News Fall/Winter '19/'20
- A new stallion has arrived: RYV Þyrill fra Stórhellar.
He was bred by Eric Sobeck and an absolute stunner.
- Thora frá Tind will be having her last foal this season. The 18 year old Icelandic mare is still healthy, however the strain of foaling is increasing, so she will have her last foal soon and retire.
- Stormhaven has been through some remodeling. We have fixed some open stalls and have given it all a fresh coat of paint, shining in fancy new colors of Oxford Blue and Ash Wood.
- We have entered 4 horses in the 2019 Christmas Special Halter: Þyrill, Mahriba, Corraidhín, Deus Ex Machina
- We bought a new horse from Jay Wilkinson: Thorne S
- 2 new mares bought: Elsa frá Frostur and Léna frá Frostur purchased from our friend Regina Walker
- A new stallion has arrived: RYV Þyrill fra Stórhellar.
He was bred by Eric Sobeck and an absolute stunner.
- Thora frá Tind will be having her last foal this season. The 18 year old Icelandic mare is still healthy, however the strain of foaling is increasing, so she will have her last foal soon and retire.
- Stormhaven has been through some remodeling. We have fixed some open stalls and have given it all a fresh coat of paint, shining in fancy new colors of Oxford Blue and Ash Wood.
- We have entered 4 horses in the 2019 Christmas Special Halter: Þyrill, Mahriba, Corraidhín, Deus Ex Machina
- We bought a new horse from Jay Wilkinson: Thorne S
- 2 new mares bought: Elsa frá Frostur and Léna frá Frostur purchased from our friend Regina Walker
Spring/Summer 2019
- after a year break we finally had a successful foal crop again. They can be checked out here
- after rehoming Neal's high intensity dogs we got him a more easy going, friendly pup, the white German Shepherd Þorinn. He is the sweetest dog ever.
- Anna took a two week trip to Iceland with Katinka to visit friends and family. Along the way she found a few wonderful horses to buy. One of them a very unique mare with the rare gene W21. The mare called Hrifla.
Another horse Anna fell in love with seemed the exact opposite. A very homely, old gelding, but he was so calm, obedient and a real mountain goat, who carried Anna safely through the highlands of Iceland. Smári is going to be an additional trekking horse of ours now.
- Horse Training of Fandor is complete
- New breed added to our program: The Barb-Arab
We have received 3 horses, the stallion Sultan, the mare Rashidia and a gift from Celia Acosta, the mare Mahriba LSF
- We have purchased a Paso Fino mare from Elaine Rose; Sorpresa del Astro
- after a year break we finally had a successful foal crop again. They can be checked out here
- after rehoming Neal's high intensity dogs we got him a more easy going, friendly pup, the white German Shepherd Þorinn. He is the sweetest dog ever.
- Anna took a two week trip to Iceland with Katinka to visit friends and family. Along the way she found a few wonderful horses to buy. One of them a very unique mare with the rare gene W21. The mare called Hrifla.
Another horse Anna fell in love with seemed the exact opposite. A very homely, old gelding, but he was so calm, obedient and a real mountain goat, who carried Anna safely through the highlands of Iceland. Smári is going to be an additional trekking horse of ours now.
- Horse Training of Fandor is complete
- New breed added to our program: The Barb-Arab
We have received 3 horses, the stallion Sultan, the mare Rashidia and a gift from Celia Acosta, the mare Mahriba LSF
- We have purchased a Paso Fino mare from Elaine Rose; Sorpresa del Astro
December 2018
December started off with a new stud. Grímnir de Aon-Adharcach is a lively Icelandic stallion from Aon-Adharcach. He is still young and inexperienced, but already a looker and we will train him and see what the future holds, but we are hoping for a new breeding stallion to freshen up the bloodlines.
We have hired the talented Annabelle Wolfsbane to design a new logo for our farm. Her thought process was to find something nordic with greyish-blue colors and came up with our new logo you can see above.
December started off with a new stud. Grímnir de Aon-Adharcach is a lively Icelandic stallion from Aon-Adharcach. He is still young and inexperienced, but already a looker and we will train him and see what the future holds, but we are hoping for a new breeding stallion to freshen up the bloodlines.
We have hired the talented Annabelle Wolfsbane to design a new logo for our farm. Her thought process was to find something nordic with greyish-blue colors and came up with our new logo you can see above.
November 2018
- Horse bought: Áma frá Tind
- Horse Training of Fandor booked
- Horse Training of BSS Forever booked
- Horses Sold: our Eventing Champion Ísold and the stallion Darki have been sold to Stall Teitur. We wish them all the best.
- Horses bought: 2 young mares Gnípa and Skýla from Stall Teitur
- new paddock for colts finally finished
- plans for Cavador are on hold. In the process of moving Cavador to a smaller location we have decided to sell many of our horses. There was a mix up and the Marchador Stallion Jeronimo was lost in the shuffle. Oscar has left us to travel back south to find him. Once found Jeronimo should move back to Stormhaven.
- Horse bought: Áma frá Tind
- Horse Training of Fandor booked
- Horse Training of BSS Forever booked
- Horses Sold: our Eventing Champion Ísold and the stallion Darki have been sold to Stall Teitur. We wish them all the best.
