Laguna Flame's First 95cm Class

Well, he certainly seemed to be on form at the SNEC in the collecting ring as he was pinging over 110cm with plenty of air in between so we decided to put him in the 95 cm class, his first attempt at that height in a competition. He got 2nd! Yay!

Qualified for Trailblazers' Finals

Ruby Shy got through the 1st round of Trailblazers with double clears last autumn and Laguna Flame picked up his ticket on Wednesday night for today's 2nd round. They both qualified for the finals at Stoneleigh in July, Laguna Flame taking second in his class and Ruby Shy winning hers.

Back on the circuit!

After an enforced lay off since October last year, mainly due to my hospitalisation and convalescence, Laguna Flame and Ruby Shy returned to the ring today in a BSJA Intro Show at Kingsbarn. Laguna Flame had a brilliant double clear in his first class and won it with quite a bit of time to spare. He rolled a pole in the next class or he would have won that too. However, all was not lost, a rather rotund Ruby won it! In our final class, Ruby almost made it a double for her, but had a stop following a tight turn into the third last. She got sixth but her time was the fastest in the jump off. So, all in all, a very promising return.

So far, so good!

Good news for Alma, White Khes hasn't come back into season. Could be another little Showtyme baby cookin' in the oven. Will scan her next week. Also, heard that Rustum's Artist's Dream (Bunty), dam of the hugely successful TP Starbuck babies, Rustum's Scotch Pie and Rustum's Rembrant will be returning in time for her next season to make another TP Starbuck baby.

Bunty with Rustum's Scotch Pie

It's a boy!

Katie Walling called today to announce that Cumbria Black Bindaree gave birth to a huge, black colt last night, by It's Showtyme. He has two white socks on his hinds and a narrow star/strip. She tells us he has loads of presence and is simply stunning. This one is bred to perform, no doubt about it. Here's his first pic.

Stallion update

The boys are attracting some lovely ladies this year and some of them are going to be daddies for the first time. Incandescent Flame (iFlame) was the first to get lucky this season with a lovely tobiano mare, Piece of the Puzzle (Maddie), owned by Linda Riley. Sadly, the closest he got to getting up close and personal with her was standing near 'Floozie', our phantom mare. It was an AI order and I was on my own that day. It was also his first AI collection but he was a megastar and obliged without even having to mount 'Floozie'. It was a day of firsts all round as I had never done a ground collection either, never mind on my own! I heard from the inseminating vet last week to say Maddie was scanned in foal, first attempt. Result!

Proud dad-to-be, Incandescent Flame.







Who's a pretty boy then?

Picasso Kossack has also been busy over the weekend having his first collection too. I did have help this time and he did get to mount 'Floozie'. Once again, he was a megastar, like he had been doing it all his life. I inseminated two mares from the same ejaculate, a pure bred Arab and a coloured part bred, both owned by Shirley and Nicky Gray. Great timing guys and, from my point of view, nothing like keeping your hand in, so to speak! A week or so before, he also performed a live cover with another pure bred, Rodania Karisma, so now we are waiting to see if any of them return in season. Another AI order, for yet another pure bred, is waiting in the wings.


We are desperately waiting to hear from Fiona and Katie Walling to find out if Cumbria Black Bindaree has foaled her It's Showtyme baby. She is due imminently. We love this mare and think the foal will be an exciting and striking prospect. Showtyme has also covered a Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum bred mare, White Khes, by The Wiking, owned by Alma Darville from the Isle of Man. Khes travelled over by ferry for her nuptials and obliged by coming into season as soon as she arrived. Another week and we shall know if she has held. This covering we have on video and shows what a gentleman Showtyme is. He has also just learned how to do flying changes under saddle and is jumping 1m 20cm at home. He is a complete natural!

Not to be outdone, AKA Starbuck's Champagne Star is getting revved up for spreading his wild oats and remotely seducing Blame It On The Boogie, a homozygous, part bred Arab mare, owned by Janine Wade in Worcestershire. Just waiting to hear when she next comes into season then, he too, will be renewing his acquaintance with 'Floozie' and the little swimmers will be on their way.