Bad News

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Exechorseluver

I had scheduled an appointment, to follow-up with the orthopedic surgeon, for my mother’s broken arm. The clinic and doctor where we have all been seen so many times, including my mother, called late Thursday to tell us they would not see my mom and to go elsewhere. I was pretty furious. She is an existing patient of this doctor, as are Lauren, Ally and myself. Really? Really bad marks for you STMC! You should take care of your patients when they need you.

I was then forced to wait until Good Friday morning to try to call a brand new orthopedic clinic and make an appointment. The Lord works in mysterious ways! They immediately had an appointment that morning with one of their sports medicine doctors. I felt my almost 90 year-old mother was a long way from team sports, but at least the doc could decide to cast or not cast, and would understand a simple broken arm. Boy was I about to be so wrong.

I had a new sitter, Mary, staying with mom as she was in too much pain and was too confused to be left alone. Mary came along with me as we made the long drive back towards Houston and the new doctor. Thankfully, she did as I could not leave mom alone a second. She would complain the splint on her arm was too heavy and pick it up and move it around. I would cringe at the pain she must have had.

The doctor came in quickly after reviewing her films. He asked me if I seen the x- rays. I said no but understood her arm was broken right above the elbow. He said no that was not the case. Then he told me, “except when he was working on middle Eastern war casualties and in gangland tortures in New York where he trained had he ever seen an elbow shattered as badly as this one. Additionally, she had a displaced fracture (dislocated) of the humerus bone.”

I wanted to cry and I have many times since. The doc went on to tell me they had an elbow specialist but this was so bad they may need the trauma specialist in Houston’s top trauma hospital to repair it. I asked with her age what was the best we could do. He thought it would take a total elbow replacement as there were so many fragments broken off. I asked what if we didn’t do that. He said minimally the dislocation had to be fixed and the bones pieces removed due to a high chance of infection.

Okay, then I was sick again. My poor tiny momma enduring surgery, inpatient stays, risks from surgery and anesthetic all because she was left alone in her room and not put to bed. Apparently, she was left in an armless chair and fell asleep as it was past her usual bedtime. She was found on the floor. She must have toppled over and landed with her full weight on her little left elbow.

I WANT TO SCREAM!!

For now, I have sitters with her about 12 hours a day. We are keeping her pretty sedated which helps with her pain, but increases the risk that she may fall again. Tomorrow Lauren and I will take her to the hospital for a series of CT-Scans. We see the elbow specialist Tuesday.

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My horse and dogs are all safely moved to the new place. On this joyful Easter there is no joy in my heart just pain and guilt about my mother and that I should have been there or at least had her in a safe place where she would not ~~have~~ had such a horrible accident.

Please keep my mother, Midge, in your prayers. If you want to send her a pretty pink card, I can send you the address. Pray her pain is relieved and she lives through this brutal time.

Bruno, Snow and Kona making their way to the pasture for the first time.

Pretty Feather

Bruno getting the lay of the new land.

Falls and Moves

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Exechorseluver

Kona watching out for our precious items as the truck is unloaded.

Stalls are almost ready for horses.

We have had movers scheduled for over six months. At the last minute it occurred to me the moving van might be too tall for our gate. Thank God I checked because it was too tall and we would have been walking items from the road. As dusk fell last night the movers had found a truck to rent under the 13 foot max that the gate allowed.

Lauren and I were off to bed early last night exhausted by the tearing down of furniture, final packing and preparing the horses to leave. At this point most of our stuff was already moved. I had no phone charger, so I took my phone to the car to charge.

As I awoke at my usual time this morning to feed the dogs and horses, I went and checked on my cell phone in the car. I was surprised to see six missed calls. From the phone number it was clear they were all from Elmcroft the nursing home where my mother is. The first message I got which remember is in the opposite order in which they came was -you need to pick your mother up at the emergency room. The second message was your mother has taken an ambulance to the emergency room. The third one was your mother had a fall earlier tonight and we are taking her by ambulance to the emergency room and the very first one was your mother fell but is okay.

I was horrified, felt guilty and was terrified that she wasn’t okay. She had broken her left arm right above the elbow. They had her back at the nursing home and I was headed that way in a fine rage first thing this morning. We are totally out of our morning routine and nothing is the way that it normally is. And I wasn’t functioning in any way that was good or straightforward. So I threw my car into reverse to hurry to the nursing home. I smashed into Lauren’s car which was parked directly behind mine. The damage wasn’t bad but it was certainly significant for an almost new car or at least new to us.

