I’m not going to make any more promises about keeping this journal updated! I have the best of intentions, but between working on pieces for the Warmblood Breeding site and all the things I have to cram into a day to stay sane, I just don’t get to writing. Basically, life is great at SSF. No complaints. Could just use a few more hours in the day, or, more specifically, in the night for sleeping, especially during breeding season. We’ve had eight foals due on the farm between mid April and the first week of June. Five are here. It seems as if we have been on perpetual foal watch. Nonetheless, as always, happy to chat if you have questions or need a sounding board. We live 20 minutes from about everything, and I’m always running into to town for something, so I have blocks of time to talk while driving. Don’t hesitate to shoot me a text or give me a call.

Floris

We’re super excited that Floris is out of quarantine and at Select Breeders. We’re having him frozen so he’s available to North American breeders. He’ll be available via fresh-cooled semen until the first of July, then he comes home to become my schoolmaster. A number of people have asked if we will offer him via fresh cooled next year, but I can’t answer that right now. My first priority is that he is a riding horse. If he and I can have a positive working relationship and I can collect him, then we will offer him fresh cooled. If I have any doubts or hesitations about maintaining our riding relationship, then we won’t. He’s been collected and trained and competed his whole life, so I’m sure there will be no issues as far as he is concerned–the issues are mine. I want a platonic relationship with him! 

New Construction

Due to Covid and some unexpected, over-budget expenses in the planning and initial ground work for our new complex, it’s been on hold for a couple years. Carol and I decided to scale back the plans a bit and create a facility primarily for our personal use. We’ve signed the contract and are scheduled to begin building in July or August. Exciting times! We’ll have four stalls, a small indoor, an office, and a tack room/coffee area. It will be big enough to host a keuring if we can round up some temporary stabling, or if we are able to have a keuring just for our horses, but we’re foregoing the event center/training center we had originally planned. Regardless, we’ll plan a big Open House event once it’s done, so plan on a Fall celebration at SSF.

Jaleet Foals

Our first two Jaleet x dressage babies are on the ground, so I thought I’d give my first impressions. One, they are two of the happiest foals we’ve had. The filly is hotter than the colt, but both are personality-plus babies. Very people oriented. Two, movement wise, I haven’t seen a lot of trot from either yet, but they’re super well balanced and have excellent canters. Three, compared to our straight dressage babies, they have a little more bone and seem to have really good engines from the get go. I’m quite pleased with both of them, and will be interested to see how they develop. I like both of them enough to repeat the crosses. If it weren’t for its being Floris’s first year here, I would breed the Diamond Hit mare right back to Jaleet. Sojourner is a fantastic colt. I’m dying to try Fynch Hatton on the Bon Bravour mare, so we’ll see if she cooperates with frozen first. Both foals are already sold.

Breeding

Knock on wood, this may be a better year than last for frozen semen. We got a pregnancy on the first try with a two-straw dose of So Perfect. We have three more mares to preg check in the next week or so. Fingers crossed. Planned breedings are listed below.

We have a couple of foals still available from this year’s crop. As always, we offer generous payment plans. As from the beginning of our program, our goal is to help people be able to afford the kind of quality horse they want, but maybe thought they couldn’t afford. We all deserve to have a beautiful horse. 

2022 Foals

Gaudi SSF x Freestyle x Jazz Sold

Serenites SSF:  Absolutely perfect filly who wouldn’t be for sale if she hadn’t sold in utero

Jaleet SSF x Bon Bravour x Santano Sold

Sofia Loren SSF:  I can’t even joke about wanting to keep this filly, or Kathi Bruce will come after me with a steak knife.

Macho x Franklin x Santano Sold

Sweet Emotion SSF:  Fancy, fancy filly that was a custom foal.

Jaleet SSF x Diamond Hit x Havidoff Sold

Sojourner SSF:  Lauren Kimmel told me she really wanted a filly, but she took one look at this cute face and had to have him. Love this colt.

Gaudi SSF x Atleet x Manno Available…currently…

Sjoerd SSF:  Shoe is our third full sibling from this cross. I was delighted with the movement and athleticism of the first two, and I’m even more thrilled with this colt. He’s one of the most naturally uphill babies we’ve ever had, with an incredible front. Plus, I’ve named him after one of my favorite people, so if I think he is going to be big enough for me, I might just hang onto this guy. Don’t tell Carol.

Gaudi SSF x Borsalino x Totilas Available

So Toto SSF:  Oh, my god, do I wish this was a filly. He is so elegant, refined, and beautiful, we were all sure it was a girl…until I checked under the tail. This is a lovely colt. As you may have seen on my FB post, So Toto is double Totilas. Nobilites SSF, his dam, has FIVE crosses to Furioso xx in her pedigree. I couldn’t put a Jazz-bred stallion on her, so I opted for double Totilas, rather than further concentrating the Furioso xx blood. Well, I’m going right back to Gaudi for this mare. It was a super cross. He’s a first foal, so he’s a little small right now, but what a beauty. Farmer Morelli is already calling him his “boy”. Anthony already has a goat and a kitten in residence and is talking about a new “farm” puppy. Somebody needs to buy this baby before I have no choice in the matter. 

Vivino x Donatelli x Jazz Potentially Sold/Potentially not for sale

D’Orites SSF has turned into one of our best producers. I would really like a stallion prospect from her, but we also have someone interested.  We’ll see. This mare has been 350 on the milk test for the last FIVE nights. Hopefully, I’ll have a foal on the ground before this journal entry gets posted.

Gaudi SSF x Sir Sinclair x Jazz Sold

Jaleet SSF x Michigan’s Heir to the Throne Hopefully not available

Really hoping for a pinto colt to raise as a teaser stallion…

Jovian x Charmeur x Santano Not for sale

2023 Breedings

So Perfect x Totilas x Jazz Not for Pre-Sale

Escaneno x Franklin x Santanto Fill option reserved

Furst Romancier x Ultimo x Rosenkavalier Not for Pre-Sale

Gaudi SSF x Freestyle x Jazz Potentially Reserved

Fynch Hatton x Bon Bravour x Santano Not for Pre-Sale

Jameson RS2 x For Ferrero x Charmeur

Floris SSF x Diamond Hit x Havidoff

Macho x Atleet x Manno

Gaudi SSF x Borsalino x Totilas Filly reserved

Escaneno x Donatelli x Jazz

Gaudi SSF x Sir Sinclair x Jazz Sold/Reserved

Obsession x Charmeur x Santano Not for Pre-Sale

Jaleet SSF x Michigan’s Heir to the Throne