The "Next" Generation

Somewhere buried within all this fuzzy, faded, poofy winter glory, are my up and coming superstars of 2010. :) Meet Clash (Southern Rock Star), by The Ultimate Fancy out of my favorite mare Southern Sensations a.k.a Sendy, my 2010 Congress Masters prospect, and Mr. World Champion Tator (Twenty Four Karat Chip), by Zips Chocolate Chip, during his first ride with me. Gotta love these winter diamond in the rough pictures, but I know personally that they clean up pretty well. ;-)





I was trying to shoo Mr. In-Your-Pocket away with a stick so I could get photos...



...and this is how well that worked.



.....





He is a BIG BOY for 18 months old, you'd think he's a halter baby...















In other news... it's already almost Christmas! You know what that means... FOALING SEASON is ALMOST here!! WOOHOO!! Just two and a half months for us here at Top Line, hopefully that will fly by... :)

Aim high, why not?

Well, this year was a bummer. Well, with the exception of Tator of course, he was definitely the star of 2009! But the rest, well, circumstances just did not align to get them shown. But you know what? I'm not going to let that get me down. Instead of letting a down year scare me away, I'm going to use it as motivation to work my butt off for next year. It's a bit too early for a New Year's resolution, but I already know mine. Do everything I can to make 2010 the year I have been waiting for. There are some very nice horses sitting in this barn, that I am very proud to have in my life, that need to be utilized and done justice.

That said, I think I have some killer two year olds for next year.. the best I've ever been blessed to own. If I can downsize my stock, and concentrate on these guys, I am thinking that Tator would be a serious candidate for the Reichert 250k class, and Clash for the Congress Masters class. Tator is a bit older and more mature so I think he'd be the better candidate for the Reichert, Clash is a May baby so I'd feel better not pushing him and holding him off for Congress. Tator has been started and is riding now, I'm excited to try him out myself this week and hopefully come back with some video for ya'll. :) I will be starting Clash myself. I plan on doing most the work with them myself as I did with Mocha, and finding a rider for the big shows. Perhaps these are pretty lofty goals. But, ya know what? Prospects like these don't come along every day, or every year, or every couple years. These are the best I've had, and the only way to accomplish goals is to try. The only sure way to fail is to not even try, right?

Here is Clash, who I'm also thinking might make a mighty fine HUS horse if he gets big enough, lol. Keep in mind he was not longed this year and mostly kept out to pasture since he was a late baby, so he is as green as green can be. He has the flattest front leg at the lope and such a rhythmical jog/trot. Horrible footing in this pen and he likes to strut his stuff with is tail up, but I'm already seeing the future of a broke Clash in a nice arena with a big fat tail. ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4GsIZO4__c

And of course, most of you probably already know the Tatornator :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDhBpoqOLOM

So, with that, it is time for a complete revamping here at Top Line. We are overhorsed, and it has kept us out of many of the shows this year due to time and financial constraints. Therefore, I am offering several of my young prospects for sale, that I did not previously want to sell. However, sacrifices must be made, I can't keep them all, though I wish I could. These guys are going to do VERY well for someone who has the time to put into them!

2008 bay Zippo Jack Bar/Zips Chocolate Chip filly. Very, VERY pretty, very sweet, very well made. Super flat front leg. Moves like her breeding dictates. Would be a great two year old for next year. WP, all-around. Selling for $2500 with registration application. IF eligible. VERY underpriced and does not reflect quality.

2007 black Sweet Talkin Chip filly. The quietest, sweetest mare EVER. Greenbroke to ride, but super quiet and safe, a kid or novice could finish her out. Super flashy and will catch the eye at shows. Won't hurt my feelings if she doesn't sell, I would LOVE to breed her to one of my guys next year, but she should show. $5000

2004 15.3 hand chestnut Sonnys Hot Jazz/World Champion Once In A Dream gelding. World caliber fence prospect. Super freaky over fences. Very pretty topline, excellent conformation. Has been shown at open hunter shows. Has been on the backburner which is the only reason for his price, someone will get a steal. Safe and lazy, will do the all-around too. $3500

2009 bay Only In The Moonlight/A Sudden Impulse filly. This filly is the REAL DEAL and could be my Tator for next year if I had the extra time and funds. She is going to go all the way. FREAKY flat up front, absolutely exquisitely put together. She is going to be one of those big time mares worth doing embryos on. $12,500

2009 grey So Riveting/Zippo Jack Bar colt. He is everything that is wanted in a modern huntseater these days. He got all the right parts. Tall, leggy, big strided like a HUS horse, but slow legged and can lope like a western horse, with a pretty, dishy face. He could win the Congress LL next year. $4000

2002 15.2 hand bay mare by Skip The Assets out of Investment Asset, out of a Zippos Old Gold mare. STUNNING mare. Lots of chrome and hair. Looks like a Lazy Loper and would be a pretty cool cross with him! Was told she was broke to ride, and is sound, though I haven't tried. In foal to A Chance For Romance, asking only $850 if I can retain the foal, with a free breedback, so you are basically getting a free mare with a breeding! $2500 with foal.

So there is my New Year's Resolution, 2010. Sell, even if I don't want to, so I can have time and finances left for a handful, and actually get places with them. :)

TLPH Baby Bumps!

I'll say it again... even though winter hasn't even started yet, spring is just around the corner! Here is the current state of the TLPH mare's baby bumps in their various states of gestation. I'm sure I will be posting more baby bump updates as they progress - I need SOMETHING to pass the time! I have never been so excited for a foaling season... the first Chance foal crop! Not to mention all the COLOR possibilities next year. :) All these mares will be on Marestare for the third year, this will be our busiest yet!

