Redheart Appaloosa Under Saddle…

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United Saddlebred Association’s May Festival 2018

European Championship Show for American Saddlebreds & Foreign Breeds Festival at Moreton Morrell College, Warwickshire.

Under the training of Bruce Lawrence at Valley View Ranch and Equestrian Centre Reus and I have really enjoyed our Saturday group lessons, we have progressed somewhat and in reality what we achieve in a lesson is the same as what’s expected in the ring. Although we haven’t been riding Western long, we can walk, jog, stand, back and we are working on side passes and lope.

Last week I submitted entries for the May Festival, I have felt quite anxious all week but also really excited to ride my first-born under saddle at his first competition.

The May Festival is always an excellent show, very well organised with very warm and friendly competitors. It offers a huge choice of classes, always something for everyone.

Reu’s first class was “Any breed Restricted Walk/Trot”, with three competitors it gave us plenty of room to settle in the ring, look in the mirrors and pass the banners. This class was for horses and riders competing for the first time under saddle, we can never enter this class again because he won!

His second class was “Any Breed Open Walk/Trot” awarded second place, very pleased with his performance and his “reverse” felt wonderful and balanced.

 Reserve Champion from these two classes.

Our third class was the “Foreign Breeds Open Walt/Trot”, a strong class with the beautiful Saddlebreds taking first and second and Reus third.

Our last class “Intermediate Canter Class”, we entered this because we thought it would be a huge advantage to ask Reus to lope under these conditions, I did not expect his transition to being so smooth, straight and relaxed. From strong competition, he won!

                                                          

Our first competition under saddle was truly an amazing experience….

Photos by Simon Coates Photography

Artificial Insemination & Semen Collection @ Redheart Appaloosa Stud

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Our ten-year plan is now well underway, we have imported new Appaloosa blood into the UK, we have shown in-hand all our “foundation” breeding stock and strongly believe our stock have earned their merits to breed, now we begin competing under saddle.

We have tested all the stock’s genes to clarify breeding forward with clear genetics. By definition, breeding negative mares to negative stallions can only result in negative foals. HERDA – Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia, GBED – Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency, HYPP – Equine Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis Disease and MH – Malignant Hyperthermia and of course the two most important here in the UK as Appaloosa registration default, the Grey gene, and PSSM1 – Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy.

For our own interest, we have tested the “foundation” stock for their colour and Appaloosa genetic makeup. It’s good to know what percentage of chance you have for specific color and coat patterns. One definite result we will never know is the gender, although saying that, our 2016 sex scans were correct.

The British Appaloosa Society (BApS) and the Appaloosa Horse Club UK (ApHC UK) have very strict guidelines for breeding registered purebred Appaloosas. We make sure our paperwork is fault free with DNA on file, genetic tests, stallion licensing and of course pedigree percentages. Redheart Appaloosa Stud pride themselves on not only ensuring completed registration certificates but the highest of the grades possible from each mating, being 100% Foundation Pedigree Designation (FPD), Generation Advancement Programme (GAP 5 or GAP 6) with Appaloosa Horse Club and GRADE A or STUD BOOK with the British Appaloosa Society. Our horses are overstamped with the Sports Horse Society and all foals are eligible.

We treat our mares like “princesses”, they are very important and are not breeding machines. We believe in quality, not quantity. The current supply of “Appaloosa’s” is high and the demand is low and if you’re looking for a spotty horse, then the market is plentiful, it is only through education will people understand the history of a Purebred Appaloosa, albeit BApS or ApHC UK registered.  The current market offers some wonderful spotty horses, but beware and ask the right questions, not every spotty horse is an Appaloosa. The realisation that the purebred Appaloosa is a rare breed in the UK with less than twelve 100% FPD horses, less than six GAP 5 horses, not one GAP 6 and there are less than ten British Appaloosa Society Stud Book registered horses. (These figures might have increased to date).

We treasure our stallion, DFR Patahas Redheart, his age is a huge advantage to the longevity of the stud and his colour test confirmed homozygous black with a cream gene and homozygous PATN1 with foundation lines traced back to the first 8 Stud Books of the ApHC at 92.9687%. We know we have something quite unique, a very rare find in the Appaloosa world and one of a kind here in the UK.

