DIA'S DEMON HORSE - Inspiration for Hasbadana

If you have read Behind the Mist already, you will know that Hasbadana is the ultimate BAD HORSE. Whenever I would write about him, I would be picturing the 32 foot tall statue that "greets" travelers as they arrive at or depart from Denver International Airport. It is mounted on a concrete and steel slab between the lanes along Pena Boulevard. You can't miss it...fortunately or unfortunately, depending upon your definition of art. In any case, "Mustang" as the City of Denver art commissioners call it or "Demon Horse" as I call it, was my inspiration for the evil Lord of the Dark Kingdom: Hasbadana.

Workers installing the Demon Horse in February, 2008

The story of the Demon horse is very interesting, while at the same time very tragic. The sculpture was commission by the City of Denver in 1992 to be the crowning piece for their new, overly expensive but beautiful airport. In Behind the Mist, DIA is referred to as the "white peaks on the plains" in reference to the canvas mountain-like peaked roof. Luis Jimenez from New Mexico was selected to complete the work and was offered $300,000 to do so if he completed it by 1996...one year after the completion of the airport. Jimenez's son said that from the onset, the artist and the horse had a "love-hate" relationship. Sixteen years, four missed deadlines, two lawsuits and one death later, the long-awaited "Demon Horse" was finally corraled.

In June of 2006, the fiberglass torso portion of the sculpture swung out of control and fell on Luis Jimenez while it was being hoisted in the artist's Hondo, New Mexico Studio. The City of Denver immediately claimed ownership of the sculpture and spent another $350,000 to rehab it, ship it to California for completion, ship it back to Colorado, install it and dedicate it. I don't know about you, but I think the dedication was necessary at this point!

On You-tube I found the the perfect song for the evil unicorn, Hasbadana:

http://youtu.be/rN2U5wkhRWc

The real thoroughbred of sin is Hasbadana! If you haven't learned to hate him yet, please buy a copy of Behind the Mist...you will be glad you did!

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KRIPTON SENI II - Andalusian unicorn

Another new breyer horse is Kripton Seni II. This mighty Andelusian stallion was the United States Equestrian Federation horse of Honor in 2009 which means he was one of the five finalists for Horse of the Year. He was the winner of 12 national championships!

This magnificent stallion is now standing at stud at the Amandalusian farm in California.

I wanted to write about the Andelusian breed today.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Andalusian horse
Distinguishing features Strongly built, compact, elegant, thick mane and tail
Alternative names Spanish Horse, Pura Raza Española
Country of origin Spain, Iberian Peninsula
Common nicknames Horse of Kings

The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE (Pura Raza Española), is a horse breed developed in the Iberian Peninsula. Its ancestors have been present on the Iberian Peninsula for thousands of years. The Andalusian has been recognized as an individual breed since the 15th century, and its conformation has changed very little over the centuries. Throughout its history, it has been known for its prowess as a war horse, and was prized by the nobility. The breed was used as a tool of diplomacy by the Spanish government, and kings across Europe rode and owned Spanish horses. During the 19th century, warfare, disease and crossbreeding reduced herd numbers dramatically, and despite some recovery in the late 19th century, the trend continued into the early 20th century. Exports of Andalusians were restricted until the 1960s, but the breed has since spread throughout the world, despite still-low population numbers. As of 2003[update], there were over 75,000 registered living Andalusians worldwide.

Strongly built, and compact yet elegant, Andalusians have long, thick manes and tails. Their most common coat color is gray, although they can be found in many other colors. They are known for their intelligence, sensitivity and docility. A sub-strain within the breed known as the Carthusian, is considered by breeders to be the purest strain of Andalusian, though there is no genetic evidence for this claim. The strain is still considered separate from the main breed however, and is preferred by breeders because buyers pay more for horses of Carthusian bloodlines. There are several competing registries keeping records of horses designated as Andalusian or PRE, but they differ on their definition of the Andalusian and PRE, the purity of various strains of the breed, and the legalities of stud book ownership. At least one lawsuit is in progress as of 2010 to determine the ownership of the Spanish PRE stud book.

The Andalusian is closely related to the Lusitano of Portugal, and has been used to develop many other breeds, especially in Europe and the Americas. Breeds with Andalusian ancestry include many of the warmbloods in Europe as well as western hemisphere breeds such as the Azteca. Over its centuries of development, the Andalusian breed has been selected for athleticism and stamina. The horses were originally used for classical dressage, driving, bullfighting, and as stock horses. Modern Andalusians are used for many equestrian activities, including dressage, show jumping and driving. The breed is also used extensively in movies, especially historical pictures and fantasy epics.

