Though Will Faudree made the decision to retire four-star mount Andromaque from competition this spring, as was first reported by Eventing Nation, she’ll be able to contribute to the sport of eventing from a new angle. The mare is currently in foal after she was bred to Sir Shutterfly. 

The 14-year-old (Anshan—Gortnagale, Strong Gale) was sidelined with an injury in 2013, before competing at the Pau CCI****, but she came back to contest two CIC*** events and aim for the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** this April. She was withdrawn before show jumping. 

“Soundness-wise she was very good,” said Faudree. “Then at Rolex she lost a shoe on cross-country. She never wavered; she finished very strong, but she re-injured the leg significantly. She’s sound now, but it would be too much to ask of her to try to come back to the four-star level.”

Faced with rehabbing a bow in Andromaque’s superficial flexor tendon, Faudree and Jennifer Mosing, who owns the Irish Sport Horse, made the decision to retire her from competition and explore a new career for her as a broodmare.

“Missie” has been confirmed in foal to Sir Shutterfly (Silvio I—Famm, Forrest xx), a Hanoverian stallion that stands at Fairlight Stud in Bristol, United Kingdom. Sir Shutterfly is a full brother to Shutterfly, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum’s retired international grand prix jumper.

“It’s a way I think really that she can still be a part of the program and make the stars of the future,” said Faudree. “She’s got a very good brain. I’ve got a great partnership with her; she’s a very trainable horse. She would be everything I would want apart from she’s a little bit downhill, and so in deciding what stallion to pair her with, we looked for very uphill stallions and ones that have proven to throw uphill babies.” 

Not only will Andromaque be expecting her first foal, but a twin—also by Sir Shutterfly—will be born to a surrogate mare via embryo transplant next summer as well. This is Faudree’s first foray into breeding, and he has high hopes for the future with Andromaque’s offspring.

“She was an anchor for me; I could always count on her,” said Faudree. “Andromaque is like my child basically. I love her. I feel like it’s going to be a lot of fun to have her babies.”

Faudree, who started competing the mare in 2010 after Andrea Ryan produced her to the two-star level, has eased her transition into retirement by keeping her very much a part of the program at Gavilan Farm in Hoffman, N.C. She still comes into the barn every day.

“I may play around with her and do some dressage, and I’ll always be able to hop on her, and we’ll jump and have some fun,” he said.

Missie’s maternal instinct seems to be kicking in as well.

“I have a couple of 2-year-olds and one yearling in the back, and she’s pretty enamored with them, which she never has been in the past,” he said. “But she is now, so I think she knows that this is the next step of her career.”