The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

It was tough competition as top horses vied for the Purple, Silver, and White ribbon.

At the end of the day it was the bronze palomino tobiano Shetland gelding whom had given a tremendous performance in Team Obstacle Course, and edged out his competition to claim the coveted BHIS!

Finally the day had come. After weeks of being bed ridden due to some ridiculous illness, Michael had finally decided I was well enough to begin my treks to the ranches again. With the next Futurity still a short time off, I decided it was time to do something adventurous. After a quick phone call I dragged myself into the car along with Michael and began the long drive.

As we pulled up to the property we slowed to allow not one, but two floats leave the property, both loaded with horses. With the departing horses clear we began the drive up the long road, finally stopping when we reached the large training barn.

Being a fraction after six in the morning, we arrived part way through the exercising of the horses. Michael and I watched carefully as riders worked the ponies. It didn’t take us long to realise which were the better riders, as they had more rides. After the exercising was over, the owner of the barn came over and greeted us warmly, explaining the order what we were going to see, and warning us of the dangers we may face. I eyed Michael as he laughed at the warning, smirking to myself. He’d find out soon enough how dangerous these ponies could be.

Next up came those needed bracket training. These appeared to be more of a handful then those who came before, most of them fighting every step of the way. Eventually a young filly came out, throwing her rider several times. When the third rider came off, Beelzebub offered myself and Michael a ride before she jumped on herself. Knowing the damage a kiso can do, I refused right off, only to be tormented by Michael. With a grin I watched as he strode up to the pony, which stood perfectly, awaiting its next victim.

Michael mounted with ease, and began to work the pony in figure eights to get the feeling of her. When he was comfortable, he aimed her at a jump, the pair flying over the raised beams. Twice more they sailed over the jumps, each one higher than the last. I turned to Beelzebub who was shaking her head. “He might want to hold on.” She murmured.

As if on cue, Michael aimed the pony at the next jump. The pair approached perfectly, the strides even. Then, just as Michael raised himself, Spill No Blood stopped dead, sending Michael flying over her head. As he had practiced many times before, he rolled himself into a ball dusting himself off as he rose. Determined not to be beaten, he strode back over to the mealy red bay pony, which was waiting patiently for him in the middle of the ring.

Mounting the pony again, he aimed for the same jump, this time flying right over. The next jump had Michael flying over on his own, as did the jump after that. Finally Beelzebub called them both in. As Michael dismounted Spill No Blood, the red bay pony spun around and stared at Michael. For a few tense moments horse and rider watched each other, both wondering who would make the first move. Tired of the standoff Michael moved to undo the girth, his eyes off the pony’s head, she struck. Teeth latched on to Michael’s bare arm, causing him to cry out.

Beelzebub muttered, a smile on her face as she walked over to take the pony from him.
“I gave you fair warning. Next time you might listen.” She told him as she handed the pony off to a groom.
Trying my best not to laugh I gave Michael a hug before we ventured to the round yard where the younger horses were being worked. First came those in green training, and then the younger foals. While the youngsters were training, and Michael was learning all he could to use on our babies at home, I took the chance to question Beelzebub on what her secret was. All I could learn from the interrogation was that Beelzebub not only train and show the horses on her ranch, she also has anywhere from 10 to 15 horses away on leases for various reasons at one time.

When the training was over, Michael and I assisted in the grooming of some of the horses before we headed back to the car, pausing on our way out to allow yet another trailer full of horses out before us.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

E-R Imports announced today the arrival of five new sire lines and five new dam lines for custom imports.

Foreign Soquili Daladu CFSIII
Foreign Soquili Gal'quadu CFSIII
Foreign Soquili Neladu CFSIII
Foreign Soquili Soneladu CFSIII
Foreign Soquili Tal'sgohi CFSIII
Foreign Soquili Agisi Daladu CFSIII
Foreign Soquili Agisi Gal'quadu CFSIII
Foreign Soquili Agisi Neladu CFSIII
Foreign Soquili Agisi Soneladu CFSIII
Foreign Soquili Agisi Tal'sgohi CFSIII

It was tough competition as top horses vied for the Purple, Silver, and White ribbon.

At the end of the day it was the blue roan American Quarter Horse gelding whom had given a tremendous performance in 2 Miles, and edged out his competition to claim the coveted BHIS!

The futurity. It’s a day of hustle and bustle for everyone involved. For some it’s a show to see how their two-year-old would fare against competition its own age, others use it as a way of supporting their ranch for another year. For me, it’s a perfectly good excuse to get out of the house and to ogle pretty young horses for a whole day.

With my brand new camera loaded in my bag, I began my drive to the show grounds. Once, a very long time ago, I used to actively compete in the event. But with life taking hold, my show days were reduced to the bare minimum needed to keep my ranch afloat. Perhaps one day I shall return to the show scene, but that day will not be for a long time.

As I arrived at the grounds it was a mission and a half to find a spot to park, and I was instantly glad I had left the boyfriend and dog at home, both would be offering me advice as to where I should park. Finally pulling in to a little spot near the gate, I began my long trudge to the show ring. To say I was excited would be an understatement. Since I missed the previous Custom of Distinction event, I have been determined to make it to the next major ER event.

Originally I had planned on doing a report on all of the futurities, but then I realised it would take me a month to finish the article, and I doubt anyone would have the time to sit and read the novel length report I knew it would end up being. So instead I have decided to go through the events and focus on a different event each fortnight. First on my list was English.

It was an event I had much experience in, and one thing I’d learned from my previous show years, was that the most unexpected horse could win easily. Browsing the stalls, there were three who caught my attention. First was an American Warmblood colt named Niikita, next came Fiery Conspiracy, a bronze palomino leopard appaloosa, and finally Killer Peanut. I think it was more the name then the horse itself that made me remember the young filly, that or the fact that she came close several times to tearing a chunk out of my arm.

Jumping was first up. Two horses managed a clean round, but it was Niikita who scraped through the finish just a few seconds before the runner up. Niikita performed well in Pleasure, but placed second to Killer Peanut after he shied at a dog barking from the side lines. Trail was the third event of the day, and once again Niikita pulled through and snagged a first place, Killer Peanut close on his heels. The results of the Hunter Over Fences class surprised everyone. A mostly white, Egyptian Arabian filly named Fahmida I'timad ran the only clean round of the day and took out first. Compared to some of the other horses in the futurity I had considered her a long shot, but it goes to show that even a long shot can surprise everyone.

The final three classes, Hunter Pleasure, Pleasure Driving and In-Hand were all won by the same horse. Killer Peanut. Of all the classes, she put the most effort into Pleasure Driving, whether that was because she enjoyed it, or because there was very few chances for her to sink her teeth into her handler’s flesh I can’t decide. But either way it was her win there that won her the Best Horse in Show title.

I had planned on taking a photo of the winning filly, as well as Fahmida I’timad and Niikita together. But apparently Killer Peanut’s good behaviour had all been used up, and as I approached Beelzebub with the request, the winning horse decided my camera looked rather tasty, snatching it out of my hands. In the end I was able to save the SD card, and have a couple of photos from the day, but that was all that was salvageable.

If nothing else today, I have learned that a horse should never be counted out of an event because of what it looks like. And that no matter how well it is behaving, one should never let their guard down around a Kiso, else they may end up like my poor camera.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

After my visit with the shaggy beast (and my eventual deposit on a beautiful young gelding) I decided it was time I visited something that I knew I had no chance of wanting. Paints. I was reasonably confident I wouldn’t come away wanting another breed; I saw paints all the time around the ER world, and many friends bred them. So as I jumped into my car, dog eagerly sitting next to me ready for the drive, I felt I was ready for what I saw.

As I pulled up to the ranch, I paused by the ranch sign, giving it a quick once over. In large deep red letters it read: Welcome to Buckmoth. Slightly below in smaller letters was: Buckmoth is home to 75 champions and counting, and is one of the top 10 breeders on ER. I smiled as I pulled in to the ranch, pausing once again as I passed a pasture filled with mares and foals. One pair in particular caught my attention. Unlike the vast majority of horses who called this ranch home, both mare and foal were solid. The mare trotted along the fence line, her long, flowing stride eating the ground. The foal beside her cantering to keep up.

Tearing myself away from the scene I continued inside the barn. Dodging the hard working hands I slowly made my way along the stalls. Apparently I had entered the stallion barn. Of all the paint boys in the barn, only three didn’t hold the title of Grand Champion, and those three were still actively showing. Wowed at the quality of horses I saw in the stallions I continued on to the mare stable. Most of the girls were out at the moment, either being worked or simply soaking up the sun, but the memory of the amber mare was still clear in my mind, and I was determined to find out more about this mare.

