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!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
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
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!
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!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
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
Friday, September 25, 2009
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!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
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
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
Friday, September 18, 2009
Let's try this, again!
I thought I would resurrect this blog. I apologize, for as much as I love the blogging concept, I'm horrendous at keeping up with them! This is (hopefully!) where you can keep up to date with the news and goings-on at my farm, Top Line Performance Horses.
I suppose I can begin with a long, drawn out biography of myself and the current horses at Top Line. Yeah, you'll probably have to be very bored to read over this, but, it will get you acquainted for the future blogs. :)
I have been riding horses for 16 years, after a long term obsession with everything horse that finally resulted in my Mom buying me my first horse (biggest mistake of her life, I'm sure! :) That horse was a crazy, short (14.3!) ex-racehorse, a nine year old chestnut. I remember that like it was yesterday. My mom and I, knowing absolutely nothing about horses (well sure, I was all read up on colors, breeds, etc, but you know, no COMMON SENSE), visited a local barn for lessons. This was a dream come true for me and I can still remember my excitement, riding an old pinto around. He was 18 years old and packed me around, I was in love and found out he was for sale. He wasn't too old for me, I guess I equated horse years as the same as human years. :) We wanted to buy this horse, but he got bought before we could buy him. :( As my eyes scanned the pastures for a "rebound" horse (how quickly eight year olds can move on from true love!), I immediately re-fell in love with the pretty red chestnut mare sitting out in the pasture. Why? Because she looked just like Ginger from Black Beauty, of course! Miracle upon miracles, she was for sale. $1500 later, "Libby" was mine as well as her old western saddle, circa at least 1960's!
I wouldn't say I necessarily regret my first horse, although I never truely regarded her as my first horse. More appropriately, she was the first horse to teach me how to stay on for the following, less mental horses in my life. Libby was hot, extremely barn sour (of which I found out on an unfortunate trail ride alone, I suppose the barn owner didn't have enough sense to not send an eight year old kid on a green TB on a trail ride), and we came to find out later that she raced, was retired from racing, sat out in this lady's pasture, and then voila, was sold to our unsuspecting selves. Poor Libby, bless her heart.. was a kind but misguided mare with a smaller than average horsey brain. I of course, thought I was immortal and the rearing up just ment I could be like the cowgirls from the movies! About a year into it though, after switching barns and riding horses that proved that I don't always have to hang on for dear life... it was time for horse #2, who I've always considered to be horse #1. :)
Gypsy was a five year old, dapple grey Arabian gelding. He originally came from the Arabian Nights Dinner Show, where he supposedly had bullwhips cracked, guns shot, and people jumping through fire hoops on his back. This was confirmed when we visted AN and they remembered Gypsy. His new owner was a young college girl who apparently got bucked off every time she rode him. I tried him out, did wonderfully, and Gypsy became mine for the steal of $500. My first horse shows were on Gypsy. He's the horse I grew up with, the horse I learned dressage on, learned hunter/jumpers on, my partner on 10,000 trail rides. He is the one who took care of me. He did like a good buck if you ever tried to push his lazy butt past a slow canter, though! We had many great years of beating the warmbloods at the hunter and dressage shows. He was the best horse a kid could have asked for. I miss him, once I got into Quarter Horses and he was just going to waste here, he moved on to make another little girls dreams come true. The last I'd heard, they sold him to yet another little girl. Even though he's nearing 20 years old now, I hope that fat, hardy Gypsy is still alive and doing well somewhere, still making little girl's dreams come true. I wish there was a way I could find him!
Soon after, the addiction had finally started. We still had Libby and while struggling to find her a new home, it was time for a replacement. My favorite color at the time was palomino, and of course when you are 11 years old color > everything else! I found an adorable yearling palomino QH filly in the local horse magazine, and well, enter the horse of a lifetime, my soulmate, Southern Sensations, aka "Sendy".
Where as Gypsy was my childhood horse, Sendy took me through the preteen/teen years. She was the first horse I trained on my own, and if it had been any lesser horse, I probably wouldn't be here writing this today! That horse took care on me. From day long trail rides, to swimming in lakes, to barrel racing, hunters, cross-country (VERY lucky to be alive after that one!), reining, western pleasure... I could go on. You name it, Sendy did it for me, and did it well. While being the quietest, kindest horse towards me, she would actually chase off intruders (like the next door neighbors mischevious little boy, or his troublemaking dogs!) that would dare enter her pasture. She helped me through those horrible teenage years. Something would happen to break my heart, I would go jump on Sendy bareback and fall asleep on her in the stall after crying into her mane, or go galloping out on the trails, lost for hours. That horse just knew, and took care of me. She was my best friend. She was the horse that anyone could ride, that everyone loved. So many different people have sat on Sendy, of all ages, and she's taken care of all of them. Sendy is what got me into the QH's. The mind, the versilitility, I fell in love and have been devoted to them ever since. She's the foundation of everything I'm doing now. Granted, they aren't all Sendy's - she is truely a once in a lifetime horse! I am proud to say that my short, stocky little cowbred mare is still here at nearing 14 years of age, and will be here for the rest of her days. The icing on the cake - she has turned out to be my best producing western pleasure broodmare! Who would have thought I would be so lucky... to have my childhood best friend also turn into my best business asset. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, as her mind and versatility are what charmed me into this breed in the first place! Sendy is expecting TWO babies next year via embryo transfer and has a coming two that will be showing at all the big shows next year. I will do embryos on her every year!