I just noticed they are all due in pairs except for the last one. Good thing we have two foaling stalls!




"Sheza", the first mare due of the spring. She is the surrogate mare that is carrying the A Chance For Romance x Skys Castle Magic embryo. Due March 5, we'll start watching her mid-Feb.



"Jamie", the second surrogate mare. She is carrying the much-anticipated A Chance For Romance x Southern Sensations embryo. Due March 11. She'll be in our second foaling stall next to Jamie. First two babies of the year are Chance's, with possibility for color!



Next is ML Zippos Venture "Lucy". She is carrying her second foal, her first by A Chance For Romance. Due March 20th. Hopefully the first two mares will be out of the foaling stalls for her and the next that is due almost the same day as Lucy...



Skys Castle Magic, aka Shirley, is due on March 23rd with her second foal of the year, this one she is carrying, by Artful Move. I'm excited about this foal because I think it is the closest I will get to the late Milo, my buckskin Artful Move colt that passed away. He was one of a kind, but this mare is so similar in type, movement, and mind, to his late dam Lexi, plus with the color to boot, that maybe, just maybe I will get something similar. I won't even expect a buckskin colt though... LOL. Things like that just don't happen twice! :)



Next is the great Southern Sensations, aka Sendy, with the second most anticipated foal of the year, just because it's hers! It is by Huntin For Chocolate and is our only western pleasure bred baby of the year (although I suspect her Chance baby may end up that type as well). Don't have an exact date for her, due mid April, but she looks due in mid December! Note the lovely, faded, annual winter jammies she gets. :P



This is Sleepy Little Asset aka Lily. She is in foal to Chance, I don't have an exact due date on her either other than mid April. I suspect this foal will go both ways, western and english, and be absolutely stunning headed. Oh, and bay!



Last but not least, as it is likely our most unique breeding of the year, is Lady Serengeti, aka Sara the Appaloosa. This is our first ever Appaloosa and she is in foal to Chance! Still sporting a rather slender baby bump, this poor girl is due a month and a half after the last girls to foal, May 31! We just didn't want to waste a year on this lovely spotted girl though, and are so excited to see the appaloosa huntseat foal by Chance! She is also a red dun, so two possibilities for color.. although I know we'll get solid sorrel. :P

You can check out all these girls in their more fit forms at http://toplineperformancehorses.com/broodmares.htm

Happy Baby Bakin'!
~Amy

Busy Busy Time

Well, I know it's been awhile since I've updated. I have to admit, Congress took a bit of wind out of my sails. However, I have recuperated physically and mentally, and am ready to tackle the busy Florida winter circuit! Chance and I have been busting our butts to get into shape. I'd say we're about 50% there, hopefully that is good enough for the show this weekend LOL. I will admit, Chance is progressing quicker than I as far as getting back into shape! Chance has had an easy year of it, but he deserved it after his relatively busy yearling and two year old year. He was away all breeding season and didn't get back into things until summer, and at that point I was gone half the summer showing Tator, and then Congress. Chance thought he had it easy from now on, like he had been retired to stud or something! NOT, LOL.

It is tougher getting these big, growthy young horses into shape than their smaller, chunkier, more compact western counterparts. We have been working extensively on collecting, bending, suppling, and engaging from behind. We totally ignored the headseat for awhile in favor of getting his body back into shape and carrying himself properly. We also started over low jumps, which he LOVES. This has given him something to do other than circles and keeps his mind fresh. He approaches the jumps with his ears forward and is just a natural. It has been an amazing help with strengthening his body, rounding his back, and teaching him how to collect, speed up, slow down, and lengthen his stride with ease. We're now at the point where he is moving beautifully and we are starting to tack that headset back on. It's a slow process, much slower than with the western horses, but here's hoping that the end result will be a beautiful, supple, consistent horse!

Also, I started Chance in pleasure driving. He has NEVER even been ground driven and the very first day we were ground driving around the property, collecting to jog and extending the trot! It was a workout for me too, Chance was probably thinking how do YOU like trotting around in circles! I fired back that pretty soon he is going to be hauling my butt around in a cart... pretty much requires as little physical effort possible! ;-)

First show of the winter, New Symrna next weekend. I am VERY excited to report that as well as Chance, I will be taking Mocha to this show and we will be returning as a team for the first time since September! :-) I missed riding and showing him SOO much. We're going to try to finish out that ROM and qualifying by breeding season, so that he can enjoy the spring without any showing worries (what a life!). Western day for Mocha is Saturday, english day for Chance is Sunday. The goal is to show Chance although I won't push it if he's not quite ready. He's progressing nicely though, and we will certainly be showing within the month. Honestly, it's more fitting my out of shape butt in breeches and an english saddle that is the problem! We have to finish out that ROM by breeding season though, and hopefully get qualified in the HUS and pleasure driving, so we will definitely be showing over the winter.

We have a show EVERY weekend for a month, then a couple weeks off for Christmas, then off to weeks long Gold/Gulf Coasts and the Venice winter circuit! It's busy busy time for sure, but the boys will enjoy a long spring off with just grass and mares. Ahh, springtime, it's just on the horizon... okay, I know winter hasn't even started yet, but still! I'm already envisioning all those Chance babies running around my pastures!

Stay tuned for show updates,
~Amy

Keep on truckin...

Well, I'm sad to report that due to a misunderstanding, Tator was never entered in his Congress class and now it's too late. A disappointing month this has been for sure. I guess I was due after three successful Congress' in a row. Oh well, nothing else to do but keep on truckin' for the rest of the shows to come.