While browsing, I saw a similar story to what I saw in the stallion’s barn, with nearly every mare having a title attached to her name. Cavatelli, Woylie and Moonsund were the three national champions who resided in the barn. I had thought I had found my mare when I saw that Moonsund was also a solid amber mare, but when they brought her in from her workout I was sadly disappointed. Continuing through I smiled when I found the stall I was after. The mare I was searching for was named Aitutaki, and it was no wonder I was impressed by her. Aitutaki was a World Champion, and even though she was over 20 now, she still moved as well as a horse half her age.

Even as I was leaving the ranch, the article was forming in my head; however I have no doubt that what I had thought of while driving from the ranch was better then what I have written. As I finish the article I know that I will be adding an amber coloured horse to my ever growing herd sometime soon.

My morning was subdued. I first realised something was wrong when I entered the barn and found my beautiful black silver Icelandic filly had eaten very little of her feed. At first I thought nothing of it, she had been with me only a few weeks and I thought she was still settling in.

Starting with my bay gelding, I began to clean the stalls, turning the horses out as I went, muttering under my breath about my boyfriend not turning them out before he left for work. It was a simple enough task, as most of them you could lead out with a buddy. With all the horses out I turned to my new Icelandic, she was the last one to go out. Entering her stall I froze. She was laying on her size, her breathing shallow and her legs swollen like tree trunks.

Cursing softly I bolted from the stall and fetched the cordless phone from the office before racing back to my filly. Lifting her head onto my lap I stroked the thin stripe down her face as I dialed the vet’s number. I was murmuring softly to her before explaining her condition to the vet. I could hear the concern in Bob’s voice as he told me to stay calm as he came over.

Hearing the old truck pull up on the drive I called out to him from my filly’s stall. Despite being here for 15 days, I still hadn’t decided on a name for her, and had been calling her Nipper. The look on Bob’s face filled me with fear.

“I’ll need to take blood.” Bob told me, his voice gentle. “I can’t be certain until I receive the results, but it looks like swamp fever. Until then keep her in quarantine.”

Bob’s words brought tears to my eyes and I buried my face in Nipper’s mane, breathing in her scent. The young filly nickered weakly and I hugged her tight.

The rest of the day went without a hitch; Nipper managed to eat a small amount of her feed, and was standing up in her quarantine stall by the end of the night. I was starting to look optimistic. But my optimism faded as Michael and I did the evening feeds. As I fed everyone in the main barn, Michael went to feed Nipper, the minute he called my name I knew my young filly was gone. The agony in Michael’s voice as he called my name was one I had heard only a few times before, and one I dreaded hearing.

Nipper’s last moments were with Michael and I by her side. I’m not sure how long we stayed with her, but eventually I steeled myself and left the stall, leaving Michael. Calling Bob I informed him of what had happened, and he told me he would have the results of her blood test tomorrow for us, and that our horses weren’t to leave the property.

That night I researched Swamp Fever online. Nipper’s death had hit him hard. Of all the Icelandics we looked at, Nipper was the one we fell in love with, her cheerful personality and persistence in nipping Michael’s left elbow had drawn us to her.

The more I read, the more I feared for our remaining horses. Spring had arrived early and the mosquitoes and horse-flies were out in abundance already. From what I read on Wikipedia, Swamp Fever (or EIA) was the equine version of HIV, and could be transmitted through body secretions, however biting flies was the most common transmission.

If Nipper did indeed have Swamp Fever, I had decided she had it in the most acute form. The sudden lack of appetite, swelling in her legs, her general weakness, it all fit the symptoms of EIA. The other stages, Subacute (a slower, less severe version of Acute) and Chronic (A mild version of Acute, where the horse may live for several years before succumbing to the disease) worried me slightly. But what worried me most was the asymptomatic case. Horses that carry the virus, but do not show any symptoms of it.

I feared that my old bay gelding had contracted the virus from the round up, and was now spreading it through my small herd. Like Michael, I slept little that night. When we slept, our dreams were full of nightmares. When it was apparent neither of us would find sleep, we crept down to the barn to check over our horses.

In the end we fell asleep in Nipper’s empty stall, and were woken by the sound of Noddy in the stall over wanting his breakfast. As Michael prepared the feed, I gave Bob a call, anxious to hear the results. My world crashed as Bob confirmed my nightmare. Nipper had died of EIA. Both Michael and I went about our chores mechanically that day, aiding Bob as he came to collect blood from the others to test them.

It is one thing to read the stories of those who have lost a horse to EIA, reading how swiftly it strikes. It is another to experience the heart ache of losing a horse to EIA. Thankfully it was only Nipper who was struck down by the virus. Before this incident I was one of the people who would get the test done, and then ignore the results, believing that a horse of mine could never contract such a deadly virus.

As I read over Nipper’s papers I noticed that her last coggins test was done merely three months ago, and the result was positive. Had I have done my job as a horse owner; I could have been spared this heartache, and a beautiful filly wouldn’t have died in pain as she did. It is with these thoughts I shall sign off, my report having gone on for far too long as it is. However I will leave you with but one word of advice. When your coggins reports come in, it is in your best interest to check them yourself. While you cannot stop your horses from contracting the disease, you can minimize the risk to the rest of your ranch.

It was tough competition as top horses vied for the Purple, Silver, and White ribbon.

At the end of the day it was the palomino dun American Quarter Horse gelding whom had given a tremendous performance in Barrel Racing, and edged out his competition to claim the coveted BHIS!

Today was the day. The dog was left at home, I’d stocked up on hot chocolate, cookies and a sandwich or two. I was all set for my drive. After a few hours I had decided that this was the last time I was going to do this. I’d run through the CDs I’d bought, and finding radio reception was a challenge I couldn’t overcome. My voice had gone hoarse from singing random songs that came into my mind, and my small supply of food had run dry. This was proving to be a bad idea so far.

Finally I heard the beep I’d been waiting for, the one that told me I was nearly out of fuel. Now I just needed a ranch to pull in to. A pair of large, white, ornate gates slowly came into my line of vision and I pulled in there, the words: Gates to Eternity, in decorated letters on the very top. With a smile I opened the heavy gates and drove in.

Instantly I noticed the horses. So many colours and patterns, it was like being surrounded by a rainbow of horses. Driving so slowly I was barely moving, I made my way up to the barn, admiring the horses as I passed. Reaching the barn just as my tank dried up I climbed out of the car and began to explore, after asking a stable hand if he could find the ranch owner for me.

It took me a few moments, but I finally realised that these shaggy beasts before me, were Icelandics. I’d been told many times before that it was a breed I needed to start up, but had always turned it down. Now I was starting to wonder if I’d made the right choice.

As I entered the barn I was surrounded by photos of past champions, as well as a proud looking Yellow Dun Silver stallion. Photos of this horse were everywhere. Walking over to the largest photo of this horse I nodded knowingly. Svadilfari, this was a name I recognised. A world champion, he was one of the most influential stallions of his time, having sired 139 foals. As I browsed the stalls, I saw that many of the inhabitants could be traced back to Svadilfari.

Returning to the hall of fame, I counted 30 horses that had made it to at least Grand Champion, and most of them were sired by the stallion whose photos decorated the barn. Finding the stablehand again I was disappointed when he told me the owner had stepped out for a short time, but he did find some fuel that I could have. Leaving behind some money to pay for what I borrowed, I pulled out of the ranch, my thoughts drifting to one of the fuzzy babies that was for sale.

With my young bay gelding loaded in the float I began the long drive to my destination. Today it was time for something different, I’d set of early this morning leaving the dog sleeping on my nice warm bed. It was bitter cold at this early hour. But the knowledge of what I was about to see spurred me on. It wasn’t often the wild horses were brought in, and I wasn’t about to miss it because of a little bit of cold.

Arriving at my destination before the sun I climbed out of the Ute and unloaded my gelding, brushing him over and tacking him up before jumping on and riding over to where the others were waiting. I was the last to arrive, and I was ever thankful they hadn’t left without me. After a quick head count and a brief description of what the day was to hold in store we set off at a brisk walk.

After half an hour we reached our destination. I felt as though time froze as I gazed upon the landscape before me. The late winter rains had turned the valley into a lush, rich green paradise. The grass reached the knees of the horses below. As the sun rose over the peaks the horses appeared to glow. Slowly the foals began to stir, frolicking around, not at all caring that their dams disliked being woken so early.

I never wanted this moment to end, but the minute my gelding called out to the horses below, I knew the perfect moment was over. The tall man beside me was the first to react, angling his black mare into the valley. Waiting for the rest of the group to follow him, I brought up the rear, mostly to stay out of the way.

After that everything was a blur. Somehow we managed to get in front of the herd and head them towards the corrals that had been set up the day before. With the horses captured, we began separating the old, the young, and those already in foal, keeping only what was needed for this season.

