Merle-Smith Sporthorses

12/12/2024

If anyone is considering importing an ☘️Irish foxhunter or eventer☘️ I would make an effort to do some shopping for you while we are in Ireland for the next two weeks. Please let me know asap if this is something you are seriously interested in! I have only the best contacts 😉

11/25/2024

We are beyond thrilled with our line-up of available stallions at Merle-Smith Sporthorses. What a stunning group of young men!
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🐦‍⬛ Raven Sky —
🏆 BSF Golden Snitch —
👑 Chinggis Khan —
☘️ Manu Forti’s Blue Clover —
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Contracts are available for all of them. Some 🥕 will increase for 2025 once we leave for our holiday travels on Dec 12, so inquire before then!
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We will be temporarily unavailable from today until Friday Nov 29 for Thanksgiving, but don’t fret!!! Just send me an email at [email protected] and we will respond on the weekend!!
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11/25/2024

Weekend post #2!!
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On Sunday, Rosie, Hayden, and I trekked up to Sperryville to hunt with Thornton Hill Hounds. We rode Watermark, Arthur of Camelot, and
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Rosie lead 2nd, and Hayden and I rode in the back of 1st flight! Scenting started out tough, and seemed to get better with time! We finished out the 2.5 hours with a 45 minute run in circles on a sporting 🦊. We jumped a ton of fun jumps and galloped around our hilly and sometimes muddy territory. We completed the day with a delicious hunt breakfast in The Shade house, hosted by the McKees.
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I always enjoy bringing friends out with THH, as it is such a unique experience in the mountains! 🥰
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Snitch is really stepping up to the plate, becoming a really fun field hunter! He just makes me crack up all day with his attempted “zooming” and low nickers. (He thinks he is so fast!) He is just so polite and quiet, and so much fun to ride! How lucky am I that I have a field-hunting Connemara stallion? 💖🦄
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📸 : Denny Bomar

11/25/2024

Weekend post #1!!
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A gorgeous Junior Day hunt with Keswick Hunt Club. Winterstormwarning lead 2nd flight with me, Hayden Snowdon rode Fortune Cookie, and Gavin Marks borrowed Arthur of Camelot to whip.
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It was a blue bird day with wind — hounds had difficulty keeping scent when out of the wetter and low lying gullies, but they trailed a 🦊 as best they could. We had a delicious tailgate to follow!
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📸 : Warner Granade
Stephanie Bowman
Hayden Snowdon

11/25/2024

My baby girl is ONE YEAR OLD!!! Happy birthday to da wittle TidBit Tipsy, the cutest Patterdale that ever lived!!!!!!!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍
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11/22/2024

✨✨ INTRODUCING ✨✨
☘️ Manu Forti’s Blue Clover ☘️

🦄 “Blue” is a 2017 16.1hh purebred Class 1 heterozygous black Irish Draught stallion bred by Manu Forti Farm Irish Draught & Irish Sport Horses, owned by Laura and Steve Parker at Wild Ivy Farm.

Sire: Touch of the Blues
Dam: Prescott’s Magnolia

IDHSNA page - https://www.irishdraught.org/ApprovedIDStallions/Singlemanu-forti's-blue-clover

Pedigree - https://irishdraughtpedigree.com/pedpoint/pp_pedigree.php?id=Manu%20Forti%27s%20Blue%20Clover&db=pedigree&gens=5

Linear Profile -https://irishdraughtpedigree.com/pedpoint/lpfiles/LP_Manu-Fortis-Blue-Clover-C1IDS.pdf

☘️ Who is Blue? ☘️
Blue has been in training focused on an eventing career. His first competition was at Yarra Yarra Dressage (CA) this spring, where he received scores of 71 and 63 on his first two tests. His very first USEA Beginner Novice horse trial was at Shepherd Ranch (CA) in August, where he was first after dressage by three points on a score of 26.9. Unfortunately, he had to be withdrawn due to his rider falling with another horse. Blue competed twice more this summer in California at USEA horse trials, earning good scores and jumping clean cross country rounds.

He has a wonderful disposition and fits right in with our bromancing boys. He has three impressive ground covering gaits and is a bold, but quiet and athletic jumper. We are thrilled to continue his eventing career, but are particularly excited about his future as a field hunter. 😉

Blue has produced a small crop of foals with very high-quality fresh and frozen semen, but it is now our mission to get more on the ground!

☘️ What is an Irish Draught? ☘️
The Irish Draught (pronounced draft) is a rare and treasured breed in Ireland and around the globe. The purebred is said to be the horse to work the fields all week, take the farmer foxhunting on Saturdays, and drive the family to church on Sunday. The Irish Draught, in addition to being versatile as an outcross, is brilliant at adding substance, bone, and temperament to offspring. Breeding to an Irish Draught results in the Irish Draught Sport Horse, a breed showing up in ever-increasing numbers at top eventing and show jumping venues.

