Sunday September 20, 2009

Today was a rainy, wet day in Kentucky.  It poured consistently all morning, along with thunder and lightning.  As a result, we had no tours this morning.   The rain tapered off some by lunchtime but still, only two folks braved a rain-abbreviated 1 pm, so I wandered around in between the rain showers by myself.   Because it was wet and cool, the horses were pretty active.  I looked up at one point this morning and along the top of the hill at the back of the farm, I could see all the horses running. 

Someone asked me last week if I take “poetic license” with some of the stories I tell about the Old Friends horses, because he never sees them run, buck or play.  I assured him that everything I write is true, but I don’t think he believed me.  I start with this because today so many of the horses were running and playing I thought I should try to get some pictures.  Since I never carry my camera, out came my Blackberry.   What a wasted effort, as you’ll see!   Dan and Flick, being the hams that they are, saw me aim my camera and put on their show.  They reared, they ran, they bucked and kicked.  I took 10 or 12 shots, but you know, cell phones are not ideal action cameras and I mostly got pictures of their butts!   They finally gave up on me and both of them dropped in the mud for a roll at the same time.  So here are Dan and Flick, playing, running and rolling. Really, they were!  

Fortunate Prospect was waiting by his gate watching all the hoopla with Dan and Flick.  I noticed that he seemed kind of annoyed, and after hanging out with him for a few minutes, I realized he had the hiccups! Eventually he wandered off to graze and that seemed to take care of them.  Kent checked him out to make sure he was ok, and he was. 

During the day, Jade Hunter is in the paddock directly across from Gramps and Kent told me that the two old stallions aren’t all that fond of one another.  On the other hand, once Jade Hunter goes inside for the night, Benburb goes into that paddock, and Gramps won’t eat his dinner until Ben is settled in across from him and eating, too!  Isn’t it funny how horses choose their buddies?  Here is Gramps, during his bout with the hiccups, and a muddy, fly-masked Jade Hunter, wondering why I don’t have carrots for him. 

If you have ever been to Old Friends, you know that the big barn, which houses Black Tie Affair, Appy, Wallenda and Ben, has stalls with windows that open to the back.  I was walking along the outside of the barn today talking to Silver Charm, and I heard a racket coming from the far end of the barn.  I couldn’t imagine what it was, so I walked back to investigate.  It was Wallenda, stretched out flat on his side…snoring! 

Since it was raining again and my rain jacket was failing me, I decided Wallenda had the right idea—a nap seemed like a fabulous idea!  So, I wrapped up my short, wet day and headed for home.  Thanks for stopping by for another Sunday with Old Friends.  We hope you can visit us soon!

-Val

Sunday September 13, 2009

You know how some days are just too good?  I mean everything is pretty much perfect—the temperature is grand, the sky is blue and the breeze has just enough whoosh to feel good.  You know the kind of weather you dream about when it’s cold or rainy or blazing hot?  We had that kind of day today.  The horses loved it, the dogs were happy, and the people felt good. 

So, to begin this fine day, the morning started with a group of about 14 motorcyclists.   Nice folks; we had a great time with the horses.  Several of them had never been around horses and so were a little reluctant at first.  But first Proper Reality and then Norty won them over.  Proper is another who makes my list of Really Nice Stallions.  He is affectionate and friendly, and he loves having his face rubbed.  Maybe because he is just a little guy, he seems less intimidating to first-timers and so he seems to win folks over right away.  Regal Sanction, across the way from Proper, is very friendly as well, but for some reason people react differently to him.  He’s taller, a gleaming red (where Proper is plain brown), and I think he has a kind of attitude—not mean or standoffish, but more that he wants you to admire his beauty.   He just seems to expect that you will want to offer him an appropriate amount of appreciation.   

Bull and Norty, being across from one another, continue to have a little competition going.  Admire Bull, and Norty gets very vocal.  Feed Norty, and Bull starts banging on the fence.  And since Bull isn’t exactly a “kiss him on the nose” kind of guy, Norty always seems just a little smug to me, as everyone is patting him.  They are all such characters.

The other horse who is great at putting people at ease is Clever Allemont.  Again, he’s a little guy, but even more I think it’s that he is such a nice horse.  He always has a kind expression and never looks cranky or irritated.  Now I know you might wonder how a horse can have a nice expression or how it is they can look cranky.  Trust me, they just do.  This morning Clever was hanging out under his tree waiting for us, but this afternoon his gal pal Klassy was outside, so Clever was hanging at the other end of his paddock.  A little seven year old girl asked me this afternoon if they ever kiss (hey, she was seven!) I told her they are only allowed to gaze at one another from a distance.  Dad said that gazing at boys is all that is allowed, and told her she just learned a life lesson at Old Friends! 

Among the motorcycle tour this morning was one guy who had pretty much the same hairdo as Silver Charm. The entire group commented on their similar hair—color, cut and style!  I suggested he pose with Charmie for a photo but he declined.  It would have been cute, although that’s probably why he declined.  Didn’t really fit his image, I guess.

