Busy days! Project horse is now getting ready to head our way, some contracts need to be signed and then that's the beginning of a new adventure! Tomorrow I will tell you all about it. Today I got some help from the ground with Donoso working his passage and piaffe and flying changes, very good Donut got the swing and loves to perform majestic moves! Antonio (trainer) thinks he is cool guy, so much character, he says with a big grin..    Tomorrow I am getting help with Start. The I did a short fun one on Start and Hagge got a Monty Roberts join-up with Dually halter (got it right?) and then a good roll in paddock afterwards. He was happy and relaxed. I might have to consult my friend Eva-Lisa for some feedback on that one, if she has time, she is preparing a course in Equine Awareness in Sweden, see her hompage here (in swedish) http://www.catalyzator.se/
Here is Festivo and me in article 'Breeding spanish horses for sport' in ECUESTRE this month, the picture is from FIECVAL, the European Championships this year in which F won bronze. I was very happy here, not because of results but because it was OVER! I was absolutely exhausted in a achy body. My big baby looks content also, miss him!
Festivo MR
 

Ok, so here it is in it's super long format, you can definitely see how his day-form changes, his energy was on top the first day and then it slowly drops and the work-out gets more and more heavy, for both of us!  We arrived on the wednesday, the Morfology was on the thursday and the Funcionalidad was not until the sunday. For the ridden test the horses has to be presented in a up-tempo and do walk, trot and canter extentions.
Festivo is slowly growing into his big body and maturing, physically there is a big difference from SICAB. In this competiton he entered the adult section with 7 year old horses and older although he is only 6,5 years old. He is still only really becoming a grand horse!

Happy Easter to you all!

http://youtu.be/c6mbGegZTz4 

Today I started with Start. He is now putting on weight again because in this place they have lovely food, alittle bit too lovely, hmm, tomorrow I will have to give strict orders because we are here to get INTO shape, not OUT of shape. We are now doing alot of cantertraining with good old 'jumping seat' (light seat? what's the word in english for standing up in stirrups?) so he can really lift back and do some longruns in the huge delicious indoor that we all adore!  Then for Donut, oh, Donut is pulling out the cards in his sleeves and I let him show me what he wants to do which today was passage. I have been doing short diagonals in front of mirror which is confirming that changes to the right are always clean and the left ones if I prepare them correctly. Love that mirror. Then some reward longrun canter stretching and he was happy with himself. Then Hagge knew it was his turn and he called me to make sure I had not forgotten!     Sweety. How could I forget. The macho-school has made him good, he is very confident in himself and his body looks toned, like he's been to the gym and got some nice biceps! This weekend I lounged him to see how he moves and he walked around neck held high and we did his spanish walk. He is extremely free in the shoulders and his normal walk is also super. He looks gorgeous! Right hindleg is a little stiff and doesn't want to come in and under so right now I am doing gymnastics to free back and loosen up everything that has been alittle too tightened from the 'gym'. He has lost his suspended trotextentions and transitions but they will be there when he is loose in his body again. So we did that and suddenly he stopped because he wanted to show me his spanish walk. Halagador is that kind of horse that knows he is beautiful and has always been the big black special beauty with alot of presence, but that's not enough for him, so now when he knows how to do a good spanish walk he is super happy and of course he wants to show it! Good intelligent horses has to be trained so they can express themselves, otherwise they get sad.
Javier has made a video of me and Festivo training in FIECVAL, it came out very long and I don't want to bore you with all those laps of trot and canter so he will have to edit it before I hang it up on youtube. Unfortunately I do not have any footage from the acutal competition, Javier's nerves did not make that activity.. There was a tv-team but I have not been able to locate the footage. Today I was sent these news on Festivo's bronze in EU-Championships from swedish horsemagazine www.tidningenridsport.se
Goodnight!
  

Big thanks to all of you lovely people that sent your messages!!   
Sorry you could not follow us on Melpi, I don't know what kind of problem Melpi and ANCCE are having, apparently ANCCE does not qualify a competition for SICAB if Melpi does the footage. We were all disappointed after all FIECVAL is a European Championship and the information should be accessible for everyone. 

Morfology; Festivo didn't have his most brilliant performance on the thursday, he slipped on the surfice and did not feel comfortable to do his longrun. There was also a little stress around the second handler that he picked up on. Not sure what he did chasing him beind but they had a plan, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. He did not show his nice trot until the end. However what they did was all correct and F looked smashingly beautiful and standing like a true star!
What is not ok is a movement provoqued by a handler. The handler of the MM winner was exciting his stallion as you do when he is about to cover a mare during the lineup, not so tasteful.. Then he trots his horse with a big pole just in front of him kneeheight to provoke his movement to be flashy. We all know a stallion like to kick what is in front of him, so with this tecnique we see a showy and artifical movement rather than a natural one. The horse is a real good one, (and the handler is a true artist) but I really don't think there should be any need to 'makeup' the movements. It is a pity you did not see it so we could comment (objectively) on this one.