- Horses bought: 2 young mares Gnípa and Skýla from Stall Teitur
- new paddock for colts finally finished
- plans for Cavador are on hold. In the process of moving Cavador to a smaller location we have decided to sell many of our horses. There was a mix up and the Marchador Stallion Jeronimo was lost in the shuffle. Oscar has left us to travel back south to find him. Once found Jeronimo should move back to Stormhaven.
August 2018
Stormhaven has been rather quiet last year because Anna has been very busy together with her team to set up a new exciting project. Stormhaven will be creating a Training School for students interested in learning about gaited horses. We will be holding clinics and seminars there and start a special Program to become a Gaited Horse Graduate.
We have a new specialist on our team from Ireland. He has developed a new breed called Fàlaire. It is a special breeding program developed by Cameron Bailie crossing Highland-, Fell-, Kerrybog Ponies with Icelandics. The result is a sturdy, cob type horse who is intelligent, easy to ride and most of all easy to tölt. We will be introducing this new breed soon on our website. The horses will also be for sale in the near future.
We have a new specialist on our team from Ireland. He has developed a new breed called Fàlaire. It is a special breeding program developed by Cameron Bailie crossing Highland-, Fell-, Kerrybog Ponies with Icelandics. The result is a sturdy, cob type horse who is intelligent, easy to ride and most of all easy to tölt. We will be introducing this new breed soon on our website. The horses will also be for sale in the near future.
2017 Overview
Stormhaven has had it's usual ups and downs. We left Equus-Sims because we were just focused on gathering points and it was more work than pleasure.
Some staff members have left us, but all left on good terms. Gideon moved back to Iceland to continue his horse stable there; Scarlet, who had twins decided to become a full time mother to her twins Clementine and Warren, she still visits regularly though. Neal and Anna finally tied the knot and are happily married. Because of chronic pains in his knee Neal has given up his equine career on Stormhaven and focuses his time on his wife, dogs and his online shop.
General updates; Stormhaven's main focus is still the Icelandic Horse of which we have many. A few Saddlebreds, Standardbreds and Rocky Mountain Horses are peppered into the mix. Our kennel is on halt for the moment because the demand for Icelandic sheepdogs was not there and we don't our pups to be homeless.
Some staff members have left us, but all left on good terms. Gideon moved back to Iceland to continue his horse stable there; Scarlet, who had twins decided to become a full time mother to her twins Clementine and Warren, she still visits regularly though. Neal and Anna finally tied the knot and are happily married. Because of chronic pains in his knee Neal has given up his equine career on Stormhaven and focuses his time on his wife, dogs and his online shop.
General updates; Stormhaven's main focus is still the Icelandic Horse of which we have many. A few Saddlebreds, Standardbreds and Rocky Mountain Horses are peppered into the mix. Our kennel is on halt for the moment because the demand for Icelandic sheepdogs was not there and we don't our pups to be homeless.
June '16
Scarlet's baby bump is growing so she won't be competing for a while and has decided to let her mare Nebula experience the wonder of motherhood as well, since she will be out for a year anyway.
The puppies are old enough now to go to new homes. We will be posting pictures of the fluff balls real soon.
Scarlet's baby bump is growing so she won't be competing for a while and has decided to let her mare Nebula experience the wonder of motherhood as well, since she will be out for a year anyway.
The puppies are old enough now to go to new homes. We will be posting pictures of the fluff balls real soon.
May '16
The season of new life is upon us and with it some wonderful gifts. We have a fresh litter of Icelandic Sheepdog Puppies and a new foal. Some broodmares are already pregnant again, this time from the wonderful Peruvian Paso Travieso del Cavador. We are expecting some unique gaited crosses next season. While on the subject of celebrating new life Scarlet has announced that she is pregnant. While she is busy getting the house ready her husband Nick has started a side business writing songs. With the help of musical talents on Stormhaven he has recorded a few tracks in his self made studio and has sent them in.
Anna felt it was time to move out of the large house, now that she doesn't have a family to support. She had a new house built near Stormhaven, a small, comfy home for her and her best friend Lynn. Scarlet and Nick bought the old house and have remodeled it some. Just like Anna did, they will also rent out rooms to whichever Stormhaven Staff member needs them.
Neal has found 2 new dogs. The wolfdog/sheepdog mix Alpha and the Dutch Shepherd Rebel.
Anna felt it was time to move out of the large house, now that she doesn't have a family to support. She had a new house built near Stormhaven, a small, comfy home for her and her best friend Lynn. Scarlet and Nick bought the old house and have remodeled it some. Just like Anna did, they will also rent out rooms to whichever Stormhaven Staff member needs them.
Neal has found 2 new dogs. The wolfdog/sheepdog mix Alpha and the Dutch Shepherd Rebel.
April '16
For multiple reasons (personal and professional) we have exchanged trainers between Cavador. Clayton Danvers, the gaited horse specialist from Tennessee, will be joining us again while Wayde Burkhart will be going to Cavador. To clear his reputation (and stop these rumors) Wayde did have a brief affair with the owner Anna Foster, which was ended on good terms and had nothing to do with his professional advances. He started dating someone else after the relationship with Anna had ended. The physical altercation between Wayde and Neal has long been resolved and neither of them are pressing charges. His personal matters never got in the way of his work on Stormhaven and he has not been fired, but left of his own choice. We support his decision and ask that you respect his privacy.