This afternoon we had a couple of ladies who had a great time. Pops nipped at one and caught her off guard.  He mostly just slobbered on her but she was kind of proud of it, I think.  The ladies were funny—every horse was the most beautiful one they saw and each became their new favorite.  I think they ended up undecided between Awad (who looked spectacular in the sunshine today—a rich and shiny cocoa brown) and Sunshine, who is always regal and gallant.  

By the way, for all you New York racing fans who love Will’s Way (specifically, Teresa from Brooklyn Backstretch)—Will is one fat boy these days.  I think we had to actually cut back on his chow.  The grass has been so green and lush all summer, and Will is the proverbial “easy keeper.”  I think even his cheeks are chubby!  The other guy with an especially well-fed look is Kiri’s Clown. No missed meals here!

I often remark on how Swannie is our own little pigpen.  Well, he had competition today.  Leave Seattle had somehow managed to get the left side of his face completely coated with dirt.  It hasn’t rained, so it wasn’t mud.  It was too cakey to be considered dust, and it completely covered his face.  I have no idea how he did it, and it looked pretty funny.  The rest of him was shiny and clean.  I don’t know if he stood on his head or what, but it was unusual!

Once tours ended today, I was able to spend some time with Wallenda, Appy and Black Tie Affair.  Black Tie Affair is every bit as picky about his treats as Awad.  He doesn’t want mints and he repeatedly turned up his nose at the famous Mrs. Pasture horse cookies.  But boy, he loves his carrots!  Appy, who is still in the barn, loves the attention when we get to his stall.  He is another nice, kind horse and I enjoyed taking a brush to him this afternoon.

I was flattered to have a couple of blog fans at the farm today–thanks to them for the kind words and regular readership.  And for the folks who keep asking about Lava Man, all I can say is “soon, very soon.” We’ll let everyone know as soon as he is on the plane to Kentucky.

So no complaints for today—great weather, good people, wonderful horses. (But, lest I get too giddy, my little friend Marley reminded me that no day is totally perfect–she rolled in something dead and nasty-smelling.  She’s already had two baths, and number three is imminent.) 

 We hope you can visit us soon.  In the meantime, thanks for spending this Sunday with Old Friends.

-Val

Sunday September 6, 2009

What a mixed bag of a day—a little sun, some big rumbles of thunder, rain, hail (close but not actually at the farm) and a cool breeze. The back part of the farm had some nice rain, while the horses up front barely got wet.   Summer?   Fall?  Who knows?

The horses loved that cool breeze and the rain, though.  Swannie, Awad, Dan, Flick—they all ran around happily today.  Dan and Flick have apparently learned that rearing up in a mock fight earns them plenty of attention, since they pulled that act again today.  Swannie arched his neck and pranced around every time the thunder crashed.  One of the guys on the 1 o’clock tour made no bones that he was somewhat (ok, totally) afraid of horses.  His friends tried to get him to stand next to Swannie for a photo, but it thundered, Swannie danced, and the poor guy ran for cover.  

I think most of the horses were wound up today. Escape took a little nip at one lady.  (I warned her not to turn her back, but so few people ever really believe me!)  Escape left some green slobber on her nice sweater and a lovely little bruise on her arm.  She didn’t seem to mind too much, though.  Her granddaughter, who is three, was a total animal nut.  She arrived at the farm and announced that she loves horses, and let me tell you, she had no fear.  Her name was Lauren, and she had a blast.  She kissed Norty, patted Black Tie, fed Jade Hunter and Gramps, and walked next to Jake with her arm across his back.  When we got to Swannie, he dipped his head down to her level.  She put her little hands on either side of his nose and said “I love you, Horsey.”  Oh, is her dad ever going to have to pay for riding lessons some day!  I bet she had a nice nap this afternoon as well, since her energy gave out on the way back to the office—she laid down right in the middle of the driveway.  She did leave with a stuffed horse that she promptly named Norty.   Yep, my job was done today– another lifetime horse fan, courtesy of Old Friends!

Because of the looming thunder and eventual rain, the afternoon tours were all cut short.  We didn’t get very far and saw fewer horses than we normally would.  We spent some time with Sunshine and Awad, as well as Dan and Flick. But the storms were so close that no one wanted to be caught too far from shelter.  We never even made it over to Pops and Ring.  But thankfully, Clever came over for every visitor, as did Norty. 

Black Tie Affair, Appygolucky, Wallenda, and Benburb, because they are in the big barn, had it made today.  Lots of treats for them.  Appy really enjoys any attention he gets.  Of course, since he is next to Wallenda, it’s hard to talk with Appy since the Wallenda makes such a ruckus waiting for his turn.  No manners at all.  Black Tie Affair nickers every time he sees the treat bucket.  He isn’t a big fan of peppermints, though and doesn’t even want them in his mouth.  Smart horse—carrots and peppermint?  Can’t be that good of a combo.