I got to the nursing home to find her already dressed which I didn’t understand how they did, in the dining room trying to eat some food. She was certainly better than I had anticipated. I remembered Ally and how much horrible pain she had been breaking her arm earlier this year.

I am angry because I have a sitter that stays with her each evening and is supposed to get her back to her room and to bed. But the sitter had to leave early to get a check in the bank and so she wasn’t there when mom came back from dinner. I think the people at the nursing home didn’t know that she went to bed so early and had left her sitting up in the chair. She was found laying on the left arm next to the chair.

Anything we tried to do seemed very, very difficult for her. Even trying to get her to the bathroom with just one good arm and the other one so painful was extremely difficult.

Since it was the day the movers were coming there was no way I could stay. The nursing home administration quickly found a sitter to coming to stay with her all day long because someone had to keep an eye on her. It was horrible to leave her so little with such a big cast just by herself on the bed. Prayers are gratefully requested.

In the end the movers came. We packed up almost every single thing in the little green house. We left the dogs and the horses behind and made another trip back to Richmond. It took a long time to get all the things in the house. And we were very happy when our friends Tracy and Amanda came and brought us lunch after our horrible day.

Lauren and I drove back down to Wharton to see my mom again late in the afternoon. I think she had had as good a day as she could with the sore arm aching and aching. The sitter had arrived for the evening and we stayed with her little over an hour as she quietly laid on the bed. She just didn’t seem to understand and would occasionally move her arm to and flinch with the pain.

When we got back to the new house it was almost dark. It would be the first night we would both sleep in our beds with our furniture and three of the dogs. Lauren and I walked out to the barn with the dogs to see what progress had been made on the barn and the fences. The barn looks so good and is almost ready for occupants. Two of the pasture fences have been completed as well. That was a very happy note on which to end this very sad day for us.

Update from Kona

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Exechorseluver

Kona standing guard at the front door

This will be short tonight as I am posting off my phone as I spend my very first night (alone!) in the new house. Lauren is back in Wharton with the remaining furniture and dogs, cats and horses. Richard is doing an amazing job on the fences, arena, and barn build out.

Kona posing by the new tack room.

So I am going to be a mere 25 miles from work when I wake up tomorrow. I am sure all will be fine but sure wish Kona would quit walking by the windows and growling!

Kona-another day on the job

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Exechorseluver

Lauren excitedly standing in front of the house.

Although Sunday, my terrific contractor and his helpers are feverishly working to set all the fence posts prior to the bad weather due to town tomorrow. Lauren, Kona and I made another trip with more stuff. Each of the horses have a container containing their blanket wardrobes. Of course, there are a couple of unnamed bins that just contain the “extras”.

Kona assuring all the horse blankets are stacked and organized.

The workers were finalizing the arena fencing while another started stripping the grass to expose the dirt. Once the arena is cleared and leveled the trucks will start showing up with tons of sand. The team is working so hard! Not sure just how many loads of fill will be needed this jumbo arena. Could get a little pricey! And I am sure I will need to add more later. Pretty sure it would be just as effective to line dollar bills one after another.

Sick of Kona yet? In front of the arena, with the tractor behind him.

We got back to Wharton in the early afternoon. I needed a break and time to re-group. I also was anxious to spend some time with my sweet momma. We will hopefully move furniture, dogs, cats and horses by Thursday! Happening fast!

NSMF

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Exechorseluver

Looking down the meadow at New Six Meadow Farm. You can see the new arena fence line going in.

The days have been flying by as Lauren and I move loads of hanging clothes and household items down the highway. Several friends at work just moved but it seemed to pretty much be a weekend affair. I think we could manage our things in a weekend. We would be tired but happily ensconced in our new house.

But boy is this move different for us! When we moved to the first Six Meadow Farm, it was the first time we had ever kept our horses at home. And while you a mass a lot of riding gear while boarding, it is just a small amount compared to all the horse keeping items that have come to rest here in the last seven years

We have more than a full jump course and thanks to Felicia some sturdy (read heavy) wing jumps. We have jump gates, a full set of barrels, a harrow drag for the arena, giant pasture sprinklers ( picked up in the great drought of 2008, or was that 2009?), wheel barrows, saddle racks, assorted rakes (for manure, for leaves, for stalls), ten saddles-English/western from baby sized seats to my father’s old western saddle, and full horse wardrobes from rain sheets, fly sheets, turn-outs, award coolers, stable blankets, stable sheets, and baby Dakota’s original baby blanket.

