| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 02 Nov 2010 : 07:55:10 AM
Hello! I haven't posted on here for quite a while - still trying to keep a low profile and avoid annoying you with my Tobago-babble!
But at least one of the main horse magazines will be publishing this latest Tobago-news, so I thought it might be worthy of a post...
Britain's highest-scoring Sport Horse mare is booked to H Tobago!
Witches Broom, the highest-scoring mare at the SHB(GB) gradings, is booked to be bred to Tobago for 2011!!!
Witches Broom was awarded the incredible, near-perfect score of 9.64 out of 10 at the 2009 gradings.
Imagine! One of the top sport-horse mares in the country, who would be a 'prize catch' for even the very best WB or TB stallions, is to be bred to a PURE-BRED ARAB!!!
I am extremely grateful to her owner Pat Adams for making this rather controversial choice. Quite a few serious sport-horse breeders are coming round to the idea that an infusion of Arab blood would be beneficial - but so far, only a few are innovative and far-sighted enough actually to DO the F1 cross!
And to do it with the top-scoring SHB(GB) mare - and a 'show-Arab' stallion! An exceptionally bold and imaginative choice, for which I hope that Pat will receive the admiration she deserves.
For those who don't know her, here are some details about the famous Witches Broom:
http://www.sporthorsegb.co.uk/results/mares.asp
http://www.thehorseexchange.com/news-desk/?p=461
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| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Hazel Cornes |
Posted - 23 Nov 2010 : 11:06:16 PM
Bathleyhills Monet PBA without plaits!
photos by Bathleyhills
Hopefully Penny Walster (the owner) will go down the PBA route and I certainly will keep pushing. The Zfdp (hope the letters are the correct way round) were very impressed at the grading and have asked to see him again next year re a licence. |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 23 Nov 2010 : 3:05:14 PM
Originally posted by basbob
Kate - you are a clever lady. Tobago has absolutely proved himself to be a damn good sire accepted by the warmblood/thoroughbred breeders. He's a beautiful, talented horse and is finding recognition .
Ronaldo also had a lot of interest when he was represented by Hobgoblins. Sporthorse owners are starting to like an arab influence.
Thank you! But Tobago's the clever one, not me - as I said before, I can't really take credit for just saying "yes, please!" when expert breeders ask to use him...
I am a huge fan of Ronaldo - he is a truly splendid horse! |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 23 Nov 2010 : 2:58:38 PM
Originally posted by alisonwhat a stunning foal he has it all ....... colour - looks - beautiful head and overall exquisite body shape. His character also seems to shine through sensible and courageous he is surely a super star in the making. ali 
Well, I didn't breed him, so can't take any credit - but thank you very much! He has a lovely owner, so I'm sure he will have a bright future! |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 23 Nov 2010 : 2:55:57 PM
Originally posted by Hazel CornesThanks Kate I look forward to seeing your article. The Editor also said the SPSS would have a mention - definitely a bumper issue fingers crossed! Talking of palominos, this was the yearling colt at the SPSS Premium In Hand show and from his dam's side he gets a fraction over 15% arab blood. He's actually German bred and is a potential FEI Dressage pony and I'm hoping his owner will register him PBA. Bathleyhills Monet (Casino Royale K/Mona) BEF Elite Premium 2010 & SPSS Champion In Hand  There is a lovely photo of him without his plaits when he went Champion at the Palomino Show but I didn't take that one so will ask his owner's permission to post it.
Very nice! I do hope you can persuade his owner to register him PBA - the Arab 'contribution' so often gets overlooked... Almost all of the Selle Francais horses that are doing so brilliantly in international sj and eventing have lots of Anglo Arab blood, but this is rarely mentioned and they are never described as 'Part-bred Arab', although this is in fact exactly what they are!
The forthcoming article about Tobago and Witches Broom in Horse Deals isn't 'mine' - the editor is writing it herself....so I'm looking forward to seeing it too! I would have thought that SPSS should get more than just a mention - I hope so, anyway!
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| basbob |
Posted - 20 Nov 2010 : 9:34:29 PM
Kate - you are a clever lady. Tobago has absolutely proved himself to be a damn good sire accepted by the warmblood/thoroughbred breeders. He's a beautiful, talented horse and is finding recognition .
Ronaldo also had a lot of interest when he was represented by Hobgoblins. Sporthorse owners are starting to like an arab influence. |
| alison |
Posted - 20 Nov 2010 : 7:36:07 PM
what a stunning foal he has it all ....... colour - looks - beautiful head and overall exquisite body shape. His character also seems to shine through sensible and courageous he is surely a super star in the making.
ali |
| Hazel Cornes |
Posted - 20 Nov 2010 : 5:24:50 PM
Thanks Kate I look forward to seeing your article. The Editor also said the SPSS would have a mention - definitely a bumper issue fingers crossed!
