NEW HORSE IN TRAINING

Boyd and Bru, GRC Photo

The bulk of Silva's and my business consists of training horses that are sent to us by owners. These people either wish us to compete their horses to a very high level, or wish to improve their horse, train it up, then send it back for them to compete. Without these wonderful people, we would not have a business.

A couple of weeks ago, we received a very impressive horse from Manny Diemer. Manny is a retired Army Special Forces colonel and spent 33 years on active duty. He has commanded at the team, company, battalion and group level and among his many awards and decorations arethe Bronze Star and the Legion of Merit.

He is an avid polocrosse player, a member of the 2010 C Grade national championship winning polocrosse team and serves as his wife's navigator during the marathon phase of combined driving events. He continues to serve his country, currently spending the summer in Baghdad assisting the Iraqi military leadership.
Dana and Manny liked the look of Bru and picked him up for a song from the racetrack. Manny decided to name him Bru, which incidentally is Afrikaaner slang for 'brother' or 'friend'.

The goal with this horse is to get him up and going for Manny, who is currently in Baghdad for three months on duty. Manny's long term goal is to eventually compete Bru at the training level in horse trials here in America. So far, Bru is coming along nicely, finishing 3rd in his first Novice last weekend at Maryland Horse Trials. I look forward to Manny returning from duty in a couple of months to an improved horse for him to compete.

I must say, it's an absolute honour training a horse for one of this country's heroes.

Boyd

Photos of Manny Diemer taken in Iraq in 2007, while he was commanding the COIN (counterinsurgency) Center at Taji.

Horizon Structures Builds Barn for Boyd and Silva

Now that Silva and I are in our new training facility in Cochranville, PA, we had to come up with quality, safe, and economical barn structures to house our horses. After doing hours and hours of research, the absolute best option was to get Horizon Structures, the Amish-oriented construction company, to build our stable block.

Dave Zook and his team of builders specialize in the construction of run-in sheds, shedrow barns and modular barns. They are constructed in Atglen, PA, a few miles away from our facility. The barn structure was customized to Silva’s and my wants and needs with automatic waterers, ceiling fans, lights and big Dutch doors on both sides of each stall for the horses to have a great view of the new farm.

In a matter of a week or two, Horizon Structures constructed this barn in their warehouse, then loaded it onto a truck and placed it onto a gravel pad that we had prepared ahead of time.

I urge anyone out there in the equestrian community who needs quality, affordable structures for their horses' shelter, be it a barn or a run in shed, to get in touch with Dave. I have been thoroughly impressed with the look and quality of the building and most importantly, the service we received from the team down at Horizon Structures.

-Boyd

Check out the timelapse video of the complete construction of the barn:

Horizon Structures

www.horizonstructures.com

Maryland Horse Trials II

Boyd Martin and Merging
Photo courtesy Laurie Cameron

For the second weekend straight I took my crew of 'up and coming' horses, plus a few of the 'old boys', for a jump around the Maryland Horse Trials. I must say that the event at Loch Moy keeps getting better and better. The new jumping and dressage rings are world class, the x-country is awesome, and the organizers and volunteers are the friendliest and most helpful around. All in all, it's great event at which to compete horses.

• 3rd Open Intermediate - Cold Harbour, owned by Dana & Manny Diemer
• WD Open Intermediate - Remington, owned by Densey and Ron Juvonen (1st after dressage and show jumping)
• WD Open Intermediate - Neville Bardos, owned by the Neville Syndicate (1st after dressage and show jumping)
• 5th Open Prelim - Merging, owned by Laurie Cameron
• WD Open Prelim - Ying Yang Yo, owned by Faye & Eliza Woolf (5th after dressage and show jumping)
• 1st Open Training - Steady Eddie, owned by George & Gretchen Wintersteen & Denise Lahey & Pierre Colin
• 11th Open Training - Drummond, owned by Katie & Cuyler Walker
• 3rd Open Novice - Krugerrand, owned by Manny and Dana Diemer
• 4th Open Beginner Novice - Yippee Yi Yo, owned by Windurra USA, LLC

Next weekend is the Fitch's Corner Horse Trials in Millbrook, New York. This should be another fantastic event where I think I am appearing as a guest bartender on Friday evening at the 'Meet the Champions' reception.