☘️ What makes a stallion “Class 1?” ☘️
Irish Draught horses in North America are subject to a rigorous inspection program before being approved for breeding. They are required to present a full set of radiographs, DNA genetic testing, veterinary inspection, and an evaluation by two judges from Ireland. Stallions are required to free jump, and the inspection process results in a linear profile. Blue received a superb score, including 90 points on temperament — The judges adored him. Class 1 is the highest class.

✨ We are looking forward to offering his services to the public for 2025 with fresh/cooled and frozen semen.

Stay tuned for future posts that will have MORE PHOTOS, a discussion of his pedigree, and will include his social media accounts and page on our website! 🙌

📸 : .photo w/ Joe McKinley aboard

11/18/2024

This was so fun to watch!
Remember one of the first Arena Eventing/Indoor Eventing videos we all ever saw?? A very young Michael Jung riding to Cotton Eyed Joe? 😉

11/16/2024

Heard galloping from inside the house.... Yup, they're at it again!
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11/16/2024

Joel and I trekked up to Upperville, Virginia last weekend to compete in the Virginia Field Hunter Championships, hosted by Piedmont Foxhounds.
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This competition invites 💌 Virginia packs to send two members each to represent them. It was created and started in 1951 (I believe) by Alexander Rives (MFH of Keswick Hunt Club 1947-1954), the father of our own Sandy Rives (MFH of KHC 1990-1992 & Honorary Whip) and Barclay Rives (Honorary Whip).
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Our day began with a 4am 🕓 wake up call to be dressed, get horses washed, vacuumed, and forelocks braided, followed by a two hour drive. The day was overcast and chilly and our horses felt fit.
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The competition started at 9am with the Best Turned Out, quickly followed by the WTC hack so the judges can see all the horses competing, which was about 20+. We then waited for some of the judges to get into position for the mock hunt, while the other two judges rode amongst us. The previous year’s winner leads the field over a series of fences and terrain for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on who designed the course.
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Once home from the mock hunt, the judges deliberated and chose their favorites to ride in a final individual test. Both Joel and I were chosen for this, which was thrilling! The test was shown to us by our fearless leader, and then off we went one by one! 🏇
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Winterstormwarning (OTTB - Deputy Storm xx/ Vice Regent xx) finished 6th while Fortune Cookie (Homebred Connemara Sporthorse - Concerto Grosso[Holsteiner]/ Ganymede[Conn/TB]) did not make top 6. Breezy and Cookie are two of our most prized ponies, and we are so thankful to have them to enrich our lives.
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Thank you to Middleburg Photo, Luci Photography, & Liz Callar Photography for these wonderful photos we will treasure forever! 💖

11/13/2024

Sweet SRF Chilli Sunrise is turning into the next wonderful staff horse for us! Galloping and jumping coops around our country with her really makes me wanna take her out competing again next season!! She is so athletic and fun, like the vintage Corvette Stingray I want! 😉
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Bred by
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📸 : Warner Granade
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Tamarack Hill Farm

11/10/2024

After sustaining a strain to a hind leg suspensory in the Spring, and an eye ulcer in early Summer, Fortune Cookie 🥠 feels INCREDIBLE and strong.
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We made it to the finals of the Virginia Field Hunter Championships today, and weren’t pinned. But I don’t even care because I got to showcase my breeding program, and my horse was a beast today. I am just so thankful that she is sound, happy, and rideable!!
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Coming home with the biggest smile, and a bursting heart. 💖Cookie Monster 🍪👹 is the BEST GIRL!!!
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Thank you to Piedmont Foxhounds for hosting. And a massive thank you to the veterinarians who helped bring us back to action - Old Dominion Equine Associates & Animal Eyecare of Richmond.
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11/06/2024

Time to share this one again!

‘Tis important for stallions to be treated like any other horse, therefore I pretend to trust him like I would any other 4yo. “You’re still standing back there? Great.” He is especially thoughtful after a good ground work session.
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Here he is, this afternoon, watching me teach from the middle of the arena on the other end of his line. He is content and captivated by the 11yo riding the semi-retired 12 hand POA.
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It doesn’t take long to get a horse to this happy place. Ground work is about speaking their language, and it’s not rocket science.
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Horses want us to understand them. I love creating that horse and human dance where we both have finally “memorized the routine.”

