Welcome, Maggie!

God blessed Painted Acres Ranch with a new mare! She’s about 14hh and has the best personality of them all. She was a gift (a registered AWR and APHA, high-end quarter horse is quite a gift! Great great great granddaughter of Lucky Bar and Three Bars.). Why was she gifted this sweet, gorgeous brood mare? The older lady in CA (who had Maggie for 20 years) just has to cut back, and she feels badly that Lucy (another of her horses) died last December–in foal, not long after she arrived at the Painted Acres. I was there. It was not a pretty event. Tragic, actually. Poor Lucy! But . . . There was something not quite right about Lucy, but anyway… She GAVE Kristel this brood mare.

This is a fancy, prancy, 20+ year old mare whose only goal in life is to have foals. She absolutely loves babies! The owner talked (and cried) over the phone when Maggie was finally delivered last Sunday to Painted Acres. Maggie took one look at Rubicon and went into heat! She’s loves that big boy. She and Rubicon have had four foals together–three stunning buckskins and a palomino. (Kristel wants a buckskin this next time around.) The previous owner said be very careful that Maggie doesn’t see any other mares around Rubicon (seriously, like we would put mares in with Rubicon???) because she has “claim” on him. She thinks he is her husband, and only him.

Rubicon couldn’t take his eyes off Maggie, kind of like that old song, “It’s too good to be true. Can’t take my eyes off of you. You’d be like heaven to touch. I want to hold you so much . . .”

Rubicon just knows a familiar horse is in there!

Jewels (AKA “Twinkie” cuz she’s round and soft like a Twinkie) was, of course, put out by another mare in her space, but Maggie loves Taffy. We think it’s cuz she is still a “foal” by Maggie’s definition. Kristel put Maggie and Taffy together and all is well. (Note Taffy’s dapples, but she is losing them as she sheds out.)

Here’s the thing. The story goes that Maggie is the perfect brood mare and foal nanny. When she is with other mares and foals, she babysits all the time while the other mares graze. She is happiest when she is surrounded by foals. One year, when a 3 or 4 month old foal lost its mama, they put the foal with Maggie, and she accepted it! She’s that good. Needless to say, my daughter is “over the moon” in love with Maggie. Here is a video (note the rope is just hanging on the railing, not even tied). Kristel says this is the best horse she’s ever had.

Next to Maggie, “Twinkie” looks fat and dumpy. (The farrier told Kristel that if she, Jewels, doesn’t lose weight, she’s in danger of foundering.) Hey, I put Jewels on a diet when Kristel and hubby were out of town for a week. I “spared not my soul for her crying” (Actually, Jewels “purrs” whenever she sees me walking around with a flake of hay in my arms for the foals. She was in the round pen so she couldn’t STEAL Kody’s fair share.

Speaking of Kody . . . they did it. They gelded him. Everybody at the equine hospital said he’s a looker. He’s got perfect conformation, is huge, and (now that he’s gelded) will probably revert back to the laid-back, sweet boy he was up until the hormones hit him. He’s worth a lot of $$$, which is a good thing, since Painted Acres spends a lot of $$$.

So, what will Kody be? The consensus is . . . he will shed out as a “honey-colored” palomino. He’s going to be gorgeous this summer. I’ll do another photo Friday when he gets his final coat. Oh, something to consider. Jewels has not come into heat since last February, and of course then Kristel learned that a colt is fertile at 10 months old. It’s very possible that Jewels is bred by . . . Dakota! If she is, they did it in secret. We saw him “friendly” with Jewels, which is unusual, because usually Jewels has no patience for the upstart and nips him. So . . . I will certainly keep y’all posted!

And not leaving Taffy out. Once she loses her dapples, we think she is going to be a dark red “chestnut” palomino, which sounds pretty striking to me! I can’t wait until Kristel gives baths and sends “final” yearling colors! It’s been guessing game all year.

Our Jewels Taffy Kandy. Isn’t she something? And so sweet, and a princess, and smart.