H&C

"I'd like to start this month's blog by offering our sincere condolences to Jen Freeman in Devon, whose stunning two-year-old gelding Elton Hfd (Oliver Hfd x Drossan) had to be put down following a field accident which resulted in a broken hip. We all have to face tragedies from time to time, but it hurts just as bad each time it happens.

A long season

Finally the breeding season nears an end. The mare that joined us for her first insemination in August finally scanned in foal - a much appreciated result so late in the season!

Another heart-stopping moment was when a stunning mare that we ourselves bid for at the Brightwells Auction sold in foal to the stallion Ampere, then went home to her triumphant new owner only to scan not in foal. Fortunately all was not lost. Holden Fold Stud is the agents for Ampere, whose semen is of super quality, so were able to send the new owners a new batch of semen and the mare us back in foal safe and sound.

The 2011 breeding season has to be the longest to date, but ended with great success rates. The Autumn heatwave kept the grass growing so yearlings and foals were out in the fields for a little longer which was a welcome respite. As October neared, in they came for the winter and we got on with vaccinations/passport application pics/vet drawings and chipping of the weanlings. Sounds straightforward but it's an intensive procedure requiring patience and tact.

Working mothers

Broodmares are a hardier bunch, braving the changes in temperature and allowing us to leave them out for a little while longer. There'sa misconception regarding a broodmare's workload and how long they need to be out of work - and many owners start 'maternity leave' earlier than necessary. In the wild they would continue to forage and travel the same distances every day until reaching lush foaling grounds in the spring. As long as the mare appears healthy and attention is paid to her wellbeing, we keep the sporting broodmares in work and competition as normal.

This season we have one mare in foal still in work, called Barinka Hfd. After competing at the BD preliminary regionals in February, she was put in foal to Mooiman Hfd and has competed throughout the summer season, moving up to Novice level and notching up wins with scores above 70%. More recently, her first attempt at Elementary level notched up win to add to her and her unborn foal's CV!

No show at Christmas

We'd hoped the organisers of Olympia might extend an invitation to the Irish Federation so that we could compete there this December, but sadly it wasn't to be. Glamour models are allowed to perform dressage displays but Irish International riders are to be turned away! We have many international Grand Prix placings to our name and have previously accepted invitations from the world's leading studbook, KWPN, to perform demonstrations at their prestigious stallion show in the Netherlands. To all our Irish friends and supporters - we tried!"

Until next time,

Angela

The breeding season rumbles on

"The breeding season hasn't yet come to an end, with stallions still on the waiting list for semen freezing and mares still trickling in for late season covering. Rarely do we see first coverings in August, but this year there have been more than a few. By this time of year we are usually quite safe to compete the stallions internationally, leaving basic responsibilities for the staff at home. But while we were away competing at a CDI in Luxembourg we received calls for several walk-in collections, mares still scanning and a stallion arrived for freezing. It just shows the seasonal breeding calendar is not as reliable as we might think. Fortunately our grooms are highly skilled and we train them to cope with routine breeding procedures, so with a few phone calls and mentoring from Brian, they did not let us down. 

A good CV  

More and more, breeding stallions, mares and their offspring need to achieve a competition CV to convince breeders of their worth. For me the most important thing is that the stallion is producing sport horses. The recent CDI was an eye opener, with more improvement in the stallions' performance, yet we and many other competitors were left aghast at the marks. The new scoring system appears to be pushing what I call the 'A listers' scores through the roof while the 'B listers' are lower than they have ever reached before. With the qualifying scores for major events increasing, many combinations - especially those from fledgling federations - are going to soon be pushed out. Interestingly, if you turn to online sources such as YouTube, you can see discrepancies in the scoring - some horses make serious mistakes yet score above 70%, while others can be seen with minor errors barely breaking 60%. Perhaps sources such as YouTube open the door to a fairer system?

Going, going...

A week after Luxembourg and we were off to Brightwells Auction at Addington Manor. We've sponsored this for many years and it is arguably the only dressage/show jumping auction in the UK giving UK breeders and producers the chance to market their horses nationally and internationally. To our delight, the auction was a huge success - with some high returns for sellers and some absolute bargains to be had for buyers. We brought home a very talented jumping mare who we sold on to an eventer. A very worthwhile venture, with a small profit to be had plus all the excitement of the chase. 

Farewell to Jack

Sadly, my friend and protector Jack (pictured) passed away at the grand old age of 11. When you live life surrounded by animals, you know their life span is shorter than ours. Rest in peace, Jack Crane, you will always have a special place in my heart."

