For Sunday and her
won the class, even though Vancouver was unable to clear the wall and instead brought it down.
NEXT GENERATION Based in Ocala, Florida, Phyllis had many experienced pros to turn to as she made her first venture into the world of breeding. Patoile’s breeding and the removal of her embryo, once it was clearly viable, were performed by Dr. Corey Miller, head of reproduction at the Ocala-based veterinary hospital that donated the procedure. Well- known breeding operation Yancey Farms is located next door to Phyllis’ farm and she considers Judy Yancey a good friend. “Luckily Patoile was able to move next door for her breeding,” Phyllis says with a laugh. “It was wonderful. I could visit her whenever I wanted to!” Once the developed embryo was flushed from Patoile,
it was brought to the Peterson Smith Equine Reproduction Center, also in Ocala, where it was implanted in a surrogate mare. (Phyllis explains that the clinic has a large mare herd, with each mare’s cycles tracked. For successfully implantation, the surrogate mare must be on the same estrus cycle as the “donor” mare.) After the embryo was successfully implanted, the surrogate mare was also brought to Yancey Farms. A chestnut filly, named For Sunday, was born on March 24th of this year. Her sire is For Pleasure, a noted German sire. For Pleasure won show jumping gold for Germany at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, ridden by Lars Nieberg, and again at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, this time ridden by Markus Ehning. He recorded lifetime earnings of more than 1.8 million euros. Phyllis found him after extensive research very close to home—he was featured on the Yancey Farms web site. Phyllis says she was particularly impressed by the longevity of his career, noting that at the age of 18 he was still in the show jumping ring. Best of all, she says, in some cases he was competing against his offspring.
28 July/August 2010 surrogate dam remain at Yancey Farms,
where they are turned out with a group of other mares and foals. It’s the perfect spot for a youngster, Phyllis says, because she can interact with the herd and develop her social skills. “And best of all,” she adds, “we can handle her every day!”
PATOILE’S FUTURE David and Patoile began their 2010 campaign a little early, heading to the Lake St. Louis Winter Series Horse Shows in Missouri in December to take sixth in their $25,000 Grand Prix before moving on to HITS in Ocala in February. There, David and Patoile were fourth in the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix. After doing the spring circuit in the Midwest, David plans to take Patoile back to Michigan for the popular Horse Shows by the Bay. Finally, he plans to travel to the East Coast in the fall to compete at some of the well- known shows there. He hopes a return to the Washington International will be in the cards for Patoile. For Phyllis, Patoile has led her down unexpected paths.
“Five years ago, I never thought I’d have a Grand Prix jumper—much less two,” she says with a laugh. “And I certainly never thought I’d have a baby!” “Becoming ‘an owner’ has been great fun,” she adds.
“My husband really likes horses, even though he doesn’t ride. And my parents come every Sunday to the Grand Prix here in Ocala. They’re David’s biggest fans! And for me, it’s been nice to have a break from the stress of competing.” She looks forward to the rest of Patoile’s competitive
career, although she also faces the mare’s age with equanimity. Patoile is, after all, now 14 years old. There may come a time, Phyllis says, when she would be better suited to an amateur rider. Since she is a proven brood mare, breeding is also a semi-retirement option for her.
NEXT STEPS David is also looking to the future. In 2008, he had the opportunity to ride Patoile in several World Cup qualifiers.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52