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FOXTON FROSTY DAWN
(Foxton Society Beau X Foxton Smokey Dawn)
2002 brown silver mare,
13.2
May 6, 2002-March 21, 2018
I
have always loved the silver dapple coloring. Throughout the 1990's I
did much research into Morgans of the past which I strongly suspected were silver dapple,
and in the hope of raising awareness about the color, authored a couple of articles on the subject for the Rainbow Morgan
Horse Association newsletter. In February of 2002 it was
confirmed that silver still existed in the Morgan breed. Imagine my delight! So, Frosty
was the culmination of a
dream for me. I will always be grateful to Thom and Nancy Harris of
Foxton Morgans
in Foxton CO for Frosty.
Frosty's first foal was Unconventional, a bay silver colt born on February 17, 2006. The
second, a smoky black silver filly named Positively Charmed, was foaled on June 14, 2007.
The third is (incredibly!) another silver- Edgefield Vermeil, a
buckskin silver filly, foaled on April 11, 2009 for Char Cook of Edgefield Morgans,
who had Frosty on lease from me. And on August 23, 2010, Frosty foaled a
brown silver filly for Candi Rousseau of Tocara Morgans!
Frosty was an incredible four for four in the silver production department!
Frosty possessed a highly developed sense of self confidence. She greeted visitors with a nicker and loved
attention and scritchies. She had a love of water, and would often "volunteer"
for a shower on a hot day, turning herself this way and that so that every body part could be thoroughly
soaked. Without a willing human servant to cool her off, Frosty would play in the water trough!
Frosty's pedigree not only contains the well-known, beautiful-headed show stallion Troutbrook Playboy,
but numerous lines to fabulous and hard to find old Western Working Family horses such as Julio (Delbert X Katelina),
multiple lines to Silver Ranger (Querido X Angelina), Romanesque (Red Oak X Mariah K), Chocolate (Linsley X Lady Spar)
and Dan (Headlight Morgan X Kate B)- the source of silver dapple in our breed. She has Lippitt breeding through Lippitt
Ethan Ash, John A Darling, Lippitt Polly Moro, and Lippitt Kate Moro, and several lines to old Brunk horses such as Juzan,
King de Jarnette, Grenadier, Ken Carmen and Rarette (all by Jubilee King) as well as Stetson (Flyhawk X Sentola) and Kings
Haven Senator (Senator Graham X Choquita). The rest of her pedigree is comprised of mostly old government breeding.
Frosty was Red Factor DNA tested by UC Davis (click
here
to see her test results) homozygous for black (EE), which not
only proves she was not a chestnut, as she might appear with her light
mane and tail, it also indicates that she would never produce a chestnut
based foal - no matter what color stallion she is bred to.
Frosty and her 2006 silver dapple colt
Unconventional
provided hair samples and photographs for the
2006 Uppsala University
(Sweden)
study of the silver dapple gene. This study resulted in the
silver dapple test which is now offered by UC Davis and other testing
facilities. A copy of the study
may be downloaded here.
In early July 2010 my gelding Patented colicked, was rushed to University of Georgia Large Animal Hospital and underwent surgery for illeal impaction and
enteritis (caused by coastal bermuda hay, a common cause of colic
here in the south where this hay is the predominant type of hay fed to
horses). The bill was tremendous. Candi Rousseau, who had Frosty on lease at the time, had wanted to add her to the herd at
Tocara Farm, and
so the very difficult decision was made to part with my dear Frosty.
A few years later, Frosty was sold to her final
owner, Barbara Kahn, who enjoyed her on the trails near her home. On March 21, 2018, after a many weeks' long battle
with fever that could not be diagnosed nor alleviated, Frosty was laid
to rest.
|
Foxton Society Beau |
Society Statusmaster |
Troutbrook Playboy |
| Hi-Winds Amy D |
| Dores Day |
Windmill Jubylee |
| Dores Fey |
|
Foxton Smokey Dawn |
Topside Midnight |
Kings Haven Senator |
| Topside April Fancy |
| Foxton Felicia |
Pegasus Persuader |
| SH Crescent |
You can view Frosty's complete pedigree
here.
