Baby bubbles is gonna have a sibling

Baby Bubbles is going to have a brother or sister! This is Diablo's baby girl, Bubbles, who finally got a name. We had such a good experience breeding to Buffalo Ranch's stallions last year that I wanted to do it again this year. I stepped it up a notch and chose Laredo Blue.

If you are paying attention this year-- and I am not even sure I am, so I can hardly blame you for losing track of all this--you know things did not go as easily as they should have in the breeding shed for us. Diablo foaled in May, and we passed her foal heat but she had an excellent breeding while we were in Bonaire. All systems were operating beautifully--but it was a big ol bust. No pregnancy. Then she struggled getting herself another follicle, and it took enough time to get her ready to roll that I was sure she was not going to get the job done before breeding season ended. Luckly she got it together at the tail end of June, and we bred her again.

We were a little delayed preg-checking her, but on July 17, she checked 22 days in foal with a perfect little wiggle, heart beating away already. That puts her due at the very tail end or first couple days of June. Then we will give her a year off to back up her potential foaling dates.
I absolutely love this horse. I loved him before I really knew who he was, he just looks like a man to me. When I first saw his breeding, I laughed--because it just goes to show how predictable I am. I cannot say he will bring a lot of diversity to the program here--Haidas Little Pep and Doc Wilson are already pretty well represented in our herd. I do not care, I think he is gorgeous.
His record is not too shabby either. He won over $300K, and damn near won the Non-Pro Triple Crown, but took reserve in the Derby instead of winning it.
His first foals show this fall, and God willing, they will turn out to be as good as I think they will be. We will have a hot commodity on our hands then--so cross your fingers that all goes well, and she has a healthy athletic baby.
It is going to be a long foaling season next year, with the babies fewer and further between. We are expecting only four, starting in early April and running through June. That will be a different experience. We have two re-breeds to use nexy year--one to Peppy Plays for Cash and one to Snorty Lena, so that leaves us a lot of decisions to make.

For the time being though, I am going to enjoy the anticipation of what wonderful foals will be showing up in 2010.

Still hanging

One more day has passed without Barry's company being saved via the financial plan that is in the works.

Yes, this is the same plan that was hammered out pretty well on Friday and was to have been signed straightaway. It has not. There are rumors flying everywhere about there being glitches, and other problems, and no one knows what to believe. Barry's crew is on the road working, but he hears that most other people are not at work, either having been told not to come in or having elected to file for unemployment.

He assumes that things are still on target to have the agreement signed--but you know what happens when you assume.

So here I sit, trying to get through the day without overloading on carbs, and hoping for an answer soon. The right answer of course, that is the one I want. I sure do not want Barry to have to go through finding another job, and the only thing that makes any sense is that this will work out--it is the waiting that is so hard for me. And this is not even about me. Damn it to hell, things are never good when they do not revolve around me! That means I cannot fix them

My friend had surgery today, and while I visited her after work, she had to hurl. That ran me out of there in a hurry-- so I went to a short spinning class. I am still not up to par, but I got through it, so I am going to try it again in the morning--I have training after work.

All the mares are still pregnant. Imagine that. Without an answer from Barry's work, I do not know what to do about the two time sensitive issues in our world--the already paid for breeding on the next few mares, one of whom needs to be short-cycled on Thursday, and our vacation that may or may not go. The deadline on that is Wednesday.

To keep myself from spiralling into a mass of nerves, I am going to go to bed--like I ever need an excuse for that!

Mission accomplished!!

It is stallion service auction time again, and there is not much more I like that a good auction, with stuff I want. Today, I was focused in pretty good on a few horses I want, and had submitted bids in advance. Everything went wrong, including the mailed package not arriving on time--to sending Barry to town to send a fax last nite since my fax was not sending for some reason--to learning that they did not receive that either!

