My grand old man – Hilltops Little Vegas – has passed over the bridge.
I first met him at a sale in Missouri back when he was 14. I was there with Angie Sauer and Diana Rickard. None of us really needed another stallion but there was something that just caught our eye. So sort of as a lark because we thought we might be able to jerk someone’s chain (long story on that one) because of his breeding by bringing him home, so decided we would pool our resources up to a certain limit. Well….someone else saw us looking at him and decided if we liked him, HE needed him. If we had known who was running our bid, we would never have let him go. For two more years I could not get that beautiful zebra dun/buckskin stallion out of my head and repeatedly tried to get him away from the buyer. He finally relented and let me buy him…and discovered this guy had Vegas running with a small herd of mares, donkey JACKS, and even a Clyde STALLION. I’m not sure who was more thrilled to get him out of that he11 hole, Vegas or me. (Can you imagine some mare buyers’ surprise when they bought a mare that was supposed to be bred to Vegas and they came out with VERY long ears?)
(at age 25-facing off with Robby, age 19)
(I call this picture "Grumpy Oldl Men")
Over the years Vegas confirmed what I knew he could do, producing babies with primitive colors, chiseled heads with tea-cup muzzles, beautiful conformation and MOTION. He could be a little turd-hard to catch if I was the one going out there, but would come up for a scratch from my grandkids or others…unless it was breeding season and then he met me at the gate.
The last few years were progressively more difficult for him – arthritic and requiring senior feed – he did well until this fall, when he developed chronic choke and stopped eating. It was time.
Rest in peace, old boy! And to all the owners of his wonderful offspring….love them like I loved him.
I first met him at a sale in Missouri back when he was 14. I was there with Angie Sauer and Diana Rickard. None of us really needed another stallion but there was something that just caught our eye. So sort of as a lark because we thought we might be able to jerk someone’s chain (long story on that one) because of his breeding by bringing him home, so decided we would pool our resources up to a certain limit. Well….someone else saw us looking at him and decided if we liked him, HE needed him. If we had known who was running our bid, we would never have let him go. For two more years I could not get that beautiful zebra dun/buckskin stallion out of my head and repeatedly tried to get him away from the buyer. He finally relented and let me buy him…and discovered this guy had Vegas running with a small herd of mares, donkey JACKS, and even a Clyde STALLION. I’m not sure who was more thrilled to get him out of that he11 hole, Vegas or me. (Can you imagine some mare buyers’ surprise when they bought a mare that was supposed to be bred to Vegas and they came out with VERY long ears?)
(at age 25-facing off with Robby, age 19)
(I call this picture "Grumpy Oldl Men")
Over the years Vegas confirmed what I knew he could do, producing babies with primitive colors, chiseled heads with tea-cup muzzles, beautiful conformation and MOTION. He could be a little turd-hard to catch if I was the one going out there, but would come up for a scratch from my grandkids or others…unless it was breeding season and then he met me at the gate.
The last few years were progressively more difficult for him – arthritic and requiring senior feed – he did well until this fall, when he developed chronic choke and stopped eating. It was time.
Rest in peace, old boy! And to all the owners of his wonderful offspring….love them like I loved him.
