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2019
December 30, 2019
Happy New Year to all my wonderful friends!
This beautiful picture of Fred (Classically) was sent to me a few years ago by Lesley Johnson. I think it is so appropriate for New Years. I hope 2020 is a wonderful year for all of us. |
December 29, 2019
The Green Bay Packers have a big game today and another big game for them tonight when the Seahawks play the 49ners. All we need is for the Packers and the Seahawks to win and we will get a bye and games in Green Bay----wouldn't that be wonderful to see the other teams play on the "Frozen Tundra"? Found these pictures from "back then" when Fred (Classically) was playing for the Packers and thought I would post them today. Doesn't my good friend, Vicki Livasy do an outstanding job with graphics? |
December 27, 2019
Looking around in my office this morning, my eyes go to the caps that Wayne and Rebecca Halvorson sent me in 2015. There are many wonderful memories associated with those hats. Let me tell you about them. Two of the caps say "Ima Cool Skip" and the last one says "Kids Classic Style" The one Cool Skip hat even says Jerry Wells Stallion Station on it. To some of you it may sound silly for someone to get excited about caps but to me they bring back a lot of great memories. First of all, Ima Cool Skip is my all time favorite broodmare sire. I remember when Dudley Pillow would breed 25 mares a year to him when Skip was at Southgate Farm in Louisiana. In fact, I had mares hauled to Dudley's and he would take them to Southgate to get them bred. Dudley got a break on stud fees for breeding that many mares so several of my Cool Skip mares have him as the breeder. My good friend, Grace Berton hauled 2 mares all the way from California for Dudley to take to Southgate to breed to Skip. In fact, I believe Dudley Pillow is the breeder of Sir Cool Skip. I continued to breed to Ima Cool Skip after he went to Halvorson Ranch in Oklahoma. Remember back then, there was no shipped semen so you had to haul your mares to the stud farms. That was when I met Wayne and Rebecca Merchant Halvorson and we have remained friends ever since. Wayne Halvorson even flew to Wisconsin in 1999 and bought Cool Miss Tardee from us for Curtis Pilot who owned Skip. She was a yearling by Ima Cool Skip out of Miss Bunny Tardee and a full sister to Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) and Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee). Cool Miss Tardee was the oldest of the three sisters and the only one shown. She won many awards under Waynes guidance, including a World Championship and High Point Mare in the Nation. When Curtis Pilot who owned Ima Cool Skip at that time moved him to Robbie Rainer's place in Missouri, I continued to breed to him and became good friends with Robbie Rainier and his staff. I still remember the day that Robbie called me to tell me that he found Ima Cool Skip dead in his stall. I renewed my friendship with Wayne and Rebecca Merchant Halvorson when they stood Kids Classic Style for Kenny and Kara Mills. All of these people that were associated with Skip were wonderful to work with over the years. It was always a wonderful experience to be treated the way they treated me. After all, the horse business is supposed to be fun. |
December 26, 2019
How about an old picture today? This is Sonny Dee Bar, a 1965 sorrel stallion by Win or Lose out of Chiggers Baby by Chigger which goes back to Midnight Jr. He had a big influence on both our quarter horses and our paint horses. |
December 24, 2019
Sitting here on this Christmas Day 2019, I reflect back on my life at Christmas time and remember my childhood. I think I was born with the love of horses, probably inherited from my grandfather who was a blacksmith. Every Christmas I wrote many letters to "Billy the Brownie" and asked for a horse and was always disappointed when there was no horse. Then when I was 7 years old, on Christmas morning my wish came true. We lived in New London, Wisconsin and even though we lived on a city street, we had an old barn on the property. My father had the original house torn down when he bought the lot but had them leave the barn. In those days, you could have animals in town. On Christmas eve, my uncle and dad put "Ginger" in the barn and that night there was almost a disaster. They were afraid it would be too cold for her so they put a heater in the barn. Well, thankfully they were there or the barn and the pony would have burned down. I can still remember opening the barn door Christmas morning and there in a "homemade" pen stood the most beautiful Shetland pony in the World (in my eyes anyway) Everything I always wanted had come true. Back then, in a small town, things were different than they are now. My dad would call the taxi and we would take Ginger in the back seat of it. We often walked to my grandparents home and took her in the front door where grandma would feed her cookies. My father was a doctor so we took Ginger to the hospital which was run by nuns. I can remember taking her down the long hallway and through the doors to the kitchen where Sister Jean would feed her treats. Then we would take her up the elevator to the second floor to see patients. I am sure you younger people have never experienced anything like that. Times have changed but my love of horses has never ended. When I lost Mike, I sold several of the horses and only kept the "old family ones" and their offspring. Poor Fred (Classically) is now living in his outside shelter and hardly breeding at all anymore. I love my "old girls" They are getting old but they are family and they will be here until they die. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and am so thankful for your friendship. I am posting a picture of Ginger and me. I was thrilled the day I got her even though the picture doesn't show it------after all, who wants to stop playing with her new pony and pose for a picture? |
December 24, 2019
Many, many years ago when I was a little girl, I finally got my Christmas wish, a Shetland pony named Ginger. Well, in this day and age, I also have another little "angel" in my life. His name is Gabriel and he is a miniature donkey. Jaleen Hacklander let us borrow him when we needed a companion to keep our orphan colt company. Of course, we fell in love with him and had to own him. When CharlieO, the orphan left for his new home, Gabe became the companion of Pebbles, our then weanling filly and they have been together every day when they go outside. Well, Gabriel has found a new job. A little over a month ago, Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) came up lame and was not putting any weight on her rear leg. X-rays and ultrasound showed that she tore the meniscus in her stifle. Of course I was devastated and had to do everything in my power to save her. We all know that a horse cannot survive on three legs. I am so lucky to have my wonderful veterinarian and friend, Dr. Katherine Fox and also another excellent "leg vet", Dr. Sarah Peters taking care of her. After they were able to get the swelling down, Dr. Peters injected stem cells into her stifle. That and laser therapy have been her treatment along with pain medications. Well, Rebecca has to be confined to her stall for 2 months. Rebecca is one of those horses that "needs" a buddy and her buddy had been Wilma. Well, Wilma is a young mare and it is not conducive to keep her locked in a stall. So, what did we do? Little Gabriel to the rescue. We divided a stall with panels and Rebecca lives on one side and Gabe on the other. You would not believe how attached she is to him. I honestly think she thinks he is her baby. She has a fit when we move her across the aisle in order to clean her stall until the donkey is tied to the front of the stall. There is another wonderful "angel" in this picture and that is Vicki Livasy. She has the same machine that the vets were using on Rebecca and she sent it up here for us to use. There are not many friends who would do that and I will be forever grateful to her. I will keep you updated as to how things are going and hopefully Rebecca will recover and I will be able to get that "illusive embryo" next year. Merry Christmas from me and all the critters at Ellis Quarter Horses. Leah Gloudemans took this picture of Gabriel sporting his Santa hat and Bob Luebker who I couldn't continue to raise horses without his help. |
| What a great victory for the Green Bay Packers who defeated the Minnesota Vikings last night. I guess Scott Peterson's mare who he says changed to a Viking fan needs to "come home to the Green and Gold" I bet Larry and Anne Platten Lemke will agree. |
December 23, 2019
This is my favorite Christmas movie and I am sure it is on television during the holiday. If you get a chance, watch it. It was made in 1947 and was nominated for an Academy Award but lost out to Miracle on 34th Street. |
December 21, 2019
The other day, I asked my good friend Donna Davis what she was doing. Well, she was getting ready to ride in the "Christmas on the River" parade in Demopolis, 'Alabama. She sent me some picture after the parade and it just isn't like Christmas in Wisconsin, It is hard for me to imagine balmy weather and not having to wear heavy winter clothes at Christmas time. This is a picture of Donna, a float in the parade and what a Christmas parade looks like in "good old Wisconsin." |
December 20, 2019
A quick picture of the two "golden girls" this morning. Both are sired by Fred (Classically) and out of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) Betty, the weanling is NN and will be going to her new home in Germany eventually and Pebbles the yearling is NH. |
December 15, 2019
My little Packer player who hangs outside is pretty cold today. Notice the icicle hanging from his foot., Here's to a big Packer victory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
December 9, 2019
Sitting here this morning getting ready to do my chores, I am thinking about the horses I still have. Six of the nine that are here are descendants of Miss Bunny Tardee so I guess you would say she was the foundation of my breeding program. The two old mares, Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) and Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) are daughters of Ima Cool Skip and Fred (Classically) is by Kids Classic Style. I also have Wilma (Classically Kool) who is by Fred and out of Rebecca and Pebbles (Cool to be Classic) and Betty, who will be going to Germany out of Bonnie and Fred. Let me tell you about Cool Miss Tardee, the first foal out of the cross of Miss Bunny Tardee and Ima Cool Skip and the only one shown. She was born in 1998 and was HYPP HH. When she was born, she had so much muscle but she also had the thin neck and board back that the old Tardee mare would put on her foals. When she was a yearling, I sent pictures of her to Wayne Halvorson who was standing Ima Cool Skip for Curtis Pilot who owned him at the time. Wayne contacted me and told me he was flying to Wisconsin to see her. l still remember the day he came and I was both excited and nervous. There I was a "little nobody" and Wayne Halvorson was coming to look at my horses. Well, Wayne of course was very nice and we took pictures and video and then I took him to the airport to fly back to Oklahoma. He wasn't here very long and we had lunch at Chilis in Appleton, Wisconsin before he left. I still remember that day and exactly where we sat every time I drive past Chilis. Well, the next day, Wayne called and Curtis Pilot bought Cool Miss Tardee. That started a wonderful friendship between the Halvorsons and Mike and me. Cool Miss Tardee went on to accumulate a total of 301.54 halter points, became both a World Champion and the High Point Halter mare in the nation. I loved going to the World Show and let me tell you, I don't think there is anyone who could whistle louder than Rebecca Merchant Halvorson when Wayne was showing the mare. I watched Wayne and Rebecca's children grow up over the years and become very successful and think back to how times have passed from when the "baby" was in the office at Halvorson Ranch. Those were good times and great memories to look back on. These are pictures I took of Wayne and Cool Miss Tardee the day he was at our place and bought her. |
December 8, 2019
As you know, this year our Wisconsin weather has been very hard on everyone, especially the farmers. First of all, the huge amounts of rain and cold prevented them from getting in the fields and planting their crops this spring. Then this fall, tumultuous amounts of rain prevented the farmers from getting their crops harvested. Those of us who have horses have felt the affect of this with the shortage of hay and the high grain prices. I am very lucky to have Jack and Karen Cowling as my neighbors. If you remember, they are the ones who saved my life last year when I was alone and broke my femur in below zero temperatures. Well, Jack along with his son, Joe Cowling have been helping me with my farming. The weather prevented them from planting hay in my field this spring, so they planted corn instead. I questioned if it would make it but Jack assured me it would. Then, despite all their own work to do, they were able to combine my corn and send it to the coop. I felt a little guilty on Friday night when I went out with some of my friends and there Jack was plowing up the field. Last night, during the halftime of the Ohio State, Wisconsin Badgers game, I walked down to close my gates and saw Jack's tractor lights in the field next to me plowing the land. Luckily the ground is not frozen so they are still able to work in the fields. I asked him this morning when he finished and he said it was close to midnight. Farming is certainly not for those who are afraid to work but it is hard work and rewarding for those who love it. |
December 1, 2019
In this day and age, when we think of the many individuals who are lazy and would rather do nothing than work, I am so very lucky to have Bob Luebker in my life. Let me tell you a bit about him. In 1984 he showed up and we hired him and he has been with us for over 35 years. Now, he also has a wife and family and works 12 hour shifts in a mill but he still finds time to be here. A few days ago, the wind knocked over a huge dead tree and it destroyed part of the fence line where I plan to put the mares under lights. To top it off, due to all the rain we had, the tree was laying in a "lake" of water. Well, Bob took it upon himself yesterday to cut up the tree and repaid the fence. I told him to wait but he said that it was going to snow last night, which it did and still is. I watched from afar as he wallowed in the water and mud with the rain falling on him. Needless to say, he looked like a "drowned rat" when he was finished. I took a few pictures of the "project" both before and after and I cannot tell you just how grateful I am that he takes care of things around here for me. |
Click on pictures to enlarge.
November 30, 2019
In 1990 I met some wonderful people and we have remained "friends from afar" ever since. That was the only time we ever met in person but we have stayed in touch over the telephone since them. Back then, I decided that since I had 3 full NN sisters, all sired by Ima Cool Skip and out of The Magnolia Kid, I should sell one of them. Well, the one I chose to sell was Coolness, a 1990 sorrel mare because she was the oldest. I advertised her in the Quarter Horse Journal and through that I met Larry Krieger of Sodus, Michigan. Now, Larry isn't one who just up and buys a mare, he has to be certain that he likes her. So, I remember trudging through the deep snow in sub zero temperatures and taking pictures of her. Well, Larry bought her and he and his wife Lou Ann, came to Wisconsin and picked her up in the spring. That began a long friendship with Lou Ann sending homemade cookies and me sending cheese curds and Johnsonville sausage to them. Not only that, Lou Ann also sent me beautiful homemade blankets and throws at Christmas. I think she tried to make me feel better by calling the goodies ,"medicine" when I was recovering from various surgeries. As long as I can remember, Larry's goal was to be a 50 year breeder of AQHA horses and he was finally able to achieve that. He and Lou Ann went to Amarillo in September and accepted their award and of course, I got pictures of the Hall of Fame and also of them at the banquet. It is people like Lou Ann and Larry Krieger that make the horse business so rewarding for me. I am proud to say that I still have many friends that I did business with many years ago. I am posting pictures of Larry with a foal and also of him with his two year old filly that he is so proud of. She is sired by his stallion Sonnys Crown Prince. Larry is sure hoping he can find someone who will show her next year as his health does not permit him to do it anymore. And, I am also posting one of Lou Ann's beautiful tapestries that I enjoy displaying every Christmas. |
Click on picture to enlarge.
