August, 2014

As corny as it sounds, this truly is my field of dreams.    Never a day goes by that I don't look out and think I am the luckiest human in the world.  I was taking pictures of some youngsters and looked out and noticed a bunch clumped together in one of the pastures so had to snap this shot.

Major congratulations are due to Karra!  Although it is difficult to read the scanned image below, Karra and Khan are number one in the All Breed Awards for USDF at training level in their first year of showing!  Khan was Flama's first foal and by Galisteo and Karra came down from way up north and scrutinized my foal choices and selected Khan as a baby.  It appears she made an excellent choice.   You don't get much better than owners who train and show their own horses.   I have such heartfelt pride that I don't deserve since Khan and Karra did all the work so congratulations!

 

 Speaking of congratulations, lots are owed to Audrey Seling, pictured below with Opus.  Audrey recently graduated from vet school and so is not only working as a vet, but she and Opus have become the cover models for the vet's marketing.   The photographer who took this lovely photo generously allowed me to use it and you can see his work at www.dustyperin.com.   Audrey's mom came down and bought a brand new baby from me.  Several years later, sight unseen, Audrey and her mom agreed to buy Opus (Hereje x Colombina).   From everything I've ever heard, Opus has declared Audrey as "his person" and they are one of those magic pairs such that he prefers her to anyone else for any type of handling or riding.   Opus is another one, like the Cooper's Decio H, that is by Hereje and ended up super speckled, which I love, love, love!   A spaniard years ago told me that the flea bitten were the purest of the bloodlines.    Apparently, he loved speckles too!

 

I would enjoy other people sending information about what they are doing with or photos of our former horses.  It is such a treat to see how they mature and to hear stories to know how they are loved, cared for and adored. 

 

We are ready for summer to wind down and looking forward to a full and busy fall.  I may be hosting Ancce revision, depending on how many horses sign up to make the Spanish vet's trip to Texas worthwhile.  Also in September, I am looking forward to buyers/now friends coming for a weekend from Mississippi.   They are allowing me the privilege of having two of their mares with us for a year and a half or so and we will not only be presenting them for revision this fall or next spring, but breeding them.  One is Kisia, sold in utero (Habana x Gitano) and it will be so wonderful to see her grown up after all these years.  The other is Valencia who was here last year to breed and I feel for her head and neck, her eyes, her movement.....well, I fell for her.    So I am counting the days to have two more mares here to love on and hopefully, if they cycle in the late fall, we'll get them bred in November or December.

 

We will be taking Kairo and Prisca for the pre 3 year old halter classes and the futurity classes.  Kairo's will be oh-so-exciting as he is the only one in his futurity class.  Bummer!  But for the last show in Ft. Worth and most likely, the last Nationals we'll ever attend, it will be nice to have a quiet and easy show with no stress.   I may or may not put up the art booth, depending on if I can get some images to make some new andalusian items before the show.   We'll see on that part.  In November, I will set up my art booth at the Feathered Horse Classic (gypsy vanners and friesians) that I was forced to miss last year because of health gunk.

 

This has been a strange year for me but for sure the worst is over and I am very much looking forward to what life has in store for me in the future.   Even though seeing a number of my mares off to new homes was excruciatingly painful, I must say with less help now that it is just Valente and I, the lower number of horses has allowed me to enjoy the ones still here even more and having fewer foals is definitely less work!   Losing so many of the older mares, all in just a few months, seemed totally surreal but as one of my horses friends wrote, it makes me feel better to think they have been together for so long that they wanted to leave together.   And how wise to go before they had to suffer another brutal Texas summer.   We lost Sweet Life Beliza who was 30, Dehesa, who was 26, Ibiza who was 24 and though I had sold her, Karina still lived with us and was mine in all ways but legallly, who had a a freak injury requiring that she be put down at age 18, leaving us with her 3 week old filly.    As all stories should have a happy ending, the filly tolerated us and the milk replacement every few hours, had an older pony friend that she bonded with and now is a big 5 month old that lives in a little herd and you would never in a million years know that she had a rough start in life.

 

On a rare topic other than horses, my mom passed away in April and although I had thought I was prepared as I watched her decline daily the last few years, you are never ready to lose anyone that you love.   Fortunate is an inadequate word to describe how lucky I was to have the two best parents imageinable.   My health has been a challenge with my various autoimmune problems now including Meniere's disease which is basically an inner ear issue that comes on suddenly and leaves you so dizzy that you end up flat on the floor and nauseated and/or violently sick.    The worst of it is that you couldn't tell when it was coming on and when I had big  plans for major video fest or something to do, instead I'd have a whole day in bed and many days, I was unsafe to drive.   I had surgery scheduled last fall, but then had the opportunity through the Affordable Health Act to change to much better insurance, so cancelled surgery until I got through birthing and breeding season.  So I finally had the surgery the end of June and thankfully, the surgery seems to have resolved the worst of my dizziness and sickness issues.   I've lost almost all the hearing in the operated on hearing and am trying out a variety of amazing devices that transmit sound from my good ear to the not-so-good ear.  So bad news for everyone that knows me, I am probably speaking even louder than I used to!!!!!

