November 2009 :: CALIFICADO |
WATCHMAN has the best possible news. Fabulilla MR and Doctora AK have been elevated in the Spanish Stud Book to CALIFICADO: our primary goal for 2009. The Qualified designation signals that a breeding horse has passed a series of tests beyond what is required in the Revision Process. The Tribunal jury consists of three judges that travel from Spain to critique breeder-nominated horses. First the jury confirms the identity of the nominated horse using the CARTA, blood samples and whorl examination and re-evaluates conformation. There are four additional tests in the Qualification process that distinguish it from Revision: reproductive integrity, movement, joint X-rays, and under saddle performance (stallions required, mares optional).
Now more than ever, the PRE horses is required to have three correct gaits, walk, trot and canter. A brilliant trot is no longer enough to win a morphological class or earn the CALIFICADO stamp. It is common practice in most performance breeds to use X rays to determine soundness and to identify orthopedic problems. Spanish horses often change hands without any veterinarian purchase exam. WATCHMAN has instituted a policy of X raying all horses at their Revision in order to assess soundness and freedom from genetic flaws.
Fabulilla and Doctora are now documented as exemplary Spanish mares and when bred to a CALIFICADO stallion are expected to produce a very high quality foal free of genetic orthopedic defects. Check back this spring to see our foals from Qualified stock.
As we enter the holiday season, WATCHMAN wishes all a peaceful and joyous season.
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September 2009 :: Dreams Do Come True |
Qualification Candidates
With the help of a first class team, WATCHMAN PRE had the pleasure of seeing Fabulilla MR and Doctora AK selected as Qualification candidates by the TRC from Spain. Our deep gratitude goes to Brenda Gissell our fantastic conditioner and handler...the mares love her and will try very hard to please her...as a result they pleased the judges. Also thanks go to Tony Topete, Tony and Carmelo Rosas, Ellen Mooney, Dr. Hilda Baisel and Carolynne Smith.
Fabulilla MR (Photo by Natalie Hays)
Doctora AK (Photo by Natalie Hays)
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Feria del Caballo Español 2009
Congratulations go to my good friends for their successes at Feria del Caballo Español 2009. Ellen Mooney owner of Eneida EDA, Reserve Champion Young Mare; Edwin Pauneto owner of Acertijo JIM, Champion Young Horse and Suzanne Punch-Randall owner of Carinosa, higest pointed ANCCE horse in the US for 2009 and a Qualification candidate as well; Raul Bucio owner of Camass BCO, weanling filly and BM winner. I am confident these fellow breeders would also give high praise to Brenda for making these wins possible.
Eneida EDA owned by Ellen Mooney of El Dorado P.R.E. (Photo by Natalie Hays)
Acertijo JIM owned by Edwin Pauneto of Yeguada Charileen (Photo by Natalie Hays)
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Now WATCHMAN looks forward to the fall/winter break...cool mornings, shaggy horses, mares with baby bulges, holidays with family...Saludo
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August 2009 |
Sharing Ownership
We are thrilled to announce agreement has been reached to share ownership of Kenya WAE and Devoto WAE. We are looking forward to showing these two great colts and eventually breeding WATCHMAN fillies to them. This fall Kenya will return to the show ring to compete at Feria del Caballo Español.
Kenya WAE (Photo by Natalie Hays)
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Europeo WAE
For the immediate future, we have decided to retain Europeo WAE. He has captured our hearts and we want to be the ones who watch him develop into a young stallion….he is tall, noble, and has wonderful movement….we will see what the future holds for this promising colt from Europa MHF and Gavilan IV.
Europeo WAE (Photo by Natalie Hays)
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Feria del Caballo Español 2009
Award winning handler, Brenda Gissell is preparing Fabulilla MR, Europa MHF, and Doctora AK for the ANCCE approved show, Feria del Caballo Espanol being held in City of Industry, CA on September 11-13. Brenda has been selected "Best Handler" at the last four shows she has participating in, winning many championships for her clients. Good luck to all our fellow exhibitors and of course, fingers crossed for WATCHMAN.
