The Mendip Stud - June Newsletter 2006

2006 Foals

2006 Foals

The Mendip Stud

June 2006 Newsletter

In this newsletter:

• Welcome to new readers
• May Caption Winner
• AQHA-UK  - leisure rides
• Stud News:  What’s going on here and general news
• Dave Dellin Clinic – A view from award winning equestrian journalist Celia Gadd
• Chairman’s Letter – Brenda Ditchfield   - ‘Getting a show off the ground’             
• Lou’s Larder – Something for the summer
• Bob Mayhew Judging Seminar and Clinic dates confirmed

• For Sale - top quality rubber stable matting

• New Bruce Lawrence clinics

• Caption Competition - win a lesson with Ilan Rosenberg

This years babies – the 2006 foal crop…

All of our 2006 foals are now on the ground  - congratulations to Lou and the foaling team for a fantastic effort over the last sixteen weeks. We’d also like to express our good wishes, thanks and congratulations to customers who have sent their mares to us for foaling this year. We appreciate the trust you give us and take the responsibility very seriously.

All up to date pictures and pedigrees of the new babies will be posted on the website next week …..use this link to go straight there or go to the horses section on the menu and then foals

Please call Lou for sales information not only on the weanlings but for all other stock including riding horses, broodmares and yearlings. Pre purchase options are available on 2007 stock.

Plans for 2007 are well under way with mares in foal to world class sires including Smart Spook, Top Sail Wizz., Just Gotta Shine, Einstein, Dr Stream and Tejons Peppy doc on the reining side and Blazing Hot and Zip Chip Leaguer on the pleasure side – Appaloosas , of course J from Private B Riker.

Presents the 2006 Horsemanship  Clinic

AQHA-UK  - leisure rides & regional co-ordinator Chris Kent invites as many as possible to join her for the 2006 horsemanship clinic.

 Conducted by North Central Texas Equine College

Sponsored by    AQHA-UK    July 13- 16^th 2006 inclusive

At Rodbaston College, Penkridge, Stafford ST195PH

Please note this clinic is appropriate for all levels & ages of riders from beginner to the more accomplished. Young or more experienced horses can also be catered for.

Rodbaston College is situated on the A449 on the outskirts of Penkridge   ( check out www.rodbaston.com ) the riding and stabling facilities are excellent and we have use of a huge indoor arena, as well as class rooms for the lectures. Accommodation is in single rooms in student accommodation- for those of you living in your horse box you can use the shared shower and kitchen facilities – included in your parking fee.  The catering is of a high standard and the meals provided  are good value for money. We thought that for evening meals people may want to go out together, share take aways or cater for themselves. Spectators are most welcome and are fully involved In the clinics and workshops and mealtimes.

The accommodation is limited on site and we are anticipating that this clinic will be fully subscribed- take advantage of the early bird discount to secure your place on what will be a fun, action packed and educational 4 days.  Bios of clinicians and programme details will be circulated as soon as they arrive from Texas.

Any questions? Feel free to contact Chris 01353 740845  chris_kent@btinternet.com

Stud News - Update  

Lee Rutter  - our good wishes.

I’m sure you will all join us in wishing Lee a quick and full recovery from the injury he sustained working in the yard at home last week. Lee will be out of action for about 4 to 6 weeks.  Lee is a very popular and well-liked visitor here. Our thoughts and good wishes are with him and Becky. All the best Lee  - J & L

 PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LEE RUTTER CLINIC ON THE 29^th JUNE WILL BE TAKING PLACE. SHANE BORLAND HAS  
 KINDLY AGREED TO RUN THE CLINIC IN LEE’S PLACE. 

2006 Breedings With Zip Chip Leaguer, Private B Riker and Diamond In Hollywood.

Would any customers who have not already booked breedings for this year please contact Lou as soon as possible. We are finalising our plans for the ‘boys’ in the next few days.

Mendip Promotions  - June Clinic with Bruce Lawrence 

We would like to offer a warm welcome to Bruce Lawrence who will be conducting a series of clinics here at The Mendip Stud. Bruce has been teaching students and training for many years and it will be a pleasure to have him passing on his knowledge and experience. 

 Due to an unexpected clash with another local activity, 2 additional spaces have become available for individual lessons 
 next Thursday. The times now available are 11:00 - 12:00 , 13:00 - 14:00 & 14:00 - 15:00. Places will be allocated on a first 
 come, first served basis. 

Thursday June 15^th - Bruce Lawrence  - Individual Lessons

Ilan Rosenberg clinics – July 2006

Ilan will be back on the 8^th and 9^th  July. There are no spaces left on the clinics but spectators are welcome. The feedback from those who attended the May clinics was fantastic and we’d urge spectators to come and watch. Tickets £10.00 for pre-booked tickets and £15.00 on the day.  To pre-book please  use the submission form on the website or e-mail info@themendipstud

Closing date fro pre-booked tickets is the 1^st July

Bumper BBQ……July 4th

Last chance to Book. 

