Question from a Reader: Breeding a Morgan Mare

"I reached out to you a while back about crossing my Morgan mare with a warm blood. I was wondering what your experience has been with this and what I should look for in a stallion. I am looking for something with better movement and a bit more size than what my girl has. I primarily ride dressage. I got my mare from a rescue, she is 6 with the most wonderful personality, unfortunately she has some trouble with movement and most likely will just be my trail buddy as she loves it. As someone who will not be able to ever afford to be able to purchase something a bit nicer for dressage I have considered breeding her. I would appreciate any recommendations as I am flying blind here."

We love our Morgans, and over the years we've had a number of them.  In the early 1990s I was even leaning toward our primary focus being a Warmblood Morgan cross.  As fate would have it, our breeding program took off, and, although we've done a few Morgan crosses, the success of our Dutch horses has taken precedence over any other breeding.  That being said, I can tell you what I've learned and observed over the years of looking at this cross.

Although the Morgans bring a soundness, hardiness, trainability, and versatility to the table, they also come with a few drawbacks for dressage--all tied into the top line of the horse.  One, they're bred to have a lot of hock and knee action, but that action is primarily up and down, not up and out.  Two, and connected to number one, they generally have weaker loin connections than warmbloods, so they don't transfer weight onto the hind quarters as easily and naturally as most warmbloods. And, three, and also tied into one and two, Morgans don't usually have the best canters.  Of course, there are exceptions to theses traits; I've seen a few Morgans over the years that are true sport horses in a smaller package, but the majority of the Morgans bred for the contemporary show ring don't have the top line of a sport horse. So, in breeding a Morgan for dressage, if you're lucky enough to start with a mare that has desirable sport horse traits, then you'll have a chance of producing a decent baby.  If not, then your chances of breeding a new sport horse for yourself are really slim.  If you're going to try it, you want to make sure you pick a stallion who consistently produces a good canter and true lift in the withers.  Our most successful dressage baby out of the Morgan cross was from the stallion Polansky on Sunbolt Linda Gail, who was a blend of old school park horse and Government breeding.

What I'm going to say next is going to sound both like an act of shameless self promotion and a little harsh.  Here's the harsh part:  If you already know this mare herself doesn't have the movement to be more than a trail horse, than you're probably making a mistake trying to breed her in an attempt to produce a future dressage horse for yourself.  If you calculate the cost of the stud fee, semen shipping costs, collection fees, vet fees, maintaing the mare through the pregnancy and lactation, etc, etc, it's going to be pretty easy to spend $5,000 or more.  And, after you've spent that, you're probably not going to have the horse you wanted.  Here's the shameless self-promotion part:  Our business plan is to sell our babies on terms that people can afford.  You can buy a baby, that's already on the ground and observable, out of arguably the best collection of KWPN dressage mares in North America on monthly payments you can afford. The total is going to cost you more than it would cost you to produce your own baby out of your Morgan mare, but, in the end, you're going to end up with a horse that is bred to have the ability and conformation to do the job you want.

If you really love your mare and can be happy if she produces something just like her, then breed her.  We have certainly made some breeding decisions based on our emotional attachment to our mares.  Just make sure to pick a stallion who reliably produces uphill movement with a great canter. But, if you really want a future dressage partner, talk to me or another dressage breeder about the possibilities of payments and working with you to get a baby that's really going to allow you to pursue your dreams.

Breedings for 2016 Foals

I know!  I just wrote that I wasn't going to post our breeding picks this year.  Well, as it turns out, I've had two more inquiries on 2016 babies, so that's three of next year's foals that are potentially already spoken for, in addition to three from this year already spoken for.  If people are planning that far in advance, and we're in the business of selling babies, then it makes sense that I talk about our breeding picks.  As always, we happily accept terms on our foal sales, so if there's a potential cross you're interested in from this year's crop or next, give me a shout. Unless it's a "designer baby", I do reserve the right to keep a foal that I just can't part with--that's why I don't take deposits. You can see all of our mares on our mares' page:  http://shootingstarfarm.com/mares.html

2015 Crosses on the Way:

UB-40 x Vincent x El Corona
Governor x Samber x Lector (first option taken)
UB-40 x Freestyle x Jazz
Governor x Contango x Elcaro
UB-40 x Sir Sinclair x Jazz (first option taken)
Fairytale x Donatelli x Jazz (first option taken)
Eye Catcher x Bon Bravour x Santano (not for sale)

