I think back to May when I was first going to show JC and how I wasn't sure he was ready for an amateur. Boy was I wrong. That horse does whatever you ask of him. He has come thru for me in the shows whenever I have needed him to be there. Yes, we have had our ups and downs, but, mostly, ups. He has been reserve grand champion twice and has always been in the ribbons for me. He has never quit on me or given up even when he had reason to.
I remember our second show. I arrived and JC's leg was sw…
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Added by Nina Kraus on August 27, 2009 at 9:09am —
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It is funny how horses get so set in what they are doing that they forget how to be a horse. We recently retired a mare we had bred years ago. My sister has been showing her for the past 10 years. Jet (New York's