Clippers for sale! Bridles! Girths! More to come! Check back!

The great listing of sale items begins!

This is a rolled warmblood size brown double bridle in fair condition (bits not included) - $75

Keiffer neoprene girth 30"NWT - $50

30" Keiffer neoprene girth used 4x - $40

 

 5" KK curb bit - $175

 5" Applemouth curb - $75

 

5" high port medium mouth curb stainless - $65

 Wahl Homecut clipper set - clippers, 3 detachable combs, cleaning brush, comb and guard - $85

Oster Pet Groomer Trimming Kit - no combs found in the box (sorry) - $65

Craftsman Home Hair Cut Kit - 2 pairs scissors, comb, manual, brush - $75

It's that time of year! Time to start spring cleaning!

If you are a horse person, perhaps you will also willingly spend hours cleaning, polishing and conditioning your tack, organizing your grooming supplies, your tack room and miscellaneous tools that are involved in horse keeping. But ask a horse person to clean their house...hmm, some of us might balk a bit at that suggestion!

So to procrastinate a bit on the house cleaning front, I am about to embark on the great clean-out-the-tackroom-for-the-year adventure! There will be many unhappy small bugs, spiders and stinkbugs I'm sure!! But this is a newsworthy event because it means we will be adding to our listing of used-but-in-good condition equipment that is seeking new homes! Photos will be taken and the Sales page will be updated, too! You guys are just going to have to give me a few days to get it taken care of and up on the website!

In the meantime, there is still an inventory of SADDLES seeking new homes. Expect some grooming supplies (working clippers & good blades), bridles, bridle pieces, halters, girths, sheets and blankets to be added in the coming week to 10 days!

If you are looking for a specific piece of equipment - pop me a note Ellie@watermark-farm.net and I'll get it cleaned and photographed for you right away!

EHV-1 Protocol (3/15/13) REVISED for the remainder of 2013

OK folks, here is the latest update from Florida and the HITS showgrounds.

Those of you who have contacted your vet(s) already to discuss your spring shots, thank you. Please read through the linked article above and be sure to understand the following:

That protocol includes:

Required upon entry to [HITS show facilities] all horses must have certification for:

1)     Negative Coggins - Veterinary documentation dated within three months (90 days) of the start of the circuit. This includes horses that originate from the state where the event is being held.

2)     Health Certificate - Issued within 30 days of arrival. Note: If the horse leaves the HITS property, a newly dated health certificate will be required upon re-entry.

3)     Event Participation Declaration - Signed by the owner/agent/trainer verifying that the horse has been healthy with no sign of infectious disease and has not had a fever above 102°F within 72 hours (3 days) of entry. (Event Participation Declaration Form available at HitsShows.com, and in the prize list.)

4)     Proof of Vaccination - Via a signed statement from the attending veterinarian that the horse has been vaccinated against the following:

(Within 6 months/180 days of entry)
1. Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis
2. Rabies
3. Tetanus
4. West Nile Virus

(Within 3 months/90 days of entry)
5. Equine Influenza
6. EHV 1 and EHV 4

These heath documents are required upon entry [to HITS facilities] and copies must be filed in the Show Office before any competition numbers will be issued. The results on all required papers should indicate the horse’s registered (show) name.

So for those horses coming for lessons here at Watermark Farm (or training), please comply to the above instructions with the exceptions of a 30 Health Certificate and 90 day Coggins. The HC can be waived in lieu of a vet statement of vaccination (timing listed above) with the EPD and Coggins within 6 months. Substitute Watermark Farm for [HITS] and rather than hand carrying the documents, please scan/email/or fax them ahead of time to our office. 

To be sure there are no misunderstandings, horses coming for lessons and/or training must have on file in our office - 

1) Negative Coggins - Veterinary documentation dated within SIX months (180 days). 

2) Event Participation Declaration - Signed by the owner/agent/trainer verifying that the horse has been healthy with no sign of infectious disease and has not had a fever above 102°F within 72 hours (3 days) of entry. NO EXCEPTIONS

3)  Proof of Vaccination - Via a signed statement from the attending veterinarian that the horse has been vaccinated against the following:

(Within 6 months/180 days of entry)
1. Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis
2. Rabies
3. Tetanus
4. West Nile Virus

(Within 3 months/90 days of entry)
5. Equine Influenza
6. EHV 1 and EHV 4

For our trailering clients -
If you park on the road - please limit contact with the bachelor herd that comes calling. While they are friendly, we ask you to greet them from afar and tell them to go back to their big bale of hay. Please do not allow your horse(s) to touch noses with ours. 