2016 Plans:

UB-40 x Elcaro x Belisar
Alexandro P x Vincent x El Corona
Governor x Samber x Lector
Fairytale x Jazz x Roemer
******** x Freestyle x Jazz (first option potentially taken/"Designer" baby)
Apache x Contango x Elcaro
UB-40 x Sir Sinclair x Jazz
Fairytale x Donatelli x Jazz (first option taken)
Chagall x UB-40 x Pass the Glass xx (first option taken)
Grey Flanell x Bon Bravour x Santano
"Tolman Experiment" x Totilas x Jazz
Chagall x Charmeur x Santano

In the frozen semen situations, I only try once or twice, depending on how late in the year it is, then I switch to fresh cooled.  UB-40 and Gaspard De La Nuit DG are my choices for fresh cooled stallions this year.

Question from a Reader: Thinking in Generations

One of the most gratifying aspects of writing this journal over the years is the number of people I've met and friendships I've made through conversations that have been generated by what I've written. I am always willing to talk horses and to share my experiences and base of knowledge. The better educated all of us are in North America, the stronger our breeding programs will become and the more respect we'll garner from the international horse-breeding and horse-buying communities. If I can be a part of generating conversations and sharing knowledge, I want to be.  So, always feel free to send me a question or give me a shout to have a conversation. 

The following is part of an email I received recently--I'm using it with permission:

"I was reading your short text on your blog (in regards to the Stallion Show)... thanks for that. I would have a question for you if you don't mind pushing your thoughts a bit more for me... The "thinking in generations".

I remember us having a conversation about the KWPN and the generations thing in 2010. I am still trying to wrap my head around the concept and apply it to my program and general breeding thinking. In general I think I'm much more performance oriented and that you are probably perfectly in the middle. I agreed with your vision and you thought the KWPN was doing it also in 2010.  But do you think they are doing it now? In 2010 they pushed the power and temperament from Van Norel's blood but you don't see that very much now from what I can find. 

It is especially important for me as I am trying to build something for the future around *********. I want to produce 2 or 3 mares out of her that will be the mothers of all or most of my future foals. And I question myself. Will the best choice to produce a very good broodmare is the same as the one to produce a nice marketable foal?...

Anyway it's probably a big question... but as always your thoughts would be welcome."


This are a big questions, but important ones.  Let me break them down into pieces and try to answer fully.

Thinking in Generations:

There are a couple of ways to generalize this concept so that it's a little easier to grasp.  First consideration, think about an extended pedigree--say, one you might see on horsetelex.com.  We all look at a pedigree and ooh and aah over the names we see if we like them, and tilt our heads and make some negative utterance if there's a name or two we don't.  Sometimes, we'll even completely dismiss a horse just because the pedigree isn't "good enough".  Making breeding decisions is just creating the future extended pedigree. Which directly ties to our second consideration, if I'm creating a line of mares in my breeding program that I hope my grandchildren will be using to breed their dressage horses, what base do I want to give them?  Of course, then you have to start assessing a number of things.  First and foremost, is my mareline good enough?  All of the planning and money and time we invest in breeding horses is absolutely pointless if we're not working with the best mareline we can afford/find.  This mareline doesn't have to be the highest ranked in a particular studbook, or, even, famous for producing top horses at breed shows--it has to produce the qualities that you find most important in a horse. For our program, I want a balanced, athletic horse, with a strong ability to sit, that's a little hot, but with a good brain and physical appeal.  Secondly, breeding in generations requires that you understand which stallions blend best with your mareline and which stallions belong in the bottom of the line vs. the top.  For instance, from my perspective, Jazz works on top or on the bottom; Ferro and Ulft are better on the bottom; Krack C or Sandro Hit have to be WAY back in a pedigree; and, I want a good dose of Thoroughbred or Trakehner blood up close.  By making sure you have the right stallions in the right places in the pedigrees of the horses you produce, you increase your odds of producing a horse that will contribute to the next generation of your program.  Also, while on this area of the topic, it's important to consider the motherline of the stallions you're using.  I always want to make sure that the damlines of the stallions we use have produced really well--I think this makes a huge difference in the fillies you decide to keep for your program. Thirdly, you have to be really aware of what's going on in the general KWPN breeding and sport population, and how your program can both contribute and take advantage of the trends.  Right now, the KWPN is so heavy on Jazz blood in its breeding program that it's really important for breeders to be cultivating non-Jazz lines that cross well with Jazz lines.  The good news about this is that if your program is also Jazz heavy, the KWPN is doing a lot of work for you trying to find outcrosses--and, there are so many people trying different outcrosses, it doesn't take too much research to see what's working and what's not working.  

