HOME | NEWS | PONY INDEX | LINKS | CREMELLOS| PALOMINOS | PHOTOS | WELSHIES | SECTION As | SECTION Ds | STALLIONS | FOALS | FOR SALE | EMAIL US
| |
|
News 2010 -keep up to date with the news and articles-
Taraco Stud exports - some of the ponies and cobs we have sold overseas
Fiasco's story - coping with a paralysed horse
Orphan foals - rearing an orphan foal
News from last year - last years news and information
Rethink the horse tax petition! - A campaign has been launched against the proposed horse tax.
Like many breeders over the years
I have regrettably had the lows as well as the highs. I noticed a long time ago that many people seem happy to update
their websites with the good news but often not the bad news. This meant that getting practical information on specific situations
has always proved hard so I hope that by writing brief articles of some of my
more unsual problems I may share my own personal experiences with anyone facing similar difficulties.
I am not a vet, or an expert at all - but sometimes just knowing your horses helps more than any expertise, and knowing someone else has survived
the same problem helps keep your spirits up through the difficult times!
March 2010
8 March 2010 - second foal arrives
Ringstead Charming Lass, our now 23 year old foundation mare, has just produced a stunning
chestnut sabino filly by the medal winning stallion Friars Golden Mark. Our first foal by Mark and
probably our last out of Charming Lass this is a doubly special little girl. Named Taraco Chiquita
(meaning pretty little girl/ little one) she shows all the early signs of being a super little mountain pony.
Please visit photo gallery or foals page for more photos.
1 March 2010 - first foal arrives
February 2010
25 February 2010 - foaling season starts
Vervale RaRa has been moved into the 'maternity suite' ready for foaling. She is due to foal on 6th March but has made
a habit out of foaling several weeks early so I am taking no chances just in case! She is scanned in foal to the Blackhill Picalo
son Ysselvliedts Golden Boy for what will be her 6th foal. RaRa's foals always impress and all her foals that have shown have been prizewinners
with Taraco Rockstar sold to France, Taraco Razzmatazz leased to Holland, Taraco Renegade sold initially to Sweden and then later
on to Scotland and Taraco Rosetta retained at Taraco. Fingers crossed for a healthy first foal for 2010.
She is keeping us all waiting at the moment!
9 February 2010 - showing preparation starts for real
with Taraco Firecracker off to Nerys in Wales ready to be produced for the shows.
Thank you very much to Meurig Evans for transporting my pride and joy safely to Wales
and to Nerys for kindly agreeing to turn my hairy monster into something more impressive.
This colt is by the Royal Welsh winner and
multiple Supreme Champion Danaway Tango and out of a mare that is by the Royal Welsh winner,
Prince of Wales cup winner and multiple Supreme Champion Danaway Flash Jack; so Firecracker
has some VERY big footsteps to follow in! Watch this space to see how he does...
6 February 2010 - off out visiting
We had a lovely day today dropping a mare at Sam Barratt's for treatment and
visiting Nobby and Glynis at Watling Stud to see some lovely welsh cobs and generally had a great day out with
some super people and seeing some super welsh cobs. Thanks to Sam and mum, Nobby, Glynis and Nicolette for a lovely day.
5 February 2010 - Taraco Stud on Facebook
in trying to keep as up to date as possible (!!) the stud and ponies are all now also on Facebook
where you can join our fan club, search photo albums and see all the foal news. The website will still be updated
as regularly as ever but please
CLICK HERE for more information on our facebook page!
1 February 2010 - Taraco Bonita off to Dycott Stud
ready for the start of the 2010 show season. Thank you to Clare and Kennie who came to collect Bonita today, good team
effort everyone! Hope Bonnie settles well - we miss her lots already but I look forward to seeing her out and about in the
show ring. Bonnie is by the top stockgetter Trevallion Valentino and half sister to some top show cobs
like the Royal Welsh winner Drogeda Stormy Tempest so we are eagerly awaiting her first show.
January 2010
28 January 2010 - Lots of visitors!!
Thank you to Rhodé (Vennebos Stud) and Joost (Meladelle Stud) for coming to visit us from Holland today.
One of the greatest things about breeding Welsh mountain ponies and Welsh cobs is all the wonderful people you meet and
we are thrilled that you think my shaggy welshies are worthy of a visit! I hope you had a good trip to England
and we look forward to seeing you both again soon. It was also time for Sam Barratt (Equine Chiropractor) to come back and
see Fiasco and check a couple of the mares and youngsters. So a big thank you to Sam and her navigator 'Mum' for
making the journey down to look after my big clown of a horse again. Its great to see you both - hope you had a good
journey home this time!
19 January 2010 - Visitors from Norway
Thank you to Hilde Solberg and friends for coming to see us despite the muddy conditions! It was lovely to meet you all and I thoroughly
enjoyed showing you the ponies and cobs. I hope you had a good flight home and look forward to seeing you in the summer!
