NEWS
I have finally managed to 'master' (NOT) the new website format and have successfully uploaded and updated our 2024 Sales Page as well as the 2024 Foal Collection!
Please take a moment to have a look and if there is something that may appeal to you or someone you know, please get in touch. Remember, everything must be sold...!
7th August 2024
Hi! I am back....
It has been a long time since I have been able to access my website and start addressing all of the glitches and disasters that have occurred since my provider sold the host company.
A lot has happened in the interim​, including an entire foaling season! I have managed to start repairing the pages and have now commenced bringing the 2024 foaling pages up to date, although this is very much an ongoing project as I am having to relearn a new editing system which is a lot more advanced than my rudimentary understanding that served me so well previously!
I will also be repairing and reinstating our Sales Page. This is something that will be quite a work in progress due to moving away from horse breeding and reducing our numbers to a small, manageable few.
We still have some super youngsters available to special homes. These are aged from foals to three year olds. We will also be offering a number of in foal broodmares to experienced homes and ones where they will be treated as royalty.
Please look at this years foal page, I will be adding photos and video as I find navigate the editing suite, but if there is a particular horse that interests you, please get in touch if you cannot find the information that you require.
I hope that my normal News service resumes in the next few days and we can get back to providing the informative, immersive and weekly refreshed website that we have previously taken pride in offering as a shop window for our horses. I have endless photos to share and will also be reinstating a weekly Gallery where I can post weekly photos of the gang!
Many thanks for your endless patience x
20th June 2023
We have finally reached the end of the 2023 foaling season and I am both delighted and relieved to be able to say that it has been without incident and resulting in nine very special and utterly captivating foals representing each of the four stallions that we currently own. I am so proud of my beautiful mares, who are the stars of the whole show.
I have been shocking at updating the website and social media news bites recently and apologize. Many factors have been at play in determining my poor performance, from a rather protracted foaling season, a very busy breeding season and a myriad of other personal minutiae that has stymied my normal enthusiastic reportage! I cannot promise normal service as usual, but I shall certainly be doing my upmost to keep the pages updated and current in terms of the 2023 foals development and a photographic journey as they mature over the next few months and keep the current availability of our GFS Sporthorses website Sales Page in real time.
As I have previously mentioned, all of our youngsters are being offered for sale with good homes being of primary importance, this includes all of the foals, the yearlings, the two year olds and the two remaining three year olds. In addition, we are in search of suitable homes for our stallions too as GFS Sporthorses will be closed following the 2024 foaling season due to retirement and moving on to pastures new.
A number of our mares will be remaining with us; they have served us well and are also very much part of the family. I may at some future time also breed a few horses for my own pleasure, but that will be very much a personal matter and no longer as a functioning business.
I have loved these many years of this remarkable breeding adventure, it has given both myself and my family immense joy, pride and many precious memories. It has also sometimes felt that it represented an insurmountable work load, seemingly endless crippling expenditure, omnipresent worry, occasional heartbreak, angst and sacrificing time that I probably should have been spending elsewhere.
Breeding is an all consuming passion and for me it has been a lifestyle for so very many years and an enormous privilege. To make the decision to walk away has been an agonizing process, it has been a long time coming, but it is now time for me to walk away and start another chapter.
I thank each and every person who has supported us on this wonderful odyssey, the friends made, the owners who have understood the precious gift of staying in touch, our incredible support team, my precious family for their unwavering support and understanding. Also, for each of you who have in even the smallest way given us strength through encouragement and kind words, that has always meant so much.
Here is to our 'last dance' of 2024 and to new beginnings x
Our last four foal of 2023
Four palominos, two fillies and two colts!
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10th June 2022
Today saw the rrival of two exquisite palomino fillies. Both births were text book deliveries and the foals were up and drinking in neear record time. Both of these lovely mares, Quirilina Z and Liosin Lux hail from absolutely superb show jumping bloodlines with both their sires having attained fantastic results at 1.60m.
GFS Lord of the Dance is the sire to both of these beautiful little girls.
We have two more foals due imminently, again both dams have quite outstanding SJ lines and the sire is our three year old Licensed young stallion GFS Illuminati who again has ancestry that supports the belief that this young horse will have a bright future ahead of him both as a sire and as a serious competetive prospect.
On the 2nd June we were delighted to finally have the opportunity of meeting Angel and GFS Eskimo Jo's delightful chestnut filly. She is an absolute beauty on every level and a tremendous little character who has bought a lot of fun and laughter to the maternity ward these past few days.
This stunning girl has some exceptionally exciting SJ bloodlines and on top of that, she is a joy to watch moving...she could also make a very attractive dressage prospect too!
We are still expecting four more foals this season....
The second arrival we welcomed to the farm this past weekend was this exquisite young mare. She has sadly had a very exciting future under saddle nipped in the bud due to injury and as such has found a new home with us as a very special broodmare. Nicorado, as she has been registered is by the utterly phenominal Diamant de Semilly son Diarado who tops the WBFSH Rankings as a sire in both show jumping and dressage. She is out of a Corland/Caratino mare and represents a huge opportunity for us with our planned future endeavours at breeding show jumpers.