So here we are happy and content   even though we don't look it, we have passed through some serious nerves this weekend I can tell you! We sat down with the other breeders nervously observing their horses, this morfology is real intense stuff! I do understand why breeders/owners have their riders/ handlers, it really takes the pressure of your shoulders. This time I got the pleasure to ride on top of those nerves!   But I love it, it makes all the difference when you feel you have actively contributed. We got a ok score 25.8 and Festivo secured his bronzemedal in the adult section after the gold MF (mejor morfologia) and silver MM (mejor movimientos), that we knew we were not gonna pass no matter what. 
 
Coolest Festivo MR during the long award ceremony with all the mares, music and big crowd!
        

 
 

   

After today's ridden test Festivo's is ranked third best adult European PRE stallion!!!!!!
We got to attend the priceaward ceremony with our swedish flags, hurra!!

Here are pictures from ridden test, I will tell you more about results and points and but this is all I can muster up for now because I am over and out after all the nerves! Big thanks to everyone for support, it means alot to me, and sorry for the facebook blackout, phone didn't make it today but I am glad I did!
Festivo MR
  
                  
Nr 1,2 and 3!
 

It is 20.00 pm and it is still bright daylight outside! Isn't it just wonderful when we go back to summertime, why do we have wintertime anyway? Very silly and unmodern invention in my opinion.

Well I have had a weekend of rest and relaxation to prepare myself mentally for next week that is coming up to the final decition of house purchase and then the competition with Festivo MR in European Championships, FIECVAL in Valencia! He will be going with his new swedish flag rug so there will be NO DOUBT which country we represent!! 
Festivo in SICAB, Spanish Championships 2010
 
  
  

Cátalogo de nuestros sementales disponibles 2011
   
 

MEJORES MOVIMIENTOS sec 10 SICAB 2010.
Pos. 18e de 46 participantes. Mov. 24 Total 73.93

 
MEJORES MOVIMIENTOS sec 10 Caravaca 2010. 
Pos. 5e de 13 participantes. Mov. 24 Func. 24 Total; 95,438

MEJORES MOVIMIENTOS sec 6 Equital 2007.      
Pos. 5e de 11 participantes. Total 75.940

7 Pos. final, Montenmedio Circuito del Sol, 2009

Festivo MR es un semental contrastado, tiene un físico impresionante y movimientos superiores. Orígenes Lebrijano III por padre Academico VII. Castaño encendido, da alazán. Tiene 12 hijos. Alzada exacta; 174 cm!

CAMPEÓN DE LA RAZA 2009 Suecia Sec 12.  
Pos. 1 de 9 participantes Morf. 69.188 Mov. 21 Fun. 25.5 Total 94.7

 
CAMPEÓN DE FUNCIONALIDAD 2009, Suecia

SICAB 2009, sec 12

Camp. de Europa, FIECVAL 2010 sec 12.     
Pos. 27 de 30 participantes Morf. 66.313 Mov. 20.333 Total 66.313

Doma Clásica Nivel 4, Suecia 63%

Donoso VII es semental contrastado con mucha belleza y movimientos excelentes para la doma clásica. Tiene mucha clase y un temperamento fantástico. Línea Yeguada Militar por Agente. Tiene 5 hijos. Talla exacta; 163 cm. 

We had a lovely day of spring, both Donoso and Start got a good workout and so did I, both are thriving, we are just playing around now and having fun, my playmates. We are invited to FIECVAL again this year, FIECVAL is the Euoropean Championships for PRE in which Donoso VII participated last year. This year we will go with Festivo MR that will now have to compete against the adult stallions 7 years and up, huu, my big baby against all grown up hotshots! Festivo is born in October so he will really only be +6 but it is the birthyear that counts (year going 7 for adults section 12) so there you go, well someone has to be the youngest, we see it as a challenge! Last year we saw some exceptional horses, very high level and in some sections they were even better than in SICAB, so I can really recommend you to go because it is a joy for the eye to see all the beauties. You will find us under the swedish flag, hope to see you there!
FIECVAL Campeonato de Euoropa de Caballos PRE - 31rst of March - 3rd of April
 
Donoso VII & Tomás FIECVAL 2010
  

 
Donoso and Javier
 
My favoutite photo from exhibition this weekend, there is so much beauty in a the stillness.