Artois Equestrian

23/06/2025

Vivaldi is off on his new adventure headed to New York! They're doing a week lay over in Kentucky and then on to his new forever home in Mooers!

22/06/2025

Tomorrow morning, Vivaldi heads off to his new home in New York! This past week, the boys have spent their days splashing in the water and kicking up dust storms as they raced around like maniacs. Once Vivaldi leaves, DaVinci will be getting a new roommate—no clue who just yet, but I’ll figure that out.

So, the game plan for today? Stir up some chaos with these two and snap as many fun, wild photos as possible of their last-day shenanigans. I even bought DaVinci a pool to splash around in! It probably won’t survive long, but hey—it’ll be a blast while it lasts.

For the past month, the boys have shared a fence line with Lestat. He’s a surprisingly attentive dad with a serious case of "resting boss face." I often catch them napping side by side, noses touching, sharing quiet moments. DaVinci definitely shows more interest in Lestat than Vivaldi does. Haha.

15/06/2025

DaVinci requests a pool so....market place it is.

11/06/2025

A good ride deserves a good roll—well, half a roll, because dinner was calling.

Tonight, we rode with purpose. We focused, learned, tested, and then, we played. We gathered ourselves in collection, stretched out on a long rein, moved with leg and seat, balanced with shoulders, and stayed soft with guiding hands. We bundled energy, shifted, and transitioned in precise movements. And then we ran.

We ran as hard and fast as he wanted, no hesitation, no restraint—just pure freedom. We bounced and leapt, twisting, launching, playing. His balance was impeccable, every spirited move effortless yet controlled. Never once did I worry about coming off; he made sure of that. He was careful in his excitement, thoughtful in his joy, always attuned to the rider on his back.

He is 14 now, and I’ve had him since he was eight months old. Sometimes he tests me, pushes the boundaries—that’s expected. Some days he’s a mischievous toddler; other days, a refined gentleman. And tonight, as I brushed my fingers through his forelock, I noticed something new. Grey hairs sprinkled over his left eye, soft threads of silver catching the light. About as many as I have.

We are going to salt and pepper together....and we're going to rock that too.

10/06/2025

Vista is feeling the pregnancy weight these days. Look at that belly! She is due in August with her first foals ever! Of course it's a Lestat baby!

10/06/2025

Lestat is home for the month—ready to stretch his legs, roll in the dust, and meet his fans!
If you're looking for a stallion that consistently produces athletic, intelligent, and eye-catching foals, now’s the time to secure your mare’s spot.

Lestat heads back to White City, Oregon, at the beginning of July, so if you want to breed this month, contact us today! He’ll be available again August through October for his summer break, and ships nationwide March through October for those needing cooled/shipped semen.

✨ Why Choose Lestat? ✨
✔ Proven show-ring success
✔ Stunning movement, bone, athleticism, and temperament
✔ Foals from mares ranging from 14.2hh to 18+hh
✔ High-performance fresh collection and cooled/shipped semen

Thanks to his stellar competition career, we no longer offer live cover for his safety—but his fresh-cooled numbers are excellent! Our onsite collection with same-day insemination eliminates shipping fees and ensures optimal results.

We’re not here to empty your wallet—we’re here to help you produce the foal of your dreams with a pairing that brings out the best in your mare. Lestat might not pay child support, but your foal will dominate jackpot classes like a hot knife through butter!

If you want strength, smarts, temperament, and stunning presence, Lestat should be your mare’s next baby-daddy.

📩 Limited spots available—contact us now to book!
https://www.artoisequestrian.com/stallion-services
https://www.artoisequestrian.com/faq

Lestat Le Roi, Friesian Stallion and National Champion. Friesian stud service available on-site in Olympia, WA, and White City, Oregon. We offer fresh/cooled semen and shipping services.

20/05/2025

DaVinci got his first set of shoes today! He wasn't impressed with the process but handled it with minimal shenanigans.

11/05/2025

To all the moms out there—whether you're raising tiny humans, mischievous furballs, or a flock of opinionated chickens—Happy Mother’s Day! 💖

Thank you for your endless patience, your ability to find things that were “literally right there,” and your magical talent for turning chaos into something resembling order. May your day be filled with love, laughter, and at least five uninterrupted minutes of peace....
Have a wonderful day!

05/05/2025

**Today's Scramble!**

It's rush mode—Coggins are needed ASAP for this weekend's events! Legacy’s is out of date, and Cody doesn’t even have one—oops! And somehow, my brain totally blanked on the fact that staging is just 15 minutes away in Idaho, even though the event itself is in Washington. No worries, though—**Spinnaker Farms to the rescue!**

When I moved to Olympia, I made sure to call every equine vet in the area and save their numbers, knowing that backup would be essential if Bo and Cori weren’t available for urgent calls. This year, with breeding split into a two-part process, I’ve been able to add Spinnaker Farms to my trusted list of vets. Some exciting developments are happening on that front—but that’s a story for another post!

Since Bo and Cori are absolutely slammed (as they should be—**always promote your friends!**), **Spinnaker Farms will be coming today for a dental on Legacy and two rush-order Coggins on Legacy and Cody.** Let’s just say… my roots are showing (blond joke).

First things first:
✔ Grab food.
✔ Drop PJ back off at Flying M for continued top-tier maintenance care.
✔ Rearrange the trailers for better packing.
✔ Wash out the reserve water tank because...ewww.

And, of course, here’s **DaVinci, soaking up the last rays of sunlight and living his best life.**

04/05/2025

DaVinci is enjoying the sunshine! He's mostly all shed from the winter and has hair flowing top to bottom! He is 1/4 Gypsy Vanner, 1/4 Clydesdale, and 1/2 Friesian. I'm hoping that he gets some size on him from that Clyde but so far he's on his way to a comfortable and solid 16hh. Right now he's sitting about 14hh at almost 2 years old and butt high.

04/05/2025

Guess who's moving to New York at the end of the month?! VIVALDI! This will be a huge trip for him! What an adventure! He came home from baby bootcamp yesterday with all the trailering buttons. Such a good boy! His half brother missed him and they spent the rest of the day playing and annoying each other.

25/04/2025

Look at this baby stud muffin doing the lip thing!
We are re-leveling the foaling stall and adding a gravel pad so Vista and DaVinci get a couple mowing days while we get it all figured out.
We keep the grass around the arena pretty in check so it's a good transitional spot when we need to move horses around and everything else is growing like crazy or freshly mowed. Since DaVinci is on track to keep his under carriage, this is a fun marker to see in him. For the last couple of days, Legacy and Moira have been turned out here and Moira was coming out of heat so it's fun to see DaVinci respond to an area where a mare in heat has recently been. He will be 2 in September with his first foals planned for start in 2027/2028. This is a tentative start date and entirely depends on his ability to use the good brain he has. We are trying things a little differently this time around and making his social needs a priority.

For those who don't know what they Flehmen response is, here is a blurb on what he's doing:
-The Flehmen response, also known as a lip curl, is a behavior in horses where they curl their upper lip, bare their teeth, and raise their head while inhaling deeply. This action helps them collect and analyze scents, especially those associated with pheromones related to reproduction and estrus. It's often seen in stallions when assessing a mare's reproductive status. While colts may exhibit the response more frequently than fillies, it's also seen in foals, mares, and even geldings