6th May 2023
I must firstly apologise for allowing too much time to pass before updating the website. It has been very busy here and too many nights spent foal watching on a very slow and drawn out beginning to our season has left us a little chaotic!
I am however, delighted to announce that since my last post, we have welcomed three more very beautiful and equally special foals to the gang! Since the arrival of GFS Storm Boy, we have delivered an exquisite palomino spotted filly, a very spotty buckskin colt and a tall, imposing and very beautiful buckskin colt.
I have updated the foal page and will make a concerted effort to keep everything up to date with regular photos and news.
We have a couple of weeks break at least now before we foal down the last five mares this year, so I have no excuses to not keep the happenings here current!
All of our foals this year and all of our youngstock will be advertised for sale at some point over the coming months as we continue to downsize and work towards retirement and a life a little more ordinary!
I am delighted to announce our first foal of 2023...
Our first arrival arrived slightly later than we had expected, but he was certainly worth the wait. The beautiful May Bellini produced the most glorious, leggy and very handsome colt who is the most beautiful pale silvery buckskin, I think...His colour is very unusual
1st March 2023
March is finally upon us and the dawning of a new Spring is most definitely in the air! I for one cannot wait for the warm kiss of the summer sun, gloriously sleek and happy horses back out on the fresh grass where they belong and of course this years newest arrivals!
It has been a seemingly endless winter and with 34 horses in and demanding immaculate room service and endless attention, it has also been testing!
We have also been having diabolical website issues. It has been off line and then once back online, we have been unable to either access or update it. Today we have finally reached a breakthrough!
We will shortly be updating the Sales Pages with photos, videos and updates. All of our youngsters and foal this year will be available to lovely homes.
I will be making a determined effort to update the website at least weekly with the latest news, photos, video and of course announcing the latest arrivals as they appear. First to foal this year is our beautiful Monte Bellini mare Belle...
In the meantime, please enjoy this lovely photo of GFS Pachinko (GFS Fire and Ice x Camaro/Hurikan) He is now rising one year old and is as spectacular as the day he was born x
Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year. May 2023 be the year of dreams coming true, peace and the sounds of laughter once more x
It has been a while since I last updated the website. I don't know where the last two months have gone!
We are due to foal down nine mares this year and we will see for the last year foals representative of each of our four stallions.
We have Licensed our three year old GFS Illuminati and used him to cover two very special mares last year to give us an idea of his future worth as a potential stallion.
This year our Sales List will be encompassing all but two of the young stock and foals bred here. After much procrastinating and delaying the inevitable, I am taking a further step away from commercial breeding. GFS Sporthorses will continue to exist, but it will be very much a hobby; the numbers of horses will be once again reduced dramatically and a much dreamed of change of direction will be implemented. So, please enjoy 2023 with us and come along for the ride as we celebrate sixteen years of the GFS Sporthorses brand and prepare to welcome the 2023 collection.....
August 24th 2022
It has been a long, tough season. As always there has been the typical roller-coaster of highs, lows, fear, elation and then the almost surreal moment when it is all over. This is a time of gathering scattered thoughts and emotions left behind in a whirling maelstrom of moments along the way.
For me the end of the foaling and breeding season is very much a time for reflection.
I have not managed to maintain our usual Gallery Page unfortunately this year, nor have I been able to post regular news updates. It has been a busy year and even though we continue to reduce numbers and near retirement, it seems the work never gets easier!
We have welcomed eight absolutely superb foals this year, six fillies and two quite exceptional colts. Each of them have exceeded the dreams we had when planning their conception and I am proud that they each carry the GFS Prefix. Weaning has already started and four of the oldest are now happily enjoying a routine of stable, turnout, handling and lots of playtime. The temptation is almost too much to resist in keeping all eight of them, but we have just made some very hard decisions and four will be available!
We also have said a sad goodbye to two of our mares this season which was completely unexpected and a reason for dreadful heartache.
Our most recent loss was my darling 'Whisper', owned from a foal, she was taken by freak circumstances and left behind a sad but absolutely magnificent colt foal GFS Incantation.
We are not a breeding operation who buys, breeds and then moves on our precious mares unless they simply do not fit with the other mares or go on to a ridden career, our girls are here for their last days. This makes it particularly difficult because at some point, we will have to be there at the end for them, however that may come.
We love each and every one of our horses, but broodmares are literally the life and soul of a breeding operation and are beloved members of our family and incredibly precious. Every loss leaves a gaping whole in the fibre of our lives.
We have had tremendous help this summer from my son Matthew who is an equine vet (sadly he is mostly based overseas working within the racing industry) and his partner Tatum. Young, enthusiastic and very hard working, they worked miracles with both the horses and the many maintenance jobs that were piling up.
Tatum backed the wonderful GFS Hi Jinx and worked the stallions which was a joy to watch.
Jinx will be heading off shortly for several weeks of training under saddle and then put up for sale, to be claimed by a very lucky person!
We have had eight absolutely superb foals this year and the temptation to retain each one is very hard to resist this year!
Our two year old colt GFS Illuminati is developing into the dream colt that we had believed he would become and he is currently being prepared for Grading. We have bred two exceptionally special mares to him this year to give us a good indication of his potential worth as a future stallion.
