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Following his success at the NPS Championships Hollybrooke Rambler went one better at Ponies UK and won the New Forest and Connemara HOYS Qualifier. The class, which included several ponies that had qualified for HOYS before, was so huge that it had to be judged in two sections. His success is so amazing because it has all been achieved at just six ridden shows. He has only been with Sam Robert for eight weeks and he had not been ridden for over a year before that and then |
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John making the presentation to the Swedish New Forest Show supreme champion
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only for a few weeks. It says so much about his wonderful calm and cooperative temperament. We feel so privileged and proud to have bred him.
We have just returned from a very interesting visit to Sweden where John judged at their New Forest Show. We were also lucky enough to visit the Idyllen and Stackarps studs. We saw many ponies with bloodlines that we do not have in England and it was interesting to compare the ponies they are breeding with the ponies bred here. We met and talked to so many interesting New Forest pony enthusiasts. Everybody made us very welcome but special thanks must to go to Anna Ransholm who spent a great deal of time driving us around. |
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We have just come back from the NPS Summer Championships at Malvern where Rambler was absolutely superb under saddle. He was second twice (once in the HOYS qualifier), won two classes (including the NF Picton final) and was reserve young pony champion. He went into the evening performance under flood lights as though he had done it dozens of times and gave an amazing show with a much talked about gallop. Many people in the audience thought he was hard done by not to be champion but we were absolutely thrilled. Sam Roberts has established a wonderful partnership with him in such a short time and together they make a really lovely and harmonious picture.
Also in the evening performance Rambler was presented with the most beautiful oil painting which was his prize for winning the M&M Supreme in hand championship at the show last year. It was a very emotional but fantastic three days.
Hollybrooke Rambler admires his portrait with artist Nikki Moore
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We took Hollybrooke Chutney and Hollybrooke Ginger to the Dorset Charity Show. The weather was appalling but it was well worth the effort as Chutney won a large four years and over New Forest class and Ginger was second in the three year old class. We took Ginger to help us decide if his chewed tail was just long enough for us to start showing him again (it almost reaches his hocks) How very slowly tails grow when you are watching and waiting!
The New Forest Show was not quite as busy for us as last year due to our lack of young ponies to show. The classes were huge and the competition fierce but the four ponies we took were all well placed so we were delighted. Hollybrooke Sparkle and Hollybrooke Ruby were fourth and fifth in the small yeld mare class and Hollybrooke Ginger (despite his short tail) was fourth in the young gelding class. Hollybrooke Rambler was not entered in the ridden classes as, at close of entries, we had no idea that he would be competing under saddle this season. We 'borrowed' him back from Sam Roberts for the in hand class where he was second to the eventual M&M supreme champion Willoway Free Spirit. Rambler will now go to the NPS Summer Championships at Malvern where he will compete in the three ridden championships that he has qualified for in the last few weeks.
The day following the New Forest Show we welcomed over twenty German breeders to the stud. They enjoyed looking at the stallions, mares and foals and some of the young ponies. As usual all the ponies (including the foals) were happy to be fussed over and photographed. Our visitors would have loved to have taken Rambler and his daughter Hollybrooke Nutmeg back on the coach with them. |
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We have had lots of news about mares confirmed in foal this month. Burley Time Lord had his first mare scanned in foal in Sweden much to the delight of his new owner. As well as Forest mares Hollybrooke Tinker has both sports pony and TB mares in foal. Our own two young mares Hollybrooke Sparkle and Hollybrooke Ruby are both scanned in foal for 2012. We also took a semen collection for the very first time from Burley Branston so that we could AI a mare here on the stud.
We have done very little in hand showing but Hollybrooke Sparkle was fourth in a large four years and over class at the South of England Show. Her sister Hollybrooke Dazzle who was also supposed to go, managed to cut herself the week before so had to stay at home.
We are thrilled with our foals who are growing rapidly and have wonderful temperaments. At the moment they look rather moth eaten as they start to change their coats. We have had a great deal of interest in them and have already sold two. We will probably keep two to show next year.
Our veteran Forest run mare Ashley Sapphire was chosen by the Verderers as one of a group of mares to be covered by stud stallions in order to maintain some of the rarer bloodlines. She visited Willoway Double Gold. |
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The highlight of the month however, was Hollybrooke Rambler's debut in the show ring under saddle. After being ridden for just three weeks (he had not been sat on for over 12 months before that) he went to the NPS Area 7 Summer Show very ably partnered by Sam Roberts. We hoped he might qualify for the Picton Novice ridden by the end of the season and were left speechless when he won the New Forest and Connemara section and was awarded the reserve Picton Championship. He also contested the intermediate ridden class and went one better. He won the class and the Championship. He has now qualified for both finals at the NPS Summer Championship show. Not bad for a first attempt! He has such an amazing temperament nothing fazes him, you would have thought he had been ridden in the ring dozens of times. There were lots of wonderful comments about him from both the judges and spectators. |
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The first few days of June have been amazingly hectic. We are rather short of young ponies to show this year. One of our yearlings chewed the tails off all the foals and many of the young ponies at the end of last summer. Sadly, it will keep most of them away from the show ring this year. Our two mares Hollybrooke Sparkle and Hollybrooke Ruby both went to Bath & West and the Enthusiasts Show and were well placed. However, the stud was still successfully represented. Karen Knock's three year old gelding Hollybrooke Astra won a very strong 2 & 3 year old gelding class at the Enthusiasts Show. James Young and Trudy Ninehams yearling filly Brock Bronwen by Hollybrooke Tinker swept the board by winning the yearling filly class and followed this by becoming young stock champion. This is the first of Tinker's progeny to be shown. Bronwen's dam Brock Baccarat is scanned in foal to Tinker for 2012.