| Guess what I am doing this afternoon? Watching a very exciting and crucial game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers football teams. My Badgers are ahead at halftime——-but there is a whole second half to go. |
November 24, 2019
I am back from an exciting couple of days at the AQHA World Show. It was good to meet my friends and visit with both old and new ones. The weather was nice in Oklahoma City and the girls and I had a good time. I had the opportunity to visit with many Face Book friends and of course, get my hug from Vic Sanders . I thought the judging was a bit erratic but then I was not looking at the horses close up. I was told that the judges were instructed to be very critical of legs and I can see this. However, there are other parts of a horse that I feel are just as or perhaps more important than whether they shake a bit in their legs. If I were judging, I would take all these factors under consideration. I remember in the "olden days" when the classes were huge and the stands were filled with people cheering for their favorites. Those days seem to be gone, although the two year old studs and the aged mare classes caused some enthusiasm from their fans. All in all, I thought the mare and gelding classes were very competitive but the stud classes did not seem to be very deep. I had a nice visit with Clark Rassi during the aged mare class and we discussed the state of our horse business today and we both came to the conclusion that we are happy we had the opportunity to live and experience what once was. It is funny how some of our modern day horses go back to horses and people from my past. For instance, I fell in love with Linda Gordon's aged mare, Dawns Cool Girl, so being a "pedigree nut" I did a bit of research on her and found out that she is NN. Now, those of you who think you need HYPP to have muscle on your horses, should take a good look at this mare. Another thing I discovered about her was that she was bred by Ava Campagna, who is the daughter of Harry and Fredi Campagna. Mike and I had many a visit with them as we always seemed to be on the same flights coming and going to horse shows. I also had a nice visit with Chuck McDaniel. He now specializes in acupuncture but I remember him from the days of showing horses in Iowa. I felt bad that my good friend Jim Duncan could not make the World Show this year. I guess I am going to have to wait until the Breeders Halter Futurity to collect the cinnamon roll he owes me. Even though I didn't get my cinnamon roll, I think I gained about 8 pounds eating at Charleston every night as I think I am addicted to the croissants. So, now I am back to the "frozen tundra" of Wisconsin and football. I watched the Badgers win yesterday and hopefully my Green Bay Packers will be able to beat San Francisco tonight. |
November 17, 2019
I am back from an exciting couple of days at the AQHA World Show. It was good to meet my friends and visit with both old and new ones. The weather was nice in Oklahoma City and the girls and I had a good time. I had the opportunity to visit with many Face Book friends and of course, get my hug from Vic Sanders . I thought the judging was a bit erratic but then I was not looking at the horses close up. I was told that the judges were instructed to be very critical of legs and I can see this. However, there are other parts of a horse that I feel are just as or perhaps more important than whether they shake a bit in their legs. If I were judging, I would take all these factors under consideration. I remember in the "olden days" when the classes were huge and the stands were filled with people cheering for their favorites. Those days seem to be gone, although the two year old studs and the aged mare classes caused some enthusiasm from their fans. All in all, I thought the mare and gelding classes were very competitive but the stud classes did not seem to be very deep. I had a nice visit with Clark Rassi during the aged mare class and we discussed the state of our horse business today and we both came to the conclusion that we are happy we had the opportunity to live and experience what once was. It is funny how some of our modern day horses go back to horses and people from my past. For instance, I fell in love with Linda Gordon's aged mare, Dawns Cool Girl, so being a "pedigree nut" I did a bit of research on her and found out that she is NN. Now, those of you who think you need HYPP to have muscle on your horses, should take a good look at this mare. Another thing I discovered about her was that she was bred by Ava Campagna, who is the daughter of Harry and Fredi Campagna. Mike and I had many a visit with them as we always seemed to be on the same flights coming and going to horse shows. I also had a nice visit with Chuck McDaniel. He now specializes in acupuncture but I remember him from the days of showing horses in Iowa. I felt bad that my good friend Jim Duncan could not make the World Show this year. I guess I am going to have to wait until the Breeders Halter Futurity to collect the cinnamon roll he owes me. Even though I didn't get my cinnamon roll, I think I gained about 8 pounds eating at Charleston every night as I think I am addicted to the croissants. So, now I am back to the "frozen tundra" of Wisconsin and football. I watched the Badgers win yesterday and hopefully my Green Bay Packers will be able to beat San Francisco tonight. |
November 17, 2019
If you happen to be driving down County A in Neenah, Wisconsin at night after December 1, you will notice off in the distance what looks like a "used horse lot" After breaking my leg last year because I had mares confined in a small area in the shelter so they could be under lights, I thought why not light up the whole ares? So, my great friend, Richard Kaufmann came out and put up a huge LED light on the top of the shelter. I hope it doesn't cause planes to think it is a landing strip or that it is mistaken for a UFO. I know I am going to love this during the winter, knowing the mares have plenty of room and will still be under lights. |
November 11, 2019
Exciting weekend for football and I really enjoyed it. Leah Gloudemans was at the Packer game yesterday afternoon and took this awesome picture of the fans at the end of the game. "We Packers" are certainly not fair weather fans. |
November 8, 2019
Well, today is Friday and in Wisconsin, what do people do on a Friday night? Well, the favorite of most is to go to a "fish fry" and have some beer. After all, Wisconsin is known as a beer drinking state. This is a picture of me giving Impressivist a "Miller Lite" years ago. It is an old picture and a bit hard to see but he evidently was a true Wisconsinite as he loved beer. |
November 6, 2019
Everyone happy today and things back to normal at Ellis Quarter Horses. Gabriel is back with Pebbles and Betty is enjoying a paddock that hasn't been used so it has a lot more grass under the snow. |
November 6, 2019
Leah Gloudemans took this picture of Pebbles (Classically Kool) and Gabriel, her little friend today. If you notice, the two of them are not together. We had an incident yesterday. When I came home, I noticed Gabriel had crawled under the lower fence board and was in with Betty who is in the next paddock. I guess he thought the grass was greener on the other side of the fence. Well, from now on, I don't think he will find grass under the snow no matter where he goes. So when I called Betty to come in the barn, he ran after her to the gate and when I didn't catch him and took the filly out, he ran back under the fence to be in with Pebbles. I guess Pebbles must be telling him that he is in "donkey jail" until Bob Luebker can add another wire so he stays where he is supposed to. |
October 31, 2019
If this little "critter" shows up at your door trick or treating-----it is Gabriel and he likes orange candy slic |
October 31, 2019
Do you remember the gorgeous bay filly that Janie (Kids Classic Gal) had by Heza Secret Agent last year? I called her Dottie. My good friend, Mary Mancini leased Janie so the resulting filly belongs to Mary. When this filly was born, I was ecstatic. Janie is my NN Kids Classic Style mare out of Dandy Dee Gal (PDS), who was a double bred Dandy Seeker mare. I thought this filly was breathtaking and was so happy for Mary. She was even more excited when the filly tested NN. I think you will remember the many pictures I took of her as a baby. When I weaned the filly, it seemed as though the filly changed and not for the better. She still had her gorgeous head and her legs were always good but that big hanging hip seemed to shrink and her pretty hocks didn’t look the same. Now, I have always been a believer that if you love a newborn foal, it will eventually come back to the way it looked. When I weaned the filly, Mary moved her and I saw her this spring and thought she had improved but I was still disappointed in her. Well, last Tuesday, Joe St Clair and I went to see the filly, whose registered name is Sophia and I was “blown away” at how much she has changed. She still has that gorgeous head and neck but her big hanging hip and good hocks are coming back. When I think about how children go through gangling stages as teenagers and evolve into beautiful young people, I guess you can say the same for horses. The filly is not being fit on and Mary wants to “let her be a horse” for a while yet. She took a few pictures of her last Tuesday and I think if you compare what she looks like now to her newborn picture, you will see what I am talking about. I think as a 2 year old she will really come into her own. So a good lesson is to be patient with your foals if you really like them at birth. More than likely they will look like that again. |
October 29, 2019
What a difference a day makes. Last night we got 4 and 1/2 inches of the "white stuff" Leah Gloudemans is on vacation in Florida and she is doing the 365 day photo challenge. I don't know what she posted today but I bet if she were here, she would have gotten a prettier picture. |
October 27, 2019
The beauty of fall will soon be replaced with snow. I hope it waits a while yet but heard we could get some this week. |
October 26, 2019
Thinking about my "two old mares" this morning and how lucky I am to have them. Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) will be 20 years old next year and Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) will be 19. It seems like yesterday that they along with me were young. Both of these mares are open and I really hope I can get them in foal next year. I know I will embryo Rebecca and am seriously thinking of doing the same to Bonnie. Both of these mares are big mares by Ima Cool Skip and out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive. Rebecca is NN and Bonnie is NH. Both have fillies by their half brother, Fred (Classically) and I love the results of that cross. I do intend to get my "illusive filly" by My Intention out of Rebecca next year. Jim and Georgia Snow will have to put up with me one more time. |
October 24, 2019
You know what a sucker I am for a big hanging hip on a horse. This is a picture of The Phenomenal who was owned by Danny and Beverly Watts in Mississippi. A friend of Donna Davis took these pictures of him. I first saw the horse when he was a weanling at Jerry and Gwen Clarke Vawter's in Texas and loved both him and his mother. He was sired by Kid Clu and out of Velvet Skipa Star, a daughter of Skipa Star. He was a big horse and he sired many outstanding halter horses. The Jimmie and Joan Estes owned Velvet Skipa Star in her latter days and Joan told us how much they loved this mare. Bill Edmundson and I bred a couple of mares to him and later, I bought an own daughter of his. The Phenomenal had his faults like every horse does, but I loved his hip, head, and neck. I don't think there are many of his produce left. |
October 23, 2019
An old memory popped up today on Facebook and it brought back good thoughts of Russ Nagel and Russell McIntosh and Joe St Clair. I also noticed that Keith Moon is in the picture and I had many good memories with him showing horses back then. So here goes: I don't know how many of you knew Russ Nagel He was from Wisconsin and he was a very good friend of mine. He also had an impact of several of my friends including Joe St Clair and Russell McIntosh. I think I first met Russ when he had a gorgeous buckskin mare named Pretty Suzanna. She was sired by Pretty Impressive and he bred her to Impressivist, a son of Impressive that we owned and stood at stud. Joe had met Russ at a horse sale and he stopped to see the buckskin mare and Russ decided to send her to him for training. She was a huge mare, both height and muscle wise. She was born in 1980 and her sire was Pretty Impressive and her dam was Poco Buck Sue who was a granddaughter of Poco Bueno out of a Pretty Buck mare. Joe St Clair put the first AQHA halter points on her. Russ and I became good friends and we had a lot of horse "dealings' Russ loved to deal so that he didn't have to pay cash for things. Pretty Suzanna had her first foal in 1986 and Joe and I sat up all night foaling her out. She had a beautiful bay filly and he named her Pretty Impressivist. That filly won the Iowa Futurity that year and also placed really high at the Solid Gold Futurity in Springfield, Illinois. I remember that the Solid Gold Futurity classes were huge and took hours to judge and at one time during the class when they were calling out numbers, Joe had to hold the filly while Russ went to the bathroom. We had many a good time going to horse shows---Russ was always game to go somewhere. As he got older, he bought two places in Purcell Oklahoma and that is where Russell McIntosh comes onto the scene. Russ bought an old mare at a horse sale and she was carrying Winning Sage, who became a World Champion Paint stallion and he eventually sold for mega dollars. Russ and Russell owned Winning Sage together and Russell fit him. He was by Impressive Quest and out of Sage Brush Wendy. Sage was born in 1995. I remember Russ telling me he went to look at Impressive Quest thinking he may have found a "diamond in the rough" but was not that thrilled with the horse In defense the stud was probably pretty old when he saw him. The first time Russell McIntosh showed Winning Sage was as a yearling and he won a yearling class of 16 and stood Grand Champion. That year he was 6th at the Paint World. After the Paint World, Russell brought him back to his ranch and really started fitting on him. He won the Paint Horse Congress and was sold there to Ted Musgrave, the race car driver. After many years, Russell McIntosh was able to bring Winning Sage back home to his ranch. . There are many people who miss Russ Nagel. He loved to go to horse sales and buy horses. I remember one year at the World Quarter Horse Sale, he bought a mare thinking she was an own daughter of Tardee Impressive, only to find out she was sired by Sonny Thomison's horse Tardy Impressive. He was not that happy at the time but the mare did turn out to be a good producer for him. It seems as though so many of my old time friends have come and gone and some times I just think back to all the great times we had together and how much I miss them. |
October 21, 2019
Busy day at Ellis Quarter Horses as D Matthew Koltz and his dental assistant, Heidi came and floated all of my horses teeth. Funny thing, over the years, I had never had them done before but probably the last 5 years, I have had Midwest Veterinary Dental Services come about every 2 years. I have known Dr Matt for a long time. First he was an assistant for Dr Travis Henry and later for Dr Katherine Fox when they were at Great Lakes Vet Clinic in Neenah. Matt went to vet school and is specializing in dental work with Dr Henry. Well, now Fred and the girls will probably get fatter which I don't know if it is a good thing or not. |
Click on images to enlarge.
October 20, 2019
Pebbles and Gabriel----best buddies. Pebbles registered name is Kool to be Classic and she is NH, sired by Fred (Classically) out of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee). |
October 19, 2019
Many of us have dreams but most of us never do anything to fulfill them. I have a really good friend who had a dream to move from California to Kentucky and no one thought she would ever do it. Well, Grace Berton is that friend and she is living her dream in Kentucky. Let me tell you a little about Grace. She has raised good horses all of her life. In her younger days, she stood Sir Raleigh and also owned Western Impressive and Leo’s Otoe. Grace is probably best known for owning Sir Cool Skip. In 2017, I was with Grace and my other friends at the AQHA World Show when the filly she raised and sold to Ted and Sandra Lincoln became a two time World Champion. Now, let me tell you how I met Grace. It was at the AQHA World Show sale in 1993. Mike and I went to the horse show and there we met Dudley Pillow. Mike, not being interested in horses, toured OKC while Dudley and I attended the sale. Grace was there with 2 yearling fillies, both by Imperial Snips. Both Dudley and I were impressed with the fillies and started talking to Grace. One of the fillies was the third to the last horse in the sale and she sold for $13,700 to Jim McKillips who bought her for Percott Corporation of Beloit, Wisconsin. Most of you know that Jim is an outstanding horseman and able to pick a “good one” and the filly went on to do really well and Jim resold her later for a nice profit. From that time on, Grace and I have been great friends. She owned Berton Quarter Horses, a horse ranch in Petaluma, California, in the Napa Wine Country. When the Kentucky Incentive Fund started, Grace leased a place in Kentucky and moved Sir Cool Skip there to stand. After the Kentucky Incentive Fund slowed down, she returned to California but the dream of living in Kentucky never went away. So after her father died, she put her Petaluma place on the market. She thought she had it sold once but California has some strict laws and they found some endangered species living a few miles from her so the land could not be tilled for raising grapes and the potential “wine maker” did not buy it. Finally this year, the right buyer came along and she sold the 80 plus acres. I asked who bought it but she doesn’t even know as the realtor was sworn to confidentiality So, during the negotiations, Grace flew to Kentucky and found her “dream place” which consists of 171 acres in Sweeden, Kentucky. She finalized the deal as soon as her California place sold. So I asked her, “Grace, what are you going to do with all your horses”? Now, Grace is a “breeder” and she still has about 18 daughters of Sir Cool Skip along with granddaughters and so forth for a total of around 65 head of horses. She told me she was going to take about 50 of them to Kentucky. Well, she now has all but one load there and she ended up taking 65 horses. I talked to her yesterday and she was about 2 hours from her new “home” and was exhausted. She, herself made 3 trips hauling horses and TL De Leon hauled 4 loads. Equine Express also hauled some of them. For those of you who know Grace, she always has her dog with her. Well, sadly on the last trip, her dog got killed and she told me she could not travel without a dog. So what did Grace do? She immediately contacted the humane society and went “dog shopping” She found one she liked but it had health issues and she did not think with everything else she could handle medicating a dog. So she told me it was 5 o’clock and she drove to another city where the shelter closed at 6 and she fell in love with a dog. The workers said she could not adopt it because the female had not been neutered. Grace was leaving the next day so she had them call the manager and he came down to the shelter and when he was looking through the dog’s folder, found that the dog had been spayed and up to date on her vaccinations. Therefore, Grace was able to adopt her. So, when I talked to Grace, she and "Phoebe" were “close to their new home in Kentucky. I had Grace send me a picture of the dog and she loves her and the feeling is definitely mutual. So, for those of you who think you are too old or too set in your ways to follow your dreams, just think about Grace Berton and maybe just throw caution to the wind and do it. I am guilty of complacency. I get very comfortable in my surroundings and even though I dream about going to visit here or there, it is just too easy to stay home. Grace should be a lesson to all of us. |
Click on pictures to enlarge.
