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Topic: Info on Windfall? or other Trak eventing studs? (Read 1448 times)
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Arcadien
Novice
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Posts: 2
I love Trakehners!
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Hi, I'm a new member here and I have a TB mare who made it to Prelim level eventing, whom I'm thinking of breeding this spring. I want to breed an upper level event baby for myself, and therefore I'm leaning toward all TB or a lot of TB blood, but I would like to improve on my mare's movement for dressage and get a bit more tractible temperament. I understand Windfall has made it in the upper levels and that New Spring Farm also stands Amethyst who evented, whom I'm also looking at. But I can't find any info about Windfall on their site!
Any tips or help appreciated! Thanks,
Arcadien
arcadiafarm@msn.com
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Lara Meyer
Guest
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You can see lots of performance information on the ATA's site (current stallions) on Windfall at www.americantrakehner.com - also, see more performance information about him at www.eventrider.com Saw him at the ATA's annual convention where Darren gave an eventing demonstration - WOW 
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Tannenwald Trakehner
ata
Old Hand
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Posts: 935
TANZBRISE by Windfall out of Tariana
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Hi Arcadien,
Tim Holekamp frequents the boards so he will probably share all of the Windfall information with you that he can get away with.
We have two Windfoals coming in 2003, but unfortunately they will arrive too late to help you make a breeding decision for next season. He should be a very nice cross for the TB mare. Maren probably can tell you more about his kids in Germany.
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Arcadien
Novice
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Posts: 2
I love Trakehners!
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Thanks lots for the responses, gang. I did check into those sites you recommended, and got my appetite whetted. Sounds like a real nice match for my mare. But I need details like stud fee, how good he is at getting mares in foal (my mare will be a maiden at 16, due to her long competition career), breeding contract, etc... Guess I'll wait and see if Mr. Holekamp responds as you suggested.
Thanks again,
Arcadien
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Tannenwald Trakehner
ata
Old Hand
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Posts: 935
TANZBRISE by Windfall out of Tariana
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Tim's email is holekamp@aol.com
I can tell you in 2002 the stud fee was $2000 non-negotiable (Tim will tell you I DID try...) and I still don't know what collections & shipping really cost because we tried so many times with our mares (we were plagued by weird weather, weird vets, competition schedule, etc). We became extremely proactive in trying to head off any repro problems and identify the possible causes of the early failures, and there were a lot of factors in play this season.
Tim & Darren were very responsive with respect to collecting and sending semen. Because of the issues we were having, I checked every shipment after the 1st with my microscope and hemacytometer and at times the semen was better than at others. I know that Windfall is capable of producing excellent semen, that stayed at about 70% PFM in the refrigerator for 5 days (we didn't breed that late, just monitored the sample). Semen quality is affected by so many things, including which vet did the collecting, how long ago the last collection was, what conditions the equitainer was stored in during transit, and what else was going on in the stallion's life at the time. I know the stress of competition can affect semen output with some stallions and consider ourselves very lucky to have needed it the last time for both mares when Windfall was home for a week or so, before leaving for his next campaign.
I hope these Windfoals are worth it, but I am sure they will be!
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Maren
ata
Old Hand
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Posts: 691
The Bouncer
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Oh yes, Windfall, neverending story!
As far as semen quality goes, I can only comment on my mare that I bred here in Germany via frozen this spring and she was in foal on the first try. This mare is a TB mare and 18years old and I was quite impressed with that.
If your mare has a competition record and you explicitly look for an eventer, there is no better cross available in the US right now! Especially with a TB mare. And you said you looked at improving gaits and temper? That would match well again. Windfall has a long record of wins and placings at all three major disciples in Germany, which includes dressage and if you ever get to see him, you'll understand why. Darren wins about every dressage of any event he enters in. And the Windfall babies I've met and ridden over here were easy to ride and get along with. Most got his color and correct foundation and the beautiful topline.
Apart from that, Amethyst just passed away some weeks ago, very sadly, but he did very well with TBs too.
Tim was away for a couple of days, I'm sure he'll respond to you. He can also tell you a lot about the Windfoals tempers at his farm, he has handful of them. My favourite so far being a filly out of an Amethyst/xx mare.......;-)
Good luck with your breeding efforts!
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sherry
ata
FEI
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Posts: 223
I love Trakehners!
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I don't know much about Windfall--except I met him in October in Florida--but I will tell you this-he's a very pretty boy--has obviously performed--and you couldn't get a better owner to deal with--he shows his TB blood--but that's not all bad
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Holekamp
ata
Novice
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Posts: 21
I LOVE Trakehners!
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I imagine those of you who know me are wondering what lake I fell into, ie how could I have possibly have taken so long to jump in with all the wonderful and absolutely irresistible attributes of our stallion Windfall, given such a wide-open opportunity....Actually, been outta town and then lost my ability to sign on here briefly due to some glitch that is solved.
Thanks to all who said nice things about W, all of which are true of course 
I have privately conversed with the nice rider/mareowner who started this thread, but can't resist said opportunity. Windfall is in Florida for the winter, feeling absolutely finer than frog's hair and like all of us, looking forward to next season. It appears he will end up sixth on the USEA Leader Board for the 2002 season, with all but one ahead of him part of the top performers in the last two world competitions, Sydney and WEG. Much more impressive is the fact that of the top six horses overall and of the top four mares on that list (ie 10 top names) FOUR are Trakehner horses! Sadly one was never registered and his rider is not an ATA member, but I believe there is no non-xx breed that can make such a claim of dominance in modern history. Things are achangin' in upper level eventing, and they are coming in the direction of Trakehnerdom, not away. The two mares are, of course, Larissa (did you all see the phenomenal expressive face she makes in that picture in the lastest USEA magazine?) and the wonderful Ursula Liakos' daughter Herzjuwel (who has a Windfoal safe in a surrogate mare for next summer!).
The question about fertility success with regard to Windfall is a good one, especially in view of the fact that he is "saddled" with such an ambitious competition schedule. We try to keep his book small for that exact reason and do charge a premium price for his breeding fee (though I believe that equivalent performance blood generally costs that much or more here, if you can find it in non-frozen semen). In year 2001 he settled 9 of 9 mares bred, and 9 good foals resulted. In year 2002 he settled 17 of 19 mares bred, including the one embryo transfer mentioned above. I would suggest that this statistic is better than 95% of warmblood/xx studs, including those who have no other role to fill. There are no other stallions of any breed competing at the advanced level in North America.
So far we have observed some interesting things: All the foals so far (in person or by photo) appear to be "little Windfalls". I have not ever seen such a prepotent sire, though we knew to expect this from the Habicht line. W appears to be a very strong "leg-improver" at least in those we have observed. His foals at our place are phenomenal to deal with. Yesterday my wife (Cheryl) Eqvalan-wormed all the weanlings in open pasture without even putting a halter on a single one. You would have to see them to believe it. Yet none are "weanies" at all. They just love reasonable interaction with humanoids. "Born to Trust" would be the right phrase - and after all...isn't that what 5000 years of selective breeding was aimed at?
Well, there is much more to say, but I have overstayed my opening already. Watch for new ads in the Jan/Feb mags.
Tim
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Janet
Guest
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Hi Tim, We're so sorry to hear about the loss of Amethyst. It always seems to be worse when something like that happens around the holiday time. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our Windfall foal out of our dear Amethyst mare, Sternlicht. You're at the top of our call list! Wishing you and everyone on the forum, all the best for the new year.
Janet
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