We have some very special yearlings and two year old youngsters for sale, each of whom will make superb prospects under saddle with talent, quality, stunning appearances and superb temperaments.
Please take a look at our Sales Page if you think you might be tempted!
We have ten foals due next year with all of our stallions represented as sires. It will be another exciting year and a season that we will be enjoying with the return and welcome assistance of Matthew and Tatum.
18th May 2022
I am delighted to be able to announce our sixth filly and final foal of the GFS 2022 season. Quirilina has produced the most exquisite palomino. That brings us to eight perfect foals this year and I could not be more proud of the mares and my beautiful stallions, they really are creating some magical horses for the future.
17th May 2022 - Today we are celebrating the safe arrival of two absolutely spectacular foals by GFS Fire and Ice.
A sensational buckskin leopard spot colt foal out of our precious Charisma (Camaro x Hurikan) and an exquisite double dilute filly out of our glittering, shimmering Kinsky Warmblood mare Pepper. It is fair to say that we are feeling blessed.
One more mare to go................
14th May
The early hours of the morning saw the arrival of our first colt foal of the season. An absolutely enormous dark palomino colt foal by GFS Lord of the Dance and out of our precious Whisper.
I am utterly thrilled, he is perfectly correct despite his size and has a lot of long, strong bone bone. A very beautiful looking young man he is too and a naturally friendly, relaxed character it would appear.
I am very much looking forward to posting many updates and photos of this sensational foal.
7th May 2022
Our fourth foal, fourth filly and third palomino. I could not be more delighted.
This little stunner is by GFS Lord of the Dance x Arko III/Calvados
28th March 2022
Our third foal of 2022 and our third filly!
I am thrilled to announce the arrival of this particularly stunning palomino filly by GFS Fire and Ice out of Deihaiwejo (Inca)
17th March 2021
Here is our second 2022 arrival; GFS Oceania. Another very civilised daytime birth and we could not be more delighted with this exquisite palomino filly by GFS Lord of the Dance and the beautiful as well as incredibly talented Dolanda (Dolly)
Our First 2022 Arrival
We were thrilled by the arrival of this exquisite buckskin filly this afternoon. This beautiful girl is by GFS Lord of the Dance and out of out wonder mare Liosin Lux. It was a text book birth with both mare and foal on their feet and filling their tummies before the mutual admiration party started!
More photos to follow....
2nd March 2022
Foaling is almost upon us!
I am expecting to make an announcement and introduction to the first GFS foal of 2022 very shortly!
In other news, the website is up to date, the Sales Page is published although this will be added to over the coming weeks. I have also updated the 2022 Foal Page with the expected foals over the coming few months.
Welcome to another season of highs, lows, news, photos and the joy of new life. Enjoy the ride....
February 12th 2022
Well, it has been a long time waiting for news...!
Somehow we have slipped into the New Year and half way through February. I shall not pretend that I am not delighted that we are so much closer to the joys of Spring, the sun once again on our backs and my beloved horses once again roaming the paddocks and enjoying the new grass. But, I am regretful that I have failed to publish regular posts.
Weaning went incredibly well and I have thoroughly enjoyed the foals that we deliberately retained last year. It is always a dream to have the luxury of keeping the foals as long as we can. The joy of watching them grow in stature and character is such a special privilege to be a part of their early transitional development and education. It makes it a little more heart breaking to see them eventually go, but I think the pleasure outweighs the pain.
We started the winter on rather a tragic note. Costa Brava and Neforia died very suddenly and within 48 hours of each other which was so poignant as they have spent the majority of their adult life together and were so close. Neforia suffered an inoperable bout of colic and Costa died from a heart attack walking to the indoor school. More of a tragedy was that both mares were in foal. Needless to say we were shocked and deeply saddened by their deaths. Their loss was compounded last week when we lost Georgie. She developed a rapid onset of toxic shock with no identifiable cause, she was put on IV fluids and anti biotics for two days and we really thought we were winning. Her foal remained alive and scans revealed no obvious issues with her heart or gut. She died very suddenly between regular checks and it is believed that she was taken by an aneurism. As primary carers for these amazing animals who become such an intrinsic part of the fabric of our lives, our world is suddenly a much smaller and sadder place when they leave us.
Our plans for producing a number of our youngstock have been radically changed. We have been badly let down by the team who we were planning on working with and as such we are now putting our 'pipe dreams' on hold and regretfully preparing to sell some very special youngsters.
Foaling will shortly be commencing and I am very much looking forward to welcoming some rather special foals into our lives and introducing them to everyone who follows us. Every year is special and exciting but this year I really feel that amazing is on the horizon!
The Sales page and 2022 Foal page is now on line, it will be added to over the coming days/weeks and I am delighted to welcome you along for the ride....
28th September 2021
It has been a month between updates with one thing and another. I have now uploaded video slide shows on the Gallery 2021 Page for July, August and September. I will also be updating individual foal photos shortly.
We have already bid farewell to GFS Xanthos, GFS Maelstrom and GFS Talisman and they are all blessed with wonderful new homes and ambitious owners who intend to produce each and every one in competition. GFS Alchemy, GFS Sirocco and GFS Rhapsody are also now all weaned and phase two will shortly be commencing with the next four on the list!