Ticket only evening.

We are hosting a bumper independence day BBQ here at the stud.  The evening will be ticket only.

Shane Borland is running a surgery all day and BBQ will be available from 7 - till late. Cost will be £10.00 a head – bring your own wine, beer, whatever…We’ll do the BBQ, salads, deserts soft drinks and nibbles…To date we have had a good response and hope many more will come and join in and make an evening of it.

If you are interested please let us know by completing the submission form on the website  or by e-mailing info@themendipstud with your requirements.

We will be contacting all those who have booked in the next few weeks to confirm and arrange ticket collection etc.

Free Lecture and Open Evening

 ‘See the foals’ and a lecture by Jenny Griffiths BVSc

0n  “foal care  - the early days…” -  Tuesday 11th July starting at 7pm

As well as seeing the new arrivals there will be a short lecture by our stud vet Jenny Griffiths BVSc on “foal care  - the early days…”  Jenny is based at Langford House Equine Practice (BEVA). Langford House Equine Practice is regarded one of the most prestigious equine practices in the U.K.

We hope you’ll join us and be part of this fun evening.   

Please help us to help you and use the submission form on the website to register your interest and so we can get the catering right - thanks  JJ

All and any donations on the night will go to our Charity of Choice for 2006   - ‘The National Foaling Bank’

DVD's from Dave Dellin & Ilan Rosenberg

With over 16 hours of footage and an aging computer it has been taking longer to put these together than we had hoped. However they should be available in the next couple of weeks so if you haven't yet placed your order for one then please send your order together with a cheque as soon as possible. Sorry for the delay, we've been a bit swamped!

Forever Living Horses

We are pleased to announce that the Mendip Stud has become a Business Member of an innovative new website called Forever Living Horses which is run by Celia Gadd BHSII BHSSM. The website is a unique combination of advisory service, shop, classified section, business directory and horse search service. Celia is a very experienced instructor and equestrian journalist and wishes to bring all her knowledge together in one place and help all levels of horse owner with any problems they may have or just general advice. This horse search service is proving particularly popular with people who lack the time or experience to go and find their next horse and there are different levels of service available.

To find out more about the site visit www.foreverlivinghorses.co.uk but don’t forget to mention the Mendip Stud if you join. The Western Riding section is rapidly developing on the site and Celia will also be teaching from the Mendip Stud and will be able to take horses in for schooling or for sale.

A Blissful Western Experience

Celia Gadd visits the Mendip Stud near Badgworth in Somerset and starts to understand what attracts people to the Western Way.

John Calder and Louise Talintyre of the Mendip Stud in Somerset always give me a warm welcome and my visit there this month was no exception to the rule. It was a truly beautiful day and almost as if I had stepped into another world as I watched three-time world champion David Dellin in action. The sun was beating down but there was thoughtfully placed tables with sun umbrellas on in the garden that backed on to the fabulous water gardens and a background sound of classical tunes. It was definitely hard to drag myself away at the end of the session.

David is three times World Pleasure Horse Champion in the States and at only 28 years old has an obvious depth of knowledge and training that has his pupils hanging on his every word. He was born in Owasso, Oklahoma and started riding Western at the age of 13. He completed a degree in Animal Science and a minor in Agricultural economics and was Head Trainer at the Northwind Ranch in Pilot Point in Texas before setting up his own operation. He has won numerous titles including the Open Pleasure Maturity in 2005 and the American Quarter Horse Association World Championships in Senior Western Pleasure. He is a wonderfully calm but clear trainer and it was lovely to see people working hard but in a relaxed way during the clinic. It was obvious that David really gets the best out of people, and their horses and really understands how a horse thinks.

Gill Parker, the well know sculptress and multiple European Champion was one of the riders attending the clinic and has been riding Western now for 15 years. She was enthralled by David’s teaching and said that he was “the best clinician she had ever ridden before!” David was also impressed with Gill’s commitment and she was given an “outstanding achievement” award, which was a day with David at his own Ranch in the states.

The facilities at the Mendip Stud are just getting better and better and the new school is ideal for this type of large, mounted clinic. John is absolutely committed to raising the profile and standard of Western Riding in this country and with days like this for people to attend I am sure that he will be successful.

David and John are joining forces with the promotion of some training videos and DVD’s which will be available soon and David will visit the Stud again next year when I am sure his following will be even greater.

As well as David there are other regular trainers that give clinics here and people are now travelling from all parts of the country to make the most of the expertise on offer and wonderful facilities. Regular trainers include Shane Borland, Lee Rutter, and now Ilan Rosenberg.. There is a growing core of riders who absolutely love the Western style of riding.  Even if you have never experienced Western riding then it would still be an enjoyable experience to go along and see what it is all about and you can always be sure of a warm welcome here.

