Committee Horse Search...

[Zala]

The day dawned bright and warm; somewhat unusual spring weather but nice just the same!! The horses were let out into their appropriate pastures and fields. The mares heavy with foal moving a little slower than everyone else; and with good reason!! No new foals to report as of yet...

The stable hands and I headed into town with the horse trailer in tow, just in case the Committee had some nice horses I couldn't live without! We arrived before noon and decided to eat our lunch from the back of the pickup after parking the trailer. We enjoyed fried chicken and mashed potatoes which was a nice change from salads and sandwiches!! After disposing of our lunch, my head stable hand and I headed in the direction of the pens where the horses were being kept. These animals were enough to take your breath away!! So many magnificent horses of every age, breed, size, shape and color graced The Committee's stable area. I was all over the place, checking out every horse I could in a short time period. I wanted to get back home before the traffic started!

We put our heads together and talked over which horses would best fit our many programs. Everyone had a good laugh when I chose two of the Miniature Horses. "Laugh all you want guys, but these two are going to be the stars of my new Combined Driving team!" I said, tying the mare on one side of the trailer and the stallion on the other. I couldn't believe my luck when I found out who the stallion's sire was! None other than Lost Spokes Winter Dreamcatcher!! The mare didn't have too bad of bloodlines either, and I was anxious to add them to my small but growing Miniature herd!!

We checked out the Stock Horses next, but nothing really caught my eye which is very unusual, so we moved on. When we checked out the Race Horses, I couldn't make up my mind who I liked better. And finally we headed for the Sporthorse section. I knew this would be the part of the adoption grounds where I would find myself a couple new horses. With the 5 horses a month limit, I really had to make my last decisions really count!! I found an outstanding Bay Overo Thoroughbred Stallion who I knew would make an excellent Eventer! He had the conformation, the look and the physique to make a top notch Event Horse! The grooms hurried him off to the trailer while I continued to look. The following horse I chose was a gorgeous Hanoverian x Thoroughbred mare I knew would make another great addition to my Sporthorse Program. She just had that eye catching look that I just had a feeling would win ribbons!! She's super gentle, so I may just put one of the younger riders on her; after I rode her and felt her out myself first! The grooms grabbed her up like she was the last horse there, I thought it was kinda funny to watch them practically running for the trailer. Apparently they had already loaded the Thoroughbred boy and he was settling into the trailer calmly. I just had a feeling I wouldn't be leaving the adoption without at least one Thoroughbred, and I think this guy is going to be a super star!!

And finally, I had to do some serious thinking and searching for my 5th and final horse! Everyone knows I am a sucker for color, and I had it in my mind to keep an eye out for the colorful Sporthorse either with an exotic color or pattern. But I couldn't decide whether I wanted a Pinto or an Appaloosa pattern. I paced the fence lines like a worried hen, looking, searching, thinking and trying to make a decision when finally, she almost appeared out of nowhere! Her name is Frosted Eagle CH, bred by the world famous C&H Ranch, and an own daughter of HOF Casino Royale and HOF Sayde! Now I have always wanted a foal by Casino Royale, but could never get up the nerve to make a deal on a breeding, or was too busy with other horses, or something always came up. When I read this girls information on the sheet stapled to the paddocks wooden gate, I knew she had to come home with me!! A gorgeous frosted chestnut Appaloosa x Dutch Warmblood, this girl just screamed eye appeal and talent. She might as well have been a giant gold coin, but I knew I had to have her! I have plans of adding her to my Eventing or Dressage show string, just haven't quite made up my mind yet on that.