I got it lined out by phone this morning, and have spent the afternoon taking calls from bidspotters--I was rolling good on the one I wanted most, but it was pretty heated and the bids were getting sky high, when the bid spotters phone crapped out on me. I have no idea what happened there, but I am going to assume I got beat.

But then I got my #2 choice--Pepto Taz! And really, he is probably better for our program than the one I was after, since that one repeats a lot of the same blood we have here.

Anyway, I borrowed these pics from his real webiste www.peptotaz.com
Isnt he a handsome man? Looks just I like them to look, and the proof is in the pudding as far as his show career. He is young enough to just now be getting them to the show ring, but I have been eyeballing him for a while now.
His pedigree is impeccable as well. I currently have not a Pepto one, so this will be exciting for me--we have one coming this spring, and then this boy in the lineup.

I am so excited. He stands at Watkins Equine, who we dealt with on Boonsmal Cee Lena last year--they send us super hero sperm, which is what Dr M called them. They got the job done and we are now anxiously awaiting the arrival of that baby. It is a good feeling to know that the stallion station you are dealing with is a good one, and based on that experience, I know that they are.

I am really starting to look forward to breeding season--now come the tough decisions. Who to breed to who?

My big buy in Fort Worth

I booked two breedings for 2009 to a horse I really really like, and wanted to breed to this year, but could not since we cannot use frozen semen. He was showing so much, we would have had to rely on it so he had to get cut from my lineup. But after showing and winning all year, including the World Championship last month, he is retired to stud and we could get in. So we did!


They made such a great offer to breed two mares that we could not pass it up. This list of his earnings from this year is not complete, as the total is actually a little over $163K--with $115K of that coming just this year.

His pedigree fills all my requirements to stay true to my breeding theory or plan or whatever you want to call it. His sire is the best in the business but I like to focus on the dams--I think they are the difference in studs. Sophisticated Catt has a great one in Shania Cee who won the Futurity her 3 year old year, won more than 400K, and was Horse of the Year.

Her dam Lynx Melody, won the Futurity when she was three as well, and won the Derby and was World Champion mare. She is also in the top 5 of all dams ever as far as producing winners goes--with produce of over $1.2 million. Not only have her direct offspring been amazing, she has also produced mares that have produced huge winners as well.

The third dam, Trona, is nothing to sneeze at either, producing almost $400K of earners back in the days when that was nearly impossible to do--when purses were much smaller, and mares could only have one baby per year and not as many as they want like they do now.

Obviously, I cannot say enough about the dam line in this horse, as it is what got my attention in the first place. When a pedigree is as packed as this one is, you are stacking the deck in your favor.

It was so crazy and crowded, that I only got a couple shots of him. He is awful cute though, on top of everything else. He is only 14 hands, but that is all right--I was actually a little surprised to hear he hit that much. He was good natured too, but as a young horse, I do not expect them to be crazy ol cranks like a lot of studs turn into as they age. He loved up on me some. Of course he did, I was writing him a check!

I could not get back far enough to get a better shot than this, as we were working in the aisles. As it was, I think I tripped over someone else's display to get this shot.


But you know I am not above thievery--so I lifted these photos off of his website, which is http://www.brightstoneranch.com/sophisticatedcatt.html

These are some show photos from this year. The photogs markings are on each shot, for credit






Now to decide who to breed to him--what I was thinking to do was use Haidagirl, but the owner may have talked me out of her in favor of using some Smart Little Lena mares. I will figure it out though--that is half the fun.

I am really excited about these breedings--I love getting in on a new up and comer early on in the game--everything about him says he should be a big time sire some day. Nena has a baby coming by him next year, too, so I will get to eyeball one right as we are breeding to him, that will make it even more fun

WOW--Squeak pulled a shocker

You could knock me over with a feather. Today was the last preg check of the season--and a late one at that, as they really should have been done the first weekend we were on our Canada trip. Then it took me a week to get Kevin out to ultrasound for me, since I did not even call til the middle of the week.

