2007 ARCHIVED news & activities

 
  Catching up  (12/07)
 My apologies to all the frequent visitors that I have fallen behind in my website; I think I am back on track, so check in often for news updates.
Here are a few notes from this summer and fall (also, be sure to check theResults page):
 
Arbor Lane's Conor is now foxhunting with the Woodford Hounds and Black Dog's Fiona hunted with Hickory Creek Hunt.  Foothills Rocky River is now owned by Julie Vandermeer and Rebecca Raubacher recently sold Kent's Teasel to a new owner in Baton Rouge, LA.  Lastly, in November, our TB mare, Sleighton, delivered a fabulous filly by*Gun Smoke.  She's calledPiedmont Fay.
 
 Mom's minis(8/07)
For my mom's birthday, my dad let me go shopping for  Miniature horse (what fun!:-).  I found a fabulous father (now gelded) and son who will make an awesome driving pair.  Her gift came complete with a beautiful cart.  This is me testing out the new fellow and rig, and thinking that if mom wants them to come back to stay with me, it will not be a problem:-)  I am hoping she lets me take him to the National Drive in October! 
 
Here are more of the Mini's:
 
 
 
 Our ponies travel (7/07)
I took Foothills MayBee (below) to the Region 4 show in Florida and she stayed there, in FL, with Donna Duckworth.  She is going to foal in January and I thought FL would be much more hospitable than TN. 
Also, Donna is leasing my lovely Percheron, Ruby, who is being ridden and enjoyed by Stephanie Davis, while Donna figures out how to get her bred to a pony stallion:-)
To keep the numbers even, I brought 2 ponies back from Florida: C.R. Roaringwater Bay and Elphin Chickadee .  It's always a pleasure to have Roary around, and we are happy to have Chickadee back home with us. 
Also recently arrived from South Carolina is Taioseach, soon to be called Beacon's Irish Tea.  Tea is a 7 yr old gelding that we hope to turn into a dressage and trail pony, but we'll see what he likes to do best:-)
 
 Back on Native Turf!(7/07)

After 3 months at Amethyst Acres (VA) to finish his 2007 breeding committments, then a month in Kentucky quarantine, Gun Smoke is back in his homeland.

We are looking forward to future news from across the pond on Gun Smoke's activities with Kippure Stud.
We have been very blessed to have shared these few short years with Gun Smoke, and are thrilled that he has left us a beautiful bay filly and 5 more foals on the way;  we are also very excited for Michael and Orla Igoe who purchased him to enrich their breeding operation at Kippure Stud.   Their program was recently featured in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of Ireland's Equestrian; The Equestrian Lifestyle Magazine in a 3-page article entitled "Kippure Stud - Breeding for Performance".  Kippure Stud also stands Ashfield Village, Trobadour, Rosscastle Kippure Cathal and Crusader, among other top-quality performance Connemaras.
 
Gun Smoke upon arrival (second photo entitled "Are we there yet?")
 
Gun Smoke enjoying the green, green grass of the Emerald Isle:-)
 
  FM is a mom (6/07)
Hi Vanessa, I am happy to report that FM foaled a beautiful buckskin/dun filly at 7 a.m. this morning, June 29 (2007).
"Rosewood Doon Buggy" by MGRM Brigadoon is fawn colored with smokey shades especially along her back. No white feet and a tiny snip on her nose. Exactly what I wanted. She is very strong, up in 20 min. and never fell, cantering around within the hour before her first meal. Vet checked and all is well. FM is a good mother. Her photo is attached - one hour old. Darian
 
  New name and new home for Black Dog's Smokin Kate  (6/07)
 
