Darn Lucky

The Elite Mare, Darn Lucky
         click to enlarge

Elite Hanoverian Mare Darn Lucky is my favorite mare of all times.  She is the daughter of my original Hanoverian mare, Seesturm, by the Elite Stallion Donnerkeil.  Lucky got her name because she was darn lucky to survive her first day.  She was born, must have fallen against the stall door, the door came off the runners at the bottom, and she rolled outside of the stall, and she was out, alone in the aisleway.  Her mother, Seesturm, was still in the stall.  Lucky, on her own, got up on her feet, and walked out the front of the barn,  She turned right, and walked into my dog yard that was fenced.  She got herself stuck in the corner.  Had she walked straight across the road, she would have walked into a pasture with two stallions.  She was darn lucky that she turned right when she snuck out of the tiny opening in the door.

Lucky is a 1996 mare, and has produced five foals.  They have been by five different stallions, and all have been lovely foals.  She has been bred to Graf Gotz, Wolkenglanz, Feiner Stern, Regazzoni, and Liberty Gold.  She is currently being bred to Escudo II.  Lucky has lovely conformation and beautiful movement.  She passes that on to her foals, and is a wonderful mother.  All of her foals are stamped with her good looks, although the Regazzoni boy had to get to three before we could say that, and are stamped with her good looks and exceptional conformation.  Her two daughters, Good Luck Charm and Firefly, by Graf Gotz and Feiner Stern are highly prized by their owners and could likely not be purchased, and Lucky is not for sale.  I have two of Lucky's daughters, Windstorm and Lunar Wind, and I would have to consider offers on them.  Windstorm is eligible to performance test to become an Elite Mare, and we are looking to perhaps do that this next year.

Elite Hanoverian Mare Dragonfly is our latest mare to receive the Elite Mare status.  Dragon, although she just turned eight, was not trained to ride under saddle until January of this year.  This was because she was busy being a broodmare, and then her trainer was busy being a mother.  So, Dragon began her training in January, 2010, and she was shown the first time U/S for her performance test on July 13, 2010.  She has had two foals, the youngest of which is currently a yearling, and the oldest is a three year old.  The three year old gelding is by Regazzoni, and the younger filly is by Liberty Gold.  The three year old just went into his first horse show, a dressage show, and won both of his Intro to Dressage classes, and received the Champion High Score for the day for the Intro Level classes.  The yearling filly was shown in the Suitability for Dressage in-hand classes, which she won as well.

Dragonfly is a 16.2 hand mare, by the Elite Hanoverian Stallion Donnerkeil by Diamont.  Her mother was the imported Trakehner mare Polaria II, who was added to the Hanoverian Main Mare Studbook after she went through the mare inspection.  She is refined, elegant, and a lovely mover, sensitive, and a wonderful dressage horse, and an excellent show prospect.  She is also a terrific broodmare.  Her foals are very similar to her.  She is an easy breeder, and uncomplicated.  She is sound, flexible, and very sensitive.  She would be an excellent prospect for a serious amateur or a professional.  This mare could easily have a great show career and then have a good breeding career.  If we keep her at home, she will probably just keep her as a broodmare, as  this is our business.  She is priced accordingly. 

 

Elite Hanoverian Mare Dragonfly and Offspring-Click to Enlarge

Rainstorm at first show

Dragon's first foal.

Dragon's second foal.

Liberty Song

Newly Elite Mare

Dragon Fly's yearling filly

Liberty Song at her first horse show (Dragon's yearling filly).

Yearling Liberty Song, out of Dragonfly.

Dragon at the show.

Rain's second test.

Rainy's first test.

Dragon at the local dressage show to experience the "Crowd"

It's cookie time for the Dragon!!

Dragon got ridden around at the show to see how she acted.

Practicing before his first test.

Rainstorm follows Marie everywhere.

Rainstorm was not worried about anything.

Dragon gets a pep talk before an early workout

Before a clinic.

Marie gets Rainstorm ready for his first clinic.

Rainstorm stretches to get ready for his first clinic.

