Harris Park Warmbloods

12/05/2026

12/05/2026

Use it or lose it. If we don’t give future five star horses a stage on which they can shine - they will be replaced by horses that can’t shine at the top level. We’re losing a horse. If we don’t create a platform and a pathway - we’ll lose even more.

https://manager.equiratings.com/articles/now-we-can-be-concerned

12/05/2026

EPISODE 48: LES BUNNING | In this week's episode proudly brought to you by Horizon Show Jumps, Divas Beverages and Pro Horse Match, we are joined by Les Bunning, and it is a conversation well worth your time.

Les has been part of Australian Jumping for more than sixty years. He talks about his first ride on a lead pony in Flemington, the travelling show circuit of the 1970s, the extraordinary horse Gay Scott, the Bond Derby, riding at Hickstead, and the coaching work that now fills his days in Western Australia. He also reflects honestly on how the sport has changed and what he hopes young riders will hold onto as it keeps evolving.

It is a warm and wide-ranging conversation with someone who genuinely loves this sport and has lived a remarkable life within it.

Episode 48 is live now on:
🎬 YouTube: https://bit.ly/3PvshkQ�
🎬 Spotify: https://bit.ly/4tvJk4i
🎧Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4wlyDUl

11/05/2026

"Soft tissue trauma may result in hematoma formation — a localised collection of blood within soft tissue. The overlying skin can appear entirely intact while significant haemorrhage occurs beneath it.
In this image, the hematoma has developed between the superficial and deep fascia.

09/05/2026

Strangulating lipomas in older horses

Strangulating lipomas in horses are benign, fatty tumors that develop in the abdominal cavity, primarily in older horses, that grow on a long stalk (pedicle) and wrap around the intestine. These tumors cause severe colic by cutting off blood supply and interrupting digestion, often requiring emergency surgical intervention to remove the tumor and damaged intestine.

What are Strangulating Lipomas? A benign tumor (lipoma) of fat tissue that develops within the mesentery (tissue connecting the intestines).

Over time, the fat mass develops a long, cord-like stalk (pedunculated). This stalk can wrap around the small intestine (in 90% of cases) or small colon, acting like a noose. The constriction tightens, obstructing intestinal flow and cutting off blood supply, leading to rapid tissue death and severe abdominal pain (strangulation).

Primarily affects older horses, typically over 15 years, as it takes time for the tumors to grow and develop a long stalk. I also see calcified and pedunculated lipomas in the omentum. This is an extremely common way for older horses to go in agonising pain. This horse was a scheduled euthanised because he was stiff and lame, statically he looked the picture of health at 28 yet inside these time bombs wait.

For videos on this problem head to patreon.

07/05/2026

Much love, respect and best wishes on your 100th Birthday Sir David Attenborough! Thank you for bringing the natural environment and our precious wildlife into our homes over so many decades and advocating for their care and protection ✊🌱🙏🐾💕

07/05/2026

✨ The Holsteiner Stamm System: A Century of Consistency ✨

In our last post, we looked at the pedigree as a roadmap. But for a Holsteiner breeder, the most critical part of that map is the mare line — our "Stamm."

🧬 What is a "Stamm"?
Unlike many registries that focus primarily on the sire, the Holsteiner Verband has spent over a century protecting and prioritizing the mare lines. A Stamm is a female family line, identified by a specific, unique number.

📜 History
The Holsteiner Stamm system was formally established in the late 1️⃣9️⃣th century by Georg Ahsbahs, a visionary breeder and advisor from the North of Germany. In the 1880s, Ahsbahs began the monumental task of cataloging the pedigrees of horses in the Schleswig-Holstein marshlands 🌾🌊 He traced the ancestry of thousands of mares back to the early 1800s, leading to the publication of the first official Holsteiner Studbook in 1897 📖 In this book, Ahsbahs assigned a unique "Stamm" number to each distinct female family he identified — a system that remains the envy of warmblood registries worldwide today.

🧐 Why did he do it?
Before Ahsbahs, breeding was largely based on local knowledge and word-of-mouth. He realized that to create a consistently superior horse, you couldn't just look at the father; you had to understand the "genetic reliability" of the mother.

🔍 Why it matters to riders
When you buy a horse from a proven Stamm, you aren't just buying an individual; you are buying predictability and consistency. Whether it is the bravery of Stamm 104a or the scope of Stamm 776, these numbers represent a "blueprint" of success that has been refined for over 150 years 🛠️



📷 Featured Heritage: State Premium mare Waage I by Calypso II - Royal Wash xx - Colibri is a legendary representative of Stamm 4965. A true "foundation" mare, she produced 17 foals in her lifetime, including the world-class licensed stallions Clinton I and II. The depth of this line is staggering: descendants of Stamm 4965 have earned over 1.5 Million Euro in prize money and continue to find success across all three Olympic disciplines.

07/05/2026

⚜️ The Pedigree: A Roadmap of Probabilities ⚜️

The old saying goes, "You can't ride a paper." It's a reminder that talent and heart can't always be measured by a registration document alone. So why do we spend so many hours researching stallions and dam lines? 🔍📖

Because a pedigree isn't just a list of names; it’s a roadmap of probabilities 🗺️ Think of it as a catalog of "genetic ingredients"🧬 Understanding these ingredients is the most effective way to predict the future of a horse before it even takes its first steps. By identifying the specific traits a certain line is known for passing on, we significantly increase our chances of producing the temperament, athleticism, and soundness we are breeding for. A pedigree is our most reliable risk-management tool — a record of consistency that turns a gamble 🃏🤹🏼‍♀️ into a strategic investment 📈💰

The Holsteiner dam lines are our greatest treasure 🪎 and are world-renowned for a reason. While many look only to the sire to predict quality, we know that the mare line is the true backbone of success 👸🏼 But what exactly makes the Holsteiner 'Stamm' system so unique compared to other registries? Stay tuned for Part 2, where we dive into why this system is considered the gold standard of sport horse breeding!🏅