He came today at 1 pm, and it was about 100 degrees--we were all miserable dropping sweat on the ultrasound machine, but sure enough--Squeak is in foal! She is bred to Peppy Plays for Cash, 1999 Bay stallion by Playgun. In fact, he is the highest money earner by Playgun, with well over 300K in cutting money earned, and came back out to show this year as well, and doing well for himself.

I have to get out my book, but she should be right around 32 days or so.

This just goes to show you how strange the breeding business is. Her first breeding was picture perfect--some of the best semen we had ever seen, a beautiful follicle that ovulated within 24 hours of her insemination, ideal circumstances. No baby. This second go round was not so good--we had to scramble to find someone to do it as Dr M was at some dental vet thingy, we ultrasounded on a Monday to find that she was open and had about a 25 follicle. First opportunity to get semen here was that Thursday, and we did not even ultrasound her at that time to see where she was. Kevin could tell she was in hard heat by how eaasily he could get past her cervix, and she had not yet ovulated, but no telling how close she was at that time. They sent a LOT of semen, and we were bound and determined to get as much in there as possible, but it was a bit of a circus doing it in the stall, with no stocks, and me trying to pull up more semen in the syringe to push through the tube you use to inseminate--just juggling them all and not ending up with a pile in the floor was surprising to me, but we got 'er done.

He had not brought any HcG (to make her ovulate), but I had some in the fridge that the label had fallen off of--we had no idea how old it was, as it appeared to be a full bottle and I had just bought a new one and used it up already--no telling when that one was made. It is one of those you mix from dehydrated stuff, and it only lasts so long. I used that, and oxytocin every six hours, but by the next day I was a nervous wreck that my HcG was no good, so I got a fresh bottle from him (which is five doses but that is how you have to buy it--effectively pitching the other four doses since it is the end of the season). Shot her right up and them put it out of my mind.

Also when he checked the semen back at the office, it was a little wierd. The first drop he checked was at only 30% motility--I realize it only takes one, but I like it up around 70% plus. I had told him how good the semen was the first time, so he checked another drop on a different slide and it was up around 70% where it should have been. It threw us both that there would be such variety in it, and he was sure the slide he used was in good shape and clean, but not much we could do at that point if it was not great stuff--it was what we had


I knew we would be gone when she needed ultrasounding--on July 5 would have been sixteen days I think. I just told myself there was no way she could be in foal, we would not find out until after the season closed at Center Ranch because we would not get back from Canada til after that---just put it out of my mind.

This is how I came to be so shocked when he checked her today--I told him not to even get the ultrasound out, just palpate her as I was sure she was open. He got almost done and then told me to fetch the ultrasound, he was pretty dang sure she was bred. Shocked I tell you, shocked! Madison was there helping and we were bobbling all around the stall, changing places so we could all eyeball the ultrasound screen---after all that HcG, we were scanning for twins or more, and there does appear to be a tiny cyst next to the conceptus, or perhaps a twin falling apart, but we all voted and decided to believe it is ok. Tango was helping as well, which made Squeak wiggle so it took a while to determine that the heart was actually beating as opposed to Squeak just shifting, but there it was. I swear I thought it was a mirage and at 105 degrees, it damn sure could have been.

But it is NOT, we all saw it, it is there, no doubt about it.

Squeak is going to be a mama!

YAY!

Highlight Cat baby on the way

I do not know how I missed posting this--we ultrasounded a few on Monday evening, and learned that Diablo was 15 days in foal to Highlight Cat. That is such great news, I am really looking forward to that baby which we should see the first week of May next year.
This is the first baby we will have with High Brow Cat blood in him and I am really looking forward to seeing the differences between them and the offspring of his sire High Brow Hickory. We have had a bunch of those sons and daughters and as a rule, they have a good buck in them, can be stubborn and take work to get solidly broke. I hear that is not the case with the Cats so that should be interesting.

