The Buckskin Filly 1: Meet Mayday
- May 8, 2014
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- Jessie Salter
Posted in: Horse Training
Ever have that special one? You know from the first day you lay eyes on them that they will be great. Who’s to say if they will be the grand champion, or arena record holder? Only one thing is for certain. They will always have a special place in your heart no matter what they grow up to be.
This is the story of a buckskin filly, we lovingly call, Mayday. She was born on May 1, 2011. And around this house, she was about the most perfect thing anyone could get on a beautiful spring evening.
To start this story off right, you’ll need to know how Mayday came about. Now, we have baby foals every year, and we think they are all special. A lot of time and money go into making sure each mare and stallion pairing is thought out to produce what we all want in a horse. We aim for great conformation, and a trainable attitude. We hope that based on the Dam and Sire’s history that we also get an athlete. And a little splash of color never hurt either!
So what makes this particular filly so special? Several aspects play into this answer, but it all starts with Mom and Dad. Mayday’s mom and dad that is.
Meet Sunshine: This is our stallion. He is the epitome of what our program represents. The bonus is that he’s a beautiful buckskin, but underneath that awesome coat is the kindest most trainable stallion we’ve ever been around. Not only is he trained as a reining horse, you can head or heel on him. He’s great to bring pairs out of the mountains, and he’s a 1D barrel horse. Top that off with the fact that he’s also our lesson horse. Any kid or novice rider can hop on him and he will very gently teach them all about confidence and the love of a grand horse.
Meet Hotshot: One of the most amazing mare’s I’ve ever had the pleasure of riding. Born of champion parents herself, and trained by the best, she has never given anything less than her all. Athletic to no end, she can put her feet in places that don’t seem feasible, and make it look easy. She has speed to spare, and can turn on a dime with the wiggle of a your little finger. She taught me to be an aggressive and confident competitor. She taught me to trust your mount. She LOVED her job. What a pole horse too, and a true pleasure to work cows on. Handy in every aspect of any sport. I spent an entire season winning on Hotshot all while she was carrying Mayday.
So, how can you go wrong with a pairing like that? Well, you can’t…At least in our eyes. From the time this foal was conceived, my two kids (and admittedly, me too) talked to Hotshot’s belly. We rubbed it and held our ears to her, and spoke to that foal. We were with Hotshot every weekend…pulling checks I might ad. So it was with great pride that we treated Hotshot and her unborn foal like gold.
As you can imagine, once spring rolled around, this family was anxious. As Hotshot got closer to her due date, we spent lost of time inspecting her. The kids, at age 5 and 3, learned all about checking for waxing, and feeling a baby foal kick and move inside its mother’s womb. They continued to talk to this foal and hug and kiss Hotshot’s belly.
I was there when Mayday hit the ground. I pulled the sack off her face, and when I spoke to her for the first time she whinnied at me. The next morning when the kids woke up and ran out to see her, she went right up to them at the sound of their voices, and it was love at first sight… for everyone.
Join me as I share the journey of Mayday the buckskin filly.
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Posted in: Horse Training
About Jessie Salter
Horses have been a part of my life since I can remember. Riding with my Dad as a youngster was what I lived for. There was nothing better than working cows, or racing my dad across an alfalfa field. It seems I never grew out...