News |
May 2008 CONGRATULATIONS to Christine Miller and "Two To Tango" of Cedarburg, Wisconsin on their win at their very first schooling show on May 3rd at the Sorensen's Schooling Show in East Troy, WI. Christine and TTT earned 2nd place with a score of 64% in their Intro A class and a 1st place in their Intro B class with an even better score of 65%. Less than a year ago, Two To Tango sustsained a very serious injury. It was not known if he would return to soundness. Due to all the wonderful TLC given by Christine, not only did her boy recover, but he's now out in the show world. What an incredible year for them both. Again, our sincere congratulations to Christine and Tango, and very best wishes to you both for many years of great happiness and success together. For us, the last year+ has been a time of much catching up and of great reflection. In April, Happy and I began working with a teacher, who I can say without a doubt, is the most classical, correct, knowledgable and caring teacher. In this age, it seems to be a very rare occasion when someone gives so much of themselves and who has the desire to impart as much knowledge and experience possible to each and every student and horse - a person who takes such a genuine, sincere interest, and a teacher who really cares. My only regret is that we did not begin our work earlier on with Elizabeth. With that said, we are extremely happy and honored to be working with Elizabeth, who in addition to being an excellent instructor for many years, is also a very accomplished dressage judge. We hope this is the beginning of a long friendship and partnership. We have competition goals for Happy Hour later in the summer/fall and for his 5-year old son, Perfect Hour, who has matured into an absolutely lovely horse who shows great promise, talent and character for the performance world, like his father and grandfather. As the saying goes, "God willing and the creek don't rise," we hope to be back in the dressage arena soon! :) April 2008 More April congratulations to Chrisy Leonhardt of Little Rock Arkansas and Cassidy!!! Christy purchased Cassidy as a 3-year old in October 2007. At their debut competition at the Country Classic I & II Dressage Show in Perryville, AR, Christy and Cassidy earned three 1st places - way to go!!! What a lovely pair. We extend our very best wishes to Christy and Cassidy for many years of great happiness and success together. 1st - Training Level 4 Jr. - 62.0% 1st - Training Level 2 Jr. - 66.79% 1st - Training Level 4 Jr. - 62.4% TRAINING LEVEL CHAMPION! ATA HIGH SCORE! Congratulations to Kosmisch & Kendra Menzies for their performance at the Houston Dressage Society Spring Class I/II - The pair earned 2nd place in their 2nd Level, Test Four (Qualifying) class with a score of 68.095% and 3rd place with a score of 67.381%. WOW!!! Way to go Mimi, Stacy and Michele!!! We just received great news that Mimi had a fabulous weekend at her second, away-from-home competition of the 2008 season. For this show, Michele turned over the reins to Stacy Zwergel to ride Mimi at the highly competitive (and strict judging) Golden State Dressage Festival and CDI***, Rancho Murieta, CA over the weekend of April 4-6. Mimi took all the hustle and bustle in stride, once again confirming her great character and easy, steady nature. Mimi's and Stacy's scores were: 2nd - Training Level 3 Open - 65.60% (Friday) 3rd - Training Level 4 Open - 64.8% (Friday) 1st - Training Level 3 Open - 66.4% (Saturday) 3rd - Training Level 4 Open - 64.4% (Saturday) 2nd - Training Level 3 Open - 62.4% (Sunday) What a busy and very successful weekend for Mimi, Stacy and Michele. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL! Happy sends his love and asks that Mimi receive extra hugs, kisses and carrots! Thanks so much for sharing this great news, Michele! :) March 2008 It is a great pleasure to extend YET ANOTHER HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS to Michele Martin and Mimi on their 2008 show season debut at the Yarra Yarra Dressage Classic in Pleasanton, CA over the weekend of March 15-16. The pair had a break in competition since Mimi became a "mom" last year, but picked up right where they left off. Both did absoutely super despite very hectic, disruptive surroundings earning 2nd place in Training Level Test 3 with a score of 66.80% (out of 8), and 2nd place in Training Level Test 4 with a score of 66% (out of 9). This was Mimi's first show "away" from home. Way to go Michele and Mimi and very best wishes for continued success and great fun! WAY TO GO KOSMISCH AND KENDRA AT YOUR WELLINGTON DEBUT!!!! A very hearty congratulations to Kosmisch, Kendra and the Cassel's on their success this past weekend (March 8th) at the Wellington Dressage Classic II. The pair earned 3rd place (out of 9) with a great score of 