Latest Updates at Home Again Farm
We still have three colts from our 2011 foal crop for sale. We also offer a 2009 gelding who was named yearling colt USDF Horse of the Year for Dressage Sport Horse Breeding. Please see the sales page for details.
January 2012
I have been remiss in not updating this page since last May. Sadly, I have one more foal loss to report, along with quite a few breeding disappointments. 2011 was a year that I am very glad to see gone, as it involved so much sorrow. I am hoping that 2012 is much kinder.
Frolichkeit's beautiful Hotline filly Halcyon was euthanized in June due to an injury to her neck that caused ataxia. That was my third loss of a foal for this year and it really took an emotional toll that will be longlasting. It has made me reassess the rewards of breeding versus the risks and emotional as well as monetary expenses. After giving it much thought, I have decided to severely cut back my breeding program. I am retiring some of my older mares and will sell or place a couple that should probably continue breeding. For a while at least, I will continue to do embryo transfers with EM Wolkenstanza and her sister EMC Dominique.
That decision was made easier by the dreadful breeding season that was 2011. Rubizza, Rohanna and Diva failed to conceive. EM Wintermaske lost her For Compliment pregnancy. SPS Püppi lost her Don Schufro pregnancy. SPS Riou lost her Licotus pregnancy. Kabibi and Frolichkeit were both leased this season and are pregnant for 2012 for the lessee. That left me with only two foals due — an embryo transfer foal by Fidertanz from EM Wolkenstanza and a Bellissimo foal from EMC Dominique. The Fidertanz foal was sold in utero to my trainer Maya Sniadecky. I look forward to Domi's foal with anticipation and a certain amount of worry.
Of the six 2011 foals that I had left, all were well received at their AHS foal presentations. Three have been sold and the other three are for sale. The pictures below show them at the inspection.
Segovia, seen below (Stedinger/ EM Wolkenstanza) was named co-champion colt for the day. He has been sold to Bryan Bartlett.
Renoir, seen below, (Rousseau/ EM Wolkenstanza) was very well received, with excellent comments on his movement. He has been sold to Bryan Bartlett, and will be renamed Really. I wish I had thought of the name.
Word of Honor, seen below, (Wolkentanz I/ Rohanna) is a full brother to EM Wolkenstanza and shows every indication that he will be as good as his sister. He has been sold to Danielle Zeveney, who also owns Wintermaske's son Scorpio.
Balanchine, seen below, (Bugatti Hilltop/ EM Wintermaske) is a full brother to EM Ballerina and is a masculine clone of his mama Wintermaske. He will make someone an outstanding dressage prospect, with the gaits and the mind to go far. He is for sale.
Rococo, seen below, (Blu Hors Romanov/ EM Diva) is a full brother to our Romanesque. He has the same great Romanov mind — outgoing, easy, people oriented and should make someone a great best friend. He is for sale.
Fable, seen below, (Fabuleux/ Rubizza) is a full brother to our Fantastica. He will be quite tall. He has a noble head that will make him a handsome big fellow someday. He also has very powerful gaits, with an especially good walk and canter. He is for sale.
Also, for sale in Germany is SPS Püppi's gorgeous Quaterback colt Quantum Theory. See him below and in video here.
May
Update May 12 — SPS Riou is in foal to Licotus (Likoto xx/ Donnerhall/ Balou).
Update May 11 — Today we lost Kabibi's beautiful Hotline foal Haiku. He had been being treated with Rifampin and died suddenly from Rifampin hyperthermia. This was a side effect of the drug that had not been made clear to us. I hope that my loss may spare other breeders. If you have a foal that is getting Rifampin, it is imperative that the foal only be turned out at night. Rifampin can cause a severe sensitivity to heat and direct sunlight that can be very quickly fatal. RIP Haiku.
Update May 7 — Thus far we have two foals due in 2012. The first is an embryo transfer foal from EM Wolkenstanza by Fidertanz (Fidermark/ Ravallo) and the second is a foal from EM Dominique by Bellissimo M (Beltain/ Romadour II/ Lucius xx).
Update May 6 — Rubizza had a beautiful black colt by Fabuleux tonight. Fable is a full brother to our lovely filly Fantastica. He is wonderfully put together and beautifully marked. He will be for sale. Details and more pictures soon.
