Year 213 has been one to remember!

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening to you (wherever on the planet you may be)!  Its so good to see you back and I would be absolutely thrilled if you would like to have a cup of coffee in the office and let me tell you a little bit about what has been going on as of late!

Training/ Showing Experiment Update

As a lot of you know, I chose to participate in the Training/Showing Challenge sponsored by Tess over at Mustang Haze.  There were two divisions, Novice and Experienced and of course you would know that I would have to go up against some of the biggest competitors on the planet!  As if that weren't scary enough, I figured Tess would send her world class Morgan horses, but there was a weanling Yakut filly standing at my door!  So, I would be up against some really tough and better experienced trainers with a rare breed horse.  I love a challenge, so it was game on!  

Nighttime Tsins hasn't taken it easy on me.  She has challenged me at every turn and has tested my ability to be a leader to her beyond belief.  She was very close to her two year old year before deciding that she finally understood what her ground work was all about.  I started her green training at 20 months and wouldn't you know it, she would up with a two year old season ending ligament strain.  I was so disappointed to be out of the running because of an injury.  I let Tess know what had happened and put One out to pasture to heal.  

She slowly got better and once she had most of her health back, I decided I wasn't going to send her home to Tess less than what she was when she came.  I worked on her coat and groomed her daily.  Gradually her coat improved and her health was ticking into the safety mark to start doing some very light ground work at the lunge.  She absolutely soared and I started wondering about re-entering the competition with her.  Time was getting short, I literally had 10 months left on her lease and she still had to learn whoa, backing, steering in both directions, and canter.

I decided what the hell and gave it a shot, praying I didn't re-injure her, I climbed into her saddle and off we went.  Oh she bucked, she reared, she sidestepped, she bolted, she darted into directions unknown and she tried every trick she had ever learned before her injury.  We got canter down pretty comfortably and she got, oh lets just say, "familiar" with the rest of her green training.

She entered the show ring on GM 2559, first thing and was disqualified.  By her end of month classes however, she was in there, making a score and earning a mark.  On GM 2561, she earned her very first point English Pleasure with a score of 53.68.  

First of all, I need to point out that she was never supposed to have made it to the show ring with that injury holding her down for so long, so that she even earned ONE point has made me so proud and so very happy.  Not only will I be sending Tess's filly back to her 100% healthy, but I will also be sending a young lady well on her way to earning a beginner title (even if I have 14 points left to go).  My lease ends in 5 game months and I have chosen a discipline that is far too popular, but we are in the ring giving it everything we have.  I have 9 more shows to enter her in, so we will see how she does.  

213 Foaling Season

So last year's breeding season was started VERY late resulting in some very late foals this year.  The final foal has finally been born, and I would love to show them off!

Sheza Badd Tracker
Badd Karma x Tracker With Style
Appendix Quarter Horse Filly

Sheza Badd Tracker "BJ", is the first Appendix filly born here in quite some time.  I stopped breeding the Appendix Quarter Horse for a few seasons while I was working on my getting my Kirghiz herd started.  But, here she is and a nice looker to boot!

The Edge of Honor
Badd Karma x LS She Said So
Thoroughbred Colt

I used my LS mare and bred to my Thoroughbred sire of choice last season and The Edge of Honor "Sentinel" is what I came up with.  He is fantastic and I am looking forward to seeing what he is going to be like.  He has already developed speed overnight, so maybe I can dare hope to have a race horse on my hands?

Shez Fancy in the Smoke
BlackSmoke N Time x Sheza Fancy Jackpot
American Quarter Horse Filly

Shez Fancy in the Smoke, or Lillith as she is called around here is another great example of exceptional breeding with less than exceptional results.  She is stunning, she has an amazing temperament and she learns so fast (strength AND agility after her first month of training and hadn't had turn out yet), but man alive, she is MEAN.  She bites, kicks, pushes, bolts, darts, and pulls like her life depends on it!

White Winged Libberty
White Winged Dante x Libberty
Kirghiz Colt

"Leto" is the first foal out my custom mare, Libberty.  He hasn't dissapointed me at all.  I am thrilled he isn't grey and I am even more thrilled that he has a good temperament.  At this point in the Kirghiz program, I am just looking for marks average and above, but to keep moving in a positive direction, I am always on the lookout for better than average sires and dams.  I want this Kirghiz population to mirror my Quarter Horses.  This pretty fella is out the LS stallion White Winged Dante.  He is heterozygous for champagne and clear of genetic defect.  That's a pretty great starting point for me.

MissInvestment
Chromed Out Six Shooter x Investment in Perception
American Quarter Horse Filly

MissInvestment, or "Miss" is by a custom performance sire and an exceptional homebred mare.  I have seen nothing but fabulous (even if still untested) foals come out of this girl's sire which gives me reason to think he just might be the one horse that throws better foals than himself.  He is easily a diamond in the rough and is missed by many who are searching for their "it" stallion to breed to.  Don't believe me?  Check out his offspring already!  

Miss is the final foal that I will be keeping from my crop.  There are three foals left that have been pastured on spf, listed for sale.  They are still sucklings but will be sold when they wean.

Guilty Pleasures

Ok, I have a secret to admit.  While I have been fortunate enough to establish many lasting friendships and working partnerships with a lot of people, there is a single place that I visit so often, I am often on the verge of stalkerdom.  Poor Christee over at Three Chimneys breeds the MOST beautiful Thoroughbred horses I have EVER seen, so she is seeing me far too often as I lurk and spy on her herds.  Well, of course I would have done that again this foaling season and look what I found:

Pride Before the Fall
Lay Down My Pride x My Beautiful Strike
Thoroughbred Colt

Couldn't you just die looking at him?  He was listed for sale but Christee hadn't put out a classified for him (which proved to her I was stalking), so I made my offer.  Several game months passed and I hadn't yet heard from her, so I thought I better meander on over and apologize for lurking like Gollum in the shadows at her place.  She just grinned and thought I was hilarious and told me she liked it when I stalked her place, she likes the exposure and wants her horses to be seen.  Works for me ;).  Not only that, but Pride is being held for me until he weans.  

";) He looks like he may be a seedy fella as he showed speed after just grooming and pasture turnout. I will be excited to see how he does for you as his Sire is my best performer." Christee