Ribbleton Felix
Presence, beauty and movement !!

Grandsire "the famous Fabriano"

Ribbleton Felix was born November 2007 by Fishermans Friend out of Aunty Blue. Like his brother, "Ribbleton Ferrari" he has that look at me presence. He has long legs, an elegant frame and beautiful face. When he moves, his front just lifts off the ground and he floats. This bloodline has resulted in a horse that can easily have a future in jumping or dressage.

Felix now lives with Megan Joerg in the outskirts of Sydney, NSW. Read what Megan has to say about purchasing a young Warmblood and why she choose Ribbleton...

* Who is Megan Joerg, tell us a little about yourself?

I am a level 2 Dressage and level 2 General EA NCAS Coach, a Coach Educator and National Assessor. I am also a Jumping Equitation grade 4 Judge and a Judge Educator. I have competed in Eventing and Showjumping but now concentrate on Dressage. I am a full time coach with quite a varied clientel ranging from enthusiastic amateurs to students such as Nicole Kullen who is preparing for the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. I lived in Spain for two years and was lucky enough to ride two very lovely andalusian stallions whilst I was there. My husband is Swiss so I have also had experience riding and competing in Switzerland. In fact it was in Switzerland where I rode my first warmblood. I do not buy and sell horses much. In fact I enjoy the journey of educating a young thing and taking it all the way to FEI. That is why I am very careful about the horses I do buy as I usually have them for life.

* There are a lot of warmblood breeders in Australia, why did you choose Ribbleton?

Ribbleton appealed to me because of the selection of mares they have. It is not a big stud but the mares are carefully picked. I learnt in Switzerland that the stallion can only do so much. In fact it is very difficult to buy mares in Switzerland, especially from certain "mare" families. The fact that Ribbleton pay close attention to the mare's breeding influenced my decision to purchaes a foal from them. Aunty Blue, my Felix's dam, is a fabulous example of a thoroughbred.

* Tell us a little about your Ribbleton Felix that you purchased from Ribbleton as a weanling and your plans for his future?

Felix is a delight. His conformation is correct and his action is very straight and true. When Felix was shown to me I was greatly impressed at his balance and ready ability to execute correct flying changes before he changed direction. His dam, Aunty Blue was the same. When I look at foals I also watch the mare very carefully to see how she moves and reacts to people. The foal often takes his cue from his dam so it is vital that she shows a sound, sensible nature. The plan for Felix is in the dressage direction. He is certainly bred to event as well so I might have a problem keeping my daughter's hands off him! A lot depends on him. I like all my young horses to grow slowly and not rush their education.

* What advice would you give other people looking to purchase a young warmblood?

Look at the mare carefully. Temperament is paramount, not only the stallion but the mare as well. I always look to the performance record of the stallion. If he has been nowhere and done nothing then how do you know if he will pass on a good temperament and trainability to the foal? Always look to the mare and her breeding and educate yourself about the "families" that do well together. If you are using a thoroughbred mare then you should pay close attention to her conformation. One of the reasons I picked Felix was his dam's excellent conformation.

* What advantages do you see in buying an young horse (weanling to 3 year old) versus a horse under saddle?

Apart from the fun of having a cute young thing on the property I really like to have a bit of an influence on them at an early age. I do not do a lot with them as babies. The main activity is that they are caught and handled once every five weeks when the farrier trims their feet. I know some people only like to buy a horse once they can sit on them and feel what they are like but I like to think that if you have them from the beginning then you are not dealing with other people's influences.