I have updated my site now to include my two yearling colts. I am expecting two foals this year!
The first foal I ever bred turns 13 in April. How time flies! Looking back over 12 years of breeding, I have had plenty of ups and downs. My favorite mare, and dam of my first foal, died in 2000 with six weeks left in her pregnancy, and the only foal I had the next year passed away at two weeks. Then it was two years before I had my next foal. He went on to be reserve champion at his first breed show at age two and is now four and enjoying life as riding partner to a great girl in Jackson, GA. Last year was challenging with Cessna giving birth to twins and Champagne's colt spending two weeks at UGA battling an unknown infection. Fortunately, he recovered fully! I have often considered throwing in the towel and leaving the business of breeding to people with better luck than I seem to have sometimes! But, then the time comes for choosing stallions and preparing for the season and I remember just how much I love it. I hope you enjoy visiting my website and seeing my new foals! They are truly labors of love.
Windy Hill Farm is a small warmblood breeding operation located south of Atlanta in Forsyth, Georgia. We welcome only 1-2 foals per year to our family so we can concentrate on quality rather than quantity. Our goal is to start with an exceptional mare base and choose stallions carefully that we think will make excellent crosses. Lots of reading and research goes into every breeding choice we make. Of course, we are constantly learning every day! We strive to breed foals with very specific characteristics:
Character - if a horse is beautiful, has the best movement around, and has a pedigree none can match but has a bad attitude, I know I don't want him!
Ability - we carefully select only mares with very correct conformation knowing that some flaws in conformation can lead to soundness problems down the road. If you took biology in school as I did, you learned a little something about genetics. Each foal has a little of his mama and papa in him, thus I spend oodles of time contemplating the stallion's accomplishments before selecting one. I also prefer to breed mares who have had show careers themselves and proven their own athletic abilities!
Heart - this you simply cannot train a horse to have. I have chosen broodmares with both good character and great ability, but what may be most important is their willingness. Then, I talk with other people who have bred to the stallion I have selected. Are the foals trainable and eager to please? Have I bred a horse that I personally would feel safe to ride and handle? I want my clients to love my horses like I do, so admittedly, lots of my own heart and soul goes into every horse that graces my farm. My broodmares are more than just commodities, they're my buddies. I often spend time in the paddocks just hanging out with my girls! I know who likes their fanny scratched and who just wants their nose rubbed.
Well, all in all, if your idea of a dream horse matches mine, you've come to the right place!
Cessna and me on a beautiful fall day!
My friend Christina Bevill with her Dutch warmblood gelding Adore (Don Primaire/Gribaldi). Adore arrived from Europe in early May with my Hohenstein filly Happy Feet. We were so excited to have them home with us!
Adore hanging out enjoying life in Georgia!
"End of the Day" - photo by Wendy Sherlock
Happy Feet (Hohenstein/Lemon Park) and me in February. She and Adore are so glad to be here!
My favorite farm companions:
Sweetie (7/1996 - 10/2008) and Dixie Fury
Resident clown! Guard dog extraordinaire
Site updated March 11, 2010
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