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Performance Arabians' 2012 filly, La Belleza de Picasso (Picasso Kossack x Rodania Karisma), has made a great recovery, following colic surgery two months ago. She wasn't given a good prognosis when Clyde Veterinary Group operated. They had to remove 19' of small intestine and so many things could have gone wrong. They didn't reckon on a tough little Arabian though and she bounced back without any setbacks. Here she is on her first day of freedom, following six weeks box rest. She has been an absolute superstar throughout and won many new admirers when she was in intensive care. She has been so sensible and accepting of all that has happened. Many thanks to Andrew and Will for saving her and to all the team for their dedication, fantastic levels of care and personal interest in her (and her mum).

Qualified for National Finals

Both Ruby Shy and Laguna Flame had previously qualified for the 2nd Round of the National Amateur Series, sponsored by Dodson & Horrell. The 2nd Round was held today at Kingsbarn. Both of them have now qualified for the finals to be held at Aintree later in the year. They were two of only six clear rounds qualifying today. Ruby is now through in two sections, having secured her other qualification place at Rowallan a couple of weeks ago. Sadly, we won't be able to make the trip as we can't leave the other horses and it would be a tad too expensive, not to mention we are both working and it's a 4 day event. Shame really but that's just life.

Riley's Olympic Flame (Alfie)

Linda Riley has just sent some updated pics of Riley's Olympic Flame, Alfie to his friends, (Incandescent Flame x Piece of the Puzzle). He certainly has grown well and is a lovely sportshorse type. I am sure he will have a great future and we look forward to hearing of his progress.

Strenaby Showpiece (Pixie) Update

Strenaby Showpiece, by It's Showtyme and bred by Alma Darville, is growing into a stunning young filly. Wow!

Laguna Flame Cruises to Discovery Win.

Laguna Flame won the Discovery Class at the Scottish National Equestrian Centre today. It was a huge class with well over 50 competitors. The competition was stiff but Laguna Flame showed his Arabian speed and agility, comfortably winning the class. It was also a qualifier for Scottish Horse of the Year Show at Ingliston. Ruby Shy qualified earlier in the year so we have two through to the final.

Foalie Update.

The breeders of two of this year's foals have sent recent pics to show how well they are growing. Turning a lovely liver chestnut tobiano is Apollo by Picasso Kossack and out of Tilly, bred by Kate Hedges. What a smart-looking boy he is! Next up is Blame It On The Bubbles (aka Magnum) by AKA Starbuck's Champagne Star and out of Blame It On The Boogie, bred by Janine Wade. He's getting his dad's black points and is such a looker with his four high white stockings.  He also has dad's white mark on his rump and will be a gorgeous buckskin colour. Lush!

Ruby Shy Enters Her First 110cm Class

We were off to Rowallan today. Fortunately, with the jumping outdoors, the weather stayed fine until we left and then the Heavens opened. Laguna Flame got off to a great start, winning the 90cm Open before Ruby Shy took the plunge in her first 110cm class. She jumped super-confidently and went clear in the first phase, just tapping off the back pole of a very wide oxer in the jump-off phase. She finished third which was a great performance, with some very experienced horses behind her in the results. She qualified for the Second Round of the British Amateur Championships at this height, having already qualified at 90cm and 1m.

Ruby Shy Takes 1m Open at Rowallan

Ruby jumped well in the 1m Open at Rowallan today. She jumped a lovely double clear in the outside arena, taking the class by over 7 seconds.

Trailblazers at Kingsbarn

We took Laguna Flame and Carousel Dreaming to Kingsbarn yesterday for the Trailblazers qualifying classes. Carousel Dreaming got off to a great start in the 75cm Open by winning the class with a double clear. She did a terrific jump-off and deservedly won the class. She was supposed to go again in the 85cm class but went lame in the warm-up after leap-frogging over another horse's pee. We substituted Laguna Flame for her and he easily won the class with another double clear. Next up was the 95 cm class and he won that too with yet another double clear. He went again in the 105cm class, tapping out one pole but still finishing fourth.

