"Roadie" trying to get up. He literally came out of Topaz trying to get up! He was on his feet in about 15 minutes and nursed shortly thereafter. October 27, 2002, about 7:30 AM.


Topaz's ears are following Roadie wherever he goes. Nursing stimulates uterine contractions so she is having some cramps.


Here you can see he is not quite "red".


An hour or so later, Roadie is taking a quick nap. Some palomino foals are born this weird apricot shade, but he sure fooled a lot of breeders into thinking he was chestnut at first! I knew he was palomino because almost immediately the roots of his mane started coming in white. Chestnut foals are usually redder than this, but sometimes you don't know for sure unless you test for cream- or wait until the foal completely sheds its foal coat at around four months of age.


Here is Roadie on Day Two.


I was trying very hard to get a picture of his lovely head, with the little, curled-at-the-tips ears (just like Daddy's!), but he is SO friendly he keeps coming right up to me. A plastic bag at the end of a lunge whip drew his attention enough that I got this shot. Topaz proceeded to check the bag for carrots!


Day 3. He is filling out a bit.


Roadie and Topaz playing, day four. He is beautiful to watch- does the softest stops, with his front end elevated and hindquarters tucked perfectly.


Roadie, now one week old, meets Luna through the fence. Luna is fascinated by him.


Here is Roadie's pretty head. He was sweaty from running around- he is a very active foal! He is one week old here.


Day 12. Roadie's eyes were blue at birth, typical of many cream dilution foals, and now they are darkening to a grey-blue. Soon they will be brown or hazel.


Roadie runs in big circles around his mom, over and over again. Right before he comes in for a landing at the milk bar he does a few airs above the ground!


Roadie gets a visitor, my friend Cassidy Sutherland (Evans). He is two weeks old here.


"That's the spot!"


When they are one month old I integrate the foals and their dams back into the main herd by adding one horse in with them at a time until all are OK with each other. With Roadie, I began by adding my mare Willy Remember Me, who is the "herd leader", a very self confident mare who gets along well with everyone. Here Roadie meets "Mimi" for the first time.


Here is the handsome young man at one month old. He is standing with his butt uphill here so he looks a bit rump high, but you can see the lovely "series of curves" that he is becoming.


Roadie at age seven weeks, December 2002. All the pictures I took that day were so good- I had a very hard time picking just one! You can see he is shedding- from right above the eyes to the nostrils- to a sooty gold. Right above his blaze on his forehead is also shedding to gold. There is a lot of white hair in his mane which does not show in these pictures.


There is no mistaking what breed Roadie is!


Roadie really likes Frosty, our silver dapple filly. Frosty is seven months old and Roadie is 9 weeks old (December 2002). You can now easily see his white mane coming in. The roots of all his hair is light- even the cowlick on his neck is gold. Here he is whispering sweet nothings in Frosty's ear (she remains unimpressed!).


March 2003, Roadie is now five months old and is officially a weanling. As he is shedding his "red" winter coat, the lighter palomino hairs give a sort of roany effect. I see faint dapples and sootiness under the remaining fuzz, and at this point thought his final palomino shade would be quite dark with dapples, like his sire.


Roadie and his "bestest" friend, Frosty. Initially, Frosty put up with quite a bit of coltish shenanigans from Roadie, but as time goes on she has laid down the law- which keeps him mannerly as he adores her from a respectful distance.


April 2003. Roadie (who is not quite finished shedding) and Frosty (who is just about finished shedding- isn't she a cool color?).


Roadie in late July 2003, about a week before he left us for his new home. He is nine months old here.


I don't have many pictures of Roadie in the year that he was gone. Janine sent me this one in July 2004. Roadie was turned out with two young geldings and one older mare, Lady, who he had grown quite attached to. Lady managed to slip away from the little herd on occasion and head back to the barn. Once Roadie noticed this, he would head off as fast as his legs could carry him to find her. Here he is trotting the quarter mile to the barn in search of his Lady Love. I like this picture for the athleticism it shows, especially the degree of engagement and the beautifully even diagonals.


