News
Updated: 06 February 2008
Avanti in March Horse & Rider
A beautiful picture of Avanti Quainton is in the March 2008 issue of Horse & Rider magazine. Horse & Rider is one of the most popular monthly equestrian magazines, and they have chosen to feature a large picture of Avanti Quainton being ridden by Ben Maher. Ben is commenting on the tack and bridle wear that he prefers to use and Avanti and Ben are pictured sailing over a large jump. The picture is on page 90 and the article is called Tack Tips.
Congratulations to Ben Maher
Congratulations to our rider Ben Maher for his recent selection to jump on the Nations Cup Team in Florida. Ben will be joined by Nick Skelton, Peter Charles and Charlotte Platt. Quainton Stud will be supporting Ben all the way. Good luck Ben!
Quainton Stud to win BSJA Award
Quainton Stud were today notified by the BSJA Area Representative, Alan Treadwell, that Quainton Stud are to be presented with an award at the annual BSJA area dinner. The award is for ‘Contribution to the sport in the area’. Quainton Stud are thrilled at the wonderful news and would like to say a huge thank you to the BSJA!
Avanti Success at Addington Premier Show
Avanti Quainton finished a close third in the B&C class at Addington Manor’s Premier Show today. Avanti narrowly missing qualification to the Royal International Horse Show awarded to the top two. Only a fraction of a second separated the first three placings.
Quirifino Wins at Addington Premier Show
Quirifino Quainton has won the B&C class in fine style at the Addington Winter Premier Show.
Good Luck Ben
Quainton Stud would like to wish Ben Maher the very best of luck when he jumps for Britain next month. Ben has been selected to represent Great Britain in the Nations Cup Team who will be competing in Florida, next month. Ben will be joined by British team members Nick Skelton, Peter Charles and Charlotte Platt.
Quainton Stud offer expert advice in Chiltern & Thames Rider magazine
In the recent January to February issue of Chiltern & Thames Rider, Quainton Stud’s Owner Emma Phillips and Stud Manager Vanessa Wright offer their expert advice in an article discussing whether it is advisable to breed or buy. The magazine also featured pictures from the stud of their foals and youngstock.
To read the article in full please click here.
Avanti on American jumping tour
Quainton Stud stallion Avanti Quainton is to join International Showjumper Ben Maher on his tour of the American showjumping circuit in February and March. Ben is taking just a few elite horses with him and he has selected Quainton Stud’s Avanti to be part of this team.
Avanti has been producing solid clear rounds over the past few months and Ben believes Avanti is ready to compete in America on the International circuit.
Quainton Stud are thrilled to see Avanti experiencing a new International competition circuit and working at a higher jumping level. Quainton Stud wish Ben and Avanti the best of luck and will report on their progress in the coming news on this website.
Quainton Stud share their expert knowledge with Horsemart readers.
National Horsemart magazine asked Quainton Stud's owner Emma Phillips to advise their readers on breeding issues and this was kicked off with a double page spread feature in the January issue. The article titled "Is my mare suitable?" helps explain to the readers all the different breeding factors to consider when thinking about breeding from your mare.
Emma was originally asked to answer a few reader questions as part of a panel of experts, but the Horsemart editorial team were so delighted with Emma's contribution that they asked her to write the breeding feature.
Emma has since been asked to continue to contribute as Horsemart's breeding expert in the future, so keep your eyes peeled for her next article!
To read the full article, please click here.
Ben wins in Belgium
Quainton Stud would like to congratulate our rider Ben Maher for his monumental win in Mechelen, Belgium. Ben and Mr Paul's Rolette finished 2007 on a high note with a massive win in Belgium. The pair won the large and very tricky Grand Prix class in Mechelen’s CSI 5* competition in Belgium on 29th December 2007. The CSI 5* event at the end of 2007 was a great show for Ben, on the Thursday Ben won the 1.35m on Rolette and Pablo won the 1.35m. Then on the Friday Rolette finished third in the 1.45m and Pablo seventh in the Six Bar, but this all built towards the great win in the International Grand Prix class on the Saturday night on Mr Paul’s wonderfully consistent mare, Rolette.
