Galway Downs Another Success For Phoenix Farm
The support team of Phoenix Farm was on display at the Galway Downs Internationals Horse Trials on March 28-30 in Temecula, CA. Associate Trainer John Michael Durr came home with two ribbons. He finished third on Phoenix Farm homebred Phoenix Secret in the competitive Open Intermediate division, and he was 5th in the Open Preliminary division on his own Ballingowan Miller.

"Both of the boys were fantastic this weekend," he said. "They are both really coming in to their own, and I feel like my relationship with both of them is getting stronger and stronger."

Barn manager Alandra Halem contested the Senior Novice division for the first time, and finished 6th on her own Breakfast of Champions. She was thrilled with her strong cross-country performance on "Wheaties," a Connemara cross purchased from Phoenix Farms.

Ram Tap Yields Top Ribbons For Phoenix Farm Horses


Seeker, a 4-year-old Thoroughbred-cross, was the star of the Phoenix Farm contingent at the Ram Tap Horse Trials in Fresno on Feb. 15-17. The bay gelding won the dressage phase (36.0) and added no additional penalties to win the open beginner novice division by 9 points.

Ram Tap was Seeker’s first start in a USEA-recognized event. His only prior competitive experience was the Twin Rivers Farm Combined Test in mid-January, where he placed second in the dressage and finished fourth overall after lowering one show jumping rail.

John Strassburger, co-owner and co-trainer at Phoenix Farm, rode Seeker in both events. His sister, Karin Strassburger, bred Seeker at her Duck Hollow Farm in Vershire, Vt. He’s by the late Anglo-Arab sire Quartermaster and out of the Canadian draft-cross Calypso. His yearling half-sister, Sparrow (by the Thoroughbred stallion Reputed Testamony), is still in Vermont and will arrive at Phoenix Farm in April.

“It was a tremendously rewarding moment, especially since I was the first person to sit on him,” said John. “I was especially pleased that he was ready and eager to go to work on all three days and that he felt as if he was really understanding the competition. He’s going to be a fabulous horse for someone—you really can do anything with him.”

John noted that he felt a similar sense of accomplishment last year with Winter’s Fable, a Thoroughbred gelding his sister also bred. John was the first person to ride “Fable” and rode him in all four of the events he ran in 2007 at age 4, jumping faultless cross-country rounds in each. Phoenix Farm sold Fable to Claire O’Connell in November, and she’s now successfully competing him at novice level. (
Update: Claire and Fable took 5th place in their first recognized event at Twin Rivers in the Junior Novice.)

Phoenix Farm co-owner and co–trainer Heather Bailey, barn manager Alandra Halem and associate trainer John Michael Durr have all worked with Seeker too. “What we do with the horses here is very much a team effort,” said John.

To prove it, John Michael earned third place in the open intermediate division on Phoenix Secret, 10, a Phoenix Farm homebred (by Class Secret, a son of the legendary Secretariat, and out of Native Monarch). It was the pair’s first intermediate start together and “Shawn’s” first intermediate start since April 2006. Shawn won the dressage phase, jumped clean on cross-country (with 1.2 time penalties) to hold on to the lead, and then lowered two show jumping rails to fall to third place.

John Michael, 20, is aiming Shawn for the Twin Rivers CCI** in April and then for a spot on the Area VI team at the North American Young Riders Championships at the Colorado Horse Park in late July.

“We had a fantastic cross-country trip!” said John Michael, “and next time I hope we’ll leave all the rails up.”

John Michael also rode the 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare Allegra [link] to third place in the extremely competitive open novice division. Like Seeker, Allegra, bred by owner Marsha Hayden, was also competing in her first USEA-recognized competition.

“Man, did she feel fabulous! I wish I could keep her for myself!” said John Michael.

Update: On the strength of their performances at Ram Tap, both Seeker and Allegra found new homes. See our Sale Page for more information.

(Below) Seeker, Allegra, and Phoenix Secret Strut Their Stuff at Ram Tap.

seekerxc2allegraxc2
shawnramtapxc1


Three Phoenix Farm Horses Earn Ribbons In Woodside Event
Associate trainer John Michael Durr and trainer John Strassburger rode Phoenix Farm horses to two second-placed ribbons and a third-placed ribbon at the Woodside Summer Horse Trials on Aug. 10-13.