Angela

"July marks the autumn of the breeding season as far as inseminations go. The last group of semen freezing stallions have started now and a few last minute walk in collections are taking place, with other jobs like haymaking and breaking horses about to start. We're also developing, assessing and training the young horses currently under saddle and we'll maybe squeeze a few more summer shows in. 

Right on track

This year  we are right on track. In the late AI group, just one, Dior, a stunning Royal Dance mare, reabsorbed the first pregnancy  to the international Grand Prix KWPN approved stallion Mooiman Hfd (ranked one of the Netherlands' top ten dressage breeding sires) so she is in this late group of mares. Two stunning Arab stallions have been in for freezing before export to Sweden and the Connemaras kept us busy with walk ins, plus a few other last minute coverings from the jumping and dressage studs.

Selling like hot cakes

With the very attractive dark bay mare Channel No5 in foal to Mooiman Hfd sold, all the young horses sold but two from the higher price band which means we have two very good young horse prospects for the grooms to put in a competition CV in 2012 following a winter's training. The lovely three-year-old Oldenburger San Tropez Hfd (Santana Hfd x Rough Lad) and four-year-old KWPN Coolman Hfd (Wellington Keur/sport/dressage/prest x Mooiman Hfd) stay to mature as planned. Enjoy the video of San Tropez Hfd and Coolman Hfd and snippets of the young horses training at HFD at the bottom of this blog.

Starting horses

We like to have the breaking horses started before the winter makes the coats thick and while we have stable space. The last two of this year's three-year-olds were started the begining of the July - they will be the last until the January intake.

Excited breeders send us their experiences and stories of the year's foal and youngstock shows. It all adds to the feeling that the summer work schedule will soon be changing. One breeder captured their outing on video which I thought I would share with you along with the criteria that would attach to such an inspection.

Jumping criteria for the KWPN

This video kindly sent to us by Kara and Darren Hardy of their three-year-old colt Denver Hfd (Oliver Hfd x Drossan) shows him being assessed. Below is the jumping criteria followed by ourselves and the KWPN stud book which is ranked the best in the world for jumping horses. Have some fun - see if you can inspect him referencing the bullet points below. You may like to try evaluating your own youngsters useing the check list too.

A small word of advice: Remember the first thing that strikes you about the horse when you first set eyes on him/her and work from that first impression. A little tip I picked up from senior KWPN inspector Ine Van Deurzen.

Conformation

• Stands in a rectangular model
• Is long lined with a proportional build
• Has an horizontal build.
• Has along neck that is slightly raised and arched with muscling in the top line
• Has a strongly built and strongly muscled back/loin formation
• He is attractive.

Movement

• The walk is an active four time gait that has suppleness and impulsion
• The trot is an active two time gait that has suppleness and impulsion and self carraige
• The canter is  pure three time gait that is active, light with suppleness, impulsion, balance and self carraige
• Can lengthen and shorten easily in the canter, without losing rythm, tact or self carriage
• The canter is light and balanced without making much front
• Remains more horizontal in the body.

Jumping

• Is able to collect strongly before the last canter stride before the jump ands is able to place the hind leg far forward under the body in order to get a powerful take off
• Leaves the ground quickly with power
• Jumps with an upward wither with the highest point over the middle of the jump
• Brings the under arm above the horizontal and folds the cannon bone under the under arm
• Bascules; brings the neck down during the jump causing the rump to follow the direction of the neck; opens the hindquarter
• Athletic ability: supple and develop forward motion over the jump lands lightly and canters of easily; is careful, efficient and has much scope.

Character

• Has courage
• Has a willing,hard working and honest character
• Is intelligent, looks and evaluates the jump
• Has the will to perform
• Is easy to handle
• Reacts quickly.

 Each section is awarded a mark. These are then multiplied so the breeder/owner can understand how the over all score was achieved

 Weakness can be supported by strengths as long as they are not the majority in all athletes. We have yet to produce the perfect model but the overall score must be close. As  breeders we have to educate ourselves to evaluate our own offspring with an honest informed experienced eye. 

Jumping evaluation video

 Apologies for not being unable to upload the video, but please click on this link to watch the video:

Young horse assessments

That's all for this month. See you next time!"

“Apologies for the late blog - our KWPN approved breeding stallion Mooiman Hfd had an international Grand Prix to compete in at the beginning of the month, which delayed my administration duties! Feel free to experience snippets of our outing – there’s a video at the bottom of my blog for you to watch. After qualifying for the Kur, we were lucky enough to pip into the prize giving ceremony too. When I watch the video back, I think the piaffe and transition from piaffe to passage could be much more fluent, but sexual tension are one of the complications we stallion riders have to take in our stride. 

