Sunday, August 18, 2013

The Human Sausage and Another Pregnancy

Mistral is pregnant to UB-40! We're excited about this. Mistral (Vincent x El Corona) was Reserve Champion mare at the UTV as a three year old, she produced a Welt Hit son who was selected for den Bosch, she produced the licensed son, Thatcher, and the top ten star mare V-Eight, then had no foals for ten years. We did a lease-to-purchase on the condition that we could get her pregnant and get a live foal. Well, we have a spectacular Don Tango B colt and now a UB-40 embryo that must be a filly, because things are going according to plan. Fingers crossed for a healthy baby. (new paragraph) As I think I mentioned in my last entry, I'm riding my first IBOP at the New England Keuring. Believe it or not, I'm not nervous about the riding part; I'm nervous about the clothing part. My body in white breeches and a tight show coat is not necessarily the most charming of sights. Jane and Sibley Hannigan were kind enought to give me a show coat. When I first put it on, I couldn't even button it, but it was close. A couple weeks ago, I could button it, but the stress on the coat and on my abdomen were equally Vesuvian. Today, I can uncomfortably, but safely, button the coat. I'm hoping by Sept. 4th I can button the coat without looking like a human sausage stuffed in a formal casing. Just in case, I have an appointment with a seamstress next Tuesday...wish me luck!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

OMG

OK. I haven't figured out how to break these entries into separate paragraphs, so you're going to have to excuse the randomness of this entry. (If you know how to break entries into separate paragraphs, please, comment or email me!) First, my riding has been going amazingly well. The other day, during the warm-up, I felt as if I were on an Olympic horse. Princes was bouncy, through, responsive, expressive, brilliant--it was amazing. if you know me really well, then email me and ask just how amazing it was...not kosher for mass posting. Of course, 2/3rds of the way through the ride, we were approaching the changes again--then, things were not so incredible. Nonetheless, I'm confident that I'm going to be showing a horse I bred at PSG by the end of next year. Goals. Love. Persistence. Dreams...what you will. (paragraph) Fedex fuck up. Decided at the last minute that I had to veer from my one-try-with-frozen-then-call-ISF breeding philosophy and buy a breeding to Connaisseur. BoWendy is the mare. Last mare to breed this year. She ovulates on a 40+. I called Connaisseur's owner late one night. She called Juan Samper to see if he could collect the next moring. Yes. I called his office, ordered semen, all good in the world. Or so I thought...the USDA held my shipment for 24 hours. Since I was tracking the shipment, I knew this, fortunately. So, I followed the mare's cycle every 4 hours. She ovulated sometime just before 6 am on the 9th. The semen should have arrived by noon on the 8th. It didn't. I bred her with the most fertile dose of frozen I had in my tank, Lyjanero. We'll see what happens. I had been saving that dose for my Totilas x Jazz filly, but I will be delighted if we have a pregnancy. Of course, now I've paid for a Connaisseur breeding, never got the semen, and have to get a mare pregnant next year. Silly. (paragraph) I'm riding an IBOP at the New England Keuring this year. Oh, yes. You read that correctly. I'm putting my fat ass in white breeches, strapping on a too-tight show coat, and riding my Contango mare in an IBOP for re-evaluation as a keur mare. What the hell. Life is short. On a good day, this mare is phenomenal. On a good day, my belly fat doesn't pull me too far out of the saddle. Maybe it'll be a pity ride, but this mare deserves to be keur. (paragraph) We have to sell a couple horses. I guess I don't really care which ones. Here's what we have available: -Werites SSF (Freestyle x Jazz) This mare was seriously injured in a shipping accident after we had been offered an extraordinary amount of money for her. She is currently sound. The mare knows her changes, piaffe, and passage; she was ready for the developing horse classes before she was injured. She is light, fluid, and an international talent. She's also out of one of the top marelines in the world and currently in foal to UB-40. Due to her injuries, I can't guarantee that she'll stay sound, so he's offered under the following terms: $25,000. down; $25,000 in six months if she's still sound in a competition home; access to one ET baby at some point in the future. D'Orites SSF (Donatelli x Jazz) Dior was the Reserve Champion Dressage mare of the KWPN-NA last year. She is now solidly under saddle and progressing really well. She's light, talented, but needs a smaller rider. We will present her for her keur status at the New England Keuring. She is currently in foal to Florianus. $25,000. Eliscia SSF (UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx) Lily is one of our most talented offspring. She has a nervous disposition--she stall spins. Nonetheless, she is going super well under saddle, and is a big, scopey mover with an incredible hind leg. She will be presented a the New England Keuring for IBOP, ster, adn keur. She is currently in foal to Florianus. $25,000. Felicites SSF (Rousseau x Jazz) Ms. P (Nicknamed this because she was a "perfect" foal) is going to be someone's dream horse. She is an uber talented dressage mare, with a super modern type. She's also hot and sensitive as hell as a young horse, so she's only suitable for a serious rider. She will be presented for ster/keur at the New England Keuring...and possibly under saddle for her IBOP. $30,000. Ignazio SSF (Don Tango B x Vincent) Iggy is the most personable foal we've ever had. He loves attention and loves people. He will literally run onver to you in the pasture to be scratched. His first blacksmith adventure was far from advenurous. His pedigreee and coformation make him a legitimate stallion prospect or future sport partner. $15,000. Ionesco SSF (UB-40 x Sir Sinclair) "FrenchY" is out of the famous Wendy line,same as the most popular young dressage stallion in Holland, Charmeur. Frency is the third full brother out of this cross. The first brother sold as a weanling to a good dressage home, and the second, Godot SSF, I've had multiple offers for, but have decided to keep as my next FEI prospect. Frenchy is more typey than the first two, bay, and equally as good a mover. He will make someone a super dressage partner. $15,000. (new paragraph) It's a tough position to be in, but if it weren't for me having to pay farm bills, I wouldn't care if any of these horses sold or not. Of course, I'm not in the position of being independently wealthy, so someone has to go. Please let me know if you want to have a conversation about any of these SSF kids. (new paragraph) Two more weeks of summer vacation!!! Would love visitors. Come watch us work horses, see babies in free movement, grab a glass of wine/coffee/strawberry margarita, and have a meal. Give me a shout.