Visions of Friesians Dance in My Head…
Well, yes I have fallen horribly behind in updating the web site. It is not that nothing is happening. In fact, the opposite is true. We have been busy, Busy, BUSY! The main thing monopolizing my time is working on the new barn and paddocks. You see, we now have a 2nd Tanbark Acres location. There is the big farm where Dee and Carlton and Carole (my mom, dad and sister) have their horses, and then the little place where I (Jeannine) live and now have my horses. The big farm is in Cana, Virginia and my place is 1 hour north, in Christiansburg VA, right by Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!). Since my place is still sort of under construction, and since I do the web updates, unfortunately the web updates have fallen behind. But here is the latest news.
Foals from last spring all sold
Beau and Tsjip, discussed in my last post, are sold and no longer available. Tsjip stayed local so we get to see him grow up. Beau’s new owner is my niece Meghan, who just stayed in love with Beau (see Beau and Meghan on Beau’s first day in this world). So he will stay on the big farm and if you come visit us you will be able to meet him.
New Foals Coming for 2009
We have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that Hiltje lost her foal within a few weeks of conception. This is a rare occurrence – especially for Hiltje (she has had six foals already in her life) but these things do happen. We’ll rebreed her in the spring.
The good news is that we have two very pregnant mares now halfway through their pregnancies. Oeke (Wierd x Tsjerk), a 2nd premie ster mare, is in foal to Mintse. That upcoming foal has some of the best bloodlines imaginable. Oeke’s sire Wierd just won the harness championship for Friesian stallions for the 2nd year in a row over in the Netherlands. Damsire Tsjerk was just named preferent – and thus is one of only 2 living preferent stallions. And the upcoming baby’s father Mintse is a former world champion and scores out of the park on the trot. And Oeke’s damline is one of the most successful and well known in all of Friesland. Awesome!
Coriander (Wander x Lute), our 1st premie ster mare, is in foal to the very famous and coveted Heinse. Heinse is a legendary breeding stallion as well as 4th level dressage and two time Dutch driving champion. He has also sired four (yes FOUR) approved sons including TWO approved last year. Everyone wants to breed to Heinse, but alas, he is really hard to breed to due to poor semen quality from the old guy. In fact, I think it is possible that last spring was his last breeding season. Only 3 mares in the country are pregnant to Heinse – and Cori is one of them! We crossed Cori with Heinse before and got a dynamite colt (Wikke), now 18 months old and drop dead gorgeous. So we’re super excited about this baby.
Heinse’s latest approved son, Meinse 439 now in America!
The stallions approved in 2007 were just incredible – I have not seen a stallion group that good since the Doaitsen group a few years ago. I mean every single one made your mouth pop open. Well, one of them, Meinse, was just imported to America. He may be breeding here in 2009 – we’ll have to see. Meinse just won Friesland’s young stallion competition in dressage with a score over 70%. And since he is a Heinse son, and Heinse is incredible, I think Iron Spring made a wonderful purchase. It is great for them and great for America! I just happened to find the video I took in January 2008 of Meinse’s debut at the stallion show in Friesland. Here ya go!
Tanbark Acres’ 2008 Friesian Foals
Hiltje has a new son born May 13, and his name is Beau. Beau is a very big foal with quite the attitude. Just full of himself and proud as he can be. Beau’s dad is Wander 352 and Beau is the full brother to our Cori and Dusti Perdue’s Jantsje. While Cori is a piddling 16 hands tall, Jantsje is 17 hands and Beau is gonna be a whopper too. He has a lovely conformation and movement – one of Hiltje’s best foals so far I think. But all her foals are nice and I like every one of them. Beau is for sale, but we’re getting awfully attached to him. By the way, you can see another video of Beau when he was only 5 hours out. Check out Beau’s Day One video and story.
Dahlia’s new foal is Chip (Friesian “Tsjip” but pronounced the same way as the English “Chip”. This is one of my favorite Friesian names so I’ll spell it the Friesian way), born May 29. Tsjip’s father is Feike 395, who is doing very well in dressage. Tsjip, like his half sister Tara before him, is incredibly good to work with and easy to train. At 10 weeks he has made huge progress in his baby training. He is also showing a bold trot, like his momma. Tsjip has been sold to a local woman who has long wanted “an Everhart Friesian” (as she calls our foals). She plans to train and show Tsjip both in harness and under saddle. He should be great at both – lovely movement but a level headed guy.
So, here are some recent video of the new foals. I selected music from one of my favorite sound tracks. Say hello to Butch and Sundance… er, I mean
Beau
Tsjip
And check out some photos by Sara Andrew, who is becoming quite the photographer.
Beau’s First Day
Today at 5:30 am, Hiltje had her foal by the stallion Wander 352. Hiltje is a wonderful broodmare. She is 14 years old and this is her 7th foal (one died in foalbirth, one was kicked as a baby and had to be put down, and she has 5 living children ranging from 8 years down to this newborn). This is Hiltje’s 3rd foal by the stallion Wander 352.
This fellow is named Beaucephalus, but we shall call him “Beau”. Beau is a wonderful old southern name and when I hear it I think of sunshine on the pastures, a gentle breeze blowing in the trees, and the smell of fresh cut hay. These are symbols, to me, of the Virginia of my childhood. Peace and happiness. Calm.
Like the Virginia countryside and our other Wander babies, Beau is calm and sweet and soothing. He likes people and enjoys being petted. He trusts us. If he is anything like his two full sisters, Cori and Jantsje, he will be easy to train and he will try with all his heart to do what you ask of him, even if he is not particularly suited to the job. He will be what the Friesian farmers call “an honest horse”. Whoever buys him will have a friend and partner until the day he dies.
Beau will likely be very tall, with a modern physique. Although his baby hair is a brownish gray, by the time his adult coat comes in he will be soot black, like his momma. He’ll have a long wavy mane and good feathers on his legs. He will be more suitable as a riding/dressage horse than a carriage horse, though he will pull with the best of them. When the other horses have given up and stopped for the day, Beau will be there happily working for his rider/driver and striving to do his best. At least, that is what his sisters before him have done.
So, little fella, grow strong and tall and listen to your momma. She’s da best! Drink your milk and stretch your legs. Halter training starts soon.
Once Beau is weaned at about 6 months of age, he will be available for sale to an approved home. If you are interested, contact us.
In the meantime, here is a glimpse of Beau on his first day.