For lessons in the indoor - please use the door on the South Side for all human and outside equine traffic.

All students who are using a WF horse for a lesson - 

Please use your best judgement and wear clean clothing - shoes, breeches, gloves, etc that have not been in contact with other horses unless you keep a closed herd situation at your own farm. You will be asked to provide proof of vaccination and temperature logs of your horses if it is a high traffic situation (high volume farrier, vet, contact with other horses, etc.). 

For our human farm visitors and guests -

Please refrain from petting our horses or offering them treats. 

Please do not come to the farm after having been to other horse farms as this disease can be carried on clothing or shoes.

And if you find our protocol unfair or too taxing for your schedule or that of your boarding barn, please understand that we have show horses that are traveling to other stables and show grounds. We have to comply with the rules and protocols of other facilities and have documents that can substantiate the traffic at our home facility in case of illness developing at any point in the competition year. 

Have you ever wondered...

Have you ever wondered how we get our bridles to look so nice in the tackroom?

They stay tidy in transit too!

HERE's how! FYI - we do the same procedure with our double bridles and lay the bridoon over the front of the curb with the curb chain fastened around the reins to make a tidy package!

A jaunt to Dunmovin Farm in West Chester to start the year!

Since the Florida trip was canceled, it was time to find a schooling show! Fortunately we squeezed into Dunmovin's final show in the Snowflake Series! Oz (aka Wizard WF) went up and had his first outing of the year at Fourth Level. 

We had a mid-afternoon ride time which was perfect as the temperatures crept up enough that Oz got a bath to show off his shiny clipped coat! The farm is very friendly with a well thought out traffic pattern and flow for competitors and horses to make their way from the parking area to warm up to competition arena! Just lovely and inviting for horses to gain confidence in a new venue! 

I rode a conservative test - nothing dramatic or flamboyant. The goal was to have a smooth run through and minimize any drama. That being said, he was wonderful - focused, relaxed and only a bit cheeky every so often. Oz is the best type of horse to show - he counts noses to keep track of an audience and it reminds me very strongly of Wally, who also loved nothing more than to go out for an adventure and show off his tricks. 

The show runs on the Danish Award system so our 66% earned a yellow ribbon and extra mints for the little star!


Thanks to Stubben N.A. for their fabulous equipment! Oz loves his 2117 Bridle! I love my Genesis Special D!!!! Thanks to R.H. Rohrer in Quarryville for our feed! Thanks to Mom and Dad for the ride on this nice horse and the coaching & moral support! Thanks to OneK Helmets for my stylin' headgear!

Now onward and upward! Time to move the training back outdoors and into the large arena! Bigger gaits, more expression and power will be the name of the game!! :-D

~Happy Riding!~

Watermark Farm EHV-1 Protocol

Watermark Farm EHV-1 Protocol  (3/8/13)

Due to the recent outbreaks of EHV-1 all over the country Watermark Farm will be enforcing the following Preventative Protocol:

All students who are bringing their own horses for lessons need to provide 

1. A statement from their veterinarian with proof of Rhino booster within the last 30 days (as of March 15th), 60 days (April 15th) and 90 days (May 15th). 
2. Hay, water and bathing supplies to care for their horse at their trailer.
3. For those horses that have an active travel life (lessons since the beginning of March at other facilities, vet clinics, farriers with high traffic situations/high volume client base) - please provide a log book with daily AM/PM temperature beginning today (3/8/13) and continuing until this epidemic is contained. 
4. If you park on the road - please limit contact with the bachelor herd that comes calling. While they are friendly, we ask you to greet them from afar and tell them to go back to their big bale of hay.

For lessons in the indoor - please use the door on the South Side for all human and outside equine traffic.

All students who are using a WF horse for a lesson - 

Please use your best judgement and wear clean clothing - shoes, breeches, gloves, etc that have not been in contact with other horses unless you keep a closed herd situation at your own farm and can provide proof of vaccination of your horses. 

For our human farm visitors and guests -

Please refrain from petting our horses or offering them treats. 

Please do not come to the farm after having been to other horse farms. 

Horses that are returning from areas of the country that have current quarantined farms (Loxahatchee, Wellington, Gurnee) will be asked to stay at their home facilities until a 28 day “all clear” can be documented or Proof of vaccination and temperature logs are provided. 