BSJA magazine focus on Quainton Stud
In the official magazine for the British Show Jumping Association, Winter Breeding issue a feature focuses on the success of Quainton Stud. In the article titled 'A Stud's View - Business or Pleasure' Quainton Stud's owner Emma Phillips gave her views on the industry and the stud's progress and recent success.
To read the full article, please click here.
Emma reveals her Christmas plans in Chiltern & Thames Rider magazine
In the most recent issue of Quainton Stud's local equestrian magazine, Chiltern & Thames Rider, Emma Phillips reveals her plans for the coming Christmas holidays. As part of a panel of local celebrities Emma Phillips and stud jockey Ben Maher, tell the readers what they will be enjoying over the Christmas period and what they have planned.
To read this light heated magazine feature, please click here.
Unex Towerlands Masters
Quirifino Quainton won the big class of the evening on Friday night at the special Children in Need evening at Unex Towerlands. In a packed competition in front of TV cameras and a full house, Quirifino snatched the lead from Mark Armstrong who had held onto first place from an early draw. Mark could be seen pacing the stands as Ben who was drawn last came in on Quirifino. This truly magnificent stallion glided round the 1.50m fences in the fastest time to the delight of Quainton Stud and all of Ben and Quirfino's supporters.
Chateau De Brion was the highest placed 5 year old in the 5/6 year old handicap on Friday, he was narrowly beaten into second place by Laura Renwick on Beluga, the Horse of the Year Show 6 year old Champion.
Quainton Stud were the proud sponsors of the five year old championships on the final day, the Quainton jump looked magnificent in this great arena and to add to our delight of the previous wins Ben managed a double whammy! He beat a truly exceptional field of 5 year old horses when he came home in first and second place.
Please click on images to enlarge.
Quainton Stud featured in Breeding News
Quainton Stud has featured in a recent issue of the worldwide publication, Breeding News for Sport Horses. Emma Philips was interviewed by Kyle Jones and the article stretched from the front page and across four sections. The interview delved into Quainton’s breeding plans, programmes, connections with the German State Stud and highlighted the phenomenal success the stud and stallions have enjoyed while Quainton Stud works at the forefront of breeding British Showjumpers.
You can read the article below or click here to download a pdf. Breeding News.pdf
Good horses speak for themselves
Great Britain (by Kyle Jones) Emma Phillips, Owner/Director of Quainton Stud Farm is a young, up-and-coming showjumping horse breeder in the UK. In a surprisingly short space of four years, she has not only built up top facilities, and acquired, stallions and breeding stock, but has also begun to host major sporting festivals offering top prize money in order to complement her breeding and production programme.
As it costs around £24,000 (€35,000) annually to train and compete a horse in the UK, her investment in both breeding and competition horses is substantial and noteworthy within the ever-improving UK sport horse market. Good judgment proved well, and the top selling foals auctioned at the Mannheim European Jumping Championships (August 14-19) recently fetched €21,000 ($28,962) and €19,000 euros ($26,204) respectively, and were by Quainton Stud stallions.
Tell us about Quainton Stud (near Aylesbury Southeast England), how it got started, your premises, numbers of stallions, mares and youngstock and your reasons behind it’s establishment, goals and objectives?
We have 250 acres on the original farm and have just acquired another 50 acres plus barns for wintering of all young stock and mares.
We have an indoor school with a wax surface and dressage mirrors, and an outdoor arena which is actually a show ground complete with derby fences where we host our major events. We don't have gallops, but we do have a state of the art AI collection and mare insemination centre. We have a separate mare barn, stallion barn and competition training barn.
We are very fortunate at Quainton as we benefit from some of the best grazing this country has to offer. Our young horses thrive here as did the prize-winning cattle before them. We have at any time between 90 and 150 horses on site; 90 horses are Quainton's and they consist of mares and young stock. We also have l0 licensed stallions who split their time between training, competing and stud duties. Some of these are in Germany, leased to the State Stud in Moritzburg, others are based with our rider Ben Maher.
Each one of our horses has been selected on its bloodlines, type, movement and jump. We have tried to stick to the proven and popular lines that have become household names in Germany, so you will see in most of their pedigree's Landgraf, Contender Cor de la Bryere, Quidam De Revel [Selle Francais], Cassini, to name but a few. It is our intention to be a breeding centre of excellence in the UK as it is generally accepted that British sport horse breeding is years behind other European countries. We hope to close that gap and bring British breeding standards up to our European counterparts.