After making my final decision, we loaded up the remaining horses and headed home! We decided to put the Miniatures in last since they were smallest and I didn't want them feeling boxed in by the bigger horses. When all the horses were loaded and the truck and trailer ready, we headed out to the road and started for home. We did get stuck in traffic for a bit, but it wasn't too long before it cleared up and we had smooth sailing from there. The other stable hands were waiting anxiously as we pulled into the driveway and parked by the open doors of the Show Stable. Everyone helped to unload the horses and make them feel at home while I lead Frosted Eagle into her new stall. She seemed a little frightened at first after coming off the trailer, but she seemed to settle in when one of the younger grooms came by with a haynet full of hay and a small amount of grain in case she was hungry. All the water buckets had been installed and filled with clean, cool water before we arrived.

I really appreciate all the work my stable hands put into the stable. Without them the horses wouldn't be getting the best possible care or opportunities to get out into the pastures on nice days. They work their buns off every day with little or no complaints. I hope they will stick around for awhile, I know I couldn't do it all without them!!

[Zala]

Welcome to the May Edition of Committee Horse Search!! The first week of May was spent preparing for the task of looking at and making a decision on what to bring with us as we were spending the weekend at the horse adoption just so we could get in there and choose 5 more horses to take home with us. This time I was going in fully prepared to come out of the place with a few Thoroughbreds. And boy did we ever! After packing up the remainder of our things, we all headed into the house for some good old fashioned beef stew and dessert afterwards!

That following Friday, we loaded up what little stuff we had left and headed out on the road after most of the traffic had subsided. It was pretty much smooth sailing all the way which was great! We arrived at The Committee's parking lot a few hours later to find an ideal parking spot close to the paddocks which were already filled with horses. After a few of the grooms unpacked their sleeping gear, we all fell asleep either inside or outside the truck and trailer until day break. We needed what little rest we could get, no telling what would transpire the next couple of days!

Saturday dawned beautiful and bright, it was definitely going to be a good day! But with rain coming soon in the weather forecast, we started out early to search the paddocks. Once again there were dozens of beautiful horses of every size, shape and color as far as the eye could see! It was like horsey heaven or something being among these beautiful beasts! It was like you just couldn't get enough of the sight, smell and feel of the horses, it was pretty exciting! People were already flooding into the grounds, eagerly searching the paddocks for their next perfect horse just like us. We had to work fast before too many people arrived! JT and I headed straight for the Thoroughbred Section to scope out possible prospects for our Breeding and Sporthorse programs; and maybe even an addition to our Race String. But nothing there really interested us in the way of Racing, but we did find some pretty incredible Sporthorse and Breeding types!!

After what seemed like hours of debating and pacing and all out craziness, we finally made our minds up on the horses! The first up were a couple lovely mares bred by Golden Sunrise Farm; whom we have admired for their gorgeous horses and super gorgeous Thoroughbreds!! We have had their horses before and knew these two would be exceptional and great additions to our breeding stock! GSF Dangerous Myth and GSF Wedding Day were led away and placed in a couple stalls we had reserved the previous month. Next up were the mid-aged horses; an outstanding White Chestnut son of Stormy Sato; DSF Touch of Storm, bred by Diabolique Stud Farm. They have some pretty outstanding Thoroughbreds as well! But this guy was definitely going to be one of the barn favorites because of his unusual coloration! JT saw that guy and his eyes about flew out of his head! Lol! He agreed the stallion would make a nice addition to our Sporthorse program and possibly our Breeding Program once things got underway better. We had room for stallions, but not mean ones. Storm acted like an old school horse, but way sweeter. He was already looking for treats as JT led him back to his new home for the weekend. The other mare we chose; Playing Pretend, had an interesting pedigree and I thought she might compliment our breeding program and maybe even grace our Show String on a limited basis due to her advancing age! And the last and final horse we took home was a beautiful chestnut mare. DSF Prettylittledixie was an exceptional specimen with loads of eye appeal, charisma and conformation that wouldn't stop! She was super gentle, seemed very loving and always concious of her handler. She was going to make an excellent Dressage or Eventing horse in my opinion! I could see it written all over her as we walked her back to her stall. This was definitely an exciting and productive day. We decided to stay until later Sunday evening so we could once again beat the traffic and get home safe with our new treasures!!