October 15, 2019
A picture from the past. The horse in front is Oliva (Cooleah) the bay in the middle is Janie (Kids Classic Gal) and the one in the back is PDS (Dandy Dee Gal) |
October 11, 2019
Leah Gloudemans has been taking a picture a day and this is her 10th day picture. It was raining and windy and she ventured outside and captured this beautiful image. She is so very talented at everything she does. |
October 9, 2019
The year was 1996 and evidently by the way I am dressed in the picture, it was cold. Marcie Stadstad and Vickie Dennison Anderson came to visit me and see the horses. Vicki ended up buying Floyd, a stud colt by Obvious Conclusion out of Miss Bunny Tardee and she still has him. Marcie took this picture of Miss Bunny Tardee and me and the old mare was only 10 at the time. I know many of you have heard her "story" before but for those of you who haven't, here goes : As you know, Miss Bunny Tardee was the dam of Classically (Fred) and he is her last foal. She was also the dam of my two old mares, Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) who is 19 and Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) who is 18 . . I loved Miss Bunny Tardee from the first time Homer Danielson brought her dam, Bunny Nightshade to breed to Impressivist on her foal heat and she had Miss Bunny Tardee at her side. Say what you want about first foals not being good, Miss Bunny Tardee was not only a first foal but she was also born to a mare that was bred as a 2 year old and foaled at 3. As a foal, she was small but she always had that gorgeous strong back, incredibly high neck, a lot of heart girth and tons of muscle. She was sired by Tardee Impressive so she had every right to carry the amount of muscle she had. After Bunny Nightshade (who by the way was by Sonnys Nightshade by Sonny Dee Bar) got in foal, Homer took her home. The next time I saw the filly was at the Iowa Futurity where she placed but the class was won by another of Homer's fillies that was sired by Impressivist. There is no way that should have happened but Miss Bunny Tardee was still small but I thought she was the best baby there. By the time she was a yearling she had developed into a beautiful "potential show mare" Some of the big trainers wanted to show her but she hurt her eye and Homer took her to Iowa State University and they did surgery on it. The eye became infected and they ended up having to remove it. This made her a broodmare and Homer bred her to Impressivist when she was 2 years old. The filly that was born had a hole in her heart and we ended up having to put her down. Homer had brought her here to foal and I had decided that I really wanted to own the mare. In fact, I wanted her so bad, I couldn't sleep at night. I was able to buy Miss Bunny Tardee from Homer for a very reasonable price as he owed us money for stud fees and mare care. And, of course, being a woman, I had a little "secret money" that Mike didn't know about. I feel very lucky that I was able to own this mare. Her foals always had her strong back and tremendous heart girth. She produced 2 World Champions, along with several other great horses. . My program would not be what it is if she hadn't come into my life. Fred (Classically) and Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) are out of her and both are NN. Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) is also out of her and is NH. I took a big chance breeding the two full sister to Fred but I had confidence that doubling up on Miss Bunny Tardee was a good thing and it would give me many of the attributes of the old mare. I love it that the sire of Rebecca and Bonnie is Ima Cool Skip and the sire of Fred is Kids Classic Style as it adds even more muscle to the equation. As you know, I am elated over the results-----Wilma is out of Rebecca and both Pebbles and Betty are out of Bonnie. At my age, I decided that I cannot raise many foals anymore so I sold Betty to a wonderful home, Marko Kaiser and Judith Kaiser and she will be going to Germany later this year. Now I am looking forward to out crossing Wilma who is NN and Pebbles who is NH to outside stallions as I truly believe they will prove to be fantastic broodmares. Looking at this picture, you may get the impression Miss Bunny Tardee was not big, but I must have been standing on a hill as she stood a good 15.3. |
October 8, 2019
Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) 19 year old mare by Ima Cool Skip out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive on a cool Wisconsin morning. |
October 3, 2019
Love watching the "two old sisters" enjoying eating together. Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) closest to the camera, is 19 years old and NN whereas her full sister Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) is 18 years old and NH. Both are big 16 hand mares and both sired by Ima Cool Skip and out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive. Neither one is in foal for next year but I intend to put all of my effort into getting them bred next year. |
September 30, 2019
Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) and Janie (Kids Classic Gal) enjoying the last warm day of the year. It is 80 degrees today but going to drop back into the 60's and from there only cooler temperatures ahead. |
September 29, 2019
It doesn't look like the rain in going to stop today and I just finished doing my chores as both Bob Luebker and Leah Gloudemans are at their other jobs today. So, I thought I would write about The Finest Mocha. He is a 2003 NN bay stallion by The Finest Kid out of Fancy Mochas Memory by Fancy Advantage. Mary Pauratore from Covington, Louisiana raised him and Dr Fred Benker and Tommy DeBerry bought him from her as a 2 year old. He was such a beautiful horse and he drew the attention of many people when they showed him at the Quarter Horse Congress. Jason Smith was training Mac Crawford's horses at that time and Mac bought Mocha from Dr Fred Benker and Tommy DeBerry. Dr Benker stood him at stud in Ocala Florida and they bred a lot of mares to him. I bred Miss Bunny Tardee to him and got a "drop dead gorgeous" bay filly but she was like a dwarf at birth. It was the last foal that the old mare carried and I don't know if that is the reason or not. We tried everything to save her but ended up losing her. There are some great mares sired by The Finest Mocha and he is still alive and living in North Carolina with is still alive and living with Ronnie Matthews. Lanis Noble, Jackie Hardwicke from Australia and I went to Kentucky to see him when he was at Mac Crawford's farm near Lexington. What a gorgeous place Mac has right in the heart of horse country. I think back about some of the good horse people I have known and how I have lost all touch with them. I guess life goes on and all we are left with is good memories of those times. This is a picture of The Finest Mocha when he was at Ronnie Ronnie Hannah Casper in Ocala. In fact, the handsome guy in the picture is Ron Casper. |
September 26, 2019
Jil Hinds sent me this picture of 2 different ads we ran on Bar Fly Bailey. The first was in 1970 when I was still single and the second in 1972 after Mike and I were married. There is quite a story that goes with this horse. I was teaching in Fort Benton, Montana and kept my horses at the fairgrounds. They had quarter horse racing there and I bought a beautiful gray stallion. His name was Bar Fly Bailey. He was born in 1964 and was sired by Flying Bar Fly by Sugar Bars and out of Overload by Little King. He started out as a ranch horse and then as a 4 year old they decided to race him. At Centennial Race Track in Denver he had 3 starts in 3 weekends and ran AAA three times. I loved his conformation and disposition and was a sucker for a gray horse anyway. I think I paid $3500 for him. That was back in the day when I still rode and with the help of a friend, we got his halter and pleasure points and made him and AQHA Champion in the period of 3 months. Those were good days and days I will never forget. When I came back to Wisconsin, of course I brought my horses with me and kept them in our little barn in New London which was in the city limits. Back then, you could have horses in the city. I remember I had to be careful as the high school football field was right across from the barn and back then, all breeding was done by “live cover” It may not have gone over too well if I was breeding the stallion while the kids were practicing. After Mike and I got married and built our first barn, we moved the horses to Neenah, Wisconsin. It seemed as though I was able to sell the offspring of Bar Fly pretty well. People really liked gray horses. I remember Mike and I meeting people in North Dakota with a yearling stud and they wrote the check for him on a blank bank note, where they had to even fill in the bank’s name. We took the check and gave them the horse and the transfer. Funny, back then, you never thought that a check would be no good and over the years I have only had one check bounce and you would not believe who that was from. He did make it good however. One day, I received a phone call from Kay Moody and she wanted to buy Bar Fly. I priced him at $15,000 which was a big price back then and she drove all the way from New Mexico and bought him. With that money, Mike and I bought the 15 acres of land adjoining our place. In the next few years, Kay bought several more offspring of Bailey from us. We became really good friends and I think we went through 3 different marriages with her. Mike would call her “Kay Moody, Daniels , Wilcox” It is funny when I think back at how awesome the horse business was back then. We were able to pay for our whole place through the sale of horses. I doubt now days that there are many people who can do the same. I know that I would not want to try anymore. |
September 23, 2019
Rain, thunder and lightning all day yesterday. In fact we had almost an inch and half of rain. Today the horses were able to go outside and boy did they need the exercise. Bob Luebker told me to get my camera but I didn't listen. Guess I should have as they were sure having fun. These are a few cell phone pictures of Wilma (Classically Kool) my NN 16.2 mare by Fred (Classically) out of Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) As you can see she was moving so fast, I missed getting the whole horse on several pictures. My good friend, Jim Duncan will be happy to see "his filly." |
Click on pictures to enlarge.
September 19, 2019
Cindy Buchanan posted this picture of Obvious Conclusion as a late yearling in 1982. Read the information she posted with it. Late summer 1982, a yearling Obvious Conclusion just as we were starting to fit on him. The epiphysitis that had plagued Clue from a weanling with rapid growth was finally resolved. We carefully started to work him lightly in the sand and continued a lot of hand walking. He never took a step backward and was not only a Congress winner that fall but also 1982 AQHA World Champion Yearling Stallion. Although I think that as Clue matured and got a stud jaw he ended up a pretty headed horse - I am always amazed when I find these early photos of him how plain headed he was! Good thing I was so smitten with that modern fancy profile that I paid little attention to his head - he could have been a nice gelding prospect. |
September 18, 2019
This is a "pasture picture" of Conclusives Lace, the dam of Kid Clu. Several years ago, I asked Jerry Vawter if he had a picture of her and he sent this one. She was NN and sired by Conclusive out of A Star for Sure by Skipa Star. The bottom side of A Star for Sure was Panzy Bee by Bee Play out of Panzy Time by Showdown out of the great old mare Panzarita Daugherty. Just a note that Miss Bunny Tardee also had Bee Play and Panzarita on the bottom side of her pedigree. I asked Gwen Clarke Vawter if she had any casual pictures of Kid Clu as a young horse and she told me she would look. She said that Jerry had given several pictures of him as a weanling and yearling to a magazine and had never gotten them back. If anyone has a copy of that magazine, I would love to see those pictures. |
September 17, 2019
A year ago I met Wade Yager and Heather Olson. I had heard of them but that was the first time I had actually been at their place near Des Moines, Iowa. I was so impressed with the quality of mares they had. My good friend, Vicki Livasy bought two gorgeous mares while we were there and the filly that one of them was carrying just won 3 classes at the Breeders Halter Futurity for a total of $28,000. Last year I brought home some of “Wade’s famous fudge” and it was delicious even though it melted in the car. When I got home I was thinking perhaps I needed to buy an NN mare and called Wade. He found me Righteous Indulgence, a young daughter of Righteous Mister out of a daughter of Mr Conclusion. Well while I was talking to Heather, she told me that Wade would sell me TF Kids Cover Girl and of course, knowing the quality of that mare, I had to own her. She is NN, by Kid Coolsified out of Fashions by Mister by Mr Conclusion. I bought both of them from their pictures and I certainly wasn’t disappointed when the mares arrived at my place. So this year I, along with our group, went out to Wades and once again saw some beautiful mares. Now, let me tell you about Heather Olson. She is truly a great horsewoman and knows how to fit a horse. This year she won a total of $44,000 at the Breeders Halter Futurity besides breeding and selling the two mares that were carrying the first and second place fillies in the junior classes. That girl not only knows how to fit a horse but this year she learned how to ultrasound and did her own breeding. I highly recommend that if you are in the market for a good mare, give Wade a call. If he doesn’t have one, he will probably be able to find one for you. |
September 16, 2019
"Baby Betty" has now been weaned since Friday night and today is the first day she was out of her stall and outside next to her big sister, Pebbles and Gabriel the donkey. It always amazes me that when I wean by the dates that Ann Hunnicutt Lanning tells me, how well the babies wean. In the past I have had nothing but trouble when I weaned at random. I took Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) away from her on Friday night and today is Monday morning. And, she has never stopped eating. |
| I returned from the Breeders Halter Futurity and was ecstatic that so many of my good friends did so well and then I read on Face Book that two wonderful women have passed away. I had never met either of them in person but through Face Book had become good friends through messenger. I knew that Barbara Searson Gerken had cancer but she was such a tough fighter. I guess I didn’t think it would get her and then yesterday morning I read the posts. I had last visited with her in June and had sent her pictures of her beloved mare, Pearl who has a wonderful forever home with JP Jac and her family. That made Barbara so happy. Then the shock of the day, the passing of Carolyn McGaughey. I had never met her in person either but admired all of the marvelous things she has accomplished over the years. In fact, on September 5, we were messaging and I told her that I would see her at the Breeders Halter Futurity and she gave me a thumbs up. I guess this is a lesson that you never know which day will be your last and that we need to forget our problems and concentrate on living life to the fullest. |
September 13, 2019
Today is the last day that "Baby Betty" spends with her mother, Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) As you know, I always wean according to the dates that Ann Hunnicutt Lanning tells me and today is the last day. I even came home from the Breeders Halter Futurity in Des Moines to do it. Let's hope everything goes "according to plan" These are the last pictures you will see with mother and baby together. |
September 9, 2019
Yesterday, Bob Luebker finished "fixing" the pasture. Over the year, the brush had grown up and the deer had broken the wire around it and knocked down boards. So, I thought I would give Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) a treat and opened the gate from her dry lot to the pasture. Well, it looked like she was enjoying eating the grass so I left and continued doing my chores. About a half hour later I thought I would check on her and guess what-- she was back in the dry lot picking at the few grass spears that were in there. I guess I just don't understand horses. |
September 7, 2019
How about this picture from an "Old World Show" It was taken by either one of these friends, Carri Ehrich or Jackie Hardwicke. Do you recognize any of the mares? One of my new friends, owned the one closest to the camera. |
| I came across these pictures of An Obsession at 2 weeks of age and thought I would post them for my Australian friends. He was syndicated by a group from Australia and sired some really good horses. His sire is Kids Classic Style and he is out of Cooleah making him a full brother to a Classic Edition. In Australia they cannot have NH horses so he is NN. |
September 6, 2019
An old picture that I took. On the left is Janie (Kids Classic Gal) by Kids Classic Style. In the middle is Eva (CJ Miss Cool Evidence) by Ima Cool Skip. And, on the right is Lucy (Coola) by Ima Cool Skip. |
September 5, 2019
Some of you are probably wondering what happened to Fred (Classically) I have not posted any new pictures of him this year. When I broke my leg at the end of January, I decided that I just could not collect and breed him. Getting around was hard enough. So, I returned the booking fees I had and turned him outside in a small paddock with a shelter and that is where he has been living. I truly think he is happier as he gets to see his girlfriends in other pens and of course, gets all he wants to eat. However, because of his living conditions, he is no longer his pretty gold color and his mane and tail are far from white. I still love him but decided this was the best thing under the circumstances for me to do this year. I snapped a picture with my phone this morning after I fed him some grain. |
September 1, 2019