Apollo Recovering Well.

Kate Hedges tells us that Apollo, by Picasso Kossack, has had a bit of a rough time, picking up an infection through his umbilical stump. He's been on antibiotics and seems to be doing well now. Best wishes for a full recovery.

British National Arabian Championships, Malvern

We have just returned from our summer break at the Arabian National Championships held at The Three Counties Showground, Malvern. The sun shone very brightly and it was so hot, a welcome break from the never-ending rain this summer. We were there for the Performance Awards which were held on Saturday. The presentation was made in the main ring with a good crowd and a marquee full of VIPs. Simon Richardson did a great commentary, as usual, which was very informative for the onlookers about each individual horse's breeding and achievements. It was good to be part of the AHS promotion of the performance side of the breed and to see the other performance horses forward for their awards, from a variety of disciplines including endurance, showjumping, dressage, showing and eventing. Having 4 of our horses in the top 8 is a great achievement and one which was recognised by the President of the AHS.

On the Thursday and Friday, Leanne competed Ruby Shy and Laguna Flame in the showjumping classes. Ruby Shy finished with a 1st, two 2nds, a 3rd and a 6th. Laguna Flame did even better with two 1sts, a 2nd, two 3rds and a 5th. He was also awarded the Showjumping Award for the best overall performance at the show. This was the first time both of them had jumped on grass and if Laguna Flame hadn't slipped and almost fallen in one of his classes he would have added another 1st.

Malvern Break

Leanne and I are currently in the Malvern Hills staying with Claire and Peter at Brockhill Farm. Ruby Shy and Laguna Flame are here for the National Championships at the Three Counties Showground. They will be competing in the showjumping events tomorrow and Friday before returning for the presentation of the Performance Awards in the main ring on Saturday. The top 10  have been invited to the presentation. Ruby took 3rd overall, Laguna Flame 4th, Carousel Dreaming 6th and It's Showtyme 8th. This is the view we wake up to in the morning.

iFlame's Filly Latest Pics.

Incandescent Flame's filly, down in Norfolk, is certainly growing quickly and she's not 3 weeks old yet. Her stable name is Ferdie and what a cutie she is, beautifully marked and definitely her daddy's girl!

Ruby Shy Returns To The Ring!

We took Ruby Shy and Carousel Dreaming to Rowallan last night for a spot of BS competition. Ruby hadn't been out since the middle of May but no-one would have known. She won both her classes with faultless rounds and qualified for the second round of the National Amateur 90cm and 1m competitions. She was the only horse to go clear in the 1m class. Carousel also jumped very well, taking 3rd in the 80cm Open against some very speedy competition. Rowallan's latest acquisition of a lifesize model horse caused several competitors some problems, but not our two. Carousel didn't even seem to notice it tucked in beside a jump but several of the other horses wouldn't go anywhere near it, or the jump...and some people think Arabs are scatty!!!!

Bouncing Back To Health.

Franco, by TP Starbuck and out of Rustum's Artist's Dream, had a spell in the Large Animal Hospital following an infection. He's now making a very good recovery at home with his breeder, Stacy McGookin. What a poser!

Another Boy Growing Up.

Cumbria Showtyme (It's Showtyme x Cumbria Black Bindaree) looks like he has been developing into a lovely boy (foal pics above 2011 and 2012 yearling pics below). His dam is one of the mares that have come to the stud we would most like to keep. He certainly has presence and undoubted athleticism. He looks very well put together and should be very striking when his shiny back coat comes through.  Hopefully, we will hear great things about his future achievements.

A Colt for Tilly!

Congratulations to Kate Hedges on the safe arrival of a bay tobiano colt by Picasso Kossack, out of her cob mare, Tilly. Kate is absolutely thrilled with him. She tells me that Tilly foaled down in her stable accompanied by her companion gelding, Ollie, so, after many sleepless nights, Kate missed all the action. We shall look forward to receiving more pics as he begins to explore the world. He has lovely markings and Kate will be kept busy keeping both him and Tilly clean.

