We had an incredibly stressful fall to say the least! Following the sale of Tali (Crown Talisman) we’ve been without our equine patriarch, and on the hunt for a farm that his sale has made possible.

The big catch, hence the enormous pressure, was from Uncle Sam’s take if we couldn’t close on property before the end of the year. In the worst-case scenario, we would find ourselves without Tali and a farm, being that a significant portion of our down payment would be lost to capital gains tax.

Luckily we were able to finally close on a 30-acre farm about 25 minutes north of Durham, N.C., on the Dec. 23. We couldn’t have come much closer to the deadline!

The property has been a hay farm since the mid-1960s. The turf is excellent, as is our design, thanks to Holly Matt and the Pegasus Design Group. At the moment our builder, Chris McGhee, is in the first stages in the project. We are planning to start with a 14-stall barn with the option to double to 28 with a lounge, tack room, four wash/grooming stalls and an apartment for Jess and I.

In addition to the main barn, we’ll have a house for Michelle Novak, our manager, as well as our working students Alex and Tess, a hay barn, a 100′ x 250′ outdoor and a fortified track around the perimeter of the property.

This is a photo of the proposed driveway marked with flags being verified by Bacon.

I’m very excited about not only the farm’s progress but also the opportunities it will provide for Jess and I. Now that we’ll have the room, we plan to scour the country for a few select yearlings each year in hopes of having a sustainable string of horses for years to come without breaking the bank!

Our most recent example is Quantum Leap, bred by Didi Callahan of Oxford, Md. He is out of a full Thoroughbred, Report To Sloopy, and by the Holsteiner stallion Quite Capitol. Quantum, as we call him around the barn, has just turned 4. He has been, without a doubt, the most straightforward, easy baby I’ve ever started. Not to mention he’s a very quick learner and an exceptional athlete.

I believe strongly that horses like Quantum are not 1 in a million. There are countless people here in the United States breeding international quality horses. I’m also just one of many who are looking to find these stars in the making. Hopefully, as a country we will continue to see the impact of homebred horses on the international stage.

As for Quantum’s story… I bought him three years ago on the weekend of Fair Hill’s CCI from Didi. He was a yearling at the time. This was the second horse I’ve bought that Didi had bred. The other is Lysander, owned jointly by me and Kristin Michaloski. Big Leo (an 18.1-hand 2007 gelding by Lordship out of Just for Terry) as he’s known around the barn was 3 at the time and now has shown through the CIC** and 1.30-meter jumpers.

Both horses are out of full Thoroughbred mares by Holsteiner stallions. I’ve yet to find a better combination (Tali was this combination as well)—they have the stamina, intelligence and bravery required, but with a bit more jump and movement and an excellent work ethic. That said, I’d take a great full Thoroughbred any day, but as everyone knows they are very difficult to find.

The beauty of a cross like this is that they remain marketable in the straight disciplines as well. It’s impossible to determine with certainty in what direction they’ll choose later in life when they are so young. I just want to make sure we can do right by them and, if not in eventing, we can find them an excellent home and still get out in decent shape financially to roll it over into the next generation.

Up until we started Quantum for real this fall, Michelle, our manager, would bring him in on a regular basis to do everything from pick his feet, brush him, clip him the list goes on. We would also periodically pony him along on trail rides with some of our quieter horses. All in hopes of introducing him to the real world and giving him a confident and relaxing experience. The more they can be handled in the beginning the easier it is when it’s time to get on the first time.

Very briefly we start them by longing first, working up to walk, trot and canter with side reins changing between gaits purely with voice commands. Then it’s time to hop on. Quantum was about as easy as any I’ve ever worked with.

Within a few weeks he was trotting and cantering rails on the ground and small jumps roughly a foot in height. This is Quantum’s first day jumping on Nov. 14…

He continued to progress over the few months heading to his first jumper show just before New Years where he won his .75-meter class! Then just a few days ago he was jumping around a 2’6″ course nearly with his eyes closed. Looking around the ring we had a line set up around 3′ and I said what the hell, let’s give it a shot. Here’s the video of that!…

At this point he is consistently trotting and cantering 2′-3′ fences a few times a week, including, angled and skinny smaller jumps. The goal is to make some of the lines mentally challenging without being physically difficult. The larger fences would always have a longer straighter approach to give him enough time to adjust if needed. 

He’s coming along with us to Aiken where we’ll try to get him to as many places as possible off of the farm. Keep an eye out, beginner novice, here we come!

For a more detailed description of the process check out my book, The Riding Horse Repair Manual, where a significant portion is devoted to developing a confident young horse. 

Unfortunately with the farm purchase and Tali’s sale there is a chance Quantum may also have to be sold in order to cover all of our expenses. I’m going to try my hardest not to let that happen…he’s a keeper if we can make the numbers work!

-Doug 

P.S. A quick update on Tali (who was bred in Maryland by Martha Thomas and came to me as a green-broken 5-year-old). I spoke to Nick Gauntlett a few days ago. Tali is doing great and is getting ready for the upcoming spring season. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them. I wish nothing but the best, and will be cheering all the way.

Doug Payne is a professional event rider operating out of his Doug Payne Equestrian in Apex, N.C. You can read all his blogs here.