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.

Anne Hennessey Purchases Half of The Gypsy King

A big congratulations to our long-time supporter Anne Hennessey, who has purchased a 50% share in Gloria Callen’s The Gypsy King. We imported this horse from Ireland late last year and he looks to be a very promising young horse. I believe he has all the ingredients for a big-time horse: movement, jump and temperament. Both Anne and Gloria have been wonderful supporters of young horses for me for years now and I can’t thank them enough.

-Boyd

Focusing on the World Equestrian Games

I can’t tell you how happy, relieved and excited I am to be named to the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team for the upcoming Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France with Shamwari 4. I was up against a lot, getting on this team, but thanks to a great result in Luhmuehlen we managed get the job done.

First and foremost I’m sitting on one of the best horses I’ve ever had. I’m grateful to the owners and very thankful to the people who’ve helped me along through my eight weeks of being sidelined from my broken leg.

I feel humbled by the Shamwari syndicate, especially those individuals that bankrolled the initial purchase of the horse – obviously to buy a horse at this level takes a huge amount of confidence in the person organizing the syndicate and it’s a great feeling knowing they all believe in me.

Once again I must thank everyone who has helped me to achieve this monumental goal. Obviously I have to thank my wife Silva, and while she’s been out of commission Caitlin has stepped up and taken the role training all the horses – she’s a bit of an unsung hero and the horses are doing so well thanks to all her hard work. Phillip has kept the horses up on their jump training and competing them. My groom Lindsey is also super, as always, keeping the horses in brilliant condition. Finally my physio has dedicated hours and hours to helping me regain my strength and mobility. I’m still going to physio therapy and the leg is not quite 100% but as each day goes by I’m getting stronger and stronger.

 The three horses that went to Germany, Otis Barbotiere, Shamwari 4 and Mighty Nice, arrived safely on Wednesday at JFK and will come back to the farm today. I’ll have to talk to David and Phillip about how much time off to give Shammie, but I’m expecting to put him back into light work in a week’s time.

I spoke with Phillip this morning, and on Monday Trading Aces will move down the road to True Prospect Farm, where Phillip will take over his training full-time. Both myself and the owners of “Oscar” purchased him a couple of years ago with the intention of taking him to the WEG. Everyone was on board with the idea and we’re thrilled that Phillip has been named to ride him at the WEG. We also feel that having the horse available for both Phillip and myself, since we both qualified to compete on the team with him, is an ideal situation, (he will be my backup horse, in case anything happens to Shamwari, while Mighty Nice will be standing by in the wings for Phillip to ride).

The team looks like a great choice for Normandy. [Click here for videos of all of the horses and riders]. I think the selectors have picked great cross-country riders; the last two teams I’ve been a part of, it’s the cross-country where the USA has fallen short, so it’s a good decision leaning toward this type of rider and horse. We know that all of our riders will need to be on a mission when they face the cross-country course in Normandy. 

-Boyd

Silva's Reflections on Traveling to Germany

I made it back from Germany, safe and sound! The flights to and from Germany went well.

It was so great being in my home country. One of the things I miss the most while living in the US is German food. Everything there is so delicious, and I inhaled all my meals while I had the chance! Of course I tried to eat everything that I ate while growing up. My favorite meal when I was young was breakfast, and I especially remember the bread being yummy.

I am not a big beer drinker, but the beer is so delicious too. Instead, I drank German Riesling wine.

Speaking of family, it was wonderful to see my mom, brother Julian and my sister Laura. I am so appreciative they made the five-hour drive to Luhmuehlen to see me.

Luhmuehlen, where the competition was held, is in a very pretty area in the northern part of Germany, near Hamburg.  All the little towns we drove through were immaculate. Every yard was perfectly groomed, and it was clean everywhere.  People in Germany look after their yards as much as they look after themselves. Everyone is so fit and stylish. I left a long time ago, and notice this more and more with each visit.

As far as the competition went, it was a pretty amazing outing for Boyd and Phillip. All three horses were superb, and we had an awesome team present. Huge thanks to all the owners, grooms, coaches, and everyone who came out to help and support team USA. The team will definitely be a force to be reckoned with moving forward!

xo

Silva

The Style Police: Luhmuehlen Fashion Roundup with Silva

in his super-German outfit. Not my style, but very appropriate!

I really enjoyed the trip to Luhmuehlen, and thanks to Fernanda Kellogg I have lots of

 photos of some fashion trends from the event.  I don’t think it’s all that different from here, but loud colors are definitely a trend in Germany right now. My style is pretty simple, I don’t like too many bright and trendy things and I personally would stay away from too much color and flashiness but that’s my style. Tastes are different, and of course in the warm-up everything goes.

Some people went too crazy in the jog, in my opinion.  There are those who don’t make enough of an effort, but you don’t have to go all-out either, and keeping it simple is always appropriate.

I didn’t see a lot of bling, and that’s another place where a little is good but it’s easy to go over the top with it. You also want to be careful not to point out flaws by sticking bling on them!

I was happy to see that loads of people were wearing helmets in the dressage. It’s really changing in Germany, not too long ago, hardly any riders wore helmets in dressage, but now most people are wearing them. Fancy-looking helmets are getting big in Europe. I saw a lot of shinier helmets over there, which you don’t see as often in the US. Style wise I think the helmet definitely has to be matching your outfit, whichever style helmet you choose. Schooling at home you can go wild, but in the competition ring I think it’s best to coordinate with your outfit. Our sponsor Charles Owen will make whatever you want, color-wise!

 -Silva 

   

Kevin McNab, who was best man when Boyd and I got married, looks super sharp in his suit at the jog.

Czech team polo shirts. Simply stylish

Ingrid Klimke tastefully displays her sponsors' info on her shadbelly

I saw lots of shiny, colorful helmet trends in Germany

British team jacket

Spotted these super shiny alligator boots in the schooling arena.

Of course Ariat provided team USA with some stylish jackets

Things are getting colorful in the dressage arena!

Lauren Hough showed up to help the American riders with the show jumping. She always looks simple and elegant.

Chic black and white jog outfit

Bettina's look is simple and elegant. This is very much my style. She always looks great!

Tails are coming in so many colors now, you can choose anything you like.

Charles Owen makes more than helmets for countries, they also make pretty much everything one could want! Bettina is styling the German colors.

Ingrid Klimke sporting her German Charles Owen ensemble. Very classy!

Of course Phillip looked sharp when he presented Mighty Nice