Talking of palominos, this was the yearling colt at the SPSS Premium In Hand show and from his dam's side he gets a fraction over 15% arab blood. He's actually German bred and is a potential FEI Dressage pony and I'm hoping his owner will register him PBA.
Bathleyhills Monet (Casino Royale K/Mona)
BEF Elite Premium 2010 & SPSS Champion In Hand
There is a lovely photo of him without his plaits when he went Champion at the Palomino Show but I didn't take that one so will ask his owner's permission to post it. |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 20 Nov 2010 : 3:52:56 PM
Originally posted by Hazel Cornes
Well done katefox1812, lovely article in the online November issue of the horse breeders magazine, I wondered what I was going to be reading with the title of "odd Couple"!!!!
He he - I suggested the title 'The Odd Couple' to Horse Breeders magazine, almost as a joke, but the v nice editor must have liked it! I really liked your report on the SPSS gradings, by the way. Horse Deals mag are also doing a piece on the Tobago/Witches Broom 'marriage' -in their Christmas issue, I think... |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 20 Nov 2010 : 1:51:10 PM
Originally posted by saddlebredHe's lovely Kate. Will look forward to seeing him out on the dressage and palomino show circuit one day. Very pretty head. Perfect me thinks. But then I am biased to anything in any shade of gold
Thank you! His head is proof that Tobago's dinky little head can 'override' even a near-Roman nose - here's another pic of his mum:
(ETA - no disrespect intended to mum, who is a v nice mare!)
And, specially for you, another palomino Tobagoling - this little filly was BNC Palomino at Malvern as a yearling:
Thanks to Callisto and Nut too for your kind thoughts! |
| Nut |
Posted - 19 Nov 2010 : 6:27:11 PM
georgeous pally foal |
| Callisto |
Posted - 19 Nov 2010 : 5:07:41 PM
The Tobagoling is very nice indeed  |
| saddlebred |
Posted - 19 Nov 2010 : 4:40:50 PM
He's lovely Kate. Will look forward to seeing him out on the dressage and palomino show circuit one day. Very pretty head. Perfect me thinks. But then I am biased to anything in any shade of gold |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 4:10:34 PM
Thanks Rui - I managed to get over my 'blonde moment' and work out how to do this with the new-format photobucket; it was a simple right-click operation, but I am a bear of very little brain! |
| Rui |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 3:58:14 PM
Originally posted by katefox1812
Oh blast - photobucket has changed format and I can't seem to make the pics copy - I'll try to figure it out and post them later...sorry!
The sig in my link shows how to post photobucket pics and I can help if you need me to. |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 3:51:10 PM
Originally posted by saddlebredWelcome back Kate. Lovely to hear an update from the lush Tobago. Very excited about the Witches Broom cross. Who was the palomino tobagoling? I think I missed that one - I bet it was very lovely indeed. (sits and sighs - pondering a Tobago cross with a certain palomino saddlebred filly   ) Note to self - you have already got too many horses - stop dreaming!
Thank you! The palomino Tobagoling I mentioned earlier was out of a cremello WB mare - I only have a few tiny-baby photos of him, which apparently don't do him justice (I'll post a couple anyway). He is destined for a dressage career, but meanwhile has already inspired a very serious sport-horse to breed her fully-graded SHB(GB) mare to Tobago. This breeder met and handled the pally-boy and decided, as she put it, that she "just had to have a beautiful and feisty Tobago-foal of my own"!
Here are a few snaps of the pally Tobagoling:
Oh blast - photobucket has changed format and I can't seem to make the pics copy - I'll try to figure it out and post them later...sorry!
....ah, I think I've worked it out (I'm such a numpty at these things). Trying again to copy photos of the WBx pally-baby:
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| katefox1812 |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 3:34:56 PM
Originally posted by kirsty
Great news kate, Tobago is a great sire and we are so pleased with our pba (who is almost anglo) by him he stands at 15.11/2 already and is a great chap
Kirsty
Thank you! Tobago could hardly fail with such a super mare! What height do you expect your boy to make? |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 3:28:08 PM
Originally posted by Mrs Vlacq
The beauty of AA and pbas is there should be one out their to suit everybody - dressage ponies, WHPs, Hacks and Riding Horses, Hunters, Scopey event types and fast as fury endurance types too.
