Lori's Secret
If you have followed my other blog, www.calypsofarm.blogspot.com then you know that in 2017, May 25 to be precise, I retired my beloved Tucker, a draft/cross PMU gelding that I had adopted when he was 6 months old. Challenged by health issues, including severe allergies and EPSM, the decision was made to retire him on his 14th birthday. Sadly, I made the difficult decision to let Tucker cross the rainbow bridge on January 2 of this year. EPSM is one of those shitty equine diseases, with no cure and a continuing downward spiral. I chose to let Tucker go out with dignity rather than continue down that cruel path of pain and muscle wasting.
Last March, I was put in contact with Stephanie Brennan, wife of Niall Brennan, a well respected Thoroughbred trainer in Ocala. She operates Final Furlong out of their home farm. When horses that are either currently or formerly in their training program begin showing signs of not performing at their best, Stephanie convinces the owners to send the horse to her. They are vetted, medical issues if any, are addressed, and they are adopted out after a 30-90 day let down period. Horses not adoptable are allowed to live out their lives at the farm.
This is how it should be done by everyone in the equine industry! I emailed Stephanie and explained to her what I was looking for. Sex and color were not important. I was hoping to find an eventing prospect, one which was sound and sane. I had my eye on a bay gelding that she had listed on her website.
Stephanie emailed back that she had a chestnut mare that I should come and look at. I saw the mares' photo, but it was that bay gelding that I wanted to see. After emailing back and forth, I was ready to take a drive. Over dinner and beer at Tibby's, a local restaurant serving New Orleans inspired food, I informed my husband that I was ready to get another horse and that I was going to look at one that weekend. Surprisingly, other than asking the kind of questions that I expected from Peter (mainly, can I afford two horses??) Peter was on board and even offered to go with me.
We arrived at Final Furlong on the day before Easter. The farm was a typical Ocala working farm: driving into the entrance, lush green pastures with majestic live oaks lined the driveway. Pastures contained bays and chestnuts, an occasional grey and a donkey. We were greeted by a hoard of dogs and Stephane. As I got out of the car, and introductions were made, she proclaimed that while she knew I was there to see the gelding, she really felt that this chestnut mare was what I was looking for.
We walked down to the barn, a sturdy concrete block stable of about 12 stalls. It was immaculate and breaming with activity of barn staff grooming and attending to the horses. As I entered the barn, there with her head over the door was a lovely chestnut with a white stripe down her face. I think I was hooked at that point.
They called her Queenie and her JC name was Queen of Secrets. She was a daughter of Kitten's Joy, who happens to be one of the leading sires in North America. His grandsire is Sadler's Well, leading sire in Britain and Ireland who's famous prodigy also include Galileo and Montjeu. She was definitely descendent of royalty.
Stephanie jogged the mare and we watched her free lunge. She was springy and athletic. Finally, I told Stephanie that I would take her.
Stephanie requires that all horses stay at the farm and be let down. Since she hadn't raced and had only breezed a couple of times, Stephanie felt that 60 days would be more than enough time. I was welcome to come visit the mare anytime, which I did on a weekly basis, where I groomed and handwalked my beautiful chestnut mare and got to know her. Born April 21, she was coming 3 years old and already 16.2 hands with a nice wide chest. On my visits to Ocala, I played with names. I hated Queenie...it was too ordinary. I made a list of names. In the end, I decided that I really did like the name Queen of Secrets and that Secret would be her barn name. I have to say, that my husband wants me to call her Lori's Dirty Secret. It is a name to get a chuckle for sure (can you hear that being announced over the loud speaker?) but I am a traditionalist when it comes to names and prefer something with a little more class.
After about 6 weeks, I received an email from Stephanie. It was brief and to the point. Secret was bored, her pasture mate, an old gelding, was over her. She needed a job. In other words, I could come and get her.
Secret arrived at the farm where I board at on May 15. She loaded into the trailer like a seasoned pro. A light rain was falling when she walked off the trailer and into her stall. She acted like she had been there her whole life. Thankfully, no drama, no stress.
Because Secret was so young, and while I had broke Tucker myself, it had been a while since I had taken on the challenge of an OTTB. I was in no hurry to get on her. I made the decision that I was going to go about this SLOWLY, with many months of ground work, which would allow us to bond at the same time.