As the article above states, this breed is used a lot in movies...especially fantasy movies. So, when Behind The Mist becomes a movie, I think we should use a white andalusian stallion for Urijah, the Lord of Celestia. I can just see this sparkling unicorn with his long, thick, flowing mane and tail and golden horn. It would be fabulous!

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the new Breyer statue of Zanyetta. However, I think the new Breyer statue of Kripton Sni II is the most beautiful I have ever seen! Don't you agree?

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MAXIMUS - Tangled up in Unicornhood

The movie "Tangled" far exceeded my expectations! I didn't know, in particular, that I would fall in love with the horse-hero...MAXIMUS! This horse was hilarious in his dog-like characteristics. If you have read Behind The Mist, you will know that I am a dog lover! But I also loved his determination and sense of duty. However, he was also a sucker for a good love story which he wisely saw the makings of in Flynn and Rapunzel. If you haven't seen this movie, I would recommend it. I hereby nominate the horse MAXIMUS for unicornhood (a term I coined for Behind The Mist.) I can just see him in the fantasy world of Celestia being a noble and great unicorn!

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The Meaning Behind Horse monuments

As one approaches Denver International Airport you pass by a very mean looking statue of a rearing horse. I always call him "The Demon Horse" because he actually killed his creator. The horse depicted in this giant statue was my inspiration for the evil unicorn, Hasbadana in the first book of the Mist Trilogy: Behind The Mist. I started thinking about the legend I had heard about horse's hoof placement in statues and what that means when the statue is of a famous soldier. In Hasbadana's case two hooves are in the air and a word of warning is necessary here: DO NOT TRY TO RIDE HASBADANA!

Statue of Robert E. Lee in Gettysburg

Several years ago, our family visited Gettysburg. We were told by our tour guide that you could tell how a war-hero died or if he was injured by the number of hooves his horse has on or off the ground on his monument. If all four hooves were on the ground, the soldier died in peace. If one hoof was raised, he was wounded in battle but lived and if two hooves were raised, he died in battle or as a result of his wounds. I generalized this and assumed that applied to all equine monuments. I have since found that not to be a reliable code anywhere but in Gettysburg. The picture above is of Robert E. Lee. All four hooves are on the ground and Lee did not die in battle so that one fits.

However, Washington D.C. has the most equine statues of any city and some of them fit the code while others do not. Here are some examples:


This statue is of Major General George H. Thomas. You will notice that all hooves are on the ground and Thomas did die in peace. Fits the code.



Major General John A. Logan. One hoof is raised. He was wounded twice in battle but died in peace. Fits the code.

Major General Nathanial Green. One hoof raised. He died in peace unwounded. Does not fit the code.

Major General Winfield Scott Hancock. One hoof raised. Wounded in Battle. Fits the code.



Lt. General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson. All hooves on the ground. Jackson was wounded in battle by his own men and died of those wounds. Does not fit the code.

There are many more examples and you can find a much more complete list that has been compiled by Debora Johnson on her website:

http://www.horsehints.org/

Look for her article titled: Horse Statues in Washington D.C.

So, the conclusion is that, outside of Gettysburg, the position of the horse's legs means only that that was the way the artist wanted to depict him!

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BLACK JACK - Earned his Unicorn horn in the Army

November 22, 1963. That morning is seared in my memory like a brand on a horse's haunches. I was sitting in Mr. Lomax's music appreciation class at Lake Oswego Junior High School. It was a windowless room made of cement bricks that had been painted a pastel color, probably blue. Mr. Lomax was desperately trying to get a group of seventh graders to understand some aspect of music theory, a subject that I wouldn't appreciate until I was thirty, when a voice came over the intercom and interrupted, permanently, Mr. Lomax's lecture. President John F. Kennedy had been shot. A few other events are equally embedded in my memory: my marriage, the birth of my children and historical events like the first moon walk, 9/11, and today's anniversary...the Columbine shootings (we Coloradoans really remember that day!) But surprisingly few. If you weren't alive at that time, you probably can't envision what it was like. The media had made us believe that we were living in Camelot with King Arther (or, perhaps Lancelot) at our lead. It was like looking in a mirror and having it suddenly shatter before your face. I remember watching the funeral on our black and white T.V. I remember seeing a lovely, lean black horse being led down the crowd-lined avenue, riderless with riding boots placed in the stirrups...backwards.

(Photo taken by Ron Williams from the Arlington National Cemetary Website.)