66.923% in the USEF Third Level, Test 1 (Open) class judged by M. Poulin. What a great start in 2008 for this pair! February 2008 Great opportunity for Arabian mares! We've donated a frozen semen breeding to the Sport Horse Nationals Payback Program for 2008. This is a great chance to obtain a breeding to Happy Hour at half the normal breeding fee for your special Arabian mare. We feel this is a very positive contribution since the crosses with Arabian mares thus far have been excellent. We are very happy to participate in such a positive and beneficial program. Visit SHNpayback for more details. January 2008 A very Happy New Year to everyone! In an effort to keep in line with current breeding economics, we lowered Happy Hour's Breeding Fees. Our primary option is now for frozen semen with no Booking Fee required with the initial contract and a significanly lower Booking Fee if carried over to the next year. Our second option is for fresh, chilled semen which will be offered for select mares and the Breeding Fee may be further negotiable from what is published for a proven and/or premium mare, particularly high quality Trakehner mares. We hope this will encourage and make it more affordable for those who have high quality mares and whose focus is to get their offspring out in the performance world. December 2007 FROM HAPPY HOUR, INDUC, PETER PARKER, FOOSE, AND ALL THE FAMILY AT HAWK'S RUN TRAKEHNERS, WE EXTEND OUR SINCERE AND VERY BEST WISHES TO ALL THOSE WHO CELEBRATE THIS WONDERFULLY DIVERSE HOLIDAY SEASON. AND TO EVERYONE, VERY BEST WISHES FOR A MOST HEALTHY, HAPPY, PEACEFUL AND SUCCESSFUL NEW YEAR! GODSPEED. November 2007 Congratulations once again to Kosmisch, the Cassel's and Kendra Menzies on Kos' success at the Region 9 finals. Kosmisch earned 2nd place in the SWDC Open 2nd Level Championship class with a score of 65.714% under Judge Linda Zang, and 63.214% in the GAIG 2nd Level Championship class under Judge Lois Yukins. What a fabulous show season for Kosmisch and Kendra! Way to go! We had another fabulous clinic (3-day) with Alex Gerding on November 2-4 in Harwood, Maryland. Alex is an excellent match and is well articulated. He has the ability to clearly communicate what is needed and can 'read' both horse and rider very accurately and quickly. Alex is very friendly and approachable and pushes the rider in a positive way -- there is always improvement for both rider and horse. If a particular approach does not work for either the horse or rider, Alex can quickly change gears and suggest an alternate way to approach and accomplish the task. He is very flexible and positive in his approach and is a pleasure to work with. We were thrilled with the progress made over the weekend, especially schooling the piaffe. We look forward to working with Alex again in late January. Our sessions with Alex have been most enjoyable, educational and productive. October 2007 Congratulations to Happy Hour on his 2007 rankings (top third) for both USDF and USEF for Dressage Sires (900+ horses) and Dressage Breeding (60+ horses). His USDF ranking is a result of the performance of his son, Kosmisch under rider Kendra Menzies, who also earn big kudos for their 4th place ranking in the USDF All-Breeds with a median score of 66.905% and Cassidy, the up-and-coming 3-year old son who is already making his own mark in the performance world. Congratulations to Christy Leonhardt of Little Rock, Arkansas on her purchase of Cassidy. We are very excited for Christy and Cassidy and wish them the very best of fun and success together. We have heard great things about Cassidy (and Christy as a rider), and very much look forward to following their performance in the dressage arena. Kudos once again to Kosmisch and the Cassel's on what we understand was a very "spirited bidding war" that took place at the primarily Trakehner and Dutch horse auction/sale held at KD Jumpers in Wisconsin on October 6th. Kosmisch, sired by Happy Hour out of Korinna, was one of the many fine sale horses presented at the auction who possesses a very prestigious and successful performance record, especially for such a young horse. We understand Kosmisch commanded very active bidding, to say the least. Even though the final bid on Kosmisch fell short of his reserve, it is our understanding his final bid far exceeded that of any other bid placed during the entire auction. Very best wishes to Kosmisch and his owners at the Region 9 finals! September 2007 Our own Happy son, PeterParker, is progressing very well in his basic under-saddle work. He exhibits three excellent gaits, particularly an excellent walk and canter and shows great promise for more advanced lateral and collection work. His trot is very good and improving each day as he continues to develop and his movement is very well balanced, elastic, and uphill. As a 