Kathy kept buying horse after horse looking for something that would restore her confidence over fences. Flint Hills had begun his retraining with CANTER MA and was proving to be as easy as they come. He jumped anything that was put in front of him and was very sensible. He just had one fault, he was a cribber. Kathy swore she didn't want a cribber but eventually decided that she couldn't pass him up.

These two have been quite the pair racking up good finishes in all the local events in the mid atlantic area. Flint Hills has never had a cross country penalty and only one or two rails in 5 years of eventing. Kathy said she sometimes even closes her eyes when she gets scared and he just takes care of her. He truly is a horse of a lifetime. He convinced her to come and buy another horse from CANTER MA. See Hold That Halo's success story below.

Letterman's Humor is a stakes winner who raced for 6yrs running 57 races earning $168k. He was with the same owner and trainer his whole career and retired sound which is a testament to their careful management. Letterman spent 8 months at our layup farm just getting to be a horse again. He wasn't too fond of people and was pretty difficult to catch in the field. We knew he was talented but he was a bit weird.

Who knew I would fall madly in love with him! Everybody has asked what makes him so special because out of all the horses that I have retrained for CANTER over the past five years he was the only one I have bought. (click the read more button)

Miss Fantastic was what you'd call a gangly 2 year old.  Her parts were all over the place and she didn't look like quite the athlete we thought she could be.  Will saw the potential in this mare and brought her along slowly and confidently with the assistance of his barn manager, Natalie Varcoe Cocks.  Together, they turned this mare into truly something fantastic and she has been slowly and methodically introduced to eventing in 2011.  Will has high hopes for her future and considers her a serious upper level prospect.  We can't wait to see the swan she turns into in the coming years!

Halo only ran a few times and it was clear to his connections that he didn't want to be a race horse. His trainer told us that he had a great brain and was very willing. When Kathy came to us shopping for her next event horse, she really liked the athletic look of Halo. She hoped that he would fill out his lanky frame and get bigger (he was then 15.3) He has now grown to 16.1 and looks to be growing again. He took right to the life of a baby event horse and proceeded to jump everything put in front of him at several baby xc schoolings. He loves to hack out and is a very fun horse for his owner. I am sure we will see more from him in the 2012 event season.

Top Punch was a great racehorse.  He ran 51 times, winning over 150K.  He loved his job and was loved by his owner and trainer.  When the time came to retire a very sound and happy Punch at the incredible age of 12, his owner turned to CANTER to find his next home.  The classy grey did not stay long with CANTER as his perfect owner stumbled upon him while visiting the farm one day.  Read about Punch the most awesome Whipper-in's horse ever, via the words of his proud owner:

From Alison:

Fisher was the quitessential, beautiful dark bay thoroughbred that had everybody charmed.  He was a diminutive guy, only standing 15.3, but he was a great horse who had a fabulous start with Will Faudree's Gavilan Farm in Hoffman, NC.

Fisher began his eventing career with Will's Barn Manager, Natalie Varcoe Cocks, and was eventually sold on to live in Holly Hudspeth's (Hepp) farm.  While we were very saddened to hear of Fisher's untimely passing due to colic in 2011, we still wanted to commemorate and remember him here, as he absolutely was one of our successes.  We will miss you, sweet, beautiful boy.

Bushy, as he was called at the CANTER farm, told us in no uncertain terms that he was leaving his racing days behind.  A winner of over $130,000 in nearly 60 races, he was definitely a good racehorse for his fabulous owners, but a life of leisure definitely suited the then seven year old gelding.  When Bushy was ready to retire, he came to CANTER to hang out for a while and let go of racing life.  Well, he left racing at the track and never looked back.  This grandson of Storm Cat has decided that the moseying way of life is the best ever, and he found his way into the lucky heart of Patrice Fleck.  Patrice can't say enough good things about her baby "Sammy" and they are busy covering the countryside in one fabulous trail ride or another.  Sammy is out proving that Thoroughbreds make the greatest trail partners ever, and has found his forever home with Patrice. It's the life every retired thoroughbred should have.

Palmer was quite the unassuming, plain bay gelding when he arrived to CANTER's Frederick Farm. There was something about him that made us sit up and take notice and soon we realized he was going to be quite special.  After his layup time, Palmer was put into our retraining rotation, but it was very quickly realized that he was ready in brain and body to go into his next home.  Palmer moved over to be a part of the beautiful and capable Tebogo Sporthorses, and was trained beautifully by upper level eventer Jenn Simmons.  Palmer soon caught the eye of upper level eventer and Pan Am Gold Medal winner, Jan Byyny, who recognized his potential for an upper level eventer.  Palmer is out rocking around the event world, and Jan has high hopes for his future. We know we'll see him for years to come!