Rain effect

All it takes is the feel of rain on the back after weeks of heat; Great relief after yesterday's stultifying 41 degrees as we waited for the weather to break.

All the horses went for a burn and had a great roll in the dust!!

Stallion Prospect

Laddie is a superb stallion prospect, given his breeding, paces and temperament.
He's advertised in the December issue of "Horse Deals" magazine.
Scroll down to earlier posts to find more information on his breeding...and see him at earlier stages in his development.

Click on photos to enlarge for clarity of view.

Please comment if you want more information or other views.

Galahad; Paces

Laddie is generally very composed in the paddock, but when he moves!!!
He has so much power off his hocks that he floats; a lovely airy trot, can be very passagey.
He's been practising canter changes of lead since he was about a week old; no swerving in and out of trees, just a change of canter stride.
He can jump! throws in the odd "airs above ground" when he's having a burn around the paddock!
So many paces he's blessed with. It will be fascinating to see what a good rider can develop!

Bloomsbury's Sir Galahad

D.O.B. 19/12/2008
Head shot at 10 months; Standing calm at 3 1/2 months, literally just weaned and released from 5 days in stable. Super cool!!
Sire: Brae Galaxy by Argentille Gullit (Ulft/Le Mexico)
out of Apptrak Bellona (Biathlon/Wesuw)
Dam: Bloomsbury's Maybellene by Richmeed Medallion (May Sherif x Catherston
Desert Gold)
out of Canyonleigh Memphis Belle (Pep Valley Commander/
Personality Guy)
Amazing Genetic make-up!! Gullit was imported from Holland at 3 y.o., trained by Matthew Dowsley to top FEI dressage and then sold to Carl Hester's British client and brought back to Australia to compete in the Sydney Olympics. His Sire Ulft is a Keur Sire (with many performance stallion progeny in Germany); his sire, Le Mexico was a famed Selle Francais jumping champion.
Bellona is by Biathlon of the famed B line (Bolero, Brentina) out of a mare by Wesuw, the first Trakehner imported to Australia.
Medallion (dec.) performed at FEI level with Anne-Marie Lourey and has many offspring competing FEI dressage (e.g. Byalee Magic with Heath Ryan) and 4*eventing (Mystery Whisper with Heath Ryan). His dam Catherston Dutch Gold was Englishwoman Jennie Loriston Clarke's eventing mare.
Medallion's sire, May Sherif, has the distinction of having two of his sons win the World Cup in Dressage, including the Kur; Matador, with Kyra Kyrkland, and Andiamo with Sven Rothenberger.

Maybellene, herself, at 4 years old, has made a very promising entree to her dressage career.
Her Saddlebred Dam's sire and grandsire have proved to be the two most prepotent ASB stallions in Australia to date, siring versatile performance horses, with jumping and endurance credits.
Laddie will have more size than his dam; probably mature around 16:3/17hh. He'll be about 15hh at 12 months!

Buffer Zone

Much relief! Local fencing guys arrived today to construct a buffer fence. I can now safely keep Laddie as a colt for a little longer without having to worry about his proximity to Cloud and his Mum. The girls stayed in the yard, out of their paddock, whilst the job proceeded; they tolerated the air compresser post rammer very well after a bit of initial reassurance from mum.
The mob earned themselves some new fans with their looks and equanimity!!

More photos

Liz Joyes came to visit the boys today and brought her camera. A great day for photos as Jeremy brought Cloud and Maybellene home yesterday; Cloud has made a positive start under saddle and Maybellene is due for a spell after 6 months in work. Maybellene is certainly enjoying having company after being cossetted in her own paddock since weaning Laddie. Laddie immediately remembered he was supposed to be chatting up Cloud, but fortunately she let him know, in no uncertain terms, that she's not interested...at the moment.

Photoshoot

Chestnut = Canyonleigh Paeon (rising 4y.o.); Black/bay+ Bloomsbury's Sir Galahad (9 months old)
Tried to get some action photos of the boys this afternoon, with Stevie's help .Typical!! They're more intrigued, than spooked. But I'll practice more over the next few days.

Rocco up-date

Great to hear from Kate Chadderton who rang yesterday. She's heading into winter, currently teaching in 5 degree temperatures in Maryland, USA, as we head into summer. She's flat-chat with teaching, dressage and one-day-events but took time out to update me on Rocco's progress. She sent through some photos from yesterday's lesson with his new owner, Lisa Kurr. He's obviously enjoying his work and Lisa's care.
Thanks, Kate!