Rainstorms goes looking for cookies from Karin Bielefeld.

Windstorm, Darn Lucky's second daughter, is the same age as Dragonfly which is 8, and like Dragon, she has had two foals, but Windy has been broke to ride.  She started when Dragon was in foal, and that allowed her to get a leg up on Dragon before Marie Milliman, my trainer, had her time  put on hold when she had her own baby.  So, Windy has had a little different use of her time, but has yet to finish her mare inspection, just like Dragon. 

Windstorm is a daughter of Darn Lucky, out of the Elite Stallion Wolkenglanz.  He was purchased by Barb Schmidt of Bridlewood Farm.  She is a bright chestnut, like he was, but she is like Lucky in her temperament, and very much in her looks.  She is a very beautiful mare, a bright copper, with excellent conformation, and a beautiful head and neck.  She is a good mover, but is notable for having a very strong back, and the ability to work well in collected gaits.  She passes along that strong back to her foals.  She is very easy to breed, and has gorgeous foals.  She has beed bred to two horses from Rainbow Equus Meadows, both Pablito and now Rubignon.  Her two year old filly, Paloma FF is a very nice mover, and the new baby, yet un-named is smart, friendly, and very athletic.  This little guy is very much the show off, and is really fun to have around.  He learned to lead in a very short period of time.

Windy is now about 16.1 hands, and is a substantial yet modern mare.  She is a beautiful chestnut color, with nearly flawless conformation.  She received a score of 9 for her head, and the judges commented that "sometimes the best things come in small packages".  She was only 15.3 at her MSB inspection.  She could possibly be sold to the right home, but it would have to be the perfect home.  She is one of the mare mafia here, and everyone loves Wendy.  She could have a nice show career, and she throws wonderful foals.  Out of two of the Rainbow Equus Meadows stallions, she has produced two very different, but lovely foals.  They both have beautiful movement, and beautiful conformation.  She really does a great job, and is a wonderful, friendly, loving mare. 

Elite Eligible Hanoverian Mare Windstorm and Baby-click to enlarge

Windstorm one week after baby

Windstorm and Reugan FF

Windstorm and Reugan FF

Windstorm and Reugan FF

Windy and the little Man

Windy and the Little Man

Hera Olympia (Mosey) is a Purebred Trakehner mare that was born in 1996, the same year as Darn Lucky.  These two have been apart for much of their lives, but it does not take much time for them to be hooked together at the hip.  Mosey is a beautiful Trakehner daughter of the wonderful (albeit deceased) stallion Mozart.  She is a lovely mover, she is absolutely packed with presence, and has been the beloved companion of my friend Phylllis Adcock.  She had a foal about 8 years ago by Adrian, the Trakehner son of Abiza by Merkur, and that filly is an Elite Oldenburg mare, having completed her perfomance test last year.  She is a 16+ hand, bay-sort of - almost grulla- mare with a goal- this year- of producing a Liberty Gold foal that will be registered as an Oldenburg.  She is lovely to ride, herself, tolerating beginners up to the most skilled dressage riders.  She caught on the first insemination, although we will confirm that this week with a second ultrasound.  This mare is an excellent riding horse, a pleasure to handle and own.  She has the blood of Mozart as a sire, he being imported from Europe and being in the Trakehner book, but also I believe to be in the Dutch book in Europe.  She is out of the Trakehner mare Habana, by the Trakehner stallion Hansel, who came from Galten Farms in Toronto, Canada, a mare that I purchased exclusively to breed to Mozart, to get the Hansel bloodlines in this mare.  Hansel was a Merkur son who was known for the excellent broodmares that he produced, and I had many Hansel mares in the past.  He could be counted on to produce beautiful, athletic horses that were sensible, intelligent, and easy to handle.  I often bred a two to three mares to Hansel each year.

Breeding Mosey to Liberty Gold is very exciting!  We had two very lovely Liberty Gold fillies born in 2009, and would love to get another in 2011.  Mosey carries some wonderful bloodlines to add to the mix.