Roadie grazing with Carrie in OK at Cindy Clark's Wild Goose Morgans, who provided a stopover point for them on their way here. The two youngsters really bonded on the trip together. Roadie has lived with horses of all ages and genders his entire life. Horses kept this way usually work out their pecking order and everyone is content and well socialized. Photo courtesy of Cindy Clark, November 2004.


Roadie, November 26, 2004. He is dressed for a Canadian winter so glamour shots will have to wait until spring, but you can see what a handsome young man he is becoming.


This picture really shows how much Roadie resembles his sire, Casino. The photo of Casino I took when he was here on lease (spring 2002).


Jim got me a new digital camera for Christmas. It is the Nikon D70. It has no detectable lag time on the shutter so great action shots are just a click away. And, it can take three frames per second! I will be spoiled now. I can hardly wait for spring and slicked out horses with beautiful green backgrounds to photograph. Here is a great action shot taken with the new digital. Roadie really USES his butt- tucks it under and powers around!


May 2005. Roadie cannot figure out why I want him to go AWAY from me. I was trying to get a side view, but this is what I usually get lots of pictures of instead. It is hard work trying to get pictures of horses without assistance, unless you just want shots of them grazing- that's all ours do unless they have something interesting attracting their attention. I will keep trying!


Here is Roadie visiting with his dam Topaz through the fence. It had rained all day and was getting dark, which made the light kind of interesting. May 2005.


More of Roadie's "power trot". Roadie is not a big horse, but he is as far from "pony gaited" as you can get. He has three excellent, "uphill" gaits with suspension, a nice long stride and engagement.


"Hey, come back here!" I love the deep groove in the middle of his rump, with the heavy muscling on either side of it.


One morning at dawn I called to the horses from our back porch. Roadie was just sure I had something good for him to eat, so he started heading up towards the house. A minute later I was out in the front yard with the camera, and he thought that was very weird. I am not sure what was going through his mind- maybe wondering how I got from one spot to another so quickly. At any rate here he is doing his best impression of "stallion on alert". June 2005.


This was such an interesting picture for me because Roadie is in nearly the same pose as a sculpture I did of his sire, Casino, in 2002 entitled "Frolic". You can see that piece on my resins and artwork site. Art imitates life, indeed!


Enjoying Frosty's company on a hot summer evening, July 2005.


August 2005.


Our dogs Stormy (left) and Jackson like to give the horses a hard time. Interestingly this provokes very little reaction from the horses. It's good desensitization! I have given up on keeping Roadie's mane all on one side. It wants to part down the middle and it is VERY thick. He shakes his neck to ward off flies and the braids turn into knots in short order. I may have better luck keeping it braided over the winter once the flies have gone. August 2005.


I call this picture "Looks Like Daddy"! August 2005.


Roadie visits daily with my old mare Reminiscing when I let her out into the ring next to his field. He is very polite- there is no squealing or noise at all. August 2005.


I got a kick out of these pictures (taken one stride apart) as it looks for all the world like Roadie is practicing a dressage warmup- at liberty! August 2005.


He has three beautiful gaits, but I need to work on getting more canter pictures. Here is another trot one I liked. August 2005.


This picture (left) was taken so late in the day that the shadows and background lended themselves really well to a bit of tweaking in PhotoShop (right).


Roadie's "uphill" movement is also shared by his half sister Coral. Notice the extreme elevation of his front end in this picture. He and Frosty were frisking around, she was in front of him (out of the picture) and gave a kick/buck, hence the look on his face!


Conflicted expression here because he'd rather eat than keep his head up for pictures... as evidenced by his "snack to go"!


Another great example of Roadie's beautifully engaged canter. Late September 2005.


