Tuesday, April 24, 2012

To Everything There is a Season


And a time for every purpose, under heaven (The Byrds, from Turn, Turn, Turn)


Whenever there are major changes happening for someone and they write about it, they usually begin by saying something like “This is the hardest story/blog/etc. I’ve ever had to write.”  I won’t be trite and begin that way.  Instead, I will talk about what has been, and where we hope to go, and the changes that need to happen.

In January of 2000 we discovered Curlies, thanks to our daughter, Erica’s, eagle eye while watching the Rose Bowl Parade.  You see, there are three of us in the family that are allergic to mammals, and hearing about a hypoallergenic horse meant that it just might be possible to make our youngest, and most horse-crazy, daughter’s dream of owning a horse come true.  Little did we know the path we would start down after viewing that Parade.

Young *Beau; just a few days old.
We visited one group of Curlies, and Erica reacted strongly.  Then a few months later, we visited another group, and she had no reaction at all.  In September of that year we visited with the Tilson’s of Tall Trees Curlies and by November had purchased our first horse, *Tall Trees Misty’s Beau.  We set a goal of finding a mare who would balance what we felt his attributes would become, and in March of the following year purchased *Katrina’s Fire Walker from Melissa Kowal in Connecticut.  The spring of 2001 found us building a barn and fences, and *Walker arrived, on her birthday.   *Beau was brought down by Chuck and his brother in August.

*Walker
Our original goal was to have 10 foals by *Beau, and we have achieved six of them, from three different mares.  We have had a seventh foal, as well, from *Walker and a Missouri Foxtrotter stallion (we were hoping for a filly and got *Leo).  Now, it is time to end breeding.

You see, the family grew-up and moved away, and in all honesty, I probably started too late in my life down this path.  But that is okay.  I have learned so much and made so many fabulous friends by having Curlies.  We have introduced others to the breed as well and made several people quite happy when they learned they, too, might have a horse although they had allergies.

As to where we hope to go, well there are several avenues opening up for us, right now.  One of them is my brand new editing business, Red Quill.  But mostly, we need to be able to visit our family.  We have four daughters and, now, four grandchildren that we’d like to spend more time with.  They all live out of state and it is hard to find someone to care for as many horses as we presently have. 

So, we have decided to offer our horses for sale and will listen to reasonable offers for them.  There are only three horses that will NOT be sold under any circumstances: *Glory of Philea West, *Katrina’s Fire Walker, and *Red Running Star.  The others are available if you are interested.  If *Beau has no one interested in him, then come autumn we will geld him and keep him.  However, he still has so much to give to the Curly World, if the right person came along, we would part with him.

I will keep making blog entries as often as possible, so keep coming back for updates.

Monday, April 09, 2012

A different kind of colt

I ask my readers to please pardon the silence from this blog these last days.  I have been away and without my computer because I have been attending to a different kind of colt. 

This colt will never be measured in hands, nor his will his 'way of going' or 'reach' be discussed.  There will be no worry as to his color genetics either.  This colt will, eventually, walk on two feet rather than four, but if I'm lucky, he will learn to enjoy the four-footed beings that I call my friends.  And if his Gpa has anything to say, he'll learn to ride better than either of us can.

Please join me in welcoming Samson Paul Fucello to the world.  Born April 1st (no foolin'!).