Back in the land of the living; re-hipped

Great to be back at home with a new hip replacement (ceramic and poly-carbon) after 2 weeks in hospital. The fresh air is all the more valued after being restricted to air-conditioned space for so long.
Many thanks to Caron Wakelin, Stevie Shakoff and Margery Cribb for feeding and managing the boys in my absence.
Stevie took Maybellene to Alexander Park for her second competition outing, stepping up to Preliminary level. She worked like a trooper and scored 2 solid results, but outside the placings this time round.

Capability Cloud

Jeremy trucked Paeon home on Friday pm after postponing the planned Wednesday trip because of wild weather... dust and wind storm. Pan is scheduled to babysit Galahad while I'm out of action. Cloud went off to experience the outside world at North Kaludah. She was unfazed when she travelled from Canyonleigh in a horsefloat alongside her mum at age 5 months and she showed the same even tempered accceptance of the unfamiliar when she loaded onto the truck for the first time at 2 and-a-half years old. A couple of paws at the tailgate, then a huge stride straight in, with the minimum of verbal encouragement. Augurs well!!

Blue ribbon start

B. Maybellene and Stevie; Double Blue at their very first outing!
Photo courtesy of Jeremy. Many thanks!

Paeon in work

Paeon, shown here warming up with Stevie Shakoff, has consolidated his understanding of the basic aids, learnt a little about moving off the leg and attending to half-halts, and grown considerably during his 6 weeks in work. He's due to come home mid-week to baby-sit Galahad while Cloud goes to Jeremy for breaking in.
He's a very kind horse with the typical Saddlebred willingness to please and a tendency to 'ask what's next'...thinking ahead of where he's at. His breeding indicates he should have the X factor (Large heart) for stamina and endurance so we'll see whether he's got an eye for the jumps when he goes back to work in the new year.

Singleton warm-up

My photo: the outline is clear, but I have no idea what setting the camera was on!
Stevie-Jade Shakoff riding Bloomsbury's Maybellene, August 13

Wins to Maybellene!!

My photo's very ordinary; bumped the camera to the wrong setting. Hope Jeremy got some better ones to show later.
What a day! Maybellene had her first trip in a truck to Singleton Dressage club's competition at Singleton Showground this morning, along with two of Jeremy's youngsters. Just Preparatory tests to give her the experience of competition, and she handled it like a trooper!!
Was first on at 8am in the Prep 2; scored 70% and led from start to finish. very smooth, finished 6.5 points ahead of 2nd place. Stevie-Jade Shakoff then rode two tests on each of Kaludah Gosh and K. Glitter before saddling up Maybellene at 2pm for the Prep 3. Very smooth, just as businesslike as in the morning, except where she jumped the scorch marks from a little fire on the serpentine-line ( a little "lack of submission", but she went straight back to work after the hiccup). This was the 3rd last test of the competition and she scored 63.5% for another WIN, 2 points ahead of her rivals.
She handled the eraly morning start, leaving home at 6:20am and being ridden before breakfast, as well as the hot windy midday climate change 29 degrees and 'blowy'. As Jeremy says, she works in all weathers at home, so it really proves the benefit of sound training.
Stevie said she worked just like at home, and really seemed to enjoy the competition situation. She didn't bat an eyelid at the other horses or the unfamiliar surrounds of trucks, arenas, grandstands, etcetera.
Many thanks to Jem and Stevie for giving Maybellene such a confident start.

Bloomsbury's Maybellene

Maybellene went back to North Kaludah, at Lamb's Valley, after Easter, to wean Galahad and start some serious work. She's developing the musculature to be a beautiful competitor and progresses with her education in a very straightforward manner, building paces and skills consecutively. (So that's how it's supposed to happen!!) She's well-balanced, athletic, intelligent...and built for the job!
Should have her first competition next weekend.
Ridden here by young eventer/trainer Stevie-Jade Shakoff.

Rug's just off, so Cloud is still clean, but she and Galahad are beginning to really feel the onset of Spring. Cloud has really filled out in the last few months; went through a very angular stage over summer, from about 18 months to 2 years...just like her father, Cloudchaser, in his youth.

"Cloud" (by Canyonleigh Cloud Chaser x C. Amazing Grace)at 7 months old, at her new home in the hunter Valley,has already demonstrated her jumping ability by clearing the wooden boundary fence. Once only, thank goodness!

