Stallions of yesteryear..

[bfogg]

I am one of the lucky ones who got to see a lot of the really great horses in person and when they were in their prime.Looking back over 25 years.

I got to see Rowdy,who was amazing.

Boogerman who I think was one of the best of the best!But just my opinion......

Egyptian King

Little Blue Boy

Little Boy Blue

Tennesee Monashee

And Slobodys gorgeous filly

Shady Lady

And because i am of the belief that the brood mares are the real heroes in the breeding shed, I got to see Cindy Moses 3 great original mares in their prime all very intense Rowdy and Blue boy bred I believe,back when they were showing!

gorgeous! And because I have seen those mare now (still gorgeous) it shows what great care of older horses and breeding will do

And of course my favorite the one and only Buckeroo

I saw Moonlight Bay being driven by Joe Spino in a roadster class,Joe Spino I think has magic hands. This man is someone who should write a book on the breed, he is like a computer with his knowledge of horses and the facts he know he and Al are fascinating to talk with.

I remember seeing Egyptian Kings Contessa who was one of the first tiny horses I had seen who was so little but so refined and so correct looking.

Trying to think of some of the others. I was lucky enough to see in person.

I remember a stallion who will be nameless whose handlers hands would be all bloody from being bitten coming out of classes. I remember thinking i would pull all his teeth and put them in a jar!!!!!This was not one of the ones mentioned above by the way.

Lots of good memories.......

Bonnie

 

[yellerroseintx]

...I have no idea just why...but reading your post brought tears to my eyes.

I guess, as you spoke I could just imajine them in all thier glory..lucky you

 

[sfmini]

Yup, I remember those days too. We were just starting out, and placed third a lot. Who were those horses that beat us? GRrrrr, used to be a bit testy about it. Now, I look back and think, man, to think we were placing just behind those wonderful stallions, Boogerman and Bond Cracker Crumble C, um, my mind is going, Tom Werne's stallion. Darn, can't seem to come up with the name, but great stallion.

We didn't understand the placings at the time, sure do now! My lightbulb came on when I went through some old videos and realized the horses that we were showing against. OH! Got it, NFCs Manipulator.

And Moonlight Bay, that horse was just plain breathtaking to see in harness! Especially back then when the minis had terrible movement as a rule.

 

[zoey829]

Oh the great beauty

 

[Tami]

Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I too got to see a lot of those horses since I started in mini's back in 1982. My stallion I had early on always placed just behind Little Kings Buckeroo Time Two. Not knowing then what his mark on the mini world would be. I have several of his grand babies (Double Destiny offspring) and only one from the stallion I had at that time....lol.

 

[MInx]

I would have given anything to have been a part of those days, but I am grateful to be allowed to join in all these wonderful experiences on here and through the books and shows now..for myself since I love driving so much I wish ,( if wishes were money we'd all be rich

) well anyway I wish I could have seen Mahogany Bay in harness just one time.!

I understand he was peotry in motion.

Maxine

 

[lyn_j]

I visited some of the old timers too... I played with Egyptian King in the field at Gross Hill when they were still in NJ. I romped with Boogerman on a crisp november day. It was lovely. I got actual kisses from these fameous men!

Lyn

 

[Loess Hills]

[SIZE=12pt]Keep all those memories alive! Write them down and pass them down to the next generation.[/SIZE]

So much a part of miniature horse history has been forgotten, or is totally new to those just beginning..........we need those connections to the recent past to make comparisons.

 

[lilfolks]

Bonnie, I sure do agree with your list of "greats."

Moonlight Bay was one of the most beautiful driving horses I've ever seen.

And Shady Lady has always been georgeous !!!!

And there are many more and too many to list but it's great remembering them.

Joyce L

 

[Miniv]

It IS great to remember......and many times, while I was seeing some of those "Greats", I didn't realize it!

Initially, Larry and I had a chance to visit and see horses that would eventually be considered "historical". And I had a chance to travel with Larry on his hauling trips before Brianna was born and then, we took her with us until she reached preschool age............So one can just imagine all the OTHER places that Larry has seen!

Like Bonnie, we've met Slobody's Shady Lady, the Washburn's Prince Tennesee of Monashee. There's also, Bond Jocko, Lil Hustler, Alamos's Locomotion, ORION, Call Me Sir, Fire & Ice, Bond Dynamo.......

Okay.....my mind has gone blank........but there are more......and Larry has met more than me.

It's just that when you meet them, you don't always tend to have the foresight to have a camera or to journal. (sorry). OH!

