A TRIBUTE TO SKIP

One purpose of this blog is to memorialize the noble and great horses in our lives...not just the famous ones! Here is a beautiful tribute sent in from Colorado:

A very sad yet joyful day today!!! My daughter Nicole Janitell's horse Skip went to the Rainbow Bridge. We are very sad to lose a member of our family but he is in a better place. Thank you God for all the great memories and a GREAT horse. He will live forever in our memories as our Grumpy Old Man with a huge heart!

Thank you Skip for taking care of my Nicki and giving her the love and nurturing and teaching her so many things.We will miss you and will always love you.

Send me a tribute to your special horse at: mjevansbtm@gmail.com

and I will include it on a future blog post. 

MESSENGER-Famous Imported Thoroughbred

Messenger was a grey thoroughbred stallion. Messenger has crosses to all three of the Thoroughbred foundation sires, particularly Godolfin Arabian. Messanger's sire was a trotter but Messenger was never used in a trotting race. However, his great grandson, Hambletonian became the father of American Trotters and Pacers so I guess he kept that talent and passed it on. For more information on Hambletonian, read my post on December 15, 2010.

Messenger was bred in England. There, he started in 16 flat races and won ten of them. Messenger's races, usually less than two and half miles, were mainly "match" races in which the side bets far exceeded the purse.

In May 1788 Sir Thomas Benger imported Messenger to Pennsylvania. In 1793, Messenger was sold to Henry Astor. According to an article in Wikipedia, "Messenger was once advertised in a Philadelphia newspaper as: Available for service: Inquiries to be made to a certain Alexander Clay at the sign of the Black Horse in Market Street." I love little bits of history like that. It makes a famous horse like Messenger seem so real!

Messenger became a very successful stud and produced great race horses. Messenger was bred throughout Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersy. The mares he was bred with were not of the highest quality, but even so he proved himself a superior stallion, siring a great many successful thoroughbred racehorses. One example is Messenger's daughter, Miller's Damsel, also known as "Queen of the American Turf." His genes can also be found in the American Saddlebred and Tennessee Walking horses. Messenger died on January 8, 1808 at the age of 28. He is buried on Long Island.

Send me the story of your Noble and Great Horse. Write to me at:

http://mjevansbtm@gmail.com

or visit the Behind the Mist Facebook page.

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HORSE LOVER'S POEM

Why do I like horses? I think I must be mad.
My mother wasn't horsey - And neither was my dad.
But the madness hit me early - and it hit me like a curse.
And I've never gotten better. In fact I've gotten worse.
I hardly read a paper - but I know who's sold their horse.
And I wouldn't watch the news - Unless Mr. Ed was on, of course.
One eye's always on the heavens - but my washing waves in vain
As I rush to get the horses in - in case it's gonna rain.
I spend up every cent I've got - on horsey stuff for sure
I buy saddles, bridles, fancy boots - and then I buy some more.
I can't sew on a button - I don't even try
But I can back a truck and trailer - in the twinkling of an eye.
It's jeans and boots that I live in night and day
And that smell of sweaty horses just doesn't wash away.
I ache from long forgotten falls. My knees have got no skin.
My toes have gone a funny shape - from being stomped on again and again.
But late at night, when all is still - and I've gone to give them hay,
I touch their velvet softness and my worries float away.
They give a gentle nicker and they nuzzle through my hair
And I know it's where my heart is - more here than anywhere.
~ Author Unknown

This poem was sent in by a reader named Jodi and it touched my heart. While I live in Breeches instead of jeans, this poem otherwise fits me like a glove (a riding glove, of course!) My non-horsey parent couldn't understand my obsession but they allowed me to pursue it all the same and I thank them for that! And you should see my toes!

Luke, the boy book critic reviews BEHIND THE MIST

You have to watch this darling little boy give his review of Behind the Mist!


Behind the Mist was written for the middle grade readers: 9 to 14. But this boy is just 8 so if you know of a precocious 8 year old, they will love it, too!

THE GREAT BUCEPHALUS-An important player in The Mist Trilogy

I started this blog one year ago. Since that time, thousands of you have visited and enjoyed the stories about famous horses. I am repeating this post because Bucephalus plays an important role in the third book of The Mist Trilogy: The Rising Mist. Plus, I think Bucephalus is cool!

One of the most famous horses in history is the black stallion, Bucephalus, mount of Alexander the Great. In the third book of The Mist Trilogy, The Rising Mist, the reader meets this amazing horse in his immortal life. I don't want to tell you any more about that or it might ruin the story. But I do want to tell you about the original Bucephalus. Much of what is written about him may very well fall in the category of folklore so I can't be sure of all of the facts. But I will tell you what is believed to be true.

