It certainly has its tasty surprises! We received some wonderfully delicious peaches from the Godbee's in Alabama and yummy jelly from the Vine's in New Mexico, and real, original Pancake Maple Syrup from the Gurney's in Vermont. Butch Casey is usually good for Shrimp from Louisiana. I am sure I am leaving a lot out, but please know we certainly enjoy everything!!!! I also found out that Mississippi has the largest pine cones for Christmas decorations! Christie and I visit each state via Encarta and learn pertinent data about all, so we have mini imagined vacations! Christie ... a teenager, 8th grade ... wants to cut and dye her beautiful hair, paints her fingernails weird colors, repeats the word "like" ten times in one sentence, lives in an archive plastered with posters of Leo DiCaprio from Titanic all over the walls. Will I live through this? She can buck bales with the best of them though! She marches to a positive drum, very self assured and in command (many times, of us!) She just finished showing her border collie "Pokodots" at the Fair, taking Reserve Champion Showman. Poke would have won the Obedience, but Christie had a blond moment worth a Red, but the judge was kind and gave her a Blue, saying, "She has a million dollar smile!" (Her dad could use the million!) She beat her Dad, riding his mare, at a Cutting this spring. She was thrilled ... think he was too! She traded her Black Beauty stud colt for a lovely Black Beauty "Doc Keepin Time" filly ... named her "Shelley," and had the entire deal swung before I knew anything about it! She loves to receive letters, but never returns them ...... a little like her Mom! She and Audrey (her free babysitter for life and our salvation for good food) are still partners in crime. The Jr. and Sr., when I go places with them ... I am the only one that doesn't get a discount! Down through the years, I would venture to guess that over 20 parents have called and asked if I would hire their child and they would pay their wages so they could learn to work. Why is it that one can be a success with other folks' children and seem to be such a disaster with one's own? It has proven to be a most interesting summer, being an Employee and Daughter, Employer and Mother. Pretty tough on us both! Christie is interesting and fun, I will count to 10 many times and prayerfully we will both live through it!
Last week I was typing away on this newsletter and Tammy called from the AQHA with a wonderful request. Tammy works with Gary Griffith in Stud Book and Registration Department. The University of California (Davis) is conducting a research project on abnormally colored horses and guess who was one of the stallions on the top of their request list ... FLYING X 6! ... We will all finally have the truth on his color! AWESOME! His color genes are very strong and extend their potency into the 3-4 generations. Flying X 6 was born Red Roan; at 4 years old was a lined backed claybank dun, with all the territorial stripes. At 9 years of age he was gray with black points, black mane and tail. At 11, he began to loose his black points, still retaining his dorsal strip which is flea bitten in with black flea bits, and his body is red flea bitten, along with an iridescent sheen. He is now 26, has BILLIONS of red flea bits, his dorsal strip and an the unusual silver sheen ... nearly like the iridescent scales of a Rainbow Trout. He produces the following colors: gray (dapple, flea bit, gun metal and rose gray), red and blue roan, grulla and dun (every color of dun), along with a dun roan version of all dun colors and, oddly enough, an overo gene. It has made registration somewhat stressful and expensive photographically for the farm and our customers for years! The long standing mystery shall be solved ... aren't we all fortunate!
We are enjoying the 26th year of Flying X 6's life and he is still remarkable in front of a cow or in the breeding shed. Flying X 6 is "All Business" at what he does! His full court included outstanding mares from all over the United States. He had no reproductive problems, but we are choosing to stand him next year at Private Treaty, in honor and out of respect to his loyal following down through his many years. 1999 will usher in his 21st year of registered foals! Sky High Leo, the "Romantic" about the farm, is only 16. He stood to an overflowing book of Cutters, Reiners, Roping and Barrel Racing, Jumping and English mares along with many outstanding Foundation bred mares. Tex O Lena Chex, the 6-year-old youngster is the "Clown" on the farm! Because of his highly successful Reining career, Tex had some fancy ladies in his court. He will have some lovely foals in 1999! Even though he is not owned by us, he has become a member of this family and we are MORE THAN excited about his breeding potential in our breeding program. He is extremely cowie, so after his reining career ..... don't be surprised if you see him CUTTING! Cow Horse would be a walk in the park for him .... literally. He fits us like a fine glove!
All of the horses produced by the Farm are registered with the AQHA and the (Original) Foundation Quarter Horse Registry. We are conservative by nature and have really enjoyed time spent with folks in this Registry. So many folks have called and asked what percentage of 'Foundation' blood the stallions are. We have not intentionally been evasive ... I just do not know, as the Registry accepted the horses and there was no need to belong to more registries. We have always bred for USE ... form to function, good withers, deep heart, lung power, good bone, trainability, athletic ability ... the things that get our work completed daily with the least amount of stress on everyone, including the horse. We have never followed fads and don't breed for percentages. We look at the individual. Even then, you can make a mistake. One of the cowiest mares we ever rode was a registered Thoroughbred .... and if she were alive today she would be in our broodmare band. She was a good individual. Yet, because of our chosen breeding we are considered extremely foundation. So be it, they are GREAT HORSES! I will make an effort this year to find the exact percentages on the stallions. 'Nuff nit-picking ... no one is in competition with anyone ... all horses are like snowflakes, each has uniqueness to offer.
