The calendar tells us that spring has arrived! Still a bit muddy in the paddocks but the ring is almost dry. We have been riding Lenah (Licosto/De Niro) up and down our lane during the winter on nice days since she returned from the trainers in January. We look forward to continuing her training and eventually taking lessons on her.

Some of the horses are beginning to shed. The foals are loving the warmer temperatures and the bare field. It is fun to watch them as they go through bursts of running and bucking all over the place! As they develop, it is interesting to note the differences between all three.

Dorien (De Niro/Florencio) is a very tall filly. She is the most alert of the three and took the longest time to get used to being in the barn by herself when we would take her in for a brush and to pick up her feet.

Lennox (Licosto/Benetton Dream) is in the middle of the pack when it comes to height. She did not mind at all when being separated from her friends for her grooming and handling as well as when she was put in the stall for her first time.

Fogo (Feinrich/Hampton) is the short one! She will not be tall filly but what she lacks in height she makes up for in disposition. She is super laid back and when it came to picking up her feet as a youngster she was so agreeable.

All three fillies are super friendly and will come in from the field to the paddock to visit. They all lead quietly back and forth from their paddock to the barn. They all get along well. Interestingly, the pecking order is height related with Dorien at the top! Once they shed out, it will be time for some videos 🙂

Below is a photo of Fogo at her inspection in September, 2023

Well, the last few months flew by! I attended the Hanoverian breeders course and stallion licensing in Verden, Germany. What an amazing and educational experience. It was a wonderful group of people from many different countries that attended, all with a keen interest in Hanoverian breeding and genetics. To see the stallions at various farms and breeding stations in real life was such a great opportunity. Upon returning, I had about two weeks home before my next adventure began. A trip to Montana to visit friends and experience not one but two American Thanksgiving dinners before heading to Australia for two weeks. That was an amazing trip and I have many fond memories. I was not traveling with horsey friends so. I did not search out any warmblood breeders there but I did tour some vineyards and various beaches which was lots of fun! However, it is great to be home with the horses.

I marvelled at how much the foals grew while I was away. There was a bit of cold weather in the fall but for the most part it has been very mild and unfortunately very muddy. The foals are weaned now. This was the easiest year yet for weaning….no fuss at all! The three fillies had their feet trimmed this past week and were very good. They all were haltered and led to the barn from their paddock individually for the first time. They were terrific! During the winter months we will bring each one individually to the barn so they can be brushed, feet cleaned and receive general handling which we feel gives them a great start in their young life.

Our three year old filly, Lenah (Licosto/De Niro) has been at the trainers for a couple of months. He does an absolute fantastic job with youngsters. We will be picking her up soon and look forward to continuing her training . She is not a big filly but athletic, has super movement and a sweet disposition.

Safira, (Schwarzenegger/ World Cup II) one of our broodmares is moving to a new home as a companion horse for the time being and perhaps later, shall resume her broodmare status with a breeding lease. She has had two fillies who have inherited her super mind, willingness and easy going temperament.

Hoping the next few months of winter are not too harsh!

Below is a photo of Lenah in training at TS Performance Horses in Pictou, Nova Scotia.

Another summer has passed and the foal inspection was just completed! With every inspection, there is quite a bit of work involved to get the farm, tack, horses and foals cleaned up and ready to go. We wash, braid, and stable everyone the night before so there is a minimum of touch up required in the morning. However, there are always a few braids and a white sock or two that do not survive the night!

We had three foals to inspect and one mare to be entered in to the mare book. All three foals and the mare, looked great and all received favourable comments from the judges. We were fortunate to have good friends to help out with ring set up, run the gate, take photos and provide extra help in the ring to keep the foals moving. Unfortunately all three youngsters were either tearing around jumping over the poles on the ground and/or taking nibbles and smelling the potted flowers and pumpkins. They failed to take things as seriously as we did! Horses!! They keep you humble! 🙂

We were the last farm on the inspection tour, so afterwards, everyone headed the few kilometres to end of our road where a late lunch was enjoyed at the Point Prim Chowder House. So lucky to have this beautiful spot close to us!

In late October, I am attending a Horse Breeders Orientation Course in Germany. It is sponsored by the Hanoverian Verband – the registry to which our horses belong. We are fortunate because after the course, the Hanoverian stallion licensing will be taking place, so I will get to take that in as well. I am looking forward to this opportunity so much and counting down the days! Until then, days are filled with regular foal handling, working with the two yearlings and continuing with the training of the three and four year olds. One or possibly two youngsters will be heading out to a trainer soon who will start them under saddle.

We are expecting two foals next year. Stay tuned for details …………..

Below is a photo of Lennox (Licosto/Benetton Dream/DeNiro)
Photo Credit: Jacquelyn Harlow

Yikes! Where did the time go? Of course, once the weather allows for outdoor work and the foaling season begins, it does get a bit busy 🙂 We had some fenceposts and other repairs to work on this spring as a result of damage last fall from post tropical storm Fiona. Still working on the additional fencing around the new horse shelter that was built.

