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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Congratulations Stefany C!!!!

Big congratulations to Stefany C - our 4000th Facebook Fan!!! She is the proud winner of an Outback Trading Company Icefil polo shirt embroidered with the Watermark Farm logo! We will also be shipping an autographed calendar that features several of our fine horses.



Thanks go out to all who have "LIKED" the farm page and we will have another contest and giveaway for 5000!

Calendar additions!

So after 9 months of frustration, I have managed (hopefully) to figure out a balance of medication/ice/exercise to be able to ride well enough to compete. It is not a comfortable experience by any means but I am looking forward to competing this weekend up at Buck's County Horse Park with Don William and Wizard in their respective Young Horse Tests. The boys are very high quality animals and deserve to show their talents, so whether or not I am 100% does not matter. A high(er) level of pain is just part of my life at this point, so it is time to get on with life as we know it! :)

Karin R. will also be bringing her Adelaide and competing in 2 Training Level tests for their recognized Dressage debut!

Sunday is also Anne's birthday! So it is a double cause for some celebratory enthusiasm! :)

On the 9th & 10th of August, we will be venturing over to Hawk Hollow Ranch in NJ for 2 days of training with Catherine Haddad Staller. Auditors are welcome - $35 per day which includes lunch. Please contact Randi to arrange for your seating space and meal.

On the 14th, Don William and Wizard and I will be heading to Fidler Run Farm in southern NJ for a second recognized competition. If all goes well, we will then be discussing some plans for Dressage at Devon for both horses.

This competition season has not gone as planned but the horses are ready to compete. I will do my best to show off their respective quality and see how it goes.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

We have a contest!

Social media is a large part of many people's lives these days. Watermark Farm is not on Twitter (despite numerous requests) but we are very active on Facebook! So to commemorate our 4000th FAN we are going to give away one Outback Trading Company Icefil Polo Shirt!

Starting in August, we will also be offering Icefil shirts (men's & ladies) with the Watermark Farm logo embroidered on the front for sale!


These shirts are lightweight, wicking and just plain COOL on these hot summer days!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Some silly photos and then a bit of a Wolfgang update

We are in the middle of a wicked heat wave! It has been in the high 90's for several days now and the humidity is pretty intense! There have been some early mornings to get horses worked but we called everything off for today as the Heat Index was 110* at 8:30 AM this morning! Stay safe! Hydrate! Do NOT take your animals in a vehicle if you can avoid it!

With this sultry weather, we have enjoyed some very foggy mornings here on the farm!













And I just wanted to share the view from above on
Avebury WF! It is not something that lots of people have experienced! But he's an affable fellow who likes to be first on the list of horses to work each day, so I thought I would share a bit of our ride with every one! :)






Anyone who has super friendly youngstock knows what it is like to enter a pasture here at Watermark Farm - the 'leader' will approach you, say 'hi' and then either beg for a scratch, a pat, a treat or just continue on their way. The lesser minions in the field hang back for say 2 seconds and then descend upon the human to do their version of a meet and greet! This involves investigating any and all pockets, fingers and sniffling the human everywhere! It makes shooting photos a true challenge to say the least but here are some funny moments from the bachelor's pasture this morning -

Aloysius WF being the dignified leader.



Wilson WF hoping for some food to join what is already in his mouth!


And then Drummond WF doing what all of his dam's offspring do best - poking the human for attention! No horse can get closer than an Abracadabra offspring when it comes to smooching!








So now we're to our Wolfgang WF aka Puck or The Puckster! He's just shy of 17 hands at the withers and still growing, so we expect him to end up 17.1 in the end. He's an incredibly sensible fellow in search of a home with a rider used to big, lanky youngsters who is not expecting him to get to the Olympic level in any discipline. We are seeking a permanent situation for him with an experienced horse person. For all of those who have requested new video and photos - here are the photos and a VIDEO will be added this afternoon from this morning's bit of time in the outdoor arena. It is worth mentioning that the Heat Index was 112* at 8:30 when we shot the video so please forgive Puck for being less than inspired...it is HOT out there!











Monday, July 18, 2011

Attention Facebook People!

We are so thrilled with all the support and encouragement that we receive on Facebook from all of our fans! The farm page pushed past 3900 fans over the weekend, so it time to announce our PRIZE for the 4000th Fan!

Your choice of an Icefil shirt from Outback Trading Company LTD. (based here in Oxford PA). It is a moisture wicking fabric and will have the Watermark Farm logo and name embroidered on the front. Mens & Ladies sizes XS-XXL and the choice of White, Navy Blue or Grey. The winner will also receive a calendar that features many of our fine horses!

We will ship internationally so all our overseas FANS - suggest the page to your friends! :)

Many, many thanks go out to all of you for all the well wishes over the years!

THANK YOU!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Whewwww...it has been a while! Sorry about that!

First off, I have to apologize for the lag time in posting any farm news. You can blame the heat and humidity, a general lack of motivation combined with no photographs to share...it was a true 'dry spell' in my creativity and I feel badly for not communicating more with you all about what has been going on here on the farm.

Our indoor has 55 tons of new footing mixed in. There is now lots of 'fluff' to the footing and it is retaining moisture beautifully! We are very happy and it is getting quite a bit of use as the young horses are all making great progress in the jump chute!