On further news we have purchase a new broodmare to replace our retired ones and freshen up the bloodline. She is a sweet mare from Denmark with very unique markings. Other than that this is the month of teaching and learning. Aaron is off to learn blacksmithing. It will come in handy to have a stationary farrier. Daniëlle and Scarlet have been busy training our guest horses, while Anna and Neal have been holding clinics around the States. Unfortunately Neal's dogs Kett and Pandora have passed away. His faithful companions had been with him for many years and it saddened us all to see these amazing dogs leave us.
On good news to celebrate the successful partnership between Stormhaven and Cavador we all got together and had a nice evening out, forgetting all troubles and enjoying each others company.
On further news we have purchase a new broodmare to replace our retired ones and freshen up the bloodline. She is a sweet mare from Denmark with very unique markings. Other than that this is the month of teaching and learning. Aaron is off to learn blacksmithing. It will come in handy to have a stationary farrier. Daniëlle and Scarlet have been busy training our guest horses, while Anna and Neal have been holding clinics around the States. Unfortunately Neal's dogs Kett and Pandora have passed away. His faithful companions had been with him for many years and it saddened us all to see these amazing dogs leave us.
On good news to celebrate the successful partnership between Stormhaven and Cavador we all got together and had a nice evening out, forgetting all troubles and enjoying each others company.
March '16
Spring has arrived and our focus has been on the broodmares. Sadly we had to castrate Brúnskjóna because of health reasons and Rás is also having her last foal before being retired. The mares are however going to stay in the broodmare herd and live out their days with their adopted family. We have taken Hrapa out of our riding school and use her as broodmare now. Her first birth was met with some complications but with a little help from our vet managed to have a healthy foal.
While Laney has left us, four new members have joined us, including the two trainers Daniëlle and Markús, the stable hand Donna and the book keeper Lynn.
Ægir frá Nýrhestar, the palomino prince has returned to us. We will continue his training and possibly resell him again in the future. Other outside horses in training have joined us as well, including the Kathiawari mare MSE Mahi and the Standardbred mare Ava.
Our open stall for large horses has finally been completed. Large enough to house 10 - 13 horses with 2 large connecting pastures, shelter and even a little "nook" for more insecure horses to eat in peace. A further, smaller open stall has been built, behind our riding hall, to house 5 - 6 mares.
While Laney has left us, four new members have joined us, including the two trainers Daniëlle and Markús, the stable hand Donna and the book keeper Lynn.
Ægir frá Nýrhestar, the palomino prince has returned to us. We will continue his training and possibly resell him again in the future. Other outside horses in training have joined us as well, including the Kathiawari mare MSE Mahi and the Standardbred mare Ava.
Our open stall for large horses has finally been completed. Large enough to house 10 - 13 horses with 2 large connecting pastures, shelter and even a little "nook" for more insecure horses to eat in peace. A further, smaller open stall has been built, behind our riding hall, to house 5 - 6 mares.
February '16
After our Winter break the horses have been driven back to the stable. They spent the past months roaming free on a small Island. Even our Stallions were grouped together and enjoyed a long break together.
Everyone is back and in action. It didn't take long to get our horses ready for competition season. They were all in good health and had not forgotten what they learned over the winter. With new a new competition schedule and discipline changes at Equus-Sims we too had to adapt and retrain some horses for new disciplines.
Neal has improved a great deal since the accident and is riding again on a regular basis, although it still might take years (if ever) until he can ride like he used to. We have therefore made the decision to retire his prized stallion Loki of Stormhaven from Eventing. We have extracted and frozen some of his sperm for possible offspring and have gelded the frisky stallion so he is easier to manage.
We have also gelded his son Ragnarök of Stormhaven. He has enjoyed a life both as a stallion and a chemically castrated gelding, we have found that his abilities aren't quite to the standard we would expect from a stallion so the final "cut" was made. He will continue his career as a gelding. With Merkúr of Stormhaven we do however have a new promising stallion on the rise. Merkúr's half sister Frosta will also be making her debut in the Dressage ring this year.
Everyone is back and in action. It didn't take long to get our horses ready for competition season. They were all in good health and had not forgotten what they learned over the winter. With new a new competition schedule and discipline changes at Equus-Sims we too had to adapt and retrain some horses for new disciplines.
Neal has improved a great deal since the accident and is riding again on a regular basis, although it still might take years (if ever) until he can ride like he used to. We have therefore made the decision to retire his prized stallion Loki of Stormhaven from Eventing. We have extracted and frozen some of his sperm for possible offspring and have gelded the frisky stallion so he is easier to manage.
We have also gelded his son Ragnarök of Stormhaven. He has enjoyed a life both as a stallion and a chemically castrated gelding, we have found that his abilities aren't quite to the standard we would expect from a stallion so the final "cut" was made. He will continue his career as a gelding. With Merkúr of Stormhaven we do however have a new promising stallion on the rise. Merkúr's half sister Frosta will also be making her debut in the Dressage ring this year.
November '15
The year is slowly coming to an end. After our move to a smaller farm and splitting into two Stables (Stormhaven and Cavador) things are finally settling down. After many years Stormhaven has gone back to almost exclusively Icelandics (with the exception of a few other individuals). We have more Iceys than ever and they are loving their new lives in medium sized herds on large pastures. Our stalls are almost always empty.
We do not have an oval track anymore, which makes training for the Gæðingakeppni complicated but we have a small riding hall connected to the stall and plenty of sturdy dirt paths to train on.
