Monday, August 16, 2010

It's been awhile... again!



I'm REALLY bad at keeping up with these things! Long story short, Chance had a VERY successful summer picking up nearly 50 points and qualifying for the AQHA World Show in FIVE events, as just a four year old with less than a half year of showing! He's even going to be a Superhorse contender, how neat is that!? I don't really expect him to win that this year with the minimum events required (unless he wins them all, ha!), but it's still cool to have his name on the Superhorse contender list as just a four year old. Next year, we'll take it very seriously, after adding western riding and trail to his agenda. He qualified in Progressive Working Hunter, JR Working Hunter, JR Hunter Hack, JR Pleasure Driving, and Performance Halter Stallions. He was the 2010 Big A Circuit Champion in JR Pleasure Driving and Performance Halter Stallions, and High Point OPEN Halter Stallion!! He also won the circuit in Performance Halter Stallions at the TQHA Country Music Circuit. Our huntseat stud is becoming quite the halter extraordinaire! We plan on going for his AQHA Champion as well.. which shouldn't be too hard, all he needs is to finish the halter points as he already has enough performance points! He will be showing at the Congress and World Show, along with Tator who will be showing in the 2YO Western Pleasure. Can't wait! Stay tuned for weanling updates, as well as some new additions!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Quick update...

Just updated the website for the first time since September, LOL. New pics, separate pages for Chance and Tator, and videos for most. www.toplineperformancehorses.com

Where can you find us?

At the shows, of course! Looks like we will be sticking close to home here in FL for the spring... lots of shows offered and can't go too far with all the expecting mamas! Expect to see Chance at these shows, with maybe even a cameo by a two year old such as Tator or Clash in the future.

2/19, 20-21/10

Tom Powers Spring Futurities/SFHS Spring Shows Ocala Equestrian Center, Ocala, FL

---------------------------------------------------------

3/13-14/10

Orange Blossom 4 H, Clarcona Horseman's Park, Clarcona, FL

---------------------------------------------------------

3/26, 27-28/10

Fox Lea Farm, Venice, FL

--------------------------------------------------------

4/1-2, 3-4/10

Fox Lea Farm, Venice, FL

--------------------------------------------------------

4/16, 17-18/10

Optimist Club of Tampa, FL State Fairgrounds, Tampa, FL

---------------------------------------------------------

4/23, 24-25/10

FQHA Firecracker Circuit, Triple J Ranch, Sarasota, FL

---------------------------------------------------------

5/28-29, 30-31/10

Memorial Day Circuit, FL State Fairgrounds, Tampa, FL


After spring, I'm pondering possibilities of the Tarheel Triple Classic in Raleigh in June, and the Big A Circuit in GA in July which as become a five year tradition with us. :) Then on to the Southern Belle, Reichert, NSBA World... Congress! The year will fly by, I bet! It's time to get crackin on the futurity horses, for sure.. I'm going to have my hands full!

So, if you are going to be at any of those shows, definitely stop by and say hi!

Also, new professional pictures taken of Chance.. woohoo! Hope to get an ad done for magazines shortly! Behold, Chance in all his studly glory. ;)







Till next time,
~A

Monday, February 1, 2010

It's been awhile...

I really need to learn how to keep up better with these things! Hmm... where to begin to sum up the past couple months, without writing a novel...



The Florida Winter Circuit with A Chance For Romance was a BIG success, especially for a show that I did not decide to go to until the last minute! We were so ill-prepared I thought it would be a miracle if we just picked up a couple points for Chance.. but I figured any points towards that ROM and the general experience would be beneficial, so off we went. Well, thanks to Linda Crothers who agreed to catch ride Chance for me in the Open HUS classes at the last minute... we brought home SEVEN open HUS points and VENICE WINTER CIRCUIT CHAMPION JR HUS! WAHOO!!!! This was beyond my wildest expectations and I couldn't help but bawl with joy. Chance sure made us proud, and it is the most rewarding feeling to know I had this horse at home, being ridden only by myself, an amateur.. and he was able to go and be a competitor at a large show. Immediately after the show we started Chance with jumping and pleasure driving. He was driving in just a few days and will be ready to show in no time! He will attend the Tom Powers Futurity in a few weeks to try to clinch those last three points for the ROM.. and then the hopes are to qualify him in HUS, hunter hack, and pleasure driving for this year. Everyone LOVES this horse and I have gotten enough compliments to fill my heart to burst... he is turning into everything I ever believed he could be. He is such a kind, gentle soul, for ANY horse, much less a stud... and he wins EVERYONE over with one bat of his pretty long eyelashes and perked up ears. He is a lifetime keeper for sure, and I have never been so excited for foaling season as these first Chance foals arriving this year!