Mosey's Pictures-Click to Enlarge

Hera Olympia, Trakehner mare being bred to Liberty Gold, left side. 1996 Trakehner mare.

Hera Olympia, slightly rear shot,left side. 1996 Trakehner mare.

Hera Olympia, right side. 1996 Trakehner mare.

This mare is the one that we refer to as "Pinky."  This little mare is a daughter of Aloha, a Hansel daughter that was perhaps the most beautiful Trakehner mare I ever saw, and was so very fortunate to purchase.  I happened to stop at some friends the day that a sale on Aloha fell through, and I was able to purchase her.  She was in foal to Abdullah, the famous Trakehner stallion who won a Gold and Silver in the 1984 Olympics.  Pinky was the second foal that I got from Aloha, out of the Trakehner stallion Troy. She is only about 15.2 or maybe 15.3.

Pinky moves in the elevated fashion of many of the Spanish horses, and so, this year, I bred Pinky to the Andalusian stallion Palacio, a son of Santiago.

Trakehner Mare Arctic Ice- Click to Enlarge

Trakehner Mare Arctic Ice- Pinky

Trakehner Mare Arctic Ice (AKA Pinky)

Paloma FF is a 2008 Hanoverian filly, the first foal of Windstorm by the Elite Hanoverian Stallion Pablito, from Rainbow Equus Meadows.  She is a bright chestnut filly, and she will probably be about 15.3 or 16 hands when she is full grown.  Paloma has light, uphill, floating movement, and is very graceful, and unlike a number of the youngsters we have raised, has yet to go through an ugly duckling stage common amongst young horses.  She has always had good looks like her mother, Windstorm, and has seemed to be fairly well balanced, and is very smart and sweet. 

Paloma will not begin under saddle training until early next summer or perhaps a little sooner, depending on how she grows throughout the year.  We may start working her in long lines, and possibly do a little more with her.  Also, she may not go to her Main Studbook Mare Inspection as a three year old, depending on how quickly she matures, but it may be put off until her four year old year, or possibly even later.  She is maturing at a fairly slow pace, not unusual for Hanoverians.  We will take her when she is ready.

We are very pleased with Paloma as a first foal, and we are not ruling our returning to Pablito to breed Windstorm to in the next year or two.  The factors that include that include her movement, temperament, and excellent conformation.  She is an outstanding filly.  Paloma is for sale at a reasonable price before she is started under saddle.  She is extremely smart, and a very fast learner.  This filly is extremely sensitive and will require a sensitive, skilled rider, but will be excellent for a professional, or advanced amateur rider because of her extravagant movement.  She is a WONDERFUL mover!!  This is a filly that everyone loves to watch move.

Paloma FF Pictures- Click to Enlarge

Paloma FF at 2 years old

Paloma FF at 2 years old

Paloma FF at 2 years old

Paloma FF at 2 years old

Paloma FF at 2 years old.

Paloma FF at 2 years old

Paloma FF at 2 years old.

Paloma FF at 2 years old.

Paloma FF at 2 years old.

Paloma FF at 2 years old.

Apostrophy is a purebred Trakehner mare that is the result of crossing the stallion Troy, an Amiego son with Amerage, a Merkur daughter.  She is a big, beautiful chestnut mare that was the Reserve Champion at her mare inspection.  She is a substantial mare, standing somewhere between 16 and 16.1, but large boned and well built without being coarse.  She is well put together, and a good mover, and we have not bred her because we have just too many mares to get around to breeding her.  She has always been put on the back burner because she does not have the bloodlines that come out on top when we make our breeding decisions.  She is a pretty, personable mare, and a good riding horse.  She is not a horse for a small child or an inexperienced horse person. 

Trophy is a horse that could probably have a good show career.

Trakehner Mare Apostrophy-Click to Enlarge

Please don't notice my muddy legs. I ran through the mud to get my picture taken.

Please don't notice my muddy legs. I ran through the mud to get my picture taken.

Please don't notice my muddy legs. I ran through the mud to get my picture taken.

Please don't notice my muddy legs. I ran through the mud to get my picture taken.