Lauren thinks there might be 30 or so wardrobe items (back to the hoarding accusation). Oh, and then we have at least 30-12 foot long solid wood jump poles. So far Lauren and I have loaded and hauled all the loads. Ally has helped upon arrival at the new place. This has wrecked havoc with Lauren’s healing back and my ever limited physical abilities. Four days in and the old house is looking pretty bare but not the shed, garage or barn. Wow!

Movers are coming Thursday to move the big household items. Wonder what they would do if we asked them to load those 12 foot poles up? Probably wouldn’t go well.

Dawn over the barn as we waited for the concrete truck to arrive.

Friday the concrete arrived at dawn and it was pretty great seeing the first aspects of a lifelong dream (to design our own barn) unfolding in front of us. Kona was on hand to be sure all was going according to plan.

Kona and the concrete truck!

The wood posts for fencing and the arena arrived next. Kona quickly evaluated the load to determine if we had gotten everything we ordered.

Kona after completing inventory of the the fencing equipment.

Kona after completing inventory of the fencing equipment.

Today the work on the arena and fences got started. Bruno and Snow’s pasture have all the posts up. The arena has grown from our original dimensions. I am not sure what size it is ending up but it looks as if it could double as a football field, which is about a hundred feet longer than I had in mind. Oh well, in this case bigger is probably better. Once again Kona was on site to assure the posts were being set right.

Are you starting to feel like a Where’s Waldo game is underway?

So, all is well at NSMF. I figure about 40 more trips and we will shut the Wharton doors for good.

Closed!!

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Exechorseluver

The old barn is getting a new concrete center aisle tomorrow.

After over 45 days of frantic activity when we found the farm of our dreams, to the sale of Six Meadow Farm in 15 minutes, to battles too numerous to count, yesterday we finally closed on our new farm! Overjoyed is not even in right stratosphere with how Lauren and I were feeling as we opened the gate to the long drive and put the key in lock for the first time. There is a lot of work that needs to be done fast but we feel we have a great contractor leading the way and hope horses may be roaming these green pastures before Easter morning dawns.

The green carpet of pasture surrounding our old “new” barn.

Already we have seen more of Kendyll and Ally in the past 24 hours than we did in the last month. We are seven minutes away from one another! We have been taking load after load up and down the highway. I did not imagine that my tiny little house held so much stuff. Some how I have become the keeper of Amber and Ally’s childhood mementos. From love letters from old boyfriends, to certificates, to baseball cards, they are all stored here. Lauren has one giant lidded tub that only holds her show pads. At one point she thought it had blown out of the back of the truck and was deep into a plan to cut across the median and head back to pick the scattered pads off the highway! Thankfully, everything has made it to the new house in one piece, so far.

The barn is a solid structure but we needed to clean it out and try to configure the space to make stalls for as many horses as possible. Lauren and I have always wanted a center aisle barn and by tomorrow at this time, we will have one. The guys are also hard at work running new fence lines, creating the arena and a small gazebo/patio from where we can watch the riders in the arena.

I am so pleased that everything has worked out so well. We need to be there tomorrow morning by 6:00 am as the first cement truck arrives then. I feel incredibly blessed to have this new,safe, quiet home far from any highway but closer to civilization.

Thanks to all of you who keep supporting us throughout all our trials and tribulations!

Parklike pastures with shade trees beats old farmland with no trees for miles.

Getting Used to it

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Exechorseluver

I figured that the best way to get happier when I am grieving for my old friend, Kid, was to take a little trail ride. It was Friday. We were supposed to be jumping with joy over closing on our new house but alas all the papers are not complete so we continue to wait.

Off for a ride on Mickey.

Lauren headed off to Dallas to look at some horses for a friend. Ally was having her girls weekend in Matagorda. Even Jordyn was too busy for granny with a cousins weekend planned at her other granny’s. I had three days stretched out before with nothing but more packing and cleaning ahead of me.

I spent dinner with my mom. She was crying when I came into her room. She told me that her husband, Jim, forgot to come by and see her today. (He hasn’t seen her since December but what does it matter?). I got her convinced he would be by soon and she perked up.