RIP Amazing Grace

I have sad news about Amazing Grace. Despite surviving enteritis at just 12-hours-old, shortly after her return home she suffered a kick from the dam which resulted in an inpatient admission to have a huge haematoma drained on her neck. It was during this period of treatment that she suffered a serious bout of colic and perforated her bowel, losing her fight for life to a force greater than us. I will never forget this little angel - she has left a hoofprint in my memory forever.

Selecting broodmares

The month of June closed with a flurry of brood mare requests from frantic breeders who had been unsuccessful at getting their current mares in foal, but had set their minds on having a foal to look forward to in 2012. Brian will make a selection from our breeders that fit the buyer’s criteria and take the hopeful customers to various studs and yards where they might find a mare in foal that they are looking for.

For us, we would never breed from a mare who has only been given stud book status. I am now referring to the terminology and grading of KWPN mares as this is our forte. The majority of our mares are KWPN. Dutch sport horse breeders have been united for more than 100 years. King William 11 recognised the first Dutch Stud Book organisation in 1887 and so laid the basis for regulated warmblood horse breeding in the Netherlands, the resulting horses are a sport horse which HFD appreciates and believes in.

When a KWPN foal is born they are registered into the Veulen Book - VB on the passport. The animal then is taken to the gradings. If there are any basic conformational or gait problems, then they stay  VB. If the gaits and conformation are correct with normal development, then they are accepted into the stud book and their passports will be stamped with STB. This is the most basic inspection but a respectable one; mares not presented as foals are eligible for inspection at any age. It is unusual for foals in the Netherlands not to be presented for stud book grading as it is considered part of the normal breeding process.

Genetic abnormalities

Any animals presenting with genetic abnormalities, such as parrot mouth, sickle hocks and so on, would not achieve stud book status, no matter how much sporting promise the animal showed in the gait assessment. I could elaborate more on the complexities of the KWPN stud book grading system if enough of you request it - I do not want drone on with a very intense subject such as this if there is no interest!

From here on in, you in set your own standards. The KWPN stud book records the competition results of all approved stallion offspring and they form a breeding index on the result of these records. At HFD we always put the broodmares under saddle to ensure the mare has a good work ethic, we would not use a mare which presented an unacceptable level of willingness.

Should Queenie foal again?

In the same vein, once a mare entered a breeding programme should she present with above average complications resulting in the loss of her foals, we would remove her from breeding status. I  note with interest the sad loss of the foal born to the National Trust MyFarm project and see that for them her success rate of a normal healthy foal is enough to continue to breed from her. For us, she would be too high a risk and we would remove her from the programme.

That aside, after a birth resulting in the death of a foal we would not cover on the foaling heat if the birth was complicated. She would be given time for any sore areas and inflammation to stabilise for fear of abortion, reabsorption or infection further hindering future breeding projects, but I am not abreast of all the facts and do not know if the birth was complicated or not. I’m sure they’re doing what they think is right and no doubt took veterinary advice which is perhaps the most important thing to consider. 

Movers and shakers

June saw a changeover of staff with apprenticeships coming to an end and new employees to induct. It’s always time consuming and tiring - the staff have to work really hard to meet the standards set by a DEFRA Approved international breeding station and an international Grand Prix rider, but so far all seems to running smoothly
 
Although June horse sales were slow, Rolex Hfd was sold, as was Nico and Channel No5. I am currently in discussions with a very well informed pony international rider’s mother about my lovely Coolman Hfd. I think he has international potential. Although Mooiman Hfd is on the Dutch KWPN stallion rankings as one of the top 10 dressage sires in the Netherlands, I am keen to develop his breeding CV in Ireland and the UK further. I would like another Mooiman Hfd offspring to join Titanisch on the international path way in the UK, so his CV versus me, me, me is my current quandary. Decisions, decisions.

Great results for HFD offspring

This time of year much of the foaling is done and dusted and the covering season complete with the majority of brood mares in foal and just a few stallions now to get through semen freezing. Our thoughts turn to the county shows, foal shows, mare gradings, summer regionals and National Championships. We are delighted to congratulate Faye Hesketh and Mooiman Hfd son Amoo on qualifying for the Horse of the Year Show. Susan Haliday, elite sports pony breeder, has won just about everything including the sport horse class at the Great Eccleston Show, then going on to take the championship with her two-year-old Mooiman Hfd colt Esprit Mooiman. Laura Morely, a first time breeder, gained a high first premium at Writtle with her Oliver Hfd foal.

We have always enjoyed impressive results in the dressage arena and Mooiman son Tarzan comes to mind when he won the BD Eastern Open Elementary Regional Championships so these results in the show ring are a bonus for us, proving the stallion Mooiman Hfd is also meeting the standards of the very important British show producers, who themselves can boast worldwide recognition and respect. These are just a few results we have enjoyed through our breeders so a good year to date. Congratulations to you all and thank you.