(Photos by Natalie Hays) |
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Doctora AK |
Europa MHF |
Fabulilla MR |
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Good-bye
August is weaning time. Samba WAE has already gone to her new home, YEGUADA CHARILEEN. Congratulations Edwin and Stephanie....we hope to see you in the winners circle with this lovely Fugitivo XII daughter. Aguileno WAE will soon be on his the way to True North Farm in West Virginia where he is slated to be Donna Burdick’s future herd sire. Gloriosa WAE will be making the short trip to RANCHO VALENCIA in Merced, CA. Enrique Valencia is adding her to his mare herd for his excellent stallion, Barocco CA.
Nicola GF will be leaving us for her new home at Red Hills Ranch in Gaston Oregon. Jennifer Stoffer, DVM has exchanged her good filly, Solena RHR for Nicola. Jennifer is looking forward to riding this Gaucho III daughter and producing future foals. As for us, we still have Nicola’s 2009 filly, Nina WAE to remind us of Nicola’s stylish ways and superb pedigree.
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June 2009 |
New Arrival :: Europeo WAE
Europa's 2008 due date was May 3....but as you can see in her picture taken on April 19, she was heavy in foal then. She surprised us by delivering a very large colt on April 25. We named him Europeo WAE in honor of his champion dam. He has the longest legs I have ever seen on a P.R.E. foal and it took him a few days to learn to manage them. At ten days of age, he can run, leap, rear, buck, and fall down....although he is embarrassed to admit the latter.
Here he is at one day old.
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Breeding Update
We are very lucky to have leased two Champion mares from El Dorado P.R.E. Horses. Eneida EDA by Dominante XXIX and Galera MHF have both been bred to Fugitivo XII. Preciosa ADF is confirmed in foal to Gumer, a newly imported chestnut stallion belonging to Dorado Andaluz. Doctora AK, Fabulilla MR, Europa MHF and Galea MHF are also bred to Fugitivo. Nicola GF is in foal to Macareno.
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Good-bye
We have sent several WATCHMAN youngsters off to new homes. Devoto WAE went to Dr Hilda Baisel DVM, our reproductive specialist; Kenya WAE now belongs to Antonio Rosas-Guiterrez; Encantador TNF joins Tahiti WAE at the ranch of Emetario Perez.
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April 4, 2009 |
New Arrival :: Gloriosa WAE
April Fools Day...the day for jokes and pranks...but at WATCHMAN it was no joke when Galea MHF presented us with an absolutely wonderful filly. Approaching 10h at birth, Gloriosa WAE is VERY tall and elegant as well as stylish and so Spanish. Galea gave me a fright when the maiden mare began foaling in the standing position. There I was trying to assist this very big mare bring her first foal into the world; I wondered how I could cushion such a big foal's fall to the stall floor but at the last minute Galea laid down and quickly foaled. Was I relieved!!!
Now in the course of a month, WATCHMAN has 3 new fillies and one colt. Check out our foal photo gallery and watch Samba, Aguileno, Nina and Gloriosa grow up.
By the way, we are expecting one more baby the first week of May. Europa MHF is expecting a big bay foal by Gavilan IV. Stay tuned for our announcement.
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March 28, 2009 |
New Arrival :: Nina WAE
Friday night is date night...dinner out, maybe a movie or a little dancing OR an all night foal watch at the barn...
For the second Friday night in a row, WATCHMAN mares have had foaling on their minds: At 9:30 PM Nicola GF gave us a beautiful dark bay filly by Faralay II. We have named her Nina WAE after her great grand dam. She is petite but dynamite! She got up immediately and was exploring the stall before Mom knew what had happened. Nicola has done very well as a maiden mare but obviously found the foaling process strange. Her filly constantly makes her presence known and Nicola has begun to bond completely to her baby. I had never heard a mare make so much noise after foaling but Nicola kept up a constant stream of squeaks, sqawks, nickers, neighs, sighs, groans all night. Nina was born with silver eyeliner and lips so she will be gray like Nicola.
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New Arrival :: Aguileno WAE
Different people have various ideas about what MARCH MADNESS is but for horse breeders it is all about foaling....
