Thankful Day After Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we headed up to visit my in-laws in northern Virginia.  Along with visiting family we had plans to visit our 2 year old gelding, Marq Your Bible aka "Marcus", who we own in partnership with my mother-in-law and 5 others.  He is taking a short break, as he has grown so much that we decided it was in his best interest to give him a breather so he'd be all ready for a 3 year old campaign, with our first big goal of a first start in March and then head him to Colonial Downs this June and July, for the VA-bred races, hoping he will be stakes quality.

Our trainer, Diana McClure, is a wonderful woman and not only loves the horses she works with, but also loves children and helping them develop their love of horses.   So, whenever we can make it out to her farm, she offers my two daughters a ride on her pony horse, Brownie, who is quite famous in his own right, for being the lead pony for Big Brown before his Preakness win, among other things.

So, on the day after Thanksgiving, we went to Diana's farm and both my girls got to ride Brownie and Diana also graciously gave pony rides to my two nephews, one of which had never been on a horse.

All the children really enjoyed their rides and my oldest even got to ride twice, because she loves Brownie so much that she talks about him all the time and even brought him some carrots this time.   Diana is showing her how to get into a jockey position, which she also did in July, at our last visit, and a picture of that has gotten a lot of attention on Facebook and on Diana's website.

After our visit with Brownie, we headed over to a friend of Diana's farm to see Marcus.   Diana thought her friend's farm would be a better place for a short break, than her own, because of a nice hill in the pasture and he could be left turned out a lot more, with a few buddies.

When Marcus came up to the fence and realized who was here to visit he was crazing our attention.   I climbed the fence and groomed him a little bit.   He is not what most people would think of when they think of a horse who has been in race training.   He's so sweet, I groomed him while he was totally loose in his pasture, no halter, no lead rope, nothing, he just stood there relishing the attention that I bestowed upon him.

A few times, after I was done grooming, he wandered off, but always came right back for more attention.   The picture above is of Marcus coming over to me and giving me a good sniff and kiss.   He did this all on his own, I did not encourage him to put his nose to my face.   I know he remembers me.   I was there helping him come into this world, a difficult birth and he is lucky to be alive and healthy after such a hard time coming into this world.   I guess he and I will always have a special connection because of that tricky situation.

After he sniffed me over really good he wandered off, but came right back and I was standing by the fence talking to Diana and he came up and put his head over my right shoulder and just stood there with his gorgeous head on my shoulder listening to me talk and letting me rub on him some more.   He is so sweet and such a special boy, I can't wait for him to start racing.

After our visit we went back to my in-laws for a late lunch, tried to get our youngest daughter to take a nap, but she was just too excited, so later in the afternoon we headed out for a walk, as our oldest wanted to go see the stream, she had seen on a walk, the day before, with some other family members.   It was my husband, my two daughters, and I alone, this time.   I had my Seeing Eye Dog Dextra harnessed up and I was following behind my husband as we went down the very steep hill behind my in-law's house.   Our oldest daughter led the way and my husband helped our youngest.   After a little while, we realized it was getting dark very quickly, so we turned around to head back to the house, but our oldest daughter was getting a bit upset that she wasn't going to get to see the stream again.   My husband got me to the bottom of the steep hill, where the path led through the thick woods up to my in-law's house and I took my youngest daughters hand and started back to the house as my husband took our oldest a shortcut to the stream.   I couldn't see hardly anything through the thick woods, I just said, "Dextra, forward!  Let's go back to the house."   And Dextra slowly made her way up the steep incline guiding me and my 2 year old daughter around the thick underbrush, bush branches, etc staying on what felt like the correct path, the several hundered feet up to the clearing where the house stands.   When she got us safely to the front sidewalk I dropped the harness and gave her a huge hug, petted her vigorously, and just told her how proud of her I was and what a super star Seeing Eye Dog she is!

These dogs are not trained to go hiking like that, but many guide dog users do go hiking, we just have to do it slowly and use the training they have to expand on it to train them about trails.   So, she isn't in the first to do this, but it was her first time doing it and she was amazing!

Dextra and I have only been together since April and she is only 2 1/2 years old, but she is proving to be so awesome and I can not praise her enough or thank The Seeing Eye enough for partnering her with me.   I look forward to a lot more adventures with this truly amazing young yellow Labrador from The Seeing Eye.

And, yes, my 2 year old was also adding her praises to Dextra, too.   It was so dark by the time I made it back to the house that all I could see was the outline of the house against the fading light.   I went inside and had my father-in-law turn on the flood lights, so that my husband and oldest daughter could find their way back to the house, which they did about 20 minutes later.

So, the day after Thanksgiving gave me a lot to be thankful for.   I am thankful for my sweet family, my awesome Seeing Eye dog, my horses, and my wodnerful trainer, Diana McClure.

Foals in the Pasture

In the spring of 2004, we were expecting two foals.  Messenger of Light aka "leia" was in foal to Waquoit, due in late March and Street Dasher aka "Bunny" was in foal to Land's End the Colonel's Fox, due in late May.   Leia's foal would be apurebred Thoroughbred, hopefully destined for the race track and Bunny, an Anglo-Arabian, was carrying a foal by a Welsh Pony, hopefully destined for the top as a hunter pony.


As Leia's due date approached, I kept a close watch on her.  I set up the camera in the foaling stall, ran the cables to the house, so that I could watch her from the comfort of my den.   I knew she was getting close and started to stay up at night, sleeping in a recliner that was next to the small TV that I had hooked up to the camera.   Finally, I knew she was definitely close, probably within 24 hours.   I watched her all night, barely getting any sleep.   My husband got up about 7 or so and I told him that I thought she was close, but I desperately needed some sleep.    He promised to keep a watch on Leia for me.   He even offered to clean her stall.   So, i told him that when he cleaned her stall that he could let her out, but she would need to come back in as soon as he was done.

So, I laid down about 8 AM and slept for several hours.  I knew he would come to get me if Leia went into labor.   When i woke up, I went to the den and saw him sitting in his recliner and there was no Leia on the TV screen.  He told me he had decided to keep Leia out a little longer and would go out to bring her back inside in a few minutes.   I said, "OK, but don't wait too long."   I was starving, so I went to get something to eat.

I sat down and started to eat and I asked if he could look out the window to check on Leia, because of my vision, I can't see that far.   So, he got up and looked out the kitchen window and suddenly started yelling, "Red Alert!  Leia's having her foal!"

