2006 Summer Newsletter
from The Donavan Group@ Riverland Farm, home of ESDonavan!
Can't keep them all, Donavan!!
Hi Everyone.
This will be short, I think! I tend to go on..as you know. But it is July, Breeding season is still going on this year, but will be slowing down soon and should be over as I advertised by August 1. But emergencies will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Donavan is strong, breeding well, and looking terrific. We have had him examined for his yearly check up and all systems are GO!
Here at Riverland Farm we have 3 darling foals on the ground. The # we bred for. One colt and 2 fillies. If you read my news page on the website you will know one filly was a bit of a surprise but we are thrilled. Thought we were having a colt, but the doctor said he was less sure when he “sexed” the foals since she was the last one due.
She, Debrentanya, is out of Elite mare Bevolina and she came early anyway, like her sister Gracie last year, and we have another beautiful filly with the Brentano II lines of Brentina, ridden by Debbie McDonald. She is red bay, 2 white hinds, star and snip like Dad, big eyes and much suspension, short coupled and will be taller than her 16hh Dam. She's for sale to the right home..reluctantly but we cannot keep them all! (note our recent ad in the Hunter and sport Horse Magazine and the Marketplace Sale flyer.)
Caviar had the colt, Don Noir. "Cav" is by Cor Noir(Cor de la Breyere), Hilltop Farm’s wonderful foundation Sire and this colt is amazing. He is also sold! He was purchased in utero and we have bred her back to see if we can get another one like him! He is the friendliest most confident colt and so handsome. His movement is to die for and after his inspection on July 23 in Illinois at Helmut Schrants Meadow Brook Farm he will be weaned and soon goon to Atlanta with new owner Terry Blair and husband Jeff.
Our wonderful gray mare Atlanta, aka Pepper, who is by Aktion, Dutch stallion, World Cup and Olympic mount of Gyula Dallos, JJ Tate's first European mentor, had a very feminine, refined and fancy dancing filly, Dakairi. She will be gray. Her brother D’Aktion premium colt of 2004 is growing up so handsome and so talented. JJ Tate cannot wait to ride him, but he is for sale if someone wants to buy him. She will be gray though brother Dax is bay!
We are giving Bevolina and Pepper a year off to be ridden, and our younger mares will get a chance to have babies (along with Caviar.) Bianna, Han, (Bordeaux) and Precious Icon (Manhattan) our Dutch mare approved Oldenburg NA are pregnant for their first foals! Manhattan’s foal is spoken for at this time! Atlanta (Pepper) is now approved Hanoverian so Dakairi , and the 2008 foal will be too.
We know that 5 foals would have been too much. We enjoy handling and training the foals with lots of daily attention We could not do that with Davy Crockett becoming time consuming, and Duesenjaeger ("Pilot" 1999) is doing so well competing, now at Second level out East with JJ Tate. His scores hae been in high 60 % and 70%-iles also! He is winning his classes and even took a high point!! (And he was going to be my “home buddy ha ha)
NEWS: Davy Crockett our 3 year old stud colt, Donavan’s "clone" is now under saddle, gorgeous, and we are sending him first to JJ for polishing his dance steps, and then to Hilltop Farm in MD to see if he can be preliminarily approved/licensed for breeding by the AHS! It is a hard thing to do and we are just so happily surprised that JJ Tate, Candy Tate and my husband and I all think he is that quality. If he should pass he will be going to the 100 Day Test in 2007. If he does not pass, JJ will still campaign him in Dressage as a representative of the type of horse that Donavan throws. He is kind, and gentle, easily trained and talented, very handsome , loves people, just like Dad. And the spitting image, except “Lefty” as my husband calls him, has 2 hinds white, his left fore white, star and snip; and Donavan has his 2 hinds white, right fore white star and larger snip! Davy is over 16.2hh, not done, I think and JJ loves riding him. We hope his fans and cheering section won’t be disappointed if he does not pass, , not many pass each year, and it can be just a matter of what the Verband is looking for at this time, or he could be too young this year etc. We have only been breeding for a relatively short time and we know there will be others if we wish for Donavan to have a successor. By
the way Davy was purchased with is mom, Winpenny, when he was only 2 months old. We just had a hunch he would be this nice. His Dam's side is Weltbekannt (Weltmeyer lines). He is American born and bred!!
Our daughter and son both have gotten married recently, Jill in September here at the Farm, and Adam July 2 in Seattle. We love the new members of our family Jimmy and Helen! We attended the AHS meeting early in the year out in California, and we are going see Jill this weekend in Texas. She has a Donavan mare, Dominique; (Prem. Oldenburg filly ) in foal to the wonderful young stallion Rapture R, owned by Ken and Roberta Falk and standing at Hilltop Farm as a visiting stallion. That foal should be very nice, and for sale next year but one, hah, never knows.
We will go to Aachen for the first time in August with JJ and Candy Tate and watch the World Equestrian Games.
Two of our loyal breeders, Bhritta O’Neil in Montana and Dee Butler in VA both succeeded in having wonderful foals (fillies) this year after enduring some past tragedy and disappointment. We are thrilled for them!
The inspection for the colt is July 23 and the fillies August 2.
So we are hopping.
Please go to the website as I try to update often and give you other detailed news.
Take care, be well, and good luck with all of your horsy endeavors.
Wendy Costello and Donavan
www.esdonavan.com