Anthony Forrest Equestrian

10/16/2024

What a whirlwind 🌀 weekend we had at Morven Park International Fall Horse Trial!

I was very excited to take Big Joe (Quantum Leap Z) and Danny (Diamo AWH) around their FIRST horse trials at our favorite event!

Big Joe was first up in the Open Novice, laying down an incredible 22.2 in the dressage! After a stunning test, he followed it up with a double clear show jumping round. Heading into cross country, Big Joe lead 51 horses across all novice divisions!

The Diamo AWH Group’s ‘Danny’ was next to go. Being only 4 years old, the plan was just to give him a good ride and finish with confidence. Being an ‘end of season’ novice, we planned to just take one phase at a time. After a lovely test scoring a 30.4, he too cruised around for a double clear, and in 3rd place ahead of xc! With room for improvement in his test, I am so excited to see what he will score in future!

Cross country day was no joke, with 17 horses across the novice divisions having serious trouble and even falls. Though it was an ‘end of season novice’ , I watched some very experienced combinations have trouble from the start. Unfortunately, Big Joe and I fell into that category. With early trouble on course, we opted to retire before his confidence took a hit. He retired sound and proceeded to school the course with ease a few days later.

Danny, however, truly showed his bravery and set out on course like a real professional! Though only 4 years old, he was willing and brave throughout the course! He finished with a big smile on his face only a few planned time penalties!

As the season comes to a close I can’t help but look back over the year from the start. I am so blessed to have everyone who helped get Big Joe from surgery to a 22 at his first event, and to have a wonderful group of owners coming to cheer on Danny around a tough course! Thank you so much to everyone who makes this possible and I cannot wait to see what next season has in store!!

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Huge thank you to our sponsors for helping us look and feel our very best!
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10/02/2024

February 25th, 2024 —> September 25th 2024

Two photos just 7 months apart. I stumbled across this photo and was reminded just how far this horse has come in such a short time.

I am forever grateful to the incredible surgeons and team at Morven Park EMC and to everyone for their prayers throughout this journey with Big Joe!

No day is taken for granted and I am so blessed to have such a great partnership with this horse. Thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way and I am very excited to see what the future has in store!

09/27/2024

This week Big Joe and Danny enjoyed some trips around our favorite jumper show at ! It’s so good for the young event horses to get practice around tougher show jumping tracks with a bit more atmosphere. Wednesday was a day for ticketed warm ups and a good day to get them acclimated to the show ahead of the competition. Thursday both horses stepped off the trailer like seasoned professionals and proceeded to perform accordingly!Big Joe took on the two 1.0m Young Horse Jumper classes and cruised around to with two double clear rounds for the WIN in both classes! 🏆 Big Joe and I have had some excellent instruction from some of the best coaches in the industry and it has already helped us both so much! We are so fortunate to have elite coaches like Joe Fargis and Erik Duvander close by and I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish as time goes on!The Diamo AWH Group’s “Danny” (Diamo AWH) stepped into the .90m and was pure class! I am so impressed with how much his balance between the jumps and form over the jumps has come along in just a few weeks! He’s learning to be more careful with both his front and hind end over the fences and has also started to really open up his shoulders and use himself better on the flat and over the jumps. Hard to believe he is only 4!Both horses feel ready to go for Morven Park to close out the season! Thank you to everyone who helped get us here and for helping our horses feel their very best! .shop

09/01/2024

It is with great excitement, I would like to announce “The Diamo AWH Group” !

Whether it be a local competition or major championship, it takes a strong team to reach the finish line. Without a dedicated group of owners, the Olympic dream is simply not possible. I am incredibly humbled and blessed to have this wonderful team of supporters behind myself and Danny! I cannot wait to share this journey with truly wonderful people and am so thankful for their support!

08/27/2024

Come and join us! Riders and horses of all levels welcome!

Looking for a tune-up ahead of the fall season?

Or maybe you have a young horse that you want to bring along carefully and correctly?

Maybe you want to try Fox hunting with your horse but don’t know how to get started?

