Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas!

An Extra Helping of Gratitude!

An extra hearty serving of "Thank You"s go out to everyone who has helped pitch in in the past few weeks while we are a bit short handed!!! The meals, the help in the barn...all of these little gifts make us appreciate our friends and family just a little bit more!

There will be several large updates that go 'public' this week on the website (www.watermark-farm.net) for the farm and our family. Please bear in mind we are coping with 2 major injuries to our staff, so serious inquires are appreciated as our time is limited.

Thank you very much to all of our helpers!

Take Advantage of the Deep Frozen Discount on Stored Frozen Semen!

Brrrr! It is getting chilly out with the Winter Solstice just days away! Take advantage of our 30% Deep Frozen Discount on all stored Frozen Semen! Stock up and save $$$ just in time for the 2011 Breeding Season!! The DFD Sale will run from December 26th, 2010 - January 15th, 2011.

The list of available stallions is:
Adamant
Again and Again
Avebury WF
Dressage Royal
Showtime WF
Waldaire
Wizard WF

If there has been a stallion that you were interested in but the cost of breeding has been a bit intimidating, please consider using frozen semen! It eliminates the Collection Fee and is always available when timing is critical!

If you have any questions, please email Ellie@watermark-farm.net








Prices -
Again and Again - $550 per dose (NA shipping only)
Adamant - $550 (NA shipping only)
Avebury WF - $300 per dose (EU & NA shipping available)
Showtime WF - $200 per dose (NA shipping only)
Waldaire - $450 per dose (NA & EU shipping available)
...Wizard WF - $200 per dose (NA shipping only)
Dressage Royal - $1500 per dose (North America shipping available)

All stallions are EVA & CEM Negative. All semen is sold by the dose, no LFG or returns.

Such a loss...

It is with great regret that we have to announce the passing of our superstar 2010 filly Waldina WF early this morning.







"Chrissy" had been a delight from the first day and as always with the especially talented youngsters the loss stings. At her foal inspection, she received all 9's and was declared the 'best foal so far by Waldaire.' She was out of our best producing damline and very similiar in type to her granddam Able Spirit for those who might remember her.

RIP little filly.

Book NOW and SAVE big!

Just 2 weeks left for the Super Saver Early Booking Discount!!! Save 30% on any stud fee paid by 12/1/10!!! Other discounts may apply! Contact us for more information - info@watermark-farm.net

It is pretty rare...

It is a rare occasion that inspires me to post anything that is not directly involving the horses but you all will see why in a second.

On Wednesday morning Mom and I were headed to go get some shavings and a big bale for the broodmares' pasture when a dump truck tried to pass us on the left as I was turning left. Fortunately we all walked away (all right, all right, I hopped) but luck was on our side.

Sincere thanks go out to the emergency responders for their swift assistance and skills.






As no post goes without any mention of horse-related things, if you are interested in trying any of our horses with an intent to purchase, we will do our best to accommodate your needs. It will be a few days (possibly a week) until I am back in the saddle as my left ankle took the impact from the door as it was ripped off. Mom's shoulder is still healing but we are very fortunate to have several top notch working students who can certainly show our horses undersaddle.

And the final reminders - please wear your seat belt. Please drive cautiously and be on the lookout for turning vehicles, pedestrians and other road hazards. No deadline is worth a life.

Avebury & Ryan are gearing up for next season!

It's getting closer to competition time! We took Avebury over to True Prospect visit his buddy Ryan Wood! They had a lovely school with Ryan enjoying his flying changes, counter canter and improved lateral work.

Some snapshots -














When they were all finished, it was a delight to be discussing the "plan" for next years with Avebury. :) As with all horses, you have to be very careful to manage their career and maximize their talents all while protecting the fragile animal...so with a bit of cautious optimism - we will be aiming Avebury for the 2* at the Fair Hill International.

Wyncote WF photos!

Our super flashy 2007 gelding Wyncote WF aka Cody is almost ready to advance his undersaddle training here at Watermark Farm. He is a super elastic and smooth mover - and about 17 hands! Very sweet, calm and focused on his rider either in the arena or out in the open. We are very excited to see him over fences as he might just be one of the fanciest hunter prospects we've ever bred! Then again, he is no slouch on the flat, so with a little encouragement from the rider he could be an FEI Young Horse star!

2011 Breeding Information

Avebury WF







It is that time of year! Are you thinking of breeding your mare next year? We are doing the final revisions of the 2011 Stallion Service Contracts but wanted to let everyone know the Breeding Fees and Early Booking Discounts!