Bucephalus was born around the year 356 B.C., the same time as Alexander The Great. He was bred by the great horsemen in Thessaly. When he was twelve years old, he was brought as an unbroken stallion to Philip II of Macedonia by a horse dealer. The dealer, Philonicus, was asking 13 talents for the horse. A talent was a huge amount of money, equaling 57 to 60 pounds of gold or silver. So, imagine the value of 13 talents! In any case, when Philip saw that none of his horsemen and trainers could ride the horse, he scoffed and asked to have the horse taken away. However, young twelve- year-old Alexander, who had been watching the attempts by his father's trainers, stepped forward and said: "I can tame this horse to ride. It only needs the right rider." The adults, of course, laughed him to scorn but he was not deterred. We can call Alexander the first "Horse Whisperer" because, as he had been watching, he noticed that the horse was frightened by the shadows cast by the men as well as their aggressive body and head movements. The young boy walked quietly up to the horse, speaking softly to him, and turned him to face the sun, thus casting the shadows behind him. Gently stroking his black coat he worked his way around to the horse's side and mounted the stallion. Off they galloped until boy and horse were one.(one famous mos

Alexander named him Bucephalus, which means "Ox head" because his head, which sported a white star and one blue eye, was extremely wide...as broad as a bull's.

At that time, bridles were used but not leather saddles or stirrups. Alexander and Bucephalus traveled thousands of miles with only a cloth laid over the horse's back. The two conquered the entire Persian empire from the Mediterranean Sea to modern day India, and south to Egypt. It is interesting to note that, on their march down to Egypt, Jerusalem folded without a battle. The people of Jerusalem quoted Daniel's prophecy found in the 8th chapter about a mighty Greek King that would conquer Egypt so Alexander left them alone and traveled on.

Alexander believed that both he and his horse would be immortal (A fact attested to in the third book of The Mist Trilogy) and when his horse died at the age of 28 or 30 (depending on the source,) Alexander gave him a state funeral and named a city, Bucephala, after him. Some say that the horse died in Alexander's last battle, other say he died of old age.

Bucephalus has been immortalized in art, literature and movies. In fact, Walter Farley's Black Stallion was loosely based upon this story. If you watch the movie carefully, you will see the father of the boy, Alec, give him a tiny statue of Bucephalus when they are on the boat.

Check out the clip below from a movie about Alexander the Great.

Send me the story of your Nobel and Great horse that deserves to be a unicorn someday and it may get published on the blog. Email me at:

mjevansbtm@gmail.com

To purchase the first of the Mist Trilogy: Behind the Mist, go to:

www.behindthemist.com

DARKER N BEY - A story of love and perserverance

Here is another story from Jan Sharp, the owner of Black Tie Affair that I wrote about in the last post.


Since I have shown Arabian horses for nearly 40 years and am a trick horse trainer, when Darken was born, I expected him to become a champion show horse and a trick horse super star. He would be my star pupil who would reflect my years of horse training skills. A champion in the making for sure.

What I got was a crooked-legged, scaredy cat colt who was afraid of his own shadow. He over reacted to everything he saw and heard for no reason. Sudden movements practically knocked him off his feet. Standing a bit like a duck, it would seem he didn't have much future as a show horse and hope of him becoming a trick horse dissolved when he refused to learn any tricks.

I gave up trying to teach him tricks and went to work trying to get him to just behave like a normal horse. He had no intention of being normal. As a two year old, he fractured his skull somehow in his stall and needed surgery to repair the broken bones in his forehead. More surgery came later when he developed a massive infection after being gelded. After he recovered, he proved to not take to be ridden either. He'd spook and bolt at the slightest noises.


Then, one day, all that changed. He walked out of his stall and started to perform tricks on his own. He bowed, he lay down, he sat - all things I never taught him. The horse I thought might never fulfill the dreams I had for him had taught himself tricks. Apparently, his ablibly to teach himself tricks and quickly learn new ones I taught him gave him a new focus in life and there was no stopping him.

Despite standing crooked in the front at times, he went on to become a reserve world champion in halter. And, dispite being difficult to ride, he went on to earn the high score Arabian award at his first big rated open dressage show and qualified for the sport horse nationals.

By sharing his story with hundreds of kids, he teaches them to never give up because of any obstacles in their life. His example of perseverance gives hope to those who perhaps find their own life challenged in some way. Many kids can relate to the roadblocks he faced in his early life. His mother died when he was young, he suffered several medical emergencies and surgeries, he was very timid and shy, and it seemed as if he had no real talent in anything, Yet, he stuck with it and kept going.

Darken did became a trick horse star and he's been an inspiration to hundreds of people. He continues to share his story with kids and performs his tricks at horse shows, schools, Pony Club, nursing homes, special needs homes, horse shows, camps, benefits, and charity events as well as pursuing his career in the show ring.

Darken, the little horse who not only could, but did.

Jan Sharp
Ashtabula, Ohio


P.S. I have written a book about my trials and adventures with Darken ( the true story of his first 5 years ) and am working on getting it published. If you have any connections in the publishing business, just let me know!

OKAY READERS...ANYBODY HAVE CONNECTIONS WITH A PUBLISHER THAT WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THIS STORY?

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?

Get your own copy of Behind The Mist and find out how the noble and great horses become unicorns in the afterlife. CLICK HERE:

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or CLICK HERE:

www.themisttrilogy.com

or visit your favorite book source!