But horses in general, of course, have a sweet tooth.  All the horses love carrots, and various horses at Old Friends have some unique taste buds.  Futural loves bananas, Creator loves pears, the late, great Ruhlmann loved gingersnap cookies.  A lot of the horses like the hard, red and white peppermint candies, but some of them are picky and don’t like the green version of the mints.  Awad has to be different as he dislikes apples, but Swannie will eat anything.  Today one lady, who wasn’t used to horses at all, pulled out a roll of the old-fashioned fruit flavor lifesavers—the green, red, and orange ones?  She asked if the horses would eat them, and I told her to give them a shot.  Huge, huge hit!  Everyone LOVED them.  Who knew? 

I want to wish a Happy Birthday to my niece Mikaela in Buffalo, and Happy Labor Day to everyone else.   We hope you can visit us sometime soon, but in the meantime, thanks for spending this Sunday with Old Friends.

-Val

Sunday August 30, 2009

I just cannot believe we are at the end of August.  Even though we are usually still well into the 80s or even low 90s in late August, this year summer seems to be rapidly turning into fall.  Today was sunny but temperatures were only in the low 70’s, distinctly not summer-like!

The horses just love this weather.  Dan and Flick were acting like stallions, rearing up in a “pretend” fight.  Of course, they did this just as a large group of people headed their way.  No point in showing off if no one is there to appreciate it!  Actually, I thought Dan was a little cranky today.  He didn’t want Flick to have any treats, and a couple of times we apparently weren’t paying enough attention to him, because he was a little demanding. 

Since it was so cool this morning, and I had a small tour of three people, we made the long trek to the back 40. It’s a nice, albeit hilly, walk—stallions on both sides going up the hill, mares and geldings in back.  Mighty Mecke and Wallace Station came right over, as did Judge’s Case and Mark of Success.  Hidden Lake was the only mare who gave a hoot about us, but then she is a very friendly girl who loves attention.  The only other gelding who came over was Siphonizer—he patiently waited for us until we made our way over to him.  Then he chomped as many carrots as he could fit in his mouth!   But Bonapaw, Kudos, Bonnie, Personalized—none of them gave us so much as a second glance.  The stallions are another story, as every one of them came to see us; both on the walk up and on the way back down.  Glitterman was glaring at Makor’s Mark.  Apparently he doesn’t much like him–talk about the evil eye!  And seeing as Glitterman isn’t exactly large and intimidating, he copped a lot of attitude for a little guy.  Williamstown was waiting for us as we got to his paddock, and Polish Navy wandered right over for his attention. I actually think Polish Navy enjoys the pats as much as the treats. Well, maybe not as much, but it is pretty close.

In the interest of fairness, this afternoon we covered the other half of the farm.  As you know, Black Tie Affair has melanoma and mainly spends his days in the barn out of the hottest sun.   He comes right to his stall door now with a nicker and pricked ears, waiting for his carrots.  One lady, who is a huge racing fan, tried and tried for a reasonably good photo of him, but I’m not sure she ever got one.  Black Tie is really good at posing, until the split second before the camera shutter clicks. Then his closes his eyes, lops his ears, sticks out his tongue–anything to frustrate the photographer.  It was kind of funny, but then I wasn’t the one with the camera.  Sigh.  Another one has wormed his way into my heart.   

The lady who is the big racing fan is from Pittsburgh, and I don’t think she expected to see some of the horses she saw today.  First, she noticed Norty’s paddock sign and asked if that was really The Wicked North.   Then, she realized Jade Hunter was here, and shortly after that was excited to see Kiri’s Clown.  I think I have said before how competitive some of the stallions can be.  For example, Bull doesn’t like to be ignored in favor of Norty, and as I said earlier, Glitterman doesn’t seem to have much use for Makor’s Mark.  But maybe the two most competitive are Kiri and Awad.  Kiri is much cooler about it—if he doesn’t get what he considers his fair share, he just walks away.  But Awad gets downright agitated.  So today Kiri has his fan fussing over him, and that just irritates Awad beyond all measure.  He huffs and puffs and sputters and preens like you can’t imagine.   Finally one of the guys on the tour had pity on Awad and fussed over him, too.  It wasn’t quite the same as Awad having all the attention to himself, but it was enough to settle him down.  By the end of the tour, several of the people commented about what great personalities the horses have. You have to figure Awad is on top of that list tonight.   

EscapedfromNewYork made a few friends today as well.  His story certainly tugs at people’s hearts, and I suspect Escaped totally gets this.  You know he was rescued from that big Thoroughbred farm in New York where they found so many starving and neglected horses.  Somehow, he manages to look sad and pathetic just as I am telling people about him.  Considering he is now well on his way to chubby and in no way looks like a rescue horse, this is Oscar-worthy acting on his part.  But sometimes I see people wipe away a tear while they pat him.  And it isn’t just the story—it’s that look he manages to give everyone.  I’m telling you, the horse is good!

Another week has wound down at Old Friends.   We hope you can visit us sometime soon.  In the meantime, thanks for spending this Sunday with Old Friends!

