Woodlander Stud’s Lynne Crowden has made the decision to step back from the business, and will hand over the day-to-day running of the stud and livery services to head rider Carsten Sandrock.
“I am now in my 70th year and my husband Dave has been ill, and that really makes you value the time that you have. I’ve found myself too thinly spread trying to do everything,” Lynne, who also runs a recruitment business, told H&H.
Lynne will continue to breed and produce stallions and sport horses, on a smaller scale, and intends to stay active within the breeding industry.
“I’m not disappearing and I will still have mares at Woodlander Stud — I will be a customer of Carsten’s — but I don’t want to carry on with the same level of activity with it,” she said.
“Carsten has been with us for 11 years, and is the best person I know for dealing with horses. It’s like he can read their minds. The horses are like his children, his family, and this is so deserved.”
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Although stallions will still stand at the stud, Lynne plans to downsize her mare herd, with several top mares now available for sale as a result, as well a number of unbacked youngsters.
“I’d rather do embryo transfer with just a few really significant mares,” Lynne, the winner of this year’s Stallion AI Services Meritoire Lifetime Achievement award, explained. “Now we have become better at breeding, we can be successful with a smaller number of horses.”
Lynne and Dave have bred more than 400 foals and are known for their focus on the very best mare lines. Among the horses they have bred are the double world young horse champion Woodlander Farouche, and the champion stallions Woodlander Wavavoom, Woodlander Wild Child and Woodlander Wild Love (pictured).
“This is not a negative thing — I’m so blessed. We’ve had some amazing foals this year, and I could never stop breeding altogether,” added Lynne.
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