Line bred, again; both sire and dam derive from Pep (Peppermint Valley Supreme x Sutton's Fascinating Rhythm) and Kalarama Penny (Goldmount Challenger(IMP) x Penny West (IMP)

Cato at Macarthur One Day Event, ridden by Debbie Betts,Pupil of Heath and Rozzie Ryan at NSW Equestrian Centre, Lochinvar, Autumn 1998

Bloomsbury's Top Cat (aka "Cato")by Peppermint Valley Commander x Kalarama Penny, was a full brother to Canyonleigh Katy Stardust, dam of Rocco.
Rocco's sire, C. Echo Commander (by Pep x Sutton's Golden Spirit: another daughter of Kalarama Penny, by S. Anacacho King) is closely line bred, and has inherited colour, size and the jumping gene.

This is Rocco at age 6, August 2007, at Anambah, Hunter Valley ODE. Placed 2nd; just prior to E.I.

Training news

Interesting to consider what genetic traits will surface when Cloud starts her training.
I was accompanying Kate Chadderton and Rocco to the Berrima One Day Event around Easter 1997 and dropped in to Canyonleigh Stud, just down the road, to catch up with new manager, Mark Gee, and Kalarama Penny's daughter Katy Stardust, the first of KP's offspring born at Canyonleigh when I went into partnership with Betty Jenkins after I relocated from Camden to Canberra. Katy was so named as she was born on my niece Katy's birthday, and she's been family ever since. She was fine, in foal to C. Bigshot, but I couldn't look past a 3 months old filly foal from Canyonleigh Amazing Grace. "Shades of Rocco"! A robust palomino filly with the 'family bloodlines'; her sire, C. Cloudchaser is Katy's son and dam, C. Amazing Grace, is by Katy's sire, Peppermint Valley Commander. I had no intention of taking on another youngster, but in the end couldn't resist. I floated Cloud, and her dam, home just before EI set in. She had settled well in the paddock and I went inside for lunch only to be called outside by a passing motorist! Cloud had jumped clean over the post and rail surrounds and was grazing on the roadside.
An instant leading lesson, (lucky I'd left the headstall on)! She'd proved her tractability and her jumping heritage!!
She's a bit heavier that Rocco, but probably won't grow as tall and heavy as Bloomsbury's Top Cat (full brother to grandmother Katy, and a winning eventer!). All three, palominos, have a great "eye". Cato checked out fence lines and electric fences and went under or over as the situation allowed! Rocco is a super-cool assessor of distances or heights and has the back-end propulsion to 'jump the Harbour Bridge'! Cloud is yet to be proven but the genetic inclination is strong.
It's fascinating to test out the genetic propensity!

Training news

Looks like Cloud ("C. Gracious Cloud", By Canyonleigh Cloudchaser from C. Amazing Grace) has well and truly reached the stage, at 2-and-a-half, for a visit to the breaker. Up until now, she's been content to grow contentedly in the paddock with the mob. She's taken to the role of weanling-nanny with remarkable aplomb, very capably shielding young Galahad from potential rough and tumble from 3-year-old "Pan", but now she's looking to make something else happen!

She learnt from Maybellene to swing the yard gate just after dawn so that I'd hear the "creaks" and emerge from the house for the morning feed. When I clipped the gate closed she found that she could swing a lead rope hanging on another gate so that the metal clip makes a very effect clank...endlessly. If I don't appear quickly enough she'll meander up to the dog yard to stir a bit of reaction from the dogs. This morning's addition to the repertoire is to appear outside my bedroom window and 'stand on tiptoes' to reach across the electric fence and nuzzle the flyscreen on my window!! What next?

I'll bring Pan home from North Kaludah at the end of September to mind Laddie and pack Cloud off to breaker Jeremy Janjic to give her something more to engage the brain.

I hope fence, flyscreen etc. can withstand her attentions till then.

Bloomsbury News Update

Just getting set up to leave the paddocks clean and easy to manage while I'm out of action. My 20-year-old green machine with the gravity-feed petrol 'carked it', so I traded it in for a 3 year-old work-horse.
Should have known better than to choose a Yellow one. Jinxed! Is she a "Lemon"?
Needed to be jump-started; perhaps the battery was not holding charge because it had been "8 months in storage". Ran it for 10 minutes, 3 times, then she "popped"/"blew" or something!! Dropped all the oil out the bottom of the engine.
Ken says "it's serious" so I ran it downhill into the horse float and carted it back to the dealer this afternoon. Hopefully under warranty, and it should be back with a new engine within the week.

I worry about the colour!!