Topspin lived up to his name from the outset. Topspin is a second-generation home-bred who fulfilled a grandmother’s dreams, most recently carrying Alice Casburn to take the under-25 national championship at Bramham. Alice was six years old when Topspin arrived in the world, a giant fourth foal from his 15.3hh mother Capriati. He still lives in the stable where he was born. “Mum’s room […]

An orphaned foal who touched hearts across the world – and shaped shape equine welfare practice – has died aged 13 after the “safest and happiest life possible”. Dartmoor hill pony Breeze, who was rescued at a day old and became famous when pictures of him sleeping next to his giant teddy friend Buttons were […]

Boston Black Tie is two-time champion at Royal International.Boston Black Tie (DJ) is the result of a careful breeding plan. “It took me a long time to breed a hack,” says Stephen Howard. “I point-to-pointed his great-grandmother, Lovely Grange, and didn’t want to sell her. She had four foals, one of which – Boston Bellissima – I kept. In turn, she had DJ’s […]

“Walter” as a foal at Lordships Stud in Essex. The breeding of Lordships Graffalo has resulted in one of the greatest eventers to have graced the planet, but he was something of a “thug” in his foalhood. Still known for his habits of tugging his grooms to tastier grazing, chewing ropes and upending wheelbarrows, “he used to walk over everyone” as a curious, independent […]

A foal who was abandoned to die when he was less than a day old is thriving as he approaches his first birthday thanks to those who went to his rescue. Biggles was thought to be less than 24 hours old when he was found lying in a field in County Durham, his umbilical cord […]

There’s no feeling like knowing you were there at the very beginning, but what’s the cost?Breeding your own horse is, for many owners and riders, an appealing proposition – the chance to produce exactly the type of horse you want, from bloodlines you’ve chosen, with every stage of their development in your hands. But how much does it cost to breed a horse? It’s certainly not a cheap way of […]

Dressage superstar TSF Dalera BB, the multiple gold medal-winning ride of Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, has welcomed her first foal. Jessica said the 19-year-old mare gave birth to “this magical little creature” – named Dolce Vita BB – at 1.40am on 9 March. The filly is by Vitalis. “The BB in the name stands for […]