October 2005: Roadie has developed a game to entertain himself. He likes to pick stuff up and run around the field with it. I first noticed him doing it with the salt block holder. He removed the salt block first of course ;-) Well, he was being mighty hard on that salt block holder so I rescued it and gave him a traffic cone to play with instead. He loves it! I took these with the zoom so they are a bit fuzzy, but if I tried to walk over to get a clearer view he would stop playing. I think I need to get him a Jolly Ball. Poor Frosty- look at her expression in this picture. "Come on Mom, quit watching the clown show and give me some hay!" (Michele Walters, a member of the Yahoogroup Morgan Colors, saw this picture when I sent it to the list. She posted that Frosty was really thinking "I'm going to have a kid by that clown, sure hope it takes after me!").


Roadie was pretty dirty from rolling in the red clay, so it's good these are not well lit pictures. His "orange incarnation" is... well... orange is not a good color on him ;-). You can see the long suffering salt block holder in this pic. I managed to get it pummeled back into it's proper shape. A few days after these pictures were taken, we arrived home from the gym one night, and by the headlights of the car we saw Roadie running around the field, in the dark, with his cone!


I'd been watching ebay for the last year or so for a delicate, pretty, all sterling silver bridle for Roadie (not plated or overlaid, and not German silver, but solid sterling- which is about impossible to get nowadays unless you get it custom made). I wanted the old Poco style as it just looks super on a pretty headed horse. Remember Catskill Senator Lad showing in one of these? Well, in October I hit the proverbial jackpot and acquired this gorgeous bridle. Because the brand is not stamped on it anywhere that the seller (or myself) could find, I think fewer folks were interested in it than they might have been otherwise. It IS stamped "sterling" and it IS a quality bridle- the leather is beautifully soft and supple- I just don't know who made it (if anyone does, I'd love to hear!). A similar bridle, breastcollar and rein set sold recently on ebay for $1300. Picked this up (it's in like new condition, but likely dates from the 60's or 70's) for $150. It has to be my Best Ebay Buy Ever. This is only the second time Roadie has worn a bridle, so he is chewing on the bit, but I thought it was a cute picture anyways. November 2005.


It wasn't easy trying to get a simple head shot of Roadie in the new bridle. He started playing with his new jolly ball, running around with it in his mouth. His sister Coral joined him in the game from her side of the fence. They each did a couple of laps on their respective sides of the fence. This shot just made me laugh out loud. It looks for all the world like Coral is playing with a jolly ball too- they are almost mirror images of each other!


OOPS! Dropped it!


A lap sans jolly ball seemed to be in order.


I am not sure what they were chatting about! Isn't there an interesting contrast between the two shades of palomino? Hard to believe it is the same color. And can you imagine a dark, sooty palomino next to Coral! November 2005.


This is a bit of an artsy photo of Roadie hanging out in his favorite spot in the shade of a cedar tree. The view is from my front porch, through the branches of a crepe myrtle. May 2006.


Roadie's long lonely spell is soon to come to an end. Frosty has been weaned from their 2006 son Unconventional, and is living in a small paddock next to Roadie's pasture while her milk dries up. When she is ready she'll be put back in with Roadie. From the look on Frosty's face she is not in the mood for company just yet! Late June 2006.


Late June 2006.


Late October 2006. I was trying to capture some of our fall color, and a good looking horse in the picture doesn't hurt at all!


Roadie is spending the summer on lease at John and Margie Singleton's Scattered Oaks Morgans in Killen AL. Margie says he literally stops traffic because people get such a kick out of watching him play! April 2007.


I have been blessed to find fantastic placements for 5 of my horses this year, including the horse of my heart, Roadie. He will be deeply missed at Brookridge but we will continue to use him in the future as a sire, and his beautiful daughter Positively Charmed will be a daily reminder of him here. September 2007 photos.


10/14/07- I wanted to get some pictures of Roadie and I together before he leaves for Kristal Homoki's MtnTop Morgans in Brooklyn, MI. So I worked on getting the red clay stain out of his mane and tail (with a new whitening shampoo!), and then Jim took a bunch of pictures of us. He's not quite dry in the first picture. There were a lot of good ones- I really couldn't pick a favorite.

There is a sort of sentimental deja vu to  these pictures, because we did the same thing before Roadie's sire Casino (who we had on lease for the winter of 2001-02) left to go home to Colorado.


