The Ardennais (or Ardennes) is a heavy draft horse,
originating in Europe (primarily the Ardennes region of Belgium, France, and
Luxembourg).
Ardennais Stallion by Vassil
public domain
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Showing posts with label stallions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stallions. Show all posts
Wednesday
Haute Ecole: Have you seen Clemence Faivre and Gotan?
Videos of French equestrienne Clemence Faivre and Gotan, her golden
chestnut Lusitano stallion, have gone viral lately on social
networking sites like Facebook. Maybe you’ve seen them.
Thousands of viewers have posted comments. Some have admired
the artistry and athleticism of the pair’s performance. Others have pitched
fits about potential over-training, accusing Faivre of asking too much of her horse.
The video shows Faivre and Gotan, demonstrating breathtaking
feats in the dressage arena.
Their performance epitomizes haute ecole.
Take a look, and see
for yourself.
.
.
What is haute ecole?
Translated literally, “haute ecole” is French for “high
school,” but that has nothing to do with secondary education or teenagers. In
equestrian arts, haute ecole refers to the highest form of classical dressage.
Clemence Faivre’s horses perform the most difficult dressage exercises and movements – often bareback,
bridleless and even at liberty. Atop her mounts or on the ground, Faivre
displays her trick riding training and amazing communication with her equine
partners.
If Faivre travels through the Midwest on tour, I’d sure love
to view the act. How about you?
Image/s:
Clemence Faivre and Gotan
Publicity Photos – fair use
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Tuesday
A to Z horses – Expression Extolled with Xiomaro BR
Xiomaro BR (El Nino x Mia), a 2004 PRE (Pura Raza Espanola) Andalusian
stallion, is owned by Illinois equestrian Tiana Ng, but the gray Classical
Baroque horse is loved by many.
In fact, the stunning stud was awarded the USEF Horse of the
Year/Grand Champion Andalusian/Lusitano title for 2011. His performance
specialties include the canter pirouette, passage, piaffe, Spanish Walk and
Spanish trot.
Xiomaro
was also featured in the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian
Games at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. For his performance
with trainer Mario A. Contreras
in front of 25,000 on-site spectators and millions of television viewers,
Xiomaro was accompanied by the Lexington Ballet and the Lexington Symphony
Orchestra.
Here’s the video:
.
.
Standing 16.3 hands high with an elegant long mane and tail,
Xiomaro resides in Huntley, Illinois.
Xiomaro also possesses a playful side.
“He is my silly goose at home,” quipped Hornickel. “He’s a
sweet, funny, energetic stallion that’s always ready to go.”
Xiomaro showed his stuff with the Baroque Horse group at the
2012 Midwest Horse Fair in Madison, Wisconsin, last weekend.
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Related Items:
- Oscar-winning Actress Gwyneth Paltrow Hates Horses?
- Rollkur Vs. LDR - a Sporthorse Breeder's Reflection on Hyperflexion
- Princess Diana: 7 Intriguing Facts About the Late Princess of Wales and Horses
Last year’s A to Z
post: X -
Halt – Salute
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.
.
Xiomaro photos provided by Tiana Ng Hornickel
2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo
Fair Use
Saturday
A to Z horses – Uncle Mo Unbridled
Retired from racing at four, Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie x
Playa Maya by Arch) is already displaying his potential as a Thoroughbred stud.
The Kentucky-bred bay boy is already projecting 2013 progeny totaling over 50.
The Kentucky-bred bay boy is already projecting 2013 progeny totaling over 50.
As a racer, Uncle Mo proved his prowess early under jockey
John Velazquez, winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Eclipse Award for
Champion Two-Year-Old in 2010.
Taking the Wood Memorial in 2011, he was a favorite for the Kentucky Derby until trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole (of Repole Stables) scratched him for illness.
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Taking the Wood Memorial in 2011, he was a favorite for the Kentucky Derby until trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole (of Repole Stables) scratched him for illness.
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In eight starts, Uncle Mo racked up five wins, as well as a second and
a third.
In addition to Uncle Mo, Coolmore’s American stud roster includes
Cape Blanco, Dunkirk, Fusiachi Pegasus, Giant’s Causeway, Henrythenavigator,
Lookin At Lucky, Majestic Warrior, Munnings, Scat Daddy, Tale Of The Cat, and Thunder
Gulch.
Coolmore Australia already lists
Uncle Mo, along with such studs as Choisir, Duke Of Marmalade, Dylan Thomas,
Encosta De Lago, Excellent Art, Fastnet Rock, Haradasun, Henrythenavigator,
High Chaparral, Lookin At Lucky, Musir, Oratorio, So You Think, Spinning World,
Starspangledbanner, and Zoffany.
