Hello from Wellington!

The horses and crew have arrived safely in Florida. Here are some photos of the beautiful Still Point Farm.

We are getting ready for our first show on the weekend! We'll keep you updated. ...............Silva

Boyd is Back in Pa!!

I arrived back from Australia just before the New Year and touched down in freezing PA. When I left Sydney it was over 100 degrees and when I arrived home here in PA it was only 25 degrees! After a great vacation in Australia catching up with a few of my old sparing partners, it was great to get to back to True Prospect Farm and start riding again.
*Photo 1 - Boyd & Remington

All the horses look fantastic, and I am extremely excited with Remington (one of my favorites). He's is just about to start to compete at the Advanced level so we have started training the flying changes. My man has already got the idea of this advanced dressage movement. The other horses that I was pretty impressed with have been Minoture D Passior, Benwald, and Valentino. Jennifer Brannigan has done a superb job keeping these special horses in top nic.
*Photo 2 - Boyd, Ceaser (Mexican Love God Super Groom) & Woodburn

I am now living back to my bachelor days with Silva down in Wellington. The house is already a mess, dominos pizza everynight and I am still trying to work out how to use the washing machine. I am heading down to Wellington this weekend to watch Silva compete in a dressage show.

Tonight I picked up the Australian Young Rider Champion, Lauren Balcomb from Philadelphia International Airport. Lauren is a great friend of mine from Australia and recently won Adelaide CCI** on the first horse I bred "Kootamootoo". Lauren is here for a month to work and ride at the barn here inUnionville and also the farm down in Aiken.

Until next time
Boyd

Spiderwoman is Ready for Action

Today we had our 3 year old mare, Spiderwoman, scanned by the vet to see if she was ready to be serviced. I was so impressed with our new foal, Ray Price, that we decided we would like another out a similar mare. The stallion chosen is an American Thoroughbred named 'Raza-Stanza'; he is currently regarded as Australia's best event sire and he has fathered a number of advanced eventers. He is renowned for producing spectacular movers. 'Spiderwoman' is by 'Staccato', (FEI #1 Event Stallion of 2003) whom is by 'Salute'. Salute is the sire of 'Shatzi W' and 'Fair Fiona W', a Dutch Warmblood that is regarded as Australia's best dressage/jumping stallion. 'Spiderwoman's' dam is the famous 'Batwoman', a Thoroughbred mare thatI rode to the intermediate level, whom is also the dam of 'Shatzi W'.

-Boyd

A Day with Janet Mudge

Silva and I were lucky enough to visit our good friend, and owner of Lidcombe, Janet Mudge. She has a beautiful 200 acre property in Singleton, were she has a breeding program running. She also has a number of dressage horses in work. Janet is the only owner that has supported us from Australia with a horse. She sent Lidcombe over to the Sates when we first went over in 2006. Silva, Ashley Day, (Silva's old working pupil), and I were lucky enough to see Lidcombe's mum, Bella, with her new born baby that is by Saaleck, (photo above - Bella and foal, Janet Mudge, Silva and Ashley Day). This little foal looked fantastic. He definitely had that look about him that reminded me of Lidcombe.

The rest of the day was spent with Silva shaking Ray Prices hand...

And me giving the second love of my life a big kiss... Fair Fiona W.

-Boyd

Frolicking Foals

Here are some more pictures of Mademoiselle Chanel W and Ray Price W on their first day out together.

Poor little Mady, she is only six days old and a little shy but Ray couldn't wait to play with his little girl friend!

-Silva

Sorting through the stock....

This morning Silva and I ventured out to the Carrolls Ranch, an equestrian facility just ten minutes down the road from my parents' farm. The head trainer, Stevie Shakoff, who used to be a working student for us here in Australia, has two of our horses in work.

Enyo W, (pictured below), a three-year-old chestnut gelding by the Hanoverian stallion Escudo out of a Brilliant Invader (Reddy Teddy's sire) / Silvineer mare, looked fantastic. This little champion has it all: nice type, great mover and a sensational jump. I am very excited about this guy and we plan to import him over to the States in March of 2010.

Vroom W, (pictured below), is a grey, four-year-old Warmblood/Thoroughbred mare by the Belgian Grand Prix show jumping stallion Vivant. This mare was a little bit of a disappointment to us. She is a nice enough type, but really did not have very good movement for dressage. She is a little small as well. I suppose the great thing about her is that she has an incredible jump, great technique and plenty of scope. After a long think, I rang my good friend and Grand Prix show jumping rider, James Mooney, who will take on the horse to start its jumping career.

At the end of the day, Silva and I are only intrested in bringing over top class event and dressage horses. If the horses we have bred aren't superb, its great to have riders like James that can produce the horses to a high level here in Australia and then sell them.

-Boyd

Greetings from Australia

Greetings from Australia!

Silva and I arrived in sunny Australia yesterday morning. Nice warm weather, about 80 degrees. After checking in with Auntie Jan, (my number 1 fan) in Sydney, we drove up to Lochinvar, which is about 2 hours north of Sydney in the Hunter Valley. My mum and dad own about a 160-acre farm where we still are breeding horses. There are about 30 horses still there, some of which are being selected to come over to America.

I haven't seen my breeding stock in over a year, and I must say I am impressed. My most favorite horse in the world is my mare Fair Fiona W. I plan to bring her over in March next year to resume her eventing career. She won the Sydney Three Day event as 5-year-old. She has just had the most impressive foal I have ever seen. He is by an American thoroughbred stallion called Raza Stanza and I have named him Ray Price after a great Australian footballer.

Silva was also excited to see the horse she plans to ship over to America this year. Her name is Rosa Charm, (I think), and she's a three year old by Regarde-Moi (Rubinstein). She is just about to have a foal by His Highness.

-Boyd