Speaking of which.. the countdown begins! We are bringing in the first mare to foal live on camera in three weeks! Actually, we will probably bring in two at the same time as they are both due so close... so we are going to have to consort with the technology gods to hopefully allow us to successfully install TWO cameras this year! Eek, as if one wasn't hard enough!

First due is the surrogate mare "Sheza", a big chestnut TB mare who is carrying the A Chance For Romance x Skys Castle Magic embryo. Next due is "Jamie", a big bay TB type mare carrying the A Chance For Romance x Southern Sensations embryo (the baby I'm personally the most excited for this year - combining my two favorite, most beautiful, best minded horses of all time! ;). Both will be in and on cam at the same time (technology gods providing). Next couple to be on cam will be Skys Castle Magic "Shirley" herself carrying an Artful Move, and ML Zippos Venture "Lucy" in foal to Chance. Lucy gave us a HUGE and stunning colt by So Riveting last year so I just can't wait for THIS cross! Those are all of our March foalings. Next pair in April will be Southern Sensations "Sendy" carrying her Huntin For Chocolate baby, and Sleepy Little Asset "Lily" carrying her Chance baby. Then over a months break for the final baby of the year, our first delve into Appaloosa breeding! Lady Serengeti red dun ApHC in foal to Chance, due end of May. That concludes the foaling agenda... please keep us in your thoughts for safe and uneventful foalings this year. This time of year is always so incredibly exciting and magical, but can be stressful and nervewracking as well.

As far as breeding plans for this year... we don't have them set in stone as of yet. The goal is to have every huntseat type mare bred to Chance.. as well as Ally, my all-around mare, who I think will be a spectacular cross if I can get a combination of her and Chance with some height! I was hoping to pull an embryo on my buckskin Congress Top 4 filly Ima Dynamic Design and cross her with either Chance or a WP stud, but finances will dicate that, so we'll see how it goes. The priority for embryo transfer is Sendy, as she as getting up in years and doesn't have many foals on the ground, so I am trying to get as many out of her as possible. Ideally she will be bred to Zips Chocolate Chip, as she deserves to be bred to a "legend", on top of the fact that she is a very similar mover to our good Tator Chip, so I think the cross on his sire, ZCC, will be a good one. Then via embryo, I'd like to breed her back to The Ultimate Fancy for a full sibling to our Southern Rock Star, "Clash", who is just the most outstanding horse we've bred with a VERY bright future. If we can get something like him this time but with spots and yellow, that would be spectacular! ;-) The only mare that isn't spoken for yet is Jazz, my A Sudden Impulse daughter who was left open this year... but am certainly tossing around ideas! Hoping to get Ally and my new mare, a 16 hand buckskin own daughter of Dynamic In The Dark (woohoo!) in foal to Chance for some JANUARY babies this time! Enough of this waiting while everyone else has already started theirs, especially when I have no excuse waiting for warmer weather seeing as we are in Florida! :)

The last big news of the month is our brand new horse trailer! We traded in our 3H extended living quarters that was just WAY too big and scary for me to pull, especially considering we never utilized the LQ... for an 8' shorter, but with more horse slots, 4H non-LQ, brand spanking new 2010 Shadow all-aluminum gooseneck! I am so excited to bring home a trailer I should actually be able to drive. :) Can't wait to get a customized farm logo to put on all that empty white space... anyone have any good recommendations for someone that can create a creative but tasteful decal for me?




