Breaking News! Broodmare Blues!!

So, I am getting ready to go to Kentucky for a few days! I haven't been there since last October, long before Hailee was bred! So, I am excited to see my friends and see my girl!

Anyway, Barbie just called to tell me a funny Hailee story. Hailee is usually out in this big 70-acre pasture with the other broodmares. And they all, of course, have "gone native." They only come to the fenceline twice per day for oats.

So, Barbie went out to the back pasture to bring Hailee up for my visit. She put her in the smaller pasture right by the house and stable with two other maiden fillies -- one of whom was Hailee's best friend at Showgate, Faith. Well, as Barbie put it, my mare has become a fat cranky diva broodmare. She won't speak to the maiden fillies. She just pins her ears and pouts by the gate. And gets fatter by the minute.

I am so proud! I own a cranky diva broodmare who is gestating her foal in Paris, Kentucky! You don't even want to get me going on this topic. I will ramble and ramble and ramble. Namaste Namaste!! Double Happiness!!

Count Fleet's Triple Crown Romp!

Here's a photo of my sweet girl, trotting neatly across her pasture, and a photo of her relative, Count Fleet! He was born on March 24, 1940, at Stoner Creek Stud Farm in Paris, Kentucky and his owner and breeder was Mrs. Fannie Hertz, the wife of John D. Hertz of Hertz rental car. He lived until he was 33, passing away on December 3, 1973. He lived long enough to see Secretariat join his Triple Crown Club, after a 25 year lapse! Count Fleet's jockey, Johnny Longden, is the only person to train and ride Kentucky Derby winners, Count Fleet (1943) and Majestic Prince (1969). Like The Fleet, Mr. Longden was long-lived; he passed away at 96!

Anyway! The following link is the actual story I'd like you to connect with today! Someone went to great trouble to put together a fantastic video of Count Fleet handily winning his Triple Crown. It's a delightful, amazing video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoUMUrUO9rE

Ta Wee and My Girls!!

Ta Wee was born in 1966 and became the Champion Sprinter of 1969 and 1970! Like Violet, she was born in Florida. And her sweet name, Ta Wee means "Beautiful Girl" in Sioux.

Her career record was 21: 15, 2, 1. And this accomplishment is staggering, given that she was expected to carry weights that never before had been assigned to a filly! When she was 3 years old, she won the Fall Highweight Handicap, carrying an unprecedented 130 pounds -- a first for a filly. Then the next year, she won the same race -- this time carrying 140 pounds!! She won the Interboro Handicap carrying 142 pounds!! And that was 29 pounds MORE than the second place horse, Hasty Hitter. She beat the boys, she beat the girls, and she was relentlessly expected to carry heavy weights! Lucky for her, it was in her genes. She and her half-brother, Dr. Fager, could carry giant huge weights and still sail ahead of everyone! For her efforts, she was voted #80 of the Top 100 Race Horses of the 20th century, and inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1994.

She was a hard-working girl, and when she retired from racing, she had 6 children. Five of those children were track winners, and 4 were stakes winners. She even had a foal by Secretariat who was named Tweak!. She passed relatively young in 1980.

Of course, this champion, weight-carrying, formidable girl is related to both my sweet ponies! Some of their shared relatives include Bubbling Over, Discovery, Percentage, Better Self, Bimelech, and Bull Dog!

You can see video of her winning the 1970 Interboro Handicap while carrying 142 pounds at the following links!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWafPy3XBeM
or
http://www.championsgallery.com/ta_wee.htm
or
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=149

Horse Sense: Summer Bonding and Canning

This past week, the week of July 16th, as I write the blog, has been lovely. I finished listening to Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and it got me thinking about Grandma Williams and her garden and canning. So, this week, I had a 18'x20' garden rototilled in my yard, went to TSC and bought green rabbit fence and put it in, went to Bostdorf's and bought cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, green and yellow peppers, onions and basil and planted them, after hauling and putting in 600 pounds of cow manure. We had the most gentle, night-long rain the day I planted my garden in the blazing sun. Then on Friday, I took a cold-brewed ice coffee to the stable and Violet and I hung out in the outdoor riding paddock for awhile, cruising the fence line, checking out her boyfriend over at the next stable, chatting about our week, and bonding. Then today, I got up early, went to Farmers Market, went to the stable and groomed Violet at leisure, chatted with the stable group of pals, had a farrier visit, and then spent the afternoon canning corn relish, cherries, and dilly beans, dehydrating cherries, and freezing blueberries and zucchini. The weather today was sunny and cool and timelessly perfect. It's a wonderful summer when you can combine a morning cup of coffee with a trip to Farmers Market and then a cool morning with your favorite, gorgeaus red thoroughbred girl! I consider the hour Violet and I spent chatting about in the paddock as a "bonding" lesson. Natural horsemanship -- we were playing the friendly, porcupine, and sideways games. After all, "horses don't care how much you know until they know how much you care!"

Hailee's 4th of July in beautiful Paris, Kentucky!

So, on the 4th of July, I had a great riding lesson on my gorgeaus red thoroughbred! I was all relaxed and happy and pleased with my beautiful Violet and I went home to get ready to visit my nieces. I checked my email, and Barbie had sent me this just lovely photo of Hailee having a great holiday celebration. Just look how mature and happy she seems! She has had an enormous gift in her life as a regular old pampered herd horse. I can't imagine what she must think of it all!

Breaking News. Moibeal comes home.

Moibeal came home from the hospital last night. They shaved my girl like a little poodle, so they could put in her catheter. She was so relieved to be home again, and spent the evening grooming. She has to be on a broad spectrum antibiotic for the next 16 days, and it is in pill form, so wish us luck!!