Current Direction of the KWPN:

One of the primary reasons I stay with KWPN horses is that they are constantly evaluating their population of horses and adjusting their selection criteria to produce better horses.  A few years ago, we needed more substance and more power in our dressage breeding.  The Van Norel horses were a great answer to that, and it was a good move on the part of the KWPN to approve more of them.  As it happened, these horses didn't have as positive of an effect on the population as was predicted.  Part of it could be that the wrong mares were taken to these stallions; part of it could be that the Van Norel's didn't put the money into the best trainers, so their stallions didn't achieve the successes in the young horse classes and stallion competitions necessary to attract breeders.  Also, at the same time the KWPN was approving more of the Van Norel horses, Totilas and Valegro hit the big time, so we saw the influx of the Negro x Lord Leatherdale niche and the expanding influence of Gribaldi.  And, of course, there is the Donnerhall effect.  Interestingly enough, the Van Norel horse that keeps showing up successfully in pedigrees is not one of their younger stallions, but one of their much older stallions, Olympic Vincent, the sire of Cabochon.  As I just mentioned above, at this point in time, the KWPN has to be seeking out non-Jazz stallions.  Fortunately, he crosses well with a huge number of other lines. Personally, I don't think anyone is doing just the right cross for Jazz generationally speaking...but I'm going to work on that! More interesting is how the KWPN is going to react to having a growing number of successful Grand Prix dressage horses from the Harness Horse cross with and on Dressage lines.  I wonder if these will be seen as outliers, or if we're going to see more young stallions selected with Harness blood in their pedigrees.  

Breeding for Your Breeding Program vs. Breeding a Marketable Foal:

The ideal situation here is to educate enough of the buying population about what makes a good sport horse for the long haul, then your question is moot; the best horse for your breeding program would be the most marketable foal. Unfortunately, that's no the way of the world here or in Europe.  Black babies, with flashy movement and a pretty face, sired by a "name of the moment" are the typically the quick and more expensive sellers.  Personally, I can't go there.  Other than the times when one of our mares won't conceive to the stallion of my choice, I always breed for a horse that could potentially add to our program.  In my mind, what could be more important to a buyer than the fact that I would be perfectly happy to keep the horse they want to buy? Because, in actuality, the horses I keep for my breeding program should all have the attributes for which I'm selecting:  balance, athleticism, sit, brain, and physical attractiveness.  They can't produce what's not inherent in the genetics.  So, my advice here is always the same--breed for yourself and build your own market.

I hope that answered most of your question(s).  Again, especially those of you who send me emails or call to ask why I'm not writing in my journal, send me a question or discussion prompt--it's a guarantee of a journal entry!

KWPN Stallion Vivaldi

I wrote the following paragraph a few months ago, but never finished the post:

"If you've followed my journal for years, you probably know that I've never been that big of a Vivaldi fan.  However, after seeing the success of his sons under saddle and the type and movement of his grandchildren, I have to give credit where credit is due.  He's turned out to be a much better producer than I thought he was going to be after seeing his first couple crops of sons at the Stallion Show.

That being said, there are still plenty of Vivaldi offspring that crank up their necks, hollow out their backs, and throw their front legs around with almost no connection between the back of the horse and the front; however, there are also some super sons under saddle and some top daughters at keurings."

Having just returned from the Stallion Show and having seen multiple Vivaldi sons and grandsons again, I thought I'd continue my post.

There are some really good Vivaldis, but there are just as many, if not more, weak Vivaldis.  He is not a stallion for every mare, not that any stallion is, but he brings some significant weaknesses to the table.  I continue to see a general lack of power, strength, and balance in a number of his offspring.  They are all beautiful, with really expressive, easy movement, but even on the best of them, there is a slight disconnect in the loin and a lack of overall power from hind end to front.  When I look at some stallions' offspring, I can imagine the future Grand Prix horse. It's hard to describe exactly, but it has to do with the strength and balance, the overall ability of the horse to carry itself and adjust between shortening and lengthening easily and naturally.  If Vivaldi himself had competed at Grand Prix and demonstrated the kind of strength and connection it takes for attaining and maintaining an upper level career, I'd be willing to ignore the weakness in the top line of his offspring, but he hasn't.

Of course, there are going to be Vivaldi offspring at Grand Prix.  He's bred a lot of mares, and a lot of talented riders have purchased Vivaldi children--by the law of averages alone, some of them are going to be upper level horses.  My humble opinion is that we're going to see many more of them successful at lower levels and in young horse classes than we are successful at Grand Prix, however.

