Fair Winds Farms News Archives
Winter 2008-2009
December 2008

Dona Flora, our beautiful De Laurentis filly out of EM Folie made a big move to the Dallas area of Texas this month.  We are very happy for her new owner and look forward to hearing about their successes in the coming months.  We miss Fancy, as she was known here, but are confident she has gone to a terrific home where she will reach her potential, as breeders, all we could ask.  Nicole sent us the following email about a week after Dahlia, as she is now known, arrived.

“I just wanted to let you know how much I adore this filly!!!! She is the horse I have always dreamed of having. She is so smart, sweet and well behaved. You did a fantastic job raising her. I can’t wait until I can start riding her, I am sure she is going to be a blast. I will have Pam Norton out in the spring for photos and I will make sure and send you some.”

Nicole Robertson,
Texas

January 27 and 28, 2009

We started 2009 with some real excitement.  Todd and Becky from the Bryan Center, Union Bridge, MD, who are now training and riding Ridley, hosted a private clinic with Olympian Heike Kemmer.  We made the trip to watch Ridley and Todd on their second day.  It was worth the 12 hour round trip, braving snow and ice and freezing temperatures to watch the ride.  This pair has made so much progress since October and it is a joy to see how comfortable they are together.  Ridley is well known for his terrific work ethic and Todd’s easy going but persistent training is a very good fit for both Ridley and me.  I am very comfortable having Ridley there even though he is so far away.  We are working on a new video that will include footage from the Kemmer clinic and hope to post it soon.
February 2, 2009

We received this email from Meghan Harrell who purchased Charisma FWF from us as a yearling.  The filly has just been started under saddle.  Meg is excited and looking forward to showing Elle, as she is now known in the upcoming Hunter shows.

"Dear Chris and Betty,

           I am so happy with Elle that I can’t help but to thank you over and over again for breeding such a wonderful mare!  I just took my senior portraits with her and she was wonderful, even though she steals the limelight!  She behaved beautifully; I even rode her bareback for the first time!  She has been under saddle for exactly a month now and is so simple that I have been riding her in my lessons since the very beginning of her training.  She is DEAD quiet and learns extremely quickly.  She backs up superbly, better than most horses that I’ve ridden, and is learning to bend off of my leg wonderfully.  She has NEVER tried any type of “nasty” behavior with us and proves to be a smart, brave, and forgiving horse.  Elle has raised my expectations of 2 ½ year olds to a point that very few horses will reach.  She lunges, cross ties, bathes, and clips easily.  It seems that everybody I meet comments on her lovely conformation and sweet face.  She truly loves to be pet, cuddled, and kissed.  She is an absolute sweetheart and I definitely attribute that to you.  I’m so impressed with your ability to breed something so wonderful.  Additionally, the handling and imprinting your foals receive from birth is impeccable, you have such a gift.  I can’t think of a single horse or foal that I’ve met that isn’t friendly at your farm. I couldn’t be happier with Elle.  Keep up the great work Fair Winds Farm!"
                                                                                   Proud owner of Charisma FWF
On February 12, 2009 we will celebrate our fifth year as the owners of this farm.  The barn has been up just over two years now and we are all very comfortable here.  We still miss our home and friends in Northern VA but have settled in and are enjoying the island life.  To celebrate this we had a Farm Blessing on Saturday, February 7 with many friends and clients joining us.  We had a beautiful warm day.  Thomas Green and his wife, Norma,  Associate Pastors for their church officiated.  It was a comforting and joyful event.  Below are a few pictures from the blessing.
Dona Flora
Photos by Betty Bryant
As I write this News update we are experiencing weather we normally can only dream about in February, gentle breezes with temperatures in the mid 70's.  I know it won't last but we are sure enjoying it while it's here!  Warm weather brings to mind young foals sleeping in paddocks with  moms grazing close by.  I cannot wait for grass and babies!













