Day at the races

We spent the day at Pimlico and had a fun time, handicapping for fun. Horsemen are terrible bettors. We like pedigrees, so tend to bet on horses bloodlines that we know and love- not always the best way to pick a winner. We decided to try a trifecta for fun in the Oaks, big race at Churchill Downs today. The filly race before the Derby tomorrow. I picked the three favorites "by the book" and "boxed" it so, in any order, we would win. Well, we hit 2 out of three- not bad- no money, but it was an excellent race. Blind Luck, the 6-5 favorite ran a very big race, cruising up the outside to snatch victory by a nostril at the wire. Very dramatic. After a couple Black-Eyed Susan's ( Preakness signature drink) , crab cakes and hot fudge sundaes we were happy campers. Stopped at Carol's farm to say bye and see the new baby once more ( this is our future champion!!). Skipped hubby's lacrosse game because I am too tired and now I am home waiting to hear about his victory?? Good day. Now the Kentucky Derby tomorrow should be interesting. They are expecting 5-8 inches of rain!! That is a lot of mud! I think I will bet on Calvin Borel on Super Saver to do exactly that, save ground on the rail and upset everybody again!!

beautiful day

It is a beautiful day. Baby no. 3 was born night before last, nice big colt by Fairbanks. This mare is at my partners farm and I am going up today to see her. Then we are going over to Pimlico to watch the 5th race and the Kentucky Oaks simulcast. Left my foals outside last night for first time, they seemed happy this morning . The last two mares in foal are in barn and I'm back foalwatching! April is coming to a close with some lovely warm weather and we so deserve it.

April Showers

April showers are making everything VERY green. I love this color and the smell of spring. The red geraniums are blooming in pots at door, my irises are just about to open, the rose bushes are budding out and since I just had the road re "paved" with brand new "millings" all this intense color is set off my the new black road. I feel like a painter and my farm is the canvas and that feeling will probably last until the next muddy spell! The snow seems like a distant memory and it was only 2 months ago we were buried! I am starting to wait on new foals, the grey mare and her field mate ( aptly named "Case of the Blues"- she is hugely in foal and has a month to go) are about to start coming in at night and the mares with foals at their side can now stay out at night.

The yearlings have started their education and are progressing nicely, even the little evil one.

I am only riding Red now, doing some lessons and the hunter paces. Polly, one of my ex-racehorses, gets to go to Florida for the summer to keep a friend company and benefit from higher education! Kentucky Derby is around the corner, this Saturday, May 1st. "Lookin at Lucky" and "Devil May Care", the only filly in race are my favorites. The big Maryland Hunt Cup was last Saturday and was an awesome race. One horse opened 30 lengths and led almost to the end, just to refuse a fence, perhaps it was next to last jump, out of 22 huge jumps, and he was beat. These fences are huge-I included picture. Definitely separates the "men" from the "boys". I am one of the "boys", looking at these jumps.

Foal Pics

Foals and puppies are the cutest things. Leo, our yellow Lab ( I think retriever cross) is now almost 8 months old. He is big but still wants to climb into your lap, which can be hilarious. The small dogs love to lie on the back of couch and look out back window, well, Leo wants to also. He puts his head on paws on back of couch and his hind legs are standing/sitting on seat cushion. It is so cute. The foals are now trying to play together, they hide in trees and surprise each other or play tag around their moms, little tails straight in the air as they prance by. Very endearing.

We Xrayed Chessie again, hoping to find some explanation for her continuing extreme lameness. But the vet did not call last night , so I am anticipating no real new definitive answer. She is holding her own, happy to go out and munch spring grass - still very skinny, but that is probably a good thing as she is 3-legged still. Very frustrating, I really have never known anything like this. Some edema above hind ankle, no heat, Xrays show no broken bones, will not put weight on leg.

Another hunter pace tomorrow at Goshen Hounds. It ha been really fun this year and Red is doing great.

One week old

I bought a camera on Sunday, so finally have some pictures of Goldie's baby-who is one week old now. He is very sweet, a little friendlier than Hope's, who is a month old. The Buddha mare should foal about May 6th , so foal watch starts again soon. I have been enjoying my sleep without a video screen in my face!

