressage score to finish clear in stadium and XC at training level

Andria and Danny (Mountain Blues) place 3rd at IP which I'm told is Intermediate dressage and show jumping and Preliminary XC

Bravo one and all!

Jasper

2011-05-24T08:13:00.005-05:00

GOOD NEWS!!!

My sister Pat received confirmation that Jasper is fine. She says: "Jasper is FINE!!!!! Fat and happy and ruling his barn. His trainer has been out of town for 2 weeks and just came home to find the messages."

Jasper now lives in Webb City Missouri. Webb City is less than 10 miles north of Joplin. We have been trying to get information on his and his family and friends well being but have been unsuccessful so far.

Jasper is Dandelion Jazz Man by Mountain Pearl out of Heathercombe Silver Satin

Pearl news

2011-05-22T23:11:00.005-05:00

Mary Hansen emailed to let us know about her 'Pearl'. She reports: "Danny (Mountain Blues) is doing nicely at Prelim and will be doing his first CIC* at Fox River Valley in June. Here's a picture from cross country at Longview May 14. He LOVES the water!" He sure looks happy in this photo. I think he likes his work. :) Congratulations to Mary and Danny.

We'll start with Brian

2011-05-09T22:11:00.004-05:00

Brian Donn by Regalia Prince Arthur out of our 1/2 TB mare Magrathea

He's a nicely proportioned substantial 2 year old. He's built to last. He's the kind of horse that used to be very easy to find but not any longer.

Look for a few new photos

2011-05-09T15:10:00.002-05:00

Had a nice day -- took 3 mares down the road to the leased pasture and had the youngsters looking cute -- still some winter coat but much better.

Tristan in April 2011 :)

2011-04-26T21:42:00.002-05:00

Regalia Prince Arthur

Mountain Pearl making his name as performance sire

2011-04-03T12:57:00.005-05:00

Double Pearl owner and good friend Marcia passed on some good news that she ran across. She and good friend Mary Jo always find things like this. I relay on them and other owners to keep me up on various competitions. Looking through placings and following competitions put me to sleep -- I don't have much interest in them. Free and Clear is an Irish Draught sport horse by Mountain Pearl out of a lovely thoroughbred mare and was bred by the Douglases of Pairadox Farm of Canada. He has been doing very well in the eventing world and was ridden by Philip Dutton for one year. 2010 appears to have been a real stellar one for him and his owner Colleen Hofstetter. Free and Clear was awarded the 2010 Silver Stirrup award for eventing. :) Congratulations to Keith and Elizabeth and Colleen and enjoy the accolades. While I was there I thought I'd check on the list of leading eventing sires for 2010. Success! Mountain Pearl placed 28th in the USEF Leading Eventing Sires of 2010. I saw 3 purebred Irish Draughts on the list. Mountain Pearl was 28th, Clover Hill was 34th and Banks Fee Daniel was 200th. Does one proud -- Mountain Pearl is making his name as a performance sire. Not surprisingly, I hear from Ireland about the good jumpers that he is producing as well.

As promised - Aoife video

2011-03-30T20:47:00.002-05:00

Aoife has a playmate!

Woo hoo!!! I just received some Aoife photos!

2011-03-30T13:36:00.005-05:00

Dear Aoife is turning into a wonderful Irish Draught as I had hoped. She is Regalia Prince Arthur's (aka Tristan) 1st (and only unfortunately) purebred ID. She is out of our lovely mare Shuttlewood Rose (Grania) I'm grinning from ear to ear.

Aoife's registered name is Padi's Granite Charm

I'm excited and thrilled.

Like father, like son

2011-03-03T22:46:00.005-06:00

The inspectors at Tristan's inspection said that he looked exactly like his sire had at the same age. Here's a couple of photos that indicate they might be right. It's quite uncanny.

Cork Arthur

Regalia Prince Arthur

Running out of titles for these

2011-02-17T21:08:00.003-06:00

Sorry -- no pictures. It's an unillustrated blog this time.

Dr. Deb's been at it again! She is the greatest. She did a couple of columns on the head which were interesting. Basically -- don't try to put an Arab head on another horse. (duh) She also included a Guess the breed test with pictures of heads and you had to decide what breed it was. It wasn't multiple choice and I didn't do very well alas. Just got the newest Equus magazine today in the mail and the article this month is on the Source of Power. I'm looking forward to this one.

Judy Wardrope's Conformation Corner in the Jan/Feb 2011 Warmbloods Today feature is intriguing and of great interest because of the breed of horses she was comparing. She had pictures of 2 Irish Sport Horse geldings that were related through the sire line. One was a winner in international eventing and the other that she says isn't built for international competition. A brief glance and they look remarkably similar so it was remarkable to find out what she thought made the difference As we all know, sadly many Irish Sport Horses have no Irish Draught in their blood. I don't know about these 2 geldings. There was no mention of Irish draughts at all. Someone who follows international competitions might know what horse it is. The clues given:
--5th in Young Horse World Championships in 2006
--youngest horse to win an FEI World Cup Event qualifier (2007)
--Member of the gold medal team at 2008 Olympics
--Competed in the 2010 WEG
The other competed nationally in the Young Event Horse category finishing 4th.

I've been meaning to mention this for sometime but just haven't gotten to it. The Nov/Dec 2010 issue of Warmbloods Today in an article entitled "Allison's Amazing Comeback"(Allison was a grand prix show jumper), there was mention of two new horses that the rider Callan Solem was working with now. One of them was Magic Cruise. Magic Cruise was described as a Belgian-bred Selle Francais by Cruising. I don't know about you but I find it extremely irritating that Cruising's Irish bloodlines (much less his Irish Draught bloodlines) are not mentioned. Instead of trying to destroy the Irish Draught horse why can't the HSI market the Irish draught better? Emphasize what makes the ID unique and so very special. Who the heck wants another continental warmblood? The world is glutted with them as it is.

grumble, grumble, grumble.