She only showed mild interest in her first breakfast home, but has been busy taking naps with her mom and siblings, so I am hoping that each day brings her better health and happiness!

We're glad that Moibeal is home again!! Namaste!

A Seabiscuit Dedication at Ridgewood Ranch!

On June 23rd this year, a very happy event occurred at Seabiscuit's family home at Ridgewood Ranch. A statue was unveiled and dedicated to him. Former Vice President Walter Mondale and his wife were at the dedication, along with benefactors, many of the Howard family, and descendants of Seabiscuit's trainer and jockeys. It was a small private ceremony to celebrate this great horse. Mrs. Mondale is an official for the National Trust for Historical Preservation, and among the kind things for this famous American and his family, she said, "They were an amazing team, this horse and these three men. They worked miracles and in the depths of the Depression that seemed to go on and on, they gave people something to feel good about." Chris and Anita Lowe, benefactors of this event, think he's amazing, and Chris said, "There have been countless famous racehorses throughout the ages from all over the world. But few if any have captured the imagination and inspired an entire nation as Seabiscuit." Ridgewood Ranch is an endangered national treasure, so it was an important, special movement this summer to get his statue unveiled and recognized!



One of his descendants, a 2005 Quarter Horse, also related to Count Fleet and War Admiral, attended the event briefly! His name is adorable, Dashing Lil' Biscuit. So not surprisingly, he also has Dash for Cash as his grandpa on his sire side!



You can read more about this special event and tribute at the following links:
http://www.seabiscuitheritage.org/index.html
or
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/559700677IPoKQk

Breaking News. Moibeal is sick

This morning, Moibeal did not greet me with her happy annoyance -- happy that I was awake to feed her, annoyed because I wasn't up earlier. I called and called for her, but she wasn't around. I found her downstairs hiding and sick. She had been throwing up everywhere and was down. She wouldn't eat her breakfast and just curled up. She was gaunt. She got up just a little bit to drink tons of water.

She is now at the vet, staying overnight at the hospital. Her X-Ray was okay, but her creatinine and BUN levels were just a little high. The vet is hoping that she became ill through some poisoning. I was silly and had flowers on my dining room table from the Farmer's Market. She was chomping on them over the week and hit them hard yesterday. So, maybe she made herself a little ill. I will keep you posted. If things go well, she can come home tomorrow.

Hailee's Lost Opportunity -- Got Country Grip!

Well, right now, there is a gelding who is trying to run down Cigar and Citation's 16 straight races records. Got Country Grip was born in 2003 and lives in Oklahoma where he just won his 14th race in a row. In 2005, he won the Speedhorse Sprint Futurity, and he is just explosive at 350 to 400 yards! He is owned by Linda Fox! His relatives include Dash for Cash, Bold Ruler, Sky Jet, Go Man Go, and his dad and mom are Country Quick Dash and Got a Grip! I just love those names! He and Hailee share Moon Deck and Top Deck. His owner got him for a trade, and when he first saddled him, Got Country Grip jumped clear out of a 7' round pen, he's just that macho. Anyway, I am sort of bummed because he's as cute as a button, as well as the speediest and best paint racer ever. I think he and Hailee could have made the most wonderful children! You can read, hear, and see more about him at the following links!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11214837
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM-kOem3oNM
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdryFFYb5P8

Wood County Fair -- Getting in Show Shape!

At the first day of fair, we saw this young girl washing her show cow. She and her baby cow, her calf, were having a bit of a squabble about where he should stand. She kept hauling him around and being bossy. And he would just swing his soon-to-be big ol' rear end around and get in her way. But they managed to get him cleaned up and ready for the ring!

Wood County Fair -- A Jockey in his Off Season!

Just look at that mountain of curly fries!!! Where does he put it all!!!??


Yesterday was the last day of fair. We are really in the dog days of August now. I went to see Violet yesterday, and we rode, but we were hot! Just sitting the few feet higher on her made me feel like I was in an attic!! Then I went home and worked on the weeds in my happy garden. I got half the garden weeded, while I was listening to Patti Smith, and in the background I could hear the tractor pull competition from the fair! After I weeded, I put down newspapers and straw. So, half my garden looks tidy and sweet and happy, and the other half looks like it's in a fight for survival with weeds!

Today is a riding lesson with Miss V and then I'm going to finish that garden weeding! Just two weeks more and I'll put up canned tomatoes!

Leroy Neiman -- the last in his Secretariat Series!

Here's a final painting of powerful Secretariat, portrayed by Leroy Neiman. Just a splash of color and a remembrance to that beautiful day in 1973 when he just ran and ran and ran his own private Belmont Stakes to win by 31 lengths! Not since Count Fleet's win by 25 lengths had there been such an awesome ginormous Belmont Victory!!

wood county fair -- pari-mutuel racing

On Thursday, at the fair, we got a bucket of french fries and a mountain of curly fries, and some lemonade, and sat in the grandstands to watch the trotter racing. The horses were beautiful and they had a nice winners circle. Local businesses financed the races and also the blankets for the winning horses. We joked about how we liked the blankets with the phone numbers for the businesses.

My local store, North Grove Grocery, supports a trotter -- his name is Mister Leone. We decided that I needed to support a race and get a blanket for my business -- so it would be Laura's Garden: New Orleans North as the white-colored logo on my scarlet victory blanket! After that racing, it was off for pie on a stick and milk shakes!

A lovely video of our Triple Crown Winners

We have had 11 Triple Crown winners in our American history:
Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew(1977), and Affirmed (1978). These Youtube Videos are truly lovely, sweet, sentimental, goofy documentaries about these 11 champions!


And here are two photos of War Admiral and Count Fleet, the two triple crown winners coursing through Violet's veins!!! Aiyay!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nprhskem-is
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lA238PqUCco