-Val

Sunday August 23, 2009

Last week:  hot and humid.  This week:  cool and cloudy.  What is it they say?  Don’t like the weather, wait a minute and it’ll change.  How true this week!   It was a terrific day for a walk around a horse farm.  The horses all felt great and there was plenty of equine activity to see.

I have to start with Clever. He is still enamored of Klassy and spent plenty of time trotting and cantering back and forth in front of her stall.  This morning she was outside in the small, round pen and he really enjoyed showing off for her then.  Of course, she was ignoring him, but that didn’t discourage Clever.  On the other hand, he is kind of hedging his bets. Unlike last week he made time for every tour today, getting his share of treats and pats.  Love is all fine and good, but treats still rule!

Proper Reality has settled into his new paddock quite nicely.  He is a little on the slender side, but give him a few weeks and he’ll be just as chubby as the rest of the horses.   He is very friendly, and comes over for treats at every opportunity, including on the outgoing and incoming trip past his paddock.  I’m pretty sure he thinks we won’t notice that we already fed him!  For those of you who are fans of racing “back in the day,” Proper is a direct male descendant of Man o’ War, considered by many to be the greatest racehorse who ever lived.   (Unless of course, you are a Secretariat fan, but I’m not going there!)  Here is a link to Proper’s pedigree:  http://www.pedigreequery.com/proper+reality.

Across from Proper is Regal Sanction, but he didn’t come over for any treats.  He was staring across the road at the mares and babies in one of the Summerwind fields.  He is so busy rubbernecking at what everyone else is doing that he misses out.  Still, there is something about a horse staring off into the distance with his nostrils flared and his ears pricked…just beautiful.

We attempted to get Ogygian to come over to visit today, but he was ensconced in his run-in shed and refused to come out.  The only reason we even knew he was in his shed was that we could see his tail flicking back and forth.  I guess he wasn’t feeling sociable.  On the other hand, Fortunate Prospect and Jade Hunter can be counted on for visits.  Jade Hunter doesn’t miss a carrot.  He looks terrific.  One lady remarked several times how shiny and metallic his red coat is, and he does look like a brand-new penny in the sunshine.  Gramps, next door to him, is black and the little white age spots in his coat are definitely getting more numerous.  He’s looking more like an Appaloosa all the time!

Dan shared a big, green, sneeze with one group today.  Thankfully I had warned them and no one was too close.  Well, one guy was right there and he was pretty much covered in grass green Dan slime.  Poor guy, but he took it with good humor.  I can tell school is back in session because we only had two kids touring today.   I also think it was South Carolina day in Kentucky, because I believe I had people from that state on every tour but one. Unusual.  We also had people from Greece as well as Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and California. 

One of the cool things about being at Old Friends every week is watching a new horse become accustomed to the change of lifestyle.  Especially the stallions, who are coming from breeding farms and acclimating to an “admiration” farm.  In that vein, I think Black Tie Affair is going to be a very nice horse.   Of course he is famous (1991 Horse of the Year and winner of $3.3 million) and beautiful, but it has taken a little while for his personality to show through.  I saw a hint of it a few weeks ago when he stood and listened to my niece Kayla talk to him.  Now it seems he has finally stopped looking for mares and started looking for treats.  Today he came right to his stall door and seemed to enjoy all the attention, even parking his head on my shoulder while everyone admired him.  I think it bothered Wallenda though, who was especially feisty and demanding of his share of the attention.   After everyone left today, I walked Wallenda out to his paddock for the night; it’s my favorite “perk” of being at Old Friends.  The big horse wanted to play, grabbing his lead shank after I unclipped it and trying to keep me from taking it.   It wasn’t until he saw Kent drive up with his dinner that he gave up on the game.  Ahh, the power of food!

Today’s weather was a forecast of things to come; summer is definitely winding down and we are headed into fall. It’s a great time of the year to see the farm and meet the horses.  We continue to offer three tours daily, so give us a call and visit sometime soon.  In the meantime, thanks for spending this Sunday with Old Friends.

-Val

Sunday August 16, 2009

Ahh, the dog days of summer have arrived at Old Friends: hot, sunny and humid.  The horses mostly stood quietly, sweating and flicking at flies.  The tours meandered slowly, sweating and sticking to the shade where possible.  Only a few kids today, all of them on one last trip before they head back to school.  Marley the tour dog was so aggravated by the heat that she took after her buddy Shane and we had to separate them.

Despite the heat, the daily routine continues at the farm uninterrupted.  Horses brought inside for the day, out for the night, or vice versa.  Feeding time twice a day. Fences repaired, hay stacked.  Stalls need to be cleaned and grass needs to be mowed. 