I had the pleasure of visiting with this handsome horse in
Pletcher’s backstretch barn at Louisville’s Churchill Downs after the 2010
Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Mo’s truly a charmer, so we can hardly wait to see what his babies look like next spring.
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.
Related Items:
Last year’s A to Z
post: Utterly
Unbridled
.
.
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Image/s:
Uncle Mo photos provided by
Nickers and Ink Creative Communications
2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo
Fair Use
Tuesday
A to Z horses – Queue Up for Querubim do Vouga
First stallion of The Royal Lusitano, Querubim do Vouga (Emitico
x Madonna do Top) is a Brazilian-born Lusitano Horse.
The 14-year-old has sired several Lusitano offspring,
including Diva do Royal, Excalibur do Royal (two-time National Champion
Lusitano colt), and Ferrari do Royal.
Querubim is owned by Nancy Holman, of The Royal Lusitano, an equine breeding
and training facility located in St. Charles, Illinois.
Around the barn, the
flashy and playful stallion is known simply as “Q.”
Trained in French Classical Dressage, Querubim travels to
show under Mario Contreras (see photo above),
displaying the piaffe, airs above the ground, and other top-level movements.
Catch a glimpse of this stunning steed:
.
.
Querubim may be seen in Lorijo Metz’ upcoming picture book
for children, The World of Horses:
Lusitano (Power Kids Press).
.
.
- Dressage Divas? Perhaps Not.
- How much did that dressage horse cost?
- Steffen Peters Wins Record Third USEF Equestrian of the Year Title
- Top US Olympic equestrian prospects aiming for London 2012
Last year’s A to Z
post: Can’t Quit
.
.
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Image/s:
Querubim photo/s provided
by Lisa Diersen
At Play - screenshot from The Royal Lusitano YouTube videos
At Play - screenshot from The Royal Lusitano YouTube videos
2012 A to Z Blogging
Challenge logo
Fair Use
Sunday
A to Z horses – Oh, Boy, It's Odee!
Otoeman Dun It (known as Odee) is outstanding in his field.
Take a look!
Foaled in August 2009, the Dunalino (Dun/Palamino) Quarter
Horse already stands 14.2 hands, and he’s still growing. “He has reining in his near future,” said Wisconsin equestrian Jessie Timm, Odee’s owner, breeder and trainer.
A lost sire's legacy continues.
Odee is a son of the late 2001 AQHA stallion Boogieman Dun
It (out of Zan Flit Otoe Queen) and grandson of Hollywood Dun It.
 |
| Boogieman Dun It |
“Odee's dad now lives on in him. He’s the spitting image of his father and the other wonderful Boogieman Dun It babies in the USA.
 |
| Odee and his dam |
Reflecting on the loss of Boogieman Dun It (or Bug), Timm
offered a few words of advice to horse lovers.
“Make sure you hug and love that horse of yours, because you
never know when you won’t be able to do it again,” she said.
Related Items:
- 10 Tips for Catching a Loose Horse
- 6 Ways to Mark Horses for Positive ID and Theft Prevention
- Horse Show Packing List: 85 Must-Haves for Equestrian Competitions
- Trail Riding Etiquette: 20 Courtesy Tips for Equestrians
Last year’s A to Z
post: O
is for Oops and Ouch!
.
.
Image/s:
Odee and Bug photos provided
by Jessie Timm
2012 A to Z Blogging
Challenge logo
Fair Use
Saturday
A to Z horses – Gotta Love Guinness the Great
Guinness is a 1991 retired Thoroughbred racehorse, but he’s
anything but idle.
This handsome bay, standing 16 hands high, is the treasured mount of Wisconsin equestrian and animal lover Sarah Ramsak and her whole family.
This handsome bay, standing 16 hands high, is the treasured mount of Wisconsin equestrian and animal lover Sarah Ramsak and her whole family.
This handsome horse comes from prized pedigrees of racing,
tracing back to such famous Thoroughbred sires as Bold Ruler, Native Dancer, War
Admiral and Man of War.
In his youth, Guinness had a very short track career,
starting in just a dozen races and winning close to $1,500. Under his
registered name (Twosie Ensign), he raced at Arlington, Calder, Gulfstream and
other top tracks.
He never placed higher than fourth, even with such skilled jockeys
as Earlie Fires.(Maybe that's why he's still strong and sound and raring to go at the ripe old age of 21.)
He never placed higher than fourth, even with such skilled jockeys
as Earlie Fires.(Maybe that's why he's still strong and sound and raring to go at the ripe old age of 21.)
But Guinness places first in Sarah’s book.