Carole Green is very, very pleased with her new event prospect, bred by Beth Davidson (FL) by*Gun Smoke , out of Beth's TB mare, Pesty Side.  Kate's new name is now Fiona . 
Carole writes, " I am just absolutely in love with my new baby! In my search for a new event horse, a sound mind was my top priority.  Well, not only did I get the most incredible mind, but true athleticism on top of it all! This past weekend I attended the USEA Area V Adult Rider Camp.  I know, it was a bit crazy to take a 3 yo that I’d had for less than a month, but I felt the experience was one not to be missed. The clinicians were Rainey Andrews (Jimmy Wooford’s former assistant) and Max Corcoran (Karen and David O’Connor’s barn manager and groom). Let’s just say that Fiona left the clinic with a fan club! The previous weekend, after a schooling dressage test, the judge had me dismount after the test so that I could write down all of Fiona’s breeding information. She “wanted one just like her”.  (only because I refused to sell her Fiona right there on the spot.)So, now Fiona is enjoying a couple of weeks of vacation after being such a good little girl over the past two weekends. As I told Beth, I’d love to keep you updated on Fiona’s progress... I cannot say thank you enough to the two of you for creating my perfect event horse! "
 
Foal Announcements (5/07)
Lisa Martin's Connemara mare, *Glenormiston Amelia, delivered a large dun filly, Wildwych Oleander, by *Gun Smoke . 
Shelly Feldner's mare, MacKee's Star, had a dun colt named Boomer , also by *Gun Smoke . 
 
FFC Great-Grand Child!   (4/07)
Hi Vanessa,    I wanted to tell you that Faith had her foal this morning (at the very civilized hour of 8:30 am - although it didn't save me that much sleep since I've been up in the middle of the night the last 5 nights!).  It is a big strong colt, bay going grey.  He is just what I wanted and I couldn't be more pleased with him.  He is a very good looking colt with lots of bone and excellent limbs, and a very mild mannered personality (so far anyway).  I am attaching a couple of photos from earlier today at about 4 hours old.  He picked the prettiest spring day we've had so far to be born.  His name is Mike Mulligan (after the children's tale - one of Clare's favorites) and he is a keeper.  Faith is an excellent mother as you would expect.  Pat 4/20/07
(Foothills Faithfilly is daughter of Foothills Hopefilly, daughter of Blue Hills Morning Star)
 
by *Kilfenora Windy Isles
 
Vanessa,  Here are a couple of better photos of Faith's boy.  I thought you'd like to see him unfolded.  These are from last week at 2 weeks old.  He is bigger now!   He is quite a character, very bold and full of himself.  I thought I would see more of Faith in the foal, since she has the line breeding behind her and she is nearly a carbon copy of her mother, but he is mostly his father's son.  He has Faith's ears though.  Faith has been an absolute saint with him, even scratching his back for him when he's itchy, which of course is all the time.  She is getting her figure back quickly and looks even more like Hope this year.  What a pair they would make.  Pat 
 
 
We had a great time hosting the Mark Russell clinic and Region 4 spring meeting and trail ride. (3/07)

You can read all about the clinic, meeting and trail ride on the ACPS Region 4 News page, and see more trail ride photos here.

I will be posting additional photos from the clinic here, as I received them from participants:

The first to arrive are fillies (3/07)

 While I was gone to Virginia, my astute helper thought she should lock Elphin Chickadee up for the night as she is due to foal on March 19.....and lo and behold, there was a dun filly the next morning! Don't you love it when that happens, no fuss, no muss, no bother. Donna D

(born 3/6/07) Balmullo's Dixie Chick Dam: Elphin Chickadee [M3261 XLIII] 13.3h bay (by Maplehurst Michael MacDaire) Bred and owned by Donna Duckworth, FL (USA)

 March 9, 3:30 am: Queen was restless in her stall. Two hours later, Foothills Caroline was born, just in time for my guest who were arriving for the Mark Russel clinic. Pictured below at 4 hrs old:

Dam: Foothills River Queen [M1592 XXXIII] 14.2h gray (by Concord River's Roaringwater Bay)
Bred and owned by Vanessa Morgan, TN (USA)
Beacon's girls like to do (1/07)

Below is a picture of Laser Light last year. She is a wonderful carriage horse, nothing bothers her. I had great hopes of taking her to Combined Driving competitions, but I spend so much time training other horses and their people that I just haven't had the time. Julie (1/07)

I've attached some pictures (below) ofPiedmont Harmony's first outing being ponied off Cooper, my Perch/Arab X. She was fabulous, and really enjoyed herself. We've been out 3 more times since. She has so much personality, I'm having a blast with her. Kim (1/07)