2015 May – AILERON STABLES
I could hardly believe my luck – finding a breeding farm of Hanovarians! Ruth was gracious and welcoming to my sudden appearance and introduced me to her prime breeding stock…..just be-u-ti-ful horses! and the foals were new, unsteady and adorable!
The mare is Highland Lily and this sweet foal – colt, is Sentry.
His name is Sentry but maybe he should be ‘Tigger’ – sure is bouncy!
flea-bitten grey
hmmm – I think this is Schwarzenegger
?Schwarzenegger
I think this is Schwarzenegger. The stallion is sire to many of the foals born at Aileron Stables. He is 17hh and is one of those horses who demand respect; you can feel his kindness and presence even just at the stall door. See this website for further info: http://www.aileronstables.com/schwarzenegger.php
This is Salvador as a yearling gelding, at 15hh, hoping to reach Papa’s 17hh.
Ruth said he’s a little shy.
This, below, is Belfast and he was ready to rumble!
When Belfast reached out to nuzzle Ruth’s hand I thought “Feel the love!”
It seemed everytime I turned around there was another beauty to see. This grey was tattered with winter fuzz and a bit grimy from rolling so I promised Ruth I’d just show the best part – that face!
Ruby, a grey Percheron at Aileron
June 2015 Second Visit to Aileron
I can only say I was a spontaneous visitor who Ruth welcomed anyway and took valuble time from her day to show me stallions, mares, foals and her boarders with comments and info on all. She even trusted me on my own for a bit which was good – there were still things about my camera I was learning!
So there was Schwarzenegger in the paddock and he was just wow, just wow!
He’s their signature stallion, 17 hands high (hh) and a true beauty to watch as he cantered and streched in the paddock. The mares and foals were gathered around the hay, much like a bunch of mamas at the coffee shop…and there was some discussion…..
Do you want another look at a sweet colt – Sentry? Growing and active!
They share the pasture with two brood mares, Werna and Tina (Espertina).
I found it hard to leave the mares and foals, acknowledging the protective hesitance of the mares and the delicate potential of the foals. But there were more horses to see… some yearlings and some of the horses boarding here. This appaloosa mare, Bridget, may have some Percheron blood. She’s a boarder.
This grey was in the same field, her name is Cassie, she has some draft bloood. She’s used as a ‘recepitent’ mare: she receives the fertilized embryos and gestates the foal. She’s taking a year off. Here’s a better photo of her.
Cassie
And these are a gelding and two mares just grassin’.
just grassin’
This chestnut mare came over from Port Howe, N.S. for breeding and it turns out I know the family. She’s Emma.
and some final shots of the herd, out enjoying some spring sunshine.
On July 12th I returned to see how the foals were growing and was tickled to find four foals to photograph. Sentry was getting a little shaggy as his baby fur was shedding and he was rolling in the dirt and he had three buddies to romp with, lucky guy. Also, check out the videos page for some action shots. So this next photo grouping starts with a chestnut colt with a wide white blaze, he was just a hoppin’ and skippin’! his name is Bellevue. That’s his tail, flippin’ up behind his head. The black mare’s markings are perfect – the wavy blaze and 4 white socks. I think her name is Espertina, “Tina”.
That’s a really sweet face on the foal above. The star is like 1/4 sunshine! And, below, Sentry (with the wide white blaze) is getting to know his buddy. Also, note how black he was as a wee foal and now that coat has gone fuzzy brown as he sheds it.
Bellevue is a place name here on PEI. When this chestnut colt, below, was born his name had to start with a ‘B’ because his sire was Bonheur. So he is Bellevue, French for beautiful view. His mother is not the chestnut mare tho but the dark bay on the left….hmmm but as they do embryo transfer she (the chestnut mare) might be his biological mother but he was gestated in the bay mare.
The mares wandered about, Tina stopping to chat wih the appaloosa mare Bridget, below.
Then in the last two shots, above right, the black foal is investigating the taste of the new spring grass.
This was my last visit to Aileron – I had to get on with my summer job in tourism, like 80% of PEI employees. But I’ll be back in the spring again next year!
Horse Photos PEI 