The foals of 2022

3 beautiful foals this year.

3 lovely souls, cherished and expected and dearly loved right from the start. 4 good mares that took care of them the best they could and allowed them to be born safely and grow up well.

I think they fit in well with my constant goals of : well bred, well handled and well raised.

Superstition (Morricone/Kreation (Rubinero/Donnerhall): the black shinny pearl

Sansa: 3 weeks and 6 month.

 

Like her brothers before her, she was born very a very sensitive but sensible soul. Thin skin, impressionable, not overly fond of humans and generally finding their touch a bit much at first. Less sensitive by far than Pavarotti (v. Fabregas) and more than Revelation (v. Secret) she, like them, benefited from regular, calm, un-emotional handling a few times a day (no matter what) to get over her instinctive reactions.
Kreation was nearly un-approachable for the first 6 weeks of her life, throwing herself into the wall to avoid people and panicked at every new stimulus. Her sensitive foals are much water-downed version of what she was. Since she turned out to be nearly unflappable and easy to train at 3yrs old and getting steadier every year since; I learned to take those theatrics with a grain of salt. Yes it points to a sensitive nature, but one that my regular handling and approach seems to overcome.
She has so far turned into a fun little filly. She is beautifully marked by her father’s stunning neck and head and she has her dam’s body. She was a bit too straight in the back for my liking as a tiny foal but she has grown well and has good angles now.  When ever I go and look at the babies my eye is always drawn to her shape. Is it because of her colour or the general shape of her that I like so much? I am not sure, I would like to think that she would be pretty and attractive in any colour.

Will she be leggier than her dam? Looks like it now but only time will tell. So far it also looks like she will be taller than her brothers. Probably heading toward 16 or 16.1 hh

She has opinions and is very expressive about them. You always know what she is thinking that is for sure.  She has a certain harmless petulance about her that makes me smile (most of the time) or curse under my breath (some times). She is smart, alert and generally buoyant. She handles well and is happy to have you take the lead and show her that things are safe or interesting and as she does have some sense of self preservation she generally stays out of trouble. No big deal to deworm or to give needles. She is perfectly ok with human contact now and loves a good scratch (not too rough however-hey!) and I can touch her absolutely anywhere, mess with her ears, lift her tail, scratch her belly button, hug her nose… However: if you were one of those pesky telemarketers of olds that came calling around supper time, she will remind you that food and feed time are sacred.

Sierra (Gaudi/Rascalina (Rascalino/Londonderry):the powerful bay

Sierra: 3 weeks and 5 months

As the 3rd foal of Rascalina we knew from her two previous ones that she made them big and solid. It was a three-peat even with a different sire (her first two were by Sir Sinclair). What we knew of Gaudi at the time of selecting him was that he was a good producer but not necessarily a clear stamper. We would have been happy with a copy of Rascalina with a bit of refinement as a cherry on the top. Regardless I really liked the genetic combo of Deniro and Totilas for the ride ability alone. Those that know my program know that it is a key criteria. I was also told that his foal had good temperament, easy to handle ect.. I was a bit concerned with a bit of a longer back but you can’t win them all and beside there was no weakness in the length with either Gaudi or Rascalina. In Rascalina case what she mostly need was a slightly longer neck to balance her back. Her neck was a bit short.

Sierra is an interesting blend of both parent. Of course I know her dam the best and I see a lot of Rascalina in her but her head carriage is quite unlike her dam and yes her neck is longer. She holds a lot of tension in her neck but it doesn’t affect her movement. She is powerful and supple. Lots of spring and swing even in tension- like her dam, for sure. She moves straight and strong, with intent. She was for a long time quite sickled hock, neither parents are and as she grows her angles are getting better. Her limbs are nice and straight, she has a good shoulder on her but she is a little bit long in the back.

She was born energetic and friendly, the two sometime at odd with each other. She wanted to run and scamper but damn if she did not also wants some attention and physical contact! It was a fun combination and one that assured me that she would be easy to handle and train. Going forward and being in motion is innate in her (always good! a desire to go forward is at the base of so much) but it can come from some nervousness sometimes.

She is maturing into a calm introvert. Looks calm on the outside for the most part but she can let that tension built a bit- you see it in the head carriage. She looks for guidance and re-assurance in the right places and she is learning to manage those tense moments with regular safe exposure and calm handling. If she needs to move her feet, that is ok. She doesn’t pull or barge through. If things get really hard for her she tends to want to sit and lift her front. It’s as if her head cant get any higher and she needs a higher vantage point! We try not let it get to that point if at all possible.

She continues to really enjoy physical contact and attention. We noticed she was particular sensitive to some smell: the first time I tried to handle her with gloves with some rubber on them she strongly objected. She is the first to come to you in the field and will often not start eating until she is convinced that you are leaving for good. Very endearing and pleasant. She will be a good size. Not a giant like her brothers but close to 16.2 or 3 at maturity I think.

Suarez (Dauphin/ Zigami (Zack/Florestan): Puck-like and elegant

Suarez: 5 weeks and 5 months

I think Suarez was born with all the confidence and aplomb that was available this year. It’s like he sucked it all in for himself. He was born quite early, barely made it to 321 days because he was clearly eager to meet the world and all the horses in it and that hasn’t changed.
Independent, cheeky, cheerful and bold this colt is the stereotypical little brother.
While he looks like a mini-Zigami he has none of his dam’s character traits. Where she is diva-like, cautious, alert, gentle and kind Suarez is bold, fearless, the opposite of claustrophobic and prone to bite and head butt you. Those of course are youthful traits but I really admire the deep inner confidence in him. Channeled right I really dont see much that this boy can’t do. Very athletic, super light on his feet with good range of motion if not a ton of suspension he moves in a very efficient manner.
Because of him mom’s colic surgery and recovery he had a bit of a different life for the first three months of his life and he was handled a lot. Every morning he was turned out while his dam was confined to a small portable paddock (that we moved every day). Every few hours I would catch him (he learned quickly to catch me!), halter him and take him to his dam’s paddock where he spent a few hours sleeping and drinking. Then we turned him out again. Rince and repeat until sundown. Labour intensive but that way he was not confined except at night. He got to run and explore like any other foal, socialize, impress the fillies and be a general pest to everyone.
Other than a bit of a toeing-out in front and hooves that are a bit slow it taking their adult shape he is very nicely put together and harmonious. He is not very big, in fact I suspect he will mature smaller than his half brother (Marcello) by the pony stallion Milky Way born two years ago. He might surprise us but I expect Suarez to mature at around 16hh. Thankfully the people that are generally interested in my horses and aligned with my values and goals rarely prioritize size.
No matter how tall he finishes I expect him to be a really fun horse to have around, full of character and with tons of potential.

I hope you have enjoyed meeting this year’s foals.

Next year we are expecting two foals- stay tuned! I will post about our breeding in another blog post.

Owner and worrier in chief at Formosus Sporthorses in Alberta she's been breeding horses for over 18 years. Warmblood, warmblood crosses, and a few saddlebreds. She loves handling mare and foals and is passionate about giving foals the best start possible.

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  1. […] If you want to see what the foals ended up like, take a look at this blog entry: the foals of 2022 […]

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