I left the ground with the horses, hoping I would get the horses I had fallen in love with during the muster (which just so happened to be all of them). On the drive home I could hear my gelding stomping, wishing he could stay with the herd, having once been wild himself. Sighing I chugged along, eager to report my day to the ER world.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

Chugging along in my car, I had decided that this time I’d drive until I ran out of gas, and then pray that where ever I stopped had some that I could refill with, as well as have horses I could report on. My dog had other ideas. We had been driving for a few hours when the red beast started barking and would not stop. Figuring something might be wrong I stopped and let her out, only to have her race off towards a fence mostly hidden by large hedges. Muttering about wading through mud with only my sneakers I followed my dog and was amazed at the sight I saw behind the fence.

An extremely large grulla stallion was chasing, what I first thought to be a large dog, it wasn’t until I paid more attention that I realised that it was actually a small horse. My curiosity piqued, I called my dog back to the car and climbed in, driving straight into the driveway and up to the ranch.

It was a sight to see. Apparently the small horse who was in with the large stallion was an escape artist. Even in her old age. On one side of the ranch were giant horses of all colours, mostly duns and sabino. On the other side there were tiny ponies of mostly amber. The giant horses outnumbered the tiny, but it didn’t stop the tiny ones from having an attitude to match that of their larger ranch partners.

Hunting around a little I found a stablehand who told me I was at Pine River Ranch, owned by Elvishswimmer. I was told that this had once been a great ranch in the past, with 9 grand champions under its belt, but due to outside reasons, operations had ceased for a short time. But now Elvishswimmer was back, and so to were the two breeds so different from each other. Her herds were slowly being built back up, with several foals on their way.

As I head back to my car I decided I should let my dog decide on who I reported on from now on, the ranches she picks out should prove to be interesting. Hearing someone muttering behind me, I turned around to see the old Falabella mare had returned to the grulla stallion’s pasture, and refused to be caught. With a laugh I climbed into my car, and began to drive. Determined this time to drive until my car stopped.

My mind was made up for today’s trip. I knew exactly where I was going, and nothing was going to stand in my way of getting there. Of recent I have been following the dressage futurities, and have noticed one thing. Most are being won by beautiful Lusitanos, all bred by the same person. Seeing this I knew I where I had to go. The Whyle, owned by Bitapetrone.

Upon pulling up at The Whyle, I noticed a large sign indicating the recent winners. A quick count told me at least 8 dressage futurities had been won by horses from this ranch, and that many had continued on to become Grand Champions, or greater.

I had managed to arrive early enough to watch the morning training, and stopped dead in my tracks as I saw someone put a large grey gelding through his paces. It is hard to find words that describe this gelding, the precision which the moves were executed was exact. Despite his size he was light on his feet and looked as though his feet barely touched the ground.

Only when he had completed the drill did I allow myself to continue into the barn, the young stock within looked as though they showed the same promise as the large gelding I had just seen (which I later learned was the World Champion Twelve Forty Two).

As I was walking through the stables I noticed a young golden palomino stallion. He was calmly watching a couple of stable hands clean the stalls opposite him before turning his gaze to me. I walked over to him and muttered darkly as my cell phone went off, swiftly going to my pocket to turn it off I was amazed to find the stallion hadn’t so much as flinched.

Looking at the information page beside his stall I smiled knowingly. Tuathal was a son of famous LS stallion who was well known for his bombproof temperament. With this knowledge I was not surprised to find that he had dominated the futurity of year 80, with a first place in every class. Going down the aisle I found that many other horses had a similar show record.

Giving the young stock a final scratch, I returned to my car. Leaving the ranch I had to firmly convince myself that the Lusitano, however majestic a breed, was not one that I needed to add to my ever growing collection.

With the rain pouring outside, I decided today was the perfect time to make a list of who I should visit over the next few weeks. Unfortunately, like all my plans, this one was shot down the minute I read the name of a young Oldenburg mare. Taking a quick look at the mare I knew I had to visit her. Pulling on my coat, I raced to my car and began the drive.

Anyone who knows me knows I have two weaknesses. Silver, and Sabino. When those two are combined I practically melt, which is the exact reason I had to see this mare. A grand champion in English, Latent Beauty was a beautiful Bay Silver Sabino. Arriving at the ranch I quickly raced out of the car to the barn, disliking the rain that was bucketing down. Shaking myself off, I began my search for this beautiful mare.

I was amazed at the variety of breeds in the stables, Oldenburg, Arabians, Egyptian Arabian and even a rare Boulonnais. As well as breeds, there was an abundance of champions. I learned later that 14 horses bred at this ranch have reached Grand Champion or higher, the variety of breeds even greater there.

Finally I found the mare I was looking for. A small information sheet beside her stall read that her show career had begun when she was almost six due to injuries. Pulling out an apple I fed it to the mare, going from Beginner Champion to Grand Champion in 4 years was an accomplishment. Noticing there was a note saying she was bred to an English National Champion I made a note in my notebook, determined to keep track of the foal to see if it could surpass its dam, or even its sire.

It was tough competition as top horses vied for the Purple, Silver, and White ribbon.

At the end of the day it was the yellow dun roan lace snowcap Andalusian gelding whom had given a tremendous performance in Pas de Deux, and edged out his competition to claim the coveted BHIS!

Slipping into the car quietly I began my drive, this time I knew exactly where I was going. After hours of browsing the recent champions, I came across a rather unique image of a horse. Upon further research I discovered that the creator of these images was a breeder of the Arabian. When I arrived at the ranch, I wasn’t surprised to discover the sign reading: Double Phoenix Ranch, was decorated with images in the same unique style I saw online.

Pulling into the ranch I smiled as I was greeted by a red dun stallion. On closer inspection I noticed he was different from the Arabians I knew. He was finer boned, and the dish in his face was slightly more pronounced. However he was Arabian none the less. Scratching his nose I made my way into the barn, and passed another horse.

This one was more like the Arabs I knew. His chestnut coat shone brightly, and the thin stripe down his face looked as though it could have been painted on, it was so perfect. Stepping back to admire him, I giggled at his single back leg which made him look like he’d stepped in a bucket of paint. With a quick scratch I continued to the barn, glad they were the only two who had come to greet me, or else I’d never had made it.

The first thing I noticed upon entering the barn was two decorated, empty stalls. Curiosity taking over I walked to the first. National Champion and Futurity Winner, Melancholy. I spun around and looked at the chestnut stallion I had just met, realising why I had been so impressed by him, that was quite an accomplishment. Smiling from ear to ear I made my way over to the second stall. This one had a the same title, but as well as his name, No More Singin the Blues, it noted that he was an Egyptian Arabian.

Continuing through the barn I was most impressed, there were only one or two horses in the barn that didn’t have a title next to their name. The only exception was the youngsters who hadn’t yet been given the chance to prove themselves. Returning to my ranch of mediocre horses was going to be hard after seeing this ranch of champions. As I left I made sure to give the two National Champions I’d met on the way in a sugar cube each.

I glared at the young red dog happily sitting in front of me. My first day on the job and she just had to jump all over me. Muttering for her to get into the car I climbed into the driver seat and began to head off. I had stayed up most of the night researching the perfect ranch to report on for my first day. Browsing the most recent grand champions I came across a pretty black mare, but it was her sire who caught my attention as I realised he had recently passed away. Even with my meagre knowledge of thoroughbreds, I knew Triple Eight was a great horse, I’d read about him many times.

Arriving at the ranch I noticed the hands going about their chores, but there was no joking and playfulness I knew should accompany them at this hour of the morning. As I entered the barn I was surrounded by photos of a large speckled bay stallion. The photo that most caught my attention was of him standing along before the barn, the sun setting behind it. His coat was practically glowing in the fading light and his eyes held a sparkle in them that suggested he was going to pull something very soon. Beneath the photo was a small plaque reading: Goodbye Triple Eight, You will never be forgotten.

I scrubbed the tears from my eyes as I continued walking through the barns, everywhere I went there were photos of past champions, but most were of Trip. Finishing my tour I stopped by a paddock , there stood a thoroughbred of a unique colour, Amber. I knew this horse as well, Operation Dizzy. Two magnificent stallions called Elysian Field Ranch home, and from what I could see of the young stock, there were many more to come.

With a heavy heart I returned to my car, hoping that I wouldn’t be returning for a long time to do a report on the beautiful horse I just saw. Smiling weakly to my dog, who was licking my face I began my drive home, my mind full of the beautiful Thoroughbreds I had just seen on Lujaine’s ranch.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

It was tough competition as top horses vied for the Purple, Silver, and White ribbon.

At the end of the day it was the strawberry roan sabino Standardbred stallion whom had given a tremendous performance in 1 Mile Mounted - Dirt, and edged out his competition to claim the coveted BHIS!

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

It was tough competition as top horses vied for the Purple, Silver, and White ribbon.

At the end of the day it was the blood bay Thoroughbred gelding whom had given a tremendous performance in 1 Mile - Turf, and edged out his competition to claim the coveted BHIS!

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

It was tough competition as top horses vied for the Purple, Silver, and White ribbon.