At half past midnight on March 20, Fabulilla gave us a gorgeous chestnut colt by Fugitivo XII. In her usual business like manner she foaled early on Day 336. We know the colt will turn gray because Fabulilla is homozygous for the gray gene however that does not diminish the thrill of producing a chestnut colt. We have named him Aguileno after his Grandsire, a well known Escalera stallion. Our Aguileno is leggy, uphill with a wonderful topline. His future is already determined. He belongs to True North Farm in West Virginia but until he leaves for his new home, WATCHMAN will be enjoying every day we have with him.
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March 3, 2009 |
New Arrival :: Samba WAE
During the last week of February, WATCHMAN was waiting for Doctora AK to foal. Foaling experts will tell you mares have no such thing as a due date, but we breeders still insist on building a whole ritual around Day 340 of the mare's gestation period. Doctora was due Saturday, February 28 and lo and behold, at 9 pm she produced a fabulous pitch black filly. Doctora must have read thoroughly the Mare's Manual of Foaling because she followed each step carefully leaving no doubt in our minds she was going to meet her deadline...WHAT A MARE... I had planned to be there and had sleeping bag, foaling kit, veterinarian phone numbers, midnight snacks, camera, cell phone etc. at the ready. As it turned out, I was the only one in the barn when her water broke. I slipped in the stall and watched one of nature's miracles...just me and my mare...it was humbling and thrilling... Soon the filly was laying on the straw and Doctora began to lick her from nose to hocks, tummy to ears...and something I had never seen before...she sucked each ear completely taking away any birth residue.. the filly objected but the mare gave her the first of many disciplines and continued to clean her. Today, the filly I named Samba is 3 days old. She romps around the stall, drinks deeply and flops in the straw to sleep. She and I have formed an understanding and now she wears a tiny halter, gets her umbilical stump doctored, and ears scratched. She already sticks her nose in Mama's feed and the water bowl. If the storms ever stop, her first trip outside will happen...
Now we are beginning the ritual again, Fabulilla is due on March 24. I wonder what we will be doing on that Tuesday...observing another miracle or trying to be patient.....catching a cat nap when ever possible, getting increasing anxious.....colt? filly? gray? black? bay? healthy? Time will tell.
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January 2009 |
Happy New Year/Prospero Año Nuevo
We hope you like the new format of our website. Many thanks to Carolynne Smith of PixelGraphix, the creative genius behind the scenes, for presenting our horses in such a beautiful light. We are fortunate to have horses that love the camera and photographers that love the horses….thanks go to Natalie and Baldur.
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Spring is coming…………..
Christmas 2008 is past and our attention is fully focused on the 2009 foaling season. Last year, we purposely bred our mares close together so our babies would come within a short period of time. So from March 1 - April 1 we expect four births and then one more by the end of April. Doctora and Fabulilla are both expecting Fugitivo XII foals and are due days a part. Next to go are our pair of maiden mares, Galea MHF and Nicola GF. They were bred on the same day so we will be very busy around April 1…April Fools Day. Two exciting new stallions, Noble GF and Faralay II are the respective sires. Last year Europa MHF gave us a fabulous bay colt, and this year she is bred to Gavilan IV. We are hoping for a big bay filly who will be going home with our good friend, Raul Bucio.
WATCHMAN is well aware of the difficult times our country faces presently. The struggling American economy is reflected in the horse business and calls for more conservative and careful planning in 2009. Our actions will be guided by three thoughts…one, our responsibility to the P.R.E. breed; two, our desire to protect our business and precious mares; and three, consideration for our customers. Our strategy will be to produce fewer foals of the very best quality possible. We may not advertise or show our horses as freely but know we are here doing our best to bred and raise excellent P.R.E. horses. When pricing our sale horses we will try to both honor their intrinsic value and recognize the financial difficulties most buyers face. This year you can arrange a custom breeding to one of our fine mares. The benefit to you is that you help chose the stallion, the cost is spread over a year’s time, and we provide complete care for the mare and foal. A contract of this kind is helpful to both WATCHMAN and our customers…we know in advance our foal is wanted and you can “custom order” a superior baby for showing, breeding, riding or just enjoying.
The bottom line is we will work with you if you make a commitment to WATCHMAN either with one of our sale horses or one of our expected foals.
If you are viewing our website, we thank you for the opportunity to show you our horses. Give us a call or better yet, come visit us in Modesto, CA.
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