Please don't notice my muddy legs. I ran through the mud to get my picture taken.

Rocketman arrived one rainy night three years ago in 2007, and in the morning, we were greeted by a little mouse colored colt with a wild blaze and windswept legs with tall white socks.  He was whinnying up a storm when we opened up the barn door!  Darn Lucky yielded up her first colt after four daughters, and the Regazzoni baby was all boy, except that we did not see the familiar dangling object that always greeted us when a foal was a boy.  We waited, and looked at a soft, dangling extension that was located about three inches in front of where we should have seen his little manhood.  Then we worried.  Did something "miss" the opening?  What were we seeing?  A call to the vet- this was Sunday, of course.  He said that we better bring him in.  To be sure.  We did- and it was not a problem, he was choosing to not share his penis until a later viewing time.  That was Rocky's first day.  It has gotten better since that.  But, he has kept his sense of humor.

Now three, Rocketman FF, by Regazzoni, out of Darn Lucky, is a 16.2 or larger liver chestnut gelding who is almost ready to begin training.  We had planned to start him August 1st, but are pushing it off for a month or two while my trainer takes a few months off after a knee injury, and Rocky is currently in a growth spurt as well.  We don't know how bigger he will get, but neither his dam or sire is much bigger than he.  We are thinking that he will finish off fairly soon.

Rocky is very smart, very sweet, and is a great, forward, uphill mover!  He is big, but super easy and sensible to handle.  He is a natural, easy beautiful mover.  The Willowtree trainers think that he is very uphill and has great forward movement and impulsion.  He is also a lot of fun to be around, as we spent a lot of time playing with him as a youngster.  He was so people oriented that we could do almost anything with him even without a halter on him.  That included spraying him for bugs, clipping him with the clippers, giving him shots with a rope around his neck, and he can get in the trailer faster than we can.  He is a really fun horse, and loves to be sprayed with the hose to get the flies off of him, and he will do almost anything that you want.  I can't think of any things that he will not try.  He is going to make a fantastic horse for someone, whether he is just a work horse, because he is so giving, or for someone who wants a deeper relationship with his or her horse.  He loves all of the attention that he can get.  I anticipate that training him for under saddle work will be a breeze.

Rocketman is for sale, and will be less expensive before he is started under saddle.  We will probably be starting him this fall.  This is the moment of opportunity!  He is a fun, sweet, big guy!

Rocketman FF-Click to Enlarge

You can't tell by this, but next to Phyllis, Rocky is 16.2, at least!

Can be bribed for food!

Rocketman at 3 years old, 1 month

Rocky at 3 yrs

Rocky at 3 years

Rocky at 3 years. If you look on the right side, he is looking at car keyes.

Luna was born in 2009, and came out the same mouse color as Rocketman.  She is the next foal that Darn Lucky had after Rocketman, as she has to be bred every other year.  Her sire is Liberty Gold, and she is now a dark brown color, and would be a very dark brown if I would keep her in during the day.  She is a very friendly filly, and has beautiful movement, and will likely be about 16.2 or even 16.3.  She has lovely movement, beautiful conformation, and is very obviously a Darn Lucky daughter.  We were thrilled to get Lucky in foal to Liberty Gold, and actually between a group of three of us had three  of my mares in foal to him.  There was Dragonfly, who produced Liberty Song,  Darn Lucky, who produced Lunar Wind, and Gojira, who died at about 5 months into her pregnancy.  We were very sad that Gojira passed away.  She was a wonderful brood mare.  Luna and Liberty were both lovely foals.  Marie Milliman, who leased Dragonfly, and got Liberty Song, plans to keep Liberty Song.  Lunar Wind may be a sale horse for our farm.  She is too young for any training at this point other than ground manners and basic.  She will be handled and do all of the basics that we can do with her.  We work with her every day.

Luna is a sweet, easy going filly, and it appears that she will be very much like her mother, Lucky.  She has the same kind of personality, generally laid back, in some instances a little upbeat.  Luna is currently for sale, which is good, and might change if we would sell Windstorm.  She is a lovely mover, and will be a talented athlete.