It's that time, already?

It's time already for mare breeders to start shopping for the perfect mate for their mare in the spring. I would like to invite you to consider our stallions here at Top Line. Here is a brief rundown of each stallion and information. After 15 years of learning and trial and error, we have narrowed our selection down to what we feel are some of the nicest AQHA stallions available. Not only do we specially select from the top bloodlines from the industry, and the desirable movement to be competitive at the top levels, we dig deeper for attributes for our stallions.

Each stallion is absolutely gorgeous in his own right. We look for performance halter quality conformation. Not only is each stallion correct in conformation, but they all are absolutely gorgeous headed. Dishy faces, big, expressive eyes, refined muzzles, broad between the eyes, small ears, tying into beautiful toplines. They are uniquely colored, varying from the more rare and well liked liver chestnut, to the ever popular classic bay with a rabicano roaning for some variety, to the always desirable palomino.

However, the most important factor I would like to stress about our stallions is their MIND. I'm very proud to say that not only are they extremely quiet for stallions, they are extremely quiet horses in general. These are stallions that don't spook on a regular basis and handle everything with a calm head. I have had countless people observe that they cannot believe how quiet these young stallions are at home and at a horse show. They all have a "do anything" personality and take everything you hand to them in stride. They love their jobs, and always approach you with their ears forward in a friendly, curious manner. They are lazy, you never have to worry about hanging onto them or taking off, and don't need tons of lunging. They are extremely intelligent and are already showing talent in a multitude of events at a young age. These are stallions that are not "studdy". No "nipping". No inappropriate or dangerous behaviors or vices. If you are looking to quiet down a hotter mare, or just carry on the quiet gene, you CANNOT go wrong with these guys if you are looking for a smart, trainable, level headed match for your mare.

Finally, our stallions are still out there competing at the top levels. They each hold an impressive show record for their young age that we will continue to expand upon for years to come. Many stallions do not make it to the show pen, you would be surprised if you looked into how many stallions at stud have actually done anything in the pen themselves. Many stallions are gelded after being unsuccessful or hard to manage in the show pen. Many, in fact the majority of stallions are retired after a year or so of showing, or after they win one major title, whether it is because of being hard to manage in the pen or because the owner feels they have done enough to prove their worth as a stud. Here at Top Line, our stallions are also our show horses. Even though all have made achievements on top of their already desirable attributes for the breeding shed, they will continue to show for years to come in a multitude of events, as evidence of their trainable minds and athleticism.

If you aren't familiar with our stallions, here is a rundown:




A Chance For Romance - 2006 16.3 hand dark bay rabicano stallion. "Chance" is very much still growing and should top out over 17 hands. Chance is the only standing stallion with his combination of bloodlines, and ALL the famous stallions in his pedigree are deceased, so if you want those lines, this is your guy! His bloodlines are absolutely the elite of the elite for english events.

Sire: The late, great, World and Congress Champion, and World and Congress Champion producer, Luke At Me. (deceased)

Dam: Miss Patricia Lark, producer of WORLD CHAMPION and FULL brother to A Chance For Romance, Good Lukin Lark.

Dam sire: The GREAT, Rugged Lark. 'nuff said. (deceased)

More interesting pedigree notes: Miss Patricia Lark is full sister to the great Regal Lark, multiple World/Congress Champion. (deceased) As well as My Royal Lark, Lynn Palm's late show stallion that appeared in all of her more recent advertising and videos. (deceased)

Show Record: 2007 Congress Top Ten Open Yearling HUS Longe Line (6th)
2008 Congress Top Ten Open Two Year Old Hunter Under Saddle (7th)
2008 Top Five Southern Belle Futurity Open Two Year Old HUS

Chance has won national titles at the biggest of the big shows since a yearling. He had minimal preparation and minimal showing before these shows. He hasn't been pushed and is now beginning his training for all-around events. Not only do we plan to continue his successful HUS career, but we are adding pleasure driving and over fences for next year. Also, his quiet mind is showing promise for the pattern events that stallions are very rarely found in, i.e. showmanship, horsemanship, and equitation. His slow legs and athletic body enable him to do some western events as well, expect to see him in trail and western riding events in the future. This versatile stallion is a true all-around horse. I would not hesitate to breed him to either western or english type mares.

His first foal crop is due in 2010 with six foals expected from excellent "test" mares, so we can prove his siring ability. I've never been so excited for a foal crop. He is bred to outstanding mares, including a two time Reserve World Champion Sky Blue Walker daughter, a Zippo Jack Bar daughter who is full sibling to multiple Congress Champions, our best producing mare Southern Sensations, a stunning Investment Asset/Zippos Old gold mare, and to prove Chance as a sire in OTHER breeds, a gorgeous red dun snowflake ApHC mare with multiple World Champion bloodlines.

Breeding information:
2010 introductory stud fee is $850. We feel that Chance is one of the best huntseat bargins on the market.
Booking fee: $250, goes towards stud fee.
Collection: $100
Shipped Semen: $250
On Farm available.
Multiple mare discount ($100 off each additional mare), early booking discount ($100 off if booked before Dec. 31), proven mare discount, World and Reserve World Champions, Congress and Reserve Congress Champions, superior earners, or producers of such, breed FREE! This includes, AQHA, APHA, ApHC, PHBA, IBHA, and ABRA mares. World Show, Congress, major national futurity Top Tens or producers of such breed 1/2 off. ROM earners or producers of such breed 1/2 off.