 

So for those of you who wonder why I've quit emailing or seemed absent, I have had a few months that was focused on the horses, my family and myself.   But now, I hope all my challenges are in the past and I am looking forward to the future and what life is going to be like in the next chapter.  If the first two Kairo colts are an indication of the quality he will throw, I lucked out again buying a colt that has turned into a phenomenal horse.    I have a ball helping Lesley Harrison with her art business.   I hope some of you look at Lesley's art website, www.harrison-keller.com, my business on the side, as Lesley has new paintings coming more frequently of late and we are about to have some new products that would make great holiday gifts like teapots with "The Romantic" on them -- how can anyone with a Remate relative not want something with that image?   And of course, "The Gentleman" is an image of our beloved Dadivoso who has been gone so long that probably fewer of you have any of his relatives.   "The Guardian" and "The Tempest" are images of Hereje and "Pint Sized Friend" is Pinturero.   One of the newer paintings entitled "A Soft Pillow" is from a photo I took of Ibiza's last colt laying on the teddy bear that I borrowed/commandeered from one of Valente's kid's room.   "Mischief Makers" is from a photo of my last litter of corgi pups.   I have not coerced Lesley to paint Gitano yet and she has the weird opinion that he is always too fat when she comes every few years!    She has some photos that I would love to see her paint of Wanapum, but silly Lesley seems to be focusing on people who pay her for commissions than doing more of my horses!  But someday, I'll nag her until she has painted Gitano, Kairo and Wanapum, too.

 

I would love to hear all of your news and hope that anyone reading has the same feeling of peace and truly looking forward to fall and winter.    Terri

 

 

 

Spring, 2014 breeding is finished

 

This little stud muffin photo'd above is Sarape, Kairo's second colt out of Niza.    Thanks to Hernan who is buying from us for the multipled time in taking the plunge to choose this one in utero.   If this colt ended up to be shown in dressage when he matures, I'd say he'd be getting 9's on his walk and trot.   Kairo has simply outdone himself on his first two colts this year.

 

Also thanks to Jenni who bought the giant, big boned and impressive Quiana (Wanapum x Destinada).   Everyone who meets this filly in person refuses to believe she is a mere 1-1/2 years old with the presence she has.

 

With the heat upon us, we are so pleased to be finished with our spring breeding season and a successful one at that, with all our mares that we bred in foal.  Next spring we'll be having 4 Gitano babies (Gentileza, Flama, Hipolita and Isabelina) and 4 Kairo babies (Niza, Otamisia, Prisca and Destinada).  The first black or bay filly is sold and the first black or bay colt is sold, but the others will be available for sale in utero.    If next year's crop is anything close to as nice as this year's group, I will feel happy for sure.   I may say this every year but Valente and I feel like all 6 this year are particularly spectacular.

 

I may have written previously but in case I didn't, in the fall we have the huge honor to be able to welcome a 16.2 bay mare back that we will breed in the fall if she is still cycling.    Valencia has an allstar pedigree that explains why she is an extravagant mover that has to be seen as my words are inadequate.  (see more information about her coming soon for her own mare page).   Val was here last year to breed to Gitano and I fell in love with her face and everything else about her and she had a very special Gitano filly.   So Val is coming here and if she'll be ready to breed in the fall, so that her foal won't be alone the following fall, we will probably go ahead and also breed Lisa, our solid black filly bred by Ami MacHugh.    Val will be back to Gitano and Lisa will be to Kairo. 

 

Now with breeding over, we spend our days playing with the babies and mowing and weedeating---praying for lots of rain so there is alot of mowing and weedeating to be done.   I hope anyone reading this has more exciting summer plans such as vacations and the like.  Wishing cool summer nights and lots of rain for all the drought areas!

 

 

Foaling is finished for 2014!

I don't know how the end of March, all of April and half of May have flown by....but an email from a long time friend reminded me that I haven't added photos or blog info in a long time so here I am!

What a wonderful foaling season we have had and the cutting way back on number of mares and number of babies is agreeing with us!   Above is Soldado (Gitano x Isabelina) who has personality plus and movement that is quite extravagant.  My theory is when the Remate daughters have bay foals by Gitano, they are more similar to Gitano than their moms.   But when the Remate daughters have greys, like Soldado, Saragossa, and Serpico, they end up with Remate's upright neck and hopefully, some of his movement.   Soldado is for sale and soon (hopefully) my website will be updated and a slideshow with lots more photos taken today at 28 days old will be on there.

I was very fortunate to have sold 3 in utero.   The result of the breeding of Otamisia x Kairo was a solid black colt that the buyer named Sonador.  He is all boy, round and beautiful.   The other Kairo baby was also a colt, out of Niza, and his buyer named him Sarape.   A photo of beautiful Sarape at 12 days old is below.