Roadie and his jumbo sized cone! Some boys never outgrow their toys! August 2008. Photo courtesy of Kristal Homoki.


August 2008- Roadie is now going under saddle and he took to it like a duck to water. Not surprising for such an acquiescent, people pleasing horse. He may even get to a few shows in 2009. Photo courtesy of Kristal Homoki, who is shown riding Roadie here.


Late August 2008: Here is Roadie- looking like a finished show horse!- during a photo shoot for MtnTop Morgans' fall magazine advertising. That's Kristal up on Roadie. I am so incredibly proud of him!


Monday May 11 I returned from 5 days in Michigan visiting Kristal Homoki and her MtnTop Morgans. While I was there we visited Anne Wyland (Ancan Morgans), Tamara Dirrim (Tamars Ventures), Char Cook (Edgefield Morgans), and Roxanne and Jean Riggs (SFG Morgans). It was a lot of fun and great to see so many Morgans "in person", lots of them colorful! Of course, I took a lot of pictures- more than 600! Thank goodness for digital cameras!

My last day in Michigan was the most emotional for me as I got to work with and ride Roadie. Kristal has owned Roadie since the fall of 2007, but the boy has never been far away in my heart. Monday morning I gave him a hoof trim, which warmed me up nicely in the chilly air. Then Kristal vacuumed him before saddling up for the ride.

It is an incredible feeling, sitting on a horse of your own breeding for the first time. I still own two that meet that criteria in Pat (now 19) and Mimi (now 23). Roadie is soft in the bridle and responds to the slightest shift of weight- a sensitivity that I appreciate in my own horses. Anyone who needs a Morgan started carefully and correctly would do well to talk to Kristal.

I only wished we hadn't waited until the last day to ride. I wanted it to go on a bit longer!


Roadie's picture graced the opening page of an article about palominos in the September 2009 issue of THE EQUINE JOURNAL.


October 2009- Kristal put Roadie up for sale in August 2009 and though I very much wanted to bring him home again, vet bills on his dam Topaz, who spent 5 days at UGA in early August with colic, prevented that. Roadie very quickly found a new home with long-time breeder Harvey Seidel of Bar None Morgans in Thermopolis, WY. Here is Roadie with Harvey on one of their first rides together.


These pictures look like something out of a western movie, or maybe a painting.


August 2012- Roadie stood at stud for Harvey for two years. Due to the economy and Roadie's smaller size, he was gelded and sold this past summer to Michelle Ralston of Brandon, Manitoba Canada. Michelle competes in combined driving, and Roadie took to his new job like a duck to water. Here is Roadie under saddle with his new owner Michelle Ralston up (right) along with a friend on Michelle's mare Blondie.


September 2012- Roadie has quickly taken to driving. After all, it's in his genes!


October 2012- Roadie now drives single as well double. Here he is with his team mate, Blondie (also a Morgan). Thank you SO much Michelle for the pictures and updates!


September 6, 2015- Roadie with Jim and Michelle Ralston in MN at Cheryl Buchner's farm, where Roadie laid over for a few days waiting for his ride on the next leg of his long journey home from Brandon, Manitoba to Covington, GA. Photo courtesy of Cheryl, who I will be forever grateful to for her kindness!


September 8, 2015- Roadie with Sara Amerman, just before loading up to head to Sara's farm in central Tennessee for his next layover on the way home. Photo courtesy of Cheryl Buchner.


September 8, 2015- Sara kept me updated throughout the trip home with Roadie, which was very much appreciated! Here he is at a rest stop somewhere between MN and IL. This picture really struck me with the resemblance Roadie shows to his sire, Adiel's Casino Gold.


September 10, 2015- Roadie at Sara's, meeting two of her mares- the perlino is Ragtime Peaches and Cream, and the bay is actually Roadie's paternal half sister Dine N Dash.


