If you've ever produced a foal from your mare and orchestrated the entire breeding process from start to finish from sire selection, AI and delivery with imprint training and weaning, then you know how rewarding the process of horse breeding is and how it has enriched your life.
Sure there are ups and downs, and I do count my blessings that in 25+ years of breeding registered Hanoverians, Dutch and Baroque horses, we have never lost a foal or mare or had any mishaps. Aside from one mare who resorbed her foal one year and went through a false pregnancy period thereafter. I know that false pregnancy is not strictly a veterinary term, but it certainly fits the experience we had in that particular instance.
Now it is time to retire from the business of horse breeding. All the horses running about out there with the Willowview Hill Farm WVH, either as a prefix or suffix, are a testament to our dedication to produce kind, athletic sporthorses for the dressage world. Their progeny continue today, even though some of our foundation mares have left this world.
Through the process of having your mare bred to a desirable stallion and nurturing both her and her foal, a special bond is created between you and your mare. It is a palpable feeling of connection that is somehow unexplainable. So now that it has come time to part with our breeding mares, horses that we developed through our breeding program and are 2nd and 3rd generations from our original stock, and I confess that it is especially hard to part with them.
At this time we have two lovely mares still to sell. One has had some training with groundwork, been sat on and longed and the other has barely started her work for saddle. Both mares are sired by the world class Canadian Team dressage horse Gambol, and both are entirely different. One out of a Belgian mare, Amore WVH and one out of a registered TB mare, Annie.
They have some super relatives:
Half sister Ga Deva, ridden by Mel Montagno, was 2017 USDF National Champion at Open Grand Prix.
Half brother Graham MSF, was recently licensed by the GOV as a stallion.
Annie is currently competing successfully in eventing with Sarah Wohrman, who is working under the tutelage of advanced eventer Booli Selmayr. This mare we bought and then bred from to produce Gambol's Georgy Girl WVH. We sold Annie afterwards to some friends, and she also had a late start under saddle. But within a year she was out there competing and winning hunter classes and then she went on to eventing. Hats off to Sarah and her owners, who have put in the necessary work.
So these mares are well bred, sound, and loving horses who have been handled daily by us as professionals, and to whom we are very emotionally attached.
But times must. We are not getting any younger and it is a logical decision to retire from horse breeding. These days we are so busy with travel giving dressage clinics, visiting family in Europe including my parents who are 90 and nearly 85 years old and need a little extra support in their golden years, keeping up with our own horses' needs, riding, baling and stacking over 10,000 bales of organic home produced horse hay each year and supporting our three adult children and their families. I am also a professional content creator/freelance writer so life is extremely full.
Regardless of the logic, it is a tough decision to part with these lovely mares. Life is ever changing and I know that embracing that is important. Some lucky buyers will enjoy these mares with their known provenance and talents. It's time for us to move on to the next stage in our lives. I have to say, that we won't be retiring from horses altogether or halting our busy dressage training/coaching schedules. God willing. Most certainly I hope to author more books, write many more articles and help many more business owners develop their presence in the marketplace. I was born to ride and write. Of that I am certain!
Sure there are ups and downs, and I do count my blessings that in 25+ years of breeding registered Hanoverians, Dutch and Baroque horses, we have never lost a foal or mare or had any mishaps. Aside from one mare who resorbed her foal one year and went through a false pregnancy period thereafter. I know that false pregnancy is not strictly a veterinary term, but it certainly fits the experience we had in that particular instance.
Now it is time to retire from the business of horse breeding. All the horses running about out there with the Willowview Hill Farm WVH, either as a prefix or suffix, are a testament to our dedication to produce kind, athletic sporthorses for the dressage world. Their progeny continue today, even though some of our foundation mares have left this world.
Through the process of having your mare bred to a desirable stallion and nurturing both her and her foal, a special bond is created between you and your mare. It is a palpable feeling of connection that is somehow unexplainable. So now that it has come time to part with our breeding mares, horses that we developed through our breeding program and are 2nd and 3rd generations from our original stock, and I confess that it is especially hard to part with them.
 |
| Hubbie Paul with Gambol's Georgy Girl WVH just after delivery. Annie in the background. |
They have some super relatives:
Half sister Ga Deva, ridden by Mel Montagno, was 2017 USDF National Champion at Open Grand Prix.
Half brother Graham MSF, was recently licensed by the GOV as a stallion.
Annie is currently competing successfully in eventing with Sarah Wohrman, who is working under the tutelage of advanced eventer Booli Selmayr. This mare we bought and then bred from to produce Gambol's Georgy Girl WVH. We sold Annie afterwards to some friends, and she also had a late start under saddle. But within a year she was out there competing and winning hunter classes and then she went on to eventing. Hats off to Sarah and her owners, who have put in the necessary work.
So these mares are well bred, sound, and loving horses who have been handled daily by us as professionals, and to whom we are very emotionally attached.
But times must. We are not getting any younger and it is a logical decision to retire from horse breeding. These days we are so busy with travel giving dressage clinics, visiting family in Europe including my parents who are 90 and nearly 85 years old and need a little extra support in their golden years, keeping up with our own horses' needs, riding, baling and stacking over 10,000 bales of organic home produced horse hay each year and supporting our three adult children and their families. I am also a professional content creator/freelance writer so life is extremely full.
Regardless of the logic, it is a tough decision to part with these lovely mares. Life is ever changing and I know that embracing that is important. Some lucky buyers will enjoy these mares with their known provenance and talents. It's time for us to move on to the next stage in our lives. I have to say, that we won't be retiring from horses altogether or halting our busy dressage training/coaching schedules. God willing. Most certainly I hope to author more books, write many more articles and help many more business owners develop their presence in the marketplace. I was born to ride and write. Of that I am certain!
Comments
Post a Comment