When I had fed the horses and the long Friday evening still stood ahead of me, I thought what the heck, I am taking a ride. It would be far better than the ghosts of Kid I was seeing every time I looked around the barn. It is dangerous to ride alone especially when your nearest kin is several counties away but I put on my helmet secured my cell phone, grabbed the poodle and off we went.

As always sitting in a saddle is better than about anything on earth. Add to that I was asking Mickey for a little speed and you find it is hard to be sad when you are careening down a trail at warp speed. And yes, Mickey still has warp speed. After our little terrifying run, I was breathless and adrenaline laced. Everything looked brighter. I noticed spring had finally come. The corn was sticking its head above ground for the first time and the were fifty shades of green.

The corn looking up to the sky.

The rest of the weekend went quickly with lots to clean (does anyone really need five pairs of Davis splint boots or four colors of SMB boots?). Apparently, we do. They are all clean and packed along with every single blanket, sheet, or turnout that the horses covered in mud this year. Yes, all clean and organized. I am beginning to see some hoarding characteristics coming through with Lauren. I think Mickey’s wardrobe consists of over 15 sheets, blankets, turnout, award sheets and coolers. Thank God Feather can wear them!

Thanks for riding along and a prayer that Six Meadow Farm gets moved SOON, would be much appreciated!

A Good Last day

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Exechorseluver

A last ride, a last time.

Decisions about life and death do not come easily. My horse Kid turned 32 this year. A lot about him is good. He is sound. He eats well But a lot is not. His eyesight has failed to the point he has difficulty finding his way around. A new pasture is an impossible voyage for him. He has had some small strokes or neurological issues that cause him to constantly bob his head like one of those dolls that used to go on your dashboard of the car. He is scared as the other horses pick on him and he cannot see them coming. I have owned this off-the-track Quarter horse for almost 12 wonderful years buying him from Sarah Petty when she retired him as a champion 1D barrel horse at age 20. We had left our horses in Florida and he was our first Texas horse. Sarah called him Texas Twister, an apt name for a barrel racing king. I credited Kid, and then Mickey (also from Sarah) with putting my little family of Ally, Lauren and I back on the track to life after a rough divorce and move from Florida. Kid was Ally’s horse in the beginning. She rode him well and often. I went each day with her and Lauren to the barn where we were just had partial board to clean his stall, water and feed him. We met new families. We joined the world again and had a place to belong. Kid was the perfect quarter horse. If you go to the AQHA site, their representation of a Quarter horse looks exactly like Kid. His sorrel coat sang in the sun. And as the versatile breed proclaims, there really wasn’t anything this horse couldn’t do. He blazed on the racetrack. He went to National Team Penning finals, he could smoke a barrel pattern and when I asked him to be a jumper and an English horse he did that as well.

I had made the decision that it was time to let Kid go. I especially did not want to try to move Kid to a new barn and pasture. With his limited eyesight and all the pastures, it was not fair to him to move him from his home.

I tried to give him the best last day, full of treats, a good bath, extra Senior, and finally I saddled him up for one last ride. He tacked up like a champ. We simply walked around the arena and turned around a few barrels. I stopped him in the middle of the arena and gently said, “back”. Immediately, with my hands quiet and still, Kid backed several steps. What a guy!

This afternoon we took him to the vet. Of course, he loaded into the trailer without issue.

We got him settled in a stall. I hugged and hugged him. Lauren and I cried. I hope he is now running in the green fields of heaven. I will miss my beautiful boy so much.

Thank you for riding along and keep us in your prayers.

Mr. Kid 32 years young.

Marching On

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Exechorseluver

Guess what this is?

It has been awhile since I wrote about all the goings on at the farm and in the family. We have had a frantic month of selling our farm while dealing with the sellers of our new place that have been less than benevolent in working with us. From oil and gas leases from the past to multiple surveys to adequately depict the property, we have been flying around. This has all been coupled with trying to pack everything we own, a busy work schedule, and problems with the animals.

At this point, today, we are scheduled to close on Six Meadow Farm tomorrow and our new place on Friday. Then a new set of fun begins when we start the construction of the barn and fences. Lauren has wished for her father numerous times, as she says, “he would make sure this place looked great”. He was/is a great craftsman and she is right our barn would look infinitely better if he were the contractor. But, alas, I don’t see him coming to town to take over the job.

The sand and gravel being set down for our new driveway.