Be sure and let me know if you've figured out who the aforementioned horse is! :)

Calum, Brian and some stuff

2011-01-02T22:23:00.004-06:00

Someone asked about Brian and Calum and their heights so I measured them this evening. Calum is currently 15 hh and Brian is 15.1 hh. I am finding that more and more people are looking for smaller horses these days. I find that refreshing. I should have measured Banner too but I didn't think of it until I was back in the house. Duh

I've been thinking about warmbloods. What constitutes a warmblood? I reckon I'll get around to writing about it eventually.

Dr. Bennett's latest article in the series was about the horse's head. Needless to say, she was pleased with the idea of changing a breed's head type to suit fashion. I couldn't agree more. She is going to continue on the subject of equine heads in the next issue I believe.

I continue to procrastinate and haven't sent in the paperwork and fee for the registration of the two remaining youngsters. I read an interesting blurb about the difference between how buffalo and cows react to a storm. Supposedly the buffalo runs toward the storm and gets through it more quickly than the cow that tries to run away from it. I need to become a buffalo I think.....

Incredustar 1994-2010

2010-12-15T08:17:00.004-06:00

Incredustar by Ten Yard Star out of Lucy F by Incredulous

"Portia"

1994-2010

McKaulfey's Pearl

2010-11-21T11:47:00.002-06:00

Ambra Pira and her "Pearl" named McKaulfey's Pearl placed 4th at the Texas Rose November Horse Trials. If I remember correctly it is her 1st recognized horse trial. I'm hoping that her mother Angie shares some photos and/or video! Way to go Alfie!!! :)

Flagged abusive

2010-11-20T14:48:00.001-06:00

I've been told the blog was flagged as abusive by someone. It's nice to know it isn't any longer

Organizational image, behavior and public relations

2010-11-19T19:46:00.006-06:00

I read a lot and it is almost exclusively nonfiction. When I start a book of fiction I have to continue to read it until I've completed it. That means I stay up very, very late and don't get enough sleep. I can't put a good book down. I started to read up on management ideas, styles etc. because there are a ton of bad managers and some of them ended up being mine. It piqued my interest and then it lead to organizational behavior etc. Anyway, a heck of a lot of it is just plain common sense.

I was in a conversation about organizations with someone today so it's been on my mind. We were talking about negative public images, how they occur, why they occur etc. An organization (corporation, non-profit, etc.) can slip into a negative public image quickly and unnoticed. If you have rude, incompetent, or arrogant people that deal with your clients/customers/patrons/members you are asking for trouble. A customer's first impression of the organization is often created by one of these people. The person may already have an opinion about you before they've had any contact with you. But one way or another you want people's first contact with the organization to be pleasant.

What a person perceives the organization to be may or may not be true but that is irrelevant because perception is reality. If the person encounters a rude arrogant employee they will perceive you to be rude/nasty/unfriendly/unapproachable/unhelpful --- the list is endless. The powers that be (board, management, officers whatever) set the tone for the entire organization. If the board reacts or responds to problems by trying to cover things up, attempting to keep people quiet so word doesn't get out, or worse censure/punish/fine someone (employee,member/client) word will get out and immediately you've gotten another negative impression by the public/other members/clients etc. So they think you're nasty because the person(s) they had experience with or heard about, and now on top of that they think you are spiteful and vindictive. You can keep digging yourself into an unending spiral of bad to worse perceptions. The more you hit back, become defensive, retaliate the worse you look.

So what should you do? First and foremost you need to set your ego aside. You already know what is wrong with your organization, you have just been unwilling to accept the information. The complaints about your employees, the lack of service, the rudeness are actually gifts. The complaints or other things you've been trying and failing to keep quiet tell you exactly what is wrong and all you need to do is decide how you are going to fix them. Stop the knee jerk response of censuring people and listen to them instead. Decide to be an organization that provides quality, friendly service and then do it. Easier said then done of course but it is doable.

I think Bill Gates said it best - "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." It's your choice. Do you continue down the negative path or can you turn it all around and completely change the image you have created?

A super condensed version I guess. Whew, now maybe I can move on and think about something more 'on topic'. LOL

Some stuff

2010-11-18T22:16:00.005-06:00

It's been awhile since posting anything. I blame facebook :)

Brody had a long, long trip but was none the worse for wear. There was food during and after the trip so he was happy. I guess he settled in quickly and was very gentle when he met the young daughter. The biggest new thing for him was the tricycle moving up and down the barn aisle. We don't have any little kids riding tricycles. He's seen kids when visitors included children but none of them ever brought their tricycle with them.

Marcia reports that Kieran has started his new job. He has been ridden for the first time and did wonderfully. Marcia has him looking fabulous. I keep forgetting to ask if he and brother Liam get along now. When Kieran first arrived Liam didn't seem to like him -- or maybe he just didn't like having new competition. ;-)

I made some decisions about the 2011 breeding season. Tristan will be standing stud April and May only so anyone interested in breeding to him will need to move quickly! The stud fee is $1000 except for purebred Irish Draught mares. The stud fee for RID mares is by private treaty. I have taken Una off the market and plan to breed her next year. I have officially retired Maggie and Portia. They both have earned retirement. The decision to breed Ellie, Alanna and Grania is still up in the air.

Brody

2010-11-16T01:45:00.002-06:00

Brody just left on his next big adventure. He is off to a fabulous new home in Canada. We worked on familiarizing him with the Canadian dialect this week. He's got the 'eh' down perfectly. :)

The Spiderman

2010-11-02T20:18:00.003-05:00

Spider just left for his new home in California. He was his typical sensible self, loaded nicely and then started on his hay. I'm hoping that his winter coat won't cause him too much trouble in the warmer climate. :) So long sweet boy.