I will shortly be introducing a very exciting new addition to our broodmare family and we will be saying goodbye to Bambi, Tigger as well as GFS Pandora who I am excited to announce will be leaving us for Elamo Irish Sport Horses to be produced under saddle.
17/08/21
I am trying hard to keep the website up to date and the photos/video's relevant in terms of the foals rapid growth and development. Six still to capture on video/camera for this month but they are all looking spectacular.
There are still a few foals left remaining for sale, a rather lovely yearling and a very exciting broodmare in foal to GFS Fire and Ice.
Weaning is wll under way with six of the seventeen now weaned and ready to leave for their new homes. It really has been a very exciting year in terms of the quality of the foals and some of the really special homes they have been claimed by.
Please keep checking back, the website will be changing regularly over the coming days and weeks with lots of photos, videos and news x
28th July 2021
I have been slow to update the news page for many reasons not least of which has been the volume of work over the past few weeks and lack of anything particularly exciting to report.
Sadly Lola's GFS Eskimo Jo foal was still born due to strangulation of the umbilical cord prior to foaling. We are obviously enormously disappointed and sorry for Lola.
We have now finished covering the mares who will be foaling next year and with many retiring or due to retire next year, we will start to breed less. Withthis in mind we will be selling our two youngest broodmares GFS Pandora and Tigger.
Tigger is in foal scanned with a live heartbeat to GFS Fire and Ice, GFS Pandora will hopefully now have an opportunity at five years old to start under saddle and commence a competitive career where her abundance of natural talent will have a chance to shine with a lucky new owner.
GFS Hi Jinx will be staying but she will be put under saddle here and aimed at an eventing career in the years to come.
The website has been updated with new photos, videos and updated sales. I will continue to publish more photos and video over the coming week or two until every horse has fresh footage.
I am looking forward to roaming the paddocks once again with camera in hand and offering photos of all our beautiful horses enjoying the freedom of our huge paddocks and the sun on their backs.
28th July 2021
I have been slow to update the news page for many reasons not least of which has been the volume of work over the past few weeks and lack of anything particularly exciting to report.
Sadly Lola's GFS Eskimo Jo foal was still born due to strangulation of the umbilical cord prior to foaling. We are obviously enormously disappointed and sorry for Lola.
We have now finished covering the mares who will be foaling next year and with many retiring or due to retire next year, we will start to breed less. Withthis in mind we will be selling our two youngest broodmares GFS Pandora and Tigger. Tigger is in foal scanned with a live heartbeat to GFS Fire and Ice, GFS Pandora will hopefully now have an opportunity at five years old to start under saddle and commence a competitive career where her abundance of natural talent will have a chance to shine with a lucky new owner.
GFS Hi Jinx will be staying but she will be put under saddle here and aimed at an eventing career in the years to come.
The website has been updated with new photos, videos and updated sales. I will continue to publish more photos and video over the coming week or two until every horse has fresh footage.
I am looking forward to roaming the paddocks once again with camera in hand and offering photos of all our beautiful horses enjoying the freedom of our huge paddocks and the sun on their backs.
Under the glowing light of the Strawberry Moon, the first full moon of summer and the last Supermoon of 2021, my adored and most beloved GFS Hi Jinx foaled down her first foal. This precious filly is double dilute and without a shadow of doubt she is as special and to be as prized as the moon she was born under. Her arrival was written in the stars; Jinxy was due to be covered by GFS Eskimo Jo but twice, she rejected him in preference to GFS Lord of the Dance last year and this is the magical result.
Jinx is the four year old full sister to GFS Fire and Ice and the only daughter of my beautiful Folly's Rock who we so sadly lost last year. She will be headed for a competition career and put under saddle upon weaning and this foal will be her last for many years. She is taking motherhood in her stride so far, foaled down effortlessly and for a feisty girl, this has definitely brought out her gentle side.
The filly is very tall, strong and well built for a first foal, I can see that she has a big character and she certainly looks to be built beautifully. She is straight and correct with a lovely head, which was to be expected from this breeding.
Over the coming days, I will update her photos in multitudes and doubtless give an endless dialogue on her many virtues! But this morning, before I head back to bed for an hour or two just know that this penultimate foal of the season is really a dream come true and her arrival has triggered a buzz of excitement and put a huge smile on this occasionally jaded old breeders face!
I have finally found time to update our Gallery Page and following such a lengthy delay, I have amalgamated both the month of May and June for an even lengthier photo slide show! If you have the time to watch it, please enjoy x
In the early hours of the 19th June, Tregonning (Georgie) our amazing foster mum to GFS DragonHeart in 2020 gave birth to her own foal by GFS Lord of the Dance. She is very beautiful palomino who shows every indication that she is going to be a very tall horse at maturity. She is absolutely charming in nature with a very friendly disposition and a lot of character. We are delighted.
29th May 2021
Wow!
Two early foals and both fillies! Arriving simultaneously, that was possibly up there as one of the most pressurised foaling situations yet. They were literally foaling together in adjacent stables.
Both are very unusual colours. My beautiful Camaro mare Charisma foaled an enormous but very correct buckskin and white filly and my home bred maiden mare Pandora who is by GFS Fire and Ice foaled a huge palomino with the prettiest sprinkling of snowflake spots across her rump.