This blog is about our journey over the past year; what I have learned, what I would do differently and where our future will lead us. It is about self discovery, pain (literally) and joy.
I hope you, the reader, will be captivated and hopefully, will also learn something...we are never too old to learn about horses.
Last March, I was put in contact with Stephanie Brennan, wife of Niall Brennan, a well respected Thoroughbred trainer in Ocala. She operates Final Furlong out of their home farm. When horses that are either currently or formerly in their training program begin showing signs of not performing at their best, Stephanie convinces the owners to send the horse to her. They are vetted, medical issues if any, are addressed, and they are adopted out after a 30-90 day let down period. Horses not adoptable are allowed to live out their lives at the farm.
This is how it should be done by everyone in the equine industry! I emailed Stephanie and explained to her what I was looking for. Sex and color were not important. I was hoping to find an eventing prospect, one which was sound and sane. I had my eye on a bay gelding that she had listed on her website.
Stephanie emailed back that she had a chestnut mare that I should come and look at. I saw the mares' photo, but it was that bay gelding that I wanted to see. After emailing back and forth, I was ready to take a drive. Over dinner and beer at Tibby's, a local restaurant serving New Orleans inspired food, I informed my husband that I was ready to get another horse and that I was going to look at one that weekend. Surprisingly, other than asking the kind of questions that I expected from Peter (mainly, can I afford two horses??) Peter was on board and even offered to go with me.
We arrived at Final Furlong on the day before Easter. The farm was a typical Ocala working farm: driving into the entrance, lush green pastures with majestic live oaks lined the driveway. Pastures contained bays and chestnuts, an occasional grey and a donkey. We were greeted by a hoard of dogs and Stephane. As I got out of the car, and introductions were made, she proclaimed that while she knew I was there to see the gelding, she really felt that this chestnut mare was what I was looking for.
We walked down to the barn, a sturdy concrete block stable of about 12 stalls. It was immaculate and breaming with activity of barn staff grooming and attending to the horses. As I entered the barn, there with her head over the door was a lovely chestnut with a white stripe down her face. I think I was hooked at that point.
They called her Queenie and her JC name was Queen of Secrets. She was a daughter of Kitten's Joy, who happens to be one of the leading sires in North America. His grandsire is Sadler's Well, leading sire in Britain and Ireland who's famous prodigy also include Galileo and Montjeu. She was definitely descendent of royalty.
Stephanie jogged the mare and we watched her free lunge. She was springy and athletic. Finally, I told Stephanie that I would take her.
Stephanie requires that all horses stay at the farm and be let down. Since she hadn't raced and had only breezed a couple of times, Stephanie felt that 60 days would be more than enough time. I was welcome to come visit the mare anytime, which I did on a weekly basis, where I groomed and handwalked my beautiful chestnut mare and got to know her. Born April 21, she was coming 3 years old and already 16.2 hands with a nice wide chest. On my visits to Ocala, I played with names. I hated Queenie...it was too ordinary. I made a list of names. In the end, I decided that I really did like the name Queen of Secrets and that Secret would be her barn name. I have to say, that my husband wants me to call her Lori's Dirty Secret. It is a name to get a chuckle for sure (can you hear that being announced over the loud speaker?) but I am a traditionalist when it comes to names and prefer something with a little more class.
After about 6 weeks, I received an email from Stephanie. It was brief and to the point. Secret was bored, her pasture mate, an old gelding, was over her. She needed a job. In other words, I could come and get her.
Secret arrived at the farm where I board at on May 15. She loaded into the trailer like a seasoned pro. A light rain was falling when she walked off the trailer and into her stall. She acted like she had been there her whole life. Thankfully, no drama, no stress.
Because Secret was so young, and while I had broke Tucker myself, it had been a while since I had taken on the challenge of an OTTB. I was in no hurry to get on her. I made the decision that I was going to go about this SLOWLY, with many months of ground work, which would allow us to bond at the same time.
This blog is about our journey over the past year; what I have learned, what I would do differently and where our future will lead us. It is about self discovery, pain (literally) and joy.
I hope you, the reader, will be captivated and hopefully, will also learn something...we are never too old to learn about horses.
Seriously, how could anyone resist this face?
One of our many bonding sessions in Ocala
Secret in her Ocala pasture
Peter meeting Secret
Walking off the trailer into her new home
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