The inspection was a solid success. Wizard's filly Wendolyn WF rocked out an 8.0 for her overall score and earned a Premier and the Site Reserve Champion. There were several horse foals, lots of pony foals and just super participants. The clinic was also a good experience for the handlers, the horses and auditors. I am still waiting on a final list of scores/bloodlines from the office and then those results will go up.

Bill has been busy all this week baling our 2nd cutting of hay. The guys have been busy stacking and unloading all the wagons. We are experiencing a bit of a drought which is good for hay making but has turned the ground to concrete. So with that in mind, our farrier is quite busy putting shoes on the horses that had done so well all year barefoot...but we must keep their overall well being in mind while they are in full work.

We went over to Meghan Mendenhall's lovely Springdale Farm today for the DVCTA Dressage Schooling Show. It is a fabulous facility with a 100x300' indoor with fantastic footing. We did ask and yes there are stalls available for those who might be interested in boarding. Karin rode her lovely Adelaide WF (Adamant x Aly Alice xx) in Training 2 with good scores. They are gaining lots of mileage and gaining confidence as a pair - it is a treat to watch their progress as a team!







There was an adorable 10 week old Corgi puppy on site. Who can say this isn't a cute face????



Don William WF and I had another lovely ride in the USEF 4 year old test. He's really come on beautifully in the last month and the judge was curious why we are not doing a push for the big class at Dressage At Devon. When I tried to explain my leg is holding us back I was chastised for not getting a dispensation from USEF and going out to compete at the top level again. So I am going to mull that over for a bit and see how things feel in a few days. If the ankle lets me walk without meds in the morning, I guess it is time to renew my memberships and find a recognized show to see what the big judges think of our tall fellow. *sigh* It is quite frustrating to know that the horse has the talent, gaits, mind to show in the big arenas but to know deep down that a part of your body will not 'let' you help him to shine to his full potential. The leg is such a constant ache (about a 7 on the pain scale) but I can not get enough cardio into my exercise routine, so about midway through the test I feel like I am sucking smog into my lungs and struggling to ride effectively...which is not good. But enough of the negative. Liam is a rock star and just a joy to ride! He handled a(nother) strange indoor arena with great aplomb and really is showing his potential in the test. :) And it was kind of fun to have the judge ask why I wasn't doing a push for Devon!

With the upcoming heatwave that is predicted for the Mid-Atlantic area - stay hydrated this week! Stay cool! Be safe! Try to ride early or late and I will do another update ASAP!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

July 2011 AWR/NASPR Inspection & Handling Clinic

Unofficial order of go -

8 AM Start

Ponies

Our Sweet Eyes (Farnley Magic Flute x Lady Look-a-Like) 2009 Mare
O: Broad Horizon Farm, Paige Shivery
Eyes on the Prize (unknown x Our Sweet Eyes) 2011 Colt
O: Broad Horizon Farm, Paige Shivery
Leo’s Picasso (Leo De La Vinci x unknown) 2010 Colt
O: Broad Horizon Farm, Paige Shivery
Lights Out (Leo De La Vinci x unknown) 2011 Colt
O: Broad Horizon Farm, Paige Shivery
Little Bo Peep (Leo De La Vinci x Music of the Night) 2011 Filly
O: Broad Horizon Farm, Paige Shivery
Divine Destiny (unknown pedigree) 2006 mare
O: Broad Horizon Farm, Paige Shivery
Love Divine (Leo De La Vinci x Divine Destiny) 2011 Filly
O: Broad Horizon Farm, Paige Shivery

Horses

Wendolyn WF (Wizard WF x Wallstreet Rose WF) 2011 Black Filly
O/B: Anne Rawle, Watermark Farm
Poker Face xx (Grand Cinnabar x Poker Party) 2010 Filly
O: Broad Horizon Farm, Paige Shivery
Leo’s Little Angel (Leo De La Vinci x An Angel’s Touch)
O: Broad Horizon Farm, Paige Shivery
EldeLee Bounce (Edelweiss de Bounce x Claire de Lee) 2011 Bay Colt
O: Broad Horizon Farm, Paige Shivery
Everlasting Touch (Escapade x An Angels Touch) 2011 Bay Tobiano Filly
O: Broad Horizon Farm, Paige Shivery
Carreg (C Waterford x Mill Gate Royal Brittannia) 2009 Colt
O: Elizabeth Treharne, Llawen Farm

Critique
Awards
Branding


Handling Clinic & Seminar
Starts at 11:30 AM

Refreshments& restroom in the green house as well as brochures, handouts and shelter from the sun.

All activity will be in the indoor area.

Parking is in the pasture closest to the bridge with a red P on a sign on the west side of the road.

Please remove your manure and use the appropriate waste container (recycling or trash).

Thanks and we can't wait to see everyone tomorrow!!

Friday, July 8, 2011

REMINDER - Inspection & Handling Clinic this Sunday!

Just a shout out reminder if you are free on Sunday and would like to learn more about how conformation impacts performance, please come audit the AWR/NASPR day here at the farm!!!








Auditors welcome!

Refreshments will be on site!

We will begin the day at 8 AM and it will be held in our refurbished indoor arena. Any questions - email Ellie@watermark-farm.net