It Must Have Been that Horse!

I recently broke my leg. That is not humorous, but the reaction I have gotten from people is. The first thing people have said to me is, "Oh my you fell off your horse," or "Oh my you got hurt by a horse." They immediately blame the horse. No, I did it putting my pants on. Horses have a reputation as being dangerous. I am not saying that there aren't horses who may not have the perfect temperament and that accidents on horses don't happen, but that quick reaction of it must have been the horses just cracked me up. read more

Considerations of Becoming a Horse Breeder

Part 1 Pre Baby

We have been breeding American Saddlebreds for 23 years. We first started because a mare we had got hurt, and she had such good bloodlines that our then trainer told us to breed her. When I think back over all the babies we have had, I realize how much has gone into this business. First off, we do not own a farm. We have always had to pay someone to keep the mares and the babies. When deciding whether or not to breed a mare, the first factor to consider is cost. These costs begin way before the baby is born.

The initial cost, of course, begins with the stud fee. Stud fees can be anywhere from $250 up to $10,000 or higher. It is a myth that just because you breed to the most expensive stud, you are going to end up with a fabulous baby. This is not the case. Finding the right stallion requires extensive research on not only the bloodlines of your mare, but how that line will cross with the many stallions that are out there. You also need to research the bloodlines of the various stallions which may involve a trip to look at some of his get to see what he produces.
read more

Update: Raquel-The Filly

Well, Raquel finally made it here after all that went on yesterday. Read the blog: It Makes Me so Mad. She will have her surgery tomorrow morning and go to her training barn tomorrow afternoon. She is the baby in the first photo and the third. She is no longer a baby and no longer bright chestnut as the picture under Buck Almighty shows. She is now pretty big and a dark liver chestnut with white socks behind.

I can't say that I ever want to deal with the other barn again. What an unprofessional way to behave, but I guess we all have our own definitions as to what a professional is. I am just relieved she is here where I can see her and make sure she is ok. I hope, if all goes well, she will be in the show ring in two years like her big brother JC (a.k.a Buck Almighty) who is also on this page many times.

Read the rest of the story

How Quickly They Grow Up

JC has now completed his fourth show. The difference in him since May is amazing. At his first show, he was a nervous wreck. Then, again, so was I. He was afraid of everything and acting like a 3 year old. Wow, they are not supposed to act their age. It was very iffy as to whether or not he would even make it in the ring at that show. As you know, if you read the blog JC's 1st show, he made it in and did well.

His second show was at the Midwest Charity Horse Show in Springfield, Illinois. He was even better at that show. He was still nervous, but was vastly improved compared to his first show. He discovered that he liked horse shows. He likes riding in the truck and he especially liked the fact that he got carrots and other treats several times a day. Just like at home, he took his afternoon nap everyday. He didn't fret about anything and got to wear his new show blanket which made him proud.
Read Complete article

The Thrill of Breeding

When we first started riding horses, we never realized what an important part of our lives they would become. We started when my sister was 12 and I was 4. We started spending more time at the barn. We learned to groom horses, clean stalls (not a fun job) and tack the horses. Eventually, we learned to exercise horses, give lessons and take out trail rides. The trail rides were fun to do because we would always have guys come out trying to impress their girlfriends. We asked who were experienced riders so we new which people to put on which horses. Invariably, the young guys would say they were very experienced and there were two horses we knew very well. Each of these horses had their own tricks. One would always stop at the creek and duck his head. Experienced riders would catch him and there wouldn't be a problem. Inexperienced riders would end up in the creek. I can't tell you how many of these "experienced" young men ended up in the creek. It was a hoot. The other horse would turn and go back to the barn. Again, experienced riders had no problem just turning him back and he would continue to follow the group. Most of the girls of these "experienced" guys ended up finishing the trail rides by themselves as their boyfriends were back at the barn.

As time went on, my mother bought us each a horse. Our first horses were killed in a barn fire which destroyed most of the horses. A man started the barn on fire. That is my worst memory of our beginnings. Once the barn was rebuilt, mom again got us horses. Through the years we have had the good, the bad, and the really ugly. But, we have learned from each and every one of them. One horse my mother got my sister was a mare who got hurt at a very young age and was never able to trot sound after that. We didn't know what to do with her. The trainer we were with suggested we breed her as she was a mare out of Status Lovely who was a daughter of Status Symbol. That was the beginning of the rest of our lives.

read more