A Trial Run…..

It’s easy to teach a person if they want to learn….meet Amelie, a young horse enthusiast who has helped us behind the scenes at the shows over the past year. She is a confident young lady and owns her own horse, so we are three-quarters of the way to in hand performance.

In the ring it’s a different world, you put on your show hat on and it becomes somewhat serious, competitive and nerve-racking and nine years later I still feel the same!

We have practiced our “ring craft” at home and Amelie has bonded very nicely with Myka. Today I took Amelie and Myka for a trial run in the ring. We had a lovely day at the South Staffs Open Show near Kidderminster.

Amelie showed Myka perfectly, I can not fault Myka, considering it’s her second show they complimented each other nicely.

We are now ready after our Trial Run…..

Redheart 2017 Show Season Begins At Royal Windsor…

Our first outing in 2017, a British Appaloosa Society in hand affiliated class at Royal Windsor.

Caricks Redheart début outing was a huge ask! We would normally take our young stock to a smaller local show first time out but our attempt failed, due to life!

Nerves and or anxiety were witnessed, playing with her bit and her reluctance to trot “with me”. Two things she has not done in six months! Despite this, her trot was straight, she stood for the judge and patiently waited in the lineup, with many distractions around her. I can not fault this filly.

A massive thank you to Mr & Mrs. Wood (Myka’s breeders) who not only came to support BApS and Myka but who helped me at the show.

Myka won her young stock class with a straight entry into the Championship, where she became Reserve In-Hand Champion.

Redheart 2017 Show Season..….Has Begun!

Reus Meets The Girls……

Princesse Pascale and Peyres Catori Cat are now in their own paddock, bonding with their newborns. This has left Caricks Redheart (Myka), Redheart Regal (Blanc) and Redheart Pascalius (Evee) alone. This has meant a new pecking order, of course, it would be Evee!

Since Reus’s castration, he has been in his own paddock next to Blu. We have left it a month ensuring any semen left in him, has died. It will be a while before he loses the stallion mentality but this weekend we have moved him parallel to the girls.

His fear of the electric fence is far greater than the real strength of the fence and sure enough, he greeted the girls with a few “screams” before they ignored him.

Reus meets Myka

Reus meets Evee

Reus meets Blanc

Reus meets the girls but prefers the grass…….

Appaloosas in Black & White…..

Something lovely about black and white photographs, especially when they have Appaloosas in them! Many thanks to Ben Lovegrove (our neighbour) who very kindly took some of the following photographs. A talented future photographer…

The beginning of 2017 has been the same as every New Year. Dark mornings, early dark evenings and a range of temperatures from minus 5 to 8 degrees.

The horses are out 24/7, as we seek approval on our planning application for a stable barn. They have thick muddy coats yet have a healthy shine, well they do say wellbeing comes from within!!

My Christmas present from my other half was a quad bike, feeding the horses has never been easier and it didn’t take long for them to realise the noise of the quad means food! Surprisingly the children show great willingness to help now.

Our newest addition to the herd, Myka has settled extremely well. At the bottom of the pecking order, she stays out the way of the older mares, very sensible filly although she plays a lot with Blanc which is lovely to see.

Our Swiss import, Blu is as quiet and friendly as the day he arrived, an absolute credit to the Foundation Appaloosa breed. We’re very satisfied to have him at the stud for our future breeding plan.

 

Our two-year-old filly Blanc is developing a cheeky yet adorable funny character. She makes a lot of funny faces and always seems very happy. She is very slowly maturing and until she grows out of this “unfurnished” state she won’t be entering the show ring anytime soon……

Ben….we adore Ben. Such a sweet kind colt yet quite insecure. He should mature over 16hh, therefore it’s going to take time for him to fill out but at the present moment in time, he’s looking rather well and conditioned.

   

Evee, after completing three years in the ring she now resides with the broodmares.  She is a very big strong mare,  with a leg in each corner. We aim to cover her with Blu later this year, planning on a black GAP 6 foal in 2018.

     

The main man…Reus. Full of character, highly intelligent, brave and very forward going since birth. I am looking forward to getting back on this boy! We finished riding him away as the nights drew in last year but hopefully we will find more time for him this year.

  

Our lovely PP, absolutely adorable in every way. In foal to Reus for an April colt? Let’s hope she passes on her LP gene because this boy will be for sale. Although if the sex scan was wrong, we would appreciate a non-characteristic filly!!!! Seriously, we only ever pray for healthy foals.

 

The best till last…Catori, a gorgeous horse inside and out. This mare understands me and our bond is strong. She’s current in foal, due April to Kiss My Finest Heart. This will be a full sibling to Reus and the late Easter. The suspense is unbearable as her sex scan proved 60% in favour of a colt, which will be for sale!

 

Foundations Appaloosas are very straight forward, Black & White……

5-Panel Negative To End 2016….

It is my opinion that any Appaloosa entering a breeding programme should be tested for the 5-panel test. This test is for five different genetic diseases found in quarter horses and other stock horse breeds such as the Appaloosa.

Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency (GBED) Recessive

Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia (HERDA) Recessive

Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis Disease (HYPP) Incomplete Dominant

Malignant Hyperthermia (MH) Dominant

Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy – Type 1 (PSSM1) Dominant

Read more: UC Davis Veterinary  / Animal Genetics UK 

Although our horses are pure 5 generations of Appaloosa’s, they have horses far back in their pedigrees which are known to have one or more of these genetic diseases.

Just look at Ben’s pedigree; Here.

ALL NEGATIVE HERE AT REDHEART APPALOOSAS FOR THE 5-PANEL 

The Past Is Now The Future…..

PEYRES CATORI CAT

      

PRINCESSE PASCALE

  

HEVANS EV CATORRIUS / REDHEART CATORRIUS

   

REDHEART PASCALIUS

   

REDHEART ROYALE

 

REDHEART REGAL

   

DFR PATAHAS REDHEART

   

CARICKS REDHEART

     

The past is now the future…