It's Winter Woolies Time!

Now that Fionn is *ahem* no longer a "stud" colt, he is allowed a bit more free rein. This has extended to allowing him to play uncle to the two weanlings, Max and Tamar. Storm is also living in their field, which is currently functioning as the local equine YMCA! Storm, at the wise age of three, acts as bodyguard to the weanlings when their uncle Fionn gets a bit too rough, but generally watches from afar.

Fionn thinks the youngsters are great, and is amazed when they "clack" or mouth at him in submission. That's usually Fionn's job! He seems bemused that they think he is a grown up. His two favourite games with them are "oh, you two youngsters are SOOOO fast that I just can't keep up with you--no really, I'm galloping as fast as I can" and "ha, I can pick you up by your rug, and I'll keep doing it until you kick me!". Next week I'll get pictures of the naughty weanlings lording it over the 15.2+ BYEH champion! Speaking of which, Fionn is now officially roughed off for the winter, and will spend nearly all of it outdoors with occasional walkies to keep his brain in gear.

What are your winter plans for your youngsters? And what will you be doing with your yearlings, if anything, to keep your hand in?

TA-DAH!

Well, that's what a BYEH Yearling Champion (Best Yearling, Best Colt, Best British Bred) looks like! Ayup, little Fionn went out and strutted his stuff on Tuesday, and kicked some serious backside. He was awarded a score of 84/100, with 21/25 for walk, trot at 20/25, and 21/25 and 22/25 for conformation and type, respectively. The judges were very impressed with him, and he definitely had the audience abuzz with his presence! The filly next to him was also clearly impressed... Fionn was absolutely besotted with her, but managed to contain himself--mostly. Enjoy those testicles while you can, little Fionn!

Look out PAVO, here we come!

Fionn in October 2008, being prepped for the show

Our "little" Fionn will be shown at the British Eventing/PAVO Young Event Horse championships on October 14, so it's time to make final preparations. This will be only his second day out, and his first proper competition. What makes it extra exciting is the fact that his testicles have finally decided that they are well and truly present! What a change from the vet giving him a joking -6 points for masculinity at the BEF Futurity. No longer such a lady-boy, he is starting to feel a bit coltier and more on his toes. Fortunately for us, he has a healthy respect (and affection) for his people, and responds quickly when he is corrected or we tell him to do something.So what's to do in the next few days?

• A little trim--nothing drastic as the winter is on its way, but tidying up mane, tail, bridlepath, fetlocks, etc.
• A few more practices in the new bit. We still have awkward moments with stopping and steering with the bit in when he gets preoccupied with playing with it.
• BATH! This will probably make us the least popular of anything on the list. Warm spongebaths are about all he is prepared to enjoy. Anything colder or wetter results in weak protests and a general expression of distaste.
• Inventory of items needed on the day--what do we have? What do we need? And time to remedy any disparity between those two lists.
  

As this will be our first show with a sporthorse yearling, we expect to learn a lot and have a great time. And of course, this will give us a preview of what to expect when Fionn's hotly anticipated little sibling by Amiro Z (filly, filly, filly!) arrives and requires showing to be sold. Watch this space for photos of the event! What's next for Fionn after PAVO? Well, the chop, of course! Say goodbye to your little friends, my little soon-to-be gelding.

Spotlight on Esquimaux Z

Born in June of 2008, Esquimaux Z (El Thuder x Sussex Diamond x Artic Que) is the first foal out of Oakwood's mare, Abbey (by Beach Boy). Called Tamar around the stables--"Tam" for short--he has developed into a lovely and refined stamp of an eventing foal. While originally bred with show jumping in mind, Tam has shown himself to be very athletic with an excellent gallop and a propensity for jumping plants and toys in the field, and was awarded a First Premium in the eventing division of the 2008 BEF Futurity at Plumpton College at less than two months of age.

Abbey and Tam in a rare still moment. Just look at that face!

With his easy, athletic gallop, Tam is able to run rings around his brother and the mares.

Despite his athleticism, Tam is really quite a sweet soul. Just look at that face!

Always ready with a greeting. And ... erm ... just look at that face!!!

Esquimaux Z is for sale. To learn more about his breeding, click here. To see more photos, including some major "awww" factor (but health and safety nightmare) pictures click here. To see professional photos from the 2008 BEF Futurity, click here.

Spotlight on The Cullinan Diamond

The Cullinan Diamond (Caretino Glory x Able Albert x Diamond Lad), affectionately known as "Fionn" around the stables, is Oakwood's 2007 colt out of Ballykett Blue Diamond, and is our first homebred youngster. Fionn has a bright future as a top-class eventer, combining bold athleticism, correctness, and a great attitude towards life (and towards his people!).

The Cullinan Diamond, 15 September, 2008

At 15 months of age, Fionn is a dark iron grey, already standing 15.2hh, and is expected to reach at least 17hh. In July 2008, Fionn was presented at the BEF Futurity at Plumpton College, and was awarded a First Premium in the eventing section, and Highest Scoring Eventing Yearling of the day. He is currently living a life of relative leisure, harassing his friend Storm in the field, and going for short walks with Amanda. He has matured a great deal over the summer, and we expect him to be a very handsome two-year old next year. You can expect to see regular updates on Fionn's achievements and training as he matures.


To learn more about Fionn's breeding, click here. To see more photos of Fionn as a foal, click here. For professional photos of Fionn at the BEF Futurity 2008, Plumpton, click here. It is amazing to see how much he has matured in the seven weeks since the Futurity!

Hello From Oakwood Stud!

Welcome to Oakwood Stud's blog! Oakwood stud is a small-scale sporthorse breeding operation located in the heart of the beautiful Sussex area of the United Kingdom. This blog aims to keep you informed weekly about who we are and what we are doing, all served up with a hefty helping of photos documenting our progress and achievements.

What exactly does that mean? Well, we hope to take you with us to Europe to look at stallions, explore conformation critiques of our mares and their offspring, discuss management topics, and keep you entertained and informed while we learn about the world of horse breeding. Oakwood has produced a small selection of quality sporthorse foals, and we are in the process of planning for the next wave of youngsters.