Please take a minute to review the AAEP Guidelines and FAQ to refresh your familiarity with the symptoms of EHV-1 and EHM. 

Facebook is useful! I promise!

Every so often on Facebook there are drawings, photos or links to articles that are definitely a sign that it is a useful place to be. Then again, there are plenty of illustrations, photos, comments and revealing facts that clutter news feeds that are fall more into the "enlightening" category!

Here is an image that was circulating earlier in the week - 

It is definitely worth taking a close look at this pressure points, nerves and compare how your bridle is adjusted. We recently began to use several of Stubben's 2117 Bridles and are more than please at how much better the horses are going. The contact is the main difference - so much lighter, the horses are happier in the bridles and more cooperative! With the padded nose band that is wide (but not huge nose support) the horse's have a comfortable fit around their jaw. The innovative design of the crown piece allows for greater relaxation at the poll...all of which just makes riding at a high level EASIER! 

Stubben's 2117 Bridle's crown piece

Our current bridle inventory

So if you think a vast inventory of old bridles with traditional headstalls is "fine" or "good enough" then reconsider how your equipment is adjusted and its impact on your horse's daily training with the FEI's stated goal of "happy athlete". Then take a look at Stubben's bridle options. It is worth making the change I believe purely because the horses are more comfortable and happy. That's good enough for me!

Big plans, big changes and the way the cookies crumble

A bit of history will be revealed in this post along with what was going to be big news and how all the best plans can unravel at a moment's notice...

Mmmmm, BioMex 

Things at the farm have been very busy for the last month getting several horses ready to ship down to Catherine's barn in Loxahatchee, FL for some intense training with the Big Boss Herself. Lots of time has been spent on Dressage Training Online brushing up on Catherine's training system and then incorporating it into the daily training of all the horses. Across the board the horses are going better than they ever have and it all looked like it was going to be a grand adventure - until the EHV-1 outbreak in Ocala, FL at the end of February.

Wyatt grazing before his first lesson with Catherine

The Fates have a hand in all of this, I swear. In June of 2011, I happened across a post in a Virginia dressage group on Facebook saying there was space in a clinic with Catherine due to an EHV-1 outbreak in Colorado that caused her to cancel her clinic out there on short notice. So Wyatt, Mom and I trundled down to the clinic and began the latest chapter of working back into the Schultheis System of Training. I'll spare everyone my enthusiasm of WHY I like to ride this way and in the Stubben Genesis Special saddles and just say how much it feels "right" to me. :)

So now back to the present day issue - to travel to Loxahatchee or not? With the long term health of all of our horses, not just Wyatt, Oz and Liam, in mind I am staying home to continue to work with mom on pushing the horses towards a more imminent show debut. Sooner rather than later is the current plan - weather permitting - of course! Hopefully we will eventually get our time in with Catherine to fine tune some of their tricks but gaining show mileage will be the name of the game until then. The risk of being stuck in Loxahatchee indefinitely or having one (or all) of the horses get ill is too great to chance the trip to FL. *sigh*

Immense gratitude goes out to the folks at Jeff's Chevy in Oxford, PA for working so hard to make my truck ready for the long haul to FL and back. Their service department went above and beyond to be sure I was starting out with a sound vehicle. Our Jamco Trailer was thoroughly checked out by the awesome staff at Lanchester Trailer in Atglen, PA just last week! Having a safe and well prepared rig is no small part of being a mobile competition barn! Thank you so very much!

Thanks go out to Dr. Cordivano, our bodyworker Hoppy Stearns and our farrier Butch Groves for being on the ball for the past few weeks preparing the horses for their adventures. Thank you to Sara and Mrs. Gartland for helping to teach me to clip better and for making Wyatt more of a peach! :) It truly takes a village to get the horses ready and comfortable to perform at their best! Thank you!!!