We do not have large plans for this year anymore but decided to relax. We will be sending off our horses to the large pastures for their winter break until next year.
We do not have an oval track anymore, which makes training for the Gæðingakeppni complicated but we have a small riding hall connected to the stall and plenty of sturdy dirt paths to train on.
We do not have large plans for this year anymore but decided to relax. We will be sending off our horses to the large pastures for their winter break until next year.
September '15
Big changes continue to happen. The move to Praaven was successful and everyone is exhausted but at least we are over the hill. Offering to help promote the Gæðingakeppni Club we imported 15 Icelandic Horses and will proceed to Raffle them off. In addition Gideon has sold us 3 of his own horses. One lovely broodmare and two spectacular Competition mares. Stormhaven is ready to enter the next era.
A new project has arisen. Sofia Casselas contacted us about an offer in South America. The Baroque Stable Hollow Crown was closing. One of the trainers Íñigo Alcázar (Sofía's husband) had the idea to start a stud for South American gaited horses. Anna jumped on board and thus Cavador was born. With the financial backing from Olivia Swann of Hollow Crown and the breeding stock from Stormhaven Cavador is off to a great start.
This did however mean that Stormhaven had to say good bye to some amazing animals. All Marchadors, Peruvians and Paso Finos have left to join the Cavador family. Stormhaven has even parted with two trainers to help the new stud.
A new project has arisen. Sofia Casselas contacted us about an offer in South America. The Baroque Stable Hollow Crown was closing. One of the trainers Íñigo Alcázar (Sofía's husband) had the idea to start a stud for South American gaited horses. Anna jumped on board and thus Cavador was born. With the financial backing from Olivia Swann of Hollow Crown and the breeding stock from Stormhaven Cavador is off to a great start.
This did however mean that Stormhaven had to say good bye to some amazing animals. All Marchadors, Peruvians and Paso Finos have left to join the Cavador family. Stormhaven has even parted with two trainers to help the new stud.
August '15
A tragedy has befallen Stormhaven and changed it forever.
A drunk driver crashed into Adam's car, with him, Clara, Wylla, Kristín and Neal in it, returning from a competition. Adam died at the crash. His daughters Wylla and Clara a few days later in the hospital. Neal was in a coma for weeks and Kristín lost the use of both of her legs. Her parents came from Iceland and took her back home.
Anna did not cope well with the situation, loosing her family, and wanted to sell the farm. Sóli convinced her to take some time off before she made any rash decisions. While Anna spent some time in New Orleans Sóli tried to keep the farm going. It was a hard time for all. Dawn, Sofia, Lilja and Becky quit for personal reasons, but Gabriel Foster came back from college to help on the farm. With Anna off the grid Sóli and Gabe decided to hire new employees. There was little money coming in and the atmosphere was anything but pleasant. Even Neal's dogs Kett and Pandora acted out and had to be kept in a kennel.
The dark times persisted, but Stormhaven pulled through and on a sunny afternoon Anna returned with a stranger. Knowing she would never be the same she tried to at least become the person Stormhaven needed. She got to know the new staff members, showed her appreciation to Sóli, organized a loan from the banks and did everything else in her power to bring life back to the dreary farm.
After Neal woke up out of the coma she visited him every day and had him brought to Stormhaven after his rehab to stay in the Foster's Residence. They each needed each others company.
The stranger, Wade Burkhart, who had accompanied Anna back from New Orleans is still shrouded in a bit of mystery. Neither of them talk of how they met, what their relationship is or why he came back with her, however it is known that he was there for her in these difficult times and helped her find her way back home.
To Adam, Clara and Wylla you were loved and will never be forgotten.
A drunk driver crashed into Adam's car, with him, Clara, Wylla, Kristín and Neal in it, returning from a competition. Adam died at the crash. His daughters Wylla and Clara a few days later in the hospital. Neal was in a coma for weeks and Kristín lost the use of both of her legs. Her parents came from Iceland and took her back home.
Anna did not cope well with the situation, loosing her family, and wanted to sell the farm. Sóli convinced her to take some time off before she made any rash decisions. While Anna spent some time in New Orleans Sóli tried to keep the farm going. It was a hard time for all. Dawn, Sofia, Lilja and Becky quit for personal reasons, but Gabriel Foster came back from college to help on the farm. With Anna off the grid Sóli and Gabe decided to hire new employees. There was little money coming in and the atmosphere was anything but pleasant. Even Neal's dogs Kett and Pandora acted out and had to be kept in a kennel.
The dark times persisted, but Stormhaven pulled through and on a sunny afternoon Anna returned with a stranger. Knowing she would never be the same she tried to at least become the person Stormhaven needed. She got to know the new staff members, showed her appreciation to Sóli, organized a loan from the banks and did everything else in her power to bring life back to the dreary farm.
After Neal woke up out of the coma she visited him every day and had him brought to Stormhaven after his rehab to stay in the Foster's Residence. They each needed each others company.
The stranger, Wade Burkhart, who had accompanied Anna back from New Orleans is still shrouded in a bit of mystery. Neither of them talk of how they met, what their relationship is or why he came back with her, however it is known that he was there for her in these difficult times and helped her find her way back home.
To Adam, Clara and Wylla you were loved and will never be forgotten.
A big thanks to our friends from Sovereign Equestrian Centre and North Down Stables.