I want to share with you what I found out about this horse. His name was Black Jack. He was named for the General of the Armies: John "Black Jack" Pershing. He was foaled on January 19, 1947 and became the last of the Quartermaster - issue horses. He entered the 3rd U.S. Infantry Stables at Ft. Myer on September 22, 1953. He was given the last Quartermaster brand on the left shoulder and the army serial number 2V56 on the left side of his neck. Black Jack served a long and honorable army career, including participating in the funerals of President Kennedy in 1963, President Hoover in 1964, President L. Johnson in 1964 and Five Star General Douglas MacArthur in 1964. When a riderless horse is led in a funeral procession he is called a "Caparisoned Horse." He is the symbol of a warrior who would ride no more. Apparently the tradition started with Genghis Khan. The draping on the horse, including the backward boots are part of the tradition. Black Jack died on February 6, 1976. His remains were laid to rest in a plot at Fort Myer, Virginia. He joined Comanche as the only other horse buried with full military honors. In the horse fantasy story, Behind the Mist, it is the noble and great horses that are chosen to become Unicorns once they enter animal heaven. If they complete their training, they are inducted into the prestigious Legion of the Unicorn. I, hereby, nominate Black Jack, the last Army horse, to the Legion of the Unicorn!

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BLACK BEAUTY - The fictional horse that still deserves to become a Unicorn

ANTHROPOMORPHISM! How many of you know the meaning of that word? It means to attribute human characteristics to an animal or a thing. That is what I did in Behind the Mist, although I really believe that horses and animals have those characteristics if we would just pay better attention to them! But, I digress. Anyway, one of my favorite books, and I'm sure yours too, that used this technique was Black Beauty. This wonderful book broke new literary ground when it was written in first-person, or I should say "first-Horse," from the horse's point of view. The author, Anna Sewell wrote the novel, not intended for children by the way, in the last years of her life. She wrote it as a bed ridden invalid between the years, 1871 and 1877. It was published in 1877 and became an immediate success. It has since become one of the best-selling books of all time having sold over 50 Million copies! Anna died just five months later but lived long enough to see it become popular. Anna lived in England. At the age of just fourteen, she fell while walking home from school in the rain and injured both her ankles. This left her crippled for the rest of her life. As a result of not being able to walk or stand for very long, she became dependent upon horse-drawn transportation. Black Beauty tells the heart warming and heart-breaking story of a beautiful Black horse while following him from one home and owner to the next. Some of these owners were kind, loving and knowledgable, others were not, especially the taxi driver! Regardless of the circumstances, Black Beauty always put forth his best effort...a lesson for all of us! It has been said that this book lead to the formation of several societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals..."Humane Societies." There is a very happy ending which I won't spoil just incase you are one of the few people who hasn't YET read it! Black Beauty was made into several movies, cartoons and a T.V. series. I hereby nominate Black Beauty to the Legion of the Unicorn and give Anna Sewell flight as a Unicorn Rider!

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ARKLE - Greatest Steeplechaser of all time

This blog is dedicated to the Noble and Great horses in our lives and throughout history. In Behind the Mist, the reader learns that these are the horses, that are chosen to become unicorns in the animal heaven. Behind the Mist is the fantasy for horse story lovers!



















Do any of you remember the movie, "National Velvet?" I LOVED that movie. It starred a teenaged Elizabeth Taylor and a very young Mickey Rooney. That was a wholesome, touching movie that really focused on horses as oppposed to some horse movies where the horses are just an after-thought. That was my first exposure to steeplechasing - races of various lengths that include jumps. This is a cool video with great horse clips from the movie.


Considered the greatest steeplechaser of all time, Arkle was a bay Thoroughbred Gelding born on the 19th of April, 1957. His father was Archive. His mother was Bright Cherry (I like that name!) He was bred at Ballymacdl Stud farm, near Naul, Dublin County, Ireland, by Mary Alison Baker. He was owned by Anne, Duchess of Westminster, trained by Tom Dreaper (who also trained his archrival) and ridden by Pat Taaffe.

Arkle had a strange quirk. When he jumped, he crossed his front legs. Even with that, he won 27 of his 35 starts at varying distances and often carrying lots of extra weight. In fact, the Irish Grand National racing authorities devised two different handicap weight systems: one for when Arkle wasn't racing and one for when he was!

Arkle was extremely successful during his short racing career. He won 3 Cheltenham Gold Cups in a row: 1964, 1965, and 1966, plus tons of other big races. In December of 1966, Arkle struck the guard rail at the open ditch while running in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park. He broke the pedal bone in his hoof but finished the race anyway, coming in second. He spent the next 4 months in a cast but never raced again. His owner rode him for pleasure after that. (Called hacking.) Arkle was put down at the young age of 13.