Sqeak goes on vacation

Miss Squeak went on vacation today, to this pretty barn.

First thing this morning, she went to the vet to be inseminated. I have to give Center Ranch credit--we did not think she would hold off until Thursday morning when we could get the Peppy Plays for Cash semen. They had some squirrelly business about their counter to counter shipping that made that not a real option, so I was a bit concerned.

Somehow in the midst of that debacle, they just decided to collect him on a non-collecting day and ship me some yesterday, which arrived today. It was fantastic stuff, great motility, aggressive little swimmers. Now lets pray she does her part.

On Tuesday, Squeak had both a a 45 and a 43 follicle. Today she had regressed to a 35 and a something over 40 that is losing its shape--because it concerned Dr M that the second follicle would screw up the progress of number one, and because we had so much semen, he decided to save a dose and do her again today, just in case she takes her time ovulating. He NEVER does that. She was given ovuplant, so surely she will get on it ASAP.

This necessitated the use of a more local facility so she would be handy to him when he can get to her, and I can get on with my life doing something more than driving up and down the interstate and missing work. He had previously suggested this place, which is 15 minutes from him, to use in the event these last two girls needed to be bred while we were on vacation. Might as well start early I guess.

She settled in perfectly and these people know what they are doing. They are not phased by her blindness at all, and I was thrilled to see that within minutes of being settled in her stall, she was perfectly content, as was baby Tango. They complimented both of them, which always makes me feel good.

She will likely be able to come home Friday afternoon, but I am considering leaving her there while we are gone, so that Madison does not have to care for her and any potential problems.
I will decide that I guess on Friday, after she is checked to confirm ovulation....by that time Diablo will be there as well, confirming that she needs her semen shipped on Friday too.

This place may turn out to be a Godsend. They raise TBs, and the state inspector was there while I was there, seeing a baby born last nite. Having them handy to Dr M, makes life so much easier on him, and I may well be able to use them in the future to avoid making multiple trips to get one checked out and bred, etc.


I do know this--when I take Diablo tomorrow nite, I will take many more pics to show the facility, the long legged TB babies, etc.

I had a further adventure today, but it took its toll and I have to go to bed. I will post pics tomorrow, from my visit to the BLM Mustang Adoption Center.

ANNOUNCEMENT!

We have a development---drum roll please!

Gypsy checked in foal to Boonsmal Cee Lena this morning. Fifteen days and perfect so far. Those superhero sperm worked good.

We are just thrilled! Two down.....

How it all starts

This is how the semen is delivered--in an Equitainer. We call it the "Man in a Can". It is delivered via Fed Ex or airline depending on what day they are collecting the stallion you need, and where in her cycle your mare is---you need to get that semen in there before she ovulates, but ideally within 24 hours of her doing so. This takes lots of ultrasounding to know what is going on in there, so you can predict when she will ovulate---this year in particular, my girls have been all over the map. Some have built follicles super fast, some take forever and a day--all the rules have been broken for us this year, which throws me off my game.

In any event, today started with Gypsy's third ultrasound since Monday. We were on the road at 7:30 this morning, to meet our Fed Ex delivery of Boonsmal Cee Lena semen. Gypsy had given me a little scare Monday morning, when she not only was not ready to be bred, as she should have been, but had absolutely no activity at all. Dr M speculated that she might be one of those wierd ones that was not going to cycle while she was nursing, so I have been anxious all week. She got a new hit of Lutalyse Monday morning, and was checked again Friday morning, and thank God, had a great follicle. So good that she needed Regumate to hold
her until this morning.


This is how she looked just as she was sedated, in anticipation of her ultrasound and insemination. They do not all have to be sedated to be bred, in fact, most of mine do not, but Gypsy is always a little anxious when she is away from her baby girl (who I leave at home for these trips--I hardly need to be chasing that little hellion down Rt 148), so she gets a little resting medicine.



This is what she looked like when the sedative really kicked in.

