Scot Who?

OK.  This is the longest break I've taken from my journal in 13 or 14 years.  Three months?  I have no excuses other than being busy and getting sick of hearing my own opinions, I guess.  So, let's play catch up:

We have an exceptional first foal, JaBam SSF (Everdale x Orchis), who will be a month old already Friday. He is the first foal we've had in 23 foal crops about whom I have no doubts as a stallion prospect.  There have been colts I love, but there's always at least some little thing in the back of my mind going, "Ingh." Too short-coupled, slightly off type, pedigree not quite good enough, movement good, but not special, etc. Not this time.  He's the whole package.  I've posted a few short clips of him on Facebook, but I've yet to capture him really moving.  This is a top colt.

Elisica SSF (UB-40 x LaLiscia) is officially a week over due.  She's huge.  Birth Alarm went off at 3:14 this morning...false alarm.  As I keep telling Carol, "Well, at least she's one day closer."

Werites SSF (Freestyle x Orchis) is completely bagged up and has been bagged up for close to two weeks.  She's not due until the 27th, but, at the rate they're going, it wouldn't surprise if the mare due on the 27th foals before the mare due on the 6th.

Orchis got her shot of Sucramate this morning between 4:30 and 5:00, so I should be using my first dose of Fairytale tomorrow late afternoon or early evening.  She had a 30 on her left and a 48 on her right with good edema.  I don't want twins, but I do like the odds of catching one of those follicles.

Centurian, the fancy Mini teaser pony, has moved in.  He thinks he's large and in charge!  The smaller the teaser, the better I like him.  He makes the noise I want, but in a "TEEEEny, little living space!" (movie game--what's that from?  I know my kids will know.)

Have you missed my annual winter and spring months of vacillating about stallion picks?  I thought so! Well, the good news is that I'm still vacillating, so there's plenty of time to revel in my frustration.  Four mares are booked to Fairytale, and the semen is bought, paid for, and in my tank; so, Orchis, Werites, Dior (Donatelli x Orchis), and Mistral (Vincent x El Corona) are about as set as I ever get.  This means I could still change my mind, but I don't foresee that happening.  I think I'm starting with Donatelli frozen on BoWendy (Sir Sinclair x Jazz), and if that doesn't work we'll go directly with fresh from my friends at Iron Spring Farm.  I want to use our last dose of Voyager (the German Riding Pony) on Carol's Morgan mare.  I've been pretty much set on a certain F line stallion for Eliscia, but now that a really special KWPN boy is unexpectedly available, I don't think I can help myself try at least one dose.  At this point in time, we're not breeding ZaVita SSF (Contango x Elcaro) because I do't want to risk the financial expenditure of ET work, nor do I want to lose the months of riding time if she were to carry and nurse.  I think we've also decided not to breed Galearites SSF (Totilas x Orchis) this year.  As much as I'd like to have one of the first Totilas grandchildren, it's more important to get her going under saddle and have her be one of the first Totilas children out in sport.  And, I've turned down three or four free mares and leases, so what could have been a huge foal year looks as if it's going to be a moderate foal year next year. (knock on wood) The mares have started cycling so late that I've got to be on my A-game to make sure everyone's pregnant by August...or early September...maybe.

Godot SSF, aka, Sammy, (UB-40 x BoWendy) and Galearites SSF, aka, Mazey, are both off being started.  It's crazy how quickly time goes by.  Both of these horses were born in the months after I finished Chemo, and now, I've just passed my four-years-from-surgery check-up with flying colors and they've begun the process of becoming my riding horses.  I'm too big and too breakable to be on either one of them for a while, but I can't tell you how exciting it is to be actualizing my personal dreams and riding horses as cool as the ones we breed. Princess (ZaVita) and I have really ratcheted up our training sessions.  She's looking fantastic.  It's been a long winter for riding in New England, but our work is paying off.  Hopefully, Sammy and Mazey will not have to be as patient with me as Princess has.

We're about to initiate a complete overhaul of our website and marketing (in the meantime, contact me directly for up-to-date horses available and pricing).  I really want to be up to a dozen or more foals per year of the kind of top quality we're producing, and I really want to be selling these foals on terms to people who might not otherwise be able to afford the caliber of horse they want to ride and/or breed.  We will have at least three foals to sell this year, plus a really fancy late-born colt from last year.  If you know of a rider or breeder who deserves a fancy horse and a relationship with a breeder/seller who wants to promote American-bred for American breeders and riders, send him or her my way.  This may sound overly gushy, but I firmly believe in the slogan we've used since the beginning of Shooting Star Farm:  "A place where dreams come true."

Got to run, but "I'll be back!"