John Michael claimed his prizes in two different open preliminary divisions, riding his own Ballingowan Miller to the red ribbon in division A and Phoenix Secret to the red ribbon in division B. John Michael has now scored two victories and a second in his first three starts with “Miller,” having won at Shepherd Ranch in June and Galway Downs in July. But Woodside was “Shawn’s” first start in a horse trial since April 2006. Sharon White, John and Heather’s former trainer, had competed Shawn, a Phoenix Farm homebred, through the intermediate level, but when Shawn was injured just before they moved from Virginia to California in June 2006, they brought him with them. John Michael began riding Shawn in April, following a 12-month break.

“We’re so glad John Michael and Shawn get along well, and it was so much fun to see him going cross-country again,” said Heather. “Shawn was a little surprised by the size of the first couple of fences, but then you could see how happy he was to be doing it again.”

John Michael is aiming Miller for the CCI** at Galway Downs in November and Shawn for the long-format CCI* there.

Winter’s Fable proved his credentials as a rising star in eventing by claiming third in open novice A. Fable, 4, was bred by John’s sister, Karin, in Vermont, and John and Heather started him last summer. This was Fable’s third horse trial—and he now has a perfect record on cross-country, with a clear round in his first beginner novice (Ram Tap in April) and two clear rounds at novice (the first was at the Woodside May event). Fable’s dressage score has improved by 13 points since the Woodside May event, which started him in sixth place (scoring 36.6) this time. His fabulous jumping rounds moved him up three places in the extremely competitive division.

“Riding Fable is especially rewarding since I was the first person to sit on him and the only person to compete him,” said John. “He’s just a joy to ride around a cross-country course or just across the countryside, because he just loves it. And I’m ecstatic at how much his dressage has improved as he’s gotten stronger and more mature.”

In addition to their ribbons, the Phoenix Farm horses came home with a saddlebag’s worth of prizes. Miller and Shawn each collected $300 in prize money, plus a banana-flavored Lick-It and a $75 gift certificate from Toklat. Fable won a lovely leather halter.


Master Merlin And Flyboy Freddy Earn Good Scores In Woodside Dressage
PF trainers Heather Bailey and John Strassburger competed two horses in the Dressage At Woodside show on July 12-14. Heather rode Rosanne Johnson’s Flyboy Freddy, who’s been competing at novice level in eventing, to one second, one third and one fourth in training level classes, and John rode Master Merlin, who’s competed at the intermediate level for the last two years, to two seconds and two thirds at second level.

“Freddy,” who’s been in training at Phoenix Farm since late February, earned his best score (67.60%) in a highly competitive test 3 class, placing fourth. Freddy, a 6-year-old U.S.-bred Hanoverian gelding, also earned 66.7 percent in test 2, placing second. The highlight of each of his performances was his relaxed, fluid and steady way of going, highlighting his powerful trot. Judge Jacqueline Oldham gave him an 8 for his gaits in test 3.

“I was ecstatic with how well Freddy went, especially since this was his first dressage show and only the fourth competition he’s ever done in his entire life,” said Heather. “He’s such a steady, honest and generous horse, and that’s exactly how he went in all four tests. He went just as well at the show as he does at home, and—especially with a young horse—you can’t ask for more than that.”

John also thought “Merlin,” his 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, had performed with the professional attitude that’s always been the horse’s hallmark. “He did everything he knows how to do, even though by the last class he’d had about enough of dressage for awhile. I even walked him around the cross-country field to refresh him mentally before the last class!

“I certainly agreed with the judges’ comments that we need more collection and engagement to improve our scores,” added John. “I went to Woodside to get more practice doing the test movements in competition, and it was very good experience.”

Merlin received his best score in test 1, where he reached 64.21 percent, but he also scored 62.70 percent in test 2 and 62.32 percent in test 3. Judge Jacqueline Oldham commented on one test sheet, “This horse glows with condition—he’s beautiful!”


