I sit here on my second (large) G & T, crumpets and thoughts about healthy halibut for dinner. Having just returned from an action filled week in Germany, with three client meetings on the way to the tunnel, I have just had time to sit and reflect on the last few weeks and all the things that have crammed themselves into the end of July. The stud season has stretched well on this year with many late foaling mares, and therefore late inseminations. Wavavoom has had to maintain some enthusiasm for the job and has tried hard, but the lovely Santana has remained as keen as ever and I am so excited to see his offspring next year.

Sadly, because I would love to keep him, he will be a prime lot in the Brightwells Auction at Addington on 21st August. This is always a fun evening but I hope that Santana will find a really good and top competitive home, as he has a super temperament. Interestingly, the winner of the Hannoverian Stallion Selections for the Bundeschampionat, is also a Sir Donnerhall x Alabaster just like our "Herman" (named after the lovely man who keeps our German mares for us.)

Michael Eilberg had a wonderful Hartpury and topped it for us with great wins and high placings on Rockstar and Dornroeschen while delivering a second dream win for Farouche. In my opinion the scoring suffered in the usual way with some of the judging where there is not enough difference shown between the really amazing horses and the just very good ones. A judge whose experience at International level I respect highly, told me that Farouche was the best horse she had seen in Europe for many years. It seemed rude to ask which was the last one, but I am dying to know.

The quality of many of the horses was good but much of the riding showed little or no attention to the priorities of the scales of training. Perhaps too much ambition for a modestly talented horse to win one of these classes is dangerous for the horse’s health! There was a lot of tension, as we had also seen in the Badminton class. The acid test of the quality of the work is the rhythm and connection in the walk and many horses struggled with this. Why do riders and trainers think that this is an optional extra?

This theme resonates with the World Breeding Championships which were really interesting this year with, in my view, few horses possessing three truly great gaits. Everybody is still struggling with the concept of the natural and happy athlete and there is the dichotomy between the genetic and god given talent of the horse and the influence of the rider. Without the influence of the rider it is impossible to assess the rideability of the horse but in many cases the influence of the rider was a ‘negative’. Was that because the rider was using the wrong tools or because the horse had an inherent problem in accepting the aids?

What was clear is that you did need a horse with seriously good gaits to win but perhaps the runners up were sometimes generously marked when one pace was really missing altogether. All in all, whatever the criticism, at the top of both the five and six year old classes, you could not have substituted other horses and the six year old winner Uno Donna Unique was compelling and could not be disputed (but of course she will be). I though that this wonderful Don Schufro mare was unlucky last year to have come second as she was just too much on her toes, but this year she came with an enormously expressive trot (scoring a 10) and still managed some rather green changes and good rhythm and ground cover in all three paces.

From a breeder’s perspective, what was interesting was that the dam lines of many of the participants were old breeding. Don Schufro is no chicken; Falkland, the `"aktionstrabber" is by Wanderer and this theme was echoed in the Hannoverian Mare Show, one of the best in the Region, where about 50% of the mothers of these wonderful three year olds were 10 years old or more and represented some of the heavier and older sires. There was no exception with the five year old winner of the WBFSH for dressage, the KWPN Asterix, by Obelisk out of an Olivi mare, both born in 1996.

Does this mean that we have lost our way in the current dressage breeding? I think not as the refinement must always come from the sire and the substance from the mare who must still have type, movement and quality. The old horsemen always prescribed "blood on the bone".

Denmark must have been empty during these championships as the seats and tables were full of excited people in red jackets and they almost outnumbered the excited people in orange jackets (Netherlands). How is it that a little country like Denmark, with a smaller population than ours, can generate both the horses and riders to be absolutely in contention in both age groups? Their horses were all good and some were exceptional. Their riding was effective even if there was a philosophical discussion to be had over the correctness of the trot of some (was it too much like Passage?). Andreas H was a clear crowd pleaser and he and Rudolf Zeilinger worked his horses in the warm up with the elastic bands getting tighter and tighter to produce incredible cadence if not, sometimes, enough ground cover.

The atmosphere and the weather was wonderful, the food was fab’ and we saw very consistent themes in the selection of horses. We saw great youngsters and the current "enfant terrible" is Sir Donnerhall and the winner of the three year old selections called Snap Shot (Donnerhall x Alabaster) ticking all the boxes. I also liked a Don Fred son and was surprised at his low mark. I had the opportunity later to talk to one of the judges and asked why they had not preferred this horse and once again it came down to the trot being too collected for his age. I am not sure what I think here.

