Genesis TWH Farm - It is always a pleasure to have someone visit our farm and look at our mares. This time was no exception as it proved a couple of things for me. One is that the world is so much smaller than you had ever imagined. Two is that horse lovers are unique and always can share some piece of helpful information to each other. Three, Do you know they make horse bit wipes? Two flavors. That kind of information is always great to know as I am sure it makes it easier to put a bit into a horse's mouth who has had previous bad experiences.
Today I had a question on Meagan who bought a grey horse from me a couple of years ago and also has a little Friesian - Walking horse mix which is showing some signs of a gait, but then changes to a trot. Her question was how can I get this horse to continue the gait and not break into the trot. I do not begin to say that I am a trainer, but I have a fantastic gentleman who shoes for me Travis Craft that is and I have asked him that question. The answer is anchoring the back end of your horse.
Breeding at New Horizon Stable: In 2011 we discovered New Horizon Stable and have been exceptionally pleased with their services and the stallions in their barn that they stand. We recommend them highly and have two foals due May and June bred to Generator's Armed & Dangerous that we are looking forward to. The couple did an amazing job with both mares and we also had them train our stud colt by the Whole Nine Yards who was just weeks old to show at halter in the TWHBEA Futurity Class. Take a look at their Spring Lineup of Stallions which we have information and a link for their new website below.
On a cold and snowy morning we awoke with to a ground covered in frozen snow and a gently resting 9 month old filly curled up so quietly that we hated to wake her. t was time to feed and as we saw she did not get up, we went to find out why. Dawn was helped to rise and we anxiously called the vet to see what the trouble was. Babies have so many interesting events and Dawn was unique in many ways outside of her truly beautiful dark chestnut coloring with flaxen mane and tail. She was a filly that turned heads and from her carriage you could see there were great things in store for her as she came into her own. Our vet arrived to find a filly that was not doing much at all and who had vitals that were dead on for being fine, however, we knew that her quiet manner indicated much more than a bad day. She simply wasn't doing anything at all. To be sure we gave her fluids and antibiotics and were mortally afraid when she suddenly and quietly just went down. There were no signs of colic, no signs of distress in her breathing, and nothing to indicate why she simply was shutting down.
Breeding is all about Pedigree, Pedigree, and then about what you like and strong features or goals you are trying to seek. You are building for the future when you decide to breed "every time". So research is important. One of the most important parts of selecting that stud horse after pedigree is location and pricing so we try to stay in touch with what is going on with the farms that have those studs that we have mares from or have bred to. Rising Star has some of the best sires in the industry and this is their new listing for stud fees 2012.
TWHBEA: Opening night of the TWHBEA Celebration started with the Futurity classes. The Who is Who of walking horses will compete in each competition so Charlene Carson and I were more than nervous and excited about the fact that one of our foals was nice enough to make enter into this competition. For those of you who are like myself and have been around Tennessee Walking Horses for several years and bred horses for even a short while know that there is "everything" to learn. Therefore, it did not bother me in the least bit to ask What is the Futurity and How do we enter "if" we evern are eligible?
Undignified or Impressive? Training a young walking horse here at GenesisTWH / CarMil Mares is a little different I would say than the average person's training program. Our's is about trusting the handler without stressing out the horse unduly. The photo here says it all with coming 2 year old Delilah by Owls Simply Irresistable and Hard Texas Cash who was born at the farm. We began training her early to stand and listen to her handler so this photo although interesting was NOT stressfull for her when we started. This is actually the first day she had a blanket on her back and a bit in her mouth. We started with feeding her tied in the barn and always touching and talking with her. Young horses are beautiful and energetic but need to be taught from the start that certain behavior is unacceptable as they grow quickly and don't understand the difference in their sizes. Meaning a nudge or tap from them could cause broken bones. With that mindset and my kneecaps being the what I deem handicapped I have always been strict and firm but loving to my horses.
GenesisTWH, KY: We attended the May 2011 Emminence Trail Ride with friends and had a great time discovering new challenges for our horses such as carnival rides and canoes. You never know what you may see so it is always interesting when you think you've seen it all and find out you haven't even considered some environments. This ride we travelled the ball park, the golf course, crossed rivers, passed carnival rides in full action, and watched canoes drift by and it was all great. Our horses were alert and in great form as the weather was amazing in spite of the tornadoes that ripped through Missouri the week prior to our trip.