September 19, 2015- Roadie had been home again for two days when I took these. I think he looks magnificent. He was just a 5 year old when he left here in 2007, and it is amazing to see how much maturity has changed him. He is a much curvier, more filled out boy now than he was then. He had been shod for several years; these pictures were taken right after his shoes were pulled. His feet will take awhile to recover. They show some heavy "stress rings" and he had several old abscess blowouts on both the left fore and hind that will need to grow out. I posted an album of pictures on Facebook that can be seen here: first trim. I will continue to document Roadie's hoof transition from shoes to barefoot over the next year or so.


October 15, 2015- Today I had hoped to start getting Roadie integrated into the herd, a task I had postponed due to the two and a half weeks of rain we had prior to and after the hurricane and the resulting very wet and slippery footing; I didn't want anyone to slip and get hurt during what can sometimes be a bit of a stressful time for all the horses. I was pretty sure the hardest part was going to be his meeting with Coral. She is the ultimate Queen Bee and while not mean, she does not tolerate any crap from her underlings. Her immediate reaction when I turned her in with Roadie was to attack him. He beat a hasty retreat, ran all over the pasture, tail flagged and looking beautiful, and then did not go near her again for probably 45 minutes. The next time they got in close proximity I guess he thought he'd pre-empt her and went towards her, ears pinned. That was met with the same reaction as the first time and that was that. There was no way, no how he was going near her again! After a bit I put Coral in a stall and figured Plan B might be to put Roadie in a stall next to her so they could touch and "talk" but not (hopefully) hurt each other. I went to catch Roadie, who was at the far end of the pasture and obviously hesitant to come anywhere near the gate area where Coral had last been seen (that area was out of his view from where he was). As I was leading him, head up and ears perked, you could just see the wheels turning... "What, Mom? You want me to go where? But SHE'S there!" His relief was almost palpable when we rounded the corner and he saw no sign of Coral. Once in the doorway of the barn he caught sight of her and stopped dead in his tracks. He reluctantly went into a stall across the aisle from her and promptly buried his head in the back corner of the stall. I felt so bad for him; he has wanted to be with the girls for weeks now, and to finally get that chance and have it be less than pleasant... well... At any rate, I eventually moved him to the stall next to her but Coral pretty much ignored him and kept eating her hay. I had to push her head over to get the picture you see of them nose to nose- well, as nose to nose as Roadie would go, he was trying very hard to make himself small. No squealing or reaction at all from either horse. After a bit more time, I put him back in his own pasture, alone. I swear I heard him sigh in relief. I told you so, Roadie! Tomorrow will be another try.


It took 4 days of putting Roadie in with Coral for a few hours each afternoon before I felt comfortable enough to leave them together overnight. There were no problems, so the next day I added his dam, Topaz, to the mix. She gave Roadie "the glare" and that was that. The two black mares, Rosie and Kyrie, were the last additions to the new herd. Rosie, who generally doesn't like other horses all that much, tolerated Roadie pretty well and in the weeks to come, decided she "loved" him when she was in heat, LOL! Roadie is now at the bottom of the pecking order which is interesting as he was the boss of Michelle's herd.


October 21, 2015- The gnats have been bothering Roadie's eyes, so I've been washing them every day and using Vetericyn ophthalmic gel in them. Today after I did that I turned him back out, he lingered by me at the gate and the sunlight hit his eye just right. I had noticed that eye was kind of a mottled color but until that moment it hadn't really dawned on me what exactly it meant. With the sun on the eye it was finally clear that he has a partially blue left eye! I know he has at least one daughter who had a blue/partial blue eye as well. Maybe he could carry splash? He has Sweet's lineage through his sire but not to the proven splash source in that line, Lady in Lace. Of course, those Sweet's horses were all very similarly bred so it's possible he got the gene from a relative or ancestor of hers. I did later test him for splash and he was negative, so whatever is causing the partial blue eyes and flashy white is one of the patterns not yet identified or able to be tested for. It's moot point as he's now a gelding, but it tickled me that he's "trying" to be more colorful than "just" a palomino :-)


October 23, 2015- I thought this was hilarious. What a Mutt and Jeff pairing! I actually had to measure Roadie the next day, as standing next to Rosie, he looked so much smaller than I had thought he was. Yup- he is maybe 14 hands on his tiptoes, LOL! Rosie is every inch of 15.2.