That's all for now... I will try to keep up with this more often.. of course it's going to be a rather slow few weeks until the exciting stuff begins! :)

~A

Monday, December 14, 2009

The "Next" Generation

Somewhere buried within all this fuzzy, faded, poofy winter glory, are my up and coming superstars of 2010. :) Meet Clash (Southern Rock Star), by The Ultimate Fancy out of my favorite mare Southern Sensations a.k.a Sendy, my 2010 Congress Masters prospect, and Mr. World Champion Tator (Twenty Four Karat Chip), by Zips Chocolate Chip, during his first ride with me. Gotta love these winter diamond in the rough pictures, but I know personally that they clean up pretty well. ;-)





I was trying to shoo Mr. In-Your-Pocket away with a stick so I could get photos...



...and this is how well that worked.



.....





He is a BIG BOY for 18 months old, you'd think he's a halter baby...















In other news... it's already almost Christmas! You know what that means... FOALING SEASON is ALMOST here!! WOOHOO!! Just two and a half months for us here at Top Line, hopefully that will fly by... :)

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Aim high, why not?

Well, this year was a bummer. Well, with the exception of Tator of course, he was definitely the star of 2009! But the rest, well, circumstances just did not align to get them shown. But you know what? I'm not going to let that get me down. Instead of letting a down year scare me away, I'm going to use it as motivation to work my butt off for next year. It's a bit too early for a New Year's resolution, but I already know mine. Do everything I can to make 2010 the year I have been waiting for. There are some very nice horses sitting in this barn, that I am very proud to have in my life, that need to be utilized and done justice.

That said, I think I have some killer two year olds for next year.. the best I've ever been blessed to own. If I can downsize my stock, and concentrate on these guys, I am thinking that Tator would be a serious candidate for the Reichert 250k class, and Clash for the Congress Masters class. Tator is a bit older and more mature so I think he'd be the better candidate for the Reichert, Clash is a May baby so I'd feel better not pushing him and holding him off for Congress. Tator has been started and is riding now, I'm excited to try him out myself this week and hopefully come back with some video for ya'll. :) I will be starting Clash myself. I plan on doing most the work with them myself as I did with Mocha, and finding a rider for the big shows. Perhaps these are pretty lofty goals. But, ya know what? Prospects like these don't come along every day, or every year, or every couple years. These are the best I've had, and the only way to accomplish goals is to try. The only sure way to fail is to not even try, right?

Here is Clash, who I'm also thinking might make a mighty fine HUS horse if he gets big enough, lol. Keep in mind he was not longed this year and mostly kept out to pasture since he was a late baby, so he is as green as green can be. He has the flattest front leg at the lope and such a rhythmical jog/trot. Horrible footing in this pen and he likes to strut his stuff with is tail up, but I'm already seeing the future of a broke Clash in a nice arena with a big fat tail. ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4GsIZO4__c

And of course, most of you probably already know the Tatornator :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDhBpoqOLOM

So, with that, it is time for a complete revamping here at Top Line. We are overhorsed, and it has kept us out of many of the shows this year due to time and financial constraints. Therefore, I am offering several of my young prospects for sale, that I did not previously want to sell. However, sacrifices must be made, I can't keep them all, though I wish I could. These guys are going to do VERY well for someone who has the time to put into them!

2008 bay Zippo Jack Bar/Zips Chocolate Chip filly. Very, VERY pretty, very sweet, very well made. Super flat front leg. Moves like her breeding dictates. Would be a great two year old for next year. WP, all-around. Selling for $2500 with registration application. IF eligible. VERY underpriced and does not reflect quality.

