THE FORT STUD AND STABLES

Set in the beautiful, secluded Fort Nottingham hamlet, The Fort Stud and Stables has a unique climate ideal for horses. The cool weather and rolling green fields of the Midlands have produced many great sporthorses, as recognised by several of the top Warmblood Studs who have recently relocated to the area.

THE HISTORY

Jill Fox, the owner of The Fort Stud and Stables, grew up on the farm, which was then called Warham Stud and owned by her father, David Fox.

Famous stallions that stood at the Stud include Sledgehammer, Majestic Crown, Phillipepi, and more recently, King of Kings and Brave Tin Soldier.

The Fort Stud and Stables has also bred and produced Prix St George Dressage Horses, Open Showjumpers, Open Event Horses, and Champion Show Horses.

ABOUT JILL

Jill lives on the property and is a very experienced horsewoman. She takes a very hands-on approach and works with the horses daily.

Jill has a lifetime of experience backing horses for all disciplines. She believes that groundwork and thorough preparation are the keys to a horse being comfortable and trusting around humans. She also believes that each horse has to be treated as an individual, and each horse's training progression is based on this philosophy.

Jill has represented KZN Eventing ten times in Inter-Provincial Eventing Teams, been a member of Dressage and Showing Teams, and ridden on an International Eventing Team.

THE STORY OF BOUNTY

Bounty is a crossbred mare rescued from the Standerton Abattoir with a foal at foot in terrible condition.

She was brought to The Fort Stud and Stables and fully recovered despite the state in which she arrived. After all she had been through, Bounty decided she did not want to be a ridden horse, so Jill put her in foal, and the rest is history. She is now happily retired with a long list of successful offspring to her name.

In total, Bounty has produced 18 very successful foals for Jill, including the following;

• Eve de Vescy by the Thoroughbred stallion Alnwick, who showjumped up to 1.20m classes.

• Wizard’s Wand, who is also by the stallion Alnwick, jumped up to 1.20m, did dressage up to Medium level, won many showing championships in KZN and has evented successfully.

• Poppet, who is by a Welsh Mountain Pony called Callador, won many championships showing classes, including the SA Victor Ludorum for the top Show Hunter Pony.

• Q Gandolf who is by the imported dressage stallion Quantico. Before Jill sold him, she took him up to Novicelevel dressage, and he won the Interprovincial Novice Championships representing KZN.

THE FACILITIES

The Fort Stud has large, well-ventilated stables, a sand arena, huge grassy paddocks, and experienced staff. Jill is always on hand and happy to work with the horses in her care.

Jill is highly experienced in breeding and foaling mares and finds the process very rewarding. The Fort Stud and Stables' natural approach to foaling down has proved very successful over many years.

Retired horses also thrive at The Fort Stud due to the natural environment in which they are kept.

To find out more about The Fort Stud and Stables contact Jill on 072 289 8471.