I saw Kids Classic Style at the World Show when he was a young horse. I remember the audience loved him and they would applaud when he would place well under a judge and boo when he didn't . He did not win that year and I remember looking at him very closely. To me, he had faults but since I loved a lot of muscle on a horse, I couldn't help but like him. I think that he had more natural muscle than any horse I had seen and he was huge. He eventually became a World Champion. My good friend Carri Ehrich took this picture of him at the World Show in 1999. Notice that a very young Luke and Abbi Castle are in the picture. Kenny Mills bought Kids Classic Style and stood him at Doug and Gina Tallents in Whitesboro, Texas. I called Doug and told him that I was interested in breeding to "Bucky" but that I was afraid that I would get a buckskin and I didn't want that. He told me that the horse really didn't throw that many buckskins, that most of his get were bays so I bred two mares to him. The following year, my mares foaled and boy did I think I had hit a home run. I got a chestnut and a bay. After seeing my babies, I decided that I would breed 4 mares to him the following year. At that time, Bucky was very popular and was breeding a lot of mares. Doug was excellent with stallions and he always was able to get me semen. I remember once he told me that the horse's semen lived a long time so he sent me semen on Wednesday that he had collected on Monday. I received it on Thursday and bred with it and my mare got in foal. In my opinion, Kids Classic Style had phenomenal semen. The second year that I bred to him, I didn't think I was so lucky. Of the four foals that were born, I had 2 buckskins, a palomino and a bay. It was that year that I discovered how much people liked "color" in their horses. Those four foals were A Classic Edition, a many time World Champion, Miss Cool N Stylin, a two time World Champion Buckskin mare, Western Sundown, a World Champion Palomino and Kids Classic Gal (Janie) the bay NN mare that I chose to keep and still have. That was quite a foal crop I had that year as I also had an Im Kiddin filly out of You Bet Im Cool (Rebecc) that could have been the best baby I ever raised but she died as a young horse. I continued to breed to Kids Classic Style after he went to Halvorson Ranch. Wayne and Rebecca Merchant Halvorson were also great to work with and I never had trouble getting my mares in foal and I was always able to sell the offspring of Kids Classic Style for good money. Tom Scheckle owned Kids Classic Style at the end of his life and I was able to buy some frozen semen from him and had no trouble getting Cooleah in foal. In fact, I still have some of his frozen semen. I sure wanted a buckskin filly but got a chestnut stud colt instead. When I think back about how in the beginning I didn't want color in my horses and now I would rather have a "colored horse" than any other color. I still own two horses sired by Kids Classic Style. One of them is Kids Classic Gal (Janie) and the other is Classically ( Fred) I am thankful that I had the opportunity to breed to Kids Classic Style and that he left me with two horses that I love looking at and enjoying. |
August 30, 2019
Many of you are friends with Debbie Schmitz and I bet you envy her family because she is such a fantastic cook along with making the "best dill pickles" Well, I had a visitor this morning----her husband Kurt and guess what he brought me? Five jars of her famous "Debbies Dillys" and the most delicious cinnamon rolls, home made chili and to top it off, a grilled cheese sandwich!! I am sure many of you are envious of me today. |
August 26, 2019
Some people may think money is the most important thing in life, but believe me, I will take friends any day of the week over money. Last week, Bob Luebker cut hay on Monday and we had a nice week of drying weather even though the temperatures were on the cool side. Well, the weatherman predicted rain today and guess what, he was right---it is pouring. So on Saturday, I stood looking at the field of hay and Bob, who had gotten the flu on Wednesday was still sick. I thought “what in the world am I going to do”? A rain would certainly ruin it and I did not have enough hay. My neighbors were trying to make hay of their own so I picked up the phone and called Joe St Clair. He was cutting wood but said that if I needed him, he would come and help. Then I called Bob and asked him where the hay inverter was. He said that he thought that even though he still didn’t feel that good, he could come out and hook it up. Then I called Joe and he said he was already on his way. Now, all these years I never learned how to run the equipment. I always left that to Mike and Bob. At least I thought maybe Joe could turn the hay over and another friend, Richard Kaufmann would bale in on Sunday. We were getting ready to start and who drove down my driveway wearing a sun hat but Pat Roch. She had an event to go to in the afternoon but said she would rake hay for a few hours. While she raked, Joe started baling and buy golly we were able to finish the whole field, a total of 2 and a half wagons of beautiful hay. The next day, I contacted Jenna Resch and thought her son could come and help unload hay. Well, he had another job to do but Jenna said she would come and help unload. Let me tell, you, that girl is a “hay unloading machine” So by that time Bob was feeling better and said he would try to help. We were just getting started when Richard Kaufmann came out to check on what we had done yesterday. What a mistake that was. He volunteered to help unload hay so he put the bales on the elevator and I even helped move them closer to the front of the wagon for him. Jenna and Bob were upstairs putting them in the mow. By the end of Sunday, the field was done and the hay in the barn. Those of you who have horses know how important it is to have good hay to feed and this has been a “bad hay year” in Wisconsin. I feel so lucky to have friends that go out of their way to help me.
My brother-in-law, Mark Ellis also came out and helped unload hay. He has been very helpful by cutting grass too. |
Click on images to enlarge.
| Pam, Jim and Jamie Jacobs, the wonderful people I sold Pearl, Bucky and Goldie to last year, sent me this awesome article that was written in the August/September issue of the Appaloosa Journal about their horse Cody who underwent ringbone surgery and is now completely sound again. Cody, the gelding is 21 years old and they were toying with the idea of euthanizing him as he was living in horrible pain. Pam's husband, Jim just couldn't "let him go". Then Pam heard about this new standing ringbone surgery that was developed at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. The procedure was only 2 months old and the paper on it had just been written but not published. Pam contacted WSU and they hauled Cody the 6 hours to the university. Now, these people love their horses and if they had to haul him 2000 miles, they would have done that. Cody was the 14th horse to go though the surgery and being that he is 21 years old, he is the oldest. The surgery was very successful and the Jacobs are back to riding Cody and he is without pain. So, if you have a horse with ringbone, know that there is a very affordable surgery that can make him sound again. |
August 24, 2019
Another one of my memories: In 1978 Mike and I sold Royal Tailwind to Warren Ploeger who lives in Iowa and we retained 8 breedings a year to him. That is another story that I will tell you someday. In 1981, An Elegant Lady was born to Miss Gypsy Roan. Gypsy was a roan mare by Kays Roan and she crossed really well with Royal. I remember she taught me about producing mares not necessarily being show mares. When she was in Iowa being bred, Warren used her to fill the aged mare class at a show and she placed last. But, I bet she out-produced most the other mares in that class. “Pebbles” as we called her had quite a start in life. Joe St Clair was working for Dr Dennis and Carol Ann Starrett Briggs at that time. Mike and I were going out with the Briggs to eat and were worried about Gypsy foaling with no one there so we hauled her over to the Briggs which was about 2 miles from here. Of course, that was the night that the mare decided to foal. The filly was not positioned right and Joe called Dr Robert Gay and he arrived and they delivered the baby. Of course, there were no cell phones at that time and when we came back, there was this beautiful roan filly. Pebbles developed into a gorgeous classy filly so we decided to show her that the World Championship show in Oklahoma City. Our friend, John Schulz owned Reds Double Sonny and John Lawrence was taking him to the show. John decided to take his trailer so we went with him to the show That will be another story for another day. We also hauled another mare by Royal Tailwind that I had sold to a man and he was going to have someone haul her home from Oklahoma City for him. However, a funny twist to this story------his trainer who was a beautiful girl flew to our place and bought the mare for him and she was an expensive mare. When we got to the show, we met the new owner who had his son with him. He took us aside and told us that he did not want his wife to know he had bought the mare and his son would tell her, so he couldn’t even go over to the stalls and look at his new purchase. We ended up hauling her back to Wisconsin and he had to make arrangements to send her to a trainer from here. Back to An Elegant Lady and the World Show. The plan was to have John Lawrence, a good friend of ours who normally showed our babies in the futurities, show Pebbles in the weanling filly class. Of course, we were excited. I remember Mike and I and “our group” sitting in the coliseum and watching the class. Unlike this day and age, it was a very large class and I remember thinking that I sure hoped she placed. As they started calling out the places, I was happy every time they called out a number and it wasn’t her. However, when they got below 8th place and they still hadn’t called her number, I started to worry that she wasn’t even going to get a ribbon. I thought please let her get something and as each placing was announced, I kept getting more discouraged. Finally they called her number and she placed 4th. We were overjoyed----after all coming from Wisconsin with a home fit baby and placing 4th was unbelievable for me. When we went back to the stall, there was a couple waiting for us and they wanted to buy the filly. We ended up selling her for what we thought was a great price. We celebrated and even bought Mike a Stetson hat for $150.00. He wore it at the show but never wore it after that. I guess I just couldn't make him into a “cowboy”. Over the years, I have raised several World Champions but that was the only time we actually took a horse to the World Show. I think I attended every World Show from then on other than when I had my knee replaced but I started leaving Mike at home. The reason for that was that he was not a “horse person” like I am and he got bored watching the sale and the show. It also made me nervous knowing that he was waiting for me to do things with him. Thus, every year, I go to the World Show and meet all my “horse friends” and we have a great time. I am looking forward to going again this year. |
August 21, 2019
Today is the 5 year anniversary of when we put our dog, Molly to sleep. Let me tell you the "story" of Molly. Mike and I were "dogless" and Rita Crundwell told me that we needed a dog as we have no children. She had some beautiful Corgis and when a litter was born, she gave us a female puppy. Well, there was something genetically wrong with the dog and we had to put her to sleep about two weeks after we got her. Mike said "NO MORE DOGS" as they are so heartbreaking when you lose one. Well, you know me----Rita volunteered to give us another when the next litter was born. While they were at a horse show, her barn help evidently let the Corgi out with her male miniature Australian Shepherd and didn't tell anyone. Of course, they were expecting purebred Corgis and when the litter was born, they were definitely not Corgis. She told me that I would not want one as they were "mutts" but I decided that I would get one anyway. I had my pick and chose the merle from the attached picture she sent me. Mike picked her up at Robbie Schmitz's place in Fond du Lac. She was running after his big dog trying to navigate through the snow with her short legs. Molly became like a child to us. She went everywhere with us. In fact, we had to drive the car on every trip as we didn't want to fly and leave her at home alone. The girls at McDonalds called her "blue eyes" when she would ride with Mike to pick up breakfast in the morning. She was the smartest dog we ever had. Our friend, Richard Kaufmann called her a $10,000 dog as we had to take her twice to the animal referral center----once because she ate bones and couldn't digest them and the other time when she drank some antifreeze. Dickie was the one who brought the bones from his pig roast and Molly loved them and ate too many at one time. When she was a puppy, Molly got kicked by a horse and from then on, she had total respect for them. The only time she would bark at them was when I was showing people the horses----she was jealous and would run out at them. We really missed her and weren't able to force ourselves to replace her with another dog. Funny thing about it, back in 2000, Molly was considered a mutt and now a dog bred like her is a "designer dog" called an Aussie and they sell are quite expensive. My friends try to convince me to get another dog but there is not one that could replace Molly. |
August 19, 2019
Busy day at Ellis Quarter Horses. My wonderful farrier, Scott Bruecker with the help of Leah Gloudemans trimmed horses feet, Bob Luebker cut a field of hay, my brother-in-law, Mark Ellis cut grass and Leah also did a lot of trimming with the weed eater. To top it off, Larsen Materials brought a load of gravel for Richard Kaufmann's project. He is building a walk way for me so that we don't get wet feet in the spring of the year. There was only one catastrophe-----Mark took out a gate with the lawn mower. I am thankful for all the people who help me. It is a beautiful day here and Pebbles and Gabriel just watched the many things going on. |
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August 18, 2019
I grew up in the small town of New London, Wisconsin which had a population of around 4000 people. As you know, I always loved horses and one of the highlights of the year was to attend the Midwestern Rodeo in Manawa, Wisconsin, a community of 1270 people, which was about 12 miles from us. Let me tell you how the rodeo started. It began 60 years ago. The first year the town leased 20 acres of land and several of the local businesses provided trucks to transport rented bleachers. The Manawa Lions Club provided many hours of man power setting up and taking down the bleachers. On rodeo day, 100 head of livestock were herded 5 or 6 blocks down the highway to the rodeo grounds. They also had a rodeo parade where almost 3000 people lined the streets to watch. A rodeo queen contest was also held. I never was rodeo queen but I was the first runner-up. In 1964 each Lions Club member put up $100 to purchase land and build bucking chutes. By 1964, over 55,000 people had attended the rodeo. The parade had over 150 entries. I was part of the 110 horses and riders who rode in it. There were also floats, high school bands, and antique cars. Each year, 6 weeks before the rodeo, Lions Club members were required to wear a western hat or be fined 50 cents. Over the past 60 years the Midwestern Rodeo has raised over 1 million dollars in revenue which is used for scholarships and various charities. I think back as to how as a young girl, I waited all year for the event. After all, there was street dancing at night and like most young horse loving girls, I looked forward to meeting some good looking cowboys. See if you can find me in the picture I am posting. It was taken as we were getting ready for the “grand opening” of the Manawa Rodeo. |
August 17, 2019
Nine years ago today, we put Miss Bunny Tardee to sleep and every day when I come out of my house, I look at her monument and think back about all the good times and memories I had with her. She was born in 1986 and was sired by Tardee Impressive out of Bunny Nightshade by Sonnys Nightshade by Sonny Dee Bar. She was my “once in a lifetime” mare and I am so happy that I have Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) and Fred (Classically) to carry on her heritage. “Tardee” was bred by Homer and Clark Danielson of Iowa and when Homer brought her dam to Neenah, Wisconsin to breed to Impressivist, I realized that even though she was only a week old, she was the kind of horse I liked. The Danielsons bred her dam to Tardee Impressive as a 2 year old and she had Miss Bunny Tardee as a three year old. The filly was small but she was so compact and had a lot of muscle. The Danielson’s also had a filly by Impressivist out of Pandarita Three that they were very excited about. That filly, was Grand Champion filly at the Iowa Breeders Futurity in 1986 and Miss Bunny Tardee was 4th. Now, in my opinion there was no comparison in fillies. The Impressivist filly was a big growthy filly, very classy but little Miss Bunny Tardee was the better filly. As a yearling Miss Bunny Tardee came into her own. Several big time trainers wanted to show her; however, she hurt her eye and Homer took her to Iowa State to have it fixed. She ended up getting an infection in it and as a result, they ended up having to remove her eye. The Danielsons then decided that they would breed her as a 2 year old to Impressivist. They did that and the next year when she was 3 years old, they brought her here to foal and the filly she had was born with heart problems and had to be put down. Of course, having that mare on our place, made me want to own her. I was able to work out stud fees and “secret money” that Mike didn’t know about and finally ended up with her. I could spend all day just looking at that mare and it was amazing that she had grown from a small first baby into a 15.3 massive mare. At that time, you had to haul your mare to get her bred and I bred her to Noble Tradition, Mr Conclusion, Obvious Conclusion, Kid Clu and Ima Cool Skip. Finally when shipped semen became available, it was much easier to get her in foal She was a great producer for me and two of her foals were World Champions. Her last and final baby was Fred (Classically) who was an embryo transfer. As much as I loved this mare, I am thankful that I have both 3 of her offspring to remember her by. The picture of her that I am posting was taken when she was 24 years old. |
August 16, 2019
Little "Betty" got her first experience with rain today. I thought it was just going to sprinkle, but wrong----it poured. And guess what----she didn't even melt!!! |
August 14, 2019
