Meet Our New Broodmare

I've been incredibly busy working on the horse facility / business Doug and I are starting, so blogging has taken a back seat for the time being :( We're clearing the site, working with an engineer on the arena (a change is coming there), promoting the business for 2013, etc., etc. If you've been reading for a while you'll know this business first entered my head in early 2011, as a means to afford an indoor for ourselves. I wanted a good place to ride and take lessons with Rogo, and our other horses, in the winter. Having our own place seemed like the only solution. Having it make enough money to pay for itself was the next objective, so here we are.

Our business plan calls for the following services:

• facility rental (indoor and outdoor) for small (starting with 40 stalls) competitions and clinics

• a small amount of boarding

• breeding

• dressage and jumping lessons from Sue Fraser, level 3 Equine Canada coach, and dressage lessons from Jane Fraser, FEI rider and reknowned clinician 

When I write it out like that, it seems like a lot, but it all fits together nicely in a synergistic package in our business plan. We got financing through Farm Credit Canada, so it made sense to them :) If anyone is interested in our equine business planning approach I'm more than happy to tell you about it in detail. Just send me an email - carol@fivefires.ca with the subject line 'business planning' so I won't think it's spam :)

Anyway, back to the mare. We bought her in partnership with my friend Alison Kelland, also a dressage rider who has successfully bred very nice warm bloods for years.

Her name is SPA/EM Diotima (Donnerschlag Melodie/Matrose). Here is the sales write up for her:

Diotima is an Elite Hanoverian mare. Prior to importation from Germany, she received her “1A” prize and gained “SPA” (states premium candidate) status. After producing her first foal in the USA, she completed all requirements to acheive her “EM” status. She embarked on a very successful showing career in hand, winning another “1A” prize and Reserve Grand Champion of the Mid-Atlantic Hanoverian Breeder’s mare show in 2007. In 2008 she showed at Dressage at Devon to place 3rd out of 16 in the Broodmare class with a score of 80.7%, placing just behind Iron Springs Farm’s Rabiola (2006 Grand Champion and 2007 Reserve Grand Champion at Devon) and Hilltop Farm’s Cha Cha (2008 Reserve Grand Champion at Devon) and just ahead of M.Ecloir (Grand Champion at Devon in 2002). In 2008 Diotima ended the year in 5th place for broodmares competing in USDF shows. In 2009 at Fairhill I and II she was Champion Mare and Champion Mature Horse at both shows. Diotima’s sire Donnerschlag was a successful Grand Prix competitor, as well as producing many successful Grand Prix horses such as Dr. Snuggles, Don Androsso and Donnerwind. Diotima is completely sounds and could be ridden. She is very fertile and catches on the first try with fresh or frozen semen.

I'm educating myself on Hanoverians, so I hope you won't think it's patronizing if I tell you Elite is the highest rating for mares. I'm thrilled that we were able to find such a nice mare, and one we could afford together. She is in Ontario and I'm in Nova Scotia. She has an April 2012 foal by her side (already sold), so we won't ship her to NS until the fall, after the foal is weaned. We'll try to breed her soon though, so I'll keep you posted on that.

Here is her picture:

 That's my news. Hope you like her. I CAN'T WAIT to meet her!!!