So much has happened since my last update that it is hard to keep it all organized. Much happiness, along with a terrible loss. I will start with the good news.
I have added another new mare in Germany. SPS Riou (pictured below) is a 15 year old mare with an outstanding record of production. She was bred by Alexandra Fischer and is by Rouletto out of a States Premium Prince Thatch xx/ Gigant mare. I feel very lucky to have her and to be able to breed her myself. She had superb scores in all phases of her MPT and will be a very versatile mare. Read more about her on her own page.
Wolkenstanza has continued under saddle and her training is coming along quite well. She and trainer Maya Sniadecky have been showing successfully at First and Second Levels, with many wins and scores up to 77%.
The babies have almost all arrived. This year was a big foal crop and it is probably my best ever. It has also been very much a colt year, with eight colts and one lonely filly making their appearance to date. All of the foals are for sale this year.
First to arrive was EM Diva's Romanov colt Rococo, a very flashy, friendly and happy fellow on January 30th. As all the Romanov offspring have had, Rocky (pictured below) is a puppy dog in horse clothing, destined to be someone's best friend.
Next to arrive was one of two embryo transfer foals out of EM Wolkenstanza. Renoir a bay colt by Rousseau, is a full brother to our 2009 colt Reflektion and he is very much a mirror image of that lovely fellow. Renoir is an outstanding mover, showing an uphill and powerful trot and canter and a clear, ground covering walk.
On Saint Patrick's Day we received a lovely present — EMC Dominique's embryo transfer colt by the lovely dressage stallion Benidetto arrived. Benitas was a beautiful, tall, expressive and flashy chestnut colt. He may have been the best colt I have ever produced at Home Again Farm. Tragically, we lost him on April 22nd. He had very suddenly taken ill. Despite getting him to the clinic immediately and a very good initial prognosis, he ended up with a colonic ulcer that caused peritonitis. I will always remember this beautiful and happy little boy. I am hoping that my dear Gipetto has taken him under his wings across the rainbow bridge. Someday, I will share a video of him. But, not just yet.
EM Wintermaske's Bugatti Hilltop foal certainly took his time arriving. On March 22nd, Balanchine finally arrived and he was well worth the wait. A full brother to EM Ballerina, Balanchine is a masculine version of his big sister, right down to the same markings. He is very outgoing, with a look at me attitude and three solid gaits.
March 24th brought EM Wolkenstanza's second embryo transfer foal, a gorgeous black colt by Stedinger. Segovia has the power and presence that I had hoped for from those two parents. He is one of the best foals Stanza has produced.
March was crazy busy, with two more foals coming. Kabibi produced a black Hotline colt on the 28th and Frolichkeit produced a bay Hotline filly the very next day. Though Hotline is not known in Germany as a "foal maker" (his foals usually blossom later when under saddle), these two are top quality foals with much type, presence and elegance. Kabibi's colt Haiku (1st picture below) is a very tall fellow who will need some time to unfold. He has shown very good movement and is as elegant as they come. Frolic's filly Halcyon (2nd picture below) is a full sister to last year's Haley (bred by Andrea Hayden) who was an outstanding filly. Halcyon has tremendous presence and lots of powerful and uphill tendencies. Both Haiku and Halcyon are for sale.
Next to arrive was Rohanna's Wolkentanz I foal, a full sibling to EM Wolkenstanza. I think lightning may have struck twice in this case, as Word of Honor is so similar to Stanza at the same age. He is a simply gorgeous black colt, with a lot of type and movement very similar to Stanza's.
In Germany SPS Püppi had her Quaterback foal on April 30th — a beautiful bay colt that we have named Quantum Theory. Based on his quality, I am seriously thinking of breeding her back to Quaterback. On the other hand, I very much like the idea of using Don Schufro with her. Stay tuned for pictures of little Quantum Theory very soon.
That leaves only one foal still due. Rubizza is due very soon with a Fabuleux foal — a full sibling to the lovely Fantastica.
January
I have a new mare that I am very, very excited about. SPA Püppi is by the legendary Thoroughbred stallion Prince Thatch out of an Argentan/ Abend dam. Püppi's name means "little doll" and she seems quite well named. She is in foal to Quaterback for late March. Read more about her on her own page.