11/04/2024

Pony appreciation post for our goober, Arthur of Camelot. Arthur is now 7 and a half, and is in his 4th season of hunting. We purchased him off of a video on my birthday in 2021, through Lauren Romanelli.
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When the vet called me after the PPE, he said he was surprisingly impressed with how lovely his movement was after seeing how goofy and gangly he looked in the cross ties. I considered that particular comment a perfect reason to buy him! 😉
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Arthur has ridden in clinics with Bernie Traurig and Lucinda Green. He was dubbed “Bobble Head” by Bernie, as he still hasn’t figured out how to keep his head in one place, but both Bernie and Lucinda absolutely adore his athleticism and scope!
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He has numerous positions within the hunt field nowadays. Most of the time, he whips in with Joel. But he also leads first field OR happily goes behind friends in first field! He is a complete goof ball on the ground, is constantly bobbing his head while standing around, but he is sure-footed and bottomless with energy, making him an essential steed for judging performance trials — He has gone 27 miles in one day before.
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I attribute his goofy behavior to his start to life as an orphan foal. He is only 15.3hh, and I wish we knew what breed or combination of breeds he is — What is your guess?
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📸 : Warner Granade

11/04/2024

First flight jumping - Chilli and Cora at the end!

11/04/2024

Thornton Hill Hounds Opening Meet 2024!!
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Rosie lead second field with Hermione, and Joel and I took Chilli and Cora. I expected to ride in second field with Joel and Rosie…
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After 20 minutes, Joel somehow convinced me to go up to first field, which is the jumping field… 😳 Cora has literally been so perfect at every hunt, and this was maybe her 7th or 8th time hunting. She is so chillax, and loves it so much. She hunts with a loop in the rein. HOWEVER, she still is only ridden to hunt right now, AND I’ve literally never jumped her under saddle - not over a cross rail or a log…. NEVER. She doesn’t even steer well. 😅 She has jumped once or twice on the lunge.
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Well today, we wung it! And she jumped like 5 or 6 coops! Perfect form every time. 😎
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Less than 30 rides under saddle… 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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I don’t know if it’s Katie Pinner’s breeding or my training, or the combination…. But the pony is simply magical!
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And Chilli absolutely ADORES her new job! I’ll have to fight Joel for the reins. 💪👊

10/30/2024

Yesterday, I took SRF Chilli Sunrise (Chilli Morning x Jetting West, bred by Setters Run Farm) up to Thornton Hill Hounds for her second time out with hounds. We left from the kennels just down the road from Sperryville. Chilli’s first time out was two years ago, and then she had a foal by BSF Golden Snitch (MS Chilli Tryst), so here we are! We decided to go slow and take her in 3rd flight, which is generally walk/trot. She has a busy mind, and I didn’t want to over stimulate her.
[Young and/or green horses should always start out in the slow groups because hunting will just about always pump up a horse (which is sometimes something I count on with a lazy one 😉).]
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Chilli started out very high headed and staring around at all the horses far away. She wouldn’t stand at the checks, and was getting more and more jiggy in 3rd flight. Ultimately, our plan is to turn her into a staff or first flight leading horse, so bravery and forwardness is encouraged. I’m not particularly worried about her being comfortable behind a group of horses, especially since she won’t really need to be when all is said and done.
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After about 15-20 minutes, just as I was thinking maybe I should move along up to 2nd flight to have a canter and go up a big hill, Rosie (who was leading 3rd flight) suggested maybe I go up as well — So we did.
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We trotted up Little Mason and around, and finally she started to settle at the checks, but was spooking at hounds coming up behind her on the trails. Not ever threatening them, just genuinely spooky. Ok, that’s something we can work on — no big deal.
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About an hour into the hunt, we had trotted and cantered a decent amount. She got completely over the hounds, and was totally chilling at the checks, just watching everything go on around her. She spent far more time listening to and watching the hounds than worrying about the horses just on the other side of that hill.
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Nearing the end of the hunt, we had jumped a couple logs on the trail, and Kat (2nd flight leader) asked if we wanted to jump a coop! Uh YES!! So we did! No problemo!!!
As we neared the trailers, Kat excused herself from the hunt to get to a meeting, and we joined the back of 1st flight!! We didn’t jump anything else, but we did some more mountain climbing following the hounds, and she was absolutely perfect. WTC with bridged reins in one hand, neck strap in the other. Plus she’s careful about rocks, roots, and holes!
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It’s safe to say that Chilli needed that stimulation to keep occupied, and it just settled her more and more. She completely stepped up to the plate. Feels so great to be out on the ones you love to ride so much. 🥰🥰 Wahoo! New hunt horse!
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📸 : Denny Bomar

Tamarack Hill Farm