The camera in the foaling stall was giving us grief just before the Florencia mare was due. Luckily, with excellent tech support, we have a much more consistent and reliable system to monitor and watch the broodmares. In fact, we are going to get additional cameras for the barn so I can check on more than just the broodmares.

Florencia had a filly, Dorien, by De Niro on May 11, 2023. She is a lovely filly and we are very pleased with her. It was a great cross and we may contemplate a repeat at some point.

Bizette also had a filly, Lennox, by Licosto on June 1, 2023. This was her first foal so naturally I was a bit worried as to how it would go. However, Bizette was amazing and settled into motherhood without any issues at all. Lennox is a little spitfire and always calls out when you walk by!

At the moment, the mares and foals are not together but once Lennox is a bit older, we will put them in the same pasture. It is always fun to watch them play together but for now, the two youngsters are content to stare at each other over the fence!

We have resumed training of our four year old Darlequin and our three year old Lenah. Both horses are great to work with and quickly remembered the training that was done with them in the fall.

Darlequin’s dam Highland Lily is the last to foal. She is due in July with June 25 being the earliest she can safely foal. She looks ready to go any day so I suspect we will be using the new camera system sooner than later!

Below are photos of Dorien (bay) and Lennox (chestnut)

Finally, the days are starting to get longer and the broodmares’ abdomens are getting larger! Since Bizette is a maiden mare she is still looking a bit more svelte than Florencia and Highland Lily. The expected births of the foals are staggered this year and with luck it will stay that way. Broodmares’ delivery dates can vary, plus or minus, by a couple of weeks. We really don’t want a repeat year of 2019 where the three foals were born within 8 days. That was a busy and sleepless time!

Unfortunately, Dannsair did not recover from his injury and he was euthanized in the late fall. He was a spectacular colt. Breeding horses can be a tough and heartbreaking venture at times. However, we have a couple more frozen doses of his sire, Dancier, and hopefully we can look forward to another foal from this outstanding stallion at some point.

The two youngsters Bria and Zagazig are coming along nicely with their handling. We have just started to lead them up the driveway past the house into “new territory” and it is going well. Both are extremely level headed which is something that is so important in our breeding program. Once the snow clears and the outdoor ring dries up, it will be great to get some new video of them both.

The video below of Lenah was taken last fall. We are very happy with this Licosto/De Niro filly who is a half sibling to Bizette. She has wonderful paces, is well put together and has a lovely temperament. Not only are we eagerly anticipating our second Licosto offspring in June but our tentative plans include breeding our first Licosto offspring!

The video was taken in October 2022

We are having a very mild winter so far. Unfortunately, it is a bit muddy at times and the horses seem to take a great deal of pleasure in rolling in it. There is no shortage of brushing that needs to be done. I have to say doing the chores without snow is kind of nice….no shovelling!

We have been working with the two foals, Bria and Zaga. They will lead quietly into the barn by themselves to be brushed and handled. Both these youngsters have exceptional dispositions. You never know when handling babies what might happen but these two seem to be very relaxed about new things. Of course, they are curious and I had “helpers” when I was trying to repair the fence in their pasture the other day!

The two older broodmares, Florencia and Lily are doing well and it is not difficult to see that they are in foal. The maiden mare, Bizette is a bit more streamlined in that regard. Their foaling dates are a bit spread out but previous experience has taught me that anything can happen!

We are excited to see this year’s crop of foals. Florencia is bred to De Niro and we are looking forward to this cross. We are both fans of this exceptional stallion and Flori is a super, athletic mare. Highland Lily is bred to Feinrich and we know with Lily’s track record of producing fantastic offspring, that this match will not disappoint. Bizette is our first homebred broodmare. She is going to be my riding horse after this foal and I can’t wait! Her mind is amazing. This summer we lightly started her and she was terrific with the saddle, bridle, and long lining. She is bred to Licosto. Bizette’s half sister, Lenah is by this former stallion and she is a lovely filly with outstanding gaits.

Below is a photo of Bizette at the Hanoverian Inspection.

Well, it has been a busy past two months! The shelter for the two north pastures is completed. It also has an extra stall that we can use during the foaling season or when the need arises. All that needs to be done now is to complete the fencing and trench water and power over so that keeping horses there during the winter is a more convenient option.

We had more sand removed from the arena as it was still too deep in some areas. The footing is much better now for riding Safira and also working with the three year olds, Bizette and Darlequin. They are learning to long line and have had a saddle and person on their back. Both are very sensible youngsters and it is been such fun to work with them!

The new foals are growing and both developing nicely. They are starting to get their winter coats. Bria is now weaned and with Zaga and Lily. We like to wean gradually, and it is a bit more effort, but find it is less stressful on both mare and foal.