2007 black Sweet Talkin Chip filly. The quietest, sweetest mare EVER. Greenbroke to ride, but super quiet and safe, a kid or novice could finish her out. Super flashy and will catch the eye at shows. Won't hurt my feelings if she doesn't sell, I would LOVE to breed her to one of my guys next year, but she should show. $5000

2004 15.3 hand chestnut Sonnys Hot Jazz/World Champion Once In A Dream gelding. World caliber fence prospect. Super freaky over fences. Very pretty topline, excellent conformation. Has been shown at open hunter shows. Has been on the backburner which is the only reason for his price, someone will get a steal. Safe and lazy, will do the all-around too. $3500

2009 bay Only In The Moonlight/A Sudden Impulse filly. This filly is the REAL DEAL and could be my Tator for next year if I had the extra time and funds. She is going to go all the way. FREAKY flat up front, absolutely exquisitely put together. She is going to be one of those big time mares worth doing embryos on. $12,500

2009 grey So Riveting/Zippo Jack Bar colt. He is everything that is wanted in a modern huntseater these days. He got all the right parts. Tall, leggy, big strided like a HUS horse, but slow legged and can lope like a western horse, with a pretty, dishy face. He could win the Congress LL next year. $4000

2002 15.2 hand bay mare by Skip The Assets out of Investment Asset, out of a Zippos Old Gold mare. STUNNING mare. Lots of chrome and hair. Looks like a Lazy Loper and would be a pretty cool cross with him! Was told she was broke to ride, and is sound, though I haven't tried. In foal to A Chance For Romance, asking only $850 if I can retain the foal, with a free breedback, so you are basically getting a free mare with a breeding! $2500 with foal.

So there is my New Year's Resolution, 2010. Sell, even if I don't want to, so I can have time and finances left for a handful, and actually get places with them. :)

Monday, November 9, 2009

TLPH Baby Bumps!

I'll say it again... even though winter hasn't even started yet, spring is just around the corner! Here is the current state of the TLPH mare's baby bumps in their various states of gestation. I'm sure I will be posting more baby bump updates as they progress - I need SOMETHING to pass the time! I have never been so excited for a foaling season... the first Chance foal crop! Not to mention all the COLOR possibilities next year. :) All these mares will be on Marestare for the third year, this will be our busiest yet!

I just noticed they are all due in pairs except for the last one. Good thing we have two foaling stalls!




"Sheza", the first mare due of the spring. She is the surrogate mare that is carrying the A Chance For Romance x Skys Castle Magic embryo. Due March 5, we'll start watching her mid-Feb.



"Jamie", the second surrogate mare. She is carrying the much-anticipated A Chance For Romance x Southern Sensations embryo. Due March 11. She'll be in our second foaling stall next to Jamie. First two babies of the year are Chance's, with possibility for color!



Next is ML Zippos Venture "Lucy". She is carrying her second foal, her first by A Chance For Romance. Due March 20th. Hopefully the first two mares will be out of the foaling stalls for her and the next that is due almost the same day as Lucy...



Skys Castle Magic, aka Shirley, is due on March 23rd with her second foal of the year, this one she is carrying, by Artful Move. I'm excited about this foal because I think it is the closest I will get to the late Milo, my buckskin Artful Move colt that passed away. He was one of a kind, but this mare is so similar in type, movement, and mind, to his late dam Lexi, plus with the color to boot, that maybe, just maybe I will get something similar. I won't even expect a buckskin colt though... LOL. Things like that just don't happen twice! :)



Next is the great Southern Sensations, aka Sendy, with the second most anticipated foal of the year, just because it's hers! It is by Huntin For Chocolate and is our only western pleasure bred baby of the year (although I suspect her Chance baby may end up that type as well). Don't have an exact date for her, due mid April, but she looks due in mid December! Note the lovely, faded, annual winter jammies she gets. :P



This is Sleepy Little Asset aka Lily. She is in foal to Chance, I don't have an exact due date on her either other than mid April. I suspect this foal will go both ways, western and english, and be absolutely stunning headed. Oh, and bay!



Last but not least, as it is likely our most unique breeding of the year, is Lady Serengeti, aka Sara the Appaloosa. This is our first ever Appaloosa and she is in foal to Chance! Still sporting a rather slender baby bump, this poor girl is due a month and a half after the last girls to foal, May 31! We just didn't want to waste a year on this lovely spotted girl though, and are so excited to see the appaloosa huntseat foal by Chance! She is also a red dun, so two possibilities for color.. although I know we'll get solid sorrel. :P

You can check out all these girls in their more fit forms at http://toplineperformancehorses.com/broodmares.htm

Happy Baby Bakin'!
~Amy