A new stallion arrived last evening.  His name is Proper Reality, and he ran fourth to Winning Colors in the 1988 Kentucky Derby.  He’s a little brown horse, possibly now the smallest stallion on the farm.  Of course, those little guys are awfully cute, which probably offends his stallion ego!  He was in the stall next to Wallenda this morning for the first tour and we had to convince him to come over for carrots. I always say the good racehorses are really smart, and by the end of the day, he was waiting at his stall door when he saw us walking toward him.  He picked that up quickly enough.  This afternoon, he went outside to his paddock for the first time.  Bull, Norty and Regal are his new neighbors and they were all worked up.  But I don’t think Proper is going to have any problem settling in—he pretty much ignored the other stallions and went directly to grazing.

Even though it isn’t exactly springtime, we have a little Old Friends romance in the air. Klassy Briefcase is still staying in the small barn and she is making eyes at Clever Allemont.   She watches him through her stall window, and tosses out a coy little nicker every now and again.  Clever has limited vision and his hearing may not be all that it once was, but clearly something is working well enough.  He spent all day showing off–trotting back and forth across from Klassy’s stall.  Even when we stood in front of him with carrots he was too distracted to eat.  Off he went, trotting back and forth, keeping his good eye on Klassy.  I guess he knows how good he looks these days and figures, “what the heck, I may be 27 but that cute chestnut is 24 and we both look fabulous for our age!”

Today’s heat kept us close to the barns and their shade, but I did have a chance last evening to head up to the “back 40″ to see the mares and geldings, as well as some of the other stallions.  I’ve said it before, but that Polish Navy is one nice horse.  He came right over for his share of attention, once again putting his head right into my arms for a face rub.  I am a sucker for those big, bad stallions who are secretly softies, and Polish Navy sure is that.   Both Glitterman and Williamstown also came over to say hi.  No horse loves his paddock more than Willie—big, shady, and hilly enough that he can pretend no one sees him.   

All the horses in the back part of the farm look great—Mighty Mecke and Wallace Station came over at a run, and Hidden Lake was waiting at the fence for some attention. Personalized and Bonnie were hanging out in their run-in shed and didn’t much care if we were there or not. I suspect Bonapaw thinks he rules the place back there, although in truth Bonnie is the queen.  The horse who stuck out for me last night was Siphonizer.  He has really bloomed compared to the horse he was when he arrived last year.  Nearly black, he has become a big, muscular horse.  There sure is a lot of him, and he looks very content hanging out with his pals Futural and Affirmed Success.  Because you know, it’s a rough life—living in a large paddock with your friends, with plenty of food, water, green grass and a steady supply of carrots. 

We had a wonderful group of visitors today, albeit fewer of them than usual.  A nice couple who are big fans of Old Friends came from Texas, and we had visitors from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee.  One lady was a big fan of Black Tie Affair and we had to walk back to see him a second time before she left.  A handful of kids, some grandparents and a few racing fans rounded out the day.  In between tours I brushed Appygolucky, who is still in the barn, and Wallenda of course.  All in all, it was a great day to be at the farm.  I think all our visitors had fun, too.

We hope you can visit us soon.  In the meantime, thanks for spending this Sunday with Old Friends.

-Val

Sunday August 9, 2009

After a cooler than normal and very comfortable July, summer heat has arrived with a vengeance in central Kentucky.  It’s hot and humid, saved today only by a nice steady breeze.  The horses have stopped trotting over for carrots, preferring to amble over, knowing we’ll wait for them– in the shade if possible!

I read in the newspaper this week that the Lexington area has gotten about five inches of rain over normal.  As a result, the grass is still green and all the horses look sleek and shiny.  Well, except for one horse.  Swannie has created an almost perfectly oval dust hole in the middle of his paddock, where we watched him roll today.  He coats himself with dust, then gets up and shakes.  The dust cloud drifts off him for 20 or more feet, but he is pretty happy when he is finished!

With all the heat and humidity only Awad broke into a trot today, but then this weekend was an anniversary of sorts for him, so he might have been showing off a little.  On Saturday, the Arlington Million was run.  Awad holds the stakes record for that race, and for another year his record went unbroken.   We made sure to tell him that, and he just tossed his head as if to say, “but, of course!”   There are a few horses at the farm that seem to have inspired exceptional fan memories.  Will’s Way, Black Tie Affair and Ogygian are among them.  But over the past couple of years on my tours, more people seem to remember Awad for some special reason than any other horse.  Wedding memories, honeymoons, trips to the races with friends and family—a lot of people apparently associate an Awad victory with some special event or memory.   It’s kind of amazing, actually.

We had a bunch of kids on tours today, as it seems a lot of families were taking one last weekend trip before school starts.  The kids on the tours today ranged in age from one to maybe 10 or 11.  One girl was an old hand with horses and one little boy was a novice but had no fear.  But the best was a girl who was maybe seven.  She had on a beautiful pink summer sundress, and she was a little shy around the horses at first.  But once she got the hang of carrots and mints, she had a terrific time.  Every time one of the horses took a treat from her hand, she let loose with the cutest little giggle.  I am pretty sure she will always remember her time at Old Friends, and at the end of the day that is the best part about being a tour guide at the farm.