I lept up, leaving my food on the table, threw on my barn boots, grabbed the foaling bag kit and raced out the door, with him behind me.   I raced to the paddock and found Leia down and a foal laying a few feet away.   Leia had luckily laid down where a round bale had been, so it was one of the cleaner spots in the paddock.   As I assessed the situation, Gordon rushed to get Bunny and another mare, Shadow, out of the paddock.    Bunny didn't want to leave her friend, but reluctantly left when Gordon opened up the gate leading to the large back field.

Gordon then came back to help me.   The foal was up on it's chest and Leia was working on delivering the placenta.   I checked the foal quickly and discovered that it was a filly and she was large and appeared healthy.   Leia stood up and delivered the placenta.    Gordon and I then picked up the filly and moved them to the foaling stall.

I dried the filly off and we put betadine on her umbilical stump.   She was quickly to her feet and looking for her mother's milk.   As with Luke, Leia was an excellent mother and we decided to call the long legged dark bay filly, Princess.   She had a few white hairs, so we guessed she would be turning grey, just like her sire, Waquoit.

I was a little upset with Gordon for not putting Leia back in the stall, after cleaning it, like I had asked, but since everything turned out alright, I got over it quickly, as he learned his lesson.

A few weeks later, Leia and Princess left for Leia to go be bred to Zillionair, a rare colored cremello Thoroughbred.

Bunny was not due until late May, but as April turned into May, I started to think that there was a chance she would carry this foal shorter than the last two.   She had carried Tell A Tale for 361 days and Belle for 350 days.   On day 332, I checked her in themorning and she had a decent size udder and I talked to her and said, "Tonight you start staying inside for me to watch you."  

After breakfast, I turned her out in the back field with Shadow and Belle.   Belle loved being back with her mother.   Belle was almost 15 months old and was so beautiful.

That afternoon Gordon and I sat down to watch the Black Eyed Suson Stakes from Pimlico and enjoyed the race.   After the race, I was preparing to head out to feed the horses and bring Bunny in for the night.   Gordon went into the kitchen to put something away and the next thing I heard was him yelling, "Red Alert!  I think Bunny's had her foal!"

I lept up so fast and almost ran into the back door, I couldn't believe it.   I shoved my boots on and ran as fast I could to the back field.   They were in the far back, but were slowly making their way towards me.   As they got closer, I saw Bunny and Belle walking side by side and Shadow was circling them at about a 30 to 40 foot distance.   Inbetween Bunny and Belle I saw an extra head and got them to stop and Bunny, trusting me, let me get inbetween her and Belle to see the new foal. 

It was still soaking wet, but since it was up, it was obviously strong.  But we were still quite some distance from the barn, so I scooped up the foal into my arms and started carrying it.   Gordon finally made it out to us and offered to help, but I was doing okay.   I just told him to open gates and stall doors, on the way and to make sure that Belle and Shadow didn't follow Bunny and I.

Bunny and Belle kept right with me as I carried the foal, who weighed around 60 pounds.   As we exited the back field, heading into the paddock to the right of the barn, Gordon was able to get Belle to back off enough to shut the gate.   This made Belle very upset, she wanted to be with her mother and the foal.

Once we got into the foaling stall, I set the foal down and checked it over, "Another filly!"  I called out, with excitement.   She was so cute, had a huge star on her face, a white snip on her nose, and 3 white pasterns.   But, like Princess, we could tell that it looked like she would be turning grey, as Bunny was grey.

It took some effort, but the filly eventually nursed and was totally healthy, despite the early foaling date and surprise of being born in the pasture.   Because she was born about the time that the Black Eyed Susan was being run, we decided to call her Suzy.

When Suzy was strong enough, I reunited her with her big sister, Belle and Bunny was perfectly content for Belle to help out with Suzy's care.   It was so sweet to watch the three of them interacting.   I had heard of this kind of behavior in wild horses, where a mare's older daughter helped with a younger sibling, but it was the first time I had truly witnessed it first hand.   A lot of times people don't allow this kind of interaction amongst their herd, for fear of the older sibling hurting the younger one, but Belle was so gentle and loving, she'd do nothing to hurt Suzy.

Leia and Princess returned, when Leia was confirmed pregnant to Zillionair and shortly after that Bunny was confirmed in foal to Farnley Belshazzar, who had been the sire of Tell A Tale, born in 1999.  

I registered Princess as Quoit Blessed and she was eventually sold to a client, as a racing prospect, when she was a yearling.   She was given a chance to race, but due to some bad training, running her the wrong distances, and some bad luck, which caused a tendon injury, she never won, 4th being her best finish.   Princess is now the dam of two beautiful Jazil fillies.   I look forward to them racing.   They were born in 2010 and 2011, so I still have to wait a bit longer to see them race.

Suzy was registered as a Half Welsh Pony as Perfect Peace What a Blessing, sometimes seen with no space between "what a" to make it "whata".   I sent her to be trained by Sarah Warmack at Hilltop Farm VA, when she was 3 years old.   Sarah did a wonderful job with Suzy and started her show career.   Despite the starting of the decline in horse sales, we were able to get close to our asking price for Suzy, as she was so nice.   Suzy is a super nice mover and is always winning her hack classes and winning or getting top ribbons in her over fences classes as a Hunter Pony.   She was sold when she was 4 years to Kristin Mangum.   Suzy competes up and down the East Coast at A Circuit level shows, winning ribbons at HITS, Warrenton, Culpeper, Deep Run, Upperville, etc.   We could not be prouder of her success and look forward to hearing even more of her success as she continues to mature and develop.

Angel of Perfect Peace Farm

I emailed out updates of my horse exploits and other news to family and friends on a regular basis, sometimes including photos.  In the late winter of 2002, after seeing one of these updates, I got an unexpected reply from an email friend.

He lived in California and had been really impressed by the latest pictures, which had shown me turning Bunny loose in her pasture, and then she proceeded to follow me around with no halter or lead rope, she just walked right beside me, head low, content look on her face, etc and Gordon had caught several pictures of her doing this with me.  It was one of those very special memories that I have of my Bunny.

I had been friends with this man since 1997, so he was very familiar with my experience with horses, my history with Bunny and all that I had gone through with Bunny, Mayo, and Baron.   I had sold Mayo in April 2001, so he knew I was down to just 2 horses, due to being out of work, but now I was engaged to Gordon, so things were a bit different.   We had found a house with land, that we had bought in December 2001, to become our farm, planning our wedding, etc.