We stayed in a wonderful Country House Hotel where everything was immaculate and a spectacular room for two people with a wonderful and fresh breakfast was under £45 per head. The food and the ambience was exceptional as was the personal attention of the owner. In contrast, on my return, I stayed in the Days Inn "facility" at the services on the M40 and for the same £90 I had a horrible and smelly "Executive Room" with a small bed; no proper bath, no breakfast and I guess it was "Executive" because it had a trouser press!

We returned for the excitement of the Regionals with Rocky and Rosie, and since my last blog, the wonderful Rockstar who I truly adore, came 5th in his first Inter I at Hickstead, no less, with a score of 68%ish. There were lots of glitches and he looked totally lost through the whole test as he clearly did not know his way around. It gave me great confidence that as he learns to better carry his weight behind he is a 70% plus. The fragrant Rosie stayed at home at Pink Green, having given herself a dust up in the stables at Hartpury during the Festival. Looks like only soft tissue damage but fingers crossed.

Great news that Maria is off to WEG and Dave, my husband, and I count ourselves so lucky to be working with this Eilberg team where Michael and Maria can substitute for, and support each other. At Hickstead, I had the privilege of a rest in the new lorry and it is glamorous. It is only when you get close that you realise how hard and intensive these shows are and how much you need the right kit. I was going for the sympathy vote with crutches as I have damaged my knee and it is irritatingly slow to come back to good shape. The sit down was very welcome.

While we were away, Carsten and the team took two more youngsters to the Futurity and we were delighted with two High First Premiums. What does this mean? Well, at this point it means that these horses look like types that could win nationally. Even Farouche was only a First Premium and look at her results. As an evaluator, I have given Elite status to some and absolutely everything has to be right, including the vet score on the day and supreme athleticism and three correct gaits. The type also has to be right. As someone presenting stock, you have to be very happy with a High First. In the end, once you are at this level, the rest is down to husbandry and training. We love our Hotline filly, Havana Moon, and cannot wait to see her under saddle.

Just quick headlines to finish: Farouche and Dornroeschen both have two embryo transfers on the go and we plan to try for a couple more with Farouche. Her daughter from this year Wild Child, is the image of her mother but perhaps not quite as strong yet but starts to show her genetics rather than her nurture. Wavavoom has gone to Maria for the Shearwater International 4 year olds at the Nationals which hopefully she can squeeze in before the trip to Kentucky and we have been inundated with people to look at mares and ridden horses as we try and prepare for our desired move. I have everything crossed but so far I am not impressed with our estate agents who seem to have taken a long time to do not very much. We have found a place that we like that will allow me to go more easily in and out of London for the day job, but I am not too hopeful that this exercise will work.

Carsten is busy preparing horses for the Stallion Grading at the end of October. He is so good at this and the horses love him. We have a very exciting pony stallion too, as well as one or two Rockstar offspring, the full brother to the amazing Boston, a Wesuvio and the half brother to Dornroeschen. They change so much as the work goes in and really grow up.

On the Breed Show front we are prepping for the WBS Show on 30^th August with, this year, a Dutch judge and the BHHS Show on the last weekend in September. I am organizing some ridden classes for Hannoverians at the show and trying to have a Materiale Class there for the first time. These are very common in Germany but we struggle with them here. We shall see….

Time to go back to some candidate reports for my headhunting clients, then dinner!

Just a gentle nudge is what I get when my blog drifts as far down the listings as page 3 on the Celebrity Blogs section of Horse Hero. I never thought that I would be a 'Page 3' girl!

The last two weeks have been hectic with studwork and all the covering stallions have been in demand. It is probably one of the best years that we have had for outside mares and, as usual, they present their challenges. On balance it has been a good year although some of the older mares have been pregnant but then not kept their pregnancies. Some of the mares are hanging on to their large follicles two or three days beyond what one might expect from the textbooks and the result of this and thirty 'wives' is that Wavavoom is very tired. He is of course now a star of stage and screen having featured on the great new Horse Hero video on semen collection and insemination. We have only two weeks before his Badminton Young Dressage Horse Final and I guess the covering will have taken it out of him, but we will try.