A Blazing Impulse - 2006 liver chestnut stallion, 15.2 hands. If you want to get "Mocha's" bloodlines, you also have to breed to a son as his sire is no longer standing. Also, he has one of the strongest mare lines of any A Sudden Impulse stallion on the market.

Sire: The great, World Champion A Sudden Impulse.

Sire's sire: The legendary Impulsions.

Dam: Blazing Hot Star, a young mare who has foals on the ground by the best of the best sires including ASI, Lazy Loper, and Invitation Only. Owned by the Farina's, owner of IO himself. Expect to see Mocha's siblings in the show pen.

Dam sire: The great mutiple World Champion and producer Blazing Hot.

Additional pedigree notes: Not only is Mocha's dam by the great Blazing Hot, she is out of a daughter of Starrific on her bottom side. Starrific was a great producing stallion with one of his most notable offspring being the late, great, Don't Skip Charlie.

As you can see, Mocha is bred to the hilt for Western Pleasure on both sides. He would be an excellent cross for your Zippo bred mares as he carries limited Zippo himself. What an outcross for Zippo mares, Invitation Only mares, Goodbar mares, Invester mares, etc! There are a variety of breeding possibilities for this boy if you want an outcross for your mare while still keeping with popular, proven bloodlines.

Show Record: 5.5 OPEN Western Pleasure Points
FQHA Labor Day Circuit Champion

Mocha has had the least showing of our available stallions due to a devastating trailer accident when he was a yearling, of which no one thought he would recover enough to show. Not only did he recover, but he won HALF his Open WP ROM and Circuit Champion in one horse show! As evidence of his GREAT mind, all of his recovery, rehabilitation, training, and finishing for shows up until that point was done by myself, an amateur rider. Mocha sadly developed an abscess before his WP class at the Congress this year where we expected him to do well, poor guy can't catch a break! However, good news is that it's an easy recovery and he'll be back to the shows next month. We expect him to easily finish his ROM in no time and our goal is to qualify for the World in JR Western Pleasure, as well as adding western riding and trail. He shows great promise for those events, he is an excellent lead changer and is very cunning on a trail course.

Breeding information:
2010 introductory stud fee is $850.
Booking fee: $250, goes towards stud fee.
Collection: $100
Shipped Semen: $250
On Farm available.
Multiple mare discount ($100 off each additional mare), early booking discount ($100 off if booked before Dec. 31), proven mare discount, World and Reserve World Champions, Congress and Reserve Congress Champions, superior earners, or producers of such, breed FREE! This includes, AQHA, APHA, ApHC, PHBA, IBHA, and ABRA mares. World Show, Congress, major national futurity Top Tens or producers of such breed 1/2 off. ROM earners or producers of such breed 1/2 off.



Twenty Four Karat Chip - 2008 palomino stallion. "Tator" is our youngest yet most accomplished stallion here at Top Line. Because of the outstanding interest and our hope for him as a sire, we have decided to offer Tator to an extremely limited book of mares.

Sire: The legendary World Champion Zips Chocolate Chip.

Sire's sire: The founder of modern western pleasure, the great Zippo Pine Bar.

Dam: El Bee Cream O Wheat, a Sonny Dee Bar bred mare that is a multiple World Champion producer, multiple major Futurity winning producer, and a Congress Top Ten producer.

Pedigree notes: Tator's dam has a full sister to Tator on the ground and is expecting a 2010 by One Hot Invitation. Tator's siblings are all equally talented and expect to see his young palomino sister conquer the longe line next year just like he did this year.

Show Record:
Tom Powers Futurity Non-Pro Color Longe Line CHAMPION, first under three judges.
Tom Powers Futurity Open Color Longe Line CHAMPION, unanimous!
Southern Belle Futurity Open Breeders Color Longe Line, CHAMPION, unanimous!
Palomino World Show Open Longe Line WORLD CHAMPION, first under three judges.
Reichert Futurity Open Color Longe Line CHAMPION, unanimous!
Reichert Futurity Open Western Longe Line TOP FIVE
UNDEFEATED at all major futurities in Open Color Longe Line 2009!
Congress results pending as of tomorrow!
Currently LEADING the nation in Open NSBA Longe Line for 2009!

As you can see, Tator has accomplished a show record many horses can only dream of just in his yearling year! He is one of the best movers in the country and certainly the best moving Palomino stallion available. He is the ONLY palomino son of Zips Chocolate Chip. He is gorgeous, a golden dapple palomino, with an almost Arabian looking head. Very lazy, laid back, reacts to nothing. He was shown by some of the top Trainers in the country this year including Gord Wadds, Kathie Kennedy, and Russ Smith, all of which marveled at his quiet, unphased attitude at the horse shows. Expect GREAT things from this horse, we are so excited for his riding future and for his foals in years to come.

Breeding information:
2010 breeding fee is $1000 payable AFTER your mare conceives in foal.
A Booking fee of $250 included in the stud fee is required before any shipment of semen.
Tator will be collected via chemical ejaculation as we feel he is too young to physically breed.
Please email me for more information on chemical ejaculation and the specifications of this breeding.
Outside breedings will be sold first come first serve.

Well, I hope you have had your fill of anything you could ever hope to know about the stallions here at Top Line, and that I have answered any possible questions. If you do have additional questions, feel free to leave a comment on here or send me an email at TopLineQH@aol.com. Thank you for reading and considering a Top Line stallion for your mare!