All of this being said, I think there's still a place for him in the pedigree.  He brings a beautiful type and expressive movement.  If you're lucky enough to cross him on a mare who consistently produces a great loin connection, then it could work out for you.  My guess is that even then, the pattern is going to follow the Punnett square, with 25% of the offspring being exceptional, 50% of the offspring being OK, and 25% of the offspring being terrible.

There's a Totilas thread on the Chronicle Dressage Forums right now labeling him as a "non-stamper"--that he doesn't consistently reproduce himself, so he's not worth the stud fee.  In Totilas's case, he consistently produces balance, strength, a good walk, a great canter, and a "normal" trot.  Type wise, he's all over the place.  Vivaldi is just the opposite:  He produces a really consistent type and a flashy trot, but you don't know what you're going to get for balance and strength.  For my money in breeding dressage horses, in the long run, the balance and strength are much more important than the pretty face and flashy trot.  Of course, the pretty face and flashy trot will sell much more quickly to an uneducated buyer, so I recognize the attraction for breeders.  Nonetheless, as someone who's constantly trying to breed horses that are one generation better suited for their future jobs as upper level dressage horses, a horse like Totilas is a much better bet.

Again, I think Vivaldi can have a place in a pedigree; as a matter of fact, I'm super excited to have a Vivaldi grandson coming from our Bon Bravour mare this April.  But, I only bred to a Vivaldi son, Eye Catcher, after I saw him in person AND saw his offspring inspection in person.  He has, and is producing, the kind of balance and adjustability I want, combined with the incredible expression in his gaits from Vivaldi.

So, I guess I'm a cautious Vivaldi fan now.  He's kind of like frosting: the right combination of ingredients really top off the cake--the wrong combination of ingredients create a sicky sweet mess you have to scrape off to get to the good stuff.

Stallion Show 2015

Don't get too excited!  I'm not doing my usual 10 or 15 page Stallion Show Report this year, but I want to at least give some overall thoughts and comments.  If you have specific questions about crosses or horses that we would have seen, then I'm happy to answer them.  Either post a comment below or drop me an email.

Let me start by saying this was one of my favorite Stallion Show's because it was a family affair. Michaela and Keagan went with me.  I can't tell you how special it is to me to share the second greatest passion of my life with the first greatest passion.  Next year promises to be better yet, because I think Carol's going, too!  So, both kids are in on the stallion picks for our program this year, and I've given them each the go ahead to pick one stallion that they really want to see used in our program, and I'll buy either a breeding or a dose or two of frozen. Keagan's already made his pick.  I think Michaela is vacillating between two, but both are ones I want to use anyways, so we're all good! And, no, I'm not going to tell you which stallions!  You'll have to wait until we have mares pregnant and 2016 foals safely on the way.  It's my new motto:  Keep my breeding picks to myself until later in the season. I wouldn't worry too much, though--we all know I'll never be able to do that. My next post will probably divulge all my plans...

As usual, I'm not really qualified to give much of an opinion on the jumpers.  Because of my school schedule, we missed the first day; because of buying cheaper flights since three of us were traveling, we didn't arrive on Thursday until midday.  Although, from what I understand, the first day of jumpers was pretty much a bust, and the second day not much better until the last few groups of stallions, we saw most of the boys selected for the Championship round go through both the second and third viewings.  The Arezzo VDL's were my favorites. He is a top performing and producing sire.

My overall thoughts about the dressage horses is that the average quality of the stallions was pretty solid.  There were a number of good horses.  The Apaches were the best and most consistent group. The Johnson x Rousseau deserved to be Champion--he is a fantastic horse.  The Charmeurs were hit or miss, with the Vervoorn product, His Royal Badness (Charmeur x Havidoff x TCN Partout), being a huge hit.  It's amazing to me that 25-year-old Jazz is still producing such top horses.  Two of his sons presented are quite special.  And, of course, in the Championship Round, every horse had Jazz in the pedigree.  The Apache x Ferro has him the furthest back, in the fifth generation.  The Vivaldi x Donnerhall has him in the fourth generation.  The Chagall, Wynton, Johnson, Westpoint, and the DeNiro sons all have him in the third generation.  Then, of course, there is the Jazz x Flemmingh. As much as I am a Jazz devotee, can you say, "Scot's happy to have six mares with no Jazz in the pedigree?"  The KWPN is going to need some stallion sons out of my mares!