This friend told me about his mare, Big City Miss, who was boarded at a farm in Kentucky.   The farm was going out of business and she would have to find another place to be boarded.   The problem was her fertility was not the best.   She had not had a foal in a few years and the vets in Kentucky were at a loss as to what was causing her not to ovulate properly.  He knew it was a longshot that she'd ever get pregnant again, but he also wanted her to have a nice home and be safe.  So, he offered her to me.

I looked up her pedigree and produce report and was in shock that I was being offered such a nice mare.   She was by Kris S. and was a full sister to several stakes winners.  She had also already produced one stakes winner, herself, and several of her full and half sisters were also stakes producers.   If she had been fertile, she was easily worth over $100,000, I would imagine, but her fertility issues put her into the situation of needing a safe place, in case she truly was no longer fertile.   He felt I was that safe place.  He told me I was welcome to try to breed her, if my vet thought there was a chance.

Gordon and I discussed this opportunity and though we knew it was a long shot, we just couldn't pass up the opportunity.  So, I made arrangements for her to come from Kentucky to the boarding stable that I was still having to use.

A month or so after the first email from my friend, Big City Miss arrived and this gorgeous big chestnut mare, with a small white star, stepped off the trailer.   She was at least 16 hands and was so sweet and gentle.  We toyed with two names for her, Angel and April.  The barn owner thought I should call her April, but Gordon and I just kept thinking of her as Angel.  Everyone told me that horses nicknamed Angel, were usually not very nice, but I knew different, so we settled on Angel.

After letting Angel settle in for a few days, I introduced her to Bunny and they instantly became friends.

A few months later I sent her to a breeding farm to try breeding her to Secret Hello.  But, it was just not meant to be.  Her ovaries were small and hard and she was not producing viable follicles.   The vet that saw her, a reproduction specialist, was at a loss.  She was tried on several drugs, one finally sent her into heat, but she ovulated a follicle at about half the size it should have been.   They tried breeding her, but she did not get pregnant, so I had her brought home and told her she was retired from breeding and was safe.

In August 2002, when the farm was ready, Bunny and Angel were brought to Perfect Peace Farm, where they were introduced to Leia and met back up with Baron.   Since Baron didn't seem to care for Leia, for some odd reason, we separated the 4 horse herd and kept Leia and Bunny together, as they both were pregnant, and then Angel had to buddy up with Baron, who looked just like her, both bright red chestnuts with stars, Angel was just a little bit bigger than Baron.

Angel and Baron became friends and though Angel was the alpha, they could sometimes be found standing next to each other.  They'd share a hay pile, with no problem or a big round bale.  They got along great.

That fall, I got Admiral, a large Mini colt and he was put out with Angel and Baron.   The three of them really enjoyed playing.

As winter came, it soon became apparent that Angel suffered from arthritis in her front legs.  I tried supplements, pain relievers, and the like, but every morning she was so stiff, I felt so bad for her, as that winter was so cold.   She started to drop weight, so I added a high fat supplement to her diet, but she just maintained weight, wouldn't gain.  I kept hay infront of her constantly.  Nothing really seemed to work in putting wieght on her or to help relieve her arthritis pain and stiffness.

As spring turned to summer, I came to the hard decision that I didn't think it was fair for Angel to go through another Virginia winter.   I talked to her previous owner about the situation and he said it was okay for me to try and find her another safe home, further south.

I had contacts with some horse rescues and started talking to them.  In July, a home was found for her in Texas.  So, we made arrangements for her to head to her new home.   She left on August 3rd and arrived very late on August 4th.  The transport company had known about her arthritis and took excellent care of her.  They gave her breaks, had an air ride trailer, etc.

I knew it had been after 10 PM when she had arrived, so the next day, August 5th, my Birthday, I awaited for word on how she was settling in at her new home.   It seemed like forever, but finally around 2 PM I got the phone call. 

I could tell there was something wrong by the tone of the lady's voice.  She started to tell me about how Angel had arrived.   She said she was put in the paddock that was basically her backyard, so she could keep a watch on Angel.  She checked on her at midnight, at she was fine, but when she went to check on her around 2:30 AM, she found Angel down.   She thought that maybe her arthritis was bothering her, so she turned to go to the house to get some pain reliever.   She heard Angel get up behind her, so she turned to watch, and Angel struggled to get to her, almost made it and then Angel collapsed on the ground.

Angel died quickly, we are not sure if it was a heart attack or some kind of annurism.   She had been completely and thoroughly checked out by my vet before she had left.   i'd even asked specifically, "Do you think she can make the trip to Texas, safely?"  My vet listened to her heart, checked pulses, checked gum color, and more, she got a very thorough exam, and he really thought it would be okay.

When I talked to the hauling company, the report from the drivers was that she travelled fine, was fine at the rest barns, never showed any sign of distress, etc.   The owner of the company called me a bit later to express his condolences.  They felt really bad, too, as they knew it had been a rescue type situation, knowing I was trying to get her to a warmer climate with less harsh winters.

If I had known this was going to happen, I would have just kept her here.   Some have told me, over the years, that Angel wanted it this way.   That she had bonded so much with me that she did not want to die infront of me.  She knew she was leaving and held on to make it to her new home, where she knew she'd die with dignity and be buried properly.

The lady she went to buried her and planted a bunch of wild flowers over the grave.

Angel will always be remembered here at Perfect Peace Farm.  She had a place she loved to stand and dig in the mud.  She dug a hole so deep that it was past her knees.   Through time, it has started to fill in a bit, but there is still a low spot there, by the 2nd fence post to the right of the barn.

Continue to Rest In Peace sweet Angel.

Baron's Early Training

As Baron healed from his leg wound I started to begin light work with him, on my visits to the boarding stable.   I still only got out to see my horses about once a week to once every two weeks, depending on Gordon's schedule or if I could get a ride out with someone else, which was pretty rare.

At first, I just worked more on his ground manners, which didn't take me long, as he always had excellent manners. 

He was so small, for his age, only about 14.1 hands at his 2nd Birthday, that I didn't want to do a whole lot to stress his bones, joints, etc, so I just had fun with him.  One of the first extra things I taught him was to bow.

After he was gelded in April 2001, right before his 2nd Birthday is about when I started doing this, I think.  I would use a carrot, which he loved, as his reward.   I started out saying the words "Baron bow."  Then I'd put the carrot just below his nose, starting to work on him learning to lower his head.   As he caught on, I put the carrot lower and lower, eventually I had it placed between his knees and he'd flex his neck to get to it.