This year we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Ridley's first foals out of our Thoroughbred mares, Lily and Lou.   Ridley was also bred to a few pony mares for 2009 and we are very excited to see these foals.  We'll post pictures as soon as we can.

Some other news from FWF follows.
Kittens!!!

Many of you know we had a 'kitten explosion' here over the summer.  We found a very small female kitten on the side of our road.  She was so small she looked like a piece of mackeral sushi so we named her Saba!  Saba required bottle feeding for about three weeks but took to the process well and quickly blossomed into a beautiful gray tabby with the most precious diva personality.

I guess the 'cat was out of the bag' so to speak, and before we knew it, we had five more stray kittens living with us.  Two males about the same age as Saba but not related, are named Jack and Blue.  These three were followed by three absolutely adorable kittens Mike and I found hiding in a discarded tire at the end of our road.  The so-called Tire Kitties are all little girls named for tire manufacturers, Cooper, Kelly and Bellisimo.

As of this week all kittens are either spayed or neutered so their world has expanded to include the entire barn.  They are slowly learning some 'horse and dog sense'  since they are essentially fearless.  These guys are delightful and we can spend hours watching them play.  They are a very welcome addition to the farm.

















And other news...

In the last few months we have also had to say good bye to two of our best loved girls.  Both Donnerwetter, our 'Grand Dam' Hanoverian mare and Precious, our very special little cat have passed away.  We were blessed to have them in our lives.  I am very grateful for all they taught me.  I learned so much about mares from Donner.  And Precious, who had so many disabilities, taught everyone who knew her that none of those can hold you back if you have supreme confidence in yourself.  Precious believed in Precious!

Charisma FWF
Photos courtesy of Meghan Harrell
March 22, 2009

Our neighbor from the North Carolina side of Knotts Island hosted a clinic with Radu Marcoci, former rider with the Romanian Riding Team.  Fair Winds Farm took three riders and horses.  Betty Bryant rode Royal Beauty.  Elise Oborny rode Daisy Buchanan.  Evelyn Oborny rode EM Folie.  We had a great day, learned a lot and have some good exercises to prepare us for upcoming clinics and shows.

We thank Carol Malloy of Willowgait Farm for hosting the clinic and serving a terrific lunch!

Below are  several pictures from the day.
Spring 2009
March 27-29, 2009
March Magic Williamston, NC

This show marked Ridley's debut at Fourth Level and his first time out with new rider, Todd Bryan of The Bryan Center, Union Bridge, MD.  We were very pleased with Ridley's scores in his three classes, all over 60%.  We are also pleased to see Ridley's work ethic and his show manners remain the same.  Here are some pictures from the day.
April 11, 2009


This year April 11 was designated as Volunteer Day here on the farm.  We set this day aside for Spring Cleaning.  We scrub the stalls, floor to ceiling, with bleach water and treat them with an antiseptic.  All this is to prepare for the much anticipated arrival of our foals.  We are very fortunate to have not only helpful, but eager, family and friends show up.  A big thanks to everyone.  Don't worry!  We'll call you when the mares say it is time. 

Here are some photos from the day.  As usual we try to have fun with everything we do.  Cathy, next year someone else gets to hold the hose!

Thanks again to all!
April 13-17, 2009

When Fair Winds Farm held Spring Break Camp this year, Betty and I were not sure how it would go.  The camp exceeded our expectations in every way.  Not only did it fill up but we had the greatest group of kids!  We were able to do so many new and fun things.  Our kids worked together really well.  The older ones were great with the younger ones.  The kids and Betty and I all learned a lot.  And, as you can see in the photos and videos, we all had a blast! 
To see all of the pictures and videos from Spring Break Camp please click here.
Fair Winds Farms News
Summer 2009
Chris and Betty along with their super star mare, Ruby, attended Career Day at Western Branch Middle School in Chesapeake, VA on April 10.  Chris' niece, Kacey, invited us to speak to her fellow students about the many interesting things you might study to help you become a successful horse breeder.  Ruby was the hit of Career Day and we felt honored and privileged to have accompanied her.  Here are some of the notes we received after our big day.
We were very fortunate this week to have my good friend, Pat Limage, come for a visit and offer to hold a clinic for our students.  Pat, who is experienced in just about every aspect of horse training, horse care and horsemanship, gave an individual lesson to almost all of our students.  I missed a lot of it because I was busy foal watching but it seems the clinic was a success and a good time was had by all.  All the kids I spoke with felt they had gained a lot and Ms. Pat enjoyed both the kids and their horses.