It has been a while since I posted a "Throwback Thursday" post. This is TD Kid at 6 months of age. He was a 2001 stallion by Touchdown Kid out of Lady Long Last by At Long Last and out of Regers Kitty by Leo Goldseeker. Regers Kitty is also the dam of Skips Shane, a horse that my friend Dudley Pillow raised. Dr Mark Pierce sent me this picture. TD Kid was bred by Jeffery Harrison of Krum, Texas. His dam, Lady Long Last was at Chip Knost's place to foal. Lady Long Last had very little white on her and Connie Mason told me that when TD Kid was born, she couldn't believe the color on the colt. Chip Knost also told me that when he went to the barn and looked at him, he thought "what a great colt" but again couldn't believe the color on him and thought it was a shame that he had it. At that time you could only register him as a paint. Mark Pierce was looking for a crop out paint and when he saw him, he bought him. TD Kid went on to sire some great paint horses and of course got his quarter horse papers too. I think the white on TD Kid came from both Touchdown Kid and Leo Goldseeker, who had a lot of white on him. Dudley Pillow had several Leo Goldseeker mares and believe me, they had a lot of white. |
August 14, 2019
Remember when we talked about Bill Moomey's book, "Dad Always Said"? I thought it would be very interesting to tell you some of Bill Moomey's quotes as I think they are so applicable to so many things in the horse business. As I am sure you know, Bill was a renowed artist and his book is filled with his illustrations. He was also the owner of Coys Bonanza. I had the pleasure of knowing him personally and admiring his great horses. He is living in Arizona with his wife, Sandi Moomey. I am going to list some of the quotes that I find very indicative of our "horse world" I hope that listing them will not cause confusion for you. "Dad always felt that one of the truest expressions of friendship was when a horseman bought lunch for someone who didn't have a judge's card" And, as for horse shows, he said "The way people complain about the judging it's a wonder that they don't put the spectators inside the rail and let the judges sit in the stands, since apparently you can see so much better from up there" He said, "Ain't it funny how people always seem to win under the smart judges and get politicked out by the dumb ones?" Dad said, "Ain't it funny how every horse-shoer that you talk to knows how to straighten out your horse's feet except for the shoer that you've been using Dad always said: "Fact is winning a blue ribbon is about the only way a lot of people know whether they've got a good one or not" In fact, "Those same people will pay twenty or thirty thousand dollars to a trader for a horse that they wouldn't buy from their neighbor for a thousand" In fact, Dad said, "best way to sell your horse is to spread the word that he is a little too high priced for the average horseman" One of my favorite quotes was "And some folks will tell you that an ugly head on a horse doesn't matter cause you don't ride that part. But, as Dad always said, "It's too bad you don't ride it. Then you wouldn't have it hanging out there in front of you where you'd have to look at it all the time" In fact, you hear people say that they don't care what a horse looks like as long as it can do something. But, as Dad always said, "Trouble is, nobody ever notices that you're doin' it unless you're sittin" on a good lookin' one." Dad said "Puttin' a thousand dollar saddle on a four hundred dollar horse is like trying to cheer up the inmates on death row by giving their cells a fresh coat of paint." He also said "People seem to be a lot more upset about a bad colt crop than they are about the dams and sires that caused it" He reasoned that if baby colts outgrow their bad heads ,ewe necks and crooked legs, like the traders tell you they will, then somebody must be shippin' a lot of ugly, old horses into this country. Then he also said "Before you give away that skinny little July filly that you've hid out behind the cow barn, take another look at the hostess down at the Sunset Cafe and think back to when she was runnin' around town with a runny nose and sand burrs in her socks." And, he said "If you're disappointed that your colts never seem to 'come on' until after the futurities are all over, remember---they're going to be old a lot longer than they're going to be young" "Another thing----when you're bragging about your horse's pedigree, you're only talkin about what someone else's horse did". Most owners won't send a horse out for training until he's fully mature. As Dad always said, "It's too bad they don't apply the same standards to the trainer". There are many more of his quotes in his book, Dad Always Said. If you can find a copy, I advise buying it. It is very interesting and the illustrations in it done by Bill Moomey himself are outstanding. |
August 13, 2019
Congratulations to Jim and Georgia Snow on My Intention being the most money winning producing halter stallion in quarter horse history. According to the story in The Equine Chronicle his offspring are poised to make him a 2 million dollar producing horse this year. That is an incredible accomplishment. I loved "Big Red" as Jim Snow calls him from the first time I saw him as a weanling at Russell McIntosh's place in Oklahoma. And, I am happy that I have had the opportunity to breed to him over the years. I am already planning and preparing Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) to cross with him next year. I am hoping that age 20 will be her "fertile" year. Be sure to read the article in The Equine Chronicle. |
August 12, 2019
I am wondering thoughts on weaning "Betty" at 4 months or waiting another month until she is 5 months old. I have always weaned at 3 or 4 months but this filly is doing great, has no leg issues and Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) is not in foal. According to Ann Lanning the weaning dates are going to be August 14 --17 and the filly will be 4 months old. Bonnie is a bit arthritic and my thinking on waiting is that it will be easier on the mare in this hot weather. |
August 11, 2019
I am so proud of Judith Kaiser and Marko Kaiser for achieving this honor. I intended to get up and watch at 1 AM as that was time it was on in the United States. However, I got my days mixed up and it was last night instead of tonight. Guess I just have to get better on figuring out "German time"
What a great honor to be European National Champions. I think they both look great-----both very fit. They must have been working out for the show. |
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August 9, 2019
Nothing prettier than a palomino filly enjoying life in the pasture. |
August 8, 2019
Today I felt both honored and sad when the signs honoring my late husband, Mike were erected on the highway 441 interchange. He would be so proud that the state of Wisconsin thought this much of him. |
| Remember less than a week ago when I "relocated" Chuck the woodchuck to my neighbors, Sandy Schreiner Pat Roch? Well look who came back to visit and eat my flower last night. Now, Pat swears she saw him at her place last night, but either he is very fast or I have his twin brother here. |
August 2, 2019
My "pride and joy" Wilma (Classically Kool) this morning. She is close to 16.2 and NN. Sired by Fred (Classically) out of Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) She is a half brother, sister cross. When I crossed them, I attempted to intensify the genetics of their dam, Miss Bunny Tardee who was by Tardee Impressive. I am anxious to breed Wilma next year. |
August 1, 2019
I love watching the birds and the "other animals" who enjoy the bird feed I put out for them. I know the woodchuck should be relocated but he is just so cute. My friend Sandy Schreiner wants him and I am trying to capture him and give him to her. |
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July 31, 2019
I wish I would feel as good as Wilma (Classically Kool) I don't know how she can lift her 16.2 body so high off the ground? |
July 30, 2019
Righteous Indulgence, 2011 NN mare by Righteous Mister out of The Sharpest Edge by Mister Conclusion. Another beautiful mare I bought from Wade Yager and Heather Olson last fall. |
July 29, 2019
Yesterday, I spent some time taking pictures around our place. I really like this pretty mare, TF Kids Covergirl. She is a 2012 NN mare by Kid Coolsified out of Fashions by Mister by Misters Conclusion. I am thankful to Wade Yager and Heather Olson for selling her to me. In fact her barn name is "Heather". She is as sweet as she is pretty. |
July 28, 2019
It has been a very hard week for me. July 17 would have been Mike and my 48th wedding anniversary and then last year on July 20, I lost him to a massive heart attack. I guess I don’t have to tell most of you how the hurt and loneliness the death of a loved one affects you. I feel that I am very lucky to have wonderful friends who try to fill the void by keeping me busy and also, taking care of these horses and place takes my mind off my loss. However, when I am alone and walk around these grounds and look at all the improvements we have made over the years, it is hard to set those memories aside and go about my life without him. I just want to thank my many friends who continue to support me. It is because of you I find the strength to continue to enjoy life the way I do. |
July 28, 2019
Janie (Kids Classic Gal) NN mare by Kids Classic Style out of Dandy Dee Gal enjoying the new pasture. I think she is starting to grow her winter hair----doesn't she know that we have a lot of hot weather ahead of us yet? |
July 26, 2019
I have "Appaloosa deer!" |
July 17, 2019
Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) 19 year old NN mare by Ima Cool Skip out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive. |
July 14, 2019
It has been quite a week. Bob Luebker cut a field of hay and before we were able to finish baling, he had to go to work. So, my good friend, Richard Kaufmann came to the rescue and not only finished cutting the hay but also baled it. Unfortunately before he finished, the evening came and "listening to the weatherman" who said the chance of rain was 80%, what did I do? Called my wonderful neighbors, Jack and Karen Cowling and Jack came down and finished baling the field by making big bales. As you may have guessed, it never rained so the next day, Bob Luebker cut another field and Dickie baled that for me. In the meantime, on Thursday evening my friend, Vicki Benker came to visit from Florida. On Friday during the day, I felt terrible as I helped Dickie in the hay field picking up the bales that flew over the top of the wagon. That night Vicki and I joined some friends, Pat Roch, Sandy Schreiner, Debi Bellin, Charles and Shelley Lauer and my brother-in law and his wife, Mark and Sue Ellis and we had a really good time. The next day, Vicki and I took our "yearly drive around Lake Winnebago", stopping to get cookies and blackberry jam for Robert M. Weber at the Amish bakery. When we got back we did a bit of shopping in downtown Neenah and picked up some turtle scones for my neighbors, Pat and Sandy Schreiner, Debi Bellin and Jenna, who were unloading hay at their barn. It is hard to believe but those girls unloaded close to 500 bales of hay. Later that evening, Vicki, Shelley and Charles Lauer, Dickie and I had a wonderful meal at the Roxy Supper Club. After dinner, Vicki, the Lauers and I met Bob and Shirlee Weber who had been at a wedding during the day. I wish I would have had more time to spend with Vicki but as all good horse people know, hay is a priority and she understands that. I promised her that when she comes back, we will find more "fun things" to do. |
July 14, 2019
Love seeing a mare and foal in the pasture. This is Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) and Betty (filly by Fred (Classically) out of Bonnie. |
July 9, 2019
This is my "heart", Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) I took these pictures this morning. Hard to believe she is now 19 years old., She stands 16 hands and is NN. Sired by Ima Cool Skip out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive. I will need all of you to do the "fertility dance" as we will flush her on Friday. It is hard to believe that I have been trying to get a foal by My Intention out of her since 2011. We have gotten several embryos and one did survive for 40 days. Jim and Georgia Snow have done everything they could to help me get her in foal. And, we all know that there is no better semen than that of My Intention. So-----let's just hope that on Friday we will get an embryo. I guess most of you think it is getting a bit late to be breeding, but at her age, I just want one (preferably a filly) to keep. |
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July 8, 2019
This morning, even though there is no sun, I thought I would take a few pictures of Wilma (Classically Kool)---my pride and joy. She is NN, stands 16.2 and is sired by Fred (Classically) and out of Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) making her a half brother-sister cross. I had planned to breed her for the first time this year but after breaking my leg, I decided to wait until next year. |
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July 7, 2019
I guess I must be a "true horsewoman" Today our weather couldn't be any better---sun, a light breeze, no humidity and wonderful temperature. So, what am I doing? I was invited by two different friends to join them on their pontoon boat and float on the beautiful lake. But, I chose to stay home, ultrasound mares, clean stalls and take care of horses. I am so lucky to have a wonderful friend, Richard Kaufmann who came and cut hay for me. Bob Luebker is on his 12 hour mill shift so Dickie volunteered. He could be sitting on the lake fishing but that is what friends are for and I truly appreciate it. I intended to finish cutting the first cutting but then thought "what the heck" why not cut the second cutting too so that is what he is doing. I want you to know that the corn in the background is not on our property. It belongs to Jack and Karen Cowling. My corn is approaching 6 inches in height. I will have to take a picture of it. The wet weather prevented Jack from being able to get in the field to plant it. |
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July 2, 2019
This is a piture I took several years ago of Janie, Olivia and an Ima Cool Skip mare I sold. |
July 1, 2019
Yesterday, I my good friend, Donna Davis sent me this picture and it made me realize just how old I am getting. It is a picture of her son, Chad winning a saddle at a team roping. Donna and I have been friends a "really long" time and one of these days I am going to tell you about our friendship. When I first met Donna, Chad was a little boy and now he is 21 years old and owner of Riviera Ropes, a company that makes ropes for team roping. Another example of how fast time flies. |
June 23, 2019
Rita Bangs asked about Gabriel, the miniature donkey. Yes, Gabriel is a permanent resident at Ellis Quarter Horses. Both Mike and I fell in love with him when Jaleen Hacklander let us "use" him to raise our orphan colt, CharlieO last year. When we sold the colt we sent Gabriel along with him but he returned when Laurie Lorenz weaned the colt. Gabriel is now a companion for Pebbles and I love the idea that she has a friend. They are inseparable. Let me tell you a bit more about him. Jaleen got him from Texas when she had an orphan Arabian foal and he provided a great companion for the colt. Dr Katherine Fox recommended I call Jaleen to see if she would let us use a donkey after Pearl rejected her baby last year. What a Godsend Gabriel was as CharlieO developed manners and a friend. I keep asking Jaleen for Gabriel's papers as he is registered but they are "lost on her desk" and believe me, if you see her desk, you can see how that could happen. From what I understand, donkeys live a long life and I thought perhaps Gabriel may be in his upper 20's but Jaleen guessed him at about 15. All I know is that Gabriel is one of the best purchases I have made in the horse business. He is a very shy donkey and Bob Luebker and I are the only ones who can catch him. |
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June 22, 2019
I can't forget Pebbles (Kool to be Classic) my yearling full blood sister to Wilma. Both are by Fred (Classically) and Wilma is out of Rebecca whereas Pebbles is out of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee). Both dams are full sisters by Ima Cool Skip out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive. Fred also has Miss Bunny Tardee as his dam. Wilma is NN and Pebbles is NH. Wilma is a more "modern" horse whereas Pebbles is a bit more old fashioned. I love them both and I already know the stallions that I will breed them to in the future but I am keeping that a secret for now. |
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| Well, this is my "pride and joy" Wilma (Classically Kool) She is now 4 years old, NN and stands close to 16.2. Her sire is Fred (Classically) and her dam is Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool), making her a half brother-sister combination. She is one that will stay here forever. I had every intention of breeding her this year, but with my broken leg and my "breeding season" getting late, I decided to wait until next year. One of these days, I will actually clean her up and get some good pictures. |
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| Pebbles, yearling filly by Fred (Classically) out of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) and Gabriel, her buddy. Wonder if anyone will notice that I changed my profile picture from the mare and filly to this one. |
June 21, 2019
Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) this morning. Hard to believe how fast time has passed and she is now 19 years old. She still has an amazing amount of muscle for an NN mare. Sired by Ima Cool Skip out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive. I am still hoping to get an embryo out of her this year. I can't tell you just how wonderful Jim and Georgia Snow have been to work with. Now if Rebecca would just cooperate. |
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June 13, 2019