Brian video

2010-10-21T21:09:00.002-05:00

Padi's Brian Donn

by Regalia Prince Arthur RID out of Magrathea by Ten Yard Star xx

Padi's Brian Donn

2010-10-19T08:40:00.005-05:00

Padi's Brian Donn

by Regalia Prince Arthur out of Magrathea by Ten Yard Star xx

Newest Banner video

2010-10-13T09:48:00.003-05:00

Padi's Classic Banner

by Silver Granite out of Loguestown Classic by Annaghdown Star

New Banner photos

2010-10-10T12:17:00.004-05:00

Padi's Classic Banner aka Banner

by Silver Granite out of Loguestown Classic by Annaghdown Star

Calum

2010-10-08T22:56:00.004-05:00

Padi's Copper Key aka Calum
Some still shots from video taken recently

New Spider video

2010-10-07T20:55:00.005-05:00

Here's new photo and video of Padi's Colman Select aka Spider

Sigh

2010-10-05T09:59:00.003-05:00

The registration papers that I was told would be mailed on Wednesday September 29th haven't been sent yet because I hadn't told them whether they should send it by regular or traceable mail.

Brody

2010-10-04T08:08:00.005-05:00

It has finally stopped raining every other day so the ground managed to dry out a bit. Bruce, Pat and I took advantage of that Saturday and took some videos. First video to be completed is Brody! :)

...the saga continues

2010-09-29T22:47:00.003-05:00

The IDHS NA board liaison for registrations emailed me after reading these entries. She proceeded through a timeline of this registration which was of course not news to me. I'm not sure but I think she thought it was a defense for the length of time it was taking for this registration. The email didn't explain why it took a month and 2 phone calls from me for them to perform a 5 to 10 minute task. It was in their timeline as 1 month- really. The email indicated that it was the sire's dna that was 'lost' not the mare's as I was told at least twice and maybe more on the telephone. I believe that customer service is not number 1 when it comes to this organization but I guess I knew that already. Once I get this registration completed I still have 2 more to submit and suffer through. O joy. Please pray for me and my continuing sanity....

I was watching my Maggie eat tonight -- looking at her & how she is showing her age - getting gray (not as in a gray horse but as in aging). It reminded me that one of the owners of a Maggie offspring asked me about some white hairs in the flank of their horse and wondered if it was most likely from Maggie's dam. I don't remember answering and I don't remember who asked me the question. It is my opinion that those few white hairs come from Maggie's sire actually. Maggie has some white hairs on her flanks and the telltale white at the top of her tail. If this Maggie offspring also has white at the top of the tail as well it is most likely the same thing. I never had Maggie tested but I believe this to be the rabicano gene. You can do a search for more information in any search engine.

Latest

2010-09-27T08:11:00.002-05:00

After the last post I made on Friday I received a phone call from IDHS NA office. They were closed but still there. They received the results from the DNA. :) They said they would make up the book and mail on Wednesday. Not sure what that means since website indicates office open MTW F when I looked last week sometime. Time will tell

I had waited before mentioning the three legged cat since I figured he was just stopping for a rest and some food. Once he had been here for a long enough period of time I felt safe mentioning him. Of course he disappeared a few days after my post that mentioned him and hasn't been back. sigh

Office closed

2010-09-24T13:39:00.003-05:00

The IDHS NA office is closed for the day and I have nothing else to report. I guess I'll call again on Monday and nag. For any of you that think I'm being really hard and unfair to them, this is just the newest problem I've had with registration and this organization. I won't bore you with all of them. I will say that the last registrations I submitted took A YEAR and A HALF for them to process and deliver to me. So all and all, I think they've gotten off really easily. Bruce will probably spit when he hears of today's events.

I was working on getting burrs out of Brian's mane and tail last night - oops -- ummm-- I don't really have burrs at my place. What am I saying? ;) Let me start again. I was combing out Brian's mane and tail last night -- it took some time since he had it all twisted up. He turned around to see what I was doing with his tail. I swear his head and expression looked exactly like his momma's. It was kind of a shock because I hadn't noticed the resemblance at all previously. He is a wonderful guy. He is a bit uncomfortable with new people or things. He takes a while to adjust. I suspect that he will be a one person horse and that he'll prefer women to men ... but then I've been wrong before. :-) Time will tell.

The saga continues

2010-09-24T12:02:00.002-05:00

News! The registration officer has now resent the dna info of the mare to the lab! The excuse I'm given is that the lab made a big move recently and seemed to have misplaced some horses' dna results. It's been happening a lot to her lately. She says that the last one she resent only took 26 minutes for the results to come back.

Now what does this tell us? This wasn't a new or unique problem. It took a very short time to pull the dna info for the mare and send it. Hmmmmm perhaps this could have occurred last week when I called instead of requiring me to call yet again to get the status on this registration.

I won't rejoice once the dna results come back though because that won't be the end of it. I wish I could scream at work but they would probably frown on that. :(

Registration update

2010-09-24T10:43:00.002-05:00

I called the IDHS NA yet again today. When I called last week I was told by the registration officer (who I was talking to) would call the lab and find out what was going on. Today, I was told the same thing so nothing was done about this problem in that week. I'm about to the point that I think I have to call them and badger them every day until they solve this problem

The IDHS NA dna typed and registered my mare
The IDHS NA dna typed and registered her previous foals
The IDHS NA says the mare isn't dna typed so the newest foal can't be registered as a purebred

When did paperwork become rocket science? I must have missed something...

grrrrrrrr grumble grumble grumble

Painted noses

2010-09-18T20:32:00.004-05:00

I managed to get photos of the painted noses -- Brian didn't have enough to bother photographing. Here we have Banner and Calum -- 3 or 4 days after the contact with the wet paint.

Registration

2010-09-15T09:30:00.003-05:00

One is always told that you need to keep your sense of humor in difficult times. I try very very hard even though a rain cloud seems to be hovering over me when it comes to registering my horses with the IDHS NA. I don't know if I have been cursed or if there is a voodoo doll of me or something but it is a neverending debacle. I won't entertain you with all of the problems I've suffered over the years, I'll just mention my newest.

The hair of the yearling was submitted to the IDHSNA and they sent it to the lab for DNA testing. It came back as sire verified but that they reported that they don't have the DNA of the mare on record. Sigh. The mare was registered with the IDHSNA and DNA verified when she was foal. She has since had 3 foals. The first two were DNA verified and recorded. Now all of the sudden they don't have her DNA so the 3rd foal isn't eligible to be registered as a purebred.