Bizette and Darlequin attended the Hanoverian Inspection and were super about trailering and stabling in a strange place. We were very pleased with their performances. Darlequin received her 1A prize and was champion mare that day. We had the foals inspected on the farm and that was such a convenient and less stressful option than hauling them!

Hurricane Fiona really changed the landscape of PEI 😦 Was not sure if my 160 year old house was going to survive, at times, it sounded like it might not! We prepared on the farm as best we could but you can’t tie down mature trees! The path to the beach is blocked and a lot of the trees near the house and ring are levelled. I can see the horses in the north pasture now! We lost a few roof shingles on the house and buildings. The power was out here for 10 days. Can’t imagine not having the generator to run the pump for supplying water to the horses.

However, the weather has been quite cooperative for clean up and we now have plenty of wood to cut and split for the wood stove next year!

Below is a photo of Darlequin at the Hanoverian Inspection held on September 4, 2022.

So excited to announce that Highland Lily had a stunning colt by Zhivago on July 18, 2022. Lily caught me off guard as she was not showing any of her typical signs of impending birth! However, all went well 🙂 This lively fellow was already whinnying before he was fully delivered. He is still quite vocal and calls out when we head out to feed. We named him Zagazig (Zaga for short) which is the name of a town in Lower Egypt.

Bria, the filly is quite smitten and intrigued with the new addition. She stands near the fence and wants to meet him (much to the chagrin of Lily as she is still in the protective mode) Once he is a bit older, we will put the mares and foals together. Hard to get any work done because I like to visit both foals a few times a day. It is a great way to get them used to people and being touched as they are always ready for a scratch!

The materials are here for the new three sided shelter that is to be built soon. It will be great to have the additional space for the horses. Hoping to get water and power installed for a heated waterer as well. We had some work done to the ring and removed some sand as it was too deep in areas. What a difference it made!

We started to work with the three year old fillies that we retained for breeding. Darlequin and Bizette will be attending the Canadian Hanoverian Society Inspection Tour of Eastern Canada this fall. We have been practicing leading in hand with bridles so they will be ready for their big day. I will definitely need to brush up on my braiding skills. It is certainly a bit of a thrill to be presenting these fillies that we have bred and raised ourselves so they can be inspected for the Hanoverian Studbook!

Below is a photo of Zagazig at thirteen days old 🙂

On April 25, 2022, Florencia had her foal by Benicio. We were hoping to get a filly so we could eventually add her to the breeding program. Perhaps a bit biased, but she is lovely 🙂 She was super friendly from the start and accepts everything new without any issue. The cooler wet weather has limited her turn out time but now that temperatures are warming up, she is spending a lot more time outdoors!

Bizette is back from her winter home at Tea Hill Stable where she was a companion horse for a filly the same age. Because of the availability of an indoor arena, we were able to work with her once a week under the experienced tutelage of our coach and trainer. We will continue the light training work with her and our other three year old, Darlequin, here at home. Still working on breeding decisions with these two!

We moved Lenah and Dannsair to a larger field a couple of days ago and it was great to watch them stretch their legs. Even though they are a year apart in age, the two are the same height! Lenah is petit like her dam and Dannsair is a big fellow!

Highland Lily is starting to show a bit of foal belly now. She is due around the end of July. Looking forward to meeting her foal by Zhivago 🙂

Below is a photo of the filly Bria and her dam, Florencia.

Just got through digging out from the last snowstorm. Three out of the last four weekends have brought severe storm systems. We lost power with the first two, so this past weekend, it was a treat not to have to use the generator! We have someone to clear our lane and the area around the barn but there are places that can’t be reached and have to be dug out by hand. I am seriously thinking about purchasing a small walk behind snow blower!
I outfitted all the horses with turnouts after the last storm. The run-ins provide great shelter but if the weather is particularly nasty and lasts for a while, I like knowing the horses have the extra protection with blankets on. I put the young ones in the barn overnight which is good practice for them as it allows them to get accustomed to being in a stall. They were super. The foaling cameras come in handy to see how they got along.
Definitely had to let out the belly straps on the broodmare’s blankets! Both mares are doing well. Florencia is due in May and Lily is due in July. This time of year, I like to take a look at different stallions and figure out breeding plans for the spring. Florencia will be rebred and we are planning to breed our own homebred three year olds that we retained, Darlequin and Bizette. They are both lovely fillies and it is very exciting to include them in the broodmare herd this year ☺. Because Lily is due later in the summer, she may have the year off to reset. Having two to three foals a year is a manageable number for us so not sure if we want to have four foals running around!
We are planning to build another shelter for the new summer pasture we established. It will also serve as an extra space for hay and straw storage, plus, will offer additional space for horses in winter if we need it.
Below is a video of Bizette taken in August at the stable where she is spending her fall/winter as a companion for a young filly. Having access to the arena is great as it allows us the opportunity to do some groundwork during the winter months.