Inspections and Köring's

  So, as the summer comes to an end, our foal and mare inspection approaches.  Due to our unfortunate loss this spring, we will only be presenting our one foal,  Carrington SR - Contendro I/Calando I stamm 776.  We are very excited to join our Friends and Hosts of this year's inspection at Hyperion Stud Farm LLC in Barboursville, VA.  They have always put on a spectacular inspection, and we look forward to this year being no different.  The date will be October 1st, and all spectators are welcome.  This is not a closed event, and trainers and buyers are encouraged to look at this years stock.  Please click here: Hyperion to view the site of this years inspection. 

  Shortly after the inspection, we will be heading back to Germany to visit with our friends and watch the Hengstköring.  It is Köring, not Keuring.  Keuring is a Dutch word, which the German people would not use to describe the process they invented.  Sorry a little pet peeve of mine.  We look forward to seeing the next generation of young stallions produced from the best mares in the world.  Consequently, the sport horse breeding/show world will be in Neumünster, as they know this is where best jumpers in the world are made.  In addition to seeing our young horses, we will be looking for our clients as well.  So feel free to contact us if you wish for us to look for your next mare or mount.  We visit the best breeders in the world, and are sure to be able to find the special spitzenfohlen, stute, or wallach for you.  We will of course get new pictures and video's of our client's horses and of our own horses, and hope to share them with you. 

  We hope everyone has had a wonderful summer, and we hope to see you at this years inspection.

A Horse by Any Other Breed

I recently made a trip to Florida horse country where I met a trainer and presented my business, he responded with something I have heard before; "the breed doesn't matter to me, I don't care about the breed".  As a breeder, I know the breed does matter and not just because I breed Holsteiners.  Different horses are configured for different types of work,  Thoroughbreds are configured for forward, flat, fast movement.  Quarter horses are bred to be quick for short distances and agile, necessary for herding work and quiet minds so as not to overreact to surroundings.  Draft horses are big and heavy built for hauling equipment.  Holsteiners were originally dual purposed work horses.  They worked the fields, and also used for lighter carriage and riding purposes.  They hauled plows through fields but because the area they worked in was mostly thick mud flats they developed a conformation that allowed them to have strong upward movement  for pulling up their front and back legs out of the mud.  They also had to have a lot of heart so as not to give up when pulling a plow through thick mud.  As Germany progressed through the technological era the need for plow horses became obsolete.  German breeders lightened up the plow horse by introducing outside blood thus creating an athletic and agile sport horse with a strong top lines with high rideablity necessary for jumping. 

Next time you watch a video of a horse jumping slow it down and pay attention to every movement of the horse.   Watch the front legs as the horse goes up over the jump, watch for evenness and quickness of the front legs.  Watch the back legs as they progress through the jump.  Some horses will open their hips and extend their hind legs behind them to clear the jumps, while others are not capable of this.  They will merely tuck their hind legs underneath themselves.  It's much like dog breeds, you wouldn't expect a herding dog to out run a greyhound.  This doesn't mean a herding dog can't run it just means it's not built for sustained speed.  It's not that a Thoroughbred can't jump, it is just limited in it's scope for todays sport of Show Jumping.   Breed matters when it comes to the top of sport, and that is why I wouldn't bet my life savings on a Clydesdale winning the Triple Crown.  When investing in a show jumper I put my trust with the breed with the most success at the upper levels of the sport with the least amount mares, the Holsteiner.

Icewater in July

We have noticed the increased attention to Cicera's Icewater Event schedule.  Kristie is looking to event him in July and as soon as we have the dates we will post.  Meanwhile, mare owners, he's open for breeding.  