Picasso Filly Is Losing Her Baby Coat......

....and underneath she is a lovely liver chestnut colour. Hopefully, she will stay that colour because it was the most prized colour by the desert tribes where the Arabian originated. At the moment, she looks moth-eaten, not helped by a roll in the mud and a passing shower of rain! She is now 10 weeks old and, boy, she is growing like a weed!

Tobiano Filly for iFlame

Just had a call from Lianne Barrett in Norfolk to say that her Thoroughbred mare, B Polly, surprised them this morning with the early arrival of a bay tobiano filly by Incandescent Flame. Lianne says that the filly is very refined, well marked, has a lovely Arab head and is quite big. Have now received these pics. What a gorgeous filly, with her sire's head for sure! With TBs such as Distinct Native, Roberto, Northern Dancer, Ela-Mana-Mou and Dancing Brave in her pedigree, this filly is built for speed. The Arabians on her sire's side are no slouches either and Incandescent Flame has a lovely pop over jumps! This filly should have a very bright future indeed.

A Month Off But Carousel Is Still On Form.

We went off to Rowallan today and Carousel Dreaming rose to all of the challenges thrown at her. She had double clear in the 80cm Open, taking 2nd place. She was double clear again in the 90cm British Amateur Qualifier, again taking second place and qualifying for the second round. In the British Novice, she was clear in the first round. In an eleven horse jump-off, she had the fastest time but dropped a pole. It was still good enough for third place. Laguna Flame also took 2nd spot in the 1m Open.

Magnum Update

Janine Wade has sent more pics of 'Magnum' by AKA Starbuck's Champagne Star. Another handsome chap here and looks like he will be very athletic. Janine tells me he is very playful but has a great temperament.  He will also be a head-turner when he grows up. It's very exciting to see how the babies are all developing.

Pixie Update

The quite lovely, Strenaby Showpiece (Pixie), has really grown too. Her sire is It's Showtyme and her dam is the Sheikh Mohammed bred mare,  White Khes. What a pretty head and lovely, kind eye! She's going to be a head-turner, as if she isn't already!

Another Boy Growing Up.

Recent pics from Rhoni Macdonald show that Crystal Phantom (Casper) by Roundhills Crystal King is growing into a very handsome young colt indeed. You can certainly see his daddy's influence.

Hasn't he grown?

Had a nice email update re LJ Champagne Supernova (Oz), by Champagne Star. How time flies! He is 2 now and so like Laguna Flame. Emma tells me he has shown he is quite a jumper too, having gone through a phase of jumping out of the field.

Alfie's Growing Up!

Here's a pic of Alfie (Incandescent Flame x Piece of the Puzzle). He's growing into a handsome young chap with a bright future ahead of him.

Another Successful Day.

We took Carousel Dreaming and Laguna Flame to Rowallan today and they both jumped really well. Carousel jumped a double clear in the 80cm Open and took 5th spot. She followed this with another double clear in the 90cm Open where she took 2nd spot, a mere 7/100ths of a second behind the winner. Not to be outdone, Laguna Flame jumped a lovely double clear in the British Novice in which he took top spot with 2 seconds to spare. He jumped another lovely round in the 1m Amateur Qualifier but dropped a pole. Nevertheless, he still took 2nd place as there was only one double clear.

Laguna Flame Wins In Style!

Laguna Flame was on great form at the Dalry Farmers' Assoc. Show at Rowallan today. He led from the start in a large Discovery Class and won by 3 seconds. For his efforts, he won a perpetual trophy, has qualified for the Scope finals and notched up his third double clear in the Tri-zone Discovery competition. Leanne is very pleased that she beat Greg Taylor into 2nd and 3rd spots. Greg is a lovely rider and really went for it with the John Jamieson owned stallions, JJs Surefly and JJs Impressive, but wasn't fast enough to catch our little Arabian.