At the end of the day it was the blonde red sorrel rabicano Arabian gelding whom had given a tremendous performance in Three Day Event, and edged out his competition to claim the coveted BHIS!

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

It was tough competition as top horses vied for the Purple, Silver, and White ribbon.

At the end of the day it was the summer black Paint gelding whom had given a tremendous performance in 10 Miles, and edged out his competition to claim the coveted BHIS!

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

It was tough competition as top horses vied for the Purple, Silver, and White ribbon.

At the end of the day it was the jet black Morgan gelding whom had given a tremendous performance in Five Gaited, and edged out his competition to claim the coveted BHIS!

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

It was tough competition as top horses vied for the Purple, Silver, and White ribbon.

At the end of the day it was the golden buckskin Paint gelding whom had given a tremendous performance in Reining, and edged out his competition to claim the coveted BHIS!

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

E-R Officials wish to congratulate Johara and Lillith Bloodgood.

Lillith Bloodgood, the first ROMX Dam, was awarded the prestigious Horse of the Year Award for 2008.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

After some of my new world travelings I thought that maybe some old world travelings would be in order. I decided that I would look into one of our older Ranches breeding a not to familiar breed. So a quick trip to Spiral Ranch to check out their Chilean Corraleros was in order. I was a bit curious with this breed so I decided a bit of research was in order before popping in so I didn't sound like a total fool when I went to check out the horses. I discovered that the Chilean Corralero has its major ties in use for working cattle and is now used heavily in Chilean rodeo, which had its origins in the countryside as a game of chasing cattle. So imagine my surprise when I get there and I see this beautiful herd of horses all bred to compete in well Rodeo. After grabbing a hand and finding out that the ranches' owner Raeven was sporting a nice accomplishment of 24 homebred champions I decided to take a closer look at the monies this little know ranch was achieving. This little ranch is sporting a career win record of 22,930/4,004/3,837/2,699 and showing career earnings of $4,937,675. Now that is not to bad seeings that according to writing time the Chilean Corraleros population of our world is 49 in total. So here's to you Raeven...keep up the good work.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

I sit here at the typewriter writing as fast as the words come to my mind, as my head tries to wrap around the events that I have witnessed. Let me start at the beginning; I should have realized when I glanced at the GM calender what was coming, should have anticipated, but myths and legends are things of the National Enquirer not for ER Reporter. I sat there on my front porch staring out over the lolling fields of the ranches when I got this feeling of dread and darkness. You know that feeling when the lone wolf howls in the distance and the little hairs on the back of your neck rise. Then I could swear I heard the clock ticking down...not ticking down...counting down.

Tick...I am coming...Tock...I am closer...Tick...Almost Time...Tock...I am here... it whispered to me in soft breath. Then the tolling of the Nightly Maintenance clock my heart stopped as the gates of some ranch banged open in a sudden flurry of activity...and then started to close with its hinges screaming, the Greenish glow seemed to settle in a fog like mist and traveled over the earth

With each tolling of the Nightly Maintenance clock the power grew and spread, like that of the deadly virus under the scientist scope I watched... Bong ..... the scream of wood and metal as the grave opens... Bong.... the light seems to be sucked from the sky... With the last tolling the culprit was identified. Long gone but never forgotten, ER World's own legend broke from its Tree of the Dead and sought out what was rightfully his this special Game Month.

Hell hath spat her glory on this her only day... she is chilling us with her might and taking the only day that she can. I watched as breeds all over the World shifted and shimmered in their tantalizing greenish misty, glow, they snorted and tossed their manes as the Barrow Horse moved from ranch to ranch, from breed to breed, moving to claim what was his for this one day. The Barrow Horse runs again. I make this not up... look for there it is. Today he walks among us, tirelessly doing his never ending job, searching for lost souls and bearing them 'home.' Make no mistake, Domineus is here.

I got a call rushed through my service at the crack of dawn from the CoolWater Creek Ranch, it had been a call that I had been dreading but knew sooner or later it would come. It seems that during their rounds through the stable hands had notice how quiet one of the barns was. When they had entered they were not greeted with the familiar wicker and snort of annoyance at being disturbed. One hand immediately alerted the owner and head vet, then with a gathering of the others they steeled their nerve and entered the stall of Acappella. The great stallion lay there silent and still. A blanket had been thrown over him, but all knew there was nothing that could be done, the great Copper Chestnut stallion, Hall of Famer ROMX Acappella had changed hands from that of Pebb to the Reaper. The silence of the Kiso's and stable hands seem to fill the call, the vet heavy with emotion and with great composure then pronounced Ace passed on.

Now I have sat down and tried three times to get what I am feeling on paper and out to you, my readers. How can one go on about the 1,101 foals that Ace had sired, of the Top Champion lines that can be traced back to this plucky Local Stock Stud. How Equine Ranch's world may have been so different if his owner had not seen the potential that this outstanding boy could throw. These are things that we know, those that have used the great stallion understand truly what it is that has passed on. We truly have lost a legend this day, and Pebb has lost a friend.

So we hang our head in sorrow and remember what this one LS Stallion has done for our lines, our ranches and our hopes. Then lift your heads and look to the future...thats what Ace did. Rest in Peace Ace, for you will be truly missed.

Signing off with heavy heart
ER Reporter.

Ooo I feel a cough coming on...ooo I guess its fate that I came across this horse Shout for Medicine. But there he was sitting in this years current top horses. A beautiful gray World Champion Gaited National Show Horse gelding owned by Endless Skys Ranch. Rowz should be pretty proud of this horse, bred on her ranch and shown on her ranch this impressive gelding is flashy and gaited where it counts. Sired by Shout At The Devil out of Medicine Jar this gelding has shown what his lines have hidden. Showing a competition record of placements:438/251/186, Best Horse In Show Wins: 63 and a total Earnings at $472,220. Nicely done...cough seems to be gone now.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

You know those little minis were pretty darn cute and very impressive, but I decided to take another route. I had an urge to head out after some beautiful naturally five gaited horses. Oh yes Justin Morgan had a horse and so does Phoenix Haunt . Those of ER's Morgan worlds knows the names coming out of this all Morgan Horse ranch. Dedicated breeding this one seems to be. After a few more charges to the expense account (Yes Boss I did need that full day at the Spa) I was on my way. One could see the horses as soon as you pulled into the drive. A mixtures of colors glistening in the sunlight and showing off the legacy that even Justin Morgan himself couldn't find fault with. Fallen Phoenix should be very proud of their Ranches wins; with career events showing at 2,718, career BHIS wins at 221, a career win record of 16,666/1,752/2,154/2,228, showing a Ranch career earnings of $3,657,146. Keep it up Phoenix you do the Morgan world proud.

Okay I was at the track playing hooky...okay well don't tell The Boss that. See I was there to actually check out a horse and boy was I pleasantly surprised. See I don't make into the racing world very often, but I did get to check out one of our E-R Official National Champion Races the other day and spotted a beautiful Zebra Dun Sabino Thoroughbred Stallion kicking butt and taking names. So after working my way through the crowd and down to the track, (okay I hopped the fence and out ran the security guard) I got to get a better look at this wonderful stallion. The nameplate on the stall said Adramelech CS and while the hands were looking the other way I got a chance to grab some information off his paperwork. It stated that he was a son of a Racing Grand Champion Mephistophelian out of Troy's Fate who was not track proven but still a wonderful mare none the less. After checking out to see if the coast was still clear ducked down behind a hay bale I found the rest of the information I was seeking. Owned by Windborn Acres showing a Placements of 298/150/91, Best Horse In Show Wins 55, showing Earnings of $296,739 Windborn must be pretty happy. Standing at this years Current Top 100 Horses by Class Wins, I was told by a groom that he had a thing for dirt on and off the track, and I can imagine that the groom was so happy about that with the sabino coat. So thats it from the track...until I can sneak back.

Officials from the DNA Gene Labs announced today they had released a new DNA test for the Champagne mutation. This new test is available for $25 ERD.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

You know I never did figure out what that was on the back of my neck. The Boss took a look at it as she listened to my story and proclaimed me fit for duty and stamping me with her seal of approval. I was out of there with a quiet increase in my expense account and the strangest feeling on my forehead. Of course after checking myself in the mirror I washed the ink off my forehead (The Boss does so have a sense of humor) and collected my truck from the auto club. Fifteen minute discussion on how I lost it...(I don't think the Boss believed my story, but at least she didn't actually hit the ground laughing at me) and the final retrieval of my keys it was back to the Horses of ER. This time I did have a bit of a destination in plan. See while I was walking I was able to get the old Blackberry to pull up the latest stats for the Current Top Breeder, of course there was one ranch there which I had already visited and came away whole from; but I was more interested in the one that was listed below her. Littleone Miniatures. I guess this is a case of Cute verses the Nasty of the Top Breeders. So of course with curiosity peeked (okay I never learn) it was off to find and look at these little champions. Questions such as, will that ranch be able to take over as reigning Top Ranch? or were these little Miniatures going to finally do what all the other breeders have been trying to do? Hmmm clash of the Mini against the Kisos. Okay like everyone else I am a sucker for cute, and let me tell you these little guys were so darn cute that it was hard to put them in the same light as that other ranch with the evil horses. With 11 Champions difference the Kisos might not want to be taking a vacation. I decided to compare Littleone's Career Win Record of 34,221/7,511/6,716/5,025 and Career Earnings of $5,044,501 against the ranch above her. I found that a total Career Win Record difference of 6,875 and a difference of $6,539,063 in the Career Earnings. I didn't get a chance to catch Littleone at her ranch to ask her what her secret was or if she was out to take the Top Breeders position, I'll save those questions for a later day. Only time and the Miniatures know.