October 26, 2015- Today is another rainy, dreary day here in Covington GA, but what a cheery sight when I checked on the horses just now and saw them all grouped together up on the hill, grazing. Roadie has fit in beautifully and seems very content- at the bottom of the pecking order in his "harem" of mares. Left to right: Kennebec Topaz (Medomak Cavalier x Kennebec Opal), 23 year buckskin Morgan mare; Coral Forest (World's Edge Goldoak x Kennebec Topaz), 11 year old palomino Morgan mare; Avondale Sweet Rosie (Darkhawk of Hideaway x Avondale Berne's Hope), 21 year black mare; WAR Adikyrie (Adiel's Stetson x WAR Valkyrie), 13 year black mare; and Gone Gold (Adiel's Casino Gold x Kennebec Topaz), 13 year palomino gelding.


November 27, 2015- Finally! Roadie has been home again for two months but I hadn't been able to ride him because the ground has been so wet from constant rain. We had a beautiful week (and today was a balmy 72 degrees), so I started ground work (lungeing) to get us on the same page. He wanted to go very fast the first few times I worked with him on the lunge, but he caught on fast that he need not exert himself that much ;-) I don't like to climb on a "strange" horse without someone around just in case, and since Jim was home this weekend, I finally was able to get on Roadie. He was a very good guy, a bit tense and above the bit, so we worked on encouraging him to stretch down and forward onto the bit instead of bottling up behind it. This will be a bit of a project, much like Rosie was when she first arrived here. But it should be fun, and Roadie is smart- he was much more relaxed at the end of the ride and kept trying to figure out what I wanted.



December 12, 2015- It is not too unusual that we have some days in the 70's here in Georgia in December (one reason I LOVE living here!). Not to take them for granted, though, so since Jim was home instead of at a bike race as is usual on weekends, he took so pics of me and Roadie schooling today. Please forgive my less-than-Vogue riding attire (I really need to spring for riding breeches or tights! Oh and lose 20 pounds!). Just look at the horse. Isn't he just THE DARNDEST CUTEST LIL DRESSAGE PONY!!! He is improving every ride.  He is starting to realize he is an "old lady" horse now. Still, you cluck to him and you'd better hang on ;-) He is trying to stretch to the bit rather than bottle up behind it, and a couple of the pictures illustrate that nicely. We will get there!



June 10, 2016- I spiffed Roadie up for some updated pictures, one of which may be included in Dr. Phil Sponenberg's revised edition of his authoritative book, EQUINE COLOR GENETICS. Roadie is pictured in my friend Lesli Kathman's book on color genetics, THE EQUINE TAPESTRY, so this is another welcome opportunity to promote Morgans in a unique way!


December 28, 2016- We do love our Georgia winters, most of the time :-) This week has been outstanding- it was 73 on Christmas day- and today was in the mid 60's, so I headed out to ride for the second time in three days. Roadie hasn't been ridden since May- he popped two abscesses this summer that destroyed both front feet and I am still working on getting that grown out. You may remember he came home last fall with two old hoof abscesses- and a history of developing them. I have come to the conclusion that he is probably metabolic and may have foundered before we got him back last fall. These pics were taken from the house and Jim did not have the long lens on the camera so they are kind of fuzzy. But Roadie sure looks great for having had 7 months off! The first pic is funny-  "that look you get when you discover your husband has the camera and is immortalizing you in all your grungy oversized barn shirt, sweatpants and unkempt hair glory! "


March 29, 2017- What an AWESOME day! Rhonda Barton Bell, my childhood friend and next door neighbor from Fostoria Ohio, tracked me down on Facebook a few years ago. We had not seen or spoken with each other, except through letters for a while after we moved away from Fostoria, and had lost touch until she reconnected with me on Facebook. She now lives only about 4 hours away in Charlotte NC, and today, on their way to TX for vacation, she and her husband Jay Bell stopped by the farm. Imagine seeing someone you haven't seen since you were both kids, 50 years ago! What a great visit we had- way too short, but we caught up pretty well :-) I do believe a trip to Charlotte is in our near future :-) (That's a very fat Roadie with us here.)




