I thought it would be nice to start a little blog highlighting events around the farm. There is so much that has happened already that I know one day I will want to look back on... so, here we go.
I guess this first post might be a good place to talk about how Lost Hill Farm came to be...
I grew up on horses, competing from the time I was in elementary school through college. As a graduation gift my parents gave me a month long trip to Ireland. I fell in love with the country, it's people and Irish Draughts. Instead of staying a month, I stayed a year.
I was introduced to Graeme MacNamara at a horse trial I attended shortly after arriving in Ireland. We talked horses over pints and over the next ten months I traipsed all over the UK attending horse shows and visiting horse farms with Graeme and a slew of other UK riders. I've never slept on so many couches and in horse barns in my life and I loved every minute of it.
I eventually returned to the US with dreams of importing Irish Draughts and starting a small competition and breeding operation focusing on this beautiful and kindly breed.
I guess this first post might be a good place to talk about how Lost Hill Farm came to be...
I grew up on horses, competing from the time I was in elementary school through college. As a graduation gift my parents gave me a month long trip to Ireland. I fell in love with the country, it's people and Irish Draughts. Instead of staying a month, I stayed a year.
I was introduced to Graeme MacNamara at a horse trial I attended shortly after arriving in Ireland. We talked horses over pints and over the next ten months I traipsed all over the UK attending horse shows and visiting horse farms with Graeme and a slew of other UK riders. I've never slept on so many couches and in horse barns in my life and I loved every minute of it.
I eventually returned to the US with dreams of importing Irish Draughts and starting a small competition and breeding operation focusing on this beautiful and kindly breed.
Ennis arrived a short three months later as a feisty yearling. Over the next seven years he grew up, we trained and eventually began competing. Graeme and I stayed in touch and I followed his professional eventing career closely. The year that he was tapped for the Olympic team he suffered a nasty spill during a horse trial and was in a coma for two months. The doctors not only advised against further eventing, they suggested giving up horses entirely. A little less than a year later he called and wanted to know if I seriously wanted to put together an Irish Draught horse program like we had talked about so many years ago. "Of course I do," I answered without hesitation. "Let's do it." he said. I've always been a sucker for a guy with an accent, how could I say no.
We pooled what money we had and took out loans that we'll be paying on until we're 80. Graeme began scouring Ireland for our foundation horses and I started looking for a location we could grow into, that was centrally located to shows and foremost, something that we could afford.
When Graeme arrived with the girls we spent the first few months at my parents while the deal closed on the farm and we worked to make it livable. Literally days after we closed on the farm, Graeme shipped me and Jewel off to the Ziwa Bonde International Horse Trial for our first event and I swear we haven't stopped yet.
We pooled what money we had and took out loans that we'll be paying on until we're 80. Graeme began scouring Ireland for our foundation horses and I started looking for a location we could grow into, that was centrally located to shows and foremost, something that we could afford.
When Graeme arrived with the girls we spent the first few months at my parents while the deal closed on the farm and we worked to make it livable. Literally days after we closed on the farm, Graeme shipped me and Jewel off to the Ziwa Bonde International Horse Trial for our first event and I swear we haven't stopped yet.