With their generous donations we were finally able to finish building the shelter and the sand bank for our hard working school horses.
We are feeling really blessed (under the circumstances). We have been receiving help from all over, not just donations have been arriving but also qualified stable hands and trainers from other stables. Ingrid Huntingham from Creed's Creek Equestrian has sent over a few riders to help get our competition horses back in shape. They have their work cut out for them as our horses have been standing for months.
Alisha Brearly from Sovereign Equestrian Centre has offered her services as well as many others.
Starting next week we will be getting a trainer from Joie de Vivre Equestrian, who is an expert in Icelandic Horses. They have also offered to take some of our horses on lease to relieve our trainers.
Neal is still out of commission and has a lot of rehab ahead of him, but is getting stronger each day. He is helping in the riding school as far as his health allows it and is assisting Anna with the bookkeeping.
Alisha Brearly from Sovereign Equestrian Centre has offered her services as well as many others.
Starting next week we will be getting a trainer from Joie de Vivre Equestrian, who is an expert in Icelandic Horses. They have also offered to take some of our horses on lease to relieve our trainers.
Neal is still out of commission and has a lot of rehab ahead of him, but is getting stronger each day. He is helping in the riding school as far as his health allows it and is assisting Anna with the bookkeeping.
We have sent Skalfaxa, Ísold, Isadora and Thruma to Joie de Vivre. They have arrived safely and will continued to be trained there. Their trainer Évelyne Bouchard has joined us for the time being, will help train horses, lend a hand in the stall and train our new staff.
Neal is glad that we found a temporary home for his horse Loki. We have been talking to Ophelia Fennelly from Fennelly's SportHorses and she has agreed to take on the ornery stallion until Neal can ride again.
We are in talks of moving again. No definite decisions have been made but we are keeping our eyes open and checking out a few places.
Neal is glad that we found a temporary home for his horse Loki. We have been talking to Ophelia Fennelly from Fennelly's SportHorses and she has agreed to take on the ornery stallion until Neal can ride again.
We are in talks of moving again. No definite decisions have been made but we are keeping our eyes open and checking out a few places.
We have received an offer for the property which has been accepted. It was not easy to make, but the money made from it would finally get Stormhaven out of its financial crisis and prevent any horses from being sold or staff laid off. Anna has been checking out Farms near Praaven, while the staff has been busy packing and boarding our stallions at stables from friends.
July '15
We have slowly started competing again in a few shows. We are especially exited about the endurance race our horses will participate in.
The puppies have all found good new homes, but we have kept one for ourselves, the little Flóki. He has fit in quite nicely into our family.
With Kristín taking over the riding school, Neal taking care of business and Lilija responsible for our breeding program we needed a new head for our Icelandics, we have hired Sólín Viðja Hafnarsdóttir. A confident and talented rider with a lot of experience. She not only has a good horse sense but is great with people as well. Her and Neal seem to have hit it off and (as long as it doesn't interfere with their work) we wish them all the best.
Stormhaven has made room for a further four legged creature. We purchased 5 cows and a bull at an auction, all of them Brown Swiss.
The puppies have all found good new homes, but we have kept one for ourselves, the little Flóki. He has fit in quite nicely into our family.
With Kristín taking over the riding school, Neal taking care of business and Lilija responsible for our breeding program we needed a new head for our Icelandics, we have hired Sólín Viðja Hafnarsdóttir. A confident and talented rider with a lot of experience. She not only has a good horse sense but is great with people as well. Her and Neal seem to have hit it off and (as long as it doesn't interfere with their work) we wish them all the best.
Stormhaven has made room for a further four legged creature. We purchased 5 cows and a bull at an auction, all of them Brown Swiss.
June '15
Stormhaven is taking a break from competing on Equus-Sims. We are currently focusing our energy on breeding, selling and training young horses and teaching students. Our competition horses will still be kept active however not on Equus-Sims for the time being. We figured our stable can only thrive if we focus on what we are most motivated to do. So currently we are working on setting up our riding school. We have moved our competition mares, have rebuilt the barn to accommodate our school horses. We have put Kristin in charge of the school. She has selected all our school horses herself, a few of which are directly from Iceland. The first students have already signed up for classes and we are eager to begin.
This month we have also gotten our first Icelandic Sheepdog litter. 5 beautiful Pups have been born and are running all around the farm. We will be looking for new families soon, but this breed is so low maintenance we wouldn't mind keeping a few ourselves.
This month we have also gotten our first Icelandic Sheepdog litter. 5 beautiful Pups have been born and are running all around the farm. We will be looking for new families soon, but this breed is so low maintenance we wouldn't mind keeping a few ourselves.
January '15
It has been a very long time since we have added an update and we have experienced a lot of changes so we'll get right to it.
Amelia and Arianne are sadly leaving us to move back to Ireland to take care of their sick parents. They will be deeply missed by all of us but we can understand and support their decision putting family first. They will however occasionally come and visit. The youngest of the McManus Clan, Lisa, will stay with us however and start a family of her own with her husband Nick. Their Baby is due any day now. After her baby break she will start competing in Eventing. Arianne has bought Skalfaxa and wants to breed with her, so the Champion mare has been retired.
Ísold and Snæra, both daughters of Loki of Stormhaven will be joining our Eventing Team this year.