Luna in her Yearling Year! Click on Photos to Enlarge!

Nirvana is an Oldenburg mare that has been at Firefly Farm for a limited time, comparatively speaking.  She was purchased about 7 years ago to be a broodmare.  She came from a Hunter/Jumper barn, that has a number of Chicago clients who come up on the weekends.  She belonged to one of these clients, whose daughter/horseowner was going off to college.  Nobody would be coming to see/ride Nirvana.  

I was at a horseshow at this farm, and talking to the manager, and she asked me if I had an interest.  I am always interested in warmblood mares.  She showed me Nirvana, who was a good looking, well cared for mare, and I made arrangements to purchase her, and brought her home. 

I found out a great deal about Nirvana- She had been a successful grand prix jumper in Chicago.  She was by the Oldenburg stallion Frohwind.  He is a tremendously good stallion.  She was out of a thoroughbred mare.  I had really liked her bloodlines, certainly the Frohwind side.  I felt as if Nirvana could possibly be a good addition to my group of broodmares.  I had bred to Oldenbergs, but did not own an Oldenburg mare per see..   

The next year, I worked to breed Nirvana to Landkonig, Hanoverian Stallion standing at Rainbow Equus Meadows.  We breed many times with no success.  After that season, I decided not to try again, as it had been too expensive an effort and had not produced any results.

Since then, Nirvana has been a babysitter and companion to other horses here.  I would like to place her with someone, and it would be great if someone would be able to get her in foal.  Perhaps with a live cover, they would experience some success.  She is a lovely mare, very easy to handle, and could even stand some light riding.  She was too high strung to be a lesson horse at the barn where she was, but is older and slower now, and much more laid back after seven years in a pasture with no pressure on her to perform or do anything.

I would be  glad to give Nirvana to a farm or person where she could be bred, used as a babysitter, or used for light riding.  She appears to be sound, and is very easy to care for with no vices of any kind!

Oldenberg Mare Nirvana-Click on Photos to Enlarge

Nirvana, Oldenburg Mare

Nirvana, Oldenburg mare by Furioso

Nirvana, by Frohwind. Oldenburg, born 1990.

Oldenburg Mare Nirvana by Frohwind

This little guy really kept us waiting as Windstorm seemed to be going in and out of labor for about three weeks!  She never produced much wax of any great amount, but we spent more nights out in the barn checking on her as she got up and laid down more that any mare could have in that period of time.  She was also the size of an Elephant in foal at the 18th month, if that is possible.  Just when we were sure that something was drastically wrong, I came home from work at lunchtime, and walked out to the barn before going into the house and there he was.  He wasn't there at 8:00 a.m., but up and eating at 11:00 a.m..

I had everything set, ready, prepared, and at 8:00 a.m. I went home and put Wendy out with the little girls Lunar Wind and Paloma FF because there was no waxing, and no changes.  I guess I was wrong. She had him in the stall that was bedded with sawdust, not straw, and waited until there was no one to help.  Luckily, he came out with all four legs, and Wendy did have to have the placenta removed, but all was otherwise well.

Now- this little guy- still un-named- is by Rubignon- and he is wonderous!  Bay, a blaze, one sock, but muscles- and a butt!  THIS little guy looks like he will be able to levitate,
and when the dressage movement is called for to fly, he will flap his little wings and fly.  He has all the power that anyone could ask for.  Looking at his muscling, he will be awesome.  Of course, Windstorm has very strong muscles that she has gotten from her mother, and probably her grandfather Donnerkeil.  But, this little foal is going to be able to do a lot of floating kinds of things!  As he grows, he becomes stronger and has more muscle development, but is also more gentle and easy to handle.  He is very smart, and sensible to deal with.  He was great for the blacksmith, even better than his mother who was concerned that she could not see him well enough.

This little boy will be for sale, and can be delivered upon weaning!

Watch Me Grow!! Click on Photos to Enlarge

Liitle man at one week

Little man at a week

Little man at a week

Little man at a week

Little man at a week

Little man at a week