I’ve talked before how some horses settle right in when they arrive at the farm.  The all-time champion of that, of course, is The Wicked North.  Clever Allemont “got it” almost immediately as well.  Even EscapedfromNewYork, given his complete lack of socialization, has come a long way very quickly.  He is a friendly little guy who walks right along the fence with us, hoping for more treats.

On the other hand, you have the horses who take a little while to settle in. Wallenda was a little nutty upon his arrival.  I remember him pacing his fence for a week or so.  Flick didn’t settle down until Dan got hold of him.  One of our newest horses, Regal Sanction, is taking his time as well.  I think he has figured out the bucket of carrots idea, as he meets us at the fence every time.  But he isn’t too sure about these stallions all around him.  He lives next door from Bull and across from Norty.  Now, Bull isn’t one to let any horse go unchallenged.  He makes sure the new guy knows he is in the presence of The Great Bull inthe Heather.  Bull doesn’t do anything halfway, so there is some noise and bluster in his manner.  Norty, in his much less overt way, is just as challenging.  I think Regal is wondering what is going on!

On another note, one of our summer interns, Aubrie, begins her senior year of high school tomorrow.   Aubrie has worked in the gift shop with me on Sundays for most of the past two summers, and I am pretty fond of her.  I hope she has a great senior year! 

In the interest of equal time, after mentioning Rachel Alexandra last week I have to talk about my other favorite race mare, Zenyatta.  She continued her unbeaten career with a thrilling victory tonight.  People ask me all the time if horses love to race.  If you saw Zenyatta do her special dance step on her way to the starting gate, you just know she loves her job!  She is one cool horse.

Thanks for spending this Sunday with Old Friends!  We hope you can visit us soon.

PS.  I had a request for a picture of Black Tie Affair.  Thanks to Rick Capone. More photos are available on his website www.kentuckyhorsephotos.com

 

-Val

Sunday August 2, 2009

Someone on a tour asked me today if I was a racing fan and of course, I am.  And if you watched Rachel Alexandra win the Haskell Invitational today, how could you not be a fan?  She looked like she was having the greatest fun running that race. She is something else.    

Back at Old Friends, we had a full day of tours, visitors and horses.  Of course, a couple of the boys must have known Rachel was set to run today.  Both Awad and Will’s Way wowed the crowd with their antics this afternoon, reminding us that they were pretty darn speedy in their day, too.  Awad came toward us at a dead run, sliding to a stop with a whinny.  Will added some dramatic skills, standing still and intently staring off into the distance, before suddenly exploding into a bucking run across his paddock.  We also had a chance this morning to visit with the boys on the hill–Polish Navy, Glitterman and Williamstown—and the biggest ham of the day was Silver Charm, naturally.  He offered pony kisses to every small child who wanted one.

This morning I had a small tour of four people.  One lady was admittedly not a horse person and I think she had the most fun, learning to feed carrots and pat noses.  In fact, several people visiting today had never patted a horse before, and one lady said, “I had no idea their noses are like velvet.”   We got a chuckle out of Jade Hunter, whose lips may be velvety but sure haven’t gotten any more limber, and watched Makor’s Mark run around like a wild thing.  The Name’s Jimmy, who lives across from Makor, happily got his share of carrots while the group realized that when I said his name I wasn’t kidding– it’s “The Name’s Jimmy!”

Glitterman, whose daughter Glitter Rox won the Royal North Stakes in Canada this weekend, came right over to visit.  He is just the cutest little guy.  Polish Navy is also a real sweetheart, but Williamstown was grumpy and let us know it.  Apparently we were interrupting his morning routine and he just wanted us to leave.   After four or five teeth-chomping threats, we got the message and left him alone.  I know it’s all for show, but he sure makes it look real.

One of our newer geldings, Appygolucky, is having a difficult time acclimating to his new pasture mates.  Appy is a sweetheart and not nearly aggressive enough to stand up to his neighborhood bully, Max A Million.  After some rough treatment from Max, Appy is enjoying barn time in the stall next to Wallenda.   I spent some time brushing and fussing over Appy this afternoon.  When I began brushing, Wallenda came over to the wall to check things out.  Poor Appy.  He must figure every horse is going to beat on him, because as big stallion Wallenda sniffed at us through the gap in the boards, Appy got very tense and nervous. But I think Wallenda knew–he just nickered very quietly at Appy.  I’m not sure what Wallenda said, but Appy immediately relaxed.  I know I tend to assign human emotions to the horses and a lot of folks would roll their eyes at me, but I do think horses communicate amongst themselves.  I think Wallenda told Appy, “it’s ok bud, just relax and enjoy.” 

The other human emotion I firmly believe horses share is a sense of humor.  We’ve had a good deal of rain in central Kentucky of late and some of the paddocks have areas of lovely mud.  A lot of the horses are covered with dried mud (none more than Swannie, but what else is new?)  Pops and Ring, at the bottom corner of their paddock, have a mud puddle that is especially wet and watery.  We were all standing around admiring Awad and Kiri this afternoon and it was too much for Special Ring.  He stood in his mud hole and began splashing.  And this is where the sense of humor comes in:  Ring didn’t just paw at the mud like you would expect.  Nope, he splashed mud forward, toward all of us.  He was obviously enjoying his little joke! 

