RINGFORT RARA RUBY - it has a been a good couple of weeks for her foals so here is a little tribute. My friends, both on and off Facebook, will have gathered that I love my old mare Ringfort Rara Ruby. She was not destined to be a broodmare - just a performance horse. Ruby is by Porsch (by Latano back to the TB Ladykiller) out of Sheepcote Cordula (by Cassander out of an Akkord mare) who I purchased as a foal from Israeli dressage Olympian David Pincus 20 years ago. Sheepcote Cordula had only two foals - both 3* International eventers. As usual with my well-bred fillies, I stole a foal out of Ruby before she went into training - the first one, by Ringfort Tinkatoo by Tinkas Boy was born dead and Ruby was badly injured internally during the birth. I was going to leave breeding her at that but on veterinary advice the following year I used a small stallion and inseminated her again. The stallion was Heather Dean-Wrights Ard Patrick and the foal, the first of her five foals (all colts) was Ringfort Downpatrick. In Horse and Hound two weeks ago there was a lovely photograph of him winning his first 2014 qualifier for HOYS. Then Ruby went on to compete and reached International 3* and was long-listed for the Beijing Olympics. Just before she was forced to retire with an injury, we had taken an embryo from her by Luidam. Last week in the Pony Club Championships at Cheshire, 15 year old Toni Quail with that now six year old Luidam gelding Ringfort Rua, had a really successful time. Representing East Down Pony Club she had a double clear in the show-jumping; a double clear in the eventing (with a very testing cross-country which saw two riders air-lifted to hospital) to finish on her dressage score; and, in addition, her team brought home the Horsemanship Award. Three weeks before, another six year old gelding out of Ruby, this time carried by herself, by Iroko, Ringfort Rubicon, finished 7th in his first International CCI1* at Camphire. (Rubicon is riddden by Gilford rider Steven Smith who, coincidentally rode Ruby to 3*). And at Millstreet last Friday, Rubys two year old by Ringfort Cruise, born on the 17th March 2012, Ringfort Patron Saint, won the Two Year Old Futurity. Increasingly we breeders are being encouraged to concentrate on the dam and her line and not just look at the fashionable stallions when we are choosing matches. How lucky am I? Five foals, five colts, four winners and the 2014 colt at home (full brother to the Futurity winner) has big shoes to fill! Now all I need is a filly out of her, to ensure the continuance of that damline. And Ruby, being Ruby, refuses to carry a foal when she has a foal at foot so no foal due for 2015. Next year I will try to get half a dozen embryos from her to increase my chances of getting a filly! See below - Rubys scrap-book!
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 16:24:16 +0000