Happy holidays!

Santa made an early appearance here and of course, he chose Gitano to ride! Nothing much new and exciting. How the horses manage the huge temperature swings is beyond me, but they handle it all beautifully. I had my first night away from home in years to attend my nephew's college graduation and the place survived without me. Have bred a couple of outside mares but my mares aren't cycling (no surprise with the weirdo weather) so we may have the fewest fall crop of babies in many years but all figure that is how it is meant to be. Have some friends promising visits in the next 6 weeks or so and I am looking forward to that. My website added a new section for boarding--I need the money and would enjoy having more of the "right" kind of horse owners around so am opening up that as an option.

Wishing each of you a lovely week and that your holiday will be peaceful and with those you love the most, including your horses!

Great news

The vet here today to sonogram some mares. Strangely enough, with our ever changing and bizarre weather, the mares are having ever changing and bizarre cycles.

The good news is that Dolly is pregnant--bred back to Gitano.

The even more momentous news is that we cannot hear Nebridius' heart murmur any more!!!! I knew there was a chance the heart flap that appeared to be open at birth would close on its own, but he was so limp and weak at birth that I didn't get my hopes up. The vet said today that he thinks that worry is over. Talk about Christmas wishes being granted! Nebridius still has some catching up to do compared to the other babies and has the illformed ears but I care not about cosmetic issues if he can have a healthy life. I could never justify keeping geldings around who couldn't contribute to the breeding program so perhaps this guy is meant to be my riding horse down the line????

Congrats to the Martinez family who are buying Nastia (Isabelina x Hereje TG) who is pictured relaxing in the pasture and thank you.

Crazy Texas Weather

What a surprise to wake up to snow this morning--just 4 days ago was outside playing croquet over the holiday with my family in teeshirts!

A better than usual Thanksgiving as Conesa delivered an extra tall, extra heavy boned, extra sweet filly on Thanksgiving morning. Nacar is her name and I couldn't be more tickled with her substance and this personality, so far, that you cannot help but love. Wanapum just outdid himself with these first two babies--this one so big and impressive and my darling Nebridius who despite his health issues, is conformationally as perfect as you can get. I look forward to many, many babies by Wanapum in the future decades.

Although I am not enamored with the sound of my voice or lame comments, after numerous comments, I am putting some narration on some updated youtube video's---apparently some folks felt like my old style videos (pre-youtube days) were more personal than the ones I've been doing. For any of you who subscribed to my videos, there is very little new footage---I am just adding babies to the end of mare videos to get ready for spring baby season. If it ever stops raining (and now snowing!), I need current videos on lots of them.

Pictured here is Nimbus, Corona's Gitano colt that is getting prettier by the day.

Time for thanks

A gorgeous fall and lots of rain which we need makes photo'ing and video'ing a little dicey, but gives more time to enjoy the recent arrivals. How exciting that friend and buyer of two of my boys already, Diana, has been mesmorized by gorgeous Naxos (pictured here) so that there will be three Herradura boys at her gorgeous place and close enough for me to see grow up! Thanks, Diana and how I look forward to our forever friendship.

And thanks to Alfredo in California for choosing the feisty and amazing moving Nastia and may you be like the rest of us and feel like one andalusian won't be enough!

Congratulations to Kim, owner of Nobleza who was confirmed in foal this week to Hereje--Nobleza has had two wonderful natured and darling Hereje fillies in the past and I have no doubt your fall, 2010 foal will be a gem.

I hope I'll be writing an update if Conesa foals in the next week but if not, Happy Thanksgiving to you all---

Nebridius

Here is Nebridius who has miraculously survived his 4th day. He loves to be outside and can trot/canter a few steps before he seems winded and still mostly happy laying down. He and his mom, Hipolita, are handling this slow start with valor and grace. If someone has a hint on how I can keep from loving this little guy, I hope you share it with me!

Other babies are doing great and changing before my eyes--Nimbus and Nastia now a week old today. Valente and I took Chulo and Wanapum for a lesson at Molly's today and both behaved like solid citizens and had good lessons. Mamma cat that had the last litter of 7 (all of which have new homes--yippee) spayed today so we are rocking along and loving this perfect weather than allows one to get so much more done.

Latest arrival

Well, worrisome news about Sunday's arrival of Wanapum's first son. Nebridius--yes, a huge name I'll explain later--arrived and it was immediately apparent something was wrong. The vet's best prediction is that a flap that goes to the heart hasn't closed as it should have--when you listen through a stethascope, you can hear air as if windy. As a result, Nebridius is very weak and until 32 hours later, was unable to get up from laying without help. However, this afternoon he is finally standing on his own and has nursed well all along. He's gotten plasma and some fluids and now we just wait. He is likely not to survive but the flap can close on its own in the next couple of weeks. So for now, we just make sure he nurses every 30 to 45 minutes and pray.

Anyone with extra prayers or positive thoughts--please send his way. My hope is that if he isn't going to make it, he'll go quickly and painlessly.

Nebridius is a spanish saint who was very learned and interpreted scripture---somehow this other worldly fellow needed a name with some kind of spirituality attached and if he survives, he needed a big, complicated name.

The good news is that he is the image of his father with the identical long and what I think is beautiful head and arched neck. He has miles of legs and indicates what I've suspected all along--that I'll be most pleased with what Wanapum throws. Hipolita is the best mom ever.

On a cheerier note, I am attaching a photo I took today of little 3 day old Nastia--boy was I ever on target naming her after a gymnast---she flies around and is so athletic, that I just can't even remember when I've had one like her. Special! They all are!

New arrivals

Yesterday was not only a gorgeous day, but a busy one around here!

In the morning, Corona did an amazing job producing a cutie pie of a colt. Last year, Corona had the gigundo Maestro but when we went to rebreed her to Maestro's sire, Chulo, it was not meant to be. Chulo was just NOT interested! So we switched to Gitano, who was more than happy to help out, and voila! This colt conceived. His first day movement is especially floaty so we had to name him Nimbus--floating like a cloud but also, I can see him zooming with his rider some day as Harry Potter zooms through the air on his flying broom, the Nimbus 2000.

Around 6, Valente headed to the vet with Gentileza and Normando as we've attempted to time things right and she was inseminated with the 2002 frozen semen from Fariseo. Fingers crossed! Is science amazing or what?

To keep me entertained while Valente was gone, Isa decided to foal at about 6:05. Finally, after the four boys in a row, a filly has arrived! I don't know when I've ever had two that looked more like twins that this one and last year's full sister, Mariska. While Isa was still resting from her labor, this little athlete in a feat of pure gymnastics, vaulted herself over her mom's back and thus claimed her name, Nastia, for the Texas born olympic gold medal gymnast. Darling personality and has her mom's calm and outgoing spirit, another treasure.

So now wait on Hipolita with Wanapum's first baby. I can't wait--never known for patience or enough being enough....