Today’s moment when I wished for a camera occurred when three little girls and one little boy reached over the fence to scratch Kiri’s back.  Kiri will pass up carrots and frankly maybe even dinner for a good back scratching.  The kids were little but mighty—they must have really put some muscle into it, because Kiri just about closed his eyes in bliss.    One of the girls, Valencia, gave him a big hug; she just wrapped her arms right around his neck before I could even guess what she was doing.  She was so comfortable with Kiri and he seemed to really like her.   Another example of girls-and-their-horses thing, I guess.

That’s about all from here. Hard to believe it’s August and summer is winding down.  We hope you can visit us soon.  In the meantime, thanks for spending this Sunday with Old Friends.

-Val

Sunday July 26, 2009

Another month is almost over.  It’s been an odd summer, weather-wise, with a fair amount of rain and cooler overall temperatures.  It may be odd weather to us, but I have no doubt the horses have really liked this summer.  For whatever reason, there seem to be fewer flies and the ground isn’t so hard and dry.  Not to mention how green and lush the grass continues to be.  We are still routinely mowing pastures, unusual for late July, and a hay farmer I know expects there will be good quantities of hay available this winter.

No tour duties for me today, as Greg and I had family in town for the weekend. Greg’s sister, brother-in-law and two nieces were here from Pittsburgh.  We spent yesterday showing them around central Kentucky a little.  Along with Old Friends, we had lunch at Wallace Station (excellent, as always!) and checked out Rupp Arena for my brother-in-law, a big college basketball fan.  We also walked around Keeneland.   No racing in July of course, but it’s still a great place–even empty, it’s full of atmosphere.  Yesterday there was a wedding party having pictures taken in the walking ring.  Talk about a pretty place for wedding photos!   One of the gentlemen working in the Equestrian Room saw the girls and gave them Keeneland coloring books, crayons and stickers.  It was very nice.

Our nieces, Shannon and Kayla, are at a fun age where everything is an adventure.  Shannon, who is nine, is very much an animal person, and she happily spent all weekend hanging out with Marley and Jake.  She had also seen “Seabiscuit” and when I told her we could meet the horse who played him in the movie, she was pretty excited.  

When Saturday morning rolled around, the girls announced they were ready to meet some horses, so off to Old Friends we went.  We grabbed a bag of carrots and went to the big barn.  Black Tie Affair was the very first horse we saw.  It is the first time I’d met him, and he is beautiful.  He is not real big, and quite refined with a pretty, almost delicate head and face.  Unfortunately, like Benburb, he has melanoma and will be undergoing treatment for his tumors.  He came right over to his stall door to meet us, looking very interested in the kids.  Kayla, who is seven, had told me on Friday that she likes gray horses best, so she was totally taken with him.  I think she would have stood outside his stall talking to him all day, and Black Tie Affair would have stood and listened!

We tried to visit with Wallenda, but he was sleeping and couldn’t be bothered to get up.  That horse.  I talk about how he is my favorite and he won’t even flick an ear to acknowledge us.  Makes me look bad!  Ben, who like Black Tie Affair stays indoors and out of the sun during the day, was his usual friendly self.  In fact, I think, given his health issues, that Ben is one of the most dignified horses I have ever met.  He is one very classy guy.   Cross your fingers for both him and Black Tie; hopefully their treatments will help.

Clever came right over to see us.  There are times when he doesn’t bother to come over to the fence to visit, but it seems to me if there are small kids, he comes right over.  He ate his carrots, got his face rubbed, and seemed happy.  Shannon has a naturally calm, animal-friendly personality and Clever took right to her, letting her pat his forehead and neck.

Kayla, the younger niece, is a riot and cheerfully tells us she is a “diva.”  Norty is in the paddock across from Bull and both horses were looking for attention.  While we fed Norty his treats, Bull was banging on the fence and when we fed Bull, Norty stomped his feet, wanting us back with him.  Kayla looked at the horses and annnounced that they are both divas.  Oh, how true!

Klassy Briefcase is still on stall rest, and being a small mare with a calm and gentle way about her, she is perfect for a little girl.  Shannon fed her carrots and then stood and patted Klassy for a good while.  For the rest of the day Shannon talked about how Klassy was her favorite.   Shannon also loved Janet’s dogs.  She kneeled right down in the barn for a nose to nose conversation with Duncan.  Once again, where is my camera when I need it? You think I’d learn…

Fortunate Prospect has moved to the field across from Jade Hunter and you couldn’t ask for two more friendly stallions.  They stood directly across from one another, and we all just took the three or four steps back and forth between them as they munched their carrots.  From there, we saw Dan, Flick and Silver Charm.  Kayla decided, “I like that little one, he’s just my size.  I could probably ride him!”  Perhaps not, as I am pretty sure Charmie would be highly offended at the idea of having to work!