North American breeders should be excited that VDL has a top new dressage prospect.  The DeNiro x Jazz x Ulft is a super horse.  I'll be excited to have his frozen available to us.

North American breeders may also get a chance to breed to a Negro son.  Willy Arts's Negro x Welt Hit II x Urban was selected.

Rumor is that the super fancy Alexandro P x Upperville x Zep has sold overseas for a huge amount of money.  If North America is what is meant by "overseas", it could be really interesting for us.  Henke is an outrageous stallion.  His canter could be a little stronger, but his trot and his overall use of his body are outstanding.

So, that's my Stallion Show Report for 2015. It was a good time.

Dressage Stallions Available to North American Breeders and Research

I've just spent the last two hours dutifully re-researching every KWPN-approved stallion available to North American breeders via fresh cooled or frozen semen.  If you don't have a membership to the KWPN or haven't paid for access to the KWPN Stallion Data Base, it's worth it.  There isn't a stallion available that I haven't either researched before, seen in person, and/or attended his foal inspection, but my OCD won't allow me to make my breeding picks until I've reloaded the available data into my somewhat addled brain.

The good news is that there are more stallions available to us than ever.  The bad news is that the fresh-cooled options are still woefully lacking.  The issues remain the same:  Good KWPN-approved stallions are expensive; expenses to import, campaign, market, and maintain a stallion are prohibitive; and, the breeding base is still to small to warrant this kind of investment for all but the uber wealthy. There are some short-term and long-term approaches we could take to rectify this.

Our jury has already taken one of these steps by licensing a new dressage stallion for us, Gaspard de la Nuit DG. Although I'm not crazy about the mareline on this horse, at least the pedigree is interesting and we have another fresh-cooled option.  From what I can tell, he should bring suppleness and a super canter to his foals.

Carol just asked me what I'm writing about.  Her response, "Ooh, don't diss people with stallions!"  I'm not.  I swear.  We Americans are so over-sensitive about our horses.  I've just spent two hours reading honest, published descriptions of approved stallions, their plusses and minuses during testing, the strengths and weaknesses of their mothers, and the positive and negative effects they initially presented through their foal collections.  Unless we adopt a similar pragmatic, honest approach to the evaluation of our breeding stock, North American breeders will always be behind our Dutch counterparts. There is no one more critical of my horses than me.  Of course, there's also no one more enthusiastic about my horses than me.  It's this kind of dichotomy that allows me to keep our program growing and improving.

Another step our organization could take to help this situation is by doing something that, at first, may seem counter-intuitive to providing more fresh-cooled options.  At the end of each keuring season, our jury could identify one or two traits that need improvement in our breeding population, then the organization could facilitate the bulk purchase of frozen semen from a stallion that reliably contributes what we're lacking.  By making one or two stallions available to North American breeders at a reduced rate, we would systematically improve our breeding population and, in the long term, have a better chance of producing more approvable stallions.  In Holland, the theory is that the KWPN responds to the needs and wishes of the breeders.  As I've quoted before, Wiepke Van de Lageweg says it the breeders' job to set the direction for the KWPN, not the other way around.  We're not in the same position as breeders in Holland, however.  We don't have the broad knowledge base, access to venues where we see horses competing every weekend, nor options for genetic diversity.  We need our organization to lead more in this area. I'm not advocating that the KWPN-NA become a frozen semen broker, but there are ways our office could facilitate more options for us. Why couldn't our Stallion Owner Committee partner with its Dutch counterpart and help provide this?

We could also have our own "Erkend" system in North America.  If our jury and directors were to work with the KWPN to evaluate all Grand Prix competitors approved in other studbooks in North America, and already available via fresh-cooled semen, with the purpose of finding two or three that could contribute to our breeding population specifically, we could end up with two or three more fresh-cooled options.

Of course, my favorite option is still a co-operative venture similar to DBNA or WBNA through which breeders with a vested interest in improving not only their own programs but the strength of the breeding population as whole get together and invest in leasing, buying, and investing in stallions and stallion prospects. Now that the Euro is plunging, the timing is better than ever for this kind of venture.

January Thoughts and Happenings

2015.  When did that happen?  And, thus, I begin my 17th year writing this journal.

I have high hopes for this year--not only this year, but the future in general.  The older I get, the more optimistic I get about life, purpose, horses, and the connections among people.  Perhaps, it's the counterpoint to such atrocities as ISIS, school shootings, and Ted Cruz's appointment as chair of the Senate subcommittee in charge of NASA. Seriously,  though, I believe in people more than I have at any other time in my life.  There is peace in Existentialism--it's just taken me half a century to start to actualize it.