I need to sign off and weep now............

It's fall

2010-09-12T22:49:00.005-05:00

I noticed that a few of the horses sported a little fuzzy hair today. The onset of winter coats.

I had my usual trunk in the barn but hadn't needed anything from it for quite awhile. I opened it up the other day and discovered that it was moist and moldy inside. There was nothing liquid in it, it was just waaaaay too humid this summer. It felt just like after the flood of 2008 -- get the bleach out and start cleaning. At least it was sunny today so things could be put out in the sun besides. I ended up having to toss a lot of stuff but saved most of it.

All of my horses want something to do -- they are bored. Bruce paint a bit of a new section of fence. We use asphalt paint-- it's black and actually has some asphalt in it. It helps to preserve the wood so it will last longer -- and it tastes yukky so the horses will leave stuff alone. Well.... Brian, Banner and expecially Calum thought they would help Bruce to spread the paint . Poor Calum got so much on his nose he was snorting and sneezing trying to remove it.

We have had a three legged tomcat move in. All our cats are neutered of course so he isn't here for anything other than food and company. And of course both of us are suckers for cats. Bruce calls him Charlie and I call him K.C. (for kitty cat). I don't know how this guy has survived. He is large and healthy (for a nomadic tomcat). And he seems to have avoided the coyotes all this time because he isn't a young cat -- he's full grown. Our neutered male cat Derek is not very happy at the moment. The two of them have had a few stand offs already and all the females swat him.

Conformation

2010-09-07T13:22:00.003-05:00

The September/October 2010 issue of Warmbloods Today includes the regular conformation column by Judy Wardrope. Ms. Wardrope has taken a high level horse in each column and discussed the points of its conformation that allow it to exceed at whatever sport he/she competes. The focus of this issue's column is the 20 year old Selle Francais stallion Cabri d'Elle. He has jumped in "33 nation cups, two European championships and one World Cup Final, and is still competing in the 1.60-meter division at the age of 20". She discusses the parts of his construction that enable his ability and longevity.
I find her insights enlightening to say the least and hope that I can retain at least some of what she has to offer her readers!

Calum

2010-08-22T13:15:00.009-05:00

Padi's Copper Key

"Calum"

Calum is for sale. He's going to make someone very happy. :)

New inspection system

2010-08-18T14:14:00.006-05:00

Just rereading the 2010 HSI Inspection Results

http://www.horsesportireland.ie/breeding/hsi-stallions-inspections-2010.6928.html

They are as horrifying as I predicted. IMO all of the Irish Draught preservationists participated in the largest massacre of the Irish draught breed since thousands of them were sent to slaughter. These once lovely animals are being 'improved' out of existence. It's the old rule, be careful what you wish for because it just might come true.

Appalling, absolutely appalling

Banner

2010-08-11T20:44:00.004-05:00

Folks have been wondering what Banner looks like now and how gray she is. I need to really get some photos taken but meanwhile here's one to tide you over. :)

Padi's Classic Banner by Silver Granite out of Loguestown Classic by Annaghdown Star

More Mountain Pearl offspring success

2010-08-01T12:01:00.005-05:00

Catalpa Corner Charity Horse Trial July 31-August 1

Mountain Blues
By Mountain Pearl out of Pennmeryl's Groovy Blues by Touch of the Blues out of a Diamond King mare
Placed 7th in Open Preliminary. Ridden by Andria Pooley. Mountain Blue is owned by Mary Hansen. He was bred by Liz Freeman of Flying Harp Farm

This is the only photo I could find. If I find a newer ones I'll add it later.

Names & dressage

2010-06-22T20:41:00.003-05:00

I finally (over a year after birth) decided on names for Brian and Calum. I can't believe it has taken so long.
Calum is Padi's Copper Key and Brian is Padi's Brian Donn

Padi's Copper Flash aka Rooney went to the Iowa Dressage Classic this past weekend and performed spectacularly. He was ridden by his long time trainer Sarah Hauschild. He placed 1st and 3rd in 1st level tests 3 & 4 with scores of 219/62.571% and 253/66.579%. It was hot and humid which makes it even more exciting. Congratulations to Rooney, Sarah and Rooney's owner Gary Strank.

Paddy's Pride

2010-06-21T12:26:00.007-05:00

Paddy's Pride by Kilmore Heather out of Casting Vote by Tara

Tristan

2010-06-16T12:46:00.006-05:00

I noticed that I haven't put anything out about Tristan recently. Looking at photos I realized that there was one that I hadn't put out yet but that's okay. His hind end is an accurate depiction but his front end is out of whack. I keep telling myself that I need to clean him up and get some photos taken. And then it rains. I'll get it done someday... Meanwhile this is back in February!

Kieran

2010-06-14T13:38:00.008-05:00

I received some photos of Kieran. He's settled into his posh new home and looking like a prince!

Kieran is Padi's Granite Partner by Mountain Pearl and out of Shuttlewood Rose (by Silver Granite)

Happenings at Fox Hollow

2010-05-19T13:22:00.007-05:00

Gelding day went well. Brian, Calum and Spider were gelded. We postponed Brody's castration. He is looking wonderful -- good bone and balance, well conformed with a fabulous Mountain Pearl temperament. He continues to look more like Mountain Pearl himself than any of his other colts have. We gave Spider another look and decided that he might make an average stallion but as a gelding he should be smashing. Tough decisions but I believe we made the right ones.

Aoife will be leaving for her new home on Saturday if all goes according to plan. It was finally dry enough and warm enough to bathe her. After work last night I gave her the first bath. She was very well behaved, although she did get a little antsy toward the end. She thought I was taking way too long and I needed to finish as there was grass to eat and horses to boss around. On my end I can say that I got the top layer or two of dirt off of her so I made progress. She still has a bit of her winter coat left which makes keeping her clean more difficult.