The 2011 Stud fees (fresh) are as follows:
Avebury WF $1200
Waldaire $1500
Wizard WF $800.
All breeding fees include the $200 Booking Fee and a LFG.

A Super Saver Early Booking Discount (-30%) will apply if contracts and fees are paid by 12/1/10.

The Early Booking Discount (-15%) applies to all contracts and fees paid by 1/15/11.


We will be offering a Deep Frozen Discount closer to the Holiday Season so stay tuned if you are interested in purchasing a supply of Dressage Royal, Adamant, Again & Again or Showtime WF to fill your tank for future use! This is a one time event and will not be offered again.


Again and Again










Wizard WF








Waldaire












Dressage Royal











Showtime WF











Adamant








If you are looking for a more immediate solution to a horseless situation, we have several wonderful young prospects for sale at this time. There are also a number of mares and geldings under the age of 6 with plenty of undersaddle training ready to trot into the show arena. All of these horses have an individual webpage on www.watermark-farm.net and we are always happy to discuss their current level of training and experience. For instance, there are 2 full siblings to Wizard WF - a mare and a gelding! So if you like Wizard - check out Wakanda and Whodini! If chestnut is not your favorite color - there is the handsome Wall Street in his fancy black jacket - hubba hubba, he's a looker! Oh and if you like a horse with flashy markings - check out Wyncote! He has plenty of white and show ring presence to capture the judge's attention! Wilson and Wallace are beautiful dark bays with the classic wide spaced eyes, sculpted ears and refined muzzles...what's not to love about that?

It goes without saying that we are very proud of our horses and their potential in both sport and breeding. We have assiduously attended to a standard trimming schedule for all the youngsters, along with regular worming, vaccination and handling. The riding horses are all professionally started and their early training is not discipline specific - they all learn to trail ride, jump and have a natural flying change. So while we tend to focus on FEI dressage, several of the young horses would do very well in the A Hunters or Eventing depending on their way of going and temperament. With several generations of breeding invested in each youngster, there is a lovely sense of "who" each young horse is and the area of sport that best suits their nature.

If you are in the area and interested in learning more about any of the horses, please call Anne to set up an appointment (484) 880-0779 or email Anne@watermark-farm.net

Wizard was a star!

Wizard returned home like the cool customer that he is after a triumphant day at Buck's County Horse Park V! It is a wonderful feeling to have such a focused young horse that also happens to be a stallion!




He was a bit concerned about the judges box (hadn't seen one of those before), so there was a bit of unsteadiness going up the centerline the first time but by the end of the second half circle, Oz thought it was no big deal. From the judges perspective there are some areas of improvement to work on - they would like to see bigger gaits (more of a medium trot and canter) and for me to not focus on the accuracy of the movements in order for his scores to go up in the FEI YH Tests. He got 7's for his trot and walk (the nervousness about the box showed in the transition at C) and then 8's for his canter (uphill, balanced and lovely) and the general impression!




As he was the only horse in the class, it could be said that we won...but that is silly! He was a very good boy who got lots of extra carrots for a good days effort instead of a blue ribbon.





Video of the USDF Four Year Old Test - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqbZEJCChzE

Thanks to Mom for the photos, Melissa for the video and Dad for being the cheerleader at ringside!

Inspection Photos!

Bill Alphin's wonderful photographs are up from last weekend! Please go to http://alphinwh.photostockplus.com/home.php?event=722875 to view the proofs.

A & A's regular website is www.alphinsphotography.com

Thanks to Bill for another awesome day of images!

If you are interested in seeing Wizard WF competing...

Our junior stallion Wizard WF (Waldaire x Abracadabra WF by Again and Again) will be competing this coming Saturday October 23rd at Buck's County Horse Park. His test is tentatively scheduled for 1:40 PM, so if you are in the area, we would love to see you!

Pre Inspection of the colts

As our AWR/NASPR judge had a bit of time, we did an informal presentation of the intact colts here on the farm.




First up was Dreamcatcher WF (Dressage Royal x Abracadabra WF by Again and Again). Derek is a 2008 and half brother to our junior stallion Wizard WF (by Waldaire). Here are a few snapshots of him and a bit of video as well - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsmLvyeGmds
















The 2009 colts were also given a quick glance. The overall group is very strong - Wilson WF (full brother to Waldina WF), Drummond WF (full brother to Dreamcatcher) and then Aloysius WF (by Avebury WF/Again and Again). All three were declared to be of high quality and worthy of keeping intact for pre-Inspection next fall.

