Our boys (and two girls) at Friendship Farm and Yet Again Farm!
ABRACADABRA (PRESTO) Still a handsome devil at 24.
Presto in his prime with Maureen.
Photo by Barry Kaplan
24 year old, 15.3+ hand chestnut Trakehner gelding owned by Maureen Wurzel
The King... Presto is a retired show hunter and was one of the best in his career. Maureen purchased him as a three year old and together they had a long line of successes including competing wonderfully at "A" shows in New England and Harrisburg and Washington International. No horse ever had a prettier jump and he explains the rules of success to all his pasture mates. Presto still looks the part and enjoys the attention royalty deserves. Hacking is his specialty now and showing both people and horses the ropes. He now lives at Yet Again Farm year-round.
January 2010 Update: Presto is even more king-like than ever, the studly type who is convinced he owns all that he sees. He is enjoying the trail riding life and looks super sound and comfortable.
October 2010 Update: No signs of age on the boy, other than the occasional sore-footedness, and he particularly enjoys having Madeline back in his herd.
June 2011 Update: Fortunately, life for Presto has remained the same. He rules the farm and has gotten to be more energetic on his trail rides. He is quiet on the way out, and determined on the way home. He's a role model on how to age with spunk and grace.
WELKIN
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Purchased sight unseen by Amy, Welkin was selected in Germany by her dressage trainer, Verne Batchelder in Spring 2007. It has turned out to be a wonderful decision, as he and Amy have reached heights she only dreamed of before. He is a handsome fireball, with the philosophy that if some is good, more is better, and more power should solve everything. Amy is having a blast learning to channel that energy and is thrilled to have reached the FEI levels. The summer of 2009 was Amy and Welkin's first Prix St. Georges and Amy earned her Silver Medal on him. A horse of strong opinions and lots of power, he gives her the opportunity to learn more every day.
March 2009 Update: Amy just came back from a great three weeks in Florida working with Verne and doing a little showing. They made another big step and graduated to Intermediare I. It was a successful first outing at that level and now it's time to work on improving all the little details.
May - October 2009 Update: After more fun and successful shows in North Carolina with scores at Intermediare I to over 67%, the trip back to MA proved to be disastrous. Welkin arrived very lame, and we'll never know how or where but it turned out that a piece of wood went directly up into the delicate structures in his foot, doing damage and causing infection. After spending the entire summer stallbound at the equine hospital and enduring numerous antibiotic profusions, an MRI and a CAT scan, as well as surgery and shock wave therapy, he is enjoying his return to Southern Pines. He is still not completely sound but there is hope that he will slowly recover from the deep digital flexion ligament injury. He now gets to go out in a small round pen with his buddy, Simon, on the outside around him, and gets handwalked several times a day. Everything possible medically has been done and time is now his best ally and hope.
January 2010 Update: Amy can now get on and ride Welkin at the walk and he is such a gentleman about it. He seems to enjoy this relaxed version of riding and gets a half-hour daily, plus his handwalking. Kelly, our barn manager, has been wonderful about making sure he gets his handwalk time. He's now sound at the walk but not 100% sound at the trot, so time is still our best hope.
April 2010 Update: It's now 11 months after his injury, and Welkin is back in nearly full work. Sometimes there are a couple of funny steps as he warms up but his ride after that is just great. He is focusing on his collected work at this time, to continue to keep the weight off his front end. This is actually very important, as it is addressing some old issues for the powerhouse. Amy is not riding for the next few weeks, recovering from an emergency appendectomy, so dear friend and talented rider, Jeanette Van Mill, is continuing Welkin's exercise and training. He is looking great and things are hopeful for the future.
July 2010 Update: Welkin miraculously went back into competition this month and was a star. He has qualified for the Regional Championships at Intermediare I on his first outing and was sound and happy. What a gift!
October 2010 Update: Welkin has stayed sound, healthy and happy and we got to compete twice more this summer with good success. The regional Championships are next month here in NC and if all goes well, we'll be there. His time spent working on collection while recovering has paid off.
