How fast the last couple of months have gone! The last month complicated with moving mom into an assisted living facility and getting all the transition worked out. Hopefully, as time passes, the home will feel like
home and she'll be safer and this move the best thing for her.
Paladin shipped to his forever home and thank you so much Susan for choosing our gentle giant. We are getting the international travelers ready for their journeys: Padma and Odalisca leaving in next two weeks to start quarantine to ship to Australia and Principe to go to Canada. It still boggles my mind how 20 years ago, I just wanted one andalusian and here I am, and with horses heading out all over the country and even to other countries----who would have ever figured?
This morning, our angel, Karateka, had a Gitano filly. Quimbara is her name and she will be tall, grey, big boned and she carries on the Estepa/Karateka/Marengo magic personality. This morning she laid in my lap and was breathing little foal breath like a baby snore. If there is anything better than the first few days of a new baby, I haven't discovered it yet!
Names starting with Q will be challenging this year so any name suggestions will be welcomed!
Thanks to Hector who bought Niagara in utero a few years back and now is buying Pippa to add to his breeding program. That I am honored by so many repeat customers is mind-blowing, too.
And special thanks to Melinda for the amazing and wonderful journey she and her horses and I have been on for many years. When Melinda took a temporary hiatus from horse business, I was fortunate enough to buy Karina. Now Melinda is back to having her own horses and place, and it is only fitting that she have Karina back. So this spring when the new barn is finished, Karina will be heading back to her other mom. To have had this mare over the years and experienced so many births has been a privilege---what a noble mare!
As I continue to figure out a plan to simplify and modify that is best for the horses and I, I am considering giving Dolly, the big belgian draft, away, only to a very special home. My mare page has info about Dolly and videos of her 3 babies so far. Dolly had a horrible start to her life and is NOT an easy mare and NOT for everyone. If someone did not have experience with horses, she would not be a good fit. However, I have enjoyed and had many laughs over her and been VERY happy with the babies she has had. I pretty much rescued her in 2005 so best guess is that she is about 11 years old. She does not have papers.
Dolly's first Gitano colt was Kobe, whose owner reports he is a love and a joy to be riding. Next, she had the gigantic Maghnus, one of the most outgoing colts ever, who looked like would finish over 17 hands. Last year, she had Gitano's Octavia, who is a pasture favorite and purchased by an excellent rider who sees her potential. Of course her foals by Gitano or Chulo have been registered as half-andalusians and eligible to show as such with the IALHA.
My plan is to wait until Dolly foals in March, I will keep and sell the foal. Then I will get Dolly back in foal so that when the March foal is ready to be weaned, she would be ready to go if a perfect new home popped up. If someone that has patience would take in this giant mare who does not want to be caught! We leave a loose neck band on to catch her. We keep her in a routine of coming to the gate to get fed, and then once in the gate, she lets us come up to her to turn her out after she eats. Once caught, her ground manners are fine, she loads and trailers and is easy to breed. She is happy living outside year round with all the other mares.
The foal she would be carrying when she would be ready to leave here in early summer could be the start of a half andalusian breeding program for the person willing to make Dolly a permanent part of their family. The baby would be the "reward" so-to-speak for adopting Dolly. If you know someone who may be like me in terms of getting the most pleasure in taking in horses that are a challenge, have them email me for more details. I honestly do love this mare after her 7 years of being with us. If she is meant to stay here forever, is okay with me and I'll know is what is meant to be if the perfect owner doesn't manifest. But in cutting back the number of producing mares I have, it seems as if she might be one that might be destined to go to a new home?
Hope you all had a happy valentine's day and enjoying the nationwide mild winter. Hipolita's and Isabelina's babies will be coming next. Will post then!
Quantico arrived this morning and I got some laughs--zen/calm mamma, Isa, was in no hurry to stand up after her daunting task of foaling this big colt. Even though the birth stall is rather spacious, Quantico decided best to go over mom than around her. Future eventer? Whatever his future, this colt is wondrous--mom's calm, with a hint of humor in his personality, long legs, nice bone and hopefully all that Wanapum is adding to his other offspring. 