We look forward to Pat's return soon!

We received the following card from Elise, one of our first students, thanking us for holding the clinic.  We thank you, Elise, for this beautiful handmade card.  Enjoy your trip to Tack and Feed!  Chris and Betty
May 3, 2009
May 11, 2009
Our friends Eddi and Chris brought their granddaughters to the farm for a visit.  The girls were a bit skeptical about our very sweet pony, Obie, but Grandpa Chris had a very fond memory of a pony ride when he was about the girls' age so he was confident they would love the experience if we could just get them close.  Older sister, Branden turned out to be just brave enough to try.  The tears quickly dried up and were replaced with smiles, little ones, but we could see them!

Here are the pictures of young Branden on her first pony ride and Grandpa Chris on his!  Its all in the family...

May 9-10, 2009
Ridley makes another rode trip...  This time to the CDI in Cincinnati, OH.  The Cincinnati Dressage Tradition I was held May 9 and 10.  Todd was confident he had learned a lot from showing Ridley in Williamston.  So, in spite of the long trip from Maryland to Ohio, the very long show day (the class was at 7:30 at night) and Ridley's collection schedule, the pair received a score of 72.326.  This was not only the High Score for Fourth Level but also the High Score for the entire show.  Congratulations!!!

We just received an early copy of Horse Illustrated.  The featured breed for the month of June is the German Riding Pony.  We were very excited to see the full page illustration for the GRP was a lovely headshot of Ridley taken late last fall by Bob Langrish.  Here it is for those of you who do not get that magazine.

May 2-3, 2009
The summer was a blast but very busy so I will start with an apology for not updating the News page sooner.  We'll just recap by saying the camps were fun and full, with long, satisfying days.  Several of our weekly students attended one or more sessions of camp and riding every day allowed them to make some significant progress.  We enjoyed watching beginner riders trot for the first time, advanced riders successfully navigate the cross country jumps, and young kids who came for the first time fall in love with our horses. 

We did set aside time for other activities too.  Fair Winds Farm knows how to have fun!  These pictures speak for themselves.  Enjoy!
Fair Winds Farms News
Fall 2009
Some of the other highlights of the summer include clinics with Pat Limage and Stacy Pattison of Bae Prid Farm in Haymarket, VA.  Pat, good friend and the owner of the Elite Hanoverian Stallion Wallstreet Kid, and Stacy, the Resident Trainer at Pat's farm are traveling to Fair Winds Farm for regular clinics to work with our students.  It is always nice to have a fresh look at your riding and Pat and Stacy have provided that.  We are very grateful to have them here to help.  Stacy is also currently riding and showing our KWPN mare, Royal Beauty, aka Ruby.  Below are some pictures of Stacy riding Ruby.

Betty especially enjoyed traveling to northern VA to train with Pat and Stacy to prepare our mare, Daisy Buchanan, for her American Hanoverian Mare Performance Test.  These three prepared Daisy, Ruby and another mare bred by FWF, Charisma, for their big day at Hilton Farm in Somerset, VA.  The mares did very well.  Ruby was accepted into the AHS Mare Book and had the high Score MPT.  Daisy is now an Elite Mare Candidate with the high score for jumping.  She easily cleared a staggering (to me, her mom) five foot final jump.  Charisma, who is just three years old was awesome and did us all proud too with good scores and a professional attitude.  Several of our students traveled to Hilton Farm to watch the inspection process and help with the horses.  They learned a lot and had a great time.  Below are some pictures and video from the Mare Performance Test.
Charisma FWF
Royal Beauty
Daisy Buchanan