It has been a rough and tumble month for the horses, dogs and cats. Roland was here six weeks ago. Bruno tore the shoe from his bad foot five weeks and six days ago. He has gone all this time with no shoe on the foot that must be shod at all times. The rain and wet conditions have made it difficult to get anyone out to help us. Snowboy, in a classic Snowboy move, decided to load himself up the couple of steps to the tack room where the feed had been set out for all the horse’s dinner. He ate at least 18 pounds of feed; high carb, high sugar feed. Dr. Criner was appalled. Is he alive?, she asked. He should have colicked and died. I don’t believe he even got a belly ache. He was angrily asking where his dinner was when we did not feed him that night. Now, his feet are looking horrible and I am hoping it is due to the horrible wet weather and not a result of his binge eating.

Speaking of dying, my brand new cat, the Burmese, that I had waited to get for so long, was attacked and killed by BrownDog. Lauren ran out the front door to catch Muffy who had escaped the fence and BrownDog took that opportunity to storm the cat room and kill Hula. I buried him in the back pasture and silently asked for forgiveness from his breeder that I did not protect him better.

If you go to the first, early blogs, you will see my description of BrownDog and that I trusted her the least of all the dogs. She has become increasing aggressive. She has attacked both the Corgi and Muffy, injuring them badly. She has also snapped at my grandchildren. I thought about and tried out different alternatives but in the end, I stood with my beautiful BrownDog at the vet as I had her put to sleep. I could not live with myself if she hurt a child. She was the sweetest dog ever to Lauren and I. It was a difficult decision. But I am happy for my remaining dog family that they are not constantly scared.

So, a difficult time emotionally for us. Lauren still has not been back in the saddle to jump, but physical therapy is going well and we hope to get her back to work this week. The pain has diminished a lot for which I am grateful.

Jordyn was out this weekend. She walked Snow around on his sore feet and then had a great time taking wildflowers to Bruno so he could eat them. Bruno is so gentle and sweet to her.

Jordyn feeding Bruno wild flowers.

My mom has had some health issues. She is better now although her knees are bothering her again. It might be time for Dr. Chau to inject them again. It was like a miracle last time. She has been happy and bright. I think her memories diminish a little more each day. I am grateful to the staff and especially her sitter, Janet, who give her so much love. She is safe and loved. Not a bad place to be.

Thanks for riding along with all our adventures. Hopefully, I will turning the lock on my home shortly.

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Top picture is my water trough which sits under the dusk to dawn light attracting a hoard of June bugs. We moved the trough. Yuck!

Top picture and this one are my water trough which sits under the dusk to dawn light attracting a hoard of June bugs. We moved the trough. Yuck!

The Flagmount Story-

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Exechorseluver

Feather and Lauren

While many people think Flagmount is an import stamp, the prefix actually comes from the sire Flagmount’s Freedom, owned by Janet Marden. With horses sired by “Flag” continuing to gain recognition as excellent competitors in the eventing sport — particularly in Area V —and in show jumping, Janet wrote a piece explaining how she got started in breeding. Many thanks to Janet for writing!

This means a lot to us, as this is the sire of our own Feather (shown under the name of Flagmount’s Irish Freedom) and if you look under USEF or the USEA you will find many of Flag’s progeny that are successfully showing at the top ranks of the show world. If you want to breed or purchase a horse that will have a great mind and scope to spare, look for a Flag baby or make one for yourself.

Janet and Flagmount’s Amazing Grace competing in the Prelim Amateur Division at 2013 AECs. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

From Janet Marden, DVM:

Back in 1983, my friend gave me her 7-year-old Paint horse that had done little of nothing and was turned out in a pasture with kicking chains on. His original name Yambeau was quickly traded in for Dancin’ Cowboy and together, although neither of us had ever evented before, we finished sixth at Rolex in 1991 when he was 17. It was through him that I saw the benefits of hybrid vigor. “Spot” was big boned, athletic and some strange cross between a Paint and an Irish Thoroughbred that we never have been able to confirm.

He was tough, though; the bones in his legs were like telephone poles, and riding him, I was able to travel and show on the East Coast, where I was so impressed by many of the Irish horses that I saw when importing was slowly gaining popularity. I knew I would never be able to afford to import a horse, so I wanted to use my vet degree and breed that kind of horse. I saw an article endorsing Irish studs, one of which was a grade-A show jumper, Flagmount King, who was grandsired by King of Diamonds, so I bought frozen semen from him and bred my OTTB mare, beginning a journey I am still on.