You know there comes a time in a reporters life when they run out of words ... No I am kidding, I babble on and on and on, ask my friends, ask The Boss...babble babble. Okay so enough of that. I decided to take a look at this months Grand Champions and one beautiful gelding popped out at me. It was his age. Grand Championed at 5 Years, 4 Months Old. Yuppers five years old. A wonderful Red Bay Pintaloosa Tiger Horse Gelding by the name of VooDoo Spell . He is out of an Appaloosa mare by the name of Voodoo Dreams and sired by the World Champion Three Day eventer Red Lava. Both Sire and son are Futurity Winners and it seems that this trait runs through the lines. With competition standings at placements of 101/49/42, BHIS Wins at 18 and his earnings sitting at $263,993 TamiF of Whispering Valley should be really proud. I think this ranch may need a bit closer of attention from this reporter...I have been seeing a few of these horses in the top standings. Hmmm food for thought. Anyways thats it from the notepad...now to chase down; I mean interview someone else.

OMG I have missing days...Not sure but I think it might be the return of the Aliens. Last I knew about, I was in the middle of a snowstorm with howling winds and nasty cold and now I am standing roasting in the middle of a desert. I wandered around a bit trying to get my bearings when I passed a sign, a huge sign with a bunch of spaceships and aliens on it. Roswell huh, I betcha that has something to do with it. Oh I know where I am now. After a quick call to the Auto Club to get my wayward truck back, I set off to probe the ranch before me. Abduction Alley....hmmm how fitting seeing as I am missing days. Anyways on to the horses, they draw me...almost call to me...come see me...you want me.... hmmm who said that. You know I wonder if this has something to do with the beauty of the horses that are before me they seem sorta of alien in their duns and grullas. I stamp the dust off my boot and grab the first hired hand I can see. The ranch is owned by a LongLiveQueequeg, now that's name I know, prominent in the Spots World. LLQ has been in the ER World for some time and so I figure that there is a reason for my abduction. With one world champion, two national champions and six grand champions I would say that this ranch is making waves in the showing world. With career events sitting at 2,116, career BHIS Wins at 172 and with a career win record of 12,312/1,083/1,116/1,151 this ranch is sitting a tidy sum of $1,976,055 in career earnings. So now I will head off and catch up with my truck, hopefully the Aliens have made their point and this reporter will be free and clear. Hmmm what is that attached to the back of my neck?

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

Every once in a while I get the urge to surf through our Grand Champions, National Champions and our World Champions. I also run through our Current Years Top Horses. Now it seems that our last boy is still sitting there at the Top so I picked the next one down this time. Now I am not one that is Superstitious but there comes a time when you don't walk under the ladder or let the black cat cross your path. Hmmm black cat, black horse; wonder if they work the same...oh well babbling again back to the point.
So a quick trip out to Demon's Lair owned by demonica was in order and off I went to check out the jet black Friesian Stallion Superstition TS. I took my time getting out of the truck as I looked this ranch over, and then spotted him. I grabbed a hand on his way by and found out that The Sensation was the sire and Raven CM was the dam of this Grand Champion Western stallion. Looking over his competition stats I noted that placements were at 151/33/23. Best Horse In Show Wins sitting at 27. We had noticed that this boy was running in shows that were dedicated to his breed and that not many had been in these classes, but he still had to beat others to earn this Grand Champion, just showing another way of making the grade.

After a brief stop in the office and a check in with The Boss I headed out the door again. The weather had seemed to turn for the worse on my way out, cold blustery winds rocked the little truck as I sought out my next ranch. I figured a change in music was in order, so with the tunes thumping hard I battled the northerly winds to another up and coming ranch. I figured one more and then out to find one of those with the paths well worn to their doors.
Thats when the little blanketed bodies poked out of the cold and grabbed my attention. So I turned down the tunes and headed up the drive. I didn't expect anyone to be out and about, but I did happen to see one employee on hand. So braving the winds and slipping into the warm sheepskinned lined jean jacket I made my way towards to find out about this ranch.
After plying the hand with a cup of warm coffee from my handy dandy thermos I got the name of the ranch. Shooting for the Stars Ranch. But it was the Brand that really caught my eye. JAG nice choice, I thought, fits real well with the Stars. I got visions of Jet fighters rocketing the skies at the top of their class. Not sure if thats what the owner had in mind, I'll make a mental note to come back and ask.
One more cup of coffee and I was out to take a look at the stock that was here. Wow, spots and splashes...fast and slow. There was a few Beginner Champions plaques hanging off the name plates. Some little weanling's that were already starting to show that they might have what it takes to make it. With a record of career events at 726, career BHIS winnings at 10, career win record of 2,884/116/151/139 and showing a $51,194 in earnings I think that amhelms should be pretty proud of themselves. Watch out old times, these new ranches are gonna give yah a run for your titles.

Ever get the feeling ya just want to ramble...well come along readers and ramble on towards a rather young ranch in the ER World. After taking a look at Painted Pastures Farm I headed my way south and maybe a little north, I'm not exactly sure as my map reading skills are a bit off, then again the great huge pop stain in it might not have helped. But I digress and coming up upon a tranquil little ranch I decided that a stretch of the legs is in order, who am I kidding; for a good looking ranch I will stop and investigate...okay...be snoopy, tis in the nature of the beast. I turned up the drive only to find that the name of this ranch was kinda of catchy. Reading the name of Life Is Short Stables I couldn't help think, you got that right sister so live each day to the fullest. I realized that I had found one of those out of the box type ranches that specialized in a sort of a jack-of-all-disciplines ranch that seemed to have a rather interesting mix of breeds. The ranch stated that they specialized in the Paint breed, but I found a mix of spots and dots in all different sizes. After a little bit of ER Internet research I discovered that they owners name is iliveforhorses and that they were looking at a Career Win Record of 676/46/37/53 showing a total of Career Earnings at $10,481 which is not too bad seeing at how young this up and coming ranch is. We wish them luck for the future and know that we will be seeing a fair amount of these horses through out the ER months.

Couple of days ago as I was going through our massive list of World Champions I chanced across the latest. I decided to take a closer look at this Arabian Stallion by the name of He Cries Best. This beautiful Mahogany Bay stallion by My Cries Unheard
out of Best Seller is 10 years old and already at the top of his game. I decided that a quick trip out to Falconwood Legacy Stables owned by Caw Thorn to take a look at him was in order. I discovered that this gentlemanly stallion had his heart in all the right places and a fair sum of $376,414 in earnings. It seems this gentlemanly stud was born and trained on his home ranch showing an achievement to his breeder/trainer. His placements were standing at 344/86/27 and on top of that 63 Best Horse In Show Wins and working to achieve the top of his World Champion bracket. Makes this reporter wonder if his is going to head for the coveted Custom of Distinction in Endurance. Might want to watch out for him, he could dash your dreams.

On a hunch and a bit of direction I decided that a road trip was in order...so off I went with a diet coke in one hand and a bag of chips in the other, tunes blaring out some lonesome country song. After a few hours of touring the E-R countryside I happened upon a quaint little farm located high in the mountains. Something drew my eye to it, maybe it was the flash of white against the dark colors of some purely stunning paints and AQH's that grabbed my attention, but whatever it was that directed me I was sure glad I stopped by. Pretty little place called Painted Pastures Farm, run by a sweet lady by the name of Painted Lady, information that I gathered from a group of hard working hired hands. A relatively new- up- and comer in the showing world but out to make headlines for herself. Leaning on the rail I talked back and forth with the hands and found out that this young ranch was holding a Career Win Record of 3,417/283/230/298 and a total earning amount of $748,302, . This made this ranch something to watch out for. Looking over the young stock I was truly impressed and glad that I had stopped...going to keep an eye out for this ranches brand.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

Sired by National Champion Laegaire and out of Novice Champion Galadriel's Light, the solid yellow dun Irish Draft Gelding standing in front of me ,as I write this, was born to excel in the show ring. He is Finrod Felagund, a very handsome bombproof Draft National Champion.