Congratulations on double victory for PF Associate Trainer John Michael Durr!
Phoenix Farm would like to congratulate John Michael Durr and new mount Ballingowan Miller on their back to back victories in the Open Preliminary divisions at Shepherd Ranch by an impressive 19 points, and Galway Downs Summer Horse Trials! These are the first competitive outings for JM and "Miller" and we look forward to their future successes.

jmmiller1

Congratulations to PF client Ambar Arabians!
Phoenix Farm would like to extend congratulations to Ambar Arabians and Jean Marie Diaz. Her 2-year-old filly ADA Intuition (aka"Poppy")was brought to PF farm for training on the triangle in late April, and in May she took first in the Arabian Sport Horse Mares in Hand (2 year olds), and Reserve Junior Champion, Arabian Sport Horse Mares in Hand at the Pacific Coast Arabian SPort Horse Classic. She followed up this impressive performance by placing 4th in the Arabian Sport Horse Mares in Hand (all ages) class at the Pacific Slope Championships on Father's Day (handled by PF trainer John Strassburger). These impressive showings have qualified Poppy for the Arabian Sport Horse national Championships. Yay for Ambar and Poppy!

poppyweb

More babies for Phoenix Farm!
All of our babies for 2007 have arrived please check our Breeding Program page and our Nigerian Dwarf Goat page to view the new arrivals.

John Michael Durr Joins the PF Team.
Top Area VI Young Rider John Michael Durr has joined Phoenix Farm as an Associate Trainer. Heather was JM's first riding instructor 15 years ago, and they are thrilled to be working together again. We look forward to JM's expertise in not just the eventing, but also hunter-jumper worlds. He will bring a new level of excellence to PF operations.

It's a boy! First PF Farm foal of 2007 arrives.
At 2:00am on March 11, 2007, PF farm welcomed Phoenix Bongo to the world. Our maiden mare Lizzie's Hero had a textbook delivery of her Carlow Clover son, however, it became clear the foal had contracted tendons in front. He spent five days under the care of the excellent staff at Pioneer Equine Hospital, and is now home and is expected to make a 100% recovery. Thanks to Dr. Scoggins, and Dr. Armentrout at Pioneer for their care of Bongo and Lizzie!

bongoside2 bongoheadonbongosunbathbongolizkiss bongoside1

First babies of 2007 arrive!
Our Nigerian Dwarf Goat doe Cloudy gave birth to a beautiful, healthy pair of twins on 2/28/07. The black and white buck kid has been named Alvin. The fawn and white doe kid has been named Corona. Congratulations to Kim Hatcher on the purchase of Corona. Congratulations to Linda Schaap on the purchase of Alvin. We have additional goats kids expected in April!

alvinstormoutAlvinstormoutstormprongAlvinstandout

corona alvin

John Strassburger wins USEA award
Phoenix Farm trainer John Strassburger was 3rd in the country in the Intermediate Master Amateur category for the United States Eventing Association's yeard end awards. Congratualtions!

Native Monarch 1986-2006
Phoenix Farm is sad to report the passing of our flagship broodmare, Native Monarch at the age of 20. "Ariel" (aka the Queen Bee) came in to John's life 14 years ago, after winning her final start at the race track on a fractured cannon bone. John rehabbed her, and then raced her over timber and hurdles, before eventing her through the training level and foxhunting her. She is the mother of our first homebred, Phoenix Secret, who has become a top ribbon winner at the Intermediate level. We know Ariel is proud of her son, and his heart and talent and keen expression will remind us every day of our grand old lady. She has lived for the past six years at Duck Hollow Farm, with John's sister Karen and Kathy Marshall. Kathy has been competing Ariel these last eventing seasons in Area I, and we thank them for their excellent care, love and stewardship of her.

RIP Quartermaster

QuartermasterPhoto Courtesy of Starstruck Farms

Phoenix Farm is sad to report the passing of the stallion Quartermaster on September 11, 2006 at the age of 22. This handsome Anglo-Arab stallion is the sire out countless performers in the eventing,hunter-jumper, endurance and Arab worlds, and is the sire of two of Phoenix Farm's youngsters--Cruiser and Seeker. He competed through the intermediate level of eventing, and was still competing at the preliminary level with a young rider at the age of 19. His sire, Yankee Lad, was the sire of the 1984 Olympic Show Jumping gold medalist, Touch Of Class. His world class pedigree, temperament, and ability will be sorely missed. Our condolences to his long-time companion Terry on the loss of his very special friend. To learn more about Quartermaster, click
here.