There’s no secret formula to successful breeding, just hard work and attention to detail. I’ve learnt it all from the Boss Cat, my father Ronnie. All his skill and adaptation to the breeding game has led us here. Everyone thinks their horses are better than everyone else’s, but we should also see their weaknesses to know where to develop the next generation.
I found ponies brilliant as a kid, but my riding days are long gone. I rode point-to-point for a season, aged 16 – it was awesome fun and if I’d been a bit lighter, I might have done it a bit longer.
The excitement of what could be at the start of every foaling season is the reason we all do it. We’re standing two stallions this year and have 13 mares in foal.
Ian Young’s Arradoul Balvenie has been our top stock-getting sire for a few years. He’s 15, but as fresh as paint. Then we have a young stallion, Collessie Monarch, whose oldest crop are two. His son Collessie ET is an embryo transfer from our flagship mare Collessie Jennifer, so hopefully his progeny will excite us, too.
Esta historia es de la edición March 30, 2023 de Horse & Hound.
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Esta historia es de la edición March 30, 2023 de Horse & Hound.
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'Sorry, but I wasn't feeling it'
Fresh from the opening meet, Tessa Waugh hasn't quite yet been bitten by the hunting bug. Without the crisp autumnal air and cheek-pinching cold she hoped for, it's a sluggish start
New pair pull off a win
A former European Championships pony is on form with his new rider, while elsewhere former showjumpers and eventers take ribbons
Lording it over the rest
Horses who have returned from injury, a second generation homebred and a long format specialist score on the final weekend of the British season
Smith hits flying form
A \"her way or no way\" mare helps Zoe Smith to an impressive ribbon haul and a rider beats his own boss to the top spot
Jankorado hits the jackpot
Paul Sims is triumphant despite his interrupted jump-off preparation and a borrowed horse comes up trumps
Peanut
From \"dangerous, scary\" to hedge-hopping brilliance, hunting has been the making of this unstable but very lovable equine character
She's a corker
Communication, says long-standing and highly respected Belvoir master Lady Sarah McCorquodale, is the key to all, as Catherine Austen discovers
Access all areas Cavalier Centre
The Cavalier Centre is a fully accessible, state-of-the-art equestrian centre designed to improve lives through horse-based activities. Ellie May Forrester pays a visit
'Use it or lose it'
Not everyone wants to reach for the pipe and slippers at a certain age. Becky Murray speaks to some veteran horse-and-rider combos for their secrets of human and equine longevity
A new way forward
Worm control in horses is vital, but established methods will not remain effective for much longer. Tim Mair FRCVS explains why and how we need to change