Both of these heavenly fillies are by GFS Eskimo Jo and my word, I am starting to see how he stamps his foals and they are really big, quality types with strong limbs and elegant, athletic body type with lovely heads and kind eyes.
Only three mares left to foal this year thankfully!
I will be updating photos shortly of the beautiful arrivals as they get out to stretch their legs and an inkling of what is in store as they start to mature.
26th May 2021
The drought is broken....another filly!
A fabulously easy foaling which was much appreciated after a fairly tense start to the season, this little wonder was straight to her feet and marching determinedly to feed as if she had done it all before.
This buckskin leopard spot foal is absolutely divine, she was born in the early hours of Wednesday morning, hot on the heals of the little palomino stunner born a few hours earlier. She is absolutely perfect. By GFS Fire and Ice, she is of course stamped with his exceptionally nice head, long legs, strong compact body and powerful back end. He really does throw some superb foals out of such a variety of mares, each one indelibly imprinted with his special qualities and we will be expecting a lot more of them in 2022! We are also expecting foals from his full sister Hi Jinx and his daughter Pandora this year.
This particularly special filly is out of a Sir Shutterfly mare; AWE Supernova ('Bambi') whose dam was by Branco van Overis (Parco)/Concorde. I think the result of this breeding has produced what we hoped for, because if she moves like I think she is going to and is as athletic as she looks, she is going to make a very serious prospect whatever she is aimed at and another sure bet is that everybody is going to see her coming and wherever she is going, she is going to get there in style!
Next foal is due the weekend after next but as the two new arrivals were due a day or two after that, anything might happen! My beautiful Camaro mare Charisma is due next with a GFS Eskimo Jo foal!
I will be updating photos shortly of the beautiful arrivals as they get out to stretch their legs and an inkling of what is in store as they start to mature.
26th May 2021
At last, a filly. She is a little early but was clearly in a hurry to meet us! Twelve foals and this is only our second filly; she was well worth the wait.
Born half an hour after midnight under the light of a full moon and on my Granddaughter's birthday, the perfect start to a special day and the celebration of life.
This exquisite little beauty is simply perfect. She is by GFS Lord of the Dance, out of Zievident (Izzy) who is by the great showjumping stallion Karandasj and what a wonderful combination of genetics. This filly was barely on her feet before she started whinnying loudly, jumping about with great delight and testing those lovely long legs, I have a feeling this one is going to have wings!
More to come, I cannot wait to see this stunner out and showing what she is made of. I also have a sneaky suspicion that we may be heralding the arrival of another new face in the next day or two!
9th May 2021
The website is now completely up to date​ aside from the Gallery Page, this will be updated shortly with selections of the best photos taken over the recent and coming months.
The Sales Page has now been published with new photos and video of all the horses offered for sale and I will continue to add to that over the next few days/weeks as decisions are made.
We are now open for visitors wishing to view the Sales horses and I am always available to answer any questions by phone: 07955 429959
Three more new arrivals and they are all colts! That is a 10/11 strike rate this year for colts!
Tiger Lily foaled a very glamorous dark golden palomino, Neforia produced the most stunningly beautiful buckskin and Pepper's was a very tall double dilute who looks at this stage to be a cremello and also appears to have inherited the gene that gives Pepper that magical iridescent coat sheen.
All mares and foals are doing well and I very much look forward to updating their photos over the coming days.
We now have seven foals still due and I am hoping that if not fillies then we see some rather spectacular colours to finish of the season!
21st April​ 2021
I am thrilled to herald the arrival of this particularly special smoky black colt (yes, another colt!!) by GFS Fire and Ice.
He is over three weeks premature and was obviously in a hurry to meet us!
His dam Shadow (Wantasia) who is by Indoctro and out of a Corland mare has got to be the ultimate broodmare; she has the most extraordinary temperament, she has simply fantastic movement, massive scope over a fence and just loves her job. She only has to look at a stallion to conceive, she carries her foals with ease, foals with minimal effort or fuss and is simply the most amazing mother who loves her job. She is very precious to us and much loved. I had not originally been planning on her having a foal this year and had intended to retire her, not due to her age or for any other reason than she has consistently produced foal after exceptional foal for me and I could not endure for anything to go wrong. As you can imagine, after the shocking start to this season I have been having a few sleepless nights with worry of what could go wrong next! My fears were groundless, she foaled so quickly that we nearly missed it and both she and her foal were on their feet and feeding very quickly. Her colt is as superb as all of her previous foals and I cannot wait to photograph him and post updates over the coming days and weeks.
Ironically for someone who has dithered and procrastinated over naming the foals this year, I instantly thought of the name GFS Blue Thunder. Sadly, this foal is not mine...I gifted this foal to my eldest son at Christmas and so naming rights go to him! If he doesn’t like the name, I will have to add it to that infamous list of mine in case it suits another arrival!
The next two mares, both due on the same day are Pepper and Neforia whose foals are 'pencilled in' to arrive on the 6th May. Now, I am not so sure as if they are going to take a cue from Shadow, it may be sooner rather than later! Tiger Lily is next and then we finish with the last seven in June!
I will be posting updates shortly on the foals to date and the three 2020 yearling geldings we will be offering for sale this year as well as tales of their progress...