After that, i started working with him on moving his legs so he could reach even further back and lower.  He would put one leg forward and move the other back, eventually having them about two feet apart or more and I'd put the carrot down around ankle level.   He was so smart that all of this didn't take long and he learned it with very infrequent training sessions, due to my lack of transpartation to the barn.

After he mastered bowing, to my satisfaction, he had grown a bit and I thought it would be okay to start putting him in the really big round pen that the barn owner had.    I started teaching him to lunge, just with a lead rope, at first, going in circles in both directions, around me and around the roundpen.

Again, he learned quickly and I soon was using a regular lunge line and also working with him on free lunging.  I knew not to do a lot of trotting with him and no cantering, at first, until he was closer to his mature height.

As I worked with him he grew and learned quickly.   I started adding a circingle and then the side reins that, at first, I just attached loosely to his halter, so he could get used to a girth like piece of tack around him and the sensation of reins next to his neck.

I did what I could to work with him through his two year old summer and into fall, but when winter came, it was just too muddy to do much in the roundpen, so when I got to go visit, I just spent a lot of time grooming him and Bunny.

As it started to warm up and Baron approached his 3rd Birthday, he was now almost 15.1 hands, so when I started him back in the roundpen, I was able to do a lot more with him.   I was amazed, we picked up just about where we had left off months before.   I had always known he was a smart horse, but this truly solidified it.

He quickly progressed the spring of 2002 and by June it was time for me to start getting on his back.

I had been given a nice senthetic western saddle that I had been putting him.  I mostly ride english, but this was a nice saddle, so I figured I would use it.   Baron didn't seem to mind and it fit him fairly well.

I admit being pretty nervous as Gordon gave me a leg up that first day, but Baron was perfect.   I swung my right leg over his back and eased my way into the saddle.  After letting Baron stand there for a few minutes, to get the feel of me on his back, I had Gordon lead us around the roundpen a few times.  Baron never showed any signs that he was going to buck or do anything wrong, so I praised him and dismounted after about 10 minutes.  It was a flawless first ride, I couldn't have asked for anything more from him.

Gordon and I were getting married in July.  We'd be gone for a week on our Honeymoon, to Saratoga Springs, for opening week of the Saratoga racing meet.  Then when we got back I had a barn builder set to build the barn in mid August and a fencing company to come out about two weeks after the barn was finished.

Because I would not be ready for Baron to come to our new home until late August, I decided to send him to a trainer.   The boarding stable was 1 1/2 hours from where I would be living, so I would not be able to visit him, anyways.

I trusted the lady I boarded with, she had never given me any cause not to, so when she recommended her trainer, that she sent all her youngsters to, I didn't hesitate.  I had seen a horse come back from him and it was fine, so I figured that Baron would be, as well.   So, in early July, Baron went to this trainer's farm to continue his education.

Bunny and Angel, who we had been given, would remain at the boarding stable, until the farm was ready.   Gordon and I had also purchased another Thoroughbred mare, Messenger of Light, who we nicknamed "Leia", and she stayed at the barn she was already at, until my farm was ready.   Leia, like Bunny, was pregnant, so I didn't want to move Leia too much.

In early August we went to see Baron at the trainers farm.  He looked fine and I watched the guy ride him, putting him through his paces.   Then I got on for a short ride.  I was pretty happy, but I could tell Baron wasn't quite as relaxed as he'd been even on his first ride with me.  I just figured it was because I hadn't seen him in over a month or something like that.   So, I dismissed that feeling, but I should have listened more closely.

After the barn got put up we were still waiting on the fencing, when Gordon and I decided to go see Bunny and Angel and make arrangements for them to be brought to us.   It was about 2 weeks after I saw Baron.   We were standing out infront of the lady's barn and we were talking about Baron.   When suddenly the lady said, "The trainer may be the town drunk, but he is really good with horses and I've never seen him drunk around the horses."

I swear I must have turned ashen, as I felt all the blood drain from my face and thought I was going to pass out.   I couldn't believe she had not told me this key piece of info before, I would have definitely remembered something like that.  

She lived almost two hours from the trainer, so how did she know if he was drinking around the horses or not?   I was so mad.  

As soon as Gordon and I got in the car, I told him that I was going to have the trainer bring Baron home immediately, fence or no fence, i didn't care.   Gordon agreed, we wanted Baron away from "the town drunk" as soon as possible.

So, I called the trainer and told him that the fencing would be done sooner than I thought and asked  if he could bring Baron home a little earlier than planned, to which he agreed. 

If I had my own truck and trailer, I would have gotten him myself, but we didn't and still don't.  I didn't know many people with trucks and trailers, so I had to trust the trainer to not drink before bringing Baron home.

Luckily, Baron arrived home safely.  I had opened up the foaling stall for him, so he had a 12 by 20 stall.  I deeply bedded in shavings, too, so he would be comfortable.  I also hung two fans for him.  

We may not have had horse pastures fenced, but we did have hte back yard, so I did bring him up to the back yard for grazing, for an hour or two a day.

Baron watched from the stall as the fencing went up about a week after he arrived at Perfect Peace Farm.   The workers were amazed at how calm he was and when I told them that he was a pure Thoroughbred, they were in even more shock.   He just calmly watched them work, driving the posts into the ground and hanging the Centaur brand fencing that I had chosen for my farm.

As the fencing was being finished, we moved Leia to a neighbors farm, just down the street, where she stayed for about a week or so, then we brought her home the day after the fence was finished.   A few days later Bunny and Angel joined them and our small 4 horse herd was finally all together.

Baron and Leia didn't get along, at first.   Leia is just so calm and laid back, she is easily picked on.  I'm not sure, exactly why he didn't like her very much, but he'd chase her, so we eventually had to separate him from Leia.   We put Baron in with Angel and Bunny and Leia, the two pregnant ladies were in the other small paddock, on the other side of the barn.

After Baron had settled in, I started trying to work with him again, but my horse was different and I couldn't figure it out.  I would get on him and he'd go a little ways and then freeze.  I could feel the nervousness in him and I knew something must have happened with that drunk trainer.  I apologized to Baron and told him I wouldn't have sent him there, if I had known what I learned later.  I told himt hat if I sent him to any other trainer, I'd do more research, visit the place, if possible, and stay on top of the trainer to make sure that this kind of thing didn't happen to him again.