June 2011 Update: Welkin continues on his sound path and has continued his training and competing at Intermediare I. This past winter brought a really great training experience in Ocala with Verne Batchelder for a month. Two big highlights for us are learning to piaffe and passage, and a 67+% ride at the Dressage in the Sandhills show this spring. Don't know that I'll ever see a score like that again, but it's on video and I can watch it when I am in the old bats' home.
SIMON
 Photos by Barry Kaplan |
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22 year old, 16.0 hand bay Quarter Horse cross gelding owned by Karen Mackey and Amy Bresky
Simon is perfect... it's not boasting, just the reality. Purchased 8 years ago from a close friend, Simon has had many roles in the past including eventing but is now he is the perfect quiet guest horse, building confidence for whoever is on his back. While he used to travel back and forth between north and south, he is now a permanent Southern Pines resident. He had a suspensory injury over a year ago but has recovered and is now a handsome trail pony with no interest in ringwork anymore!
October 2010 Update: Karen visited from MA this month and got to get on the boy for some quiet trail rides after over a year. He has a trace clip and is looking shiny and happy (except when he is being tacked up... he thought he was retired).
June 2011 Update: Another slight lameness has started to come and go but Simon is his stoic self and enjoys his life thoroughly. He did make the trip to MA this summer, as his coat is a bit heavy (no Cushings yet, though) and we needed his perfect babysitting skills for Bing and Welkin. He's loving the cooler weather and richer grass!
August 2011 Update: We now have a diagnosis for the lameness after an ultrasound and it turns out Simon has a hole in his left front superficial flexor tendon. It doesn't change what we do with him, as he has been babysitting only (works for him!) so he is still enjoying quiet turnout. We'll see how it comes along but if he is never quite right again he is certainly pasture sound and can do his job well. He will most likely remain in Southern Pines for the rest of his days after he goes south this fall.
O'REILLY
16 year old, 16.2 hand dark bay Thoroughbred gelding owned by Maureen Wurzel
O'Reilly is a very talented show hunter who has competed up and down the east coast and Canada. Maureen brought him from a barely broken 3 year old who was in a dressage barn and has taken him to successes in both the Adult Hunters and the Amateur-Owner Hunters. He was leased to a Canadian mother /daughter pair who enjoyed and successfully showed him in Canada and at the Wellington Equestrian Festival in FL in 2009. He is now back at Yet Again Farm and loving the relaxed life and lots of turnout. Maureen can still knock out a letter-perfect trip on the handsome "machine" and he is now Patrick's competition horse in the hunters and equitation.
January 2010 Update: Next month "O" will head to Ocala, Florida for the HITS Show Circuit for a few weeks and Patrick will debut in the hunters, with maybe some jumpers and equitation thrown in.
April 2010 Update: Florida was very successful for Patrick and 'O", with wins every weekend. Patrick was unable to ride during the week because of school and drove (he has his learner's permit now) with his dad the 8+ hours each way to compete each weekend.
October 2010 Update: Patrick has continued to compete O'Reilly during the summer and won both of his equitation classes at a show in Raleigh earlier this month. Patrick and "O" really get along, with Patrick's relaxed attitude.
June 2011 Update: "O" has had a quiet winter, being ridden lightly by both Maureen and Patrick. This is his first summer staying in Southern Pines while the Wurzels are north.
BINGLEY (BING)
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13 year old, 16.1+ hand palomino Swedish Warmblood/Thoroughbred gelding owned by Amy Bresky
Amy missed getting to jump, since neither Simon nor Welkin are up for that, and finally purchased a horse to "event" and get to jump out on trail rides. Many late night searches on the Internet turned up Bing, who had lower level eventing experience in Kentucky. He came on trial sight unseen (other than video) in May 2011, stayed and has been a great addition to the equine family. So far Amy has had fun getting to know him with a few cross country schools at the Carolina Horse Park and the great treat of getting to go to adult eventing camp for 4 days at the Green Mountain Horse Association in So. Woodstock, VT in June. Who says you can't revive your childhood dreams at 58?
November 2011 Update: Not much exciting for Bing this summer as it was mostly dressage in MA after camp. He's glad to be back in Southern Pines where there are many more opportunities to get out of the ring. He's a little wild over fences at the moment, after his hiatus from jumping but we are working on getting our act together to go to our first starter horse trials next week.