Weekend in April

Sunday was the second hunter pace, held way up near Frederick, actually way beyond Frederick, at the foot of a mountain. This always means lots of rocks! It was not too bad this year, they had tried to cushion some of the very rockiest stuff. Julia was up from Florida and we were rockin' and rollin' again. I have missed riding with her. We just seem to get along without a lot of talking about how to do this or that - we just do. Very nice. As usual, just as we are loading the trailer to leave, one of the yearlings ( has to be the difficult one) comes in with a laceration. I'm looking at it, thinking stitches, thinking "there goes the day's plan", but we finally decide too late, too swollen for stitches. So, I tranquilize the yearling to get a bandage on, cover it in red pepper paste to stop her chewing it off and then we load up and leave. Hunter paces are really just cross-country gallops with lots of other people in new places. It is for foxhunters who really don't want to stop for the season yet and we can run a and jump over a 5 or 6 mile course. I took Red and Julia rode Polly, the 5 yr old off the track. It was Polly's first time really jumping a lot of fences and she was great- may go back to Florida with Julia .

The farm is looking lovely in the spring, new babies and big fat broodmares and green, green grass make for a very idyllic, pastoral scene. Sam and Stephanie are looking at venues for wedding, she took her Mom and maid of honor to Billingsley and came to see the farm also. It is so exciting to plan a wedding and Stephanie seems very happy. It is a delight.

early morning

I love early April mornings. It rained last night and when I opened the door to let dogs out, there was a cool mist shrouding all the spring beauty. My pink cherry tree is just past peak and starting to rain pink petals, the magnolia beside it, is just coming into a beautiful white bloom, the rose bushes between are just opening first red buds. The colors were soften by the mist and the birds were just starting. So perfect. We have counted our Roedown recepits and we had a great day. We were so lucky with a lovely weather day, yesterday was rainy and cold and you realize it is just luck when it all converges and gives you a perfect day for an event like that. The new colt is doing well. I will post pictures but I have to go buy new camera! I have a 2 week break before next. It is so nice to sleep thru the night. Now , I am starting to handle, groom and exercise the yearlings. This is how the prep for the yearling show and later the sales starts. First they learn to stand for grooming, sixteen million broken cross-ties later they've got it. Then a bath! OH boy, that is sooo scary. We do a little each day. Then walking in the ring- yesterday we looked ! at the ring, that was enough. Their hearts are tripping a mile a minute, but by August they will be great.

Roedown baby

Roedown was an fabulous success this year. Banner crowds, lovely warm day, no accidents (always happy about that one). Mike only broke up one fight- one drunk white guy called five drunk black guys the N word and, guess what, got the s__ beat out of him! Mike politely, with a cop at side, asked them to leave and pretty much they did. So, no streakers, no busted up cars, just terrific horseracing. The timber race was actually a great horse race, a drive to the wire, the crowd screaming. And , always there are some funny things - not exactly sure what happened- but in the 9th, a 2 mile flat, it seems one jock pulled his horse up after only 1 mile ( for whatever reason) and another inexperienced jock, seeing him do that, then did the same. Well, when 2 jocks pull up, then the rest think something must have happened on the course and another 2 or 3 stood up and slowed at the 1 mile mark. At this point only 2 horses were still running and they slowed down, I guess, worried They were wrong! So, the ultimate winner trotted over the finish line, chatting to his friend on the other horse, not realizing they were still "running". Very funny. Everyone was shaking their head!

I did get to see a former horse of mine. I gave him last year to another Hunt club because he needed to be a "huntsmans" horse (travelling in the lead always). Well they used him in last race- the team relay - and he ate the competition- US. He looked big, strong, happy and fractious, but it was nice to see him.