 

 

The last one that was presold was the Gitano/Destinada foal which turned out to be a huge filly that is of the same great quality as the other 3 of this cross, all of which are now under saddle.

 

Gentileza once again threw the giant of the year---the last two of her cross with Gitano look like will be at least 16.3 and Serpico, from this year, will be that, too.   He is friendly and everything that anyone could want.  I hope someone wanting a gelding for dressage will come along as he is a perfect candidate.  

 

Last but not least is Saragossa or "Sara" named for my niece who is feminine, upright and just a beauty.    Daughter of Gitano and Hipolita, she will be the only filly we'll have for sale this year.   She is grey----it is odd that we had 10 in a row dark ones from the Ibiza/Hipolita/Isa and Gitano breedings but this year, both Hipo and Isa had greys.   When they are this nice, I'll take them whatever color:

 

 

 

Tomorrow will be a sad day as Romantica and Romeo are leaving and heading to Ontario and Quebec, respectively.   Also going to her forever home,  Conesa's new owners are coming down and will be heading to Kansas on Sunday.    What a wonderful mare and the gifts she has given us year after year in her awesome moving babies.  She is in foal to Gitano and hopefully, the lovely new owners will get a foal of their dreams.

 

We've had several outside mares here to breed and working on getting our mares back in foal.   Otamisia, Niza, Prisca and Destinada will be bred to Kairo.  If his first two colts are any indication of the quality of what he is going to throw, it will be exciting to have more of his babies next year.  Flama, Gentileza, Isabelina and Hipolita will be bred back to Gitano.  When crosses work year after year, it is difficult to change--even if Kairo looks as if he is going to match Gitano in terms of awesome offspring.  Hopefully, we'll have a visiting huge bay mare come to breed to Gitano in the fall---she was here to breed last year and I fell in love with her so if the stars align correctly, she'll be coming back to spend some time with us.

 

We hope everyone has had a wonderful spring despite the odd weather across the continent.   Our fingers are crossed for a less than brutal summer with lots of rain and plentiful hay crops.   

 

 

 

Cadiz is growing and weaned!

You may have seen the post several months ago of Ibiza's colt, Cadiz.   Well, he is now weaned and has just blown me away with his wonderful personality.   Put in with all the older spring foals, and being the only fall foal, he fit into his little herd immediately and is so easy for anything we ask of him.

This photo is of his stupendously great foal blanket that his owner sent---it was a Christmas gift from her parents which is so special on so many levels.   And proof that Cadiz will live a luxurious and spoiled life--having only the best.   

I am still not sure if he is going to be a true black or a black/bay like his daddy.   We bred Ibiza back to Gitano and should know this week if she took.    Reproductively, she is so healthy and in heat, literally begged to be bred.    Poor mature mare that I debated about retiring, but when I think there may be another one like Cadiz for next year......well, you know me, I couldn't resist just one more.  

 

The best time of year!

After a winter of weirdo weather, some health issues and the bummer of Flama having aborted, I was tired of myself whining and ready to move into over-the-top joy mode.   So here it is!

Friday night, Otamisia had an easy delivery of her first foal who happens to be Kairo's first offspring/first colt!   I am beyond thrilled as the colt looks like mini-Kairo (at least for now) and is I can see in the flesh just exactly what I hoped the Gitano daughters would produce with Kairo.   Thank you Carlos for your leap of faith of buying this guy in utero--you were rewarded bigtime with this special, wonderful black colt.   I'm not sure if Carlos is picking his name or I am, but he is the first "S" baby and since I can't go without a name instantly, I've been calling him Samson for the moment.   Here he is photo'd at 48 hours old.

 Seems very calm, despite his first time mom still trying to figure all this out, no white markings and looks like Ota x Kairo will be forever paired!

An outside mare is here to breed to Kairo and so he was collected for the first time last week and just as we experienced with his live covers, he is a perfect gentleman, patient and easy breeder.   If a young stallion gets any better than this, I don't think I can stand it!   We also bred Sirena, the half-andalusian champagne to Kairo.  I'll be breeding several more of my own this year to Kairo but only a very few to my customers or special circumstances as he is so young that he doesn't need to be overbred!

If anyone has any great ideas for names beginning with "S", please send them along.   I have a list but never know if a name suits the babies.   Since I've sold another couple in utero, I don't have that many to name, but still, it adds to all the fun to have extra-special names ready.

Still on cloud nine from Ota's colt being born, and within twenty-four hours, Melinda Hallmark's filly pictured to the left arrived!   This is another of the great cross of Karina and Gitano.   Melinda named her Danzadora and of course I'm already stuck on calling her "Danza".   She is calm and friendly and Karina, being so experienced, the best possible mom.    The next two coming won't be mine---Melinda's next one, Karateka x Gitano should be by the end of March and Katy's Gracie x Gitano about the same time.  I can't wait---I enjoy them the same whether they are mine or not!

photo taken at 24 hours old of Danza