Little did I know, that even if you do your research, get tons of good recommendations from people, stay on top of the trainer, bad things still happen and trainers can sometimes turn from what seemed like a very reasonable person that you got along with to someone completely different.   Poor Baron ran into his fair share of trainers that went nuts while he was with them, but at least he doesn't have to worry about that anymore, as he is safe with his new owner, Laura, who has now had him for 2 years.

My Dream Horse

For a very long time I had dreamt of having a spectacular blood bay with a blaze and 4 high white socks.  I even drew pictures of such a horse when I was in middle school.   I always figured I'd have to find one to buy, at some point in my life.

Since Bunny was not rideable, and I had learned that since I had rescued her, several of her foals had started winning big at A rated shows as hunter ponies, so I decided I would breed her, again.   I had sold Petey, her colt, that she had in 1999, as a yearling, so it had been a few years since her last foal, it was time to breed her again.

I had sold Mayo the month before and paid off all my bills and I had some money leftover, plus I was in a steady relationship with Gordon.  Though he hadn't asked me to marry him, yet, I think we both knew it was heading in that direction.   So, I discussed breeding Bunny with him and we agreed that it was the right thing to do and he would help me a little bit, in accomplishing it.

I started looking at stallions, ponies, Arabians, and small Thoroughbreds.  I did a lot of praying, thinking, and research.  I decided that it was time to try to breed to get a horse for me to ride, hoping for Bunny's superb movement and I would hope for a filly that I could always keep and that would also eventually be Bunny's replacement as a broodmare in my pony breeding program, that I dreamed of.

I had not started out wanting to breed ponies, but Bunny's first 3 pony foals all did well at the A circuit and in Virginia, which is very tough, so I kind of fell into it, but decided I liked it, too, and wanted to continue Bunny's legacy.   The free horse that no one had wanted had proven that she was worth more than just about anyone else had thought.

So, I decided, for this breeding, I'd look at Arabians and small Thoroughbreds, so I could get something big enough for me to ride, since I'm 5'7" and I'd look really funny on a pony.

I just couldn't seem to find a Thoroughbred that fit my needs.  Bunny being only 14.3 hands, I did not want to risk breeding her to a large stallion.  So, my focus then turned more towards Arabians.   If it was to eventually be a broodmare, if I got a filly, for me to cross on ponies to get hunters, I needed a specific type of Arabian.   It could not have too much knee action and it needed to have similar movement to Bunny, who was and Anglo-Arabian, sired by a Thoroughbred and produced out of an Arabian mare.

From my previous research, I knew that Bunny's Arabian side was over 90% Crabbet, about 95% CMK, and the other part was Davenport, as her tail female line went to a mare that Davenport brought to the US straight from the desert.

I narrowed my search further to high percentage CMK stallions and in doing so, I stumbled on a stallion standing not 5 miles from where Bunny was boarded.

His name was Rho-Quest a Champion son of the legendary Arabian stallion Khemosabi.  Granted, there are a lot of sons of his at stud, but I saw something I really liked int he pictures of Rho-Quest, so I made contact with owner.

I made arrangements to go see him in person and one Saturday morning Gordon and I went over to take a look at him.

He was very nice, a gorgeous sleek 15.1 hands, beautiful bay with 3 socks and a star that looked almost like a questionmark on his forehead.   His owner put him int he round pen so I could see him move.   I liked his trot, but when he picked up the canter, I was sold!  That was the stallion for Bunny.   It wasn't an identical canter to hers, but it was the closest I had found. 

No, with my vision being bad I can not see how a horse is moving like a sighted person can.   I can see a little bit, but what I can tell is with my ears and I can tell a lot more with my ears than most sighted people can comprehend.   I can tell how long a stride is, how sound a horse is, how heavy or light they hit the ground, and I believe I can get a good idea of how much knee action or lack thereof, by how they sound.

I can also use my hands to tell me a lot about a horse's condition, conformation, etc as an added assistance to my limited eyesight.   I can tell a lot in conformation and condition with my eyes, but I will admit I can miss some flaws, as they are harder to judge visually for me, but my hands can pick up the slack there, quite a bit.

So, I signed the breeding contract for Bunny to be bred to Rho-Quest and they came and picked her up a few days later.   I believe it was early June of 2001.

Bunny was kept there for a few heat cycles, but never conceived.  I had asked the vet about giving Bunny a shot to help her ovulate, but he didn't think it was necessary.   I told him that she had been given one when I bred her and got Petey, but he just argued with me about it not being necessary.   And the breeding season of 2001 ended with Bunny not pregnant.   The vet just said she was getting old and maybe was done.  But I knew different, she was 19, which is getting older, but my intuition told me the vet was wrong and had made me lose money and a breeding year.   But I trusted God and that he knew what was best and that there was a reason.

But the following year, I decided to get an early start, just in case it took a few tries to get Bunny in foal, but this time I absolutely insisted Bunny be given something to help her ovulate.   Since it was early March, he didn't argue with me this time, and Bunny was given a shot.

Well, she was bred and 18 days later she was confirmed pregnat!

I was so excited and started hoping for that filly that I so wanted, to continue on Bunny's bloodlines.

Gordon and I got married in July 2002 and in August the barn went up on our property, followed a few weeks later by the first round of fencing.   Baron was the first to arrive on the farm, actually two days before the fencing went up, so he lived in the brand new barn, by himself, but I opened up the foaling stall, so he'd have plenty of room and then I also put him in our backyard, for a few hours, to let him stretch his legs and graze a little bit.

Leia arrived the day after the fencing was completed and Bunny and Angel arrived a few days later.   I will write more about Leia and Angel in future posts, and the stories of how we got them.

Bunny settled right in here at Perfect Peace Farm, happy to be with her buddy, Angel.   She also made quick friends with Leia.

As winter approached and Bunny and Leia's pregnancies got further along, I separated them from Baron and Angel.

Bunny was due February 11th, a lot earlier than I had really wanted, but I would deal with any issues of it being cold, as they arose.   That January had been so cold that the water pump infront of the barn was constantly freezing and I was having to tote water from the house to the barn on a daily basis.

Bunny's udder started to develop in early January, so I started to worry about the foal coming early, but I also knew she had taken her time with Petey, carrying him 21 days past her due date.   But as her udder filled, I started watching her closely.