4-year old, he is very sane, sensible, willing and a quick study. Like his dad, he seems to enjoy his work and the new challenges. While it's not certain at this time (and he will tell us if/when he is ready), possibly the young horse program may be a possibility in his future, but not until he is 6 so he can continue to develop and become more solidifed in the correct basics. Either way, our goal is to get this boy into the competition arena. Stay tuned... We had a fabulous clinic with Alex Gerding over the first weekend in September. Alex was not only very knowledgeable and personable, he displayed a very sound and logical approach for each student and their respective horse. Happy and I took away some very valuable insight and homework, and we look forward to working with Alex again for 3 days in early November. August 2007 While the USEF 2007 performance standings are still preliminary at this point, we are very proud that Happy Hour ranks 18th in the Leading Sires/Dressage Breeding category. In addition, out of 900+ horses, Happy Hour ranks in the very top third for Leading Sires/Dressage category. These rankings are great and come as a result of the success of just a minimal number of offspring (1-2), which makes these rankings even more significant.. Kudos to Happy Hour, to the moms and to their offspring! Happy Hour rises to the occasion yet again! Happy made the transition to 4th level competition just a few weeks after his second Third Level competition of the year and under a new rider. He placed well in his very first 4th Level Test 1 class with very positive remarks from the judge (see July updates), and stepped right up to 4th Level Test 2, where again he placed well and received more very complimentary, encouraging comments. Happy has ridden each one of these tests only once. While still "green" and going up against much more seasoned competition at this level, Happy Hour has gotten off to a great start. We simply could not ask for more and he seems to be very comfortable at this level and definitely seems to be enjoying the new challenges. Our goal is to solidify and improve at 4th Level this fall and continue his schooling at PSG through the winter, with hopes of coming out strong next spring/summer. And while not really exciting for anyone else, I rode Happy Hour in the double bridle for the first time last night! He is making the transition to the double so nicely. That said, we will be very careful and judicious in our use of this refining tool... Just want to let everyone know that Induc is doing fantastic and seems to be loving life! Induc is 17 years young now and still has what it takes! He and his grandson, Perfect Hour, have established quite a bond and all the boys get along very well. It is great fun to watch three generations interact and they are like peas in a pod in many ways, and all very easy to handle and uncomplicated in their nature. I think each tries to outdue the other in how cute and charming they can be. We will post some updated photos of Induc and everyone soon. He is quite healthy and seems to be very happy, and we are keeping him in light work which he certainly seems to enjoy. Speaking of our very own Perfect Hour (a/k/a/ Peter Parker), he is 4 now and stands between 16.2 and 16.3. He is very leggy and quite stunning and charming like his father and grandfather (he is dark bay with a diamond-shaped star on his forehead). While our intent was to back Peter Parker sometime in his third year (we mainly worked on ground manners, long-lining and some lunging), he was experiencing so many growth spurts that we decided to hold off for a while and let him mature a bit more. We believe that decision is paying off. Like Happy Hour and Induc, he is extremely rideable, trainable and very sensible, especially for such a young horse. He seems to know that being ridden is a very normal thing (probably because he stood at the fence many times watching me ride dad...). He is very trusting and kind, and a quick study. We have great hopes for Peter Parker and while he is supposed to be for sale, we will see (wink!). Stay tuned... June-July 2007 Congratulations to our friend in California, Michelle Martin, Mimosa (Happy's daughter - a/k/a/ Mimi)) and Dela Rosa (Mimi's first offspring - a/k/a/ "Lucy) on their joint success at the German Oldenburg Verband inspection in Calfornia. Mimi was accepted into the Main Mare Book and earned good scores, especially on her head, neck, breed/sex type.Mimi was an absolute princess at the inspection, actually more a Queen - very poised about the whole affair." Lucy earned Premium status!!! Way go to Mimi and Lucy!!! Now MIchelle gets to have Mimi back as her riding horse to continue her training and performance. Congratulations Michelle and thanks so much for sharing this great news! Happy Hour made his