We still believe form to function is the most important asset a horse can have. Many thanks to Pat for her outstanding services. She specializes in Pedigrees and comprehensive genetic pedigree analysis. When you have a need for this kind of information, we highly recommend that you use her. She can be contacted by timtaylr@hctc.net or phone: 210-995-3697. Thank you, Pat, for a job well done! If you would like to contact the Foundation registry:
Three mares need to be pregnancy checked. In spite of this fact, Flying X 6 is at 97%, Sky High Leo at 95% and Tex O Lena Chex is at 100%. We expect the percentages to rise. The first season using Transported Semen went extremely well for both Sky High Leo and Tex O Lena Chex with 100% conception rates! Fed-X lost a shipment, one mare lost a foal and the owners elected to wait until next year, and another mare twinned and lost both. CHECK FOR TWINS between 16-20 days after insemination with an ultrasound. Rectification of twins past that time can cause the remaining embryo to fail. We are looking forward to a GREAT 1999 COLT CROP from these mares and certainly have enjoyed working with the mares and their owners!
We would be totally reticent if we did not give credit where "great" credit is certainly due! We headed into the Transported Semen experience with reservations about so many uncontrollable variables. I thought we would surely get egg on our face! We strongly suggested that mare owners allow their Veterinarians time to get to know their mare, ultrasound their mares and spend a little money in preparation for the shipment. They were so good ... and it sure paid off for ALL OF US. We met so many nice, conscientious Veterinarians and Reproduction Specialists this year ... and that is why we "all" were successful! The Cooled Transported Semen hoop is a hard one to jump through at the correct time, but these folks were EXCELLENT! We are extending our thanks to the mare owners for their thoroughness in preparation and to all the attending breeding professionals!
What is your percentage of conceptions? What is your percentage of delivered foals from those conceptions? 1997: Flying X 6 and Sky High Leo -- 97% with a final 95% live foals delivered in 1998.
1998: Flying X 6 -- 97% ... one
left to check. Sky High Leo -- 95% ... two left to check.
Live Foals delivered to be determined in
1999. What percentage of off colored colts does Flying X 6 produce? Due to Flying X 6's novel color gene composition, he is an extremely potent color producer. The past two years he has produced 96% grays, roans, duns. This year he produced one solid colored foal. Solid is considered retaining the color of the mare. He was bred to 77% solid colored mares and 23% colored mares in 1997... all but one (ours) colored! What color is Sky High Leo? Sky High Leo is a rich mahogany bay. He produces 76% varied colors of bay and 24% of the colored mares bred to him produced a colored foal. 77% of the colored mares were daughters of Flying X 6, thus the strong percentage of color change. Is Tex O Lena Chex a black producer? Yes, Tex is running 77% Blacks or Grullas, 10% Grays and the remainder are Sorrel, Bay or Brown. His second season of foals have not been registered and the percentages could easily change. It appears if he does not produce black he will have a very high percentage of grulla foals, a most interesting and sought after color. What is the average length or stay for a mare during breeding season? 33 Days. How many ultrasounds per stay? 3.5 (Remember, we cater to many problem, older mares.) Do You handle outside mares to foal or be bred via transported semen to other stallions? Yes to both ... A limited number, by reservation only. Do you commercially foal out mares? ... If so what is the charge? Yes, we delivered 42 foals in 1998, lost one foal, for a percentage of live healthy foal delivery of 98% ... $100.00 for 3 days 24 hours monitor service, plus mare and foal vaccinations and Veterinary expenses. Is your farm clean from disease? Yes. We have a strong, well enforced herd health program. Can You provide References? Yes, click here for a list of references who have bred mares or purchased horses from us. Why Are Our Percentages So Good? We have an EXCELLENT CLIENTELE and TOP NOTCH EMPLOYEES!! Most everyone will say, "Thanks are more than overdue!" Over 65% of our breeders and buyers are return clients. That allows us the distinct advantage of knowing their mares reproductively and dispositionally. We learned a long time ago that a happy mare conceives quickly. If she does not like the stall she is in, or the mare next to her in a run, we move her until we find a place she is at peace. We might even take a mare out of a stall the owner requested (with permission) and put her outside where she can obtain more sunlight for cycling purposes. Little things sometimes make all the difference. The beauty of not accepting a large number of mares is that it allows the Farm time to cater to each mare individually. All of our breeders have excellent herd health programs, further assuring a positive result at foaling time. Down through the years we have learned the type of horse that each return buyer appreciates. We either have it or don't ... saving everyone's time.
Anyone totally frustrated with me may call the farm and scream to relieve tension, throw eggs toward Kansas ... just don't send me a chain letter! Yes, we will have a video! Those of you that have paid for the video are recorded and shall receive your copies via priority mail. When the video is completed, a newsletter will pre-announce the estimated arrival date. We will also have a Stallion Video for the 1999 season.
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