Testimonials

		Brighton aka Chromatic What can I say..? It was love at first sight when I saw Brighton for the first time out at Flying Colors. I had been looking and looking for a certain type of horse and coldn't seem to find exactly what I was looking for...But as soon as Brighton came trotting up to me in the field, I KNEW he was the one! I guess you could say that I had that "aha" moment. We purchased him as a two year old and he is five going on six. He is a lovely mover and shows awesome potential over fences. He won a blue ribons his first time out over fences in the Baby Green division of our local shows. I am so proud of Brighton and love working with him. He's the one that always keeps us laughing with his sense of humor. Thank you so much, Patti, for allowing us to share our journeys with Brighton and we love keeping you updated on his progress. I look forward to what all he has to offer and can't wait to see what the future holds. Ashley Whidden, Georgia P.S. We're so happy, too, that Brighton has such a loving home and we are also so appreciative how they stay in touch!!

		Chronicle of the Horse Bulliten Board Comments A thread was started on the Chronicle of the Horse Bulliten Board in 12/09 named "Best Coloured Stallions?"......these are some of the breeeders comments about Claim to Fame.........wow (unsolicited by me, but thanks everyone!!) Kookicat (from England) says CTF "is lovely" Monami (Suffolk, VA).aka Signature Sporthorses (and her foal is pictured here) says "We have had many colored horses but I think my favorites have been by Claim to Fame. They are extremely pretty, move great and EASY!" TrueColours(of Ontario, Canada) wrote" I love everything about Claim to Fame and his babies are holding up the standard he has set for them". Silver Bells (Bill Rube from PA) agreed! Grayfox(from California and also owner of Redwine) says "I like the Claim to Fames" KRFarms (Colorado) states "I have a Claim to Fame filly that is fabulous. She is the EASIEST!!!I had to take the temps 2X a day of all my horses, and at 6 mo. old, she was the best! She's pretty much on her own, no handling except when the farrier comes and then she stands perfectly quiet and lets him do her feet...she gets a pat and carrot and back to the pasture. When I took her to her inspection she had two really "scrubby baths"..and she was perfect! Spotsinabox (Kansas) wrote "Claim to Fame and his son, Counterclaim are the horses that really turned my head and got me interested in "looking outside the box". Marsha (Florida) says she's a breeder who specializes in training young horses. She states "I have seen both Claim to Fame and Counterclaim and both are very good looking, well muscled horses. I have a CTF filly who is a lovely hunter mover with a good mind. We're starting her this spring....BUT our 'barn favorite' is a lovely, perfectly marked colt by Counterclaim. He is very sweet and a quick learner. He's the only 2 yr. old in the barn that I let my students handle -- he's that reliable!!"

		TC,...Debbie Reed's Counterclaim colt 09 Debbie writes: "Here are a couple of newer pictures of TC. He is a huge gorgeous boy with personality to die for! He has an in your face, pay attention to me, personality.. yet he is not pushy and does not bite and has never even attempted to kick. If you ever need a reference for anyone up here (NY) give them my number. I'd be happy to show them what beautiful babies Counte4rclaim is producing (with a little help from a special TB mare!) Debbie Reed, Findaway Farm, East Berne, NY

		Claim the Lead / Amy Becker's note "Hi Patti, Claim the Lead is dong great. Here is a photo of her. Thanks for all your help. You really have helped make this a gret first experience for me. Amy Becker Dansville,NY (This was Amy's first breeding experience with her Connemara Pony, Foxey. to Counterclaim. She caught on the first try and all went well........we're so happy for them!!)

		Exclaimation I looked far and wide to find a horse that had the attributes needed to make him: gorgeous to look at, kind and gentle to work with, a great mover, and able to be competetive in the biggest A shows..........yet, have the personality and temperament to make a pleasure horse for an "over 50" amateur owner! Exclaimation has it all! I'm sure it's a combination of the excellent care and training he got at Flying Colors Farm as well as inherited personality traits from Claim to Fame. I know he wil continue to bring credit to Flying Colors, as well as many years of pleasure to me as he matures and goes on to be a versitle horse for me in showing.........an occassional foxhunt, but most of all, he'll be my friend and Team Mate for many years to come! Thanks Patti, for breeding him, selling him to me, and always being available to talk to me any time of the day OR NIGHT, haha! I look forward to many years of pleasure with this incredible, wonderful horse!! Dr. Susan Funk, Bedford, VA This photo is of Susan proudly displaying Exclaimations Reserve Chamopion Zone 3 Silver Stirrup Award Ribbon............ Dec.12/21/09 got a new update from Susan (wish all my foal owners were so faithfull)......"He went to his second only under saddle Horse Show 11/14/09 at Blue Ridge Horse Force Hunt Club Championship Show. He went in the Baby Green Division and won all three classes..was champion of his first u/s show. He got all his lead changes easily.....then did the 2'3" Hopeful Hunters and won a 1st and 2nd....and was Reserve Champion without even entering the flat class".(he was getting tired for a youngster!)...now he's headed back to Lynn Palms for the winter to work on some low level dressage! She loves him too......all this and he's only coming four!!