An old memory popped up on Face Book and it made me think about how Face Book has changed my life. I have never been very “computer literate” and the thought of doing something like corresponding with people on the internet was not even in my thoughts. But someone convinced me that I should and I truly have enjoyed the many friends, both old and new that I have found over the years. One in particular is Linda Boyce Banks She and her husband Joe came into Mike and my lives and I had lost contact with them for many years but through FB, we “found” each other again. Let me tell you the story: In 1966, I had just gotten started in registered quarter horses and I found a gorgeous yearling palomino mare at Dean Landers in Iowa. My father bought her for me for the sum of $3500.00, which was a lot of money back then. My parents owned the Rainbow Supper Club in New London, Wisconsin so we named the mare Rainbow Gold after the supper club. I was so proud of her and showed her at the quarter horse shows and did very well with her. She was sired by Smarty Cat by Hard Twist and out of Matts Blondie who was a Silvertone bred mare. In March of 1975, I decided to place an ad in the back of the Quarter Horse Journal and sell Rainbow. Linda Boyce Banks from Virginia called me and we agreed on a price and also that Mike and I would deliver her to Williamsburg, Virginia. Back then, I would sell horses and our vacations would be delivering them. I remember we drove out east and were so excited to see historic Williamsburg. Well, as we usually did, we were in a hurry and drove right past the buildings and never stopped to see them. That was the first time we got to meet Linda and her husband Joe. What wonderful people they were and we have remained friends ever since. After delivering the mare, we decided to drive through Washington DC. I can still remember the traffic as we were from little old Wisconsin and we had never seen traffic like that. We cruised past the White House pulling our two horse trailer and Mike, being a political junkie anyway was in heaven. On a little side note, he had to go to the bathroom and there was nowhere to stop so he got in the trailer and went. From then on he would tell people what he did in front of the White House and we would all laugh. To be honest, that was the only time in my life that I have been to Washington DC. Well, back to Rainbow Gold------when Joe and Linda bought her, she was in foal to What A Bonanza and she foaled a beautiful palomino filly the following May. That filly went on to have a great show career. The Banks even flew Bob Hembrook who owned What A Bonanza out to Virginia to show her in the Virginia Quarter Horse Futurity, where she placed second. I kept in touch with LInda and in 1976, Mike and I met Joe and Linda in Kentucky for the Tattlersall Horse Sale. I remember the wonderful smell of the cedar shavings and seeing some great horses sell. There was a full sister to Trouble Step that I fell in love with but couldn't afford and my husband would have killed me if I bought a horse. The reason for meeting in Kentucky was that we pulled a new Roadmaster trailer there that Linda and Joe had bought. (another reason for a vacation for Mike and I) We kept in touch with the Banks and in 1977, Joe and Linda made the trip to Wisconsin to visit us. While here, I sold them a stud colt by Skip Beware out of Jakes Jewell. We had a great few days and I took them to Fort Atkinson to see What a Bonanza and visit Bob and Bonnie Hembrook. Now, that was quite a place at that time. Bob was a super salesman and everything was named "What a This and What a That" I remember his tractor had a name on it called "What a John Deere" From the Hembrooks we traveled to Dean Achtenhagens to see Mr Tailwind. We spent quite a bit of time there as I loved the look of the Tailwind horses. At that time, I picked a colt out of a mare named Katie Blue who was a double bred King Jacket mare. We ended up buying him later and we named him Royal Tailwind.. He went on to become a great paint and quarter horse producer. Linda and I kept in touch for quite a few years and then just kind of stopped communicating. All of a sudden, on Facebook, I heard from Linda again and we have become close friends again. I guess it just goes to show that Face Book really is a great social network and that old friends are still the best friends. |
June 5, 2019
Summer must be here----today my orange tree got to move out of the house into the back yard. If you remember, back in 2014, Dennis Macarthur brought it to me from Alabama when he delivered a horse. Lorna Revord sent it and the beautiful pottery pot deteriorated over the years but the little Hawaiian girl that she put in it is still "alive" It is the only plant I have been able to keep alive under my care. Hopefully the tea roses will also come back. |
| Little "Betty" is learning to be a big girl. Leah Gloudemans and I gave her a "tying lesson" yesterday. I am impressed as to how smart she is as she didn't even pull back on the rope. She has been a real doll to work with. |
June 5, 2019
36 years ago today the city of New London, Wisconsin honored my father for 50 years of medical service to the area. It was quite a celebration including a horse drawn carriage ride to the event and the hall was packed with many of his friends and patients telling “stories” about him. My dad was my “hero” and I idolized him and want to think I got my work ethic from him. His father was a blacksmith and dad had to work to put himself through college. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Medical College and back then, doctors did everything. By that I mean that he was a family practitioner, surgeon, eye doctor, hearing doctor and also dispensed medications. He even went to some classes and could hypnotize people. I have some of his old Journals in which he kept a “diary” of what practices he did every day and I find it very interesting. It is hard to believe that in those days, doctors sometimes saw 100 patients a day besides performed surgeries and delivered babies. I remember our phone would ring all hours of the night (there were no answering services back then) and dad would get up and go on a call. I would love to ride with him and sometimes I would sit in the car listening to “The Shadow” and other radio programs while he attended to the patient. When Mike and I got married, dad bought us Royal Tailwind and then a few years later lent us the money for the big purchase of Impressivist. That is when horses were bringing good money and we were able to pay him back within a month for Impressivist by selling two Royal Tailwind fillies. With Fathers Day just a few days away, I only wish that I had appreciated all the things he taught me while he was still alive like I do now. I guess as we get older, some of the lessons we learn as young people become more important. |
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This is the "pin" that was given out at Dad's big day. |
These are Journals that dad kept. I now find them very interesting. He delivered way over 5000 babies during his medical practice----most of the time over 100 a year. For instance, looking at the first entry in his 1955 Journal, he wrote that the year before he performed 194 surgeries plus 67 tonsils. That doesn’t even include the over 100 babies he delivered. It still gives me a thrill when someone comes up to me and says that my dad, Dr Schmallenberg delivered them. I don’t think present day doctors work as many hours a day as doctors did “back then” I remember that our phone would ring at all hours of the night and he would get up and go on calls. |
My father also ventured into other enterprises, one of which was the Rainbow Supper Club in New London. It opened in 1960, just in time for my brother’s graduation party, and was well known for its Wednesday night buffet which featured all the prime rib and lobster tails you wanted to eat. I worked there as a waitress. We also had our Wisconsin Quarter Horse Association banquet there. |
I am sure I inherited my “love of horses” from my dad. He loved riding. His father was a blacksmith and dad worked very hard to go to college and medical school. I remember him telling us that he had saved $100.00 when he started medical college but he took a girl on a date and spend quite a bit. He never let that happen again. I think I get my “frugality” from him. |
June 1, 2019
I have been to the AQHA World Show every year except when I had my knee replaced and it became infected. 2006 was the year that I, along with several of my friends went to Russell and Ruth Ruth Vanderburg McIntosh to see their horses. He had a weanling stud colt and I immediately fell in love with him. He was by Playgirls Conclusion and out of RPL My Te Touching by Touchdown Kid. I loved everything about him from his keen neck to his huge hanging hip and massive muscling. I vowed that one day I would breed Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) my NN mare who is by Ima Cool Skip out of Miss Bunny Tardee to him. I think it was the following year that Chip Knost told me that Jim Snow had seen the colt and he thought he was as good a stallion prospect as he had ever seen and Jim bought him. At that time, he had a name and it was My Intention. The stallion continued to do well, and under the guidance of Jim and Georgia Snow developed into a great breeding horse. Well, I still had that dream of breeding Rebecca to him so in 2011, I bred to him. We flushed an embryo out of her and the embryo took but unfortunately was not viable at 30 days. That began a long period of trying to get her in foal. Jim Snow is as good a stallion manager as there is in the industry and My Intention has probably the best semen I have ever seen. Since 2011, I have bred several mares to him and have had no trouble getting them in foal-----except for Rebecca. She is now 19 years old and being “hard nosed” I haven’t given up yet. We did get several embryos but they either didn’t take or even last year, one lasted for 40 days. I don’t think there are many stallion owners who would not give up on my dream and keep shipping me semen. I started breeding late this year due to my health problems. The first time we flushed her, we got nothing and then three weeks ago, we tried again and doggone if she didn’t have an annovulatory follicle. So, as you know, we have to wait until that resolves itself which I feel will be soon. I keep asking myself, do I keep trying to get my foal out of her and My Intention or do I breed her to Fred (Classically)? I love Wilma (Classically Kool) out of this cross but being a bull headed German, I may try “one more time” to get my foal by My Intention. |
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May 31, 2019
Somebody is feeling good this beautiful morning. Poor Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) has to take this abuse by her daughter Betty who is by Fred (Classically). And for those of you who know Bonnie, all she is interested in is eating. |
May 30, 2019
A couple pictures of "Betty" this afternoon. She is 6 weeks old and NN, sired by Fred (Classically) out of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee). I love the fact that she is going to be a dark palomino. I still have not "mastered" my camera settings. You would think after all these years I would figure it out. |
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May 26, 2019
Looking out my window this weekend, I see the beautiful place that Mike and I built over many years. We bought our first 15 acres in 1970. I found the land for sale in the classified ads in the newspaper and the price was $1000 an acre. Mike wanted to buy 3 acres and I insisted we buy the 15 we now own. The property is right across from Lake Winnebago which is the largest fresh water lake in the United States. We got married in 1971 and lived in a small upstairs apartment in Neenah, Wisconsin where our bed consisted of a pull-out couch. The best thing about it was that it was next store to Rudys, a small restaurant that had the best steak sandwiches and malted milks. Every day I would drive to my hometown of New London to take care of the horses. In 1972 we built our first barn, a 36 by 81 metal building. I remember the builders showed up and wanted to know where to put the building and Mike said “put it here” which was in the middle of a hay field. We made so many mistakes building the barn. For instance, we didn’t put fill in before we built it and in the spring, the water flooded under the building. We had the horses tied in the aisle to hay wagons. We did not have a lot of money so we built as we could afford it. Our first barn cost $5400.00 for the outer shell and we had friends help build the stalls. They had to do everything by hand as we had no electricity. We sold Bar Fly Bailey, a AAA AQHA stallion that I had for the huge sum of $15,000 and with that money we added the indoor arena. It is 52 by 144 and cost $14,500. In 1983, we decided we needed to add another barn as we planned to stand Impressivist at stud and back then there was no shipped semen. At that time, we also built a small apartment between the barns. We have a gorgeous water quarry on the corner of our property and the plan was to eventually build a house there. However, since we never had any children and “housekeeping” is not my favorite thing, we never built the house. We were able to pay for everything with income from the horses. That was when horses were bringing good money and we were breeding 100 mares a year to Impressivist. I love to look out my door and see the beautiful trees Mike planted and watch the horses in their paddocks. We have so much privacy. I can walk out my door in my nightgown and in 12 feet be in the barn. We traded 2 stud fees for the big iron gates in the front of the property. We started with barb wire, replaced it with smooth wire and eventually board fences. All in all, it is home and I love it. Over the years, we added several outside shelter buildings and automatic waterers. We were lucky and sold a couple of high dollar horses, so we bought more land on either side of us, which we recently sold, retaining our original 15 acres. In 1985, Bob Luebker came into our lives and he has been with us ever since. Since we met Bob, he got married and has two beautiful daughters. He not only helps me but he also has a full time 12 hour a day job. I don’t know what we ever would have done without him. When Mike retired from the Senate, we hired Leah Gloudemans who worked for him in his Senate office to help on the place. She also has been a God send as Leah can do anything and everything. She can handle the horses, do yard work, clean the house----you name it, she can do it. Both Mike and I loved this place and it gives me pleasure just walking around remembering the good times we had doing things. So many wonderful memories and I feel so lucky to be able to still enjoy them. With summer coming and the hay and grass season approaching, I know that there will be many memories to deal with and I hope I am strong enough to handle them. Mike loved this property and loved cutting grass and mowing hay so I know that this first year is going to be a tough one. I am so thankful to have many wonderful friends and neighbors. I pray that all the great memories will help me and guide me through this period. |
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May 16, 2019
After a tough year for me, I have come to the realization that at my age, I cannot keep accumulating the producer of Miss Bunny Tardee. Since I have the 2 old mares, Rebecca and Bonnie, and also have Wilma (Classically Kool) out of Rebecca and Pebbles (Kool To Be Classic) out of Bonnie, I am happy to announce that my beautiful NN filly, "Betty" is going to a new home, and what a wonderful home she will have. Marko and Judith Kaiser from Germany have bought her and I couldn't be happier. A few years ago, I sold them Cookie (Move Over Darling) and I have enjoyed watching her accomplishments overseas. This last year, she was European Amateur and Open Champion 2 year old mare and also earned her Superior in halter. I love the way the Kaisers handle their horses as they do not believe in pushing them. I am looking forward to "Betty.s" show career and also eventually to her carrying on my breeding program in Germany. Perhaps I will even make it to Germany as Marko Kaiser promised to take me to Schmallenberg Germany, where my ancestors are from. |
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May 15, 2019
Since Mike and I never had any children, my Mother’s Day was spent with my horses. They are like my family. In 1986, Miss Bunny Tardee was born and she bacame my “all time favorite” mare. She was sired by Tardee Impressive and out of Bunny Nightshade by Sonnys Nightshade by Sonny Dee Bar. I lost her in 2010 but she left me with some outstanding offspring which I dearly love. I own three of her produce and I have built my horse program around them. Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) is NN and is now 19 years old. She is sired by Ima Cool Skip. Her full sister, Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) is NH and is 18 years old. We sold her as a baby to Carri Ehrich and she sold her several years later to another good friend of mine, JoAnna Stricklin. A few years ago, I Mike and I were able to buy Bonnie and bring her back to her birthplace in Neenah, Wisconsin. Last but not least is Fred (Classically) who is NN and sired by Kids Classic Style. Since Miss Bunny Tardee was my “ideal” mare, I had the desire to cross Fred with both Bonnie and Rebecca in hopes of bringing out the outstanding attributes of the old Tardee mare. I am very proud of the results. Wilma (Classically Kool) is NN and out of Rebecca and Pebbles ( Kool To Be Classic) is NH and out of Bonnie. Then there is “Betty” the month old NN filly by Fred out of Bonnie. Our weather is finally getting nice and I intend to show you how my “match making” worked. Needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled with the results of how they crossed and I intend to continue my "program" with them. Pictured below are Miss Bunny Tardee at 20 plus years of age and her 3 offspring-----Rebecca, Bonnie and Fred. |
May 14, 2019
Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) and her NN one month old filly by Fred (Classically) |
May 13, 2019
Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) is still looking good at 18 years of age. She is sired by Ima Cool Skip and out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive. She is NH and stands over 16 hands tall. |
| Something that brings a smile to my face------"Betty" month old NN filly by Fred (Classically) out of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) Wish I could figure out how to get the lighting correct on a palomino. |
May 4, 2019
Beautiful day and I have all the horses outside enjoying the sun. I am a bit under the weather today so only took a quick picture of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) and Betty, her NN filly by Fred (Classically) |
May 1, 2019
"Lion of the Legislature': Governor signs bill naming 1-44 interchange for the late state Sen. Mike Ellis
Gov. Tony Evers shares a moment with Sandy Ellis after he signed a bill naming the
Interstate 41-U.S.10/State 441 interchange after the late state legislator Mike Ellis at Neenah
City Hall. Sandy is the widow of Ellis. The two are surrounded by family, friends and officials. |
NEENAH - Gov. Tony Evers signed legislation Wednesday naming the newly reconstructed Interstate 41 interchange in Fox Crossing in honor of the late state Sen. Mike Ellis.