December
I am off to the USDF convention where I will be picking up Fifi and Wunderboy's yearling DSHB Horse of the Year Awards. Other Home Again Farm bred horses will be winning year end awards — Weltdancer who was 2nd for HOY and 1st for AHS All Breeds at Second Level, Flamboyant who was 5th in his division for Materiale, Soliloquy who was 4th for the mare DSHB Horse of the Year Award.
Wolkenstanza will be a demonstration horse at the USDF Symposium during the weekend. It should be a fun time.
November
It is always great to get pictures and reports of my babies from their new owners. The owners of Fantom and Wisteria both checked in lately with happy reports and great pics. Wisteria is so much like her mama Rubizza and Fantom is growing up to be a stunning fellow and moves like a typical Wolkenstanza baby. Wow!
Fantom showing off his wow movement
Wisteria, a chip off the old Rubizza block
October
I hosted my ninth AHS inspection October 13th. Two of my 2010 fillies were presented and registered. Both received very positive remarks and one, Feather (Fidertanz/ EM Wolkenstanza, a full sister to Fifi), was named co-champion filly. Soliloquy, a mare that I bred, now owned by Andrea Hayden, was Champion Hanoverian mare and also performed well in her MPT. Andrea also presented several foals that she bred form my mares. One of those was named co-champion colt - Ferrari P by Ferro out of Ballerina. Read more about the whole inspection on its own page.
Feather (Fidertanz/ EM Wolkenstanza, a full sister to Fifi) at her foal presentation was co-champion filly
Romanesque (Blu Hors Romanov/ EM Diva/Donnerhall) at her foal inspection
At the inspection Feather met her real mama Wolkenstanza for the first time. Mama and daughter will be near twins when Feather has grown up
I took advantage of Alicia Frese's inspection visit and had her do a farm shoot. I was thrilled to finally get some great pictures of Lilyana, Rubizza's 2009 Londonderry filly. See one below and many more on her own page.
Lilyana, Londonderry/ Rubinstein I yearling filly
September
I normally do not show my youngsters inhand until they are nearly three years old, but this year I had two that looked so very ready to go out in public. So, in July, Wunderboy and Fifi, both yearlings, went to a DSHB show in north Florida. Both showed well with high scores. Fifi was Filly Champion and Young Horse Champion, winning her filly class with an 85.3%. In September, they went to another DSHB show in Conyers, GA. That show was also the regional DSHB Championships. To my delight, Fifi ended up Regional Filly Champion and Wunderboy ended up Colt/ Gelding Champion. As icing on that lovely cake, both Fifi and Wunderboy ended up winning USDF DSHB Horse of the Year. Fifi was the yearling filly champion and Wunderboy was the yearling colt/gelding champion. Huge thanks go to Andrea Hayden of Prosperity Farm for showing them both so beautifully! See lots more new pics of each on their own pages.
Fifi and Andrea in a victory trot
Wunderboy strutting his considerable stuff
Also out showing were two more products of my breeding. Soliloquy (Stedinger/ EM Wintermaske) was frequently named champion mare and mature horse at the shows and ended up Reserve Champion mare at the SE Regional Championships. Well Worth It (Wolkentanz I/ Rohdiamant, a full sister to Wolkenstanza) went out and showed for the first time. Like her sweet mama Rohanna, Worthy is almost too polite to show in hand. She did well, despite her careful manner. Both are owned and loved by Andrea Hayden.
Soliloquy Grand Champion at a show in Georgia
Well Worth It Filly Champion in GA
May
Our last foal for the year has arrived — an ET foal by Fidertanz out of Wolkenstanza. This is the 4th of this very consistently excellent cross for us and it did not disappoint. Meet Feather, a beautiful strong and elegant bay filly who looks like she will rival her big sister Fifi.
Rohanna, Kabibi and Frolichkeit were all leased to Prosperity Farm for 2010 foals. They have all foaled successfully and will soon be rebred. I will be breeding both Kabibi and Frolichkeit to Hotline. That stallion's first foal crop is starting under saddle this year and the youngsters seem to be stamped with excellent rideability, willingness and potential. Hotline is not a "foal maker," but he is becoming known as an excellent riding horse sire. The youngsters can lack type and pretty little heads, but they make it up when they hit three years of age and offer their riders 100%. So, with that in mind, Hotline is back on my go to list as a sire.