So, that is pretty much my "horsey" biography and how I came to be where I am now... oh, minus around 15 years of more details. :) Over the years I accumulated more quarter horses and learned more about pedigrees, desireable movement, etc. I switched from the hunter, dressage, and local shows to show the QH circuit. I've shown or had horses show at the Congress for four years now, earning a Top Ten every year, even a Top 4. Not bad for my first years on the circuit. :) My horses have also gone on to be major futurity champions and even a World champion this year. I've been through the good and the bad of the industry and after years of "filtering", have found the stock that's going to last me for awhile. Between showing and breeding a handful of babies a year, I have found my niche.
I'm very excited for my 2010 coming foals. I have seven foals coming, five of which will be the first foal crop of my HUS stallion, A Chance For Romance. One of which, will be out of the great Sendy. :) That is an embryo baby, Sendy is also bred to carry to Huntin For Chocolate. Also have another mare in foal to the great Artful Move. Can't WAIT for next year!
For now, it's already almost Congress time, so time to focus on that. I will have confirmed two horses going at this point. My three year old WP stallion, A Blazing Impulse. Second to Sendy, he is the greatest minded, smartest horse I've ever owned. I did all his training myself, for over a year, up until a few weeks ago when I sent him to a trainer to start his show career. He picked up over half his ROM in his first show out and won the circuit - that was probably one of the proudest moments of my life, as not only did I do all his training myself, but I nursed him back from an injury which everyone said would leave him crippled for life. Now here he is, sound and winning. He will be showing at Congress in Junior and Green WP. Also going is my yearling palomino colt, Twenty Four Karat Chip, who has won every major futurity in the country this year in the color longe line, and is also a Palomino World Champion. After never owning a single palomino since Sendy, even with my deep down love of them from childhood, it's finally come full circle and here I am, proud owner of a Palomino World Champion. :) He will be showing in the english, and the western longe line at Congress! That will be his final show in the longe line, then it is on to a very exciting riding career.
Well, thank you for letting me share my story, and I hope you'll stay tuned to the blog for news and updates on the horses, shows, Congress, foaling season, etc. It's been a long journey to get here, and hopefully there is a long road ahead. :)
~Amy Lynn
I suppose I can begin with a long, drawn out biography of myself and the current horses at Top Line. Yeah, you'll probably have to be very bored to read over this, but, it will get you acquainted for the future blogs. :)
I have been riding horses for 16 years, after a long term obsession with everything horse that finally resulted in my Mom buying me my first horse (biggest mistake of her life, I'm sure! :) That horse was a crazy, short (14.3!) ex-racehorse, a nine year old chestnut. I remember that like it was yesterday. My mom and I, knowing absolutely nothing about horses (well sure, I was all read up on colors, breeds, etc, but you know, no COMMON SENSE), visited a local barn for lessons. This was a dream come true for me and I can still remember my excitement, riding an old pinto around. He was 18 years old and packed me around, I was in love and found out he was for sale. He wasn't too old for me, I guess I equated horse years as the same as human years. :) We wanted to buy this horse, but he got bought before we could buy him. :( As my eyes scanned the pastures for a "rebound" horse (how quickly eight year olds can move on from true love!), I immediately re-fell in love with the pretty red chestnut mare sitting out in the pasture. Why? Because she looked just like Ginger from Black Beauty, of course! Miracle upon miracles, she was for sale. $1500 later, "Libby" was mine as well as her old western saddle, circa at least 1960's!
I wouldn't say I necessarily regret my first horse, although I never truely regarded her as my first horse. More appropriately, she was the first horse to teach me how to stay on for the following, less mental horses in my life. Libby was hot, extremely barn sour (of which I found out on an unfortunate trail ride alone, I suppose the barn owner didn't have enough sense to not send an eight year old kid on a green TB on a trail ride), and we came to find out later that she raced, was retired from racing, sat out in this lady's pasture, and then voila, was sold to our unsuspecting selves. Poor Libby, bless her heart.. was a kind but misguided mare with a smaller than average horsey brain. I of course, thought I was immortal and the rearing up just ment I could be like the cowgirls from the movies! About a year into it though, after switching barns and riding horses that proved that I don't always have to hang on for dear life... it was time for horse #2, who I've always considered to be horse #1. :)
Gypsy was a five year old, dapple grey Arabian gelding. He originally came from the Arabian Nights Dinner Show, where he supposedly had bullwhips cracked, guns shot, and people jumping through fire hoops on his back. This was confirmed when we visted AN and they remembered Gypsy. His new owner was a young college girl who apparently got bucked off every time she rode him. I tried him out, did wonderfully, and Gypsy became mine for the steal of $500. My first horse shows were on Gypsy. He's the horse I grew up with, the horse I learned dressage on, learned hunter/jumpers on, my partner on 10,000 trail rides. He is the one who took care of me. He did like a good buck if you ever tried to push his lazy butt past a slow canter, though! We had many great years of beating the warmbloods at the hunter and dressage shows. He was the best horse a kid could have asked for. I miss him, once I got into Quarter Horses and he was just going to waste here, he moved on to make another little girls dreams come true. The last I'd heard, they sold him to yet another little girl. Even though he's nearing 20 years old now, I hope that fat, hardy Gypsy is still alive and doing well somewhere, still making little girl's dreams come true. I wish there was a way I could find him!