We bought a security camera and cables, placing the camera in the foaling stall, running the cables to the house, and hooking them up to a spare TV, so I could watch her from the house.   Bunny liked her privacy and I wanted her to have it.

February 11th came and went, with me diligently watching.   The lady across the street wanted to see a foal being born, so she was on standby and was getting daily updates from me.

On February 21st things were a bit different and I had a feeling she was even closer.   When Gordon helped me milk a drop of milk from her that evening, it was bright white, so I knew then we were in the homestretch.

At 10 PM, Gordon and I went out to the barn to do our nightly check of water buckets and I put my hands on Bunny to see if there was any change from the 6:30 check and sure enough I could feel a bit of sweat starting to develop on her coat, despite the temperature being in the 40's.

Gordon and I raced back to the house to gather up the supplies, grab the phone, etc and as we were doing this, I saw Bunny lay down and suddenly heard her water break.   I started calling for Gordon to hurry with what he was doing, as she was about to give birth.  I called the lady across the street as I raced back to the barn.

Bunny and I had a special connection and as I re-entered the barn and opened up her stall door, she got up and met me.  Now, I may not be able to see very well, but I can tell you I can sense things and what I sensed from Bunny was the message, "You came back!  Thank goodness!  I need you!"   

I gave her a reassuring pet and she circled the stall and laid back down.   Gordon made it out to the barn at this point, as I was kneeling behind Bunny to check for the foal's birthing position.   Everything was fine, as I reached my hand in, I felt one hoof, then another slightly staggered, and then a nose, just above the ankles, so everything was good.

As Bunny pushed with her contractions I kept talking to her and she started nickering to her foal who's head wasn't even out, yet.

Soon I saw the first white foot, then the other front, which was also white.  My heart started to pound in my chest even harder.   Bunny did seem to be having some trouble, so I grasped the foal above the ankles and gently helped pull when she was pushing.

The lady from across the street arrived as I was helping Bunny deliver the foal.   Once Bunny got the shoulders passed, she was able to get the rest of the foal out with no trouble.

I ripped the sack and exposed the little foal's nose and head to the air, as it took it's first breath.  It had a huge white blaze on it's face and we also now knew it was a bay.   The hind feet then came out and the foal had 4 very high white socks, to go with it's blaze.   My heart was leaping in my chest, it was the horse I had dreamed about for so long.   I quickly reached my hand under it's tail to find out it's gender.   My face lit up like a Christmas Tree, I'm told, and I could barely speak as I gasped, "It's a filly!  It's a girl!"

I immediately knew what to call this beautiful dream filly, "Welcome to the family, Belle!"

As Belle grew and learned how to use those beautiful long legs of hers, within a few days, I knew, Belle had received her mother's movement.  I had gotten everything I had hoped and prayed for and more, Belle was unbelievable, so perfect.   I was beyond happy with my dream horse.

Belle's formal name became Bella Serhafina, which means "beautiful heavenly angel", because that is what she was to me.  I put the "rh" instead of just the "r" in the Serhafina, in honor of her sire, Rho-Quest, and his sire, Khemosabi.  Belle bares a striking resemblence to her grandsire, Khemosabit, down to the same jagged sock on the same front leg.   What a blessing she is and a wonderful addition to Perfect Peace Farm.

Selling Mayo

In early 2001 things were going really well, Baron was healing from his leg injury, my job was going well, and I was in a new relationship that a lot of promise.   But, how quickly things changed on me again.

One morning as I was getting ready for work the phone rang and it was the vet that I worked for.  She was telling me not to show up to work, that she was letting me go.   She claimed that business wasn't going well and that she had to let the last person she hired go, but that was a flat out lie, as she had hired at least 3 others after me.   I may be blind, but I am not stupid, I was being let go because of my eyesight.   I had it happen before, but that didn't make it any easier.   I was devistated, as I loved that job.   A friend of mine who worked with me, also believed I was the one she let go, because of my vision.   Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done, complaining to the EEOC usually gets you no where, the case in both times I've contacted them over workplace descrimination.

So, witht he loss of my job, I found myself living off of unemployment and everywhere I put in a resume, if they saw me, saw that I was blind, I never got a call.

I was quickly faced with a very hard decision, I could not afford three horses any longer.   I did a budget and figured I could afford two of them, but just not three.

I had Bunny, my first horse, an Anglo-Arabian mare, who was 18 years old at the time.  She had been abused, making her pretty much unrideable, plus she was so special to me, teaching me that it was horses I loved and not just riding, that I could not sell her.   I couldn't risk her going to a person that might misunderstand her behaviors and that might lead her to further abuse.   So, I know I was keeping her for the rest of her life.

Then there was Baron, my 2 year old Thoroughbred gelding, who from all he'd been through in his short life, was very small for his age and had a horrible scar on his front right leg, from the injury he'd suffered the previous fall.   From all he'd been through, I had grown very attached to him.   Though I may have bred his dam with the intentions of selling the foal, I could not bring myself to sell the little guy, he was also just too special to me.

So, that left Baron's dam, Mayo Lane, my 9 year old Thoroughbred mare.   She was the only rideable one of the group, but she was still quite green.   I had tried to work with her, but only being able to get to the boarding stable once every other week, it was very hard to progress her training.   I did my best, though and worked with her either in the round pen or int he small paddock, where I could ride her.

I started advertising her for sale.   She is a very muscular mare, built like a Quarter Horse, instead of a Thoroughbred.   I believe this is coming from two places, she is a granddaughter of Northern Baby, a son of Northern Dancer, who could pass on small and stocky to some lines, plus she is inbred 4 x 4 to Round Table.   For those who don't know what this means, it means she carries the horse Round Table in her 4th generation on both sides of her pedigree.   Her sire's sire, Northern Baby, is out of a mare by Round Table, and her 2nd dam (mother's mother), is sired by a stallion named Poker, who is by Round Table.   Round Table was an extremely good racehorse in the 1950's.   I loved studying Mayo's pedigree, so much history.

I advertised Mayo as a riding prospect, but also as a broodmare, due to her pedigree and the fact that Baron was a very nice young horse, despite his small size, which wasn't Mayo's fault, but Baron's circumstances.

I didn't get a lot of interest, but in April it seemed like everyone was starting to suddenly look for a new horse.