In other news, Tator shows tomorrow in the Open Longe Line at the Congress, stay tuned!
~Amy

Annual Disappointment

Well, it's becoming a trend. Second year in a row, a disaster at Congress time. Last year, my former horse, So Riveting, put his foot through the stall door the day before his class. This year, Mocha, the one I have been SO excited about, developed an abscess. That could be the cause of him being not as on par as usual in his class last week, and now by the day of his JR WP class, he is lame.

Sometimes you have to wonder why life throws you these curveballs. As you all know, this was to be the most exciting accomplishment of my life. Now, lots of time, effort, and money later, he gets all the way to the show of the year to get an abscess. Poor Mocha cannot catch a break, first his injury, now when he's about to make his leap into the limelight, this happens.

On a positive note, at least this will heal, and Mocha and I will keep on truckin. No matter what obstacles life throws in our path, we will do our best to get him shown and proven as the great show horse he is. He's still behaving excellently, and apparently everyone who sees him, loves him.

Fingers crossed for Tator on the 23rd. We decided to go ahead and show him regardless of the subpar haircoat. We'll just get him looking as pretty as possible, and he's going around great, so there is still a possibility he could at least garner a Top Ten, which certainly a Top Ten at Congress wouldn't be peanuts on his show record. It looks to be a good, tough class, with more high class longe liners than I have ever seen, this was a tough year to longe for sure.

C'mon Tator, our last hope for Congress 2010! :)

Too "Green" for the Green

Well, the good and the bad to report from Congress. The good, Mocha behaved WONDERFULLY. I could not ask for more with his disposition and behavior at the biggest horse show of all horse shows.. a green, three year old stallion at his third horse show ever, that just happens to be the Congress! The horse I trained held his own out there, definitely looked like a Congress horse, and many said he should have made the finals. Unfortunately, in the open green western pleasure class, he was one of the very few three year olds, more than likely the only three year old to be under saddle for less than a year, and likely the only horse to be at his third horse show! So, despite being super quiet and on his best behavior... there were still things to look at. Even though his neck did not move the whole time, occasionally the head would look inside, look outside, etc. Very, very subtle, but still, when you're at the biggest horse show with the best of the best, the little things can kill you. Also, the majority that placed were NOT better movers than Mocha.. however, they were just slow, slow, slow. Did not come off the rail, did not put a toe out of line. For a Green western pleasure class, the horses were darn broke. Mocha had it rough, he was in the 5th and final split before the finals. Therefore, the judges had already seen the best of the best in his class by the time they reached his split, and likely would have already made up their minds. They only picked THREE from his split, and had no semi-finals. You never know how he would have made out if he had been in the first split or two... oh well!



It was a great experience and after showing at the Congress, he should do well at ANY horse show. It takes an amazing minded horse to go from injured and unbroke this time last year, to showing at the Congress in an open WP class this year... while being a stallion to boot. I believe Mocha will be one to contend with in the future, and I'm very excited to see what's in store for him. With how quickly he's racking up the points, he may easily make it to the World Show next year! I bet by the time that arrives he will be a flawlessly broke western pleasure horse. I'm also excited to announce that after the big bucks spent on showing this year, he will be returning home for awhile to give my wallet a break... meaning that he and I will again be partners and finish what we started together. We will also add western riding and trail, I can't wait!



In other not-so-hot news from the Congress, Tator has decided to sprout a hair coat. If you've ever had a palomino, you probably know how hard it is to keep their coats in tip-top shape through the winter. After I sent him away to prepare for Congress, there was a big cold front, and I guarantee that's what happened. Gone is the beautiful, deep gold, dappley, shiny Tator from the summer. Now we have a poofy, dull, cream colored, dapple-free Tator. :( He also has developed a cough, possibly the horsey version of "Congress Crud". So... I'm sad to announce that his showing in the Western Longe Line on Oct 23 is now up in the air. I have too much pride in my show stock to let him go in the pen looking like he was pulled from the pasture and sent to Congress. He had a chance to win this class or place very high up. However, I haven't totally given up hope.. we're going to see how cleaned up we can get him, and if his cough fades... maybe his moves will still garner the appreciation he deserves while in the class. He may not place as high as he would of... but if he can still at least place at the Congress, that would still look good on his show record. So... I guess we will wait and see what we have in a week. If he does show, and if you are a Tator fan and will be at the Congress, we'll need a big cheering section to help show that his haircoat doesn't matter, LOL!



Stay tuned...

~Amy

...and we're off!

...to Columbus, OH, for the Quarter Horse Congress! Leaving tomorrow a.m. to see Mocha show in the Green Western Pleasure on Tuesday a.m. I am already nervous! It just recently hit me that this is MOCHA I'm going to watch this year. I am always excited to have any of my horses show, but this year is just extra special and emotional for me. This is just one of those rare experiences in life.. to have raised, rehabbed, and trained a horse from crippled to Congress! It just goes to show that if you know your horse, and put in the work, that you don't have to be a big name or a professional to train a Congress contender. This is just doubly exciting for me since not only did I rehab him, but I trained and finished him up until a month ago.

This is Mocha after 30 rides with me. It's the earliest footage I have of him riding. I wanted to post something so you can get a feel for how far he's come in a year, unfortunately I don't have where he REALLY started on video, which was in the round pen, not knowing how to canter, and not picking up the right lead. This was right after I finally was able to get him to pick up the right lead, but you can still see he was off to the right at this point in time, although substantially better than he was at first, not even being able to hold the right lead.

So here is his "before video":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7jfANxd8t8

And his after video, less than a year later, from the QH Congress will be posted on Tuesday! WAHOO, what a dream! :)

~Amy

Here's the video, finally!