Barry is doing the super high-tech job of holding her tail out of the way. If you look closely, you can see Dr M is not wearing sunglasses, but this crazy headgear that actually has the ultrasound screen inside of it. As cool as that is for him, I feel like an idiot, because I am so used to looking at the ultrasound machine as he is looking at it, that I keep walking back there out of habit--and there is nothing to see. I console myself by remembering he looks far more ridiculous gazing up at hte sky with his alien headgear on.



For as high tech as some of this process is--some of it is decidedly not. After the semen is warmed from its cool state, it is placed in the mare--via a long pipette type thing. Right up in there it goes--and it is shot in there via syringe. I am guessing sometimes the easiest way stays the best way even when we could probably come up with a more technoligically advanced way to do things.

I hesitated to post any of this---I hate to jinx things by talking about the breedings before we know if they worked. But in this case, I am doing it because it occurs to me that a lot of people that read this blog know nothing about how complicated all of this can be, how much goes into breeding both financially, time wise and emotionally--now a lot of them likely do not care, but now they know anyway. Another reason is that Dr M told me that this was the best semen he had seen in years--superhero sperm maybe, not just motile but highly motile. I called Watkins Equine Breeding Center and told them that. Barry made fun of me, saying that they surely did not care, but I thought they would like to know--and they did seem happy to hear it. Hey, everyone likes to know that someone appreciates their hard work.

Now lets all cross our fingers that this works for us--all the parts were there to make it a great breeding, so lets hope that all the karma that is not science is with us too.

Happy birthday to me

Besides splurging on the camera, yesterday brought an opportunity to add to our list of outside stallions we will be using in 2008. I got a breeding to Peppy Plays for Cash. I really like his sire Playgun, but have not been able to justify spending the money to breed to him. I like that Peppy Plays for Cash has won so much money and is still showing today--that suggests long term soundness, and a mental toughness. My initial thoughts are to breed Squeak to him, if her vision continues to improve.




Peppy Plays For Cash (Playgun x Peppys Dreamgirl)

Performance Record: LTE: $300,000+
Highest Earning Playgun Stallion

22 Major Finals Including:
2005 West Texas Futurity Non-Pro Classic Champion
2005 West Texas Futurity Open Classic Champion
2004 Non-Pro Finalist At Five Major Aged Events
2003 Brazos Bash Open Derby Reserve Champion
2003 NCHA Super Stakes Non-Pro Derby Champion
2003 Abilene Spectacular Non-Pro Derby Champion
2003 Memphis Non-Pro Futurity Champion
2003 Finalist in Open and Non-Pro At Nine Major Aged Events
2002 NCHA Open and Non-Pro Futurity Finalist

I got it!

This is the last one I was waiting on, and I just got word that I got in. I am so excited. I plan to breed High Brow Gypsy to Boonsmal Cee Lena for a 2009 baby. It will give us a variety of breeding in one foal (at least as far as cutting horses go). He is a son of Peptoboonsmal out of a daughter of Doc Olena, second dam is by Peppy San. Gypsy is by High Brow Hickory out of a daughter of Peponita.


He has not sired any show horses yet but I expect that to be remedied this year as they come of age. I like that he showed successfully for three years, and is not a one-hit wonder.

This ought to be a looker of a baby, Gypsy has such a pretty head, which is one of the few things I do not like about Pepto horses. This boys seems to be one of the better ones. I have photos of him somewhere that I took, but I sure cannot find them right now. You can see him at www.boonsmalceelena.com Edited to add in this photo Missy took at the Futurity this year. Thanks Missy!

Turning over a new page

After taking a few years to put some Slybabies on the ground, 2008 brings us the opportunity to return to playing with the big boys, at least as far as the breeding shed goes. I have really missed this part of the game, and am so excited to be returning to it, at least in some small way. I tried to choose stallions that have good records, breeding I do not already have a lot of, and strong dam lines. I also want to stay with programs that treat me nicely, as if my business matters, and those that go all out on marketing and promotion of their horses.