Thank you to R. H. Rohrer's Feed in Quarryville, PA for doing the legwork and getting Speedi-Beet in for the Traveling Trio. You all have been fabulous in supplying our feeds and going the extra mile for us. We are happy with the resulting condition of the horses and their energy levels, so your customer service gets more than 2 thumbs up for all of us! Add in some hooves too!!! :)

The Anthracite rounded buckles

Wyatt in the 2117 in Ebony

There are probably not enough words that are synonymous with "Thank You" to express how I feel about my Stubben saddles and bridles. My original Genesis Special is a coveted piece of equipment in the barn. There is a scramble to be the first one to lay claim to "#1" as it is known each day! We all feel so much better riding in these saddles and the horses say Thank YOU too! I am now riding several horses in the 2117 Bridle by Stubben as well and they are much lighter in the contact and happier in their self carriage with a better connection. The padded crown piece makes a world of difference! This bridle is such a wonderful addition to my stockpile of equipment for high level riding. Add in the Genesis Special and that gives me a very, very positive outlook toward the 2013 competition season! If you're skeptical that what I'm saying is an exaggeration - talk to Stubben about their equipment and see if they have something that interests you! Or arrange a test ride!

The Genesis Special D

Oz in the 2117 in Black

Close up of the crown piece

So while the plans for March and April have shifted a bit, there is still much to be thankful for - happy and fit horses, nicer weather just around the corner and wonderful training coming to fruition! Well made riding equipment (thank you Stubben), a great farrier, fabulous body worker for horse and human, a top notch vet, well bred horses, a great feed supplier and a maintained truck & trailer to help make the whole adventure more positive and fun!!! Bring it on!! Time to SHOW!!! 

I'll be updating in a few days with our competition plans...check back! 

~Happy Riding~

YAY! Back online!

Fax away! The fax line is repaired! The business phones and emails are restored! We're back in the 21st Century!!!

Now isn't it funny how tech-dependant we are???? :)

Apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused!

Technology glitch!

There was a power surge yesterday afternoon and it took out our fax line, the residential phones and the internet in both houses along with a few lightbulbs here and there in the barns. Ellie's internet has been restored but the business numbers - primarily the fax machine and Anne and Bill's email are down until Monday at least.

If you are trying to schedule a riding lesson for this coming weekend with Anne, please use her cell number to either text or call.

Sorry for the inconvenience!!!

Dressage Royal - something to smile about!

Dressage Royal in 2005

Dressage Royal

There is always a lag between breeding to a stallion and the time when the resulting foal matures into a riding horse. No one has invented a time machine to fast forward through the gestation, yearling, two year old and three year old years. Then there are the weeks, months, years that it takes to for the young horse to mature into a "real" riding horse - practicing lateral work, flying changes, half steps...THEN you know what you have and if it was a good decision. Breeders are the eternal optimists. Really. :)

Don William WF

Our first Dressage Royal foals were born in 2007. So it is with positive enthusiasm we can say with confidence - "Dressage Royal is the real deal!" His babies are consistently very straightforward to start undersaddle, easy to handle, exceptionally good movers with the modern flair that judges seek to reward with big numbers and they are a joy to train and ride. Don William and Daylily have always been a pleasure to work with, but now the training is getting more complex and they rise to the occasion time and again. Not only are they well conformed horses who love to cuddle - they have smooth gaits, superb walks and easy flying changes! Dreamcatcher and Dream Girl are following quickly in their hoofsteps and have bright futures! They are very comfortable horses with smooth gaits and plenty of power from the hindquarters - just like their older relatives!

Dressage Royal at the Private Stallion Show

We could not be happier with the decision to have imported Dressage Royal semen to the US in 2006 after Anne had met Hermann & Dorit Kothe in Germany. Look for his WF bred offspring in the competition arena in 2013!! His "foreign" offspring are making big headlines in their competition circles too - Doringcourt (New Zealand), Damsey (Germany), Dolce Bella (California), Don Diego (Florida) and now our beauties here on the East Coast!


 We will be updating our DR youngster's pages on the website as the weather improves. With a spell of colder temperatures in the near forecast that means we will continue to be in the indoor arena - rather dull and boring for video to showcase these high quality horses...but soon it will be spring and we shall return to the outdoor arena and sunshine!!!

Daylily WF

Dressage Royal

If you are considering breeding to DR, please email Ellie@watermark-farm.net or Anne@watermark-farm.net and discuss your interest. Several AHS breeders have contacted us about breeding to Dressage Royal and purchased semen. As an FYI - the 'Foreign Sire Fee' is per foal fee for those who use Dressage Royal or if it is per foal fee. He is approved by the American Warmblood Registry (AWR), Oldenburg Verband (GOV), Hanoverian Verband (VhW) and other registries by request.

So keep your eyes peeled! Stalk the website! We'll keep everyone updated on their exploits here on the blog and on FB and it will be noteworthy!!

~Happy Riding!~