Quite a few wanted to ride her, so my boyfriend, tried to help me get out to the barn more often, so I could ride Mayo.  One day I was trying to ride her in one of the field's, where I had a single jump set up.  I couldn't use the round pen or small paddock or even the riding arena, as there were horses turned out in each of those areas, so I had no choice.   I really didn't think much about it.   Mayo could be strong and yes, she had run off with me, but that had been years before.   So, I lunged her, then got on, and we warmed up, she was doing just fine, listening, being really good, doing all I asked of her, so we started to jump.   She was doing really well with the lower jump, so I had my boyfriend, Gordon, set up the jump to about 2 feet.   We then cantered a circle and then headed towards the jump.  About a stride out, I felt something totally different underneath me, I felt her coiling up and preparing for an explosion.  I grabbed her mane, tightened up on the reins as best I could, but there was no time to stop her before the jump, so I had no choice but to just brace myself for what she was about to do.    She turned that 2 foot jump into about a 4 foot jump, catapolting us through the air.   As soon as she landed on the downside of the jump, she hit that ground running at full speed.   I put both hands on the left rein and pulled as hard as I could, as she had grabbed the bit in her teeth.   I put all I could into that one rein and tried to get her to circle.   Thankfully it worked, it took a few large and very high speed circles before I felt like I had some kind of control.   Slowly the circles got smaller and slower and finally I got her to stop.   I jumped off, my legs shaking, from the adrenalin that was flowing through my body. 

Gordon, who had only been riding for about 6 months, at the time, raced to me and hugged me, to make sure I was okay.   I was fine, of course, but I know seeing me being taken off with like that was hard on him.  Thankfully, that bolting incident didn't turn out like the first time she did that with me, but part of that was due to the fact that she wasn't bucking this time, as she bolted.

With that incident and our past, I knew she really needed to go to someone with a whole lot of experience or as a broodmare, she was just not going to be safe for even an intermediate rider, unless they had a whole lot of help.

As the calls and emails picked up, it was hard to tell who was the most serious, but I had two that I thought were serious at the same time.   One lived out west and the other just a few hours away.

The one from out west wanted her as a broodmare, the other people wanted her to ride and show.   Whent he people a few hours away heard that there was someone else who was serious, they rushed out a few days later.   It was a Saturday morning and it was a married couple.   The wife was extremely experienced and the husband was an intermediate, but a high one, I was told.   The wife rode Mayo first, then her husband.  They loved her and made me an offer.   Because she was going to be closer and I thought these people were telling the truth about their experience, and they seemed to be from what I was witnessing, I agreed to sell Mayo to them.   They came the next day to pick her up.

The lady from out west was really mad, but what could I do, I had this offer and she hadn't set up a vet check, yet, as she had said she wanted a reproduction exam done on Mayo before she'd buy her.

So, off Mayo went to her new home, the people promising to keep in touch and listen to the instructions that I had given about her quirks, one of which was, at the time, she could not be bridled and tied at the same time.   You could not just leave the halter hanging from her neck with the lead rope or cross ties attached to it, while bridling her, it upset her for some strange reason, but if you didn't have her tied and bridled her, she was fine.

Well, I get an email a few days later and they are already trying to ride her.  I had told them they should give her at least a week to settle in and get used to them, but this was the first sign that they were not going to follow instructions and listen to my experience with Mayo and just thought they knew more.   But, as she was now their horse, there was nothing I could do but just offer support and suggestions as issues arose, and they did quickly.

Instead of bolting, she started to freeze up and refuse to move.   Then I get a call, not 10 days after they had her home, that the guy had tried to bridle her in the cross ties and Mayo had flipped out.  She reared and since they used bunji cords as cross ties, she was able to spin around getting one bunji cord around her neck and the other up under the saddle.   Luckily, at this point Mayo's intellegence kicked in and she stood still for them to help her.   But at this point, the people already were done with her and wanted me to buy her back.   But since I was out of work, it was impossible.

I called the lady from out west to see if she was still interested in Mayo, as these people wanted her gone fast.  And to my surprise, this lady had already found another mare and bought it.   Like I said it was only about 10 days after the couple had bought Mayo.   The lady from out west had acted all put out and mad at me, but she must have had this other mare in mind, too, for her to have bought her so quickly after I told her Mayo was sold.

She told me she had a friend looking for a mare to breed to Warmbloods, and that she'd ask if the friend if Mayo would fit what she was looking for and if she wanted to buy Mayo from the couple.   And, so a few days later Mayo was on her way to Colorado.

Again, I was promised contact.  I loved Mayo and hated selling her, but just had no choice, so I hoped they'd keep in touch with me.   Unfortunately, the lady never got me in touch with her friend that actually bought Mayo.   So, I tried telling the lady about Mayo's quirks, history as a broodmare, etc, but not sure if things got passed along.

About 7 months later or so, I got an email that Mayo had aborted twins.   I innocently sent an email back asking if they had ultrasounded Mayo to check for twins, after breeding her, and I never heard another word from the woman.

I was sickened, I tried apologizing for any wrong dueing on my part and pleaded for updates, though I tried to not bother the lady, so I didn't send the requests very often, maybe once every few months, but that was about it.  I didn't want to bother them, I just wanted an update.   But all I got was stone silence and I finally had to come to grips with the fact that I had lost Mayo, not only through selling her, but that I no longer was going to hear anything about her. 

It hurt, but I had no choice but to try and forget about her.

Bunny and Zach: My Two Matchmakers

Today is my 9th wedding anniversary, so I thought I'd write about how my horse, Bunny, and my 2nd Seeing Eye Dog, Zach, helped me know when I'd met the right man.   So, I will start with some stories of how they told me that I hadn't, before I write about how they told me about Gordon.

I had only owned Bunny for about 2 months when I was asked out on a date by a guy who had a few horses of his own.   So, after going out to eat, he took me by the stable where I boarded Bunny, for him to meet her.

I got her out of the pasture and took her to the roundpen, for us to spend some time with her and so he could see her in action.   I free lunged her around us, meaning with no rope attached to her, at all, she only had her halter on.  The guy and I stood in the middle of the roundpen talking, as Bunny went around us and after she was done with some light exercise, I told her "whoa!"  And told her she could come to us, which she did. 

At this point, I had already learned that Bunny really didn't like men very much and she avoided their contact, as much as possible.   Well, she stopped, put herself right between us and then flat out refused to let this guy get near me.   Every time he tried to move to the same side of her, that I was standing on, she would reposition herself, to block his advances.   Again, remember, she had no lead rope, no lunge line, nothing, so neither of us were controlling her movement, at this point, it was all her doing.   I don't think the guy realized what she was doing and why, but I figured it out.

