Manu Forti's Blue Clover - C1 Irish Draught Stallion

06/04/2026

Traditionally Irish bred stunning Blue c**t out of a Connemara/Thoroughbred mare available!

04/26/2026

Big strapping boy out of Jumbo mare!

Finally, introducing our third foal of the season! A big sturdy traditional Irish c**t at 356 days! Jumbie’s fifth foal and OUR FIRST Blue baby!
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Sire: ☘️ Manu Forti's Blue Clover - C1 Irish Draught Stallion (Touch of the Blues x Prescott’s Magnolia [Pride of Gloster])
Dam: ☘️ Cabin Society (Jumbo x Bluejean Society xx [Imp Society xx])
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65% ☘️ Irish Draught, 35% 🩸TB
https://beta.allbreedpedigree.com/jumbie-blue-c**t-9vsFC7Ya/pedigree
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All you naming gurus, have at it!! 🤔💭
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Born around 11pm last night at Willow Hill Equestrian. Thank you to Tommy and Sarah Doyle for all you do!
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And thank you to Laura and Steve Parker for giving us the opportunity and pleasure to stand ☘️ Blue.
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Jumbie is 19 years old, but still very sound, fit, healthy, and very young at heart! Her milk is liquid GOLD— the c**t’s iGg was 1,400!! 🤯
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Tamarack Hill Farm 🥰

04/16/2026

Some history on our breeding program, and now we’ve added Blue!

Nicolette Merle-Smith has always had a place in the saddle. As the daughter of well-known horsemen Grosvenor and Rosemarie Merle-Smith, the Mongol Derby veteran developed a strong foundation with horses at a young age. Her first love has always been foxhunting, but she also rides and trains for eventing, hunters, jumpers, and dressage.

“As a kid and young teen, my mom would have me ride the sale horses because people were more likely to buy horses a kid could ride, but it was a really great experience for me. I rode loads of horses,” Merle-Smith tells The Plaid Horse.

Her parents were importing horses from Ireland as well as PMU babies from Canada. Merle-Smith found her first big success on the offspring of a PMU mare named M-S Reddy Fox. She and the Appaloosa/Thoroughbred cross rode and competed in several disciplines including first level dressage, preliminary eventing, hunter derbies, and foxhunting first flight.

“He wasn’t the type that was going to be an upper-level horse, but he put my name on the map,” says Merle-Smith of the gelding. “Together, we got my lowest dressage score to date, a 20.5.” M-S Reddy Fox went on to inspire the annual Safe Harbor Award, which is given to the most amateur-friendly horse in the Young Event Horse Series, before being sold to the UK in 2009.

Following her success on M-S Reddy Fox, Merle-Smith purchased the large pony Ganymede as a six-year-old. The Connemara/Thoroughbred cross took her to the CCI* Eventing level, and in 2012 they competed together in their first Intermediate.

“She is only 14.2 hands, but she would jump anything I pointed her at,” she says. Produced by Merle-Smith, Ganymede went on to win the Theodore O’Connor Trophy for the USEA Pony of the Year title twice with her new Junior/Young Rider owner, and the Tre Awain Halfbred Hall of Fame Award (American Connemara Pony Society), for a lifetime of competition achievement in the United States Equestrian Federation. “It took me a long time, but that pony made me believe in myself,” she says. “I truly believe now that I can produce one heck of a horse.” And now, she’s added breeding them to her resume.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2024/04/18/how-nicolette-merle-smith-is-carrying-on-the-legacy-of-her-family-farm-by-producing-top-quality-amateur-friendly-horses/
📸 © Xpress Foto

04/08/2026

Blue’s first day at the breeding shed. He wants to be your mare’s baby daddy!

02/07/2026

Blue enjoying a day out with hounds this fall. He is looking forward to better weather when he can fox hunt again!

He would love to be your mare’s new baby daddy. Contact Nicolette for more information and a 2yr contract!

2026 Stud Fee: $1200 includes 1st collection (FEDEX fees additional cost)

Blue is located in Central Virginia @ Merle-Smith Sporthorses

[email protected]

01/15/2026

Blue always jumps with such nice form whether schooling cross country, or fox hunting.
All with a lady in the irons!

12/20/2025

2026 is right around the corner and breeding season will be be here before you know it!
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Manu Forti's Blue Clover - C1 Irish Draught Stallion is happy to oblige!
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Contact Nicolette for a stallion agreement @ [email protected]
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📸 : Christmas watercolor AI created from a FAB photo by Allison Howell images

11/30/2025

Today was worth the drive to Sperryville!

11/28/2025

BLACK FRIDAY
850 per contract
Every Stallion
Contact Nicolette
434.953.7980

11/19/2025

Bestest boy!