November 2006

Arentino's semen enters the yearly Trakehner auction in USA and sells for the highest bid to a very respected Trakehner stud. We really look forward to the news on the foal in 2008.

October 2006

In Germany at the grading and auction in Neumunster the Champion 2 year old stallion Songline made 320.000 Euro. Songline is out of a fullsister to our wonderful filly Schwalbenfreude II mum Schwalbenflair and we really look forward to when Schwalbenfreude enters our herd to become a broodmare.

INGRID CHRISTODOULOU

It is with great sadness that we have to report the sudden death of Ingrid Christodoulou, founder and owner of Highfield Trakehners. This will come as a great shock to all her many friends throughout the world, and in the Trakehner world in particular.

We used to joke that Ingrid was the only true Trakehner amongst us; she was on the famous ‘Trek’ as a little girl, and her knowledge of the horses is well known. Her ambition was to have one of her wonderful Trakehner stallions jumping for GB in the Olympics – and she was well on her way to achieve that with many show jumping successes. Ingrid was a lady in the true sense of the word; generous in her advice and friendship, and unceasing in her support for her beloved Trakehner horses.

A full Obituary will be placed in the Trakehners UK newsletter in due course. In the meanwhile, our sympathies are offered to all her family and to her friends world wide.

As written by David Clark

September 2006

Singing Horatio, the first English bred colt to grade in 7 years. We have never had or taken a colt up for grading before and is absolutely delighted that our wonderful black colt out of Arentino's first English crop of foal grades with the English Trakehner society. Since being a foal he always stood out and has wonderful BIG powerful ground covering movements, so we always hoped he may be a candidate to grade as a stallion. He has been with Bernadette and Tim from Woodcroft Stud since May this year and they have really done a FANTASTIK job preparing him for us. A very very BIG thank you to both Bernadette and Tim for putting so much hard work into him and make him look as much stallion as he did over the weekend.

We only had one mare Singing Elischa by Mackensen out of our mare St.Pr.u Pr.St Elistra up for grading and she pleased us by being awarded a premium. This mare has some very rare and wonderful bloodlines and we can't wait for her to join our herd. Our beautiful mare Pr.St Aida by E.H Sixtus was Champion mare and Overall Reserve Champion of the show, so a very good end to a wonderful year.

August 2006

A big congratulation to the Danish rider Andreas Helgstrand and his Danish bred 9 year old grey mare Blue Hors Martine on winning silver in the freestyle dressage competition at Aachen on the 25/26 of August. For you who don't know this, Blue Hors Martine is by the Trakehner stallion Silvermoon a beautiful grey son of the black impressive Trakehner stallion Kostolany.

The Singing Stud get planning permission to build at Hillington Barn. Up to now the stud has only had the yard 3 miles away and have had to rent winter barns away from the yard, which has not been ideal. After a long fight we finally get the permission to put up a hay barn, a winter barn for young stock and an American barn to hold 10 stables together with an outdoor school. This will now enable us to bring our TB young stock and Trakehner stallion prospects up correctly and in a way that the TB will have a better chance at the sales and the Trakehners hopefully a better chance of grading.

June 2006

Chabrol's sister Chiffon is the proud mother of the outstandig premium mare Chanel by Donaufischer, which came 2nd Reserve Champion of the Rhineland central grading on the 11th of June. This strong moving mare with wonderful classical Trakehner type is another example of the wonderful genes that Chabrol is representing. Chabrols full brother Cinzano came 5th in the Bundes Championship last year in eventing and has now qualified for the German Federal Championship in three day eventing.

Today the 07.06.2006 after a two year battle against our neighbour, which is the chairman of the local council in Much Marcle, we finally won on appeal the right to put down an outdoor school so we can get on and train our horses. This will enable us to get our horses ready for backing and grading and we can also now start to look for a rider for our horses. We are absolutely delighted that not all people have been taken in by our very vindictive and scheming neighbour.

April 2006

Chabrol is home where he will be starting his stud duties and recovering from his performance test. After this we shall put him into work slowly and think about where he will go and what he will do. We hope we shall find a rider for him, who can bring out the potential in this wonderful stallion.

March 2006

Singing Scaramouche by Arentino is emigrating to New Zealand with his family. Charlotte who bought him as a yearling, tells us she could have sold him 3 times for very good money, but she goes on to say, "He is the horse of my dreams and I would be worried I would never find a horse again with so much wonderful movement, beauty and such an easy kind temperament". Scaramouche was backed in January and was hacking out happily on the hills. Now however he is in quarantine awaiting to fly out in the end of March. Ones settled we shall have more updated news regarding Scaramouche and his family in their new home in New Zealand.

February 2006

First foal of the season born at The Singing Stud. It is a big strong beautiful black filly by Arentino out of PM Unica.

January 2006

We have yet again been refused the outdoor school due to our neighbour in Much Marcle. It is getting a worry due to the welfare of our horses and the fact again that we cannot get on and show the horses to buyers and get them trained. We are now going to appeal.