As well as the training operations that are taking place this is also a very active stud and there are numerous foals on the ground at the moment, which are lovely to see. Lou is extremely knowledgeable about breeding and blood lines of the Quarter Horse and Appaloosa’s but the team at Mendip also offer their great facilities to other mare owners who would like to know that their horse is going to have the top care available during foaling. They have 24 hour supervision during the foaling season and CCTV enabling the experienced staff to keep an eye on the horses all the time.

Celia Gadd

Chairmans Letter………….

This month from Brenda Ditchfield who has turned the WES area 6 show into one of the ‘must do’ venues on the Western calendar  ………..

‘Getting a show off the ground’

It all started four years ago. I became the representative for WES Area 6.

I had for a long while wondered why AQHA ran three and four day show’s at superb venues and the normal WES event (apart from the Championship) were held on a Sunday afternoon in a field, when WES had more members than AQHA -UK.

With this in mind I decided to visit Hartpury College, (if you are going to take on something new the best person to have with you is Roger Wells). So one Saturday afternoon Roger and I set off to “ look” at Hartpury, by the time we left we had booked the college for a two-day show and committed most of the area funds to the event. 

The first year was hard I knew I had to raise at least 1K in sponsorship money.

Everyone one had their arm-twisted, work, the local garage, members of the golf club,

Members of Area 6 were sent posters and sponsorship forms, with the help of the tack stands renting space we made it. Every person I had ever met in western was contacted and told about the show.

The first year was a great success and made a small profit. The show has now gone from strength to strength, and is an important Championship Qualifier. We have a brilliant show team, entries go up every year, and above all everyone enjoys themselves for two days. There are too many people to say thank you to for making the show a success, to name them all would take forever. At the end of the show I am totally worn out but always very proud of Area 6.

The moral of this story is, if I can do it so can you, it just takes a bit of hard work and a lot of good friends.

Hartpury this year is on 1^st and 2^nd of July for details visit the Area 6 website www.wes-area-6.co.uk  

Judging Seminar  -  23rd September ……

There are only seven places left for the Judging Seminar.

The details are as follows:

Saturday the 23rd starting at 3.00 hosted by Bob Mayhew. Bob Holds Holds NRHA, AQHA, APHA, NCHA, WES judging cards.  Starting with an informal coffee and biscuits get-together on arrival the seminar will open with a lecture by Bob on various aspects of judging…………..this will be followed by a finger buffet and an evening lecture with a question and answer session. Tickets will be £15.00  per person,  Juniors and youth riders £5.00  maximum 25 people.

Please register your interest in the seminar by mailing    john@themendipstud.com    thanks.

 New Newsletter Item  -  Tack and equipment specials:

This month’s special…………..

Quality rubber stable mats as used in stables at the Mendip stud,  Shane Borland’s and a host of other yards throughout the UK 6’ x 4’  - dual faced – pimples one side – grooved on other  - non porous   Price  ONLY £24.50 plus VAT. Available by collection from Mendip Stud or have them delivered (minimum 6 mats) - £20 per delivery……… Fitting also an available option at £3.00 per mat Offer only open if taken up and ordered in June for delivery or collection July. Please place your order by e-mail to info@themendipstud.com Mats will only be available for collection on a pre-paid basis.

Lou’s Larder  -  Something for Summer……….

Red currant sorbet slush

750g redcurrants
500g caster sugar
zest and juice of 1 orange
75ml Cointreau

Preheat the oven to 180 c/gas 4. Put redcurrants, stalks and all into an oven proof dish and add the sugar, zest and orange juice. Cover and cook for around 45 mins until the fruit becomes soft and mushy.

Let the fruit and juice cool before pureeing it. Sieve to remove all the bits and you should end up with a syrupy juice then stir in the Cointreau.

Put the mixture into an ice cream maker then decant into an air tight container and store in the freezer.

If you aren’t using an ice cream maker pour the mix into a plastic container and bring it out a couple of times while it is freezing and blitz it again with the blender. This should break down all the ice crystals and you will end up with a beautiful velvety sorbet.

Enjoy  -  Lou

THE 2006 BRITISH YOUTH WORLD CUP TEAM

Team Members travelling to Amarillo, Texas to represent the United Kingdom are:

Josh Collins
Tammy Greaves
Jessica March
Andrew Plant
Jessica Sternberg
Becki Dixon
Nadia Aslam
Elizabeth Ward-Blakemore
David Kutas
Lily Fry

Spectators and as much support as possible welcome.  If you have any questions, contact Christy Leach 01494 718233 or christy.leach@tesco.net

Good luck to you all over the next few weeks from all at the Mendip Stud.

Just some thoughts……..

Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind.

‘The male is a domestic animal which, if treated with firmness and kindness, can be trained to do most things.’

‘Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve’. G.B.Shaw

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink what ever comes out"?

The Mendip Stud
Tel: +44 (0)1934 751258              Bow Farm, A38 Badgworth, Somerset, UK, BS26 2QA              Mobile: +44 (0)7866 444739
info@themendipstud.com