Many studs and stallion owners allow their stallion to run with mares, some cover in hand and it works perfectly fine. On the other hand, some owners have seen and experienced detrimental damage to their stallions and mares under these conditions. Trying to limit the damage of such accidents we have stored frozen semen from our stallion Reus before castrating him, allowing him to have a rich life among his relations. Planning ahead with our stallion Blu, we have established a small AI unit, consisting of stocks, a basic lab, and a dummy mare. Certified by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) as a UK AI technician I have the certificate of competence in AI of equines.

We are delighted to announce Princess Pascale, Caricks Redheart and Peyres Catori Cat are scanned in foal, due early April 2019.

We await Redheart Pascalius to come into season, looks like we will be busy next year!.

 

Redheart Yearling Wins Royal Windsor 2018

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Let the show season begin…

Well not quite, our plans to spend the season with Redheart Regal certainly stopped a month ago when she gave birth to Ru. Our three-year-old stallion should be having his last year in-hand in the ring but is now otherwise occupied with the breeding season, more about that next week. So, although we will be concentrating on competing Reus under saddle, who will attend the next in-hand event? The first horse to the gate I guess!

For those that follow us, you will know we adore the County shows, a perfect opportunity for a family day out and this year our first event was Royal Windsor. The lucky horse chosen to come with us this year was our yearling Redheart Reality aka Tally.

Such a huge event for any horse never mind a yearling, Tally took the day in his stride, he gave an amazing performance in the ring taking the first place in the young stock class and then Reserve Champion to Megan Share and her gorgeous horse Desired Edition.

Redheart Reality

Redheart Reality

Redheart Reality

A fabulous day for us and an outstanding start to Tally’s future, whatever that might be?

He is for sale, please see his page HERE and contact us if he meets ALL of your requirements.

 

The Appaloosa Mares are out in the pasture..

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After a long winter, the ground has certainly dried and the spring grass is coming through.

Over the last week, our mares have joined our two yearlings, Regent and Reality in the pasture. Slowly increasing the amount of time spent grazing, they haven’t come up for air!

 

Heads Down

 

And then…waking up to this view!

Redheart Rumours to Redheart RU Chubarry – Appaloosa Ru – SOLD

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We are delighted to announce our 2018 purebred bay (Ee Aa) buckskin few spot filly Ru has found herself a 5* home here in the UK. After weaning she will head off to Chubarry Appaloosa Stud in Hertfordshire. www.chubarryappaloosas.co.uk.

Here, Ru will undertake her new registered name “Redheart RU Chubarry” under the ownership of Wendy Fitzgerald. Ru will commence her show career and eventually join the broodmares, awaiting the mating season with the resident stallion, Chubarry Charlie.

This breeding will be a superb addition to the Appaloosa world, combining excellent conformation, wonderful natured horses with proven show records and unique bloodline here in the UK.
The icing on the cake for Chubayy Appaloosas, their crossing of a bay (EE AA) non-characteristic (lp/lp) PATN1/PATN1 stallion with a homozygous mare (LP/LP) who carries PATN1 and the cream dilute gene will give the stud a superb opportunity to produce 50% bay or 50% bay buckskin characteristic foals 100% of the time.

We wish Ru, Charlie and Wendy all the very best of luck in their new and exciting venture and if anything should change we will have Ru back in a heartbeat! 💓

A picture by Sue Feast (one of the Directors of ApHC UK) Wendy and Charlie, winning one of their many Championship.

Welcome Redheart Rumours to the Stud…

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Friday 13th..

As expected, Redheart Regal’s (Blanc) udder and vulva proved correct in their progress. There is no way these are typical pictures of a mare that is close to foaling never mind 6 hours away! I guess you know your mare and the changes that occur and these developments were huge in comparison to the previous days. Notice that one tiny bead of wax on the right nipple!

 

Although Blanc didn’t have a “baby belly”, hiding the foal so well the inevitable happened!

At 2.45pm, watching her on the camera, linked to my mobile seeing her looking anxious, walking the box and lying down ‘belly watching’, it was time to get in the car!