Here is the video of Ally practicing huntseat. Keep in mind this is her third time ever doing huntseat, but overall I think she shows a lot of promise and I'm very excited! You can't even tell she's shorter with me on her, LOL.

Ally's video!

So who's going to Congress?

How about you guys? How many of you are going to Congress? If so, what are you showing in, what do you have showing, or what are you going to watch?

Will any of you be there the days my horses are showing? If so, I would love to meet you!

My schedule is:

A Blazing Impulse Green Western Pleasure October 13 8:00am
Forever N Always Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle Oct 20 afternoon
A Blazing Impulse Junior Western Pleasure Oct 20 afternoon immediately following Nov Am HUS
Forever N Always Novice Amateur Equitation Oct 21 afternoon
Twenty Four Karat Chip Open Western Longe Line Oct 23 8:00am

That's my busy schedule, assuming of course I still follow through with the plan of showing Ally!

How about ya'll??
~Amy

2009 Congress Ad

I had about two hours to whip this up, and here we go!

Will be in the Congress edition of gohorseshow.com and will be our Congress flyers. Sorry it's so small, that's as big as blogger would allow. :( Click on it for a semi-larger version.. full sized will be in gohorseshow.com's GoMag!

Photo Shoot!

Had a little photo shoot with Chance (A Chance For Romance), Ally (Forever N Always) and I for Congress ads today. Thought I would share my favorite shots. Also some of Clash just for good measure... Sendy's (Southern Sensations) awesome yearling. :)













~Amy

More Congress Thoughts...

So after my excellent ride on Ally last night... I can't squelch the the tempting thought that is taking over my mind... novice amateur HUS at Congress. The more I think about it, I think, why not? This is probably my last year in the novice in the HUS. If I'm going to start showing my HUS stallion, Chance, plus work on getting qualified next year, I will be pointed out by the end of the year. Part of me wants to hold off to "retain" that status for one more year... but the rest of me says, I need to work on my goals of Chance and getting qualified. Therefore, this would make this the last year I am ever eligible for novice HUS at the Congress... so shouldn't I take advantage?

Here are the pros and the cons, so far I'd say they are evenly spilt with with pros having a slight advantage. I'll begin with the cons.

Cons:
I just bought this mare. We have not had time to establish a "relationship" yet, nor do I know how she behaves a the shows.
She has only been to a few shows in her life.
She is green at the HUS, all of her training has been WP. Therefore, we need to work on moving her up into the bridle and getting a nice, slow legged long trot, where as now she just wants to jog and speed up her jog, as all of her training has been strictly jogging for WP.
I will have to focus extra hard on preparing her for the HUS, so her WP might go backwards.
I only have less than a month to prepare and organize getting her to Congress, where we will be a late entry.
I will have to spend a lot more time at Congress than I had anticipated. The original plan was to just fly in for a couple days for Mocha's green WP class, then fly back for his JR WP and Tator's longe line class. This would keep me from freezing TOO much, losing TOO much sleep, and getting sick.
She is 15.2 hands.

Pros:
I just bought the mare, but we are getting along fantastically and I have already have had some of the best rides of my life on her. She is push button and super easy.
She may be smaller but she has a KILLER canter, and is going to be a lot more consistant and uniform of a package than a lot of the bigger horses, especially in the novice HUS.
Although we only have a month to prepare, the only real thing we need to work on is collecting her at the long trot. This is one of my strong suits and we've already made progress in a couple days, much less a month. As far as training issues go, it could be a LOT worse.
If we can get through the class, she should really be at least top ten quality, so I can go out in my last year of novice am HUS with a bang.
We could also possibly do the novice am equitation there, so long as there is no lead change. It would make the trip more worth it, than for just one class.
It would be excellent practice for getting me ready to show Chance at the big shows in the amateur next year.
I have a couple shows I can take her to before Congress to see how she takes them.

Honestly, the biggest con to me and the only thing that is making me hesitant, is that she's only been to a few horse shows, and now Congress? I don't want to rush it and freak her or myself out, nor put myself at risk if she doesn't take it well. However, I would be getting her there a week and a half before her class so if she's going to adjust, that seems like enough time, and plenty of time to get her in the Celeste or Coliseum every day, and ride her in all the traffic. There are two and three year old horses there that surely have no more experience than she has, and it would be their first Congress as well.

When I'm thinking about this subject, and when I lean towards the chickening out side - not enough time, not an experienced enough horse, too long to be gone from home, too cold, too wet, too nervous, too much work and stress... I think about the possible reward, and how long I've been waiting for a horse like this to show... as well as possibly my last opportunity, ever, to show in the novice am HUS at Congress.

Carrie Underwood's song "Wasted" always runs through my mind during situations like this...:

I don't wanna spend my life jaded
Waiting to wake up one day and find
That I've let all these years go by
Wasted

I don't wanna' keep on wishing, missing
The still of the morning, the color of the night
I ain't spending no more time
Wasted

It always gives me a boost to "buck up", and take the leap, instead of always wondering what could have been.

What would you do?

~Amy

P.S. I'm going to try to get a video of her today and put it online!

The rides that take your breath away...

...one of those happened for me tonight. I had one of the best rides of my life tonight on my new mare, Ally. If this is a sign of things to come, I can't wait. I'm just in love with this mare. She's so push button... we worked on hunter under saddle, western pleasure, equitation, and horsemanship. She would move out wonderfully for HUS with some clucks and kisses and would slow right back down to WP if I just closed my legs and said "easy". We did some horsemanship patterns, with slow circles and big fast circles... we'd lope a beautiful slow circle then I'd just cluck to her and she'd immediately extend out for the fast circle without any hesitation. The best part is, this is a relatively green mare. If she is this natural, and this great already, oh boy, I cannot WAIT for our future together.