How did you come to lease four stallions back to the German State Stud at Moritzburg?
It was incredible as have purchased Kampfer at the Holstein sales at Celle and the bidding was very tough. Afterwards the State Stud at Moritzburg told us how disappointed they were not to purchase him and we struck a deal. We actually have an arrangement to lease four of our stallions to the Stud, which enables us to reach the large German market. As far as I am aware, this is the first time a non-German owner has done this. And incredibly because of this arrangement, breeders from Chateau de Brion and Lancelot produced foals that topped the recent foal auction in Mannheim.
All your stallions are very young. What went into the decision to set-up a stud with relatively unproven young stallions?
Well, it came down to economics. Good and proven stallions are very expensive and getting in at various younger ages was more economic.
What shows/events do you host throughout the year and especially can you recap any news from the most recent Grand Prix, stallion, and young horse event?
We have just held our first show here at Quainton (July 30,31). It was a combined Open Day and Grand Prix Show and a film of it was even shown on Sky TV in August. I am absolutely thrilled with how it all went, we have had positive feedback from everyone who was there, We had a break in the jumping and displayed all our stallions, and even had Stallone and Classic come over from Germany for the day. We had the top British riders here for two days, competing for a £24,000 prize fund. Geoff Luckett riding Monline won the Grand Prix for a £4,000 prize. We have our dares planned for 2008: May 21-25, for a young horse festival and auction of our young stock. July 29-31, Grand Prix Special and September 9-12, The Derby series.
Could you summarise your impression of UK showjumping breeding and the market for young stock as opposed to the Continent?
How has it changed in your view?
Four years ago, when we first set out to acquire our foundation stock, the gulf in the quality of horses available in the UK and those you could find in Europe was huge. The problem is that sport horse breeding has traditionally been a hobby or pastime that people entered into, not paying too much attention to the mares' bloodlines and choosing a stallion on his locality rather than his suitability. With the common use of AI, this has changed as stallions from all over Europe are now widely available to mare owners. The quality of the young stock being produced now, is definitely getting much higher; as more and more people are becoming aware of the importance of quality bloodlines for both the mare and stallion.
Explain how you purchased your foundation mares and also the stallions you stand?
We work closely with our German colleagues from both the State Stud and private business contacts. Every mare and stallion we select must meet with their approval and must be of good enough quality that their young stock can be sold back to European producers and graded accordingly. We plan to send our two-year-old colts to Germany for grading and possibly enter a couple into the Holsteiner Verband auction.
What was involved in grading your stallion this year with the Holstein studbook, and how much preparation, etc was needed?
Chateau de Brion's (Cassini I x Caribo )grading in Holstein was a huge achievement for all concerned. It was the first time a British stud successfully presented a horse for grading. The real point is that the horse spoke for himself. He is of such high quality and carries all the Holstein Studbook's requirements that he actually did most of the work for us. It is an absolute seal of quality for him and one that breeders who use him will be able to pass down to their foals.
Do you maintain a philosophy about breeding good showjumping horses? A scientific mythology?
A good showjumper comes in many different packages, we always look for good paces on the flat, and a powerful and balanced canter is a must. All young horses are loose jumped and this is the best way you can evaluate a jumper at a very young age. However there are plenty of things to be aware of when looking at horses jumping free. Firstly, some horses have been over-prepared and present themselves over the fence in a very unnatural way. Also, a horse that shows great skill jumping free does not always maintain this under a rider.
What sort of scale do you wish to achieve, and what would you say about competing with the Continental breeders?
Currently we are producing 20 foals a year, which is a comfortable figure. I don't take the view that we are taking on the Europeans. On the contrary Quainton Stud is actually working together with our German colleages at the State Stud of Mortizburg. We are benefiting from their years of knowledge and expertise in horse breeding and they are benefiting from the use of the top German bloodlines available to them on lease from Quainton. Also the quantity of quality mares in Germany far exceeds the number of mares available in the UK so each of our
young stallions returns to the UK with approximately 200 young stock already in the German system.