Since Bunny was letting him touch her, but refusing to let him get near me, she was trying to tell me "Not him!  Stay away from him!"   I listened to my horse and never went on another date with him.

A few months later, my roommate, who was also blind, but had a lot less vision than I do, had a guy come over to talk and get to know one another.   I got back from a class and found them sitting outside on the near by brick wall, where they invited me to join them for conversation.   I was reluctant, but my roommate insisted, so after feeding Zach, I brought him back outside with me and sat down next to my roommate.

As the conversation continued, with me now included, we were learning that I actually had more in common with this guy than my roommate did.   This guy and I seemed to be hitting it off, but I knew he was there to see my roommate and I was not about to steal him from her, I am not that kind of person.   So, as it was getting cooler, I said that I wanted to go back inside, and my roommate agreed that it was getting cooler, so we should go inside, and she invited the guy to come in with us.

Our dorm room was more of a small apartment, as it had three rooms, a living room, bedroom, and bathroom.

My roommate went and sat in her favorite chair leaving only the sofa and table and chairs open.  I sat down on the sofa and hoped he'd sit closer to my roommate, but instead, he sat right up next to me, which started to make me very uncomfortable.   Zach sensing this, came over and I started petting him on the head. 

Zach was a big black Lab, about 78 pounds.  He and I had been partners for about 1 1/2 years at this time, so we had a very solid relationship and were very in tune with one another.  Zach was an awesome guide dog and just the best friend, he knew me very well.

So, this guy starts talking to my roommate and as he's doing so, he quickly takes my hand, which of course increased my uneasiness tenfold.   Zach looked up at the guy, as if to say, "What are you doing?"   I may not be able to see very well, but I have enough sight to see some things and I also just could sense things from my animals and seem to know what they were thinking.

Zach seeing that they guy was not going to let go, as he put his head under our hands, trying to get us to pet him, when that didn't work, he took his nose and tried to pry the guy's fingers off of my hand.

I was keeping silent, because I didn't know what to do, I was in shock, I think, that this guy was taking advantage of the fact that my roommate could not see what he was doing.

Zach's antics weren't working, so this extremely well mannered and very quiet Lab took two steps back and let out the biggest bassiest bark you can imagine, startling us all.

The guy's response was, "Why is your dog barking at me?"   So, I knew Zach was staring straight at this guy, that bark was meant for him.

The guy temporarily let go of my hand, but when he took it again, Zach let out another bark.

At this point, I decided that this creep needed to go, so I gathered up my courage and just said it was getting late and that we had studying to do.   I stood up and the guy agreed to leave, but as he was about to leave, he reached out and tried to give me a hug.   Zach barked again and got right betwen us, refusing to let the creep do what he wanted to do.   I just played dumb and got the guy out of the room as quickly as possible.

I immediately told my roommate what had happened and that this guy was a creep to take advantage of the fact that she couldn't see what he was doing, when he was there to see her, in the first place.   I mean, we agreed, that it would have been okay, if he had been polite and not done these things and afterwards called her up and said, "Hey, I don't think it is going to work out between you and I, but I did like your roommate, would you mind if I asked her out?"   She would have accepted that, because she isn't stupid and she realized we had a lot in common and were hitting it off.   But, no, he couldn't do the decent thing, which told me, that I wouldn't go out with him, either, because he'd learn what I couldn't see and try to get away with stuff behind my back, because I'm not stupid either, I wouldn't return any of his phone calls.

A few years later, I started emailing with Gordon, after a few months, we started talking on the phone, and then planned to meet on New Years Eve of 2000.   So, yes, Gordon and I met online, before it was the fashionable or "in" thing to do.

I invited him to dinner at my Mom's house and said that he should come early and we could go see my horses, before dinner, at the barn I boarded them at.

When he got there, I introduced him to Zach, who met him happily, licking him, wagging, etc.  I left Zach at home and we went to the boarding barn to see the three horses that I owned at that time, Bunny, Mayo, and Mayo's son, Baron.

We first went out to meet Baron, who happily met Gordon.   Then we went to the mare field and I went to try and catch Bunny or Mayo.   Mayo was one of the alpha's and she and the other alpha seemed to be having a bit of a fuss, so Mayo was not going to let me catc her, at first, so I went to try and catch Bunny, who could be hard to catch, at times.  But this time, Bunny allowed me to catch her immediately and I walked her over to Gordon.  She nuzzled him as he offered her an apple and she eagerly accepted it.   I turned Bunny loose and she stayed near Gordon and then I went to catch Mayo, who finally was willing to be caught, as her arguement with the other alpha mare was settled.   Mayo also eagerly met Gordon and accepted the apple he had brought for her.

Two weeks later, Gordon came to visit me again, and we again went out to the barn.   This time I put Bunny in the roundpen and Gordon was going to take some pictures of her, for me.    Gordon stood outside of the roundpen, so he wouldn't be in the way and could get ht epictures.  

I took Bunny's halter off and she was totally free, as I sent her around the roundpen.  I put her through her paces, walk, trot, and canter, and then I set up a small jump.   After she would jump, she would go over to where Gordon was standing and stop.   He kept laughing, because he said he felt like she was asking him how she did.   It was really like she was asking that, becasue it was after each and every jump, she'd come to a complete stop right infront of him.   She was letting him pet her, too, which was amazing, because through the years, I had truly seen just how much she distrusted men.   So, I also took her stopping to see him and le thim pet her, as she was telling me, "I like this one!"

Later that evening, we went to a movie and so we went back to my place to clean up and for me to pick up Zach.  Gordon's car was very small and there really wasn't much floor room for him, at my feet, where we usually put our guide dogs, for their safety, so I allowed Zach to sit in the backseat.   Zach jumped into the back of Gordon's car and immediately started licking him on the ear.   Again, I think Zach was saying, just like Bunny had earlier that day, "I like this one!"

So, my first horse, Bunny, and my 2nd Seeing Eye Dog, Zach, helped me pick out my husband.   They have bothed passed away, now, but I will always be grateful to both of them for helping me find such a wonderful man!   Thanks Bunny!   Thanks Zach!   You two were awesome and so trustworthy, that I knew I could trust your judgement completely in this matter. 

Bunny and Zach helped me get a good one!   Gordon is a wonderful husband, the best father to our two little girls, and most of all, he's my best friend!   Happy 9th Anniversary hubby, I love you!