In Replacement of the wonderful McManus daughters we have hired Scarlet O'Connor and Dawn Wheeler. Two young and talented riders. Neal Cassidy and Kristín Ragnarsdóttir will take on the job as front worker and team leaders.
Although our Kennel Cair Paravel started off great we encountered too many issues on the way so have decided to dissolve it. Hollow Crown will be taking the Pit Bulls and we have taken the Icelandic Sheepdogs, we will be searching for new homes for the rest of the dogs. We are sad about this but we think it's best. Stormhaven will now be breeding Icelandic Sheepdogs. We have added a few more dogs to our pack which can be viewed here.
We are starting to offer private lessons now and are working on getting our riding tours started. For that we are scouting the area and have purchased a small herd of Icelandics for the guests.
We are especially proud of these new additions, the absolutely gorgeous Saddlebred mare D-D Fouettè and a Lusitano/Peruvian Paso cross from our own stocks, the gallant colt Pescador.
After loosing a lot of cats last year (of old age, sickness or sadly getting run over by a car) our staff was starting to miss the furry balls of fluff around the stables so Nick put it upon himself to adopt 5 kittens from the animal shelter he works at. We now have new curious kitties hoping around. They are very young so they still stay close to Nick's and Lisa's cottage but we welcome Moses, Samson, Snowball, Monroe and Fiona anyway.
Amelia and Arianne are sadly leaving us to move back to Ireland to take care of their sick parents. They will be deeply missed by all of us but we can understand and support their decision putting family first. They will however occasionally come and visit. The youngest of the McManus Clan, Lisa, will stay with us however and start a family of her own with her husband Nick. Their Baby is due any day now. After her baby break she will start competing in Eventing. Arianne has bought Skalfaxa and wants to breed with her, so the Champion mare has been retired.
Ísold and Snæra, both daughters of Loki of Stormhaven will be joining our Eventing Team this year.
In Replacement of the wonderful McManus daughters we have hired Scarlet O'Connor and Dawn Wheeler. Two young and talented riders. Neal Cassidy and Kristín Ragnarsdóttir will take on the job as front worker and team leaders.
Although our Kennel Cair Paravel started off great we encountered too many issues on the way so have decided to dissolve it. Hollow Crown will be taking the Pit Bulls and we have taken the Icelandic Sheepdogs, we will be searching for new homes for the rest of the dogs. We are sad about this but we think it's best. Stormhaven will now be breeding Icelandic Sheepdogs. We have added a few more dogs to our pack which can be viewed here.
We are starting to offer private lessons now and are working on getting our riding tours started. For that we are scouting the area and have purchased a small herd of Icelandics for the guests.
We are especially proud of these new additions, the absolutely gorgeous Saddlebred mare D-D Fouettè and a Lusitano/Peruvian Paso cross from our own stocks, the gallant colt Pescador.
After loosing a lot of cats last year (of old age, sickness or sadly getting run over by a car) our staff was starting to miss the furry balls of fluff around the stables so Nick put it upon himself to adopt 5 kittens from the animal shelter he works at. We now have new curious kitties hoping around. They are very young so they still stay close to Nick's and Lisa's cottage but we welcome Moses, Samson, Snowball, Monroe and Fiona anyway.
September
Our summer is slowly leaving us and we are preparing for Autumn. We still have a few more months until winter hits us so we are not going to be boarding up our summer stalls, yet, we are however going to be driving our mares and yearlings down from their summer pastures.
To broaden our horizon we will be downsizing our Icelandic and Marchador stock and will be adding a few other horses.
The first newlings are two temperamental mares which will need a lot of work, but they are a little over two so they still have some time before their real training begins; the Paso Fino mare Fantasia and the Spotted Saddle Horse Odette. Odette is our tallest horse at Stormhaven and has Tennessee Walker, Saddlebred and other Spotted Saddle horses among her ancestry. We are looking forward to showing off this beauty.
To broaden our horizon we will be downsizing our Icelandic and Marchador stock and will be adding a few other horses.
The first newlings are two temperamental mares which will need a lot of work, but they are a little over two so they still have some time before their real training begins; the Paso Fino mare Fantasia and the Spotted Saddle Horse Odette. Odette is our tallest horse at Stormhaven and has Tennessee Walker, Saddlebred and other Spotted Saddle horses among her ancestry. We are looking forward to showing off this beauty.
August
August was a busy competition month. The Saddle Seat Association is back on track and we got ready for it. Our Mangalarga Marchador stallion ELF Jeronimo has become a local Champion and is doing beautifully in the SSA. His first son completed his basic training, was sold and will hopefully follow in his sires "hoofsteps". Our Partner Kennel Cair Paravel is doing great and had their first two litters. We had no puppies on Stormhaven grounds this time around but are building a kennel to prepare for puppies and dogs in training.
Our official ES sale went good and we found good homes for our offspring, including an Aegidienberger mare Ronja (we are always happy to be part of such a great breeding program as the Aegidienberger). Other horses were donated to the Gaited Breed Association for their Raffle.
Over the next weeks we will be letting our stallions partake in a photoshoot. Our Icelandic Stallions have fun showing off in front of the camera. Their pictures will be used as their banner on their profile page.
Anna has been working hard at the GBA. She finally has gotten the gaited cross to be accepted which opens the doors to other wonderful breeds as Aegidienberger, Iberoamericano and other gaited crossed to be accepted.