Yet Another Discovery Win For Ruby Shy.

Ruby Shy had another impressive win in the Discovery class at Rowallan today. It was the first outdoor class of the season and the sun was shining, after weeks of rain. This win will probably put Ruby out of Discovery now because of her winnings. Onwards and upwards!

It's a Colt for TP Starbuck!

Congratulations to Stacy McGookin on the birth of a bay tobiano colt by TP Starbuck in the early hours of this morning. TeePee has already sired two full siblings to this colt, out of Rustums Artists Dream (Bunty), the very successful duo, Rustums Scotch Pie and Rustums Rembrant.You can certainly see his daddy in him in the top photo.

Updated pics of Picasso's first filly, Cassi.

Here are some of the latest pics of Cassi, sent by Shirley and Nicky Gray. She looks so cute in her little foal rug.

Picasso's First Colt.

Another foal born last night was Picasso Kossack's first colt. I am delighted to hear from Shirley and Nicky Gray that their second Picasso foal this year, a pure-bred this time, arrived safely last night. It's a chestnut colt and is out of SG Petra. Shirley says he is big, very pretty with a nice white stripe and one white sock.  Hoping to get up to see him and the filly born a few weeks ago as soon as possible. Can't wait!

Baby Boy for Champagne

We are very pleased to announce the safe arrival, in the early hours of this morning, of a minimally marked, buckskin tobiano colt for Janine Wade in Lambourn. The sire is our own AKA Starbuck's Champagne Star and the dam is Blame It On The Boogie, her bay tobiano mare. Janine says he is very leggy and she is absolutely delighted.

Picasso Kossack's Second Filly Finally Arrives.

Our own foal by Picasso Kossack, a pure bred Arab, out of Rodania Karisma (Kerrie) finally arrived last night at 9.45pm. Kerrie kept us waiting, and guessing, as she was 4 weeks overdue. We have a scrumptious chestnut filly who is very friendly and inquisitive. The actual birth was very slick and the filly was up and at the milk bar very quickly. Pics to follow when she unfolds. Currently snoozing in the sun!

Ruby Shy wins Discovery.

Ruby won a large BS Discovery class at SNEC today. She was bang on form with a double clear and the fastest time by 3 seconds. She has already qualified for the Second Round of this competition but this win also qualifies her for the Scottish Horse of the Year Show in September.

Like Father, Like Son!

Another bit of fun today. We decided to put TeePee (TP Starbuck) over some jumps which he hadn't done for a long time and he is very unfit. However, he took them all on, just like his little boy, Incandescent Flame. He really enjoys it so we need to find the time to keep him going.

Roundhills Crystal King Plays Too

A prospective client asked for a short video of Roundhills Crystal King's (Obake's) movement. I was on my own but the boy showed himself off.

The Brothers Go Back To School.

Just for fun, we took some video clips of the full brothers, Incandescent Flame and AKA Starbuck's Champagne Star, in the stallion playpen today. It was the first time they'd been ridden in ages. They were such good boys we decided to compile a short video of them strutting their stuff and trying to remember what the aids mean. Winter coats are still shedding but, in a few weeks, Champagne's coat will be shimmering gold, once the darker, winter, coat is completely out. The video shows what wonderful temperaments they have, considering they are both working stallions and don't they have the kindest eyes? Champagne is still very much the younger brother (by 2 years) but, like his brother, he loves to learn and is equally willing-to-please. They are never rushed, just nurtured. The pleasure they give is immeasurable.

Buckskin Filly for It's Showtyme

Congratulations to Alma Darville on the Isle of Man whose Sheikh Mohammed bred mare, White Khes (The Wiking x Khes), foaled a big buckskin filly by It's Showtyme early yesterday morning. Alma is delighted. I would be too, if she was mine.