This saintly off-the-track-Thoroughbred (OTTB) peacefully packs
diapered toddlers for pony rides, kindly carries non-horse-savvy boyfriends for lead line strolls, lopes lovely lackadaisical loops for Sarah's sister Rachel and tolerates a bit of dressage for their mom, Lindsey.
He also jumps the moon for Sarah.
He also jumps the moon for Sarah.
In 2011, Guinness put on a show in the Liberty Presentations at the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison.
He also tried his first trail class in the Wind Rider Challenge, performing most respectably and even crossing the horse-eating bridge. Turning on the forehand in a plastic hula hoop was significantly more scary, though.
That fall, Guinness earned his first Western Pleasure
and Speed Class ribbons as well. Who knew an OTTB could compete in barrel racing and plug classes?
Barn hands have fondly tagged Guinness as “El Santo,” and
the Ramsak family has to agree.
Go, Guinness.
Related Items:
- El Santo (The Saint)
- Horse Measurement - How Many Hands is Your Horse?
- Movie Review of Secretariat: The Impossible True Story
- Thoroughly Thoroughbreds - What's the Horse of Your Dreams?
Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. You are also
invited to join this writer's fan
page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian
Examiner and Madison
Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.
Image/s:
Guinness photos provided
by the Ramsak Family
2012 A to Z Blogging
Challenge logo
Fair Use
Tuesday
A to Z horses - Captivating Capt Han Solo+ and Choke
What a stud!
“Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, farm boy,” said the original Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford in 1977’s “Star Wars” motion picture.
Well, no, it’s certainly not.
Take a look at this handsome stud, if you have any doubts about that.
Capt Han Solo+ is a 1995 purebred Arabian stallion, owned by novelist and equestrian Jennifer Walker of Folsom, California. (Walker is the author of the Green Meadow Series of equestrian books for preteens. See links at the end of this blog post for more information.)
Sired by Abu Rabba, this Sabino Chestnut beauty is a Ben Rabba grandson out of Huckleberry Bey daughter RR Bey Mystique.
Solo, as Walker calls him, sports four white socks and a blaze. Flashy and athletic, he was 2007 Reserve National Champion in Training Level and a Top Ten First Level in Dressage , taking top Sport Horse Stallion honors in Regions 1 and 2.
CHS Skywalker, one of his sons, went National Top Ten twice for Sport Horse In-Hand Geldings.
Capt Han Solo+ stands at stud at Panoshe Ranch in Sacramento, California.
In fact, this sweet horse, coming five in 2012, has one of America’s best-loved
as well. Choke and TJ were finalists in the American Competitive Trail Horse Association’s
“America’s Favorite Trail Horse” contest last year.
Her actual name is Little Miss Finnegan, but everyone knows her as Choke.
Clibborn and his wife, horse trainer Tracy Porter, continue
to participate in Mustang training competitions, often displaying their
successes in equestrian performances and horse expositions each year. And Choke
always draws applause, particularly when she bows to the ground and welcomes
her cowboy to curl up next to her.
Choke does anything but
choke.
Wisconsin horse trainer T.J. Clibborn loves a challenge. The
Australian-born cowboy has gentled numerous wild Mustangs, transforming them
into pleasing mounts.
One of Clibborn’s all-time favorite horses is a Mustang mare called Choke.
In fact, this sweet horse, coming five in 2012, has one of America’s best-loved
as well. Choke and TJ were finalists in the American Competitive Trail Horse Association’s
“America’s Favorite Trail Horse” contest last year.
Actually, Choke wasn’t Clibborn’s first choice, when he went
to bid for a wild mustang for his first Extreme Mustang Makeover Challenge
about five years ago. But he fell in love with the bay immediately. On their
first night together, Clibborn saved the mare’s life by dislodging shavings
from her throat in the stall. The feral mare had ingested them and began
choking.
Choke was aptly
named.
Her actual name is Little Miss Finnegan, but everyone knows her as Choke.
The pair went on to finish fifth in the 2009 Mustang
Challenge, held at the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison, Wisconsin. Two years
later, they won the Ultimate Cowboy Challenge.
Clibborn and his wife, horse trainer Tracy Porter, continue
to participate in Mustang training competitions, often displaying their
successes in equestrian performances and horse expositions each year. And Choke
always draws applause, particularly when she bows to the ground and welcomes
her cowboy to curl up next to her.
Related Items:
- Book Review: Bubba Goes National, by Jennifer Walker
- Book Review: Bubba to the Rescue, by Jennifer Walker
- Horsey Books: Check Out 'Bubba to the Rescue'
Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. You are also invited to join this writer's fan page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian Examiner and Madison Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.
Image/s:
Captain Han Solo+ photos
From Jennifer Walker – Used by Permission.
Choke photos provided by T.J. Clibborn
Choke photos provided by T.J. Clibborn
2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo
Fair Use
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