Back to baby horses. Wouldn't you know it, the two -week late mare decides the morning of Roedown is the right to stick it to me and foals 1:30 AM! Big, strong chestnut colt. Mother and foal seemed fine , so I went back to bed about 4AM and slept another hour. Roedown was a long day. My camera broke, and cell phone doesn't work in such low light so I am buying new camera today for foal pictures. I get a 2 week break before next foal watching starts-yeah!

day before Roedown

We are all ready for the crowds of Annapolitans to descend on our steeplechase races tomorrow at Roedown. Put up snow fencing and new rails and "Please Don't Climb Trees" signs, put out straw bales, made sure of a million other things with all the helpers. This goes on at all the steeplechases. Lots and lots of work done by a few dedicated souls. It is a rite of spring. We are going to be blessed with a beautiful day , so if you are near Annapolis, come and spend a day at the races.

I am now home, tired and need a martini.

"Horse Boy"- great book

I just finished listening to "Horse Boy" which is read by the author, Ruppert Issacson. It was really, really good. I actually cried at the end, his acknowledgments to all the people who had helped, even to the horses that helped was truly moving. It is a story of his journey with autistic son and his wife to see healers in Mongolia. It is s fantastic, absorbing , fascinating journey into an ancient culture. But the journey is also about his relationships with son, wife, himself . I was truly moved by this story. I had heard of Ruppert Issacson previously because of his support of the Bushmen of Botswana's struggle for their land rights. Issacson , as a fellow "huntsman" was very instrumental in the success of their fight, he had brought some of the bushmen to United States to raise awareness. Anyway, I was familiar with him and picked up book out of curiosity. It is a terrific read, about his son's struggle but also about healing ; from horses, from nature, from our own self compassion. All of us involved with horses have stories about the healing qualities of our equine friends, sometimes it is just being around them that heals. Anyway I can't say enough good things about the book- I really enjoyed it.

I am also enjoying spring. I have a riding lesson in an hour but wanted to share about book. Still waiting on foal. Still hoping for improvement with sick mare , she is holding her own but not really getting better. Vet was disappointed today that there was not more progress with lameness. Bummer.

April cherry trees

April has come in Warm, actually it has been hot. I am enjoying it, feeling the knots in my shoulders thaw and relax in the heat. My cherry trees are beautiful. Every Mother's Day I have requested the gift of a flowering tree so I now have quite a few and they are a pleasure to look at in April. The forsythia is still in bloom and the contrast looks just like an Easter candy, pink and yellow and hints of purple from the hyacinth here and there. I love it. Still no foal. This mare is late!!! And still standing very quiet and relaxed - oh well- they come when they want. I want to do a movie tonight and you just know, she will have it when I am not here! A friend And I were commiserating about how "punch drunk" you feel all the time when foal watching. You never quite trust your decision making, wondering if you really did close the gate or not, did you fill the water troughs etc.

My son and his fiance, Stephanie, are looking at various wedding spots and may consider getting married on the farm. So, as I drive around on the Gator, I am looking for beautiful spaces for a wedding . It is a lot of fun. I am so excited for them. I remember when Sam was born and now he is getting married- life is just so cool.

April day

April Fool's day passed without a new foal. I was really hoping as this would be Strike The Gold Lass' baby- I could have called it Fool's Gold. Oh well , she is relaxed tonight so probably a few more days. The sick filly is slowly gaining some weight , still 3 legged but happy every morning to go out and eat new grass. She may make it and that is a miracle- she was a close to death as I've ever seen, and lived. You just never can tell- there is a very strong spirit in some of us, certainly in her.

My son and fiance came out to talk about wedding- they may get married on the farm! Under the weeping willow next May. Nothing definite, just talking about ideas but the farm would be awesome. The spring green is everywhere now and the weather has been lovely. However, I spent the day fixing my manure spreader- I know this sounds very unlovely, but I was very proud of myself because I pulled out the socket wrenches and nuts and bolts and hammer. The chain that drives the spinner had broken and it was just all messed up and I managed to take it apart and with a little help FIX it. It was very satisfying. I was filthy and this was definitely a boy job, but I need the spreader every day and I said, " Screw this, I am going to do it" and I did!! Now I am exhausted, eating cheese and crackers 'cause I'm alone and too tired to really cook, sitting on the couch with dogs watching Jeopardy. Can't go out because of foal watching. This is life on a breeding farm!