Flagmount’s Freedom (Flag) was the result of that first breeding. We had also bred two Thoroughbred foals and one other Irish Sport Horse out of a different sire that year. The bone and presence of Flag compared to the three other foals let me know right away that he would be special. Flag never went through that awkward downhill stage so many horses do when growing up; he always looked like a little statue. He was always very good natured; when he was a weanling, I would walk out to the pasture and pet him, letting my then 2-year-old daughter sit on his back. The combination of his strong conformation and wonderful temperament made the decision easy to keep him as a stallion.

Natalie Lester, Janet’s daughter, and Flag jogging up at the Virginia Horse Park in her first one-star, where they finished fifth. Photo by Mike Stewart.

I had high hopes for Flag. I hoped he would be a big-time horse, one for that could take me as far as I wanted to go. It seemed at first that he would be a serious upper-level mount. He was tough, very sound, had a wonderful mind and scope to burn. But as we began to move up the levels, one thing started to become clear — he wasn’t going to have the gallop. I rode him in a clinic with Bruce Davidson, and he confirmed what I had begun to suspect, telling me that it would take “one more cross.”

He liked Flag though and bred a few mares to him, one of which is Flagmount’s Nightcap, now owned and ridden by Kelly Prather. Flag was 7 years old in 2004, after we completed Radnor’s long format CCI2* that year with no cross-country jumping faults, I retired him for the first time, wanting to focus on the up-and-coming young horses that he had sired, who I hoped would have that one missing component he lacked — the gallop.

I bred Flag back to OTTB mares, all of which were completely unproven. Investing in really classy mares was not something I could do, so I worked with what I had and waited to see how they would turn out. The second crop consisted of three horses, all of which I was very impressed with. Flagmount’s Heartbreaker, Flagmount’s Sterling Prince and a beautiful bay colt we never got the chance to name all showed tremendous potential. The bay colt was our favorite; he floated when he moved, but he had a freak accident as a yearling and was never sound afterward for eventing.

Flagmount’s Sterling Prince I sold, and he had just completed his first CIC3( star with no cross-country jumping penalties when we were devastated to hear about his tragic, fatal pasture accident. Heartbreaker was my favorite mare; she had just done her first two Intermediates before dying of a bone infection. For every horse that makes it to the upper levels, there’s so many who don’t and not even for lack of ability but the fragile thing that horses are, especially in the early stages of life.

Flag as a 7 year old at Radnor with Janet in the irons. Photo by Brant Gamma.

I had a beautiful 3-year-old mare just a couple years ago by Flag who I had just broken when an inoperable tumor developed in her hock. You can’t vet check what you breed, and seeing a healthy, good-looking foal nursing is a good start but no guarantee. Just a couple of weeks ago, my daughter and I left late to a show after staying up with a sick foal who after I performed surgery on to save still didn’t make it. It’s been hard being the vet, the breeder, the owner and the trainer. Breeding is not for the faint of heart.

For all the hard times though, it’s been worth it. Only two horses by Flag have ever been campaigned by a professional — Flagmount’s Sterling Prince and Flagmount’s Nightcap. The rest have all been ridden by amateurs. It’s been so much fun to see them start to come up and compete at the upper levels now. I’ve always thought it speaks a lot for Flag how many nice horses he has produced from very unproven mares and how rideable his progeny is to be almost all ridden by amateurs and yet still coming up the levels competitively. I was so proud to see Freedom’s Sweet Thunder place third in his first Intermediate with amateur Maggie McCarthy, with it being her first Intermediate as well.

The second generation, with the extra bit of hot blood, has had the missing piece Flag didn’t, and my own two mares, Flagmount’s Patronus Charm and Flagmount’s Amazing Grace, are what I’ve always wanted to ride. Flag himself still comes with me to all the shows; for the past three years, he has given my daughter great experience at the prelim level, her first season on him and at prelim being when she was only 15. I know she is safe on him. I look forward to seeing where the Flag babies go in the future and hope to watch his progeny at Rolex at one day. As a breeder, there have been many lows, but the highs have been one of a kind.

Janet Marden’s website is http://www.leaningoaksfarm.com

Janet tells me that Flag does best with a smaller, refined thoroughbred mare when breeding. Guess what I am looking for now? And OTTB owners, what a great opportunity for a really top cross with your favorite thoroughbred!

As always thanks for riding along!