Miss Aoife has declared herself queen of the universe this year. She has a taste for the high life. She's going to love getting lots of attention from her new human. She won't have to stand in line amongst the more common horses for anything at her new home. She is definitely one heck of a filly and should grow up to be one of the best RID mares in the world. Lovely conformation, bone and substance. We couldn't be more pleased with her.

Conor

2010-05-04T14:25:00.007-05:00

A few days ago Conor suffered a debilitating leg injury. He was treated quickly but after observing the healing process it was determined that too much of his flesh was devitalized. His injury was so severe that he would not be servicable after his recovery. He was euthanized today.

So long Conor....

Gelding day at Fox Hollow

2010-05-03T14:45:00.003-05:00

We have scheduled four colts to be gelded on Thursday, May 6th. They are:

Brody - Padi's Classic Brogue by Mountain Pearl out of Loguestown Classic by Annaghdown Star

Spider -- Padi's Colman Select by Mountain Pearl out of Heathercombe Cousin Rachel by Fintan Himself

Brian by Regalia Prince Arthur out of Magrathea by Ten Yard Star xx

Calum by Regalia Prince Arthur out of Incredustar by Ten Yard Star xx

Kieran

2010-04-26T08:13:00.002-05:00

Kieran traveled to his new home yesterday. He survived bumpy roads and downpours on his 10 hours or so journey. In typical "Pearls" fashion he traveled like a trooper even though he hadn't trailered more than 1/2 or so at one time. The reward at the end was a deeply bedded stall and top of the line hay. Kieran joins his big brother Liam in this heavenly home and they all lived happily ever after.

:-D

Orchid Star

2010-04-21T09:15:00.004-05:00

Lovely mare with fabulous pedigree. I located her with a little help from a friend. All I know about her is that she was born in 1989. Her sire is Gort Boy (by Grey Macha out of Pink Carnation) and her dam is Harriet (by Sir Henry II out of Celtic Banner). Even in this photo she demonstrates why Gort Boy is one of my favorite RID stallions. I wonder what purebred stallions she was bred to and where those foals ended up.....

Cork Arthur and color

2010-04-07T12:35:00.005-05:00

I obtained hair from Cork Arthur for color testing when I had Tristan tested for Dun zygosity. I have heard that there is a lot of conjecture about his color genetics on a yahoo list or some place similar.
No more need for conjecture.

UC Davis reported the following:
Cork Arthur is e/e A/A N/N(cream)

To interpret -- every offspring of Cork Arthur inherits one Agouti gene and one gene for the red factor.

William Micklem

2010-03-30T11:28:00.003-05:00

I found William Micklem's blog and started to read it. Extremely informative and tons to digest. Just a snippet of the little that I have read:

"THE SUPERSTAR FOR THE AVERAGE PLEASURE RIDER

To finish I need to emphasize something of the greatest importance. Although I have been in the main writing about elite horse breeding, it is undoubtedly true that MOST OF US DON’T WANT OR NEED AN ELITE PERFORMER …this I recognise totally. I know that many of us are safer with smaller and less high-powered horses, as long as they have a good temperament…but the key point is that these horses can be bred as well. I’ll write more about this over the next two weeks, but in the meantime thank goodness for all the thousands of superstar pleasure riding horses and ponies. They bring as much if not more joy and satisfaction than an elite performer and they are at the heart of both real horsemanship and good sport. Happy Days, William"

Amen to that William

Tristan video

2010-03-04T22:47:00.002-06:00

At long last

My tips for presenting your horse for inspection - by request

2010-03-03T13:15:00.006-06:00

Cait asked for advice on inspections. I can pass on what I’ve learned – some of which I've learned the hard way.

1. Have your horse clean, braided and well prepared.
2. If the horse to be inspected is a purebred do NOT clip the legs. The judges/inspectors note the texture, amount and location of the hair. It is tradition to keep the purebred ID’s legs clipper free at all times – showing etc.
3. Earlier in the year, have the young horse’s wolf teeth removed so that the bit can sit in the mouth correctly.
4. Make sure the bridle and bit fit properly – practice with them on. Use a noseband. If you are going to use a lead with a chain on it, practice with the chain. If you’re going to use the reins, practice with the reins. From my observations, the Irish use a bright white lunge line, when showing in hand or at inspections (and I’ve always wondered how the heck they keep those lunge lines so clean!).
5. Do NOT wear riding boots. You can’t run properly in them and will just hold the horse’s movement back. Wear something neat but comfortable to move in
6. Keep the horse between you and the judges/inspectors. That means when going down the line at a walk or trot, you will be on the left side of the horse. When you negotiate the turn at the end of the line you will remain on the left side of the horse. You will ask the horse to turn away from you to the right. Hold your hand or a whip up and out to signal the horse to turn away from you. I wear white gloves to reinforce the signal. Practice this. It’s not something you normally do so you need to practice it.
7. To a very great extent, the horse’s stride is determined by the handler’s stride. Warmblood presenters take big free strides to encourage their horse to display the stride at its best. Quarter horse presenters take short mincing steps so that the horse is barely jogging. For the ID, large free floating steps are the goal so keep that in mind. Faster is not always bigger – keep a good tempo with big steps but don’t race.
8. You should carry a whip/crop for the purpose of directing the horse’s turning. Do NOT use it to encourage the horse to trot or move out. The action of moving your arm behind you and tapping the horse behind will cause the horse to move away from the whip. When the horse moves away from the whip he becomes crooked and the judges/inspectors are looking for straight, correct movement. Instead, bring a helper – preferably one that you have practiced with beforehand. The helper can carry a whip to encourage the horse to move out when necessary. I recommend practicing because there is a fine line between encouraging the horse to lengthen stride and making the horse race away from the whip out of fright. Use the amount of encouragement needed to get the response you want and no more.
9. When traveling the line away and toward the judges/inspectors focus on something straight ahead (fence post, tree, whatever there is in the distance you can use) and keep your eyes on that thing. It will help you to remain straight.