All of the above mentioned youngsters are currently for sale. If there is a particular colt that catches your eye, please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss purchasing options.

Thank you to all our inspection folks!

Heartfelt thanks go out to all our attendees, participants, spectators, Bill Alphin (A & A Photography), Pat and Ric for their assistance and the rest of the Watermark Farm crew for all their help!

It was a super day with lots of information on breeding, conformation and generational focus in breeding sport horses and ponies.

Many thanks to all!

Photos will be available later this week - www.alphinsphotography.com so don't forget to check back for images of the lovely day!

October 16th AWR/NASPR Inspection

This Saturday we are proud to be hosting the AWR/NASPR Inspection!

Our group of attendees is a bit smaller than in years past (very much a reflection of the tough economic times) but we are quite excited to see the lovely horses and ponies!

Order of Go:9:30 AM JRF Mahrus Amira & Wreign
10:00 AM Shades of Grey*
10:15 AM Carramia
10:25 AM ~BREAK~
10:40 AM 
10:50 AM Tinkerbell LG*
11:10 AM Carreg
11:45 AM Awards
12:10 AM Branding

At 12:50 our stallions Avebury WF and Wizard WF will be doing a brief undersaddle demonstration for anyone that is interested.

A Tour is also available at 1:45 of the farm, our breeding stock and young horses.

The restroom and refreshments are located in the green house that is mere steps from the arena and main barn. Parking is in the lower pasture near the bridge. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Ellie@watermark-farm.net

A wonderful day at Dressage At Devon 2010!

We wrapped our daily duties early yesterday and all went up to Dressage at Devon. It is the 35th anniversary of the show and as mom & dad were the main organizers in the beginning. It was a treat to have so much time to go and enjoy the show that has literally been a part of my life from the very beginning of my life. Every year seems to have involved a trip to Devon and either be cheering for friends and family or to be a competitor...so it was a delightful afternoon and evening.

During July we had been invited to the Preview Party in Radnor (???) but were unable to attend as we were bringing in 20 acres of hay with bad weather in the forecast. The organizing committee had asked us to dig through our albums and find photos from DAD over the years. A few of them have been posted here but it was a grand surprise to be in the committee stand and find TWO of mom riding our FEI horses blown up to 4'x6' prints!!!! One shot was of Valentino in the late 70's and the other is of Abundance the very first year of DAD!!! So it was a great thrill to see mom in such a prestigious location and on 2 of our treasured FEI horses!!!

The Thorncroft Mainstreamers did an awesome color coordinated 6 person quadrille! They used super techniques to keep their spacing and had a lovely pinwheel during their exhibition! The Newcastle County Police Department's Mounted Officers did several demonstrations of their horses skills and methods of subduing crowds - it was a delight to see such large horses being used for 'real' life situations...just a treat all around!

And then there were the Grand Prix Special rides - Shawna Harding and Come Back III were so impressive!! He is a big Danish gelding and just so very powerful! It has been a few years since I was lucky enough to show Grand Prix and several of the horses reminded me of my schoolmistress - Duell Anastasia! She was quite a character and taught me so very much, so I was able to observe lots of other horses training their riders throughout the tests...just a lovely moment to think back on and look forward to competing at that level again!

I can not go on any longer without mentioning Catherine Haddad and Winyamaro! What an electrifying performance. She might have been our alternate for the Alltech Games but holy smokes what a rider!!! W is a flashy light chestnut with lots of white markings and a bouyant way of going. He is just 10 years old and her choreography has tightened up since this ride back in 2009 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVE0cq1zqWI but the music is the same. There are now double canter pirouettes and so much more power in the half passes, piaffe and passage! It was a pure thrill to be in the stands - what a great combination they are!!!! Her top hat was a custom brown silk from the Dutch hatmaker extrodinaire - L'Hiver (maker of my awesome navy blue silk). Her tail coat is a chocolate brown and her boots and tack are havannah brown...it really works well with W's pale chestnut coat and flaxen mane and tail. They are a joy to watch and it will be fun to see if they are on the team in London! :)







So my apologies that I did not shoot photos for the day - it was a lovely break to see lots of good friends and catch up without feeling obligated to stick to the ringside and photograph. The horses and riders were lovely and it all deserved more media attention but...it was a chance for some down time for me!

Enjoy the photos from the past and I will do better next time! Promise!