This remarkable 10 yr old has been chosen BHIS at 67 of the 101 shows he's competed in. An awesome feat to be sure. Having won first place 261 times, second place 63 times and third place 37 times out of the 495 classes he has been shown in thus far, this fella has an outstanding show record to boot. An incredible 2,162 horses have suffered defeat by this gelding. I'm sure his owner and breeder, JoharaIV, is extremely proud of her boy.

In a welcome change of pace, I decided the other day to investigate a rumor of a ranch running rampant with evil Kisos. As it turns out the rumor is true!

Coolwater Creek is home to over 50 evil Kisos. Amazing as their wicked personalities are, their ability to perform in the show ring is even more impressive. Pebbs, owner and operator of Coolwater Creek, has racked up a remarkable $10,655,527 in earnings in her career! Her demonic Kisos have won BHIS in 1,915 of the 8,940 shows she has entered them in. Amazing! Pebbs, having successfully bred and shown over 58 GCh or higher Kiso and countless Futurity Winners, has a lot to be proud of. Coolwater Creek is also home to the ,now retired, Local Stock,Hall of Fame legend, Acappella ROMX. An amazing ranch to be sure.

Today I had the good fortune to witness a sweet 18yr old Spanish Mustang mare make history. The remarkable little mare was found at the local Spanish Mustang specialty show where she dominated the field as if she owned it, earning herself the title of Grand Champion. According to the announcer, this beauty goes by the name of Picador.

After talking with a show official, I learned that the mare is sired by English World Champion Rubi Caotico and is out of a grey mare named Dainty Fighter. After pressing for more information, I also learned that this mare has had a great run in the show ring, having placed first 91 times, second 92 times, third 42 times and having come in as BHIS a remarkable 13 times out of 74 events.

I was quite taken with Picador and believe I will keep my eye out for her and her descendants at the shows.

The snow is coming down so hard I can barely see the barns up ahead, as I pull into the drive of Equestrian Days Stable. I'm here to meet a remarkable English World Champion Appaloosa legend in person. His name is The Absolute One, known by his friends as Tucker. He is the mighty 13 yr. old son of the infamous stallion The Chosen One and is out of a gorgeous mare dubbed Absolute Beauty.

Stepping from the car, I walk through the gate and enter the stallion barn. Easily locating his stall, I stand in front of it in awe. Behind the dutch door stands the Chestnut Rabicano stallion in all his glory. He wickers a soft greeting to me as he reaches his head over the barrier, placing his soft muzzle against my waiting hand. The long drive was worth it. I give him a few more scritches behind his ears before stepping back to read the gold plaque on his stall door.

The plaque reads off the many accomplishments of the stallion before me. Out of 283 shows, Tucker has won BHIS 155 times and has beaten 6,376 horses in his career. I read further and discover that out of 1,918 classes, he placed first 1,174 times, placed second 257 times and has placed third 136 times. I'm amazed to find that he has earned $1,024,812 thus far in his career. After a glance at my watch, I give Tucker another pat before wandering back to my car and driving away. This was a most momentous day.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

The hands found the herds in good health in the valley. They vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

E-R Officials wish to congratulate Kicked and Intruder Alert.

Intruder Alert, the first World Champion, was awarded the prestigious Horse of the Year Award for 2007.

The weather was crisp as the hands headed out. The breath of their horses hung like smoke from a dragon's nostrils in the cool morning air. The sun glistened off the frost as it rose into the early morning sky.

The herd was frisky in the early winter weather. The hands vetted them, recorded their conditions, and separated several out to bring back for sale.

The hands brought in a modest number of horses from the local herds this year, leaving plenty in the valley to replenish the herd stock for the future.

The late summer rains brought the grass in green and lush. The hands found the herds in good health, and large numbers.

Acappella was inducted into the Hall of Fame today. Sire of 21 get that are at the Grand Champion or higher level, and 21 futurity winners, Acappella is the first horse awarded the Register Of Merit.

585/439/51/12 - 1,471 horses defeated.
1,030/339/367/208 - 2,244 horses defeated.
513/370/43/27 - 1,570 horses defeated.

Two futurity winners.

This Dressage CoD had the makings of a bitter battle to the finish. At the last moment Lillith Bloodgood broke with Rhino, and was excused by the event veterinarian. One of the futurity winners was out.

Against The Grain and Kiss Of The Measles took to the ring in a head to head competition. Kiss The Measles took first in the Dressage class and never looked back, sweeping all five classes of the event, soundly defeating Against The Grain's best efforts.

From BHIS at the 2 year old Dressage Futurity, to BHIS at the Customs of Distinction Dressage Event, Kiss Of The Measles has shown she's nothing to sneeze at.

Congratulations on their victory in the SHG CoD Harness Racing Event!

Abercrombie battled it out with his stablemate Charged to the Max in what became a match race. In an even split both the mare and the gelding won two races each, however Abercrombie edged out the game little mare on the turf to take BHIS.

Congratulations on their victory in the SHG CoD Racing Event!

Shadow Cat battled it out with his stablemate Deathly Lament as the two dominated the Racing CoD.

Congratulations on their victory in the SHG CoD Three Day Event!

Soaring summer temperatures seared the area, scorching the precious little grass that remained due to the drought.

The hands searched the valley for most of the day, hunting for the few stragglers that had not left for the hills with the main herd. After hours of searching, they returned with a few hardy little animals.

The number of currently active cases has risen slightly over recent months. Investigating this I found that there are 47 horses that have tested positive that have not been euthanized.

One case, the horse was infected on month 219, tested positive on month 229, and is still active, spreading EIA today. This horse is asymptomatic, and will live indefinitely, spreading this disease. The owner is active, but has simply not euthanized the horse for whatever reason.

Be vigilant! Check the results of all horses on any ranch you do business with. Don't assume they will have euthanized any positive result horses.

Pepi proved he was more than just potential today when he swept the Endurance CoD. This boy showed he was pure platinum through and through as he racked up first place after first throughout the event.

NeeChee put in a strong showing in second, but was never quite able to really put the pressure on Pepi.

The Customs of Distinction Series continues with the Endurance CoD event scheduled for month 230.

The Three Day Event CoD follows on month 245.

The hands thinned the local herds today, bringing in quite a selection of locally bred horses for breeders to choose from.

Congratulations to Lava on taking BHIS at the Gaited CoD event. It was quite a battle between he and Kerrigan. Volens Et Potens, the only mare to compete, put in a strong showing, taking a second and several thirds.

The Customs of Distinction Series continues with the Western CoD event scheduled for month 199.

The Gaited CoD follows on month 214.

Today Casiopeia, the dam of four titled futurity winners, including Grand Champion Havana Blues and National Champion Incognito, was welcomed into the Hall of Fame.

The SHG CryoBank announced today that it has expanded its facilities. With this new expansion they are now able to offer Extra Frozen Semen Tank Rentals to Blue Ribbon, Red Ribbon Breeder, and Silver Platter ranches that have a Breeding License.

Cost for the rented tanks is $10 USD for each 180 game Months.

Rentals can be paid for on the Subscribe page.

Efforts are underway to get the Customs of Distinction series off the ground. The competitions were put on hold while work was done to move them from Grand level competition to the prestigious World level.

Beginning with the English CoD on month 169, the CoD events will be run approximately one every 15 months until they are caught up. They will then return to their normal schedule.

SHG Imports announced the arrival of a new shipment of imports today.

SHG Imports said they will disperse these newly imported horses to the area breeders beginning immediately.

SHG Registry officials announced that they have begun revoking registrations of horses that belong to repeat offenders.

"It really baffled us," one official stated. "We unnamed their horses, forcing them to pay around $10,000 in reregistration fees, and they turned right around and used the affix again!"

Officials said it was disturbing that warnings and forced reregistration were not enough to deter some people.

"I really would have preferred to spend some time with my horses, but here I am adding features to our registration software so we can revoke registrations."

Horses that have their registrations revoked cannot be competed or bred. They also lose any titles they have earned.

Officials from the Horsin' Around facility stated that owners of horses placed in loving homes through their facility will not be paid anything for the horse if it has had its registration revoked.

"Our loving families do not feel they should pay for horses that have had papers pulled. It's just an ugly mess."

E-R Imports has shipped in new import stock for the area breeders!

This rare occurance is a golden opportunity for many to bring in fresh blood to their barns.

After allowing the local herds to build up their numbers, the biannual roundups of local stock have resumed.

The hands reported the herds were found in excellent health, grazing on the lush new green growth emerging in the valley.

Because the herd's size had grown so significantly over the last few years, the hands were able to bring in a large selection of horses to be sold to the area breeders.

This memo was just released by the E-R Registry.

Ranch based affixes, essentially brands, are not allowed in registered names. This is clearly stated on the registration form.

We will begin seeking out horses with affixes in their names soon, and unregistering them. You will be forced to reregister these horses, at your cost.