debut at Fourth Level at the EEMI Summer Dressage Classic held in Leesburg, VA on July 28-29. While there were a few minor "bloopers" due to Happy's greenness at this new level, the pair executed a very fluid, harmonious and energetic test (despite the heat and humidity), earning a number of 8's and 7's, with very complimentary feedback from the officiating "S" judge, who included in her remarks, "very elegant horse!!!" And while I tell Happy Hour every single day as I kiss him on his brow (as he softly closes his eyes to await his kiss), I am so very, very thankful and fortunate to have such an incredible equine companion -- truly a horse of a lifetime who has, without question, been my very best teacher. I would not trade one minute of this incredible journey. Another testament to Happy Hour's incredible character and wonderful nature is that most of Happy Hour's training has been done at home with his amateur owner with short periods of more formal, outside training. That said, our progress has been greatly due to the excellent coaching and instruction received over the years from some superb and very knowledgeable teachers (and I absolutely must fully acknowledge the gracious assistance I receive under the watchful eye of my husband, John -- what a patient man - truly a saint!!!). We must acknowledge that while we have chosen a bit of a slower road in a sense in our training practices, we have done so because the health, happiness and well-being of Happy Hour (and all of our horses) has, and always will remain our top priority. We are very thankful to those instructors/coaches who have embarked upon a challenging task -- one that not all horses or riders could accept or adapt, and that is of not having a horse in full-time training and sharing him with a solid, yet amateur rider. However, Happy seems to be extremely happy, and always eager in his work, and he loves to learn new and challenging excercises -- quite the over achiever!!. This arrangement has certainly made me rise to the occasion to strive and become a much better and more effective rider for Happy Hour. Two lifetimes would not be enough to learn all there is to learn... :) Way to go Cassidy!!!! Yet another congratulations to Cassidy and the Cassel's on his success at the Proud Meadows Summer I competition in Waxahachie, TX, winning the 3-year old in-hand colt class with a 77.2% and the IBC Trakehner class with a 76% on June 9 2007. May 2007 Again, a hearty congratulations to Kosmish and the Cassel's on hi success at the Oklahoma Dressage Society Spring I competition held on May 5-6 2007. Kosmisch and Kendra took away a 1st and 2nd place at Second Level Test 4, and earned the Trakehner High Point. April 2007 Congratulations to Komsich and the Cassels on Kosmisch's success at Second Level and earning the Trakehner High Point at the ADS Country Classic II on April 28-29 2007. Kosmisch earned first place at Second Level Test 2, and earned two second places at Second Level Test 4. Way to go Kosmisch and his rider, Kendra Menzies!!! Congratulations to Cassidy and the Cassel's on his success, winning the 3-year old colt class at the Arkansas Sport Horse Classic on April 27 2007. September 2006 July 2006 May 2006 Mimosa, 1st Training Level Test 2, 64.230% 2nd Training Level 2, 72.31% 1st First Level 4, 68.89% April 2006 Reserve Champion 2-Year-Old Colts & Geldings 1st First Level Test 4 (Open), 64.16% 1st Training Level 4, 73.46% 1st First Level 4, 69.44% March 2006 September 2005 1st Second
Level 2 May 2005 April 2005 November 2004 In addition, Kosmisch placed 4th in the nation for the USDF/DSHB Materiale Award with a median score of 75.300% -- and he earned this median score with minimal under-saddle competition, with his latest score of 77.100% earned in September 2004. And last but not least, Kosmisch ranks an overall 16th in the nation for all USDF 3-Year Old Colts & Geldings. Go Kosmisch!!! We wish to extend a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Kosmisch, to John & Kari Cassel of Little Rock, Arkansas and to Kosmisch's two riders. We are very thankful and most appreciative to John & Kari for taking all the time, effort and training involved in getting a youngster out in the competition world. We wish them the very best happiness, health and continued success. Maybe the US National Young Horse Championships will be on the horizon for Kosmisch one day! September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 2004 Birth Annoucements A second congratulations to Fred & Debbie Ellis of Owings, Maryland
on their second and absolutely lovely foal (and another
bright chestnut baby with four white socks and a blaze!). Fancy
is a lovely, long-legged filly with lots of suspension already. Fancy's
official name is Hour's Golden
Charm, born 4/28/04 out of the ATA PSB TB mare, Goldie's
Locket. |