Whatever goals you have for you and your horse, Wheatland Farm is here to bring your partnership to the next level!

Join us on Thursdays for lessons with Wheatland Farm’s Anthony Forrest! Lessons will be mornings and afternoons every Thursday! Indoor and outdoor both available so lessons will be rain or shine ☀️ 🌧️

07/23/2024

Fun morning with Big Joe working on some important early cross country questions! Though this horse would jump a house with his eyes closed, he was a bit worried about down banks, ditches, and cantering through water. Thankfully we could go down the road to our great friends at Clasing Equestrian for some practice! Longing is a GREAT way to help the youngsters figure out different questions! On the line , Big Joe can find his balance easily and make a mistake without any added weight in the saddle or ‘pressure’ from the leg. For the riders, it’s a safe option in case your horse takes off bucking, trips, or has any dramatic baby moment! After figuring out the different questions, it was time to hop on and reiterate what he learned on the line!

07/12/2024

Such an awesome first outing for Big Joe (Quantum Leap Z) at the Maryland Horse Trials 5 Year Old Qualifier this morning!

Big Joe laid down a lovely test and was quite the professional from start to finish! Though there is always some room for improvement, I really could not be more thrilled with how he feels at home and in a show environment.

After losing this spring with the colic surgery and the brutal conditions so far this summer, we opted to just do the dressage for today. Big Joe feels very confident in each phase and has proven to be a very quick learner but still feels a few weeks out from tackling each phase with real confidence.

I like to use these early shows as ‘litmus tests’ to see where we are in our training and for the experience!

Always best to come away from the shows thinking “we could’ve done more” rather than “we should’ve done less” !

Lots to look forward to this year!
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07/08/2024

Welcome Home Diamo AWH aka “Danny” !!

07/04/2024

Happy Birthday to the greatest country in the world 🦅🇺🇸🎆

07/02/2024

So impressed with Big Joe in his very first real cross country school! He has proven to not only be athletic, but incredibly brave and trainable as well!

Huge thank you to for letting us school around your beautiful facility!
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Majyk Equipe

06/20/2024

It is with great excitement that we welcome the newest addition to AFE, “Diamo AWH” !

This impressive Dutch 🇳🇱 bred 4 year old has been thoughtfully produced by and Sophia Lincoln of in the UK 🇬🇧

We are excited to welcome this lovely horse to the USA and cannot wait to produce him through the sport alongside Big Joe!

05/02/2024

I am very excited to have my old buddy Chip entered into the Upperville C**t & Horse Show ‘s inaugural “Irish Hunter Hack” this year! This is an exciting new addition to showcase the traditional Irish horse and it is right up Chip’s alley!

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this possible and to those who will keep the division growing for years to come!

📸:
Middleburg Photo
Dillon Keen Photography
Eleszabeth E. McNeel Photography
Scott Canard
Alice Porter

04/29/2024

While the last 12 weeks have been a real roller coaster with this fella, I am delighted to say Big Joe is rounding the turn home to full health and the finish line is in sight!

I am not only incredibly thankful to the veterinarians and surgeons who helped Big Joe through surgery and post-op care, but to all of our friends and family for the prayers and support when it was needed most.

Big Joe has been an absolute champ throughout everything and I cannot wait to continue to grow as a team together. Cheers to ride #7 and we cannot wait to make a return to the competition arena later this year!

02/29/2024

Happy leap day from the flying Irishman ☘️

02/24/2024

Big Man Joe has recovered in good spirits and was keen to get his polo mints during my visit this morning ( thank you Stacey Ragan for giving him a taste of home 🇬🇧) !

Long journey ahead for him but it is off to a good start and the vets are very happy with how he is doing. Thank you all for the continued prayers!

02/23/2024

Prayers up for Big Joe today as he undergoes emergency colic surgery following a sudden colic this morning.

After a wonderful week settling in and starting some light work, Big Joe suddenly fell ill with a severe colic. Thankfully, we were quick to take him to Morven Park Equine Hospital where they decided surgery was his only option.

We are awaiting more details but regardless the road ahead is long and many prayers are needed!