MA

 

[Tony]

Tom Werne's stallion was/is NFC's Manipulator. I agree and am happy to be one of the lucky ones that goes back, too.

 

[just2minis]

You really were lucky to get to see all those "greats". I love FWF Little Blue Boy. Cracked me up about the teeth

You are a hoot Bonnie !!

 

[Charlotte]

Oh my! The first time I saw Call Me Sir! Pant pant pant In Gordyville I think it was. Not all that long ago I suppose but now I so admire his get.

Rose, I too would like to see the memories put down in a book of those who have been here for a good number of years . What a treat it would be to read the candid stories of the early greats of our breed.

Charlotte

 

[Mocha]

Hey Bonnie! What a great thread. And thanks for the plug for my old girls.

My trip to NFC back in 1989 was the start of my mini adventure, and I was fortunate to have personal introductions - which I didn't appreciate til years later - to Rowdy, Egyptian King, Little Boy Blue, Peppy Power, and Dark Destroyer among others. Boogerman was not there at the time, but he was shown all over the country by NFC and came to New England several years later. I also met Cheryl Belcher there on that original trip, and through her, her Dad Joe Spino, who guided me in setting up my breeding program, based on old Flying W Fams bloodlines - Blue Boy and Wardance, mixed well with Rowdy, adding a touch of King, and later infused with Gold Melody Boy. Bonnie is right -- that man should write a book!

Here is my Blue Boy daughter Flying W Farms Blue LeFox. She is 21 this year, 19 when this photo was taken, and World Reserve Champion Amateur Senior Mare in 1991. She has been with me since 1990.

The standing joke in my household for years was that I had to travel all the way to Texas from NH in order to be reserve to my Massachusetts neighbor, Laurie Slobody with her NFC's Flash Dance. Of course Flash had been World Grand Champion Junior Mare and went on to be World Grand Champion Senior Mare as well, so I was in good company. And I believe she was under 30" -- way ahead of her time.

I also have a 20 year old Boogerman daughter, Bar B Boogermans Queen, purchased in 1991, and my two 1989 NFC girls, Cherokee Maiden, a Rowdy granddaughter and mother of 12, and Darks Spice of Life, a Komokos Dark Destroyer daughter. (Yes, Komoko!) These are the 'original mares' Bonnie mentioned.

And if you will allow me to brag a bit, here is the culmination of all of this - Mocha's Penny Royal, who is Spice's daughter, Queenie's granddaughter, and Fox's great granddaughter!

Thank you Joe and Cheryl, and Rowdy and King and Blue Boy and Dark and Boogerman -- Penny would not be bringing joy into my life without all of you!

I love all these stories - let's here more!

Cindy

 

[bfogg]

Kind of a funny story.

I was at a show in New York i think, and a driving horse reared up and when over backwards outside the ring. It may have scared winded it etc because it just layed there.

About 6 people rushed over and a man took out a knife to cut the harness, for some reason I heard myself say wait don't cut it, lets just pick him up!

Looking back i am not sure how we did it but 6 of us grabbed harness shafts and horse and just put him back on his feet, it seemed liked 30 seconds and it was done.

Now thinking back I would not say that was the right thing to do, but it worked! But what was funny was the horse went into the class,(don't know how he did) but we all just kind of looked at each other and I think we we all thinking what the heck just happened, and how come it worked ?

.

 

[KTS@Sawmill River]

Wow.... This thread brought back a lot of memories for my parents.... and myself, even though I do not remember a lot of the earlier horses! Thank you so much for mentioning our two Grand ladies, Shady Lady and Flash.

It is great to have one thread devoted to the horses of yester year.... Old Shady Lady(2X World Grand Champion and multiple World Champ) is going to be 18 yrs. old and has given us quite a few foals, one of them being our current herdsire, SRF Nobility(AMHA Reserve World Champion and AMHR National Champion) A majority of the horses on our farm are Shady Lady get, grand get, siblings or cousins. Our AMHA World trophies this yr. came from relatives to Shady Lady.... Grosshill EK Creations Duke of Earl(World Champion Youth Liberty), by NFC Egyptian Kings Creation and out of NFC Duchess Silhouette(dam of Shady Lady) and DeChevals Windsong of the Night(2007 Reserve World Champion amateur and Open Sr. Mare) by Grosshills Night Rythm(full brother to Shady Lady) and out of Grosshill Ovations Restless Wind. Shady Lady has truly been our once in a lifetime horse!

