Three Lovely Young Mares at Windurra

Since my accident, everyone at the farm has been pitching in help get all of the horses ridden.

Michael Pendleton, one of Boyd's riders, has been riding my young mares and I am so thankful. He is doing a wonderful job with them and it is so great to get to watch all of them progress. Boyd and I bred all three of these mares in Australia and since I have known them from day one, I have a very special attachment to each one. Not everyone is a mare person, but I love each one of my girls and am really looking forward to the future with these three!

The first one is Hannah Lu W, a beautiful dark bay out of Rosa Cha W by the German stallion His Highness. Hannah is going to be five years old this year and I am very excited about her, partly because of her mother, of course!! Rosa has a very competitive side and I am hoping that she passed it on to Hannah! Since she is out of Rosa, Hannah has very big shoes to fill but she is already living up to my hopes for her.

The next mare is a big chestnut named Joulua. She is going to be 4 years old and is by Jive Magic (Jazz) out of Felicity, who is by Wolkenstein 2. This mare is amazing! She is a very good girl and has a tremendous amount of natural talent.  Her name is Joulua, which means Christmas Day in Finnish, because she was born on Christmas Day on the farm in Australia and I was looking for a “J” name.

The third mare is Juliette, also a chestnut but more fine boned than Joulua. She is also going to be four years old this year and is also by Jive Magic, but out of Betty Barkley, who is by Brentano 2. Betty is out of the same mare as Rosa Cha W. Juliette is one of the most honest young horses we have and she is turning into such a lovely horse.

This year Betty is in foal to Regardez Moi, who is Rosa's sire. This foal is bred very similarly to Rosa. Betty came from Australia this year and lives on Melinda Walton and Larry Smith's beautiful farm in Virginia.  I am so excited that she has the best home ever and I cannot wait for the baby to arrive in October!

Below is a video of Caitlin Silliman riding Juliette. Enjoy!

xoxo Silva

PVDA Ride for Life

Hard at work braiding

We had a great past weekend at Ride for Life. It turns out I am a pretty good groom! Since I am not showing I did a lot of the braiding and grooming for the girls. Scout , Kymmy and Pam Murphy all showed and as usual  Kymmy and Scout rode my horses so well. I am very proud when I watch my girls ride!!

Kymmy rode Rigoletto (Tony) , Just a Flirt, Rio Royale ,Hot Date (Hayden) and Sir Eastwood (Woody).

• Tony won not only second and third level but also the high point Hanoverian award .
• Just a Flirt placed third in first level.
• Rio Royale won training level with a big score of 70%.
• Hot Date won his second level test and was second in the third level behind Tony.
• Woody won first level with big competition.

Scout rode Bright Side (Eddy) and Dhouble Scoop.

• Eddy was such a star: so honest and Scout rode him so well!! They placed fifth in training level.
• Ellen Kettler's Dhouble Scoop is just a dream horse. They were second and third in first level, up against a lot of competition. 

It was such a pleasure to have Pam with us. She showed her horse Rio on Sunday. Rio is bred by Melinda Walton and Larry Smith, so you can imagine that he is just such a nice, honest horse - and he is the perfect horse for Pam. They did a nice training level test and

I am looking forward to seeing more of Rio and Pam in the show ring.

xoxo Silva

USEF Names High Performance Training Lists

Boyd Martin and Shamwari 4 at Luhmühlen. Photo by Jenni Autry.

FULL ARTICLE COURTESY EVENTING NATION.

The USEF has just released the names on the High Performance Summer and Fall Training Lists. The horses and riders listed in each section will participate in training sessions with Chef d’Equipe David O’Connor on dates to be announced later.

As with this year’s Winter/Spring training lists, there is only one pair listed under Global Talent, and it’s clear that the selectors have really put their faith into Boyd Martin and Shamwari 4 after a great performance at Luhmühlen —even with the relatively new and untested partnership these two have. These two threw down in Germany, stamping their ticket to Normandy and a spot on the Global Talent List.

The rest of the U.S. WEG squad is, of course, on the lists as well. The depth that can be seen all the way through each list is impressive and an encouraging sign that U.S. eventing is headed in the right direction.

The combinations named are as follows, taken from the press release posted on the USEF’s website:

Global Talent
Combinations that currently possess the ability to win anywhere in the world.
Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and the Shamwari 4 Syndicate LLC’s Shamwari 4
Shamwari 4 is a 2002 Hanoverian gelding.

World Class
Combinations that currently possess the ability to be competitive anywhere in the world.  
Jan Byyny (Purcellville, Va.) and her own and Dick and Jo Bynny’s Inmidair
Inmidair is a 1999 New Zealand Thoroughbred gelding.
Hannah Sue Burnett (The Plains, Va.) and Jacqueline Mars’ Harbour Pilot
Harbour Pilot is a 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding.
Buck Davidson (Ocala, Fla.) and Carl and Cassandra Segal’s Park Trader
Park Trader is a 2002 Irish Thoroughbred gelding.
Buck Davidson (Ocala, Fla.) and Carl and Cassandra Segal’s Ballynoe Castle RM
Ballynoe Castle RM is a 2000 Irish Thoroughbred gelding.
Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) and the Trading Aces LLC’s Trading Aces
Trading Aces is a 2004 Irish Sport Horse gelding.
Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) and Bruce Duchossois’ Mighty Nice
Mighty Nice is a 2004 Irish Sport Horse gelding.
Sinead Halpin (Oldwick, N.J.) and Manoir De Carneville Syndicate’s Manoir de Carneville
Manoir de Carneville is a 2000 Selle Francais gelding.
Lauren Kieffer (Middleburg, Va.) and Team Rebecca, LLC’s Veronica
Veronica is a 2002 Dutch Warmblood mare.
Marilyn Little (Frederick, Md.) and Raylyn Farms and Team Demeter’s RF Demeter
RF Demeter is a 2002 Oldenburg mare.
Clark Montgomery (Wiltshire, UK) and Jessica Montgomery, Kathryn Kraft, and Holly and William Becker’s Loughan Glen
Loughan Glen is a 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding.
Clark Montgomery (Wiltshire, UK) and Jessica Montgomery, Carole Montgomery, Janet Higgins, and Elizabeth Smith’s Universe
Universe is a 2001 Dutch Warmblood gelding.
Meghan O’Donoghue (Carbondale, Ill.) and her own Pirate
Pirate is a 2002 Thoroughbred gelding.
Doug Payne (Apex, N.C.) and Larry and Amelia Ross’ and his own Crown Talisman
Crown Talisman is a 2003 Holsteiner/Thoroughbred gelding.
Kim Severson (Charlottesville, Va.) and her own Fernhill Fearless
Fernhill Fearless is a 2000 Irish Sport Horse gelding.
Lynn Symansky (Middleburg, Va.) and her own Donner
Donner is a 2003 Thoroughbred gelding.