The junction of I-41 and U.S. 10/State 441 now will be known as the Michael G. Ellis Memorial Interchange.
Ellis died July 20 at age 77. He spent 44 years in the Legislature — 12 in the Assembly and 32 in the Senate — and served as Senate majority leader, minority leader and president.
Evers said Ellis was "the lion of the Legislature."
"He was tenacious and vociferous, not just in advocating for his constituents, but also for doing what's best for the people of Wisconsin," Evers said. "I think that's among the many reasons why Mike was so respected by Republicans and Democrats alike."
The governor's signing ceremony was held at Neenah City Hall, where Ellis began his political career as an alderman in 1969. It was attended by family, friends, state lawmakers and local government officials from the Fox Cities. Ellis championed the Fox Cities and worked to secure funding for the reconstruction and expansion of the I-41 interchange, which was completed last year. Evers said an aerial view of the interchange reminded him of Ellis' annual explanation of the state's school funding formula when Evers was state superintendent and deputy state superintendent of schools.
"It looks very similar to that — lots of lines circling around and going back," Evers said. "No one knew more about school funding than Sen. Ellis." Mark Ellis said his brother worked with legislators "on both sides of the aisle" and understood that he was elected "to do right for others." "That's a legacy that, I think, all of us can nurture from," Mark Ellis said.
The legacy of the late state Sen. Mike Ellis will live on through the naming of the
Michael G. Ellis Memorial Interchange in Fox Crossing. |
Former Gov. Scott Walker encouraged legislators to name the interchange for Ellis. Sens. Roger Roth, R-Appleton, and Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, introduced the bill in January. It was co-sponsored by Reps. Mike Rohrkaste, R-Neenah, Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, David Murphy, R-Greenville, and Amanda Stuck, D-Appleton. The Senate and Assembly passed the bill on a voice vote April 9. Roth said Ellis was a close friend and trusted mentor. "His keen wit, unique personality and tireless advocacy for his district left an incomparable imprint not only on the Fox Valley but all of Wisconsin," Roth said in a statement. "Mike often told me that development of the I-41 corridor was the proudest achievement of his career, and it is only fitting for his name to be permanently enshrined on that project." Cowles said designating the interchange for Ellis was "a common-sense way to commemorate a truly great legislator, community member and friend who committed decades of his life towards making the Fox Valley and the entire state a better place to live, work and visit."
Mark Ellis, left, is embraced by Gov. Tony Evers after Evers signed a bill naming the Interstate
41-U.S.10/State 441 interchange after the late legislator Mike Ellis. Mark is a brother of Mike Ellis.
At far left is Sandy Ellis, the widow of Mike Ellis. |
I am so proud that the State of Wisconsin is naming the big new interchange after Mike. The bill signing was both a happy event but also it made me feel bad that he is no longer with me.
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April 22, 2019
Both Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan made the following statement “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”. Let me tell you that since I lost Mike last July and then broke my leg in January , my life just hasn’t been the same. I am sure a lot of you have experienced the same feeling that I did from losing something that meant a lot to you or having some devastating event change your life. When I was a child, my parents were strict and I am so happy now that they were this way. I remember no matter how long we staying out at night, we always had to get up at 7 in the morning. Well, that “habit” carried over in my life and every morning, come 7 or before, I would get up until my accident in January. It seemed like after that, I was tired all the time. I don’t remember ever taking a nap during the day until then. Well, things seemed to have changed for the better. Since April 15 when my new palomino filly (Betty) was born, it seems as though my entire attitude is better. I have more energy and do not get tired as fast. I guess having something that you love, whether a new horse, puppy or child, brings renewed life to a person. I know it seems to have helped me get over this “funk” I have been in. I just love my new filly by Fred (Classically) out of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee). Tonight she will be a week old and today is her first day outside. Leah Gloudemans took a few pictures of her for me. |
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April 16, 2019
I needed a good thing to happen to me and last night it did------Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) had a beautiful palomino filly by Fred (Classically) Thanks to my favorite "midwife" Katie Samuelson, who was there to help with the delivery, everything went great. Bonnie is a wonderful mother and I am tickled to death. A few pictures from last night and hopefully I will get more soon. |
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April 15, 2019
Guess who is going to have a baby (hopefully tonight) Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) and Fred (Classically). She is overdue but I sure hope it is a filly. Bonnie is 18 this year and she and Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) are the only two mares I plan to breed. Rebecca is 19 and they are full sisters by Ima Cool Skip out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive. Bonnie is NH and Rebecca is NN. Note the pink tail wrap. |
April 6, 2019
Last night I attending an event sponsored by Beaming Incorporated called “Night at the Races” For those of you who aren’t familiar with the organization, it is a charity that offers equine therapy to young and old people with a wide range of challenges including autism, anxiety, blindness, cerebral palsy, depression, Downs syndrome, learning disabilities , multiple sclerosis, neurological disorders and spinal injuries. They also have a program for veterans suffering from PTSD. I was thrilled to see a sold out crowd and it was really a night of fun with simulated horse races, silent auctions as well as live auctions. My good friend, Katie Samuelson is the director of the group and for those of you who know Katie, she is a “workaholic” as she never seems to slow down. If I or anyone needs anything, she will find time to help us even thought her days are already full. The videos of the children riding and the explanations by their parents of how much progress they have made due to the program, were very heart warming. Of course the food was excellent too. I invited our Congressman Glen Grothman and he along with Charles and Shelley Lauer , Morris and Kim Kimmy Biggar, Leah Gloudemans and Nicole Kohanski sat at our table. Unfortunately my leg started bothering me from sitting and I had to leave before the end of the event. I did get to spend a little time visiting about old times and friends with Monica Gebheim and got to meet one of my Face Book friends, Sandra Inselman All in all, it was a fun evening for an excellent cause. It is hard to believe this was the 9th year of “Night at the Races” |
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April 4, 2019
A few days ago, I posted about Carri Ehrich and the horses she bought from us. I guess what I was trying to convey was that Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) is back home with me and ready to have her foal. But I think I will also tell you about Henrietta (Miss Carri Clu), a 1998 NH mare by Clueman who was by Obvious Conclusion and out of Miss Bunny Tardee. Clueman was a massive stallion we raised and he won every futurity he was entered in as a yearling and then became a World Champion. We sold him to Donna Davis and she had him fit to perfection and showed him herself. The dam of Miss Carri Clu was Prophetic Win by Obvious Prophet out of Impress Me Win by Impressive. I bought Prophetic Win (Dottie) as a yearling at the World Show. She was owned by Cliff and Robin Bales and had placed in the top 10 at the World. Jil Hinds and I were hurrying to catch our plane back to Wisconsin and as we went down the aisle where Jason Smith had his horses, there was Dottie in cross ties. Well, anyway, I saw this beautiful filly with a gorgeous head, her neck could have been longer but it tied in great and her back and hocks were outstanding. Back then, I did not know that much about croups and when I look back now, Dottie did not have a long croup. I was probably on a “high” as a baby we raised had just won the World and was sold for good money, so in the spur of a moment, I bought her. When I got home, Mike had a fit about me buying a horse and all I heard for months was “we don’t need another horse” When Dottie was three years old, I decided to breed her to Clueman (Big Al as everyone called him) Back then, people didn’t know much about HYPP and Clueman was HH and Dottie was NH. Since we had both the mare and stallion here, I wanted to breed them to each other. Well, this is where Miss Carri Clu got her name, Henrietta. We live covered and believe me, Big Al was not an aggressive breeder. In fact, he would look everywhere except at the mare. I think he enjoyed watching the cats play in the hay more than he did breeding. Finally the stud decided he would breed her. My veterinarian at the time, Dr Travis Henry was holding the mare and when Clueman went to mount, Dottie moved forward. She was nervous because she had never been bred and this big old stallion was about to jump on her. The next time the stud tried, she started to move forward again and Dr Henry grabbed her ear and twisted it and even resorted to biting it. Thank heaven we did manage to get her bred. From that time on, we decided that if she would have a stud colt, we would name him Henry and if a filly Henrietta. While Prophetic Win was in foal, Carri Ehrich wanted to buy her. I gave her one price with the foal and another if I kept the resulting foal. She decided to just buy the mare and let me have the baby. I didn’t blame her because what are the odds of breeding NH to HH and not getting an HH foal? The next year, Carri called me and Dottie had foaled a filly. I asked her what the baby looked like and all she told me was that she had huge forearms. We immediately tested her for HYPP and she tested NH. That fall after weaning, I brought the filly back to Wisconsin . She stayed her until she was a late weanling when I sent Carri pictures and she decided to buy her. So, Henrietta made her way back to her birthplace in Rock Rapids, Iowa with the registered name, Miss Carri Clu She became a great producer for Carri. Not only was she a World Champion producer but she was also the dam of Exceptional Candy, an NN mare who had as much body as any horse could have. When Carri decided to sell her horses, she sold Henrietta to Barb Dealewho then a few years later she sold her to Brandon Kay, where she eventually died. It is funny how these memories come back to me and remind me of the many adventures I have had over the years with people and horses. |
April 1, 2019
Today a memory popped up on my computer and I think what a difference a year has made. Last year on April 1 it was Easter. Today we had a little snow shower and it is 38 degrees. I lost Mike in July and my whole life changed. Then I broke my leg in January and am finally getting back to doing the things I used to do. I am only having one foal this year and "she" (I hope) is due anytime. The only mares I plan to breed this year are the two old girls, Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) and Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) Instead of starting my breeding season February 1, I am starting it now which is actually better for me as the weather will hopefully be better. My perception of the horse business has not changed though, so I will post this again and see if you agree with me.