Winter 2009-2010

We celebrated the holiday season with our Christmas party on Sunday, December 13 here in the barn.  The horses loved the abundance of apples and carrots along with all their favorite people.  As you can see from the pictures, we had a great time.
We have been very busy through the fall and into the first part of winter.  We continued to have monthly clinics with our friends from Bae Prid Farm.  All of our students are enjoying these lessons and making some good progress in their riding.  Betty has been traveling to N.VA to clinic with former Olympian, Major Jeremy Beale.  We are very excited about this opportunity.  Jeremy has also been coaching Stacy Pattison riding Ruby.  This pair received the necessary scores for Stacy to earn her Bronze Medal this fall.  Following this success they made the move to Fourth Level with very good scores and placings at Lexington.  Ruby is now training PSG and our plan is to get one or two shows in before she retires to be bred in the spring of 2010.
Jennifer Lindgens
Our biggest announcement is that Ridley has made the move to Bae Prid Farm and is also preparing to show at PSG with Stacy as his rider and Major Beale as his coach.  Stacy spent a number of years as a working student at the Bryan Center.  When the opportunity came to move Ridley closer to us, we made the difficult decision, knowing that Stacy had years of experience with Todd to rely on.  We are grateful for Ridley's time at The Bryan Center.  Todd, Becky and Sam did a terrific job and Ridley and his team were very successful showing at Fourth Level with scores in the 60s and 70s.  He too is training PSG and we are excited for his debut in the Spring.
More pictures to come.
As we approach 2010 we'd like thank everyone for ongoing support during the past year.  Mostly, it has been a wonderful year.  We have watched many of our students really blossom.  Not just riding skills, but in many ways.  We are so very proud of you all. 

I am also more proud than I can say of Betty's accomplishments with EMC Daisy Buchanan and with her photography.  Betty is a true talent and the farm is blessed to have her.  I can't wait to see what's next for all of us in 2010!
















Kyle Stotler
Elise Oborny
December 29th we celebrated Mr. Mike's birthday with lots of friends and a very hearty stew.  Thanks to everyone who came.  The cats really enjoyed the exercise!

As a follow-up to his birthday party, Mike and his helpful crew got up at 6:00 AM  the following morning to stack 750 bales of hay.  Thanks for all the help.

















We wish everyone the happiest of holidays and ALL the best in the new year.
To see more photos from Mike's Birthday please click here.

The last weekend of January, 2010, we had a record snow storm here with more snow than many of our students had seen in their lifetime.  We were blessed to have the farm house.  Everyone stayed for three nights.  We had so much fun.
Happy Holidays From FWF
Fair Winds Farms News
Williamston 2010
For the third year in a row we started our show season with March Magic in Williamston, NC.  Once again, it went very well.  Both of our horses are ridden by Stacy Pattison of Bae Prid Farm who took over the rides at the end of last year.  Stacy has worked very hard to develop and prepare the horses and it really shows.  Special thanks to Jeremy Beale and Gerd Zuther for their help coaching.

Our Dutch mare, Royal Beauty, leased for breeding this year by Pat Limage of Bae Prid Farm, had a terrific show with a First Place win at Fourth 1 on Friday followed by Fourth place on Saturday.  Both rides were good scores in the 60s and Ruby, as she is known, handled the show very well.  Ruby is a beautiful mare imported a few years ago after a successful Jumper career.  She will be bred to Pat's stallion, Wallstreet Kid soon.

Ridley also showed at Fourth Level, but in different classes showing on Friday and Sunday.  This was Ridley's first show in almost a year.  We were happy to see he was his usual easy going self settling in and doing his job.  He also had scores in the 60s for both classes.  

We learned a lot about both horses, know what we need to work on and look forward to our next show, PVDA at Morven Park, Leesburg, VA in May. 

Ridley and Stacy Pattison
Ruby and Stacy Pattison