Continued violation of this naming rule may result in our instituting fines, or possible revokation of registration for each horse bearing a ranch based affix.

The E-R Hall of Fame would like to welcome Jamila Sakima, Caviar Dreams, and Closure.

Missy was the first homebred horse to break the 80% mark.

Caviar Dreams shattered the records, and set the show world on fire.

Closure has dominated the breeding shed, siring the two highest homebred foals in E-R history.

Congratulations to all.

This just in. Reports are flooding in from all over the globe. Some strange cosmic coincidence has caused every mare in the world to foal at the same exact time.

Eye witnesses report having seen a bright light, or a streak passing through at very low altitude just seconds before the mares mysteriously foaled. Some mention a vet racing around from mare to mare, described only as being the fastest thing on two feet.

Could this be an alien experiment? Could this supersonic vet be alien? The world may never know.

Overwhelming heat delayed the departure and efforts of the hired hands this year. Upon their arrival in the valley, they found precious little water, grass that looked like hay, and very few horses.

After vetting the horses, they gathered a small number wanting to leave enough to carry the herds forward without leaving too many for the drought stricken area to support.

Be sure to get your rodeo Grand Champions saddled up and entered in the E-R Customs of Distinction Rodeo Event!

As the sun rose past the horizon, the heat was already stifling. Midmorning found the hands entering the valley, the oppressive heat distorting the image before them. Temperatures soared into the high 80's by noon with no relief in sight.

The high temps and lack of rains were beginning to take their toll on both the grass and the herd. While the herd was still in good health, the hands made the decision to bring in as many as they could in an effort to alleviate the situation and prevent losses.

The sun lit the sky in hazy pinks and purples as the hands headed down to the valley. By the time they reached the head of the valley, it was a flaming golden orange disc breaking over the horizen, and an early morning haze filled the valley.

As the hands entered the valley they saw the horses through the mist. Some were grazing, while others dozed peacefully. Foals lay at their dam's feet, curled up waiting for the morning sun to disipate the haze.

By the time the sun reached the peak of its path across the sky, the hands had rounded up a fair number of horses, and given vet care to the rest. As they left the valley the remaining foals were frolicking and racing with each other at the lower end of the valley, the roundup forgotten.

Today Silver Wrappers was welcomed into the Hall of Fame. A stunning grey mare, Wrappers was the first undefeated World Champion, and the first homebred inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to Shone and Wrappers.

The Boerperd has been divided into two distinct breeds. The existing Boerperds have been renamed the Kaapse Boerperd. Additionally the SA Boerperd has been added to the registry.

The sun broke through the dreary grey of winter, welcoming spring to the valley. Overnight the valley was full of birds singing their songs of love and happiness in the warm spring breeze. The rain of recent weeks, now a memory with lush green grass to mark its passing, left the valley rejuvinated.

The herds have come back to the valley, in fairly fit condition despite the hard winter. The hands worked tirelessly to vaccinate, trim hooves, and brand horses. The roundup went smoothly, and the hands brought home a nice number of horses to sell to the local breeders.

The day dawned crisp with a brisk chill in the air. As the sun broke through the clouds, warming the faces of the gathering spectators, a field of hopefuls took to the track for the prestigious CoD Racing Event.

Amidst such tough competition as A Star Is Born, Fuinrando, Gone Rotten, and Swift Domination, Senor Noche made history.

The undefeated hopeful, Trip emerged at the end of the day with a record of 126/0/0 out of 126 races. A stunning victory that undoubtedly had his owner, trainer, and breeder jumping for joy.

Congratulations to Melanschool6 and Trip!

A sudden cold snap forced the herds back south of the valley, and resulted in a smaller than average round up.

E-R Event Officials announced big changes to the eventing system today.

In light of the rampant abuse by show hosts, the following changes were made.

Points, horses defeated, and win/place/show records will only be counted in events that have entry fees that are 5% or less of the added payout.

Shows that have an entry fee larger than 5% of the added purse will not count toward earning titles.

Called a bold move by some, it was necessitated by the absurd, and growing, number of hosts that were monopolizing the event circuit with events that offered little to no reward to the winners. It was felt that this was extremely unfair to those shelling out hard earned cash in their efforts to title their horses.

These changes will take effect beginning with events running Month 472.

Unseasonably warm temperatures brought the local herds far to the north. A record sized herd greeted the hands as they entered the valley for the biannual roundup. Never had the hands seen the valley so full, and felt it best to thin the herds more than normal before they overgrazed the area.

As the sun began melting the heavy snows that had fallen over the previous days, people gathered from far and wide to witness The ER Customs Of Distinction Endurance Event today. One hundred and sixty-seven hopeful entries gathered for their shot at the big prize.

So many amazing horses in one spot, gathered to give their all in hopes of taking home the coveted BHIS was quite an awe inspiring sight.

As the event played out, four names surfaced as the dominant force. Lucky Accident, an American Quarter Horse bred and owned by Mitch, gave a strong showing of herself in two classes with finishing scores over 465 in both.

Partita, an exceptional Eriskay mare bred by quodilin and owned by Atalaya4 proved herself very worthy with four top five finishes, two of which were strong seconds, and a high score of over 465.

Don't Pass Me By, an imported mare owned by Caelum looked like a shoe in. Taking four firsts, she had a high score of 466.795. It didn't look like anyone could catch this stunning American Warmblood mare. Overcoming the disadvantage of her breed, this mare gave her all, and then a little more.

In the end however, Lady was edged out by a pretty little Anglo-Arab gelding called simply, Adonai. Owned and bred by lorna, this colorful little gelding managed to take home victory in the 25 Miles class, narrowly defeating Lady's high score by a fraction. A hard earned score of 466.92 earned Adonai BHIS, and a place in E-R history.

Congratulations to Adonai and lorna!

E-R Registry Officials announced today that they are now allowing the use of frozen semen to artificially inseminate mares.

The following limitations apply:
Each ranch may own one storage tank.
Each tank will hold six canisters.
Each stallion's semen must be stored in its own canister.
Each stallion may have a maximum of one canister.
Each canister holds a maximum of 50 0.5 ml straws.
Each AI breeding requires 2 straws.

Ownership of the semen belongs to whomever owned the stallion at the time of collection.

Frozen semen can be excellent insurance that you will be able to breed from your stallion in case he ever becomes infertile unexpectedly.

The hard winter broke to mild weather as the hands headed out to the valley for the biannual roundup.

The air was warm and the rains light as they rounded up a moderate number of horses from the Local herd. The herd was healthy and fit, though the majority were still far past the south end of the valley.

More Q & A with Admin

Recently a lot of people have asked me what surefoot is.

Well more correctly it is surefooted.

From the dictionary we learn:
surefooted
One entry found for surefooted.
Main Entry: sure·foot·ed
Pronunciation: -'fu-t&d
Function: adjective
: not liable to stumble, fall, or err
- sure·foot·ed·ly adverb
- sure·foot·ed·ness noun

So how surefooted a horse is means how likely they are to stumble, trip, fall, misstep. A very surefooted horse is one that is not clumsy whereas one that is not very surefooted "has four left feet."

Remember the old saying, "He's as surefooted as a mule."

Q & A with Admin

Q How do you get their training to be rated good or great because i have trained my horse 3 times in the same section and it is still rated poor.

A Each session is equal to about 20 minutes time. You can't expect a horse to learn something in just one hour, or just 3 days.

Each horse learns at its own rate, some fast, some slow. Many things affect how fast a horse can learn. Its genetics, how it is raised, its temperament, its age, its condition, how well it was trained the basic things in life are but a few things that can have an effect on how fast a horse learns.

Patience and persistance are paramount to training a horse!

Today marks the end of the career of a little smoky black gelding.

HW Black Lies first set hoof on the E-R world on Game Month 87. Tomorrow we roll to Game Month 400 and Black Lies will turn 25.

A peek at him may leave you wondering why I am writing this. A reasonably impressive win record of 377/48/8 out of 436 classes, 59 BHIS wins out of 80 events, a healthy $683,657 in earnings to his credit, and a handful of get mark his time here.

What truly set Black Lies apart from the other good show horses here was an accomplishment no other had achieved.

Black Lies defeated Silver Wrappers, the undefeated World Champion. He was her "Upset."

Unlike Upset who could never again best Man O' War however, he proved it wasn't a fluke and defeated her again, defeating her in a total of 21 classes/3 events.

He proved that it isn't just how good you are, it is where your strengths lie that matters most. He reminded us all that it is the whole package that counts, and sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Here's to Black Lies. May he have a wonderful retirement!

Unusually heavy snows blanketed the valley where the E-R local herd summers, forcing the horses to migrate farther south to their wintering land. The hands ventured far down to the south end of the valley, but were only able to locate a small band of stragglers.

The morning broke rainy and dreary but that didn't put a damper on The ER Customs Of Distinction Western Event!

