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!