It includes pictures of many of her ancestors.
To learn more about the very rare silver dapple gene in the Morgan breed,
and to see pictures of many of Frosty's ancestors and relatives, please visit:
You can also read the article on silver dapple Morgans
in the April 2003 issue of THE MORGAN HORSE magazine.
More photos of Frosty
(click on a thumbnail to enlarge)
Frosty on her feet for the first time with her black silver dam Foxton Smokey Dawn (Topside Midnight X Foxton Felicia) and Nancy Harris. 5/6/02 around 9 AM.
Dawn and Frosty a short while after foaling. Notice Frosty's silvery mane and tail.
Flaxen chestnut foals are not born flaxen; their manes and tails grow in flaxen later. This is one clue that this is a silver dapple foal.
Here's Frosty and Dawn again, 5/20/02. Frosty is two weeks old here.
Frosty at 15 days, 5/21/02. I am amazed at how light her mane and tail are!
Frosty at almost one month old, June 2002.
It's the CHUCK WAGON! That's Frosty on the left. The bay foal is Foxton Night Hawk and the pinto filly is Calico Bonita, by the Harrises' three quarter Morgan pinto stallion, RV Eagle Feather.
A late June picture. Frosty and a friend. A beautiful clear day after the huge Hayman Fire, which burned to within six miles south of Frosty's home at Resort Valley Ranch.
Jim was in Colorado July 2-9, bicycling with friends. The day before he came home, he visited Frosty and the Harrises. Frosty was really friendly, and came right up to the truck for scritchies (he had sandals on so didn't get out to play with her). Thom and Nancy got high marks for their hospitality too!
11/12/02. The start of Frosty's Big Adventure to Covington Georgia. She was very well behaved and the driver liked her a lot!
Frosty here at Brookridge, enjoying some cool season grass. November 2002.
I was trying very hard to get the lovely Bradford Pear trees (the red trees in the
background) in a nice head shot of Frosty!
Frosty gets a fair share of visitors. That's ok with Frosty, because she LOVES attention! Here she is in January 2003 with Jan Annee. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Annee.
A strategically placed shavings sack caught Frosty's attention long enough for me to get her away from me and take this picture! March 2003.
The last downy remnants of Frosty's winter coat are coming off and I am anxious to see what she will look like all slicked out! March 2003.
Here is my answer to "what will she look like all shed out?" April 2003. I think she is just beautiful!
Frosty has a love-hate relationship with the tarp I use to get the horses' ears up for pix. She is alternately fascinated and frightened by it. Roadie is REALLY not so sure about all this tarp stuff. At one point he grabbed the tarp in his mouth, and when it "chased" him, he decided it was scarrrrrry ;-)
Unfortunately, Frosty's pretty, dark summer coat color did not last long in our hot Georgia sun! Here is what a sun-faded silver dapple looks like :-) June 2003. Roadie is with her, as usual.
On the move! July 2003.
Just a bit sun faded and VERY fat! August 2004.
She's two months in foal here, May 2005.
July 2005. Yes, Frosty loooooves water. Here she
is begging for a shower while I was
filling up the water tub in the pasture. I call her my hippopotamus ;-)
A few days after I took the above picture, I was getting ready to go to the gym one evening
and had left the water on in the tub in Frosty's and Roadie's pasture, so it could fill while I changed into my gym clothes. When I came out to turn the water off,
I discovered this scene. Frosty had pulled the sprayer out of the tub and it had lodged up against
the fence, where it was spraying into the field. Of course Frosty could not let all that water go to waste, now could she? So first she turned one way...
...and then she turned the other. She seemed a bit put out
that with the water in this position, only her bottom half was getting wet (although it did provide an interesting way
to get her belly scratched!). I'm sure had I left her to her own devices, she'd have figured something out!
August 2005. The happy couple one summer evening at dusk. Frosty, by the way, wears the pants in the family!
Another August 2005 shot of Roadie and Frosty.
I was awake one morning at dawn and it was very foggy. I thought it might make for
some interesting pictures of the horses. Here's one I got of Frosty. September 2005.
I was trying to get pictures of Roadie's head in his new bridle, and Frosty kept following us wherever we went.