4th April 2021
I am delighted to announce the birth of this super palomino colt by GFS Eskimo Jo and out of It's Magic. Very tall, correct and strong, this handsome young man is full brother to GFS Illuminati and on first impressions he is just as special.
20/03/2021
At a very reasonable hour, my beloved Whisper produced this absolutely breathtaking cremello colt by GFS Fire and Ice with her usual 'no fuss, now feed me' foaling style and subsequent effortless transition to devoted but sensible mothering mode. She really is a mare in a million and those were my exact thoughts about her foal as he slithered into the world in all his pale, shimmering glory. There were four of us present at his birth, quite by chance and to a person, we were momentarily silenced as well as astounded by the absolute beauty and presence of this particular foal. He is spectacular; perfect in every respect, he has a fantastic head, superb conformation and a lovely friendly attitude. He is a whopper too!
Whispers offspring have always hit 17hh, regardless of the stallion so I think it is safe to say he is going to be one very big, impressive horse at maturity! This is our fifth colt of the season so far which is extraordinary, last year all I wanted was colts and only got four. I would be happy to see some fillies arrive this year as I had been hoping to retain a few but I am never the less quite thrilled with such a heavenly host of such divine colts and consider myself blessed x
14th March 2021
Our fifth foal of the season and our fourth colt!
This lovely palomino is by Paddy of Liosin and out of the lovely Quiranlina Z (Quirifino x Lorentin).
He is a lovely big leggy boy with three wire socks and a very large blaze. I will update the foal page this week and start adding photos and video although no foals will be offered for sale before two months of age this year.
Two new arrivals! Sahara has foaled a stunning chestnut colt by GFS Eskimo Jo and Inca has produced a divine golden buckskin filly by GFS Fire and Ice. Updates and photos to follow...
I am delighted to announce the arrival of our first two foals of the season. Our first arrivals are yet to be names but the tall palomino cot is by GFS Lord of the Dance out of the fabulous Liosin Lux (Lux Z x Golden Bash) and the stunning buckskin colt is by Paddy of Liosin and out of Hanoverian Head Stud Book mare Costa Brava (Contendro I x Western Star).
I will be posting updates on these two strapping foals over the coming days and weeks.
We are also expecting several more announcements to come over the
Happy Valentines Day
I would like to wish everyone a Happy Valentines Day. I always find it fitting that this day marks the start of the breeding season and makes it all rather romantic.
Today I have published our 2021 Foaling List . Our lovely girls are all living the life of luxury, wrapped up warm and enjoying room service, daily massages and plenty of time out enjoying a good buck and a roll. Although the winter is such a physically demanding time keeping my ladies in their own stables and on regular individual exercise and nutritional plans, I actually love spending the time with them and having the opportunity to really strengthen our bonds.
I have been showcasing the girls on a Facebook series and have been taking lots of photos as they near their foaling dates.
I will edit and post a slideshow for the website of the images next week. They are all looking tremendous and in fine fettle.
We sadly lost May Bellini's foal six weeks prior to her due date due to a rare torsion of the umbilical cord which was a very sad loss, but Belle is doing well and I will be seeking a special friend for her to sit out this summer with to enjoy another's company and to add to our happy herd as some of our 'glamorous grannies' enter retirement this year.l be posting news in the next week or so as the new arrivals start making their appearance.
We will also be welcoming two special new team members and making an announcment about that shortly too...
News Update 14/01/21
The Gallery Page for 2020 - 2021 has been updated with photos taken in both December and January. I have also added some youngster updates in the form of various slideshows. This is something I will continue to do for anyone interested in watching their development as they continue to mature and grow each month. The 2021 Foal Page will also be prepared and updated by shortly with dates and details as we now start to countdown the weeks to our first arrivals!
I am also adding a Facebook page whereby anyone choosing not to become in social media and its various platforms can see any updates or photos I post on the website.
A belated Happy New Year to one and all!
I don't know whether it is because I am getting older, but each winter the work seems to get harder, the time moves faster and the days get shorter! Suffice to say that with summer a cherished memory, the punishing schedule of the winter months are causing me to struggle to keep the website current and interesting at the moment. Although the FaceBook page is a little faster to update and therefore probably the first stop for any news or photos.
I have managed to continue taking photos and have quite a collection to organise into a December/January Gallery shortly. I think it will be fascinating for you to see how the foals are growing and how quickly. It has been a bit of a dream come true to retain eight of our precious babies from the 2020 season. Although I am so very blessed to have found amazing homes for so many of the foals, it is never the same as keeping them at home and watching them mature. I will have to sell a few of them regretfully as I plan to keep a number of next years foals too with the idea of running numbers on to produce under saddle in the coming years.
We will be foaling 21 this year with probably the most exciting year to date. Starting at the end of February, will shortly post a 2021 Foaling page with a list of those to foal, the breeding, dates and colour probabilities and to be updated with each arrival!
There is lot's to look forward to this year and have exciting plans afoot - to be elaborated on further in due course....!
25th November 2020
I have now posted the October/November 2020 Photo Gallery on the Page as promised! The foals are growing so fast and I just love watching them grow in stature, confidence and seeing their characters develop. I will be updating their photos throughout the winter.