From work, I drove home, I really do have the most understanding and supportive employers. Arriving at 3 pm the head and front feet were out and Blanc laid quietly resting, allowing the foal to receive a good blood supply via the umbilical cord, textbook delivery!

From here, I sat quietly, intensively watching as Blanc bonded with her foal, she is a maiden mare and was quite scared/confused by the event, although she did all the right things a mother does, there remained that bit of “not sure”. I read the situation and decided not to interfere until I knew Blanc was content for me to do so! Blanc had cleansed and the placenta was all intact. Within 45 minutes, the foaling had taken place, the mare had cleansed and the foal was up, trying to nurse.

You can view the bonding process and the foal eventually standing here.

It proved a big deal for Blanc to allow her foal to nurse, trying many different avenues myself and a vet failed to get the foal to latch on and not through lack of patience! Ensuring a good start, we collected the colostrum and stomach tubed the foal, the foal knew exactly what to do but Blanc was having none of it. Persevering, During Friday night and all day Saturday, I held Blanc every two hours to allow the foal to nurse and then as my alarm went off Sunday morning at 4 am I saw on the camera Blanc standing allowing the foal to nurse….such a relief, job done!

A stunning homozygous (LP/LP) buckskin FILLY! Redheart Rumours AKA Ru.

Redheart Regal x DFR Patahas Redheart 100% FPD

Rumour Has It – A foal is due April 2018

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May 2017 the contractors arrived here at the stud to erect a fence creating two paddocks. Once the fence was up Blu our stallion enjoyed his new paddock parallel with the mare’s field.

Then came that dreaded phone call, “Mum, Blu’s in with the girls”…. My first worry was for the safety of the horses, my daughter Jasmin gave me an exact account of the events she saw which did include Blu jumping on Blanc’s head!!! Despite Evee taking charge and keeping Blu away from all the mares and foals, I guess she didn’t look after Blanc!!!!

I was home within minutes, caught one very sweaty Blu and checked him all over, all OK, returning to the paddock I found no damage to any of the mares or foals, just Evee slightly out of breath and a bit sweaty. Then checking the fence I realised no electric on,  for whatever reason? I was very relieved of the situation and never thought about it again.

During the last six months, Blanc has been looking good for the show season ahead.

Then, Saturday 21st March Blanc changed shape, worrying so. Her topline and hindquarters had sunk and her belly enlarged. No temperature, eating, drinking and a stable with plenty of droppings not to bring about a concern for a Vet to visit. I examined her all over and nothing to note, just confusion. A few days later a very slight change in her vulva and a slightly filled udder, surely this could only mean one thing?

I had completely forgotten about Blu jumping into the mare’s field and I’m positive I’ve seen Blanc showing to Blu over the fence? As a process of elimination, I scanned back through the stud info to find the date the contractors came, 18th May 2017. The estimated foaling date should be anything from 14th to the 29th April 2018, this fits with what I’m seeing at the moment. Would be bizarre, very bizarre if we see our 5th foal arrive on the 21st April?

As a maiden, it’s always difficult to witness normal gestation signs especially because Blanc doesn’t have a “baby belly” but all the other signs are 100% convincing. The foaling box is ready, the camera is up and we’re looking forward to meeting the result of this new mating.

So for those who have messaged me “do you have any foals due this year” the answer is now YES!

We are expecting a black or bay, homozygous LP/LP foal with 5 generations of pure Appaloosa bloodline, 100% Foundation Pedigree Designation with 79.78515% foundation lines traced back to the first 8 Stud Books of the Appaloosa Horse Club.

Most definitely a breeding prospect and will be FOR SALE £3,500

Redheart Yearlings – February 2018

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Its been a few months since our Redheart Yearlings were weaned and castrated, they are growing and looking very well. They have become independent and adapting to short education lessons without knowing.

The horses are still wintering in the barn and every day they’re turned out for short periods in an all-weather corral.

Today Redheart Regent and Redheart Reality our 11-month-old gelding’s were turned out within a spacious 10-acre paddock. They certainly needed each other, calling and running around looking for what they once knew – the herd.

The main advantage at this time is they want to come in, one call from me and they were waiting at the gate, a perfect opportunity to start educating the yearlings on a one to one basis.

Regent and Reality’s first turn out in 2018…

Best mates…