The American Hanoverian Society has a video about preparing and presenting a horse in hand. It is excellent but may not be worth the price since so much of it is about tracking around the triangle and the Irish inspections don’t involve that. If you have a place where you can rent this video all the better. Until the 2008 flood we had a fabulous saddle shop that rented out horse videos and DVDs. They had a great collection and the AHS video was part of it. I sure miss that store. Anyway, the video is:
AHS Video – "Preparation, Presentation and Judge’s Perception" $28.00
An excellent guide for presenting horses in hand.
The AHS has the video for sale on their website. It may also be available elsewhere but I didn’t look.

Now that I’ve put my thoughts down in black and white, the next time you see me presenting a horse for inspection you can watch and decide if I practice what I preach. :-D

Tristan jumping

2010-03-02T12:24:00.007-06:00

The Tristan jumping video will appear. I wasn't all that excited about the last one we took -- I knew he could do LOTS better. This past weekend, we did another free jumping session and it is much, much better so it might actually get edited and released before long!!!! To placate all of you who have emailed asking when it's coming out here's a still captured from the video.

Message to CAIT -- My inspection tips are almost done and will be posted shortly...

More Dr. Deb

2010-02-24T14:00:00.003-06:00

The February 2010 Equus brings an article in the conformation insights series by Dr. Deb Bennett. “Seeing excellence” is another sensible, clearly written article. “A judge should be knowledgeable concerning bone structure, yet I have seen champions made of horses with a massive silhouette but insubstantial or badly articulated limbs.” And I say: yeah, tell me about it!
In discussing halter classes, Dr. Deb notes that often the horse is given less than two minutes’ total evaluation. “This leads to what I consider a cardinal sin in livestock judging: picking faults (because they can be enumerated quickly) rather than picking horses”. She is also concerned that people new to the horse world and looking for a family or all around mount, often mistake champion halter horses as the best in the show. Again I quote Dr. Deb: “When the top prize is given to such a horse, we know nothing certain about his temperament, trainability, aptitude for a particular type of work or potential for ongoing soundness”.
Personally, I am a wee bit worried about any changes in inspections of Irish Draughts. The current inspection process is less than ideal but it is far better than judging them as if they were just livestock. Livestock are not asked nor are they expected to do even a fraction of what horses are.
I was speaking to a long time friend of mine about the series and I found out that Dr. Deb Bennett was at Upmier’s Stables in the ‘80s. (It was at a time before I made the fateful decision to buy a pregnant thoroughbred mare and plunged back into the horse world). Dr. Deb used the TB stallion Weather Ruler as the equine model for her talk. I sure wish I had been there for that session. I had the honor of meeting Weather Ruler at one of our Beaver Dam Riding School reunions at Upmier’s. He was one heck of a nice thoroughbred. Those who are used to European TBs can’t appreciate just how difficult it is to find a good riding TB horse here – particularly in Iowa. Weather Ruler had a leg at each corner, good bone, balanced conformation, fabulous rear engine and a decent temperament. I have one very mediocre photo of him and that’s all unfortunately.
I just have to add this little bit from Dr. Deb’s November 2009 Equus article. “The expected useful life span of racehorses, especially stayers, has declined greatly in recent years. In the last quarter of the 19th century it was not unusual to find stayers who were still winning not only races but championships past the age of 12. Today according to Jockey Club statistics, the average number of lifetime starts for Thoroughbreds is between 6 and 10 races. Obviously, durability is not an important factor in racehorse selection.”

It is reassuring to have your thoughts and ideas validated by respected experts.

Inspections -- pearls of wisdom

2010-02-12T13:09:00.002-06:00

I’ve been thinking about posting something new while not actually sitting down to entering the data. So here I go.

A friend passed something from the Irish Draught Horse Society of Canada on to me. She knew I would love to see the write up that included the inspection of our spectacular gelding Padi’s Granite Summit aka Liam. She was right about that and he does indeed have a “ nice step”. (You'll need to read the report to understand that). I was also interested in the report of inspections because it included some wise words.

“Over the week the inspectors found they were repeating a few comments. I too found I was saying a few things over and over again, so here is some food for thought for members, particularly for those planning to present horses for inspection in the future:
1) Inspections are about suitability for breeding Irish, and not necessarily about suitability for competition.

2) Inspections are about what is seen on that day

3) Breeding is about matching the best to the best and hoping for the best.”

Here’s the link:
http://content.breederoo.com/users/IDHS/files/Inspection-Tour-2009-report-to-members.pdf

It does make me ponder once again, the advisability of inspecting sport horses and geldings. If the inspections are about “breeding Irish” and not suitability for competition, why does the IDHSNA include these?

Hay auctions part two

2010-02-12T12:41:00.003-06:00

I did indeed go to the Kalona sales barn the next day. The atmosphere was different than at Frytown. The cattle auction was occurring at the same time as the hay auction -- 1 was inside and the other was outside. There were Amish men and farmers here as well but I did not stick out like a sore thumb since I wasn't the only woman there. There was no organic hay. I did purchase 50 bales of hay. I felt a need to only take a dip rather than to dive right in.

One thing I did notice in Kalona which I hadn't at Frytown was the fact that all of the horses pulling the carts were bay. I don't know if this intentional or just a coincidence.

Hay auctions

2010-02-03T15:08:00.004-06:00

I made a dry run to check out a hay auction as part of my lunch hour today. I've never had the need to go to one of them, but hay has been mighty scarce this year. I'm extremely low on hay and there won't be any green pastures for a number of months. I went to the Frytown auctions which are held every Wednesday. Since I hadn't been to an auction before I thought I would see how they worked, etc. This auction is very close/part of the Amish community and the Amish seemed to be buying most of the hay. There was a lot of organic hay available as well.

