Yesterday I was lucky enough to catch the last few hours of the Oldenburg foal inspections at Hill Top Farm in Colora, MD.
According to the Oldenburg Registry... "The Oldenburg horse is one of Europe's oldest warmblood breeds. Anton Gunther von Oldenburg... developed teh breed in the 16th century, using mares of the Fresian breed as well as selected stallions from Spain and Italy. His purpose was to develop a grand coach horse."
Well, he certainly did develop a grand horse! These days, Oldenburg horses are used for dressage, show jumping and eventing. They are known for their smooth, elastic movements and beautiful performances in the show ring. Each horse must be inspected in order to be accepted into the Oldenburg registry. The foals are inspected sometime during the same year of their birth, and are branded with either the Oldenburg brand (an O topped by a crown, with N and A accompanying) or the International Sporthorse brand (an intertwined S and I, surrounded by a circlet of leaves).
The latest inspection and branding was at Hill Top Farm, a beautiful facility located on acres and acres of phenomenal green pasture. Yesterday bustled with heavy mares and naughty foals, and there was perfection abounding!!
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the inspection...
 |
| A view of one wing of the spectacular barn at Hill Top |
 |
| We saw a lot of naughty babies! |
 |
| The ISR Official, heating the brands |
To learn more about the Oldenburg horse and the International Sporthorse Registry, go to www.isroldenburg.org
To learn more about Hill Top Farm and see pictures of their beautiful facilities and equally beautiful equine residents, check out www.hilltopfarminc.com
- SMY
No comments:
Post a Comment