Between the shows two of our ponies left us for a new home. Hollybrooke Champagne and younger sister Hollybrooke Bacardi
have gone to a pony club family in Milton Keynes. We wish them lots of luck and look forward to hearing of their progress. We also had our first semen collection from Hollybrooke Tinker for use in AI. It was a new experience for all of us but Tinker took it all in his stride.
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May has been a very busy month for the stud. We have had more visiting mares than ever before. This combined with the poor grass growth due to the lack of rain has involved a great deal of juggling ponies! All six of our stud bred foals have now arrived. The last one only a few days ago, more than three weeks later than we had anticipated. It is a lovely chestnut colt by Hollybrooke Tinker. We also have two Forest bred colt foals by Brookshill Brumby.
In early May 40 Dutch students interested in the equine industry visited us as part of their studies. They had been to a thoroughbred stud in Newmarket the previous day and the comparison in temperament was apparently dramatic. Even the mares with tiny foals were happy to allow the big group to make a fuss of them. The foals just thought it wonderful to have so many extra hands to scratch them.
Hollybrooke Chutney has been out and about gaining ridden experience. She won on her first ever appearance in a dressage arena so we were thrilled.
We continue to have good news from Sweden. Burley Time Lord is now broken and being ridden and he has also covered his first mare. |
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Three of our six expected foals have now arrived (pictures on Foals 2011) The other three should arrive in the next week or so. All three stallions are busy with our own and visiting mares.
We took two yearlings to the NFPEC Practice show. Hollybrooke Caramel (by Hollybrooke Rambler) and Hollybrooke Spirit (by Hollybrooke Tinker). Neither pony had ever been off the farm before. They loaded easily and behaved really well and each came home with a rosette. Both Burley Branston and Hollybrooke Tinker went to a clear round hunter trial. For Tinker it was a completely new experience and he jumped two clear rounds boldly and confidently. Burley Branston (who loves his jumping) also jumped two lovely clear rounds giving Tasha Davies her first ever experience of jumping cross country. I am not sure who came back with the biggest smile the pony or the rider! |
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The first of our new babies has arrived, a lovely big bay colt by Hollybrooke Tinker out of the Burley Branston mare Hollybrooke Marmite. His arrival was ten days late and although both Coffee Crunch and Hollybrooke Gingernut are now well overdue they seem in no hurry to give birth. The other three mares are not due until early May.
We have started to break in Hollybrooke Champagne. She has the wonderful 'Hollybrooke temperament and is an absolute delight to work with. She has willingly done everything asked of her without hesitation or fuss. |
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Hollybrooke Astra |
Hollybrooke Martini
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Hollybrooke Rambler at the Judges Seminar
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The stud season is already under way, the stallions have started covering but the first of our own mares are not due to foal for another week yet. Hollybrooke Rambler was invited to attend the New Forest Pony Breeders judges Seminar at the Merrie Stud. Considering that he had been covering all the previous week and he he had not had a rug on all winter. He behaved impeccably and looked amazing. We had lots of very complimentary comments about him.
We have had wonderful news from Sweden. Our recently exported young stallion Burley Time Lord passed his Swedish stallion grading with the highest score ever for a New Forest |
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stallion. He scored 9.9 for his loose jumping (he had only jumped five times before in his life!) and a 10 for his canter. His new owner is thrilled and so are we! |
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Just a couple of days after Burley Time Lord set off on his long journey to Sweden, we were awarded the Blueberry Titan Trophy which Time Lord had won. It is presented to the most successful M & M young pony of any breed, in the preceding show season in NPS Area 24. We were particularly proud as it is the second successive year it has been won by a pony show by us, as Hollybrooke Rambler won it for 2009. We have since heard from Sweden that Time Lord has settled well into his new home and has already started loose jumping in preparation for his stallion inspection at the end of the month.
Hollybrooke Tinker has continued to do some dressage. He has been calm and confident and despite the fact that the dressage still needs some practice, he has always come home with a rosette. |
The trophy won by Burley Time Lord for his show successes in 2010 |
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We were delighted to receive the news that the three year old gelding Hollybrooke Astra
by Burley Branston made his show ring debut for new owners Karen and Emily Knock a winning one at an early show at Kingston Maurward.
The stud season will soon be with us as our first visiting mares are due to arrive in the middle of March and our first foals at the beginning of April.
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Burley Time Lord who is leaving us for a new home in Sweden |
We have sold our lovely young colt Burley Time Lord. We had hoped to find him a home in England as he would, with his superb movement have flown the breed flag at a high level in M & M ridden classes as well as being a valuable stallion. However, he is leaving us in the next couple of weeks for his new home in Sweden. He will be an exciting addition to the Swedish New Forest stallion ranks as well as being given the opportunity to use his undoubted talents as a sports pony. We wish his new owner every success with him and look forward to hearing of his progress. |
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Another pony to leave us is our somewhat reluctant broodmare Burley Moonbeam. Having lost yet another foal just after Christmas, she has resumed her ridden career and has gone to a family where she is giving pleasure and confidence to a young rider.
Last year’s foals have now been weaned and are taking learning their new skills in their stride. We have also broken in, Breed Show winner and successful broodmare Hollybrooke Chutney who is hopefully going to make an outstanding show and competition pony
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The New Year got off to a disappointing start for the stud when our brood mare Burley Moonbeam slipped a foal by Hollybrooke Rambler. All the other mares and young stock are well if very woolly and taking the adverse conditions in their stride. We had hoped to get Tinker and Rambler out and about under saddle by now but the weather has severely curtailed our riding. Hopefully January will be less icy and we will be able to get started. |
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What an exciting month this has been!