-Boyd

The following four images are from GRC Photo:

Boyd Martin and Merging, Prelim at MDHT

Dressage at Lexington 2011

Silva is flying to Germany today to spend time with her family, and sent an update from Dressage at Lexington:

Stately won Fourth level with 75% and Carrera, also owned by Faye Woolf, won Second level with 74%. Duvent placed 2nd in his first Developing Horse test with 67% and Sea Lord was 5th in his first Grand Prix.

Devon and Ballatale placed 3rd in Fourth level and Kyymy and Markie were 8th in the PSG. Kymmy and Devon are still showing today and will take the horses home tonight.

Silva's dad has been fighting cancer for a while and is not doing well, so everyone please keep him in your thoughts.

Boyd Featured in Pennsylvania Equestrian

Click here to continue reading this article about Boyd from Pennsylvania Equestrian magazine.

Good bye Rossco!

Boyd is home from Australia and wrote this tribute to his late father, Ross Martin:

As you have heard, my father Ross Martin passed away last Saturday afternoon in the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. A week earlier, he was in a bike road race where he had a collision with a truck, breaking the C3 and C4 vertebrae in his neck, leaving him paralyzed from his chin down.

I feel very lucky that I had the opportunity to fly home and be with him for his final two days. He was happy to see me, told me that this 'was no big deal', and 'such is life mate' before dying in his sleep.

My Dad had an amazing life. He was born in Bega hospital in 1943, son of a school teacher. At the age of 4 his mother disappeared, never to be seen again. Dad's grandmother looked after him and his two sisters. Dad never attended school until the the 4th grade; by the 6th grade he had won a scholarship at the exclusive Sydney Grammar School.

After finishing high school, he decided to ride his bicycle 400 miles to get a job as a farm hand with sheep and cattle in Cooma. His boss, Bruce Haslingden, was one of Australia's first ever winter Olympians. He saw talent and work ethic in my dad, and encouraged him to start seriously Cross Country Ski racing.

In 1968, Dad represented Australia in the Olympics in the 15 km and the 30 km cross country races in Grenoble, France. He met my mother there, where she was representing the US in the 3000 metre speed skating race.

He married Toy in 1971 in Sydney, had Brook in 1977, and me in 1979.

He was a great father to his kids. Our family holidays included hiking trips to the base camp of Mt. Everest and 1000 km bike rides across Outback Australia. To the end he stayed a true competitive athlete, competing in ocean swim races, cycle racing and multi-day mountain bike trips.

It was unlikely that he was ever going to retire to an old age nursing home. He was a workaholic, loved his dog Cathy, and hated buldgers (anyone that did not work hard). He was a classless man who had friends from all walks of life. He was generous to a fault, but hated to be thanked.

I must say he was very proud of my eventing career. He encouraged me to stay away from university and instead chase my true passion of training horses. He was very supportive of my move to the US, and my change of nationality. It was a great feeling riding in front of him at the WEG last year.

He had a wonderful sense of humor and made many friends in the American eventing community. I was lucky that he came to the Fork Horse Trials this year. He had a great time as he watched me ride and enjoyed a few beers with the riders in the tent on Saturday night.

He was buried in a paddock next to Bruce Haslingden, overlooking the Snowy Mountains where he worked as a jackaroo as a young man in Cooma. I will miss him greatly, and truly believe his life has been so much a part of my success.

-Boyd

Remembering Ross Martin

Ross Martin watching Boyd and Remington XXV win the CIC*** at The Fork in April, 2011

In yet another tragic turn of events, Ross Martin, Boyd's father, passed away this weekend after having been hit by a truck during a cycling race and sustaining severe injuries. Boyd was able to travel to Australia to see Ross before he died, and is there with his family now.

I had the great fortune to meet Ross several times when he came to watch Boyd ride in the USA, and always enjoyed his enthusiastic e-mails about Boyd's riding career here in the States. He was able to attend The Fork three-day event this spring and had the joy of seeing Boyd and Remington win the CIC***, where I caught this photo of him ringside.

The support for Boyd and Silva following the barn fire at True Prospect Farm has been truly overwhelming, and Ross was so impressed with how the horse community here stood behind them during this tough time.

Especially in the tough times it is the horses that give Boyd hope for the future, and he is excited that Neville did his first gallop since the fire at the Fair Hill training track today (see video below). Boyd is still considering taking his partner in crime to the Burghley CCI**** in England this fall if Neville's health and fitness continue to improve. Let's all keep cheering them on.

-Amber Heintzberger