Every Thursday is the hay auction at the Kalona Sales barn. Kalona is considered the heart of the Amish community in Iowa so I'm kind expecting the same kind of scene there. I am actually going to have to purchase some hay tomorrow so fingers crossed that there is some good hay that no one but me wants to bid on. ;)

Conor at 3

2010-01-29T08:09:00.001-06:00

Padi's Celtic Caper by Mountain Pearl out of Magrathea by Ten Yard Star xx

Una at 3 years of age

2010-01-29T07:05:00.003-06:00

Padi's Copper Bling by Mountain Pearl RID out of Incredustar xx (by Ten Yard Star xx)

Pedigree and inspection

2010-01-12T10:26:00.002-06:00

Currently, the Irish Draught inspection scores includes pedigree. In a rare breed that is threatened by the lack of diversity in its bloodlines, I believe that it is essential to include the pedigree in the inspections. The inclusion of the pedigree in the scoring draws attention to the fact that pedigree is an important part of preserving the breed. I don't believe a horse should pass or fail because of its pedigree, but breeders need to have some kind encouragement for retaining entire colts from old bloodlines for inspection. If scoring the pedigree plays even a tiny part in that encouragement I would hate to see it abandoned by any short sighted people.

God bless Dr. Deb Bennett

2010-01-06T13:18:00.010-06:00

I just finished reading Deb Bennett's newest article in Equus for the third time. The magazine has been publishing a series of her articles on conformation analysis recently. The most recent one is very illuminating and puts some science into what I have been trying to express about what may possibly be the theme of this blog. This month's article is entitled "A sense of proportion". Here are the highlights:

"A horse's overall size and the stoutness of his legs govern his whole working life"

"Bigger horse = less substance"

"Bone density is related to weight, not breed"

"The smaller the horse, the greater the chance that bone density will be normal"

"I advise you to select a horse for riding use that weighs less than 1,300 pounds. This conforms with scientific results and the laws of biomechanics, yet still provides a very wide range of choices"

From:

"A sense of proportion" ; Deb Bennett, PhD. Equus Issue 388 January 2010 p. 42-49.

In view of this information, I would suggest that the Irish Draught preservationists abandon their lament about the loss of bone in the breed. The real culprits are the increase in height and weight, the ill-conceived notion of changing the purebred ID into a warmblood/sport horse, and the rapidly diminishing traditional type with it's equally rapidly dying traditional bloodlines.

Another fabulous mare

2009-12-23T13:55:00.004-06:00

This is Kiltowra Glee. She is by Windgap Hero out of Blazer Girl Two by Knocknagow. She is definitely somewhere in the top ten. I would love to see more Windgap Hero in the background of today's Irish Draughts. I've never seen a photo of him but the bloodlines look to be worth seeking out.

Aoife

2009-12-09T22:18:00.005-06:00

I haven't gotten any video of the 2009 crop. My video camera is on the fritz. My sister Pat helped my out with 2 of the babies this past weekend. We took Aoife and Calum to Wolf Ridge Farm and borrowed their arena for a short time.

Aoife is very traditional -- more like her Grandma Matilda than her Momma Grania.

Response to question from a reader - Part 2 of 2 parts

2009-12-01T13:19:00.004-06:00

I've rewritten this post five times. I hope that the thoughts that I have put into written words are clear and coherent.

"Greetings, I have recently discovered the Irish Draught. My interest in the horse "To Be True" has led me to "Mountain Pearl" I watched his video and am smitten. I have been raising foundation bred quarter horses for almost 30 years and did not miss your comment on the "Irish Draught" being beyond saving. As a someone who has recently become aware of this obviously fantastic breed I say I sure hope not. I would like to know how tall "Tristan" is. And also how much his stud fee is and why you have chosen a smaller draught. (Also my interest)"

It’s very interesting that as a breeder of foundation bred quarter horses that you would also be attracted to the Irish draught. I much prefer the foundation Quarter Horse to the modern version. The current belief is that the quarter horse and the ID have a common ancestor in the Irish Hobby horse. I can see the similarities. I think that some of the old time quarter horses can easily be mistaken for IDs.

One of the main complaints of current ID preservationists is the fact that the breed is losing bone. I admit to being one of these people and have loudly lamented the loss. I have been thinking about this for a long time now and my viewpoint has evolved from the oversimplification of concerns about the homogenization of the breed.

As a child I remember some of the old timers (around here that means quarter horse folks), talking about the amount of bone necessary for the QH. The number bandied about the most was 8 inches. In thinking back on this, on the surface it seems like a very small number. However, if you take into consideration the usual smaller stature (14.3 to 15.1 or 15.2 hh) of the QH at that time, then 8 inches is a plausible number. Between the photos and actual horses I’ve seen the QH had shorter cannon bones in the good old days as well.

I’ve recently spent time looking at photos of the Irish Draughts before the modernization of the breed. These horses really don’t appear to have immense amounts of bone. What they do exhibit is good quality bone (clean and flat), short cannon bones and a smaller stature. My current theory about the destruction of the Irish Draught developed from what happened when the breed was “modernized”. The “modern” Irish Draught has a much different center of balance than the traditional Irish Draught. The legs are longer, the heart girth is smaller, the necks are warmbloody and the total height has exploded. BTW: I have modern in quotes because what folks call the modern Irish Draught isn’t really an Irish Draught IMO. As legs and horses get longer and taller the bone will in all probability remain the same. So in actuality, the bone is not shrinking but its substance most definitely is. A 15.1 hh horse with 8.5 inches of bone has lots more substance and strength than a 16.3 hh horse with 8.5 inches of bone. It also goes without saying that the cannon bones will increase in length as the horse gets taller which also reduces the support and strength of the legs.

Today, I looked at the breed standard on the Irish Draught Horse Society (Ireland) website and it currently states the following:
Stallions: 15.2 h.h. to 17 h.h. / 159 cms. to 174 cms.
Mares: 15.1 h.h. to 16.3 h.h. / 155.5 cms. to 171.5 cms.
This height variation is acceptable when Irish Draught type is evident

Our young RID mare Ellie (Padi’s Classic Elegance) measured 14.3 hh at her inspection. I haven’t measured her since then. If you stand back and look at her you would guess that she is much taller than that. This is no illusion however. She has short cannons bones and a large heart girth placing her low to the ground and she is extremely amiable.