Our official ES sale went good and we found good homes for our offspring, including an Aegidienberger mare Ronja (we are always happy to be part of such a great breeding program as the Aegidienberger). Other horses were donated to the Gaited Breed Association for their Raffle.
Over the next weeks we will be letting our stallions partake in a photoshoot. Our Icelandic Stallions have fun showing off in front of the camera. Their pictures will be used as their banner on their profile page.
Anna has been working hard at the GBA. She finally has gotten the gaited cross to be accepted which opens the doors to other wonderful breeds as Aegidienberger, Iberoamericano and other gaited crossed to be accepted.
July
Our competition horses had a great Month. Gandur is the first Icelandic to have achieved the Stagiare Title in Dressage Federation. He currently has 95 points and is still going strong. The Saddle Seat Association has been prepped again and we are really exited to get our SSA horses competing again.
Our offspring form the last foal crop has blossomed into beautiful Stallions and Mares. The Icelandics still have another year to grow and mature but the Marchadors and our first bred Peruvian Paso will begin training soon.
And as if we weren't busy enough we have started a new project: Cair Paravel Kennel. We started a Kennel a few years ago, had a couple beautiful litters, but then it kind of fell apart. This time we organized it a bit smarter so that Stormhaven is only a partner and not the sole owner. The main kennel is stationed in Monte Vista and is organized by Alexandra Travera, together with Lorelai Dawson and Florence Nivola. Stormhavens role is the training of sheepdogs and occasional competitions. We will also do some breeding and tage on guest dogs. Everything else is done by the Kennel in Monte Vista. You can read more about it here
Credits go to Adam Foster, who pulled it all together and Neal Cassady who we finally were able to hire full time (his own company is working well on it's own so he agreed to join us full time) and that way he has time to train horses and dogs. He is also now the official owner of Loki.
And also a big thanks to Olivia Swann from Hollow Crown who agreed to finance the Kennel until it can stand alone. This enabled us to hire three full time employees to service the kennel and take care of the dogs.
Since Stormhaven keeps expanding (and doing great financially) we were able to add on to our team (which came at the right time since we are starting our kennel).Tess Bening and Sofía Casellas have been hired as full time trainers. They will focus on our Pasos and Western Horses.
Rebecca Taylor has been hired as our new stable hand. Her goal is to become and Icelandic Horse trainer. And Alyssa Washington has been hired to take care of the dogs, clean the kennel and help Rebecca around the farm.
You can read more about them here
Our offspring form the last foal crop has blossomed into beautiful Stallions and Mares. The Icelandics still have another year to grow and mature but the Marchadors and our first bred Peruvian Paso will begin training soon.
And as if we weren't busy enough we have started a new project: Cair Paravel Kennel. We started a Kennel a few years ago, had a couple beautiful litters, but then it kind of fell apart. This time we organized it a bit smarter so that Stormhaven is only a partner and not the sole owner. The main kennel is stationed in Monte Vista and is organized by Alexandra Travera, together with Lorelai Dawson and Florence Nivola. Stormhavens role is the training of sheepdogs and occasional competitions. We will also do some breeding and tage on guest dogs. Everything else is done by the Kennel in Monte Vista. You can read more about it here
Credits go to Adam Foster, who pulled it all together and Neal Cassady who we finally were able to hire full time (his own company is working well on it's own so he agreed to join us full time) and that way he has time to train horses and dogs. He is also now the official owner of Loki.
And also a big thanks to Olivia Swann from Hollow Crown who agreed to finance the Kennel until it can stand alone. This enabled us to hire three full time employees to service the kennel and take care of the dogs.
Since Stormhaven keeps expanding (and doing great financially) we were able to add on to our team (which came at the right time since we are starting our kennel).Tess Bening and Sofía Casellas have been hired as full time trainers. They will focus on our Pasos and Western Horses.
Rebecca Taylor has been hired as our new stable hand. Her goal is to become and Icelandic Horse trainer. And Alyssa Washington has been hired to take care of the dogs, clean the kennel and help Rebecca around the farm.
You can read more about them here
May
After many months we finally had another foal crop, including 2 Icelanics sired by Loki, 2 Mangalarga Marchadors sired by ELF Jeronimo and one Peruvian Paso sired by Zingaro. We will be keeping Ísold and Persephone. The rest will most likely be sold when they are old enough.
April
April was the month we settled into the new barns. We had to figure out which horses got along well, which was important especially for our stallions since their stalls are open towards the back allowing them to step outside. Although there is a fence seperating each stall we still had to find the right neighbours for each other.
We got a new dog. An Icelandic Sheepdog names Sólon and adopted a stray kitten we named Sokki.
We also had a big show by the GBA which we will be judging. It was also the first show we got to enter our other gaited breeds (aside from Icelandics) which was really exciting.
We got a new dog. An Icelandic Sheepdog names Sólon and adopted a stray kitten we named Sokki.
We also had a big show by the GBA which we will be judging. It was also the first show we got to enter our other gaited breeds (aside from Icelandics) which was really exciting.
March
This month we finally got the Peruvian Paso recongized by Equus-Sims and managed to get the breed dual registered with the GBA and BBA. In addition we purchased two further Peruvians and three Paso Finos. We are really happy with the expansion of our farm, but new horses meant we had to expand our facility as well. We rebuilt our stable and kept our horses on the big pasture for the time being. Our stallions were divided up among little paddocks we built by hand. Luckily most were really well behaved and could be kept side by side.