For all those reasons, I will be breeding one mare to Meradas Blue Sue, and as of this minute, I believe that will be Aries. I think they would all cross well on him, but with her triple dose of Doc O'lena, I am trying to stay away from more of that--which is HARD to do. I think he is the best bred stallion in the business, and gives us two of my favorite things--Freckles Merada breeding and a dose of Royal Blue Boon without going through Peptoboonsmal. I just like to be a little different. His mother, Meradas Little Sue, is the best performing mare in the history of cutting, and is shaping up to be a producer. His granddam, Docs Hickory Sue is one of the top cutting producers ever as well.

I just could not pass all that up. Talk about a powerful set of genetics. This cannot help but be be a nice baby. Plus, he is handsome! You can see his stats here: http://www.sdpbuffaloranch.com/stallions_main.php?horseID=55

I will also be breeding one to Highlight Cat. This one is a little different. I was drawn to him as one of the HERDA N/N High Brow Cats, because he is young and has a decent record, and I love me some Grays Starlight, his dam's sire. I also like that he was a finalist in so many major events--this is no one hit wonder. Let's cross our fingers that he will reproduce himself just as well as he showed.
With the Buffalo Ranch's promotion, I bet these horses really take off, and it would be great to get in on the ground floor of it. I think that I will breed Diablo to him, as she has a head start with her 3 year old in training, and will add a little bulk to him. That will be one gorgeous baby.

You can see his stats here: http://www.sdpbuffaloranch.com/stallions_main.php?horseID=51

What a fun breeding season this is going to be! I have another nice breeding I am after and have a good backup plan, but this easing back into the national level sure is a lot of fun.

A hitch in the progress

Well here is an excuse you do not hear often--I could not do Mojo's work tonight because my hair froze.

I know that sounds ridiculous and it is. I fully intended to go to the farm after water aerobics. However, my hair froze. That combined with the second splitting headache in two days sent me home instead of to the farm. I kind of suck

So I took a shower, made dinner, did some laundry and told myself that I would go over after American Idol. Then I got on the horn with Missy and here it is 9:03 pm and Barry says it is ten degrees so I should not go.

I am such a pile of crap that I am agreeing with him. It is friggin COLD out there.

Barry has to go anyway because for some reason, the watering did not get done today and he had to thaw the hoses. He has been so helpful lately--for some reason, Rock is fighting having her eyes doctored, and only he can get it done successfully--so he has been doing it. That makes me feel much better because I know the job I was doing was not great.

Tomorrow is tanning, regular workout and probably cardio bozing. If I get to work early enough, I will go to water aerobics before I do all that other stuff. THEN, I will for sure play with Mojo, I am excited to try Holly's new idea about the lead rope.

The only other news for today is that I am watching the stallion auctions pretty closely--I have a bid in on one, and plan to bid in a few others once I know what happened with this one. I am after Meradas Blue Sue and Boonsmal Cee Lena, as well as some alternates. Please do not go steal them from me!

Cross your fingers for me

Up and down news of geriatric horses

Well lookie here! Grandpa (Oak Hombre) took off his fly sheet and hid it in the pasture. He is such a character. Before I got it back on him, I took some pics to compare to others I have so I can see how his weight is holding up. Pretty dang good huh? He looks great for 27, I think--particularly since he is the oldest 27 year old horse I have ever known, but I have to acknowledge what being Uncle Grandpa has done for his personality. Having another baby to care for- this year it is Riot- has done so much for him--he plays and runs and babysits her for her mother--I have even caught them cuddled up sleeping together.

Hard to believe that after having him for 5 years, we finally found by accident the one thing that will break through his gruff exterior. Babies!

