Twitchell Hill Farm

01/07/2025

Photo collection by E. Welch Photography

01/07/2025

How many of these “rules” do we practice at THF? Agree/ disagree with all/any? Thoughts?

Welcome to Trainer Tuesday! Each week we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers have as much variation as you would expect and also probably much more similarity.  This week...

01/05/2025

Snow dragon 🐉!

12/23/2024

It’s a bit nippy out there— dress appropriately! 😀

12/14/2024

Still a great gift idea!

Hello my THF parents and patrons! Looking for a Holiday gift idea? We would like to have a collection of matching framed photos that riders could bring to shows to contribute to a display. So find and print (or purchase) a show season photo; purchase the frame from SmartPak with engraving included-- and voila! link: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/personalized-wood-frame-4111 Example Grace and Picabo :)

12/11/2024

Fleur de Lys’ sire 💜

Furioso II: A Pillar of Modern Sport Horse Breeding 🐴

Furioso II, a French-bred Anglo-Norman stallion, is celebrated as one of the most influential sires in the history of warmblood breeding. Imported to Germany in 1968, he revolutionized breeding programs across Europe.

🏇 Legacy Highlights:

▪️Sired over 70 approved stallions, including For Pleasure and Voltaire, two monumental names in showjumping.
▪️Known for passing on athleticism, trainability, and versatility, making his progeny successful in showjumping, dressage, and eventing.
▪️Influenced the development of multiple studbooks, including Hanoverian, Oldenburg, and Holsteiner.

Furioso II’s ability to consistently produce top-tier performance horses solidified his place as a cornerstone in warmblood genetics. His bloodlines continue to shape equestrian sports worldwide.

Several top-ranked stallions today carry the influence of Furioso II in their bloodlines, particularly in disciplines like showjumping and dressage. For example, For Pleasure, a hugely successful jumping sire in Germany, carries Furioso II genetics, as does Voltaire, another influential sire. Additionally, Florestan (a Westfalien grandson of Furioso II) and his descendants, such as Fidertanz and Farewell, have left a significant mark in the dressage world.

In Holland, Furioso II's influence also extends through sons like Le Mexico and Ulft, whose offspring include famous sires such as Ferro and Negro. Ferro's influence is especially prominent in modern dressage with his grandson, Valegro, being one of the most decorated horses in the sport. These stallions not only maintain but amplify the qualities associated with Furioso II, such as strength, stamina, and versatility in competition.

For a full dive into Furioso II’s impact, visit these articles:
🔗https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2014/10/furioso-ii-vertuoso/
🔗https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2014/12/the-two-great-thoroughbred-performance-lines/

12/06/2024

Truth!

In 2024 there are those who will see a horse being led with a chain over its nose who will instantly have a melt down.

Any true horse person will know that there are situations where you can lead a horse with virtually zero restraint, and be safe, and other times when the horse could easily leap, pull away from you, and let loose with a double barreled kick that could kill you.

Being rough for rough’s sake is totally different from being safe, and while some may think otherwise, those are people who have never led a high as a kite horse on a chilly windy day in from the paddock.

There’s much good in having a be kind to horses attitude, but there is also a huge degree of misunderstanding by those who are not hands on horse people.

11/24/2024

Green Mountain Hounds at Hibernia today.

11/22/2024

Friday ladies night at Twitchell Hill?

11/18/2024

Wowzer!!!

11/16/2024

This 100%!!!