Woot! Woot! Big Breeder Brag!!

Big Congratulations are in order for the entire Gartland Family!!! Wilona WF (Waldaire x As You Wish WF by Adamant) is the 2015 Ladies Side Saddle Champion of the Devon Horse Show!!!! She was shown beautifully by the wonderful Susan Sisco of Sunfield Farm (now in Aiken, SC). There is a great interview with Sue in this Devon Newsletter. Please take a few moments and read the rider feedback! We're so proud to have another generation of homebred out and about in top company!

Proud Owner Moment with the Champion Herself!

Also in the Dixon Oval - Wilona's dam - As You Wish WF! She took a break from her busy eventing career to put in a very nice round for The A Team in the Hunt Teams Class Saturday Night! Sara and Kitty brought home a very, very respectable Fourth Place amid a big group of competitors!!! 

This is TLF Wicked (by Wizard WF out of In A Dream xx) at her first show after only a few weeks of undersaddle training! Congratulations to all of "Olive's" connections!!!

Just a reminder to those with offspring by any of our stallions (past or present) - we'd love to know what they've been doing this year! Any show results, photographs, bragging - we're all ears and would really appreciate hearing what you all have been doing!

Wyncote WF in VA

Welliengton in KY

Wrosey in VA (for sale btw)

And for our students - we would love to share your successes with the world! Any photographs, show results and scores - let's do some year end bragging! :) 

Email photos and results to info@watermark-farm.net

Yeah, it's pretty awesome!

Wylie waiting to go compete

As it's a tad chilly out there this morning, I'm taking a minute for some self indulgent "Atta boy Wally!" praise! His daughters were simply rockstars this weekend...

They were fine with being caught in the pitch dark at 4 AM, being brought in the barn, cleaned up, loaded like they've done it every day all year and shipped like champs to Bel Air. Then they calmly unloaded, got tacked up, whinnied a few times, and then hung out until it was their turn to show. No fuss. No great prep routine with hours of lunging or tons of schooling. Briana had come up a few days before and jumped over 1 X, a vertical and a small oxer several times...other than that, they've been working on their dressage training! So the show was a Holiday from that!

Wylie hanging out waiting her turn

Wilona catching a nap

Wilona watching Wylie head to the ring

Now we have carefully picked the mares we bred to Waldaire - several generations into this whole breeding adventure, there are some do's and don'ts that we've figured out...but he really does make "rider friendly" horses. They learn their job (do whatever the humans tell them to do) and go do it. What more can a rider ask for?

'Nuff said.

It's been a HOT summer! Time to cool down with our 10% off sale!

Now there have probably been hotter summers over the years than the one we've had so far but the recent Heat Index of 113* makes us long for cooler weather! Hmmm, that gets me thinking...cool, chilly, cold, freezing, frozen... THAT's PERFECT!

We'll have a BEAT THE HEAT Frozen Semen Sale!

So here are the terms and available stallions:

Adamant

Waldaire

Again and Again

Showtime WF

Avebury WF

Wizard WF

Dressage Royal

- Sale begins Friday at noon 7/27/12 and payment must be received no later than noon on Friday 8/10/12 Eastern.

-10% discount applies to single dose purchases

- LFG contracts can be purchased for all of the above stallions for 10% off

- Our Super Saver, Early Bird and Deep Frozen Discounts do NOT apply in addition to this sale.

- Performance & Premium Mare, Return Customers, Multiple Mare and Elite Mare Discounts can be applied. Contact us for details.

- Paypal payments will incur a 3% fee. 

- All semen will be stored at SBS at purchaser's cost from the time payment clears. It can be transferred elsewhere at the buyer's expense and risk.
- No refunds.

For more information, offspring photos and pricing, please see the STALLIONS page of our website! So take a break from the heat! Shop our selection of Frozen Stallions and secure their genetics for your breeding program of the future!!! Buy now and SAVE $$$$!! 

The Thank You List for an awesome clinic

So it is 4 AM on Wednesday morning and I am coming off of a 2 day riding with Catherine Haddad Staller clinic high. If you have not seen her ride or had the opportunity to enjoy her teaching, well, you are missing out on a large portion of your horse and rider education. Catherine explains everything, the horses improve and it is a feeling like none other to be working ever closer to an improved connection with your horse's higher potential. I am a fan to say the least!

But first I have to thank all the folks who made my super 2 days possible! First off - mom and dad get a huge amount of credit for allowing me to work with Catherine. They also get an immeasurable amount of gratitude for the lovely horses that I have the privilege of riding each day. Mom did all the driving for this adventure and Dad was my head cheerleader, so THANK YOU.

Huge thanks also go out to Randy and the entire Hawk Hollow Ranch crew for all their hard work in organizing the clinic. It is a wonderful facility and so organized into an efficient and friendly atmosphere with outstanding footing!

It would be silly to write this post and not thank Catherine. She is hands down the best teacher for all levels of riders that I have encountered besides my mother. They are teaching from the same manual of training, so there is no conflict of 'how to' in either riding or teaching the horse a new exercise. Her enthusiasm is unmatched as is the level of instruction. I am in awe of her skills and will leave it at that. It was an honor to have her worth with Wizard and say what she did about him (more on that later).

Thanks also go out to Stubben for their Genesis Special D. My horses love it. I love it. I can ride and feel all that I need to and it does not hinder or restrict what I need to do while I am up there. There truly are not enough words to describe how important it is to have a saddle that allows your body to work with the horse...so I'll stop there. If anyone would like to have a no pressure ride in one, please feel free to contact me and you can try mine here at the farm. It is nicely broken in now and has lots of good ju-ju, so I'm happy to share how much of a difference Stubben has made in my life. Or if you would rather not have me chirping away about how much I love my Stubben - pop me a note and I can put you in contact with my saddle rep and he will come to you to do a full fitting. :)

We will be doing a small write up about the clinic and what Catherine had to say about Wizard. It is not every day that a top international rider gets on your 6 year old breeding stallion and says what she says...or at least not in our world. :) So check back for the 'official' write up!

Happy Riding!

Wizard WF (Waldaire/Again & Again) Licensed!!!

Our little Wizard WF a.k.a. Oz is now licensed for breeding by the AWR!








His dam Abracadabra WF delivered him just in the wee hours of May 20, 2006 with my assistance. As I peeled the placenta away from his face and then his front legs the only thing I could think was how much this little horse looked like my boy Wally! So I said, "Hello Wally!" and began to towel him dry.

He went on to be the Champion Horse at his foal inspection with an overall 8.0 score and at the conclusion of the Inspection Tour was named Top Foal in North America! He also attended the Fair Hill Breed Show in August and was Reserve Champion Colt. So not a shabby beginning for the minature Waldaire.

As he has grown and developed we are constantly amazed by exactly how similar he is to Waldaire. There are several standard jokes about how he is a Shrinky-Dink version of Wally or that I put Wally into the laundry on a HOT cycle and, like a wool sweater, Oz is the result! That is not to say that his dam & her genetics had little impact but the resemblance is uncanny when you see Waldaire and then get a glimpse of Wizard...it is just amazing!

So it was with great joy, we presented Oz to the AWR at our 2008 October Inspection for his preliminary licensing. HE PASSED!!!!!

So please enjoy the photo montage of the little colt who is fast becoming a lovely stallion.

FYI - We have no plans to stand him at stud for the time being. Sorry...he will begin his undersaddle career first.