Arkle was so famous and such a favorite in Ireland that the slogan "Arkle for President" was painted on a wall in Dublin. Everyone referred to him as "Himself" and fan mail was sent to him addressed simply as: "Himself, Ireland" and it would get there!

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BIG BEN - The Show Jumping Legend

This Blog is dedicated to the Noble and Great horses in our lives and throughout history. As you learn by reading Behind The Mist, the Noble and Great horses are chosen to become unicorns in the after-life.

This blog post is about the great Canadian Show Jumper: Big Ben

Big Ben was an enormous Belgian Warmblood. He was born on April 20, 1976 in Kalmthout, Belgium. He was originally named Winston after Winston Churchill. He grew to 17.3 hands. (A hand is 4 inches and is measured at the withers.) Winston was sold in 1983 for $2,000 to a farm in the Netherlands. His name was changed to Big Ben and his price tag became big as well. He was sold shortly thereafter for $45,000 as a mount for Canadian Equestrian, Ian Miller and moved to Miller Brooke Farm in Perth, Ontario, Canada.

In 1984, his remarkable show jumping career began. His list of accomplishments looks like a mobster's rap sheet it is so long! Just to name a few: He competed with the Canadian equestrian team 3 times. He won the World Cup Jumping Championship 2 years in a row: 1988 in Gothenburg, Sweden and 1989 in Tampa, Florida. His total winnings were over $1.5 Million!

In 1992, Big Ben survived a trailer accident that left two horses dead, a third too injured to ever be ridden again and a fourth too afraid to ever go in a trailer again. Not only did he survive, he went on the win a Grand Prix just two months later.

Hold on to your heart as you watch this video of him competing!




Big Ben was retired from competition in 1994 at the age of 18 after 11 years of competing. He spent his last days at the Miller Brooke Farm, where he is now buried. He was Euthanized after a serious bout of Colic on Dec. 11, 1999.

He is a Canandian Icon and even has a stamp made in his honor. Big Ben was inducted into the Ontario Sports Legend Hall of Fame and joined Northern Dancer as the only other horse to be inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

A beautiful statue has been erected in his honor along the banks of the Tay river in Perth. The life-sized statue was created by sculptor Stewart Smith and depicts Ben carrying Miller over a 5 and 1/2 foot jump.

You can read more about Big Ben in the book Big Ben by Lawrence Scanlan and in a chapter found in An Apple A Day submitted by his groom, Sandi Hill.

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Future Unicorn MOORLANDS TOTILAS - The World Champion!

Some future unicorns are easier to spot than others! Moorlands Totilas or "Toto" is one of those. He is so beautiful he makes your eyes hurt just to look at him! This blog is dedicated to all of the Noble and Great horses in our lives and Totilas is truly one of the Noble and Great ones!

Please accept my apology if you are not as nutty about Dressage as I am, but if you watch the video (one of dozens on the internet about this horse) you will surely agree with me that this horse deserves to be nominated for unicornhood. Moorlands Totilas and his rider Edward Gal led the Dutch team at the World Equestrian Games at the Kentucky Horse Park in October, 2010. They took away three gold medals and recieved the highest scores in Dressage History. They amased an unparalleled number of perfect 10's. In fact, during Toto's eighteen month career showing at Grand Prix they won nearly every test they entered.

Totilas was owned by Cees Viser. He is by Gribaldi and is half Trakehner. The fabulous black stallion was first put under saddle at the age of five (race horse owners take note!) and was trained exclusively by Edward Gal for the next five years until his unprecidented performance in Kentucky...his first overseas trip. Gal said in an article in the December addition of Dressage Today (my second favorite magazine) that he has never ridden a horse that can compare to Toto. He has so much power and energy but is also supple. His attitude is different, too. He responds instantly and gives all he has and everything is easy for him.

Gal kept Totilas on a strict training schedule. His day started with feeding at 7:30. He rode him at 9:00 for 1/2 hour to 3/4 hour. Then he was given lunch. He was put on the walker at 2 in the afternoon for 45 minutes. Later in the afternoon he was given a hand walk and a graze and another hand walk at 7 p.m. He was never turned out loose in the pasture as he gets too wild and he has been know to hurt himself. Such is the life of the world's top dressage horse.

This is an interesting video of Totila's Grand Prix performance at the WEG (If you watch Gal at the WEG Free Style, even with the one goof, watch the rider. He earned a 10 for his riding at that competition.