Now our facility is done and our horses are ready to move in. We had to take a few large pastures away and expanded on our stallion barn and competition barn for mares and geldings. We also added a training facility with a small jumping court, Dressage, round pen, small riding hall, an oval track (with an awesome pond in the middle) and many paddocks for our stabled horses to get fresh air on a daily basis.
Now our facility is done and our horses are ready to move in. We had to take a few large pastures away and expanded on our stallion barn and competition barn for mares and geldings. We also added a training facility with a small jumping court, Dressage, round pen, small riding hall, an oval track (with an awesome pond in the middle) and many paddocks for our stabled horses to get fresh air on a daily basis.
February
This month was really exciting for us. We worked together with the Hunter/Jumper Club and were able to have the Icelandic Horse accepted in the club. Hunters will be limited to green and Jumpers to amature. To show our support we of course did not pass up the opportunity to have the first Icelandic registered. It was our stallion Bjarki of Stormhaven.
In efforts to find a suited discipline for Yrri we finally found an are that might suit him. Yrri is becoming our first Western Horse (well, technically second if you consider Andskoti previous history). We are hoping that Western Pleasure and Trail will calm his nerves and get him more focused, since he tends to get anxious and Saddle Seat was getting him more wind up.We only had two foals in this foal crop but one stallion was born on Feb,22. 2014 so we named him Ragnarök (our little apocalyptic foal).
And we have many horses of all different ages and experience levels up for sale. So go check out the sales page!
In efforts to find a suited discipline for Yrri we finally found an are that might suit him. Yrri is becoming our first Western Horse (well, technically second if you consider Andskoti previous history). We are hoping that Western Pleasure and Trail will calm his nerves and get him more focused, since he tends to get anxious and Saddle Seat was getting him more wind up.We only had two foals in this foal crop but one stallion was born on Feb,22. 2014 so we named him Ragnarök (our little apocalyptic foal).
And we have many horses of all different ages and experience levels up for sale. So go check out the sales page!
January 2014
YAY, the new year has arrived and our horses seemed indifferent to curious about our fireworks. We gave ourselves a few days off but dove right into our busy schedule afterwards.
We will start off the year with a Showcase hosted by Stormhaven Farms and affiliated with the Gaited Breed Association. So far we are happy with the turn out and are considering a seasonal event if this turns out well.
After letting our beautiful splash stallion Ýringur run around with a herd of 5 mares last season we have finally seen it's outcome. We now have 5 beautiful foals and they are all splash. We intended to sell Yrri afterwards but the foals looked so great we have decided not to sell him, but to lease him. We have already sold one of his foals, Sedill to a Western Ranch. Ýringur is not the only horse we are offering up for lease. Check out our other horses here.
And we are happy to announce our stallion Loki of Stormhaven has earned himself a title as local champion with amazing 52 points he has earned so far in his short but successful career. No one is more surprised than us, since he was always such a difficult case (we were close to giving up on him two years ago). We are amazed at how far he has come and especially thank our trainer Neal Cassady who never gave up him.
We will start off the year with a Showcase hosted by Stormhaven Farms and affiliated with the Gaited Breed Association. So far we are happy with the turn out and are considering a seasonal event if this turns out well.
After letting our beautiful splash stallion Ýringur run around with a herd of 5 mares last season we have finally seen it's outcome. We now have 5 beautiful foals and they are all splash. We intended to sell Yrri afterwards but the foals looked so great we have decided not to sell him, but to lease him. We have already sold one of his foals, Sedill to a Western Ranch. Ýringur is not the only horse we are offering up for lease. Check out our other horses here.
And we are happy to announce our stallion Loki of Stormhaven has earned himself a title as local champion with amazing 52 points he has earned so far in his short but successful career. No one is more surprised than us, since he was always such a difficult case (we were close to giving up on him two years ago). We are amazed at how far he has come and especially thank our trainer Neal Cassady who never gave up him.
December 2013
It has been snowing like crazy and the snow was getting so deep it started getting dangerous for our mares and foals up in the hills. We decided to drive our herd down to the farm and have them stay on our local pastures till Spring comes. The drive was organize by Adam and took half a day but was very successfull. We want to thank our riders Kristin, Liljia, Neal and Amelia for working on their day off and staying in the cold all day (we were worried we had to peel them off the saddle by the afternoon).
We have been keeping busy with different competitions. Our trainers and event horses have been going from one competition to the next, but we love it and luckily our horses enjoy it as well.
Loki got 1st Place in his class at the Wolfsmere Championship, won over $3000 and got a new shiny blanket. We are truly amazed at what that horse has become (a year ago we thought he was a lost case). He has over 30 points and will be used as stud next year.
Loki got 1st Place in his class at the Wolfsmere Championship, won over $3000 and got a new shiny blanket. We are truly amazed at what that horse has become (a year ago we thought he was a lost case). He has over 30 points and will be used as stud next year.
Foals, foals and more foals...This cold season does not stop our hardy mares from popping out the younglings. Three healthy foals were born this month (check them out here)
And on further news we have purchased our first Mangalarga Marchador filly. A very sweet girl by the name of Classica Painted.
And on further news we have purchased our first Mangalarga Marchador filly. A very sweet girl by the name of Classica Painted.