From April, 1, 2018 Happy Easter, my friends. As I sit here today with our horses outside in the 7 degree wind chill weather, I think how lucky I am at this stage of my life to have horses I love, a wonderful husband and so many great friends. The Lord has been very good to me. About a week ago, Paul Stewart private messaged me and asked me my thoughts on showing and the horse business in general. I told him that is really isn’t what it was years ago when the classes were huge and everyone truly enjoyed showing. He asked me what could be done to bring it back to that scenario. I have spent a lot of time thinking about that and to be honest, I don’t think it can happen. I ask myself why and I think perhaps I came up with this answer. I wonder if it is that the new generation of people look at things differently than we did “back then” For instance, I taught high school for 6 years and my students respected me and the other teachers. We never had any violence or were afraid that someone would bring guns or weapons into the classroom. When I go back to my class reunion, I still call the teachers (who are still alive) “Mr” or “Mrs” Parents back then disciplined their children and taught them things that would impact their lives. Now it seems as though they count on the teachers to raise them and the values of the teachers are reflected in our children. Then there is the politics of our time. Never have I seen so much unrest and unhappiness with our elected officials. My husband Mike keeps telling me that he is happy he retired from being a senator. People have changed and I cannot in the future see things going back to the way they were. I think the futurities have helped our horse business but the expense of raising a foal, having it trained, feed, supplies and everything involved has skyrocketed. If you don’t finish in the top at the futurities, you cannot recoup the money spent to get there. Perhaps some of you can come up with an answer but I have come to the conclusion that I will continue to raise foals as that is what I love to do. The horses have been very good to us over the years. Raising and selling horses enabled us to buy and build our place. However, I would not be optimistic about raising horses as a means of making a living in the present age. |
March 31, 2019
I still have this beautiful 2008 calendar that Carri Ehrich made for me many years ago. It is composed of horses that she bought from us and some of their produce and she took all of the pictures herself. I first met Carri when she came to look at and ended up buying Azzari, a stallion we owned by Tardee Impressive out of Trouble Yes by Mr Trouble Step. I remember they came in the coldest weather and the stallion was dirty from being outside. Bob Luebker and I gave him a bath but his winter hair looked terrible when it dried. It was kind of all matted down. So, what does any good horse person do? Improvise. We got hair dryers and brushes and fluffed the hair back up. As I said, Carri bought Azzari and over the years, she also bought several mares from us. Some of them were Impress Me Win (Dottie) MIss Carri Clue (Henrietta) Coola (Lucy) a daughter of Dandy Seeker and last but not least, Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) She bought Bonnie as a weanling and she is a daughter of Ima Cool Skip and out of Miss Bunny Tardee by Tardee Impressive, making her a full sister to Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) Over the years, Bonnie produced some great foals for Carri and when she decided to sell all her horses, Bonnie was the last to go. A good friend of mine, JoAnna Stricklin from Mississippi bought her and a couple of years ago, I was able to buy Bonnie from Joanna. The mare is now 18 years old and is due to have my one and only foal this year. I am thankful the baby is coming late as after my accident, I don’t know if I would have been able to foal her out and handle the foal until now. She is bred to Fred (Classically) and is due April 6. Last year she had Pebbles and foaled 4 days early. This is making me very nervous as April 2 is getting pretty close and I keep telling Leah Gloudemans that if she doesn’t hurry up, she will probably have a stud colt. And, you all know how much I want fillies. Carri and I are still very good friends but it just isn’t like it used to be----talking on the phone daily, planning different breedings, taking trips together to look at horses and pick out stallions and just getting together. If you follow Carri and her Holliday Bernese Dogs, she is raising some outstanding dogs that are competing at the highest level. Those of you who know her, know that she is a perfectionist and whether with horses or with dogs, she is going to strive to have the best. I hope that Carri and I will be able to get together this summer and reminisce about old times and believe me, there were some good ones. I think back about many of the “old” horse friends I have had and the wonderful times I spent with them and sometimes it makes me sad that those times couldn’t go on forever. But, that is life and a new chapter starts daily and you better enjoy it or before you know it, it will also end. |
March 27, 2019
Sometimes things that start out being bad, turn out to actually be good. Let me tell you what happened to me. Last week, I just happened to look at Facebook, and Linda Becker had posted a picture of a carousel horse for sale. I looked at it and read the comments and noticed someone had asked if the bronze in the background was for sale. I recognized it as one that Marrita McMillan Black did and immediately messaged Linda and told her that if she would sell it, I would buy it. I have always loved Marrita’s art. Well, Linda sent it to me from Salem Wisconsin and lo and behold if UPS didn’t break it. I don’t know how they did as she had it double boxed and extremely well padded. In fact, it took my about 10 minutes to unpack it. Linda was so gracious to offer to send me another bronze and take this one back. It all worked out as Ashley Koeller was delivering the exercise machine I bought in Michigan so she agreed to pick the bronze up for me. One thing led to another and I mentioned the carousel horse to my friend Sandy Schreiner and she bought it. Then I noticed an antique carved wooden glider horse and bought that too. I have never met Linda Becker before but we immediately “nicked” She told me she was giving me two other Marrita Black table boxes. I tried to pay her for them but she would't take anything. So the big horse trailer that arrived on Sunday delivered 2 horses, 2 table boxes and one big exercise machine. And the best part is that I have found a wonderful new friend in Linda Becker. I can’t wait to meet her in person which I will do as Sandy Schreiner wants to go and look at a mechanical horse she will have in May. |
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March 20, 2019
I keep telling Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) that today is the first day of spring and pretty soon, the snow will be gone but I don't know if she believes me. |
March 8, 2019
Well, those of you who are interested in investing in the stock market----I have a hot tip for you. Lately the deer have been eating at my bird feeder and I noticed that they are also eating the evergreen trees along the driveway. I was talking to my friend, Mary Mancini and she told me that in Alaska they use scented soap to deter the deer from the trees. I went to Sams Club and bought some Irish Spring soap and have bars hanging on my trees. I am thinking that if Scott Peterson decides to try it, he will have to buy it by the truckloads and then for sure the stock in Irish Spring soap will skyrocket. My neighbor, Katie Samuelson told me that it will also keep the horses from chewing on wood. One thing I know is that my office sure smells good as I bought 20 bars of it. |
March 5, 2019
Sunday while sitting in my recliner, I received a message from Tammy Bradshaw which really was a "picker upper" for me. She sent me a picture of a filly by Telesecret out of Shanes Lady Romantic. Romantic is a mare that means a lot to me in many ways. She is a 2000 NN mare by Skips Shane out of How D Romantic by Tee Jay Roman. I can remember when Dudley Pillow made the trip to Howard Dahloffs in Walnut Iowa and bought How D Romantic. She was a gray full sister to How D Poco Lynn and Dudley was so excited about being able to buy her. He had to leave her there to foal as Howard kept the foal she was carrying which turned out to be one of the stallions he stood after losing Tee Jay Roman. Lanis Nobel and I bought Shanes Lady Romantic after Dudley died and we ended up selling her to Tammy Bradshaw. I think this is the first foal the Bradshaws have raised out of her and I am so happy it is a filly. Tammy said she didn't know if the baby will be gray but I think I can see white around the eyes. |
March 3, 2019
I have been out of “commission” for 5 weeks now and decided that it is time I “put my big girl pants on” and get back to doing things. It is hard to believe that 5 weeks ago I had surgery for a broken femur. After spending time in the hospital and recovery center, it was sure good to get back home and sleep in my own bed. I am thankful for the many friends I have that stepped up and took care of me and my horses. Believe me, I didn’t starve during my recovery. I watched a lot of television and got to reflect on my life as to where it was and what the future holds for me. It would be easy to feel sorry for myself, but when I look at all the people who have it worse than me and believe me, I have seen a lot of them in the therapy center and reading on Face Book, the many that are suffering from incurable diseases, what happened to me is just a little “glitch in the road” I think a positive attitude is so important in our lives and I intend to have it. Life is not meant to be easy and since losing Mike in July and then this setback, I realize that. I guess I will just pick up the pieces and move on. As you all know, the horses bring me something to look forward to and it won’t be long and Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) will be having her foal by Fred (Classically) I must admit, my breeding season has been pushed back a bit as I haven’t even been able to go in the barn, let alone check mares. But that will all end soon and I keep telling myself that “late foals” are really better for me since I live in Wisconsin where we have snow and cold than early foals. Every night Mike would sit on our porch and would say “I am so lucky to have you and to have such a beautiful place” I think this period of recovery made me slow down from my fast pace and realize what he meant. I spent a lot of time just watching the birds at the feeder, not to mention the turkeys and the deer who also enjoyed the feed and I am ready to go on with my life. |
Please click on images to enlarge.
February 4, 2019
This is my view today. I wasn’t going to mention anything but having time to think about it , I hope this post will help prevent a similar thing won’t happen to you. So here goes: 10 days ago, the weather in Neenah, Wisconsin was 30 below zero with the wind chill. I was finishing my outside chores and was graining the last two mares in their outside shelter. It was around 4:30 in the afternoon and it was bitterly cold. We have 2 big feeders in the shelter, one on each side. I dumped grain in one of them and one of the mares started eating. The other mare followed me to the other feeder when the mare who was eating decided to chase her. The mare tried to avoid me but she was too close so she bumped me with her shoulder and knocked me to the ground. I really didn’t hurt that much but I couldn’t get up. By then the mares were running around the shelter and I was afraid I would get stepped on. No way could I move. Thank God I had my phone with me. Sometimes I don’t take it but recently I have been keeping track on how many steps I am walking. I am also lucky it didn’t break as it was in the rear pocket of my jeans on the side I fell on. I called my neighbor, Jack Cowling who lives about 2 miles from me. He eventually found me laying in the shelter. I was like “dead weight” and in terrible pain when I moved my leg. He called his wife, Karen Cowling and she drove her SUV down and they were eventually able to get me in the vehicle and take me to the Emergency room at the hospital. I don’t think I have ever been in so much pain and be so cold. Xrays showed that I broke my femur so I had surgery Saturday morning and they put a rod in my leg. After a few days in the hospital, I was moved to this Rehabilitation facility. I am doing really well and think I will be home this week. I am telling you this in hope that it will make you remember to always have some way to contact someone when you are alone. I am sure that even if I would have been able to crawl to the shelter door , I wouldn’t have been able to open it, crawl all the way to the house, open that door and call for help. |
January 21, 2019
Going through some old photos and came across this article today. I loved Tardee Impressive. In fact, the mare that is the foundation of my program is by him---Miss Bunny Tardee. I bred to him when he was at Bill Morris' in Texas, and also Bob Lee and I bred to him when he was in California and at Will Woods in Texas when the government stood him. Back then, there was no shipped semen, you had to take your mare to the stallion. |
January 18, 2019
Remember when I told you last week about Exclusivist and that I would continue the story. Well here it is: I Am The Mister was a 1997 sorrel stallion by Mr Conclusion out of Miss Impressive Step by Sir Impressive. If you remember, we sold half interest in Exclusivist to Joe Edge and he became a Reserve World Champion and was sold for a lot of money. When Joe bought half interest in Exclusivist, he also gave us a free breeding to Mr Conclusion. At that time there was no shipped semen, so when Ann Hunnicutt Lanning's brother picked the mare and colt up to take to Edgewood Farm, they bred her for us. On April 3 of the following year, I Am The Mister was born and he was gorgeous. By this time, Mr Conclusion had been sold to the Perrys in Florida so I sent pictures of the colt (in fact the same picture I posted with this story) to Mr Perry. He called me and was interested in buying him. Evidently Joe Edge heard about the colt and contacted me about buying him too. I guess I thought at the time I should contact the present owner of the stallion. Well, Joe proposed the same deal on this colt as he had done with Exclusivist and he didn’t even come to see him this time. He paid us $50,000 for half interest and assumed all the expenses of hauling, fitting and showing him. He again sent him to Ted Turner to be readied for the World Show, even though the colt was an April foal. One day Joe called to tell us that he had a buyer for the colt for an unbelievable amount of money. I thought we had gotten a lot for the last one, but this was $50,000 more. I was all excited when I went to the World Show and the colt that the new owner named I Am The Mister was named World Champion weanling stallion. He was prepared and shown to perfection by Ted Turner Jr.. Joe Edge was very good to me. He gave me the trophy and the World Champion buckle and even the prize winnings from the show. I suppose you wonder what happened to I Am The Mister. Well, Joe and us were paid for half of him and the person who bought him ran into financial trouble. Before we could collect the other half, the colt died. We did have our half insured for the amount that we originally sold the colt to Joe for so we did quite well on the sale. It is too bad that they lost this colt as he would have made his mark on the industry. Horses have been very good to us over the years. I never had a lot of money with which to buy mares----in fact Miss Impressive Step was given to me as a yearling in exchange for 2 months board on a mare and filly that the owner had at our place to breed to Impressivist. |
| Bitter cold in Wisconsin so posting this old picture of Miss Bunny Tardee and her daughter Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) breathing frosty air. Great memories from the past. |
January 10, 2019
Time goes so fast. Today this memory popped up on my Face Book and it seemed as though it only happened yesterday. It was definitely a "life changing" event in my life. Throw Back Thursday-----Exclusivist and Joe Edge. In 1995, Miss Impressive Step foaled a sorrel stud colt by Mr Conclusion. He was gorgeous and as you know I like to take pictures. I sent pictures to Edgewood Farm and lo and behold Joe Edge called me and was interested in coming to see the colt. Being just a nobody in the quarter horse world, I was a nervous wreck to have him visit. Well, the day arrived and Joe and a friend flew into Oshkosh and we picked him up at the airport. He had his sandals and shorts on and was so down to earth. We borrowed my brother-in-law's Cadillac as we only had an older small car. I had nothing to be nervous about as Joe was very down to earth. I am sure he thought the car was ours; however, we didn't know how to operate the reclining seat so I touched the button and the seat reclined so I rode with the seat back. Joe really liked the colt and offered to buy half interest in him for $50,000. The deal was that he would pay all expenses on him from that time on, plus give us a rebreed to Miss Impressive Step. Ann Hunnicutt Lanning's brother who was also so down to earth, drove to Wisconsin and picked up the colt and Miss Impressive Step. Over the next months I really got to know Joe and Bill and Ann Hunnicutt Lanning and what wonderful people they are. That fall Joe had Ted Turner Jr. show the colt that I named Exclusivist at the World Show and he was Reserve World Champion to Clu Heir. After the class, Joe came up to me and told me that Ted had a buyer for the colt for a lot of money. We sold him and unfortunately he died before he was able to make his mark on the quarter horse world. There is another chapter to this story as Miss Impressive Step had another stud colt but I will tell you about that in another Throw Back Thursday. The sale of Exclusivist did a lot to help us financially. We fixed up our place as we pay for things as we get money to do it. It also proved that a small horse breeder from Wisconsin can raise a colt that can become a World Champion. |
January 9, 2019
Sudden change in weather in Wisconsin. Very windy and cold with a wind chill below 0. Horses were inside for 2 days because I didn't want to get deep hoof prints in the mud. They were a bit lively today and it is icy. In keeping with the black and white photos, I snapped a picture of Wilma (Classically Kool) She is now 4 years old and is NN. Sired by Fred (Classically) out of Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) I had always heard that when you inbreed horses (Rebecca and Fred are half brother-sister) the resulting foal is small. Well, that is not the case with Wilma as she now measures 16.3 at the withers and even taller at that hip. |
2019
January 6, 2019
Sitting here this morning, I started thinking about my childhood and how much things have changed. “Back then” everything seemed much easier---we had no cell phones, computers, no gun violence, no political fighting. Of course, people had their ups and downs but I wish the younger generation could experience what I did as a child. I have always loved horses. I remember playing on the floor with miniature soldiers and Indians, of course they were on horses. I also remember “galloping” (actually running) slapping my side, making believe I was riding a horse. On the Christmas when I got my pony, I think I was the happiest little girl in the world. This is how it was back then. We kept Ginger, the pony in a barn behind our house. Other people kept their ponies in their garages in town. I remember that my dad would call the cab and Ginger would ride in the back seat when I wanted to go somewhere. Since he was a doctor, we took Ginger into the New London, Wisconsin hospital. I still remember walking her down the hallway and going through the swinging doors into the kitchen. The nuns were the cooks and Sister Jean would give Ginger cookies. We also took her on the elevator to see some of the patients. I taught Ginger many tricks and sometimes we would have a “circus” and different people would show off their pets. I also remember taking Ginger in the back seat of our car all the way to Larsen, Wisconsin as my aunt was a teacher in a one room schoolhouse and she wanted to show her to her students. Those were good old days and when I look back at how simple life was, I am happy I was able to experience it. I think this world would be a better place if things were still like they were back then. |
January 5, 2019
Took a picture this morning of Pebbles who is by Fred (Classically) out of Bonnie (CJ Miss Cool Tardee) and Gabriel the donkey. It is hard to believe that they were both the same size. But, then again, I suppose it is a new year and Pebbles is now a yearling. |
| I absolutely love the two NN mares I bought from Wade Yager and Heather Olson! I was looking at them today and I don't think I could have found any I like better. The one with the blaze is Righteous Indulgence and she is by Righeous Mister and out of The Sharpest Edge by Mr Conclusion. The other one is TF Kids Covergirl and she is by Kid Coolsified out of the great mare, Fashions By Mister by Mr Conclusion. Not only are they nice to look at, but they are also great to handle and both love attention. I really never intended to buy any mares but after selling the three mares to Pam N Jim Jacobs, my "horse addiction" took over. Now my numbers are back to 7 mares, Fred (Classically), Pebbles and the donkey. I think I can handle that. |
January 4, 2019
Leonor Yberri posted this picture of Sterrling. If you remember him, he was out of Malibukini who was by Malibu Ken and out of Shanes Lady Romantic. His sire was I Gotta Cool Secret. He has been living in Mexico and Leonor says they are very pleased with his first foal crops. She also told me that she plans to fit and show him at a big show this spring. I had never visited with Leonor before but we had a wonderful conversation and she is truly a great horsewoman. It makes me happy to find a new friend who loves horses like I do. I am looking forward to keeping in touch with her and of course, following Sterrling. After all, he is part of "my family."
Malibukini, the dam of Sterring. She stood 16.3 and this is a picture of took of her the day she left for Terry and Tammy Bradshaws. Of course, you all know Sterring's sire, I Gotta Cool Secret, owned by Bill Huckabee. |
January 3, 2019
Ellis Quarter Horses in Neenah, Wisconsin this time of the year. |
January 1, 2019
As I look at Rebecca (You Bet Im Cool) in the beautiful snow this first morning of 2019, it is hard to believe that she is now 19 years old and I am even older. Life has passed so fast and who knows what the future will bring. A year ago, I never thought I would be alone on this day and I guess most of you live life the same way. I know one thing-----I am thankful for all the friends and support I have. I know I could not continue to live life the way I am without it. I wish each and every one of you the best New Year ever and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. |
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