Thank you for once again sharing our small corner of the universe - speak to you all in August.”

"May started with a bank holiday for most, but not for us as usual. Channel Hfd(Valdez X Krack C x Jazz) foaled a super little dark bay colt (Ampere x Valdez X Krack C) two days late on the 6 May. We scanned for insemination on her foaling heat to bring her dates back for 2012 and she is back in foal on the first attempt to Mooiman Hfd. 

Breeding and selling

Breeding horses is also about selling them and the 2011 three-year-olds training progress is underway. We like very much to have done some work with them before actively offering them for sale. By doing this, we have a knowledge of their attitude to work and play a part in preparing them for their future lives. With Mooiman Hfd ranked one of the top 10 dressage sires for producing dressage horses by the most difficult stud book in the world, we get a big tick in the performance/trainability boxes for his offspring. With the youngsters working with enough confidence and balance to present them for sale, we spent a full day on the 8 May videoing them in work mode. To see what we have for sale and see our coloured stallion Spyder under saddle, go to http://www.holdenfolddressage.co.uk/forsale.html. 

Complicated emergency 

We were already up at 3am on 17 May foaling a client's 22-year-old PSG mare when we received an call from distressed breeder, Mary Haworth, deep in a complicated foaling emergency. Perrie was all but finished so Brian left me to do the observations while he went to help, but all too late - both mare and foal died. This is the very sad side of our work which we do relentlessly 356 days a year. Calls come to us for help, calls come in to us of stories of success. 

Red bag syndrome

Edge O' Leet Stud owners Gary and Carol Bond averted catastrophe when their Wolfgang Keur mare presented her Mooiman Hfd foal with red bag syndrome. The situation was immediately recognised, the vet was called and CPR maintained until help arrived. Their stunning bay filly survived. Three-years-ago we witnessed and were called to four red bag syndrome presentations, being at the birth and speedy diagnosis of the condition is the only sure fire way of saving the foal.

Our work brings many, many highs but sometimes we are thrown some very deep, deep lows. The dark cloud that visited us that night failed to clear and our own battle with the grim reaper was on the horizon.

Our battle with the grim reaper

30 hours post foaling at midday on Wednesday 18 May, Perrie's filly foal Grace (Mooiman Hfd x T/B) became ill. Noticing Perrie's udder full and Grace's signs of loose bowel  movement and dehydration, we called the vet as this was quite obviously something serious.
 
Grace had enteritis, a very serious condition from which few foals survive - especially if they're so young and so the battle to save this little mite began. IV canular fitted and an initial dose of fluids/antibiotics given to her were her only hope of survival. We were to continue IV therapy day and night so for the next five days and nights,  Brian and I set about putting up four drips every 24 hours each bag of fluid with either glucose/calcium or plasma added and taking two to three hours to run through. Antibiotics were also given via the drip inlet valve, and we became quite expert at connecting the drip bag to the IV canular, stopping the flow to inject antibiotics and disconnecting the drip when the dose was complete, maintaining aseptic technique while applying the canular bung, and so on.

Beat the bowel torsion

When you think the enteritis is beaten, the worry of bowel torsion raised its ugly head. 12 hours with no BO and a little colicky, knowing full well she was not strong enough to survive a bout of colic due to impaction and definitely all would be lost if she had suffered a torsion due to possible damage caused by the infection and dehydration, we decided to perform a PR,convinced she had a full rectum 20mls of fleet helped our little princess part with the equivalent of six to eight foal motions. Never ever have we been so pleased to see horse manure in abundance! This was the first time we really felt our little wonder girl had beaten the grim reaper.

Following Grace's journey

We followed Amazing Grace's journey and her relieved owner Lesley Davidson be keeping this brave little girlie, who on day 11 (aged 13 days) post diagnosis took her first lap of honour around her father's arena. We posted Grace's journey on our Facebook Mooiman Holden Fold page and as it unfolded this frail little life had hundreds of concerned supporter willing her to pull through. 
 
As the silent fight continued, behind the screen surrounding baby Grace's stable in between drugs/drips input and output monitoring, it was business as usual. Daily walk-in stallion collections, mares arriving for scanning, or being collected. Their owners very aware of her plight, each enquiring after her progress. The young horses' daily work programmes continue, Grace's father Mooiman Hfd's international training continues, vet visits for teeth rasps and non urgent procedures plus a full day photo shoot to update the web site and get footage for our June Horse Deals website promotion. A dedicated stud in the North West of England going about its daily routine taking it all in their stride. Just another day at the office. Thank you all for taking the time to take a peek into our world. That's a wrap, baby Grace!"