Flashdance is going to be 24 yrs. old this coming year and has unfortunately, never had a foal for us. She has been hanging out on our farm since her retirement in 1999, when she won her last World Champion. She is one of the horses that we would never part with and she is very dear to our hearts. My mother, brother and I, all won our first AMHA World Championships with Flash, so she is very special to us.

Here is Flash in 1992, right after she won her World Grand Sr. Mare title

And Shady Lady in 1992, with her World Grand Champion Jr. Mare ribbon

I can vaguely remember the NFC dispersal period( 4 yrs. old and looking through the pics in the sales catalog and Miniature Horse Worlds, listening to my father talk about the bloodlines that were going to be the future) and how proud my parents were when they brought home a few Rowdy daughters, one of them being NFC Rowdys Supreme(AMHA Reserve World Grand Champion Jr. Mare) who unfortunately suffered an untimely death the following year, giving birth. We also brought home a mare by the name of NFC Rowdys Uptown Girl who had a tiny grey colt on her side by Boy Blue, who grew up to be SRF Encore, 2X Reserve World Grand Champion and Multiple World and Reserve World Champion at only 29 3/4" tall! My father still talks about Bob Erwin(NFC Farms) and what an asset he was to the miniature horse industry. Bob and his wife, Sandy came to our farm once and my father sat and talked to them until the early hours of the morning about bloodlines and showing and anything and everything in between.

I can remember the old horse shows up here at Northampton and Springfield that NFC and Lil Hill Farm attended. I was a little kid when those took place, and don't remember much, but stallions like Dream Merchant and Boogerman were there for our viewing pleasure. I have old tapes of those shows and enjoy watching them and seeing all of these legends. I never got to see Buckeroo as a young horse, but being able to see him last yr. at the age of 28 and still going strong, was just as good as seeing him as a young horse. He is still beautiful!

Cindy, Thank you so much for mentioning Flash as well...... I loved reading the about beginning of your miniature endeavor...... NFC Farm has really had an impact on both of our farms..... Blue Le Fox still looks like she is a young horse!

This was a great walk down Memory Lane.... Thank you for starting this thread, Bonnie!

 

[Erica]

I can vaguely remember the NFC dispersal period( 4 yrs. old and looking through the pics in the sales catalog and Miniature Horse Worlds, listening to my father talk about the bloodlines that were going to be the future) and how proud my parents were when they brought home a few Rowdy daughters,

Kristina,

Is this when Geisha went with you guys as well??

BTW - she's getting ready to DROP soon.....I'm hoping to have her under marestare by later this weekend. I say a week or so. She's in foal to Taker so I'm really excitied. A little bird told me black filly; but I guess we will wait and see.

 

[KTS@Sawmill River]

I can vaguely remember the NFC dispersal period( 4 yrs. old and looking through the pics in the sales catalog and Miniature Horse Worlds, listening to my father talk about the bloodlines that were going to be the future) and how proud my parents were when they brought home a few Rowdy daughters,

Kristina,

Is this when Geisha went with you guys as well??

BTW - she's getting ready to DROP soon.....I'm hoping to have her under marestare by later this weekend. I say a week or so. She's in foal to Taker so I'm really excitied. A little bird told me black filly; but I guess we will wait and see.

Erica.

Geisha was one of them! I had to go back and look at the dispersal catalog just to check.... Please let me know when she has her baby!!! That will be one heavily bred Rowdy foal(hopefully filly....lol)!!! Can't wait to see what you get!!!

 

[AnnaC]

Hi from the UK!

Just love this thread and hearing about all the oldies, the special ones who gave us the beloved minis that we own today.

May I ask you a question. Can anyone tell me the dam of Boogerman? So often the 'ladies' get sidelined, and I was just interest what made up the maternal side of this great stallion. Where did she come from etc? Sorry, but I dont seem to be able to find any reference to her - or perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place LOL!!

Please keep this thread going, it is brilliant.

Greetings to you all from 'across the pond'!

Anna

 

[Tami]

How could I forget, I think my brain is leaving me.......lol. We have the Midwest Horse Fair here in Madison WI. This year will be the 29th and I have been to them all. That is where I fell in LOVE with miniature horses. Back in the early 80's, I had seen this stunning buckskin stallion and that is just what I wanted when I got a mini. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I am guessing he was a 2 or 3 year old. He just floored me. To me he was the prettiest horse I had ever seen, big or small. I talked to his owner and told him I was in LOVE. I took a photo of him from behind to show his beautiful long tail. I still have that somewhere. Oh to know then what I know now. The owner was Lowell Boone and that mini that I could not take my eye's off of was Boone's Little Buckeroo. To this day, thinking back to that day still gives me goosebumps.