10 January 2010 - Yikes how much snow?!! Well it has been a fun 10 days or so with very heavy snow and watering, feeding and haying
every day was an all day job for me most days! It may look pretty but it isnt much fun, although the horses all seem very warm, playful and happy!
Some photos on the photos page - click on Fiasco's photo for lots more snow photos. Fiasco has been confined to barracks in all this awful weather but had a much needed
play in the snow today. In amongst all the snow it is time to start looking forward to the first foals which are about 6 weeks off!
1 January 2010 - Happy New Year! Well the New Year started with a dusting of snow as we collected Taraco Amira
from the Equine Hosiptal where she had spent a colour of days with a sore eye. However, she recovered very quickly and well and returned home after
only 3 days which was good news. The rest of the horses all look well and we are now preparing for the first foals due to arrive in March. The three
section As are due first with Rara hopefully expecting a foal on 6th March, Charm on 9th March and Glisten on 9th April. Then the welsh cobs are
all due in May. Yet again I have been privileged to use some superb **A list** stallions and for that I am truly grateful. There are some days in the
peak of covering season when we seem to be forever loading, travelling and covering mares when I wonder if we would be better having just one stallion
at home but whenever I see my foals I am so pleased we selected different stallions for each of them. I will always be eternally grateful to the stallion
owners for standing their stallions at public stud. Here's to foaling season and fingers and toes crossed for healthy foals and mares both at Taraco and
any other breeders out there.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our friends.
I cannot believe that it is the end of 2009 already! Where do the days, weeks and months go?!!*!@!! It has been
another busy year at Taraco Stud - as usual it has been very hard work but full of memories to treasure. We have
met some lovely people as always and the year had a very cosmopolitan feel with 12 international studs visiting
and 6 horses sent overseas which was very flattering. I hope 2009 was full of treasured moments for all our friends
and wish you all the best for a happy 2010.
This year we were honoured to entertain visitors from Australia, Belgium,
France, Holland and Germany as well as from England, Wales and Scotland. It was wonderful to put some faces to the
names and make some more friends, and great to have more excuses to share good old Kentish hospitality (the pub)
with friends, old and new. Thank you to everyone who felt my shaggy welsh ponies and cobs were worthy of a visit
from near or far - it was great to meet you all. The international theme was also seen in our sales with Fabio
travelling to Denmark, Orlando, Gwyn and Beauty to Germany, Rockstar to France and Razzle on lease to Holland.
In addition Fernando and Ghazaleh were sold to Scotland, Morocco to Wales and Fireblade and Lionheart to England.
I would like to wish everyone with one of our ponies or cobs the very best of luck with them and thank you for offering them a superb home.
It is always hard selling but as always this year has seen the ponies and cobs leave for some really special homes.
It is time for my annual thank you to the great team of vets, farriers, physiotherapists, chiropractors, farmers,
friends and family for all their help and support. Every time I look at the wonderful mares and stallions
I have I am always reminded that a stud can only ever be as good as the stock they have and the stallions they can use.
I am always so grateful to those stallion owners who stand their stallions at stud and enable me to use some truly
fantastic stallions in my breeding programme – thank you this year to Matt and Jose (Danaway Stud) and Meirion (Gwynfaes Stud).
In addition a very heartfelt thank you to Harold and Yvette (Ysselvliedt’s Stud) for entrusting the lovely Ysselvliedt’s
Golden Boy to me until May 2010. I adore him and will be very sorry to see him go!
I always have to thank my mum for starting me off on horses, and I had to laugh as she helped me fill haynets
and feed horses on a sunny boxing day. I am not sure it was the most conventional way to spend the festive period and
I am certain mum was secretly wondering whether it was wise introducing
one small toddler to a little fat Shetland pony all those years ago! However, I am very glad she did so
thanks mum – both for sharing your passion for horses with me and for being the best mum a girl could ever wish for!
(Although I think there are some winter days when your son-in-law wishes you had taught me ballet or tap dancing instead…!!).
A big thank you to all my lovely ponies and cobs who make the early and cold winter’s mornings,
the dark and wet autumn evenings and the sleepless nights at foaling worth every minute and to my husband
for sharing most of those minutes with me! Thank you to all my 'horsey' friends, both home and abroad,
for sharing the highs and lows and laughter and tears that are an inevitable part of breeding welsh ponies
and cobs. And thank you to all my friends and family for accepting that I come with a rather unusual retinue
of four-legged friends! I could not do it without any of you! x
|
|
Taraco Stud, Canterbury, Kent A small stud specialising in breeding for colour without compromising on quality |
|
HOME | NEWS | PONY INDEX | LINKS | CREMELLOS| PALOMINOS | PHOTOS | WELSHIES | SECTION As | SECTION Ds | STALLIONS | FOALS | FOR SALE | EMAIL US