19th November 2020
It has been a busy few weeks since last updating the website. All of the horses are now in their winter routine; coats on, in their own stables with room service and living the life of luxury with daily turn out whenever possible and depending on the weather, otherwise exercise on the horse walker or in either the outdoor or indoor school for a good buck and a roll with a couple of friends. The days are sadly shorter, the work harder and sometimes it seems never ending. But, there is something so very special about spending more quality time with the mares and reconnecting on a more personal one on one basis. Enjoying watching the foals develop independence post weaning and learning the strange way of people with our ropes, rugs, brushes, buckets and hoof picks...it is all very confusing at first but once in a routine and full of confidence in the good things we can offer, it is a remarkable privilege to become a part of their journey towards maturity and watch them grown physically and develop their characters.
We said a very sad farewell to GFS Zoffany and GFS Wishful Thinking who both left for their wonderful new homes as well as the incredibly wonderful Paddy who has moved to Scotland to be with a lovely lady and someone who is becoming a very good friend, Deborah Priestly. I still own a share in the big golden one at the moment and I am delighted that Paddy is not only incredibly settled and happy in his new home but he has started a training program with new owner Debbie that involves lessons with some rather amazing people and a fitness routine that includes endless beach rides and galloping through the surf at every opportunity! I am very excited to watch his progression next year and report on this stunning stallions endeavours at the commencement of the BE 2021 season.
I did not manage to do an October photo gallery on the page last month but I am working hard on producing a November selection of photos. I am planning on keeping the website updated at least monthly throughout our closed season with plenty of photos and of course updates on our lovely girls and the foals they are expecting from March. It is going to be our biggest ever season and I believe we are going to see the arrival of some phenomenal foals early next year!
16th October 2020
It has been a slow month for news but a lot has been happening. We only have three foals left to wean and so far it has gone like a dreamwith the weaned foals in a great routine of out all day, in at night and handled daily which they all love. They are such a mannerly group and I am unbelievably proud of ech and every foal. It is always sad to say goodbye, but we saw the twins and the gorgeous GFS Rocketman leave to their new homes and I am delighted to say they have settled beautifully and I look forward to updating their news. We still have one or two super youngsters available and the website is updated accordingly with the Sales Page current.
The website will shortly be updated with new photos, a proper catch up and hopefully a new Blog page so the I can share the news, daily fun and dramas and try not to be too silent over the coming winter months!
Tania x
6th September 2020
I do not know where the time has gone this year! I have been uncharacteristically lax in not keeping the news page updated despite publishing the monthly Galleries and keeping new photos of the foals current.
News....
In many respects this has been one of the busiest years we have had for a long time. With lock down and many of the usual distractions kept at bay we have made a concerted effort to concentrate on getting everything up to date in terms of maintenance, improvements and establishing future aims and planning.
We have been blessed with the presence of Emily Rix back and riding the stallions as her plans for this summer were stymied too as a result of this strange state of affairs borne on the back of COVID.
GFS Fire and Ice has benefited enormously from Emily's attention and he has recovered his fitness following last years injury and thoroughly enjoying jumping and schooling work where he has made enormous leaps and bounds...literally!
Following a really sensational foaling season that despite the many dramas, tragedies and problems that arose this year we had a really fantastic foal crop which was very exciting. We have made a decision to retain two of the fillies and there are two colts that have sparked an excitement here that I have not felt for a while. They too will be lingering a while!
We have two colts, GFS DragonHeart our darling orphan and the spectacular GFS Kalahari who we are offering as available to the right homes and two sensational fillies GFS Wishful Thinking and either Izzy's or Pepper's, whichever goes first. I would be delighted to keep either!
We said goodbye last week to Whisper's absolutely heavenly filly GFS Amazing Grace. She is set for a life enjoying the thrills and excitement of the eventing circuit. The beautiful twins GFS Peekaboo and WhoopsieDaisy are happily going to remain together in a wonderful new home shortly and GFS Rocketman is heading to a fabulous lady who has big plans for him as an eventer too.
Weaning is well under way and with only four left to wean in six weeks time I have had endless enjoyment spending time with the foals and practising all the essential handling skills and basic life skills necessary when living with people!
We have had twenty one mares scanned in foal for next year and plan to retain up to ten to continue the plan of developing more of a ridden program and professional production of our horses for ourselves. In the years following we will be reducing the foals we produce in line with our mares retirement and youngsters will start taking more of a priority and more in line with a peaceful semi retirement!
Paddy is still in the Cotswolds where he has been out only a few times unfortunately but continues to be an absolute dream stallion and one capable of flying round a Novice BE course, schooling to a very high level and hacking on the buckle alone or in company. I have regretfully come to the decision that I will be selling Paddy of Liosin this year. He is a joy to own and I have thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure of owning him since purchasing him in utero nine years ago. He has produced some absolutely fantastic foals for me including the amazing GFS Eskimo Jo and he is the sire of two of our 2021 expected foals. Unfortunately I simply do not have nor have ever really had the time to orchestrate his career the way I had hoped to.