On the horse front, we have a super exciting year ahead of us:

Gazania, our Bon Bravour mare, arrived safely in the USA this weekend.  I can't wait to get her home and get to know her better.  All reports are that she is as sweet as can be.  She's our first mare to foal this year, and I'm like a little-kid-on-Christmas-morning excited about this foal.  I've already picked out his name! And, if the equine forces of the universe present us with a filly instead, her name is also all set.

While on the subject of foals, all eight are our breedings are exciting. Knock on wood all goes well, we'll have the first Eye Catcher, Governor, and Fairytale foals in North America, plus three more of our beloved UB-40s, and our first Mini foal!

And, of course, this year's breedings...you all know how obsessed I've been with these picks since the end of last breeding season, so there's probably no reason to recount all of the waffling, video viewing, and pedigree analysis I've put myself through over the last four or five months--but, let me just say, I'm exhausted! Stallion picks for 12 mares!  Who has the time, energy, or will for that kind of obsessive compulsive commitment?  Yeah, you're right.  I do.  Let me repeat my mantra:  Think multiple generations, not just the next one.  What is it I want to accomplish over the long haul of our breeding program?  That's way more important than breeding to a popular stallion in order to sell a foal. UB-40 is still my guy.  I'm going old school on a couple choices just to make sure I keep the balance and substance I want in a dressage horse.  I'm going super modern on a couple choices to bring the type and suppleness I want consistent in our program. And, I'm planning one, if not two, really out-of-the-box breedings.  So, those are the four prongs of my approach this year:  consistency, balance, suppleness and type, and thinking a couple generations ahead in a way that no one else probably will.  My biggest conundrum? They're almost all chestnut stallions on mostly chestnut mares. Hopefully, other people like chestnuts as much as I do.

Speaking of chestnut mares, we're really hoping that our Charmeur x Santano mare, Hyacintia, has the same kind of success her big sister had last year. If we have another mare make the National Finals, I'm going to be in Ermelo for it!

While I'm on the subject of keurings (I realize my transitions are becoming a little redundant), Zaz Putnam and I have applied to host a two-site keuring this year, which will probably be partially closed to outside horses just due to stabling issues.  Before anyone gets the wrong idea or his or her feelings hurt, this is not meant as a slight to other New England breeders.  I love our keurings and get togethers, but attending someone else's keuring costs us thousands of dollars and puts extra stress on our horses.  This year, potentially, we have seven babies to present, four or five IBOPs to be ridden, and a couple of horses to present for studbook/ster/keur eligible.  That's a total of 20 horses to prep, transport, and pay for.  We just can't physically move and manage that many horses safely and effectively.  The plan is to use Zaz's great facility for the adult classes and riding tests.  She has an indoor, a dressage ring, and a jumping ring, all with fantastic footing--but she has very limited stabling in addition to her own horses, with no place to put temporary stalls.  We'll do all festivities and foals at our farm, which is 20 minutes away. People could certainly work out of their trailers, as everyone does in Holland at a keuring, but we're just not going to have additional stabling.  We do have some options for off-site, overnight stabling, but that would still mean people have to work out of their trailers at the keuring itself. Of course, the KWPN-NA has not made its decisions yet about who's hosting what, so this may be a moot post, and I may be only taking a couple horses to someone else's keuring--but, if we do get it, I wanted other New England breeders to know my thought process.

Now, really speaking of keurings, the STALLION SHOW!!!!  It's only two weeks away.  Two weeks from tomorrow night, Michaela, Keagan, Jackie Cartesio, and I will be getting onto a plane at Logan and about to pop a sleeping pill.  We'll be joining three tables full of friends and fellow KWPN breeders for my favorite weekend of the year!  I haven't decided if I'm writing a full report this year or not.  Now that there's live streaming and so much information available online, it seems unnecessary.  Nonetheless, I'm excited.

On the good news front and continuing the positive slant of this post, on Thursday, I successfully (knock on wood--we won't know for sure for three months) went through heart surgery to correct an arrhythmia caused (we think) by the chemo I had to go through a few years ago.  The doctors tried to control it with drugs, but they didn't work, so surgery was the next step. In preparation, to give myself the best chance possible of its working, I've lost 40 pounds, upped my exercise frequency and intensity, and given up alcohol.  My 96-year-old father remarked the other day that I had really lost some weight.  He asked me how much, so I told him.  He then replied,

"Really?  You don't look as if you've lost that much."

Always something to keep you humble!