Tintagel…. The legendary birthplace of King Arthur has now brought forth another legend…

Tintagel Enterprises, Ltd. presents the rarest of Andalusians

Born May 1, 1999 a pure Spanish Andalusian filly...bay with white blaze, four stockings and pinto markings in the sabino pattern.

As if the color weren’t enough, Augusta’s classic conformation and expressive and extravagant straight movement makes her a prize among any.

We are so honored and humbled to receive this gift…the miracle filly that bears the honored name…

Augusta

The miracle of this special young filly’s birth may just seem like a rare, ancient combining of genes, but I feel her birth has a deeper meaning and her story would not be complete without also introducing a very special horse named Auggie…

The bay spotted Thoroughbred/Appaloosa cross gelding was my best friend and mentor for over 16 years. Auggie was what we called an "old soul" who carried such wisdom with him and had such powerful energy that he influenced all who came in contact with him. This beloved monarch of the farm had the retirement job of babysitting the mares and when the beautiful but timid and nervous mare Encina came to reside at the farm, Auggie instantly took her under his care. Auggie befriended Encina and taught her it was o.k. to trust humans and slowly but surely Encina flowered into the gentle, motherly spirit she is today. When Encina got pregnant we all joked that Auggie thought he was the father and each of us laughed, "I wouldn’t be surprised if the baby came out with spots!"

It was with much sadness that I soon realized Auggie wasn’t going to make it to see the birth of this much-anticipated foal and in November 1998 Auggie was buried on a hillside at the top of the mares pasture. This was the hillside where he had lovingly grazed with and protected his Encina, and all his mares, and now he could continue his presence there.

As the months wore on, Encina blossomed further and is now the gentle and wise matriarch of the property.

On May 1, 1999, Encina went into labor and as I toweled dry the beautiful, delicate little filly in my lap I marveled at the amount of white on her. As I flipped her over to complete the imprinting process I stopped dead and slumped back against the stall wall. There was a set of white spots. The wet little filly lay wiggling in the straw while her mother licked and nuzzled her, unaware that anything unusual had occurred. I was too stunned to move. "She’s got spots", I whispered aloud.

Auggie had not gone, it seems, after all.

This filly is more than a beautiful rare occurrence. I believe she is the parting gift sent to me by my beloved Auggie. My guide, mentor and best friend, as he was then and will be forever… Tintagel introduces you to the filly that will forever bear his name…

Augusta keeps getting more beautiful with age and is simply so stunning with such a glow about her she turns heads wherever she goes. At the Dressage at Devon show in Devon, Pennsylvania, Augusta caused quite a sensation and turned many a head in warm-up. I was so proud when Augusta won the Andalusian class at this most prestigious of breeding shows.

Augusta has led my breeding program in a new direction, to bring back the Spanish colored horse.

These animals were very popular during the 17th century, bred extensively by King Philip the IV. The arrival of Augusta has led me on a new journey involving intensive study of color genetics and the history of these colored horses. Augusta is currently the only pure bred registered pinto Andalusian I can find record of.

She is throwback to days past, when colored horses were the most popular choice for royalty and before the grey gene wiped almost all other colors out of the Spanish horse.

Augusta had a beautiful brown filly by Regaliz in 2003, a gorgeous bay filly by Diego in 2004 and just had a stunning bay sabino colt by Diego in 2006. We will be doing Embryo transfers off of her in 2006 so she can continue her under saddle career.

A relic from the past, brought forth by a miracle, to leave a gift to the future.

Thank you Auggie. I should have known………….