We finished up our mini tour with a walk over to Pops and Ring.  Both horses were at the bottom corner of their paddock, down by Leave Seattle, Kiri, and Awad.   Pops saw us and immediately ran up the hill.  I tried to tell the girls it was because he saw them, but they quickly figured out that Pops saw an opportunity to get carrots without having to compete with four other horses!  That horse is one smart cookie.   After dinner last night, we all watched Pops in his big movie role.  I hadn’t watched “Seabiscuit” in probably a couple years, and we had a lot of fun watching for Pops in the film.  Knowing him, it was easy enough to pick him out.  It’s no wonder he’s such a ham.

Thanks to Tim Ford for taking over my tour guide duties today–I’ll be back at tours next week.  We hope you will visit us soon.  In the meantime, thanks for spending this Sunday with Old Friends. 

P.S. Happy Birthday to my sister Karen, tomorrow…

-Val

Sunday July 19, 2009

I think this particular weekend arguably has become our busiest each year.  You probably think it’s the summer weather, or at least summer vacation, but neither is the reason.  It’s Breyerfest weekend at the Kentucky Horse Park.  You know Breyer horses:  the collectible, plastic, model horses, usually replications of various breeds or specific famous horses.  Breyerfest attracts a lot of collectors—adults that have collected since childhood, moms collecting with their kids (mostly daughters, I think) and people who just love horses.  And so, since Friday, Old Friends has been a popular stop with the Breyer crowd.  And boy, have we been busy.  I had plenty of bucket carrying volunteers today!

Many of today’s visitors, as you can imagine, were kids.   I think I met at least 25 kids and it was a lot of fun.   They ran, they chattered, they fed carrots, they patted and they asked questions.   The horses seem to understand kids, too.  It still surprizes me, no matter how often I see it happen.  But every single horse, every one, was exceedingly kind and gentle throughout the day.   Clever, Escape and Swannie graciously let lots of little hands reach out and pat them.  Sunshine sniffed, snorted and smelled every hand, which earned him lots of giggles.  Pops and Ring let everyone admire them, and then raced about 10 kids (and one dog) up the hill.  Talk about a thundering herd…

The Wicked North gobbled his share of carrots and posed for photos with his new fans.  You probably think, what is so special about that?  Well, Norty didn’t just pose.  He stood still, ears pricked, so each mom could get a perfect photo of her child kissing Norty.  As soon as each photo was snapped, he waited for the next child and posed again. He must be the star of 15 or 20 smoochy pictures today.  You can’t tell me he didn’t know what he was doing. 

One of the mares, Klassy Briefcase, is in the barn recovering from a little tendon pull.  At first, you could see her thinking about whether she really wanted all these people hanging around her stall, but as is usually the case, the carrots won out.  She gently took her share and then completely turned her back on us.  The mares always let you know when they have had enough.

The far corner of Ogygian’s paddock is his favorite spot. His tree is there, where he hangs out in the shade and waits for his share of the treats.  I suppose in his youth Ogie had his share of aggressive stallion behavior, but you wouldn’t have known it today.  And as so often happens, he could care less about the adults, but the kids could pat and feed him no problem. 

Another horse who had a great time with the kids today was Jade Hunter.   When a new horse arrives you never really know what his or her temperament is like, but Jade Hunter is a very nice horse who comes over to the fence as soon as he sees people walking his way.  He makes me laugh though, because he doesn’t have the most graceful lips.  Kind of clumsy, he knocks more carrots to the ground than he nabs.  Some horses can pick up a bit of carrot as delicately as anything.   Jade Hunter, not so much! 

The other new horse we have on the farm is Canadian champion Benburb.  Ben is suffering from melanoma and is undergoing treatment for his tumors.  But he is a wonderfully nice gray horse who greets visitors with a loud, enthusiastic neigh.  Carrots are high on his list, as well.  We are also awaiting the arrival of another great old stallion:  Black Tie Affair should be here in the next week or so, once transportation arrangements are finalized. 

But I have to say without a doubt, the horse that enjoyed himself the most today was Kiri’s Clown.  This morning he stood parallel to the fence while 10 or 12 pair of hands reached over, under, and through the fence to scratch him.  Some of the littler kids stood on the fence boards and the taller ones reached for his back and neck.  He wouldn’t even eat his carrots because he was enjoying his “grooming” so much!  He had kids scratching his back, neck, chest, belly, butt and ears, with a look of sheer bliss on his face.  

Of course, we had adult visitors as well, but today was mostly all about the kids.   The kids asked some well-thought out questions and made some very intuitive comments.  Really, they are my favorite visitors.  I think they are the horses’ favorite visitors as well.  I told all the kids to pester their parents for a return trip next summer.

And so another Breyerfest, and another summer weekend is past.  We hope you can visit us soon. Until then, thanks for spending this Sunday with Old Friends.

-Val