I don't think anything feels better than riding a fluid, responsive horse. Just sitting up there along for the ride while my horse obeyed every cue... you couldn't wipe the grin off my face. After riding, I gave her a baking soda bath to help soothe the heat hives she broke out in after her transition from cool northern WI to 90+ degree FL :(, pressure washed those stockings with the hose which is a multiple time per day job (the downfall to my being a "lover of chrome"), conditioned her beautiful tail, and fly sprayed her to keep those pesky mosquitoes off of her, of which she is apparently not used to as well! Poor Miss Ally is going to have to adjust to being a FL girl... lucky for her she doesn't have to deal with it long, since our first cold front is supposed to arrive next week, already! Next, we had our second showmanship lesson. Just the second lesson and she went from having no idea how to trot in hand yesterday, to trotting off right when I cluck and stopping on a time when I say "whoa". She's also pivoting 1/4 of a turn, and learning how to move her feet back and forth to set up.

Then, I gave her scratches while I hand grazed her during a beautiful Florida sunset, while the breeze blew in that wonderful air of my favorite time of year, fall.

Corny as it may be, does it get any better than that?? :-D

~Amy

The Height Debate.

So, in my quest to find the perfect all-around mare, I found Ally. She's only been here since the beginning of the week, and I am in love! There is only one "less than perfect" quality to her, that being that she is 15.2 hands. Oh, if only she'd of been an inch or two bigger! Granted, she is only a four year old so there is still some potential for oh.. say... half an inch or so to gain? ;-) I bought Ally for a western all-around horse. WP is her strong suit, and I want to add horsemanship, western riding, trail, showmanship, and equitation. However, when I get this mare here, I see that she could be excellent legged for the huntseat as well! Could it be, I found my "all-in-one" horse, that can do BOTH the english and western events? I suppose, that depends on the judging at any given time... whether they prefer the height or the moves. She really is amazing legged and soft... she'd be a GREAT one in the HUS if she was only a couple inches taller.

So, I decided to take on the challenge. I will begin showing Ally, all 15.2 hands of her, in the hunter under saddle in addition to western events. The worst we can do is lose, but she is SO great legged that I'm willing to bet that over half the judges out there will judge her fairly. The other bonus is that I'm pretty short, at 5"3, so I don't make her look dwarfed.

So here goes nothing... I will try showing Ally in the HUS this weekend at a Venice, FL show (if I get her papers in time), and then the HQHA futurity in Unadilla, GA next weekend. Depending on how she goes at those shows, I can't say I'm not keeping a late Congress entry for the Novice Am HUS in my thoughts... :-X But we'll cross that bridge when we get there!

Did I say I'm in LOVE with this mare? She is so pretty with her dishy, blazed, almost arab looking face, her flashy rabicano frosting all over her body, tall stockings and skunk tail... and she is a SWEETHEART. Now that she has settled in, we are becoming the best of friends. She had her first showmanship lesson last night, I can't wait for that, boy will she have the eye appeal for that. I'm in LOVE... and if I can get her doing EVERTHING, that will be icing on the cake! I'm so excited for our future, I might have finally found the all-around horse of my dreams.




Stay tuned!
~Amy

The emotional side of Congress - plus a new addition!

Somehow, it's Congress time already, where in the world did this year go!? This year is going to be a different sort of experience for Top Line. This year, we're bringing all western horses! Other than longe line, I haven't had a western horse show since 2006, and I've NEVER had a western horse of my own, shown by someone else in the open. It'll be a different sort of experience for sure.

The horse that is the reason for the extra-emotional Congress this year (Congress is always pretty emotional anyway!) is A Blazing Impulse, a.k.a Mocha. Mocha is my three year old, liver chestnut stallion by A Sudden Impulse out of a Blazing Hot mare. I purchased Mocha from the Congress as a yearling. On the ride home, while unloading from the trailer for a layover, his back legs slipped underneath the trailer and he got trapped and struggled. From that point forward, Mocha struggled with lameness issues. He would not pick up the right lead under any circumstances, and he would "bunny hop" behind. He was like this for nearly two years. When I sent him to get broke out as a two, I was told that although he was a very nice horse, he would probably never be sound enough to show, and he would basically be a waste of time and money. I was told to see if I could sell him as a breeding stud or keep him to breed myself - since he had nice enough bloodlines, maybe folks would take a chance with him.



When I brought him home from the trainers, I gave him a couple months off while riding him in the round pen once a week at most. He was bare bones broke - you could get on him, walk and trot with lots of kicking, and after two or three laps of trotting and kicking, he would maybe pick up the canter, but definitely not the right lead! Over time, I started working with him more and more. LOTS of bending exercises. This horse, no matter how hard you tried, would not pick up the right lead. You could try everything in the book, and nope!

After lots of bending exercises I could get him to pick up the left lead canter, so we worked on a lot of that and bending at the trot. He would at this point pick up the right lead probably one out of 15 tries! But, it was progress. I then had the vet come out and inject his right hock. He went from picking up the right lead 15% of the time, to 20% of the time, to 50% of the time! He still bunny hopped on the longe line, but every now and then he would relax and you could see some deep hock coming through. I also had to fix his feet, they were so warped from him moving to compensate for his pain, that they were also causing a problem. I also discovered Adequan, an injectable joint medication, and decided it was a MIRACLE drug.