This horse is a dream come true in terms of his faultless temperament, absolutely staggeringly beautiful looks and his absolute kindness and generosity under saddle. He is safety personified and I would go as far as to say he is almost anybody's ride. He is vice free, an angel to catch, load, travel, with the farrier and his behaviour out and about is both professional and mannerly.
I would like to find a home for him where he can continue to enjoy competing, produce more wonderful foals and most importantly receive the love and attention that he so craves and deserves. He is not a bargain by any means but to the perfect home his price will be fair.
Folly's Rock (1998 – 2020)
Always loved, forever in our hearts and memories. I am so sad I had to let her go but she told me it was time.
This mare touched our lives in so many ways. She was a force of nature, physically and with a character that demanded attention. She had the kind of presence that the special ones always have.
Folly's Rock was enormous fun, full of exuberance, opinionated, an amazing mother and a devoted friend. She did not suffer fools but she was also so very kind.
She had five foals for me over the many years I have spent with her and learned from her. Four colts; GFS Fire and Ice, GFS Hocus Pocus, GFS Punk Rock all of which were loud leopard spot and all pretty fantastic.
She blessed me with one daughter, GFS Hi Jinx, now three who I could not part with fortunately and will one day become part of this incredible mares legacy. She leaves her 2020 colt, GFS Rocketman too soon but this special boy will do her proud, of that I have no doubt. She loved being a mother and her foals were her greatest source of joy and pride.
Folly was by the late great Rock King and out of a Bohemond mare. Bred very much for eventing, she was sadly denied the competitive career she would have thrived on and doubtless shone at due to early injury. She was a born athlete with Herculean strength and so fleet of foot and mind.
She will live on through the bloodlines she shared with her foals and her many grandchildren and I am sure she will be waiting, one day when it is time for me to join her.
She has left her pain behind and I am happy for her that her aching body can no longer stop her running free even though my aching heart needs a little time to heal.
3rd June 2020
Not too much news at the moment.
We are almost finished covering and scanning our own mares in foal with just a few of the more difficult girls still to confirm as due to foal in 2021. It looks as though we have a record number of foals due with a third of our mares then due for retirement. A bit like myself! The 2021 foals are fairly evenly spread as sired by our four stallions and needless to say, I am already anticipating their arrivals and agonising over their names!
Both GFS Fire and Ice and GFS Lord of the Dance are back in work with the return of Emily Rix for the summer. Having super established flatwork and with Ice having been trained to Advanced Medium dressage. We will be concentrating on their jumping this year.
We have welcomed a new mare to the farm, she is a lovely five year old by Sir Shutterfly, having competed in the BYEH at Burleigh with the highest jumping score, she will be put in foal to GFS Fire and Ice.
We still have a number of our 2020 foals available for your consideration, all of which are super quality with great temperaments and suitable for a variety of disciplines and future aspirations. I will be updating all of the foal pages this weekend with plenty of updated photos.
The JUne Photo Gallery has now been published and can be viewed on the Gallery Page or just beneath this post.
June 2020 Gallery Slideshow
9th June 2020
Here is a link to our Facebook page. It is the only way I can share the link to the rather lovely feature article published by the Regional Horse Magazines with none other than GFS Eskimo Jo on the cover!
I will be updating photos and videos this week and have already published our GFS Sporthorses May 2020 photo Gallery for anyone interested in that slide show.
Paddy returned to the Cotswolds last week to join Frankie Price in preparation for the commencement of the British Eventing season commencing next month...fingers crossed! He thoroughly enjoyed his holiday and we are expecting two foals from him in 2021!
In other news...we are still welcoming a number of visiting mares with GFS Fire and Ice and GFS Lord of the Dance being exceptionally popular this year.
Of our own mares, we now have eighteen scanned in for a bumper season in 2021 and some very exciting combinations!
Foaling is of course now over for us and we have some super foals on the ground with a number still available.
Our little orphan has well and truly bonded with his new foster mum and is now thoroughly enjoying the freedom to play with other horses and learn valuable lessons from that interaction and that of being cared for by this super mare.
4th June 2020
It is with great excitement and a degree of relief that I can happily announce both the arrival of this magnificent chestnut filly and the final curtain call for the end of our 2020 foaling season.
This beautiful red head is by GFS Eskimo Jo and of course out of 'Izzy' or Zievident as she is registered with the KWPN. There is some serious jumping talent to be found in this filly's pedigree and Izzy is the dam of the eventing 'wonderchild' GFS Moonlight Echo. Her last filly was snapped up by the owners of Echo and we will doubtless be reporting on her debut in a couple of years!
I will post updates on both of our final two fillies and get some photos as they leave the foaling barn and their little hooves get an opportunity to show us if they can dance....I rather suspect that we will be delighted!
2nd June 2020
I am delighted to announce the safe arrival of this little darling. Charisma has produced a very beautiful minimally marked double dilute filly by GFS Lord of the Dance and I could not be happier.
I will be updating her page and details, with endless photos and video...of course!
I have also added the May 2020 Photo Gallery for anyone who may be interested in the many random photos taken over the montha nd to give a little insight into life and the many characters who live here.
One more foal to go before we can call time on another foaling season and concentrate on finishing the 2021 covering and enjoy watching this years foals exploring the paddocks, gaining in confidence daily and gradually maturing into the wonderful horses they will all become.