Very good point! All types and sizes of Anglo/PBA are needed - and you seem to be breeding quite a range of very useful sorts yourself! |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 3:23:11 PM
Originally posted by templarsBabs - definitely!! We've been desperately looking for an Anglo 16.2+ but they just aren't there so that was the final push for us to get off our backsides and breed our own - hence 2 of our larger mares in foal to substantial TB stallions and then bring in an Anglo broodmare (15.2) AND breed a BIG TB so that hopefully in there we'll get the pure TB colt or pure Anglo colt that we so desperately need and then next generation, we can flex the mix to increase the size. We're in it for the long haul I reckon a couple of generations from now, we should have the right basic framework We can but dream
This is exactly the kind of long-term, far-sighted approach that is needed! I am so excited to see the results of your programme! |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 3:17:38 PM
Originally posted by Kunama
well done you! Its great that breeders outside the arab comunity are takeing crossing to purebreds as a more serious option. I have a facebook friend who breeds some partbreds , have a look on the sports horse page at sorcerers stone, gorgeous!!
I'm so glad you posted this link! I saw this website a while ago - someone posted a link to it on a US forum - but then of course promptly forgot the name of the stud and couldn't find it again!
They have bred some really stunning Arab/WB crosses! |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 3:13:30 PM
Originally posted by BabsRYeah Kate.....what a super Anglo colt ...if Tobago and Witches Broom get their act together and produce a boy!! So few Anglo stallions and a 50/50 is ideal, as all offspring, (even if mares are then outcrossed to none Arab bloodlines) will still have 12.50% Arab and so, eligible for AHS registration I am really excited by the prospect that Owners/Breeders are seriously considering infusing Arab blood into their competition Mares......they will not regret such a decision.....and who knows...British Anglo Arabs will be as much sought after as the French Anglos. I also believe that as more Pure Arab Owners/riders go out there and promote the versatility and capability of Arabians....flying the flag in open competition, so more interest will be geared towards our performance Arabs, Anglos and Part Bred Arabs We have recently been approached by a top AI centre regarding an Anglo colt who would make at least 16hh, to stand along with ten other stallions. Did have one but declined as we do not sell colts (gelded first) The future looks good as obviously biased towards Anglos  Babs www.SunrayAngloArabianStud.co.uk
He he - "The future is bright! The future is Anglo!"
Pat would be very happy with a filly too, of course, but a stallion-quality colt would be ideal. I agree with you - there is definitely a need for more really good Anglo stallions...
Fingers crossed! |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 2:54:16 PM
This thread seems to have sparked an interesting debate!
I'll sit on the fence and just say that I think there is a place for both larger AND smaller sport horses...and that both would of course benefit from further infusions of Arab blood!
Thank you for all the very kind comments on Tobago and his sport-horse girlfriends - I'll go back and try to reply to any questions, etc. now... |
| Scarlet Arabian |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 08:15:31 AM
"There still is and always will be a place for a smaller but still robust enough quality horse for the young,small or simply riding club rider who wants to compete in all spheres without being over-horsed or bankrupt from feeding a bottomless pit." weitron
i can not agree more with this went to the AES stallion grading the other day to grade a KWPN black 3 year old colt , standing approx at the moment 15.2hh , loose jumped impeccably but was not graded (although two of the judges wanted to !!)FOR BEING TOO SMALL??? and a bit pony like 
may be this is were the popularity of the arab has partly gone in sport horse breeding because people think they need huge horses, so the arab stallion for all their spirit , movement and flair have not been used.
our pintabiann stallion, again a cross of fantastic arab blood with pinto horse from the US, covered two trakehner mares last year, as the owner an eventer herself wanted to improve movement with lightness and wanted a smaller compact horse for her self, being only 5,3",
and i my opion (i may be shot for this one!!! but i can say this haveing both, some warmbloods are bred to be highly strung and need careful handling,to go on to do the job they were bred for, perhaps not always for the general rider , no disrespect intended to any body,but an arab influence , i have found has improved the willingness and attitude, but still giving quality of movement and top line ,with correct movement to go on to be great all round horses,
i my self do no know whether to grad our stallion with chaps for the obvious reason that he is coloured or do Sports Pony Studbook Society grading ,but it all boils down to cost!!!
abby
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| Hazel Cornes |
Posted - 17 Nov 2010 : 8:49:01 PM
Well done katefox1812, lovely article in the online November issue of the horse breeders magazine, I wondered what I was going to be reading with the title of "odd Couple"!!!! |
| Hazel Cornes |
Posted - 05 Nov 2010 : 7:08:28 PM
Templars a very valid and alternative view point and with other posters' opinions it's making this topic very interesting. |
| sab2 |
Posted - 05 Nov 2010 : 6:02:36 PM
Templars i dont think you have upset anyone, it would be a sad old world if we all loved the same type of horses, just think how many sad lonely unloved horses there would be if we all had one ideal horse. I just know that my little legs would not be of any use on a large horse, in fact i have proved this by trying to ride my 16.1hh Trakehner mare i have realised i am not going to be able to ride her as my legs hurt after 10 mins so now i have to decide what to do with her bless her.I know what you mean by the extra inches over fences they look so much smaller on a big horse |