Here at Fox Hollow Sport Horses we breed the traditional type of Irish Draught. This means that we select for the traits necessary to produce a smaller horse with a large heart girth, short cannon bones, strong constitution, and as the standard states “intelligent and gentle nature and is noted for its docile temperament, sense and trainability”. We select for all of these traits, but our priority has always been for the Irish Draught temperament. We strive to produce this intelligence, good sense and trainability in our sport horses as well, but in a more refined, and athletic package. The Irish Draught sport horse is the performance horse and the purebred Irish Draught is its foundation.

And finally, you inquired about Tristan. Our young RID stallion Regalia Prince Arthur (Tristan) is 15.3 hh with substantial bone, excellent temperament, large heart girth and as the inspectors noted, in a few years he will be a powerful animal exhibiting the traditional Irish Draught traits.

Banner

2009-11-15T12:53:00.003-06:00

Two good looking lads

2009-11-12T22:11:00.003-06:00

We have Padi's Classic Brogue "Brody" on the left. On the right is Padi's Granite Partner "Kieran".

Calum

2009-11-06T13:14:00.004-06:00

I was looking through some newer photos that I hadn't gotten around to yet and found this one. This boy is so wonderful in every way. He's very quick and handy. He ought to be a dynamite eventer. And dear Aoife is displaying her queenly behavior. She is less 'uppity' than she was early on -- getting better day after day. She is without a doubt a show stopper though. These two will definitely make a couple of people very happy indeed

Final weaning

2009-10-28T20:48:00.005-05:00

This past Sunday, we picked up Maggie, Brian, Alanna and Banner from the pasture down the road and brought them home. Brian and Banner joined Calum and Aoife. It was uneventful -- tons of mud from the 3 1/2 inches of rain we had gotten a few days before. Brian is pretty darn chunky and Banner looked a lot like her 1/2 sister Lia which surprised me. Everybody's home (except Tristan of course who lives at Sarah's place).

Response to question from a reader - Part 1 of ? parts

2009-10-23T12:34:00.008-05:00

"Greetings, I have recently discovered the Irish Draught. My interest in the horse "To Be True" has led me to "Mountain Pearl" I watched his video and am smitten. I have been raising foundation bred quarter horses for almost 30 years and did not miss your comment on the "Irish Draught" being beyond saving. As a someone who has recently become aware of this obviously fantastic breed I say I sure hope not. I would like to know how tall "Tristan" is. And also how much his stud fee is and why you have chosen a smaller draught. (Also my interest)"

Welcome to the joy of the Irish Draught horse! To Be Sure is a fabulous example of the TB/ID cross -- he picked up the best of both breeds. In the past this cross was often called the Irish Hunter but these days I think the term Irish Draught Sport Horse is more descriptive and probably more accurate. Mountain Pearl makes it very easy to become smitten by the breed and by Himself of course. He is the ideal ambassador for the breed and has many fans worldwide. Most of his fans have never actually seen him in the flesh so I find this even more remarkable.

I am not an objective observer of course but I think Mountain Pearl is as close to perfect as a horse can be. He is easy to be around and to deal with. He dutifully takes care of the novices that have ridden him and wowed the professionals that were lucky enough to catch a ride on him. Mountain Pearl arrived in the States late fall of 1997 and sometime in 1998 I crawled onto his back. He hadn't been ridden since his performance test in 1993 (I think that's the date) and I hadn't ridden for years and was recovering from multiple surgeries earlier in the year. He took it all in stride and it seemed impossible that no one had ridden him for five years or so. The only thing I would fault Mountain Pearl for is his height. 17.1 hh is too tall for pretty much all horses and it's especially too big for an Irish Draught. I refer to an excellent article about horses and size. Although I have been unable to locate the article online, you should be able to locate a copy through your local library. If they don't carry the magazine they should be able to provide you with a copy through their interlibrary loan program.

Barakat, Christine. "Why Size Matters." Equus, October 2007, Issue 361, pp. 36-42

Mountain Pearl

2009-10-21T12:25:00.003-05:00

Mountain Pearl is 20 years old this year (2009) so I thought I'd share a photo of him as a yearling.

Additionally, Eddie and Cathy Meehan in Ireland shared a video of Mountain Pearl at play as a 2 year... oops I mean 20 year old stallion Here's the link for that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtS9NP8Su3o

Regalia Prince Arthur RID aka Tristan

2009-10-12T12:21:00.004-05:00

October 11, 2009 Central region Inspections
Inspectors : Oliver Fleming and Noel Collins

Head - 4 out of 5
Neck - 4 out of 5
Shoulders & withers - 16 out of 20
Body - 15 out of 20
Topline - 16 out of 20
Hindquarters - 16 out of 20
Forelimbs & feet - 20 out of 25
Hindlimbs & hocks - 20 out of 25
Presence - 16 out of 20
Pedigree - 18 out of 20

MOVEMENT
Forelimbs - 18 out of 25
Hindlimbs - 18 out of 25
Athleticism - 42 out of 50
Temperament - 20 out of 20

Points - 243 out of 300

Another top notch mare

2009-10-09T18:40:00.003-05:00

Colman's Gift

Colman's Gift RID is by Colman RID out of May Queen 2 RID by Blue Peter RID
What was that someone said about Colman stock?

YEA!!!!!!

2009-10-08T19:51:00.003-05:00

I've had a weight lifted off my shoulders. I decided long ago that I'd stop when it wasn't any fun anymore. Well it''s not fun any more so the time has come. The breed is beyond help at this point anyway -- only a handful of people worldwide are breeding real Irish Draughts. I've provided many people with great horses and that was my goal from the beginning. One of Sarah's good friends and I had an interesting talk a few months ago. We talked about good horses and what made them good. We ended up concluding that a good horse took care of novices but provided exciting rides for the more experienced riders. The other kind of horse took advantage of novices. The real Irish draught was always a good horse. The Irish Draughts that are being bred now are the other kind.
I wish the best of luck to the two Irish Draught breeders in the USA that are still true to the breed.