On the foal front, I cross my fingers that the osteomyolitis foal is recovering. He seems sound and with no local swelling but we will have to wait and see. He is so cute and a very 'pingy' and elastic mover. Quite exciting. In fact all the foals are excellent this year in terms of type and movement. I think we are getting better and better at breeding the long legs and clean connection in the head to neck area that is so essential for an easy ride. It is true that whatever one might 'pronounce' about conformation, the fact is that despite the angles in their hind legs, the movement of some horses seems to be a matter of personal arrangement. However, an uphill balance in the conformation, a good wither and a proper angle in the croup and loin seem to be the only route to getting the horse uphill and through the back. That’s enough anatomy for one day, I think! For us, the emphasis now, as we in theory slow down and 'downsize', is on breeding international quality horses for our partners. This still means good rideability, as even the professionals don’t want to have to deal with a horse that is lethal or cries a lot! But we now need gaits that can average an 8 plus and will get more expressive with training.

I think I have discovered one secret about top horses, having just turned down (in consultation with our partners) a staggering sum for Farouche. The people who offered are well known and riders for whom I have great respect and they could see in a heartbeat that she is truly extraordinary. What makes her that? Well, she has three very good paces and what was her weakest pace, the trot, has now developed (with good training) quite spectacularly. The special qualities are her suppleness and elasticity through her body but also the amazing lift and stretch in her shoulders. It goes without saying that she is good behind but it is the addition of this great carriage and front action that puts the '0000s on the cheques. So this is my mission now. Only use those stallions and mares that will bring this shoulder and knee action to the good hind leg activity that we already produce.

Farouche’s embryo transfer foal is here and is called Walk on the Wild Side. I am concerned that her recipient mother, now transformed from her 'fire breathing dragon mode' of post foaling, is very steady in her way of going and it occurs to me that the recipient mares need to have the energy of the donor mares so that the early stages of contact and influence are consistent. Genetically, and when asked independently, the foal is inclined to be really active, so we will have to see what occurs. (That must be my Gavin and Stacey "what’s occurring" moment from the heart of Welsh Wales.)

The last foal to arrive for this year is called Eric and watch this space. Eric is his stable name as his posh name is Clapton. He is by the Competent stallion Christ who has a totally different pedigree with no Weltmeyer, Rubinstein, Donnerhall or Sandro Hit. Instead we have the lines of Calypso II, Pik Koenig and the thoroughbred Daimyo xx. I hope he is what Carsten would call a 'geheimwaffe (secret weapon) although not so secret now I’ve blown his cover. He has all the lift and reach in the front to which I referred above.

On a different subject, I did my futurity entries nice and early but intended to do another two for the Catherston venue but it is full already. This is such a great programme. I like to get this valuable third party assessment for progeny of my stallions and I believe that many breeders see their premiums as a warrant of quality for a potential sale. Whatever their motivation, I wish more people would stay and watch the horses presented by others and listen to the comments. There is so much to see and consider. As an Evaluator, I think it is a great privilege to be asked to consider these youngsters and to formulate an opinion with colleagues and I am looking forward to some wonderful horses coming forward. Last year I saw some exceptional jumping foals. I have chosen to do a northern route this year for my evaluations, and it will be good to meet some new faces.

I have looked at my diary and it would appear that every weekend is full between now and November. How can that be? This weekend we shall have a visit from the North West Dressage Group (a return visit) and we are hoping that Michael Eilberg will ride both Rosie (Dornroeschen) and her daughter Farouche. If you want to breed a wonderful horse you need to breed from a wonderful mother and motherline and this mother and daughter combination prove the point.

After that we shall be building more stables (I swore that I would not do that), going to the Badminton Young Dressage Horse Finals, the CDI at Hartpury, then the World Breeding Championships in Verden, The WBS (Warmblood) Show, the Bundeschampionat, the BD Nationals, judging in Scotland, the Hanoverian Show (BHHS) and then October brings the Stallion Gradings. I am very driven by all of it and my best holidays always involve horses.

On the domestic front, my son Tom and his wife Keri are expecting their first baby on the same weekend as the BHHS Show and I am excited about that too. It will be our sixth grandchild, and a girl is expected, so there will be lots of fun buying trips for frilly clothes or butch dungarees at some point in the future. My other grandchildren are a bit interested in ponies and this is a new venture for us this year with, God willing, two Welsh pony mares in foal to Wavavoom. We shall also be taking a share in (and preparing for Stallion Grading) a super Bernwode pony stallion along with the larger versions of some client stallions, including the half brother to Dornroeschen. More of that next time!