Sadly, the incredible pair of Gal and Totilas has been broken apart and the WEG was their last competition together. Either just before, and kept a secret, or just after the World Equestrian Games Totilas was sold to Paul Schockemohle of Germany. Schockemohle was a big time show jumper now a big time breeder. He runs a stable of 3,000 horses and produces 500 foals a year at his farm. Totilas was moved there right after the WEG. It was announced in November that Totilas would have a new German rider: Matthais Roth. I watched a German video of him riding Toto and it made me so sad. Totilas belongs with Edward Gal. I am so sad that Toto was taken from his rider and trainer. It reminds me of Shema being taken from Bethany in Behind The Mist. I imagine that Toto's heart is broken, too.

Totilas will be used for breeding, of course, and a contract has already been signed to breed him with Brentina. See the November Post on Brentina.

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SECRETARIAT IS A UNICORN!

Okay, readers, I am thinking about this blog and Behind the Mist, WAY too much! I dreamt about Secretariat last night. You will be happy to know, however, that in my dream, Secretariat had earned his horn and was a member of the Legion of the Unicorn. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you need to get Behind the Mist!) I envisioned Secretariat, his chestnut coat glowing, galloping across the flower-filled fields of Celestia. Of course, he was leaving the other unicorns far behind. I can't say "in the dust" because there is no dust in Celestia! His horn looked like it was made of sparkling rubies. He was a sight to behold! What a great dream.

SECRETARIAT-You've Probably Heard of Him!

In Behind the Mist, Book One of The Mist Trilogy, the reader learns that the Noble and Great horses are trained to become unicorns in their after-life and earn their horns. This Blog is dedicated to the Noble and Great horses in our lives and throughout history.

When I was a newly-wed living in Connecticut while my husband, Tom, completed his undergraduate studies at Yale, we watched and cheered as Secretariat, arguably the greatest race horse ever, burned up the track and won the Triple Crown. I will never forget that horse!

In October, 2010, my trail riding buddies and I went to see the movie Secretariat. I think I cried through the whole thing! If you haven't seen it, it is a must. I was re-motivated to reach for the stars...to run my race. Great movie...go see it. It is also fitting that Penny Chenery Tweety, Secretariat's owner, is a fellow Coloradoan. So, this Blog post is dedicated to the Great Secretariat.

Secretariat was born in Mar. 30, 1970. This would be a good place to retell the story of the coin-toss by which the Chenerys obtained ownership of the big red stallion. The owner of the great Bold Ruler had proposed the idea of a coin-toss for the offspring of his stallion. Christopher Chenery sent two of his best mares, Hasty Matilda and Somethingroyal to Phipps' stallion. The coin-toss was held in New York City and was won by Phipps. He chose the weanling out of Somethingroyal which left the Chenerys with the colt born of Hasty Matilda and the, as yet, unborn foal of Somethingroyal. (Hasty Matilda had lost her first foal the year before.) Secretariat was that unborn foal.

Secretariat's fame rests on his success. Not only was he the 1973 Triple Crown winner, the first in 25 years, but his record in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont still stand. His time in the Preakness is not counted because of a faulty timer. His success is usually attributed to two things: His trainer, Lucien Lauren and his enormous heart. At his autopsy, it was found that his heart weighed close to 22 pounds. The average thoroughbred's heart is 9 pounds. Not only that, but unlike Eclipse's big heart, it was not malformed. Studies have found what is called the X Factor that is carried by the mare that contributes to the large hearts that are found in the fastest thoroughbreds. Secretariat's heart was so large that it was able to pump a huge amount of blood, giving him both speed and stamina. However, because this trait is passed through the mare, his off-spring did not inherit it from him. It is interesting to note that Man O' War is often credited with passing on his speed but, in reality, the mare he was bred to, Brush Up, had a bigger heart than he did and the result was War Admiral and Seattle Slew.

In life, all of "Red's" handlers knew he had a big heart but they were referring to his love of running and his work ethic. His primary jockey, Ron Turcotte, said when describing the horse, "I was just along for the ride." Indeed, if you watch a tape of the Belmont, you will notice that he never uses a whip.

In the fall of 1989, Secretariat developed Laminitis, a very painful and often fatal condition of the hoof. Surgery failed to correct it so the great red horse had to be euthanized on Oct. 4, 1989. He was given perhaps his greatest honor after death by being buried whole at the Claibourne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. By tradition, most thoroughbred's graves contain just their head, to symbolize intelligence, their heart, to symbolize strength, and their legs, to symbolize power.

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