On the very bad news front, Miss Granny Glo- the mare we were so proud of getting in foal for her owners, lost her foal already. I could have cried when they called me from her checkup/Caslicks appointment to tell me it was gone. She is back now but has not come back into heat----and I am for some reason hesitant to give her a Lute shot just in case he was hiding. How a 34 day embryo could hide, I do not know, but.....just in case.

It is just a heartbreaker for all of us. Cross your fingers that she will get back in foal just as quickly this time as she did the first time! It means so much to her people.

Take the Good with the Bad

Last nite was very strange. I knew it was time to breed Squeak as she had a 31 follicle and she always ovulates by 35, and she cannot be bred tonight as it is Fuzzy's day. I dread this as she is not a fan of being bred. We have to twitch her even when she is ovulating imminently. This makes Barry upset, and we always get in a fight. And of course, it is just flat dangerous.

The craziest thing happened---Barry suggested we try her without twitching her first and see what happens. Whatever, it is your time bucko--but I knew it would not work.

It DID! She stood there like a lady! This is our third breeding season with her and she has NEVER tolerated it well. I am so excited about it.

That did not last long though. As is my usual MO, I decided to use the last twenty minutes of daylight to mow some parts of the farm property I had been avoiding because I had to move stuff to do it. I made one pass by the front where some corral panels had been, then went to do another section, and then came back to get closer to the barn where the panels had been. I see in front of me, two tiny black blobs and get off my mower to see who they are. They are baby kitties, really tiny--I wondered where the cat had them. Evidently she thought tall grass was a good choice. It was not. I had hit one of them.

Poor baby had its little arm chopped right off. I was so upset, I called Barry back to the farm to dispatch it from its suffering. He got there and refused to do it. He did find however that I had done more than hit that one, I had completely mulched another one. So the little tripod is toddling all around and tipping over on her back like a turtle.

What a horrible nite.

The Coup of 2007

We have a customer that has a very special mare---she is treasured by these people as the last link to the man's father, who originally owned her. I don't know if I have ever known a horse to mean so much to a family like she does- it is cool. She has some age on her, and is a very hard keeper and has not had a baby in years. We bred her one cycle last year, and she was the only one that Sly did not get in foal.

We had another go at her this year---a comedy in and of itself with all the tricks I go to in order to get her bred. Her tailhead is really stiff (maybe arthritic according to one vet, but whoever heard of that?) so she cannot lift it well herself--so she requires me to finagle up a tail lifting pulley system that should put me square into the Redneck Hall of Fame. This whole cycle this time was different than last year---it lasted forever, she was more agreeable, and even two doses of HcG would not get her to go out.

So she came back last nite to be teased and for me to take her to the vet this morning on my Monday load. I had a really good feeling about her since she offered a huge Hell no to Sly last nite and their gelding who always alerts to heat had not made his usual menace of himself. Stupidly, I told the vet that I thought it was going to be good news--I know better than that- it will jinx it every time.

Sure enough, he digs around a while, we see a CL and have decided that we just missed her again. I was so disappointed, I knew it was my fault for saying I thought she was in foal. Just as he was taking a final scan around on the way to quitting, BAM--there he is! Perfect, with a heartbeat just starting to flutter.

What a relief! I feel like we really did something here. I was shocked that she had not come back into heat---I was confident that the way she tips in that she would be a urine pooler, and ruin this go round. I am so proud of Sly, proud of Granny Glo for being such a great mare, and so grateful to her owners for trusting us with her when she means so much to them.

I came to work debating about the proper way to email them and give them the results. I finally did it, then gave in and called them. Surely they don't believe that I am as happy as they are about it, but I think I am. It was so fun to talk to the wife on the phone, and have her radio the husband to give him the news--the happiness in their voices makes this all worthwhile. I even cried a little, I will admit it.

Everyone should have customers like this---that love their horses and will be a wonderful home for the little Slybaby. He or she will want for nothing and be used the way he or she should be, and I know she will be loved if only because her mother matters so much. What more could a stud owner ask for?