It was tough competition in the arena and on the track as top horses vied for the Red, White and Blue ribbon.

At the end of the day a quiet and unassuming little blue roan Paint mare had given a tremendous performance in Trail, and edged out the competition to claim BHIS.

Congratulations to Obi Wan Kenobi and their pretty little mare *ŤĆ* Rain Girl. Apparently the rain suits her.

The ER Customs of Distinction Western Event is now open to entries. It will run on November 15th. Remember only Red and Blue Ribbon ranches may enter this event.

Good luck to those who enter.

E-R Imports has shipped in a whole new load of import stock for the local breeders! A rare occurance, this is a golden opportunity for many to bring in fresh blood to their barns.

Breaking news!

E-R Event Officials announced that all levels of events are now judged on the new system! Look for some really tough competition in the higher brackets!

The biannual roundup is now complete. With the coming winter, most of the local herds had moved out of the valley but the hands were able to bring in a good number of horses for sale to the area breeders.

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Congratulations to TooSweet and their simply stunning grey Arabian mare •sSs• Leylian.

Leylian proves the saying that no good horse comes in a bad color. She continued her undefeated streak, dominating The ER Customs of Distinction English Event, taking first in all 7 classes and a stunning BHIS over 244 horses and winning her owner a respectable sum of $1,524,808.

Leylian is currently 89/0/0 of 89 classes with 14 BHIS wins in 14 events.

The ER Customs of Distinction English Event is the largest in E-R history with 251 total entries.

Congratulations to Viper and Overclocked for being the first two inductees into the Hall of Fame!

E-R Event Officials announced today that the Expert bracket judges have also completed their retraining and will begin using the new judging system on month 353.

Competition will really be heating up in the lower level brackets now!

Expect the upper brackets to begin using the new judging system very soon.

Breaking News!

E-R Event Officials announced that the Advanced bracket judges have completed training on the new judging system and will begin using it effective immediately. Expect stiffer competition in that bracket starting month 352!

E-R Event Officials announced today that the Novice bracket events will now be judged according to the new judging system beginning with events scheduled for game month 348.

E-R Officials would like to announce the Customs Of Distinction Series.

The ER Customs Of Distinction English Event will be the first in a series of special Grand Champion level events open to Red and Blue Ribbon members only.

There will be a single event held each real month, tentatively on the 15th. There will be only one event per real year per discipline. Entry fees are $9,999 per class with an added purse of $999,999 but the big money isn't the real reward of winning these prestigious events.

A special custom import mare will be awarded to the owner of the BHIS winner of each event.

What makes these custom import mares so special you are wondering? Well just take a peek at the parents the winner gets to choose from...

Introducing the Foreign Stock II lines. You can view these gorgeous horses on ranch #3. These horses will only be used for the CoD horses.

Only twelve of these customs will be awarded in a single real year. Eleven lucky winners of the Customs Of Distinction events and at the end of the year one will be awarded to the Horse of the Year.

Get training, get showing and get ready. CoD is coming.

The biannual roundup was great this year. The hands found the herd in good health and they were able to bring in several horses for sale to the area breeders.

Local officials announced today that a tax on sales and income has been levied.

This money will go to the upkeep and improvement of the area roads, employee salaries, local herds, showgrounds and racetracks.

Sales tax is a fixed 7% rate.

Income tax varies by tax bracket, from 7% up to 10%.

Officials stated that the sales and income taxes will be applied to horse sales and stud fees at this time. If they will be applied to other forms of income remains to be seen.

The biannual roundup was nothing short of spectacular this year. The hands found the herds in good health in spite of recent droughts. They were able to bring in a record number of locally bred stock from the native herds!

IF YOU ARE IN DEBT...

The Local Feed Store has decided to no longer extend credit to in debt ranches. If you run out of money you will no longer be able to feed your horses.

Unfed horses lose condition, strength, coat, muscle tone, speed, and all the other trained stats as well as health very rapidly.

Avoid having the Local Law Enforcement possibly fine you for neglect and confiscate your horses!

Get out of debt today!

Admin Acres released a statement today saying they have retired their famous The Admin's line of stallions.

The Admin Acres' spokesperson said, "These stallions have provided a great service to the local horse community over their 14 years at public stud. They are now aged stallions coming 17 and we felt they deserved to live out their remaining years with loving families."

When asked if there would be replacements for the stallion line known the world round, the spokesperson declined to comment saying "One never knows what move Admin Acres will make next."

Recent temperatures have hovered in the mid nineties to the low 100's causing the local water holes to dry up. The local herds have moved out of the valley in search of water. The biannual roundup took a month longer than normal as the hands combed the area for horses.

In the end they came back with precious few Local Stock to sell to the area breeders.

The local government of E-R has built a new Courthouse on the Commons. Look for announcements of new 'laws' and judicial process soon.

The bi-annual roundup of Local Stock went well today. The herds were in the lower valley grazing on the lush grasses granting the cowboys easy access to them. Not wanting to overly deplete the Native herds they rounded up a moderate number for sale to the area's breeders.

Congratulations to Zoe and her Thoroughbred mare, ±Z°e± Bella Giorna, on their win of the Equine Ranch Cup! Thanks to all who participated in this year's E-R Triple Crown series-- looking forward to next year!

Also, congratulations are in order for the Belmont Stakes winner, Afleet Alex!

This season brought a slightly more bountiful roundup as the herds moved down to the lower valley where the grazing is good thanks to the earlier rains.

Congratulations to Boomer and their Paint mare, KK Gambling Fool, on their Equine Ranch Stakes win Saturday!

Thank you to all who ran, and best of luck to you in the future!

The Breeding FAQ has been updated. http://equine-ranch.com/commons/viewtopic.php?p=10#10

Don't forget that the second leg of the Equine Ranch Triple Crown is running this Saturday, May 21st-- The Equine Ranch Stakes! Get those Grand Champ racehorses entered and ready for the big race, and catch all the information about and continuing coverage of the E-R Triple Crown in the Commons!

Q & A with Branik

Thought it might be fun if I shared some of the frequently asked or interesting questions and their answers from support with the rest of the players.

Today's question is:
I have a Lethal White Overo stallion, and when I tried to breed him it said that Lethal White Overo stallions could not be bred. Is there a reason for this?

Answer:
Yes. It is because in real life all Lethal White foals die within 1-3 days of being born. In the game Lethal Whites are "cyber dead." They cannot enter shows or breed.

Nikki

To those that actually complied and accepted my bids, you two are good players man. To those that didn't but did at least change the way you were pricing, y'all are alright. I'll let you stay.

Seriously remember please do not 'falsely advertise' by putting low prices you won't accept for the horse. If you put $0 you better be giving the horse away.

And no I didn't keep anybody's horses. :P

Nikki

A word about advertising.

When you list a horse for sale you need to list it for the price you are willing to sell it for.

When you place a horse for sale for approval you MAY NOT put them for sale for $0 unless you are willing to take $0 for them. This is bad business my friends. That price is to be the 'buy now' price that you are willing to accept.

Now I am going to go offer on every horse for sale for $0 and I EXPECT them to be ON MY RANCH as soon as you log in since there is no reason on this earth you would consider the game owner to be a bad owner to sell to now would you?

I will continue to do this to every horse placed for sale for $0 until you all get the idea that it is WRONG to do that and then tell players they must offer more than you asked for. I did not give you approval only sales so you could play games with them and then send nasty notes to the players that make offers for the price you asked.

Nikki

Also, a big congratulations to the winner of the 131st Kentucky Derby, Giacomo, pulling off a big upset and conquering a tough field!

Congratulations to Meg and her amazing mare, QLª Jaleh, on their Equine Ranch Derby win! Best wishes to them both should they run in the Stakes on the 21st of May.

Thank you to all who ran, and best of luck to you in the future!

A late snow cut off access to the local herds resulting in a second small roundup.

This is a heads up for owners and trainers of fine racehorses the world over! Announcing the Equine-Ranch Triple Crown, a series of three Grand Champion class races run in tandem with their American counterparts. The Equine Ranch Derby (mirroring the Kentucky Derby) is the first leg of the E-R Triple Crown and will be running on May 7th, the first Saturday of May. The other two races, the Equine Ranch Stakes (the Preakness Stakes) and the Equine Ranch Cup (The Belmont Stakes) will follow, running on their respective days. Each of these races has an added purse of *one million* ($999,999) playcash.
Any one horse to win all three of these races will not only claim the honored title of E-R Triple Crown Champion, but will also secure one year of premium status for their owner. This is an opportunity not to be missed, but train your horses carefully--- only Grand Champion class horses may compete in these events, so those who wish to compete in all of them, be sure not to shoot past Grand Champ and into National or you may find yourself out of the running!
Good luck to all contenders, and see you on Derby Day!

The E-R Employment Agency is giving a bonus to its premium workers!

During the month of May all Blue Ribbon Ranches will receive 13,000 sim cash salary!