Fast forward EXACTLY one year. Of that year, about seven months of it was a combination of getting him broke and getting him sound. The rest was refining, hauling to shows for practice, etc. Because of his injury, it was harder keeping him off the forehand and keeping him from head-bobbing, because he didn't want to shift his weight the hind, so we spent a lot of time working on that. We did lots of loping trail logs to help strengthen and keep his mind fresh with new, different activities. I even showed him in a couple shows myself for practice and he did excellent! Now came the hard, emotional part. Taking Mocha back to the trainers, to show what an entirely different horse he was from the last time they saw him! Convinced that he was ready to show and that he may even have a shot to Congress, I said goodbye and kissed the spotted nose of the horse that I rode nearly every day for a year, and left him at the trainers for evaluation.


That's just the hardest thing to do, life felt so empty without that cute face with the freckles and fat cheeks waiting for me at the barn every day, ears always forward and eager to go ride. I established a bond with that horse that I've only achieved with one other horse in my lifetime, that horse being Sendy. We were the best of friends and he was always the perfect gentleman for me... I could do things with this horse that no one else could. My favorite times were the summer evenings after a great riding, hosing him off and just handgrazing him in the yard during a sunset. I trusted this horse and he trusted me, and together we accomplished what we were told was impossible - a 100% SOUND Mocha who is now on his way to CONGRESS!


Not only was he "approved" to show, but within two weeks of me sending him back to training, he went to a show and showed in the open for the first time, winning the Green WP under four judges and winning the Circuit, and the last day he showed in a combined JR/SR (so he was against some older, more experienced horses!) WP class and won first under one and second under another! All in all, a combined total of 5.5 points, over half his ROM in one weekend show! Out of everything my horses have one, this year in particular, that was the greatest victory for me, possibly of all time. I was ready to cry... there are just no words to describe the feeling when a horse that was dismissed as a cripple, after being nursed back to health and being a green, three year old stallion trained soley by myself, an amateur.. goes out there and wins.



So, as you can see by my over-emotional reaction to that show... how I am going to feel when he shows at CONGRESS, in the Green and JR WP! I am probably going to be so nervous (even though I'm not the one showing!) that I will want to throw up and put my hands over my eyes! I am just so thrilled he even made it there, no matter how he ends up doing. This was a horse that was supposed to not even be showable, much less even be a contender at a show like the Congress. Anything he earns there will be icing on the cake and I will be an emotional basketcase!

My other horse showing is my longe liner, Twenty Four Karat Chip, a palomino stallion by the great Zips Chocolate Chip. "Tator Chip" has had a spectacular year, UNDEFEATED in the color longe line at all the major futurities! 2x Tom Powers Champion, Southern Belle Champion, Reichert Champion, and Palomino World Champion! He also was top five at the Reichert in the Open LL with a catch longer who'd only had the chance to longe him once before. Tator is one of the highest quality horses I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with, and it will be cool to see how "yellow" fairs out there at the Congress with the "big boys". He had a great start with Darlene Morawski, his breeder who sold him to me, had another couple months with the great longe line trainer, Kathie Kennedy, and the past two months with me. That was a new sort of pressure, preparing a horse for Congress all on my own, but he is a wonderful minded horse and by the time I dropped him off at the trainers to prepare to leave, he was impeccable. This will be Tator's last show in the longe line after his great career, and I'm sure he'll love having the winter to "be a horse". I can't WAIT until his riding career, after how well it went with Mocha, the current plan is to start him myself.


So, this will definitely be the most emotional Congress to date, and if you are there, keep an eye out for Mocha in the Green and JR WP, and Tator in the longe line! We will be stalled with the Cecil's, so feel free to come and say hi. Mocha will be standing his first year at stud next year, so if you are interested in breeding to this spectacular minded, gorgeous, talented horse, definitely come meet him in person, you'll fall in love just like I did!

I seem to have a habit of writing novels on here, I need to learn to update more often so my posts can be shorter! I'll end this novel with the announcement of a new addition to Top Line. I am very happy to announce the arrival of my new show mare, FINALLY! I can't even tell you how long I have been searching for just the right show mare. Life probably would have been easier if I had opened myself up to geldings, but since I breed and own stallions, I wanted a very nice mare that I could show now and breed later. Unfortunately, in my price range, they were either mediocre movers, young prospects, or had soundness or mental issues. I'd say its been YEARS that I've been looking for just the right show mare! Horses that I would like were consistantly BIG BUCKS and anything lesser, there was a reason. Well, it may be too soon to tell, but I think I got lucky with this one!



Meet "Ally", registered name Always On Good Terms but name change pending to Forever N Always. :) Ally is a four year old sorrel rabicano (roaning, white "skunk striped" tailhead), 15.2 hand mare by the late Always The Choice (by Investment By Choice) out of a Good Terms by Zippos Mr Goodbar mare. Ally is not only the most GORGEOUS moving mare in my price range, but she's one of the most gorgeous movers I've looked at, period! She has an amazing, flat, soft front leg. I've ridden her twice now, and I can say that I've never ridden a more natural, soft, flowing lope. She has a neck a mile long and a face that looks like she's part arabian, she's going to have the most gorgeous profile on the rail with the pretty dished, blazed face, tall white stockings and roaning... she'll be hard to miss and hard to forget! She is a sweetheart who is almost ready to show, just needs the finishing touches. She will be my amateur WP mare and all-around horse. My goal will be to get qualified in the Amateur WP for next year's world, and during the next year add horsemanship, showmanship, western riding, equitation, and performance halter. I can't WAIT!!! :)


Thinking about going to a show in Venice this weekend and taking Chance and Ally. I'll keep ya updated. :)

~Amy