WYATT
6 year old, 15.0+ hand Quarter Horse owned by Amy Bresky
Wyatt is the newest addition arriving in November 2011. He is an extremely quiet guy with the sweetest temperament and limpid eye, purchased from Mel Wyatt (hence the name since is registered one is unbearable) in Southern Pines. Now that Simon is retired, Wyatt was purchased to be the bombproof "company" horse for guests to enjoy and Amy to play with. In his short life he has already been a trainee at a police academy, dragging mattresses at 3, and more recently Mel whipped in on him with the hunt. In his first week on the farm, he has been a flawless trail horse with Amy, and the ideal leadline pony for a horse crazy four year old. Amy is happy to have a Quarter Horse in the herd again!
MADELINE (THE DIVINE MISS "M")
Patrick gets a surprise Christmas present in '02
Patrick's last show with Madeline at the Big E in '07. She
grew up to be a beauty!
12 year old, 12.3 hand gray Welsh pony mare owned by Patrick Wurzel
She's the only girl of our herd and what a lady she has grown up to be! Madeline was purchased as a Christmas surprise gift for Patrick when he was 8. She was a school pony at 4 years old, which gives you an idea of her excellent mind. She was safe as can be for Patrick in his early years of riding and taught him to really ride, as she took perfect care of her young charge while giving nothing away. Since Patrick had outgrown her, and the Wurzel family did not want to give her up, she has been leased.
December 2009 Update: Mads is back home! We are all very excited to see her, especially all the geldings. She is even prettier than we remembered and such a force. Presto is particularly excited to have his girl back. Somehow she looks even smaller, now that Patrick is so much taller.
April 2010 Update: Miss M has thoroughly enjoyed her time at Yet Again Farm (and Maureen and Patrick have especially enjoyed having her back) but no one is the right size to ride her. She has left the farm to be bred (can't wait!) and then after she is in foal, she is leased to a family in Maryland with a young girl who will work up to doing the Short Stirrup divisions with her. Mads knows her job with the little ones well, and will take care of the young thing while teaching her to ride.
June 2010 Update: Madeline is pregnant!! She is continuing to educate her child during her lease in Maryland and we look forward to seeing her back on the farm in December. If all goes well, stay tuned for photos of the cutest foal next spring!
December 2010: She's baaack.. and as lovely as ever. She is barely showing and is enjoying hanging out with Presto. He loves having his girl back and is nicer to her than any of his other previous pasture mates.
April 2011 Update: Madeline had her foal! It is an adorable little filly, Lucy, and her color is still developing (chestnut, bay, roan, gray like mom, who can tell yet?). After a rough couple of days to start, she is now racing around her mom and is quite independent.
November 2011 Update: Madeline's duties as a mother have come to an end, as Lucy is now very independent and living under the benign dictatorship of Presto, who is the only one who can keep her in line. Mads has headed back to Maryland to the same young girl (disappointing a number of other young girls who wanted her) as the very best of safe and talented show hunter ponies.
IM A MISTER COOL (DUKE) January 28, 1991 - January 14, 2010
18 year old, 15.1 hand chestnut Quarter Horse gelding owned by Amy Bresky
Photos by Barry Kaplan
Dukie
never quite found his "career", so he has specialized in being cute.
Bred as a halter horse and purchased at auction as a 2 year old by a
teenage farm employee, he came to Amy's MA farm to board in exchange for
labor. When the teen headed to college, Amy was attached, so he stayed
and became a Bresky horse. At that time, it was determined that he had
HYPP, a Quarter Horse genetic disease, and has been a real success story
in that it has been controlled with diet, exercise and
drugs. Unfortunately, in 2009 he developed an inoperable mass behind his
eye and nasal
cavity. While we cannot make it better, we are doing our best to make him as comfortable as possible for as long
as we can. He lives at Friendship Farm year-round where he can
sometimes be seen grazing outside the fence all over the farm.
January 2010 Update:
Sadly, the day did come when we had to let Dukie go. He left this
world with lots of his favorite people around him and a legion of fans
who will never forget him. It was a gift that he felt quite good on his
last day and we got to see the sparkle in his eye again.