She was pressed right up behind me
most of the time, so I didn't get any full body shots of her pendulous belly. She seemed to be pretty disgusted that Roadie was getting all the attention,
as you can tell by her expression. November 2005.
January 2006. Frosty has gotten pretty sedentary in her late pregnancy. She has a very contented
look these days, more than usual.
I hope that the next time I update this website, it will be to add a page for the little critter inside its
mama's belly here. Frosty is officially due February 8. Stay tuned! January 2006 photo.
Here is Frosty on February 19, 2006 with her three day old silver dapple colt,
Unconventional.
I cannot believe this mare just foaled three days ago!
She put on quite a show! I wish things had been a little greener and that Frosty
wasn't at such a patchy stage of shedding, but I just love this picture of her!
 
On the left is a picture of Frosty and Connor, March 2006.
Artist Linda McSweeny saw
this picture on Wikipedia, and created the stunning painting
shown on the right in February 2007.
The original sold on ebay, where Linda regularly markets her incredible artwork,
featuring horses, dogs and other animals. Thank you Linda for allowing us to use this image on our website!
March 2006. Spring has sprung in Georgia- I love the
Bradford Pears in the left hand background of this picture.
A windy March day. Frosty had caught sight of the cows across the road.
A few minutes later she did a spook and snort at them and struck a
beautiful, classic Morgan pose, but I was not quick enough with the camera
:-(
Frosty and her beau, Roadie on a warm late October day (2006).
Frosty a week before she foaled her 2007 silver filly, Positively Charmed, June 2007.
At the tender age of 5, Frosty is now the matriarch of her own little family of
silver dapple Morgans. I was hoping to get a really good picture
of the three silvers together before Connor left for his new home in Canada.
Well, all you can see of Charli is her big butt, Frosty just
HAD to be chewing some hay and Connor's head is cut off, but here is my best shot
of the three. July 2007.
10/7/07- This picture of Frosty and her 2007
smoky black silver filly Positively Charmed under the rainbow was taken by fellow artist Lesli Kathman
at Saturday's 20th Annual Southern Model Horse Convention
held here at the farm. SouthCon began in 1988 as a unique way to promote the
Morgan Horse amongst model horse hobbyists, and it has helped make many converts
to the breed since. Visit the SouthCon
website for pictures and more information on the show.
 
October 2007- Frosty at Greg and Charlene Cook's Edgefield Morgans, Goshen IN where she will be bred to the buckskin Sunup Neptune son, Edgefield Sun Gold, in 2008.
On the right she is meeting HCTF Catch the Storm, Char's grulla mare. Photos
courtesy of Mary Kay Longacre.
 
August 31, 2008- Char has started Frosty under saddle and here they are on her first ride outdoors. In the second picture, Frosty looks more interested in the grass...
which would be typical ;-) Frosty will be having a late March 2009 foal by Char's pretty Sunup Neptune son, Edgefield Sun Gold. Watch this space!
Frosty and Char on another ride, October 2008. Photo by Mary Kay Longacre.
April 2009:
Frosty and her 2009 buckskin silver filly, Edgefield Vermeil, at one week old.
Photo courtesy of Charlene Cook.
 
Frosty and her month-old buckskin silver filly, Edgefield Vermeil aka "Maddie",
taken on my visit to Edgefield Morgans, Saturday May 9, 2009. Frosty and Maddie look super,
don't they? As did all the Edgefield Morgans!
Thank you Char for your excellent care of Frosty! I enjoyed the visit!
July 2009: I think this picture of a sleepy Frosty resting her chin on
her 3 month old- who's nearly as big as she is! is just hilarious. Proof that you CAN get size from a "pony mare"! And it's not that Sonny is a real big boy either- genes are just funny
things. Well my vet says that Frosty is a "horse sized body on pony sized legs". That about sums it up.
Both of her parents are bigger than she is. It will be interesting to see how big her future foals are.
September 2009- Frosty at Candi Rousseau's Tocara Farm in
Vermont. In August 2010, she
foaled a brown silver filly for Candi, by River Jordan, making Frosty 4 for 4 in the silver
production department!
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