		Make a Claim and Legacy My husband and I have had the pleasure of knowing Bobby and Patti for many years. We have always admired thier focus in achieving beyond their goals. We were thrilled when they decided to breed pinto sport horses. We knew they would bring their tremendous energy and talent into an area of the horse industry that had been lacking "in color". We were very fortunate to have purchased their second pinto filly as a yearling, Legacy of Colors. Legacy is an outstanding example of Oldenburg formand function...tremendous heart, athletic ability and personality! She excelled in the show ring and in the hunt field! (shown in the last photo) We were also fortunate to obtain Claim to Fame's first foal, Make a Claim, aka Thursday. Thursday began her career by claiming multiple wins (including Best Young Horse at the Lexington Encore)as a non-TB yearling, and also got top ribbons at Devon and the International Hunter Futurity. After her "hunter breeding" career, she transitioned easily into being a wonderful, safe, first flight hunt horse for me, earning "our" colors (as a FIVE year old!!) at one of the most rugged and difficult hunts in Virginia (Rappahannock) Because of the care and attention to quality breeding practiced by Flying Colors Farm, I have been blessed with two of the most wonderful pinto sport horses anyone could ever own. Thank you, Patti Fran Lyles, Warrenton, VA

		Famous Dance "My young daughter fell in love with colored horses and badgered me for years to breed our TB mare to a paint. I refused to breed just "for color" as paints are typically a quarter horse type which are not terribly suited for the foxhunting/eventing we do. Then I saw Claim to Fame on the cover of Sidelines Magazine, 2005 Special Stallion Edition. I read the article about his Oldenburg breeding and his jumping ability and calm nature..I then met Patti at Flying Colors Farm to meet "Cash" in person, and we now have a wonderful, beautiful, big, gentle, smart, curious nine month old colt... Famous Dance, who loves to jump!! We could not be happier! Patti was a dream to work with, very knowledgable, very helpful for the newbies to the AIO type breeding: her follow up was equally fabulous and she spent a great deal of time and energy informing us of an upcoming RPSI inspection for our mare and new colt, as well as exactly what we should do to prepare Fame. Only problem, we just have ONE Claim to Fame colt, and now both mom and daughter want him........Sooo, we'll be breeding back again this March!! Deborah Davidson, DD Farm, Pensacola, FL

		Lyrical - one of Claim to Fame's first foals! "I can't say enough good about Lyrical. Not only is she gorgeous, but she will do ANYTHING you want her to do! She's so sweet! She's still growing and is already 16 hands. I look forward to showing her again next summer. It's so cold here, we can only ride in the indoor arena in the winter!" Ann Rich Cincinatti, Ohio Note: This is a photo I had from her Hunter Breeding Days with me. She was the Silver Stirrup State Champion for the PHR....and many time Hunter Breeding Show Champions.....she may not have gotten dad's color, but she surely got his looks!!

		Cover Girl.....a Claim to Fame filly! I asked some breeders if they'd like to add to this page.....and this one is almost too wonderful! She's a darling girl and I'm so happy for her and her "Cover Girl"!! As a young girl, I dreamed of one day breeding my mare with a warmblood paint. After months of searching, I came across a stunning pinto warmblood, Claim to Fame. Immediately, I knew this was the PERFECT match! Throughout every step of this process, Patti was there to guide me. No matter how nervous I was, she was always there for support and help. Together, we took on this project as teacher and student. (Jenny even called as her mare was foaling!!) I am beyond grateful to have found Claim to Fame and Patti. I am absolutely in love with my foal and can't wait to get her under saddle. I would have never been able to achieve this lifelong dream without Claim to Fame and Patti. Thank you, Patti, for all your help and guidance!! Jenny Guzzi, Smithtown (Long Island), NY

		Stormy I sold my personal foxhunter, Stormwatch, to Ann Root of Boca Raton, FL in 10/07. Ann is the President of the Palm Beach County H/J Assn. I recently got this wonderful statement from Ann about Stormy...... Stormy is doing great! We hunted a ton in December......wild, great hunts!.....she is so brave..Peggy (Thorndyke, her A Circuit Hunter trainer)says this is the bravest horse she's ever been on! She's so smart.....she questions NOTHING.....CR and John (the MFH of Four Winds Hunt and the first whipper in) can send her anywhere to do any job......and she is undoubtably the most beautiful horse out there!! We LOVE her!!! This first photo was just sent of Stormy leading the others over a jump at the Four Winds Foxhunt.(the timing wasn't the best to show off her style, so I added another of her showing in an Event at Rocking Horse, to show off those fancy knees!!)

		????? Boles "What more can we say.....WOW!" We are very excited about this beautiful colt. Thank you for everything.........you will be hearing from us for a rebreed for sure!" Sherrie Boles, Cheswick, PA This was a note we received with this darling photo of their Counterclaim colt born July, 08!

		Scout and Oliver Brown! We were so thrilled when leading USEF Hunter Breeding Handler, Oliver Brown, chose Claim to Fame to sire a foal by his aging favorite mare, Tralee. Oliver knows Cash (CTF) well, as he stayed at his farm for a month before Oliver took him to Devon for his big win! "A good horse is a good horse, no matter what color" is what Oliver's dad used to say.....and he chose Claim to Fame, not for his color....but for his conformation and charachter. Coming from someone of Oliver's experience, we'd say that's quite a testiment!! They were also quite thrilled with the quality of the semen......reporting an 81% motility upon delivery.......and of course, Trailee took the first try!! This is a cute photo of Oliver holding HIS OWN horse at Warrenton 08!

		Claim Jumper (C.J.) Wallis! more text to follow.......but Lori's initial reaction to one of the first Counterclaim foals born is: C.J. is now 15 hands and growing.......He is just gorgeous and has such a great personality! We just love him! Patti was VERY easy to work with . We later heard back that CJ won his first show in hand, and this fall she started lightly riding him (pictured as a 2 year old) and loves his willing ways. Lori Wallis, Magnolia, IL (from Oklahoma!)

		Cece......Stokley! "After looking at a lot of stallions, we chose Counterclaim as the sire of our first ever foal and we couldn't be happier or have gotten luckier. The baby is huge, friendly and gorgeous and Patti was so accommodating and nice throughout the whole process. It really helped everything go smoothly. We've gotten so many compliments on our girl and are seriously thinking of repeating this cross again next year! Sandy Stokley, Hastings, FL