Soon after, the addiction had finally started. We still had Libby and while struggling to find her a new home, it was time for a replacement. My favorite color at the time was palomino, and of course when you are 11 years old color > everything else! I found an adorable yearling palomino QH filly in the local horse magazine, and well, enter the horse of a lifetime, my soulmate, Southern Sensations, aka "Sendy".
Where as Gypsy was my childhood horse, Sendy took me through the preteen/teen years. She was the first horse I trained on my own, and if it had been any lesser horse, I probably wouldn't be here writing this today! That horse took care on me. From day long trail rides, to swimming in lakes, to barrel racing, hunters, cross-country (VERY lucky to be alive after that one!), reining, western pleasure... I could go on. You name it, Sendy did it for me, and did it well. While being the quietest, kindest horse towards me, she would actually chase off intruders (like the next door neighbors mischevious little boy, or his troublemaking dogs!) that would dare enter her pasture. She helped me through those horrible teenage years. Something would happen to break my heart, I would go jump on Sendy bareback and fall asleep on her in the stall after crying into her mane, or go galloping out on the trails, lost for hours. That horse just knew, and took care of me. She was my best friend. She was the horse that anyone could ride, that everyone loved. So many different people have sat on Sendy, of all ages, and she's taken care of all of them. Sendy is what got me into the QH's. The mind, the versilitility, I fell in love and have been devoted to them ever since. She's the foundation of everything I'm doing now. Granted, they aren't all Sendy's - she is truely a once in a lifetime horse! I am proud to say that my short, stocky little cowbred mare is still here at nearing 14 years of age, and will be here for the rest of her days. The icing on the cake - she has turned out to be my best producing western pleasure broodmare! Who would have thought I would be so lucky... to have my childhood best friend also turn into my best business asset. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, as her mind and versatility are what charmed me into this breed in the first place! Sendy is expecting TWO babies next year via embryo transfer and has a coming two that will be showing at all the big shows next year. I will do embryos on her every year!
So, that is pretty much my "horsey" biography and how I came to be where I am now... oh, minus around 15 years of more details. :) Over the years I accumulated more quarter horses and learned more about pedigrees, desireable movement, etc. I switched from the hunter, dressage, and local shows to show the QH circuit. I've shown or had horses show at the Congress for four years now, earning a Top Ten every year, even a Top 4. Not bad for my first years on the circuit. :) My horses have also gone on to be major futurity champions and even a World champion this year. I've been through the good and the bad of the industry and after years of "filtering", have found the stock that's going to last me for awhile. Between showing and breeding a handful of babies a year, I have found my niche.
I'm very excited for my 2010 coming foals. I have seven foals coming, five of which will be the first foal crop of my HUS stallion, A Chance For Romance. One of which, will be out of the great Sendy. :) That is an embryo baby, Sendy is also bred to carry to Huntin For Chocolate. Also have another mare in foal to the great Artful Move. Can't WAIT for next year!
For now, it's already almost Congress time, so time to focus on that. I will have confirmed two horses going at this point. My three year old WP stallion, A Blazing Impulse. Second to Sendy, he is the greatest minded, smartest horse I've ever owned. I did all his training myself, for over a year, up until a few weeks ago when I sent him to a trainer to start his show career. He picked up over half his ROM in his first show out and won the circuit - that was probably one of the proudest moments of my life, as not only did I do all his training myself, but I nursed him back from an injury which everyone said would leave him crippled for life. Now here he is, sound and winning. He will be showing at Congress in Junior and Green WP. Also going is my yearling palomino colt, Twenty Four Karat Chip, who has won every major futurity in the country this year in the color longe line, and is also a Palomino World Champion. After never owning a single palomino since Sendy, even with my deep down love of them from childhood, it's finally come full circle and here I am, proud owner of a Palomino World Champion. :) He will be showing in the english, and the western longe line at Congress! That will be his final show in the longe line, then it is on to a very exciting riding career.
Well, thank you for letting me share my story, and I hope you'll stay tuned to the blog for news and updates on the horses, shows, Congress, foaling season, etc. It's been a long journey to get here, and hopefully there is a long road ahead. :)
~Amy Lynn
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