August 13, 2017-  I had hoped the horses had gotten the memo that after Charli's week plus stay at UGA with colitis back in June, they were not allowed to spend any more of my money, at least for awhile. I had the vet out for routine stuff late last month. Kyrie, my ex-Amish Forever Morgans rescue mare, had always been stiff since her arrival here 6 years ago, but since spring she'd been lame on her right fore. Xrays showed navicular changes, sidebone and multiple instances of old damage where ligaments and tendons attach to the bones in her foot. Poor mare- pulling those buggies for 6-7 years on pavement did this to her. Charli got her teeth floated- her slow feeder grate has affected her front teeth, and they are dinged up- she looks like a meth addict ;-). So we will rebuild the slow feeder with a net this time instead of a grate. And Lacey, the pregnant dun mare, got her last Rhino booster. I figured I was all caught up on "routine" stuff, including the dogs, who got their shots and dentals.

A few days later, Roadie uncharacteristically didn't meet me at the gate when I showed up at the barn. I grabbed a halter and walked out to here he was. Ah, he had to pee first. That explains his delay in getting to the gate. I looked to see if he was finished before I led him off and OMG. His penis had long bloody scratches on it! I was determined I could handle this by myself. I had banamine and I could clean and cold hose it. There were several insect bites in the area just in front of and on his sheath, so I assume he had straddled a long branch (downed by the many storms we've had since early June) to scratch himself and gotten snagged.

Several days passed. Then, Pat colicked. Now keep in mind, Pat is 27, a colic surgery, EPM and congestive heart failure survivor. This could be IT. I was a puddle. When he was still trying to lay down some 40 minutes after I gave him Banamine, I called the vet. Thankfully it was just a gas colic and a night in the barn, sans food, fixed things. But while the vet was here I had him look at Roadie. He thought he'd be fine.

Two weeks later Roadie came in with blood on his hind legs. His penis wounds were angry looking and bleeding again. You got it. I called the vet. Roadie had a little surgery to remove about a 3" long strip of flesh that was hanging off the largest wound. He went on oral antibiotics 2x/day and I put antibiotic/steroid ointment on the area twice a day. The bright side is he was a stallion for ten years, was trained for AI collection and so is perfectly OK with me treating the area. I take him to a couple "special" spots in the yard where he usually urinates and he'll drop so I can wash and doctor him. About two weeks passed and the wound was still not completely healed... and had yet another small strip hanging off of it. Dr. Kittrell came out (again) and Roadie had surgery (again). More antibiotics and topical treatment. All in all, it took eight weeks and two surgeries to completely heal! Pictured is Roadie after doctoring and a bath one hot August day.


A couple of my favorites from the August 2017 photo session.


December 3, 2017- This morning, long-time friend and riding student Cassidy Sutherland brought her two year old son Evan out to see Sweetie and the other horses.



January 11, 2019- We just had a lovely visit with Helen Prentice- from England! Helen's Mom lives in Ocala, FL and Helen is in the States visiting her. It was a relatively short trip (5 hours from Ocala) for her to come and see the ancestors and relatives of her colt, Pepe. Pepe (registered name TBA) is by Coulee Bend Talisman, the gorgeous silver dun son of Unconventional (aka Connor, who is Roadie's son). Pepe's dam is Helen's own mare, Withecott Celestial Star. Pepe got his sire and grandsire's silver gene- he is a beautiful bay silver colt. It was a clear sunny day with temps in the 50's- perfect riding weather! We took advantage and rode both Roadie (sire of Unconventional- so, Pepe's great grandsire) and Rosie.


September 21, 2020- Roadie has been in with his daughter Charli after she weaned her 2020 filly, Ariel. Here he is taking a lap around the field and keeping his distance from Charli, who definitely is the boss in this little herd of two!