Foal Watch 2014

Babies, Babies, Babies!  This time of year is filled with excitement and lack of sleep.  Calandra is in foal to Contendro I (Top 10 sires in the world)and due early April.  This will be Callie's 9th baby and we can't wait to meet it.  Valetta is in foal to Casiro I and due in May.   Canturana - Canturo/Acorado/Ramiro 776 mare is due any day now in Germany and is in foal to none other then Casall Ask.  Foal watch consists of late nights and anxiety but worth every missed second of sleep.  It's an amazing experience watching a brand new foal come into the world.  Stay tuned, and we will be posting pics soon.

Fina Bella SR to go to Waters Edge Farm

We are excited to report that Fina Bella SR has been sold to Liz Patrick of Waters Edge Farm in Sykesville, MD.  Waters Edge has a number of top Holsteiner prospects growing up, and Fina will round up the herd nicely.  We are excited to see her grow up at such a nice and professional facility.  Congratulations.

Wishing you a Happy Healthy New Year!

  The holiday season is a time of reflection for many and it's no different for us here at Sparling Rock.  2013 was a busy year for us, we brought our horses home to the new farm on New Year's Eve 2012 setting the stage for some memorable moments.  As foaling season came closer we prepared for two foals, the first of which was our beautiful and bold colt Quimby SR, quickly followed by our spunky adventurous filly Fina Bella SR.  Both foals were healthy and full of energy.  As the year progressed we received  exciting updates from our extended Sparling Rock Family.  Cassiana SR was started under saddle, and in true Cassie style went straight to work as she turned many heads.  Cassie's half brother Corsen SR by Connor has also grown quite a bit and started free jumping this year.  He even garnished a saddle once or twice, and Kristie is quite anxious to start him this coming spring.  News also rolled in from Sarah and Vienna in Reno that they had really progressed and took home some wins in a very challenging circuit.   We were so excited to hear how well the two were working together for their first season and so excited to watch them grow and compete together.  

  The summer flew by and before we knew it, it was time to take Quimby and Fina to inspections.  Our babies did not disappoint, with both scoring an 8 on movement and an 8 on type, it was another proud day for Sparling Rock with both foals being co-champions of the site, and tied for the second highest scoring foals in the country.  After inspections it was a short month and then on the plane for our annual trip to Germany.  Sadly while we were there our horses got got loose and Quimby was fatally injured.  The rest of the trip was filled with visits to farms and time with our German friends.  We got to check in on our new colt Ciampi and find a new rider (Philipp Shulze) for our three year old, Chroniken.  Everyone looked fantastic and are unbelievable prospects.  This was probably one of our most productive trips ever, and we were excited to share the good news with our Partners, Ann, Brian, and Lauren Bishop.

  In addition to our new foals, we also joined with Kristie Gray (Corsen SR's owner) in the purchase of Cicera's Icewater, Holsteiner stallion bred by the Johannsen's in Germany.  Kristie is driving his return to sport with high expectations in Eventing as well as his return to his roots in Jumping.  Sparling Rock will manage his breeding career, and we want to thank George Whitley and Anna Nenonen for raising up such a super star.  We are so blessed to have the opportunity to share in this amazing stallions future as he lays down additional chapters in an already amazing biography. 

We are very excited to see Sparling Rock grow in 2014 as we await our new foals by Contendro I and Casiro I.  We wish our Sparling Rock family and future family a happy, healthy, successful 2014.

Last Night in Germany

It has been a long trip and a successful trip! We found a rider for Chroniken and he should be ready for shows this spring. Checked in on our lovely hengstfohlen, Ciampi, and are beyond pleased. We took tons of pictures and video and will post in the coming days. Time for one last dinner with friends before heading back to the States. Check back later to see pictures and video.

Busy, busy, busy Getting Ready for Germany

In exactly one week we will be hopping on our flight to Germany.  Tim has been busy reaching out to breeders and setting up visits.  It is going to be a fully booked ten days between farm visits and the Stallion approvals.  Now is the time to let us know if you'd like us to look for your next ride or premium prospect, just go to our contacts page and send an email.  I've got my cameras all charged up so be on the look out for new videos and pictures of our horses in Germany.

Auf Wiedersehen