I am still undecided about who I will be breeding Rohanna to this year. She had a lovely bay Danone I colt for Prosperity Farm this year. If I had that semen in stock, I would be tempted to repeat the breeding. Stay tuned.
I also hope to rebreed Rubizza to Fabuleux this month. So far her breedings have not gone well, with two cycles of annovulatory follicles. I am hoping that bad luck will change very soon.
Congratulations to Tracy Rowe McEwan (MI) on the purchase of Wowdacious (Wolkentanz I/ Rubin Royal/ Donnerhall). Tracy has developed many horses to the FEI levels and I look forward to seeing her and Wowser coming down the centerline at Grand Prix someday soon. Wowser arrived safely in Michigan and can be seen below looking very happy. (5/4/10)
April
I have some new pictures of Fifi, Wolkenstanza's 2009 Fidertanz filly. She just gets better and better! This filly is the epitome of uphill and powerful, expressive movement.
On March 14th EM Wolkenstanza was bred again for a second embryo transfer foal, this time to Stedinger (the sire of two of Wintermaske's foals). It was thrilling to get an embryo the following week, which, do date is doing well. EMC Dominique had to live up to her big sister Stanza's breeding success and also presented us with an embryo from a breeding to the gorgeous young Bellissimo M son Benidetto this month. With any luck, I will be bring home the three ET recipients after they all are safely 60 days in foal. (4/30/10)
March
Wowdacious and Wunderboy went off into the big world to a breed show, where Wunderboy qualified for the regional finals and both learned about lengthy trailer rides, new places and covered arenas. What good boys. Many thanks to Andrea Hayden of Prosperity Farm who prepared and presented them so well.
Wunderboy above and Wowdacious below
EM Wintermaske was successfully bred to Bugatti Hilltop on March 15th for a full sibling to her wonderful firstborn filly EM Ballerina. EM Diva was successfully bred back to Blu Hors Romanov on the 23rd, for a full sibling to her two previous Romanov fillies, Rara Avis owned and bred by Prosperity Farm and Romanesque, her 2010 filly bred by me. EM Wolkenstanza was successfully bred to Rousseau on the 25th for a repeat of the breeding that gave us the most exceptional 2009 colt Reflektion. That was an embryo transfer breeding, as Stanza continues in training. To date, the recipient mare is holding onto that precious embryo. (rev 3/30/10)
February
I attended the American Hanoverian Society's annual convention in Concordville, PA in early February. The meeting had the bad luck to be held the same weekend that a historic snow storm hit the area, bringing blizzard conditions that prevented us from visiting Hilltop Farm for a free jumping demonstration. As ever, the AHS folks rallied and the meeting was a very useful and interesting time, despite the challenges that weather presented. I was honored to be part of a roundtable discussion on the last morning of the convention, along with fellow breeders Barbara Schmidt (Bridlewood Farm, KY), Linda Mendenhall (Hof Mendenhall, MA) and Edgar Schutte (Rainbow Equus, CA). The subject was "The Path to Success: Genesis, Missteps and Revelations." Ably moderated by Dennis Moore (who could easily be a professional Sunday morning news show moderator), the discussion was well received and fun to be a part of. I hope that future meetings will offer the same thing again with different participants, as it was fascinating to hear others perspectives and experiences and to share with them and learn from them. (rev. 2/9/10)
It is always fun to hear from the people who now own the horses I have bred. I got a report from Laura Wayman who owns HAF's first born foal, Dazzler by Der Radetzky, who is now 14 years old. Dazzie is working on his tempis and playing with piaffe and passage. He is Laura's heart horse and for that all I can do is rejoice. See him below with his proud owner.
EM Diva presented us with her fourth foal and second filly on Sunday February 21st. Romanesque is a beautiful and correct bay filly by Blu Hors Romanov. At this point she looks like a keeper, but time will tell. See a couple pics of her at less than 24 hours old below. Say tuned for more as she grows. (rev. 2/22/10)
January
Dominique made her dressage showing debut at the Ocala Winter Dressage show January 16 and 17th. She was very worried and unhappy the first day, missing her friend who was back at the barn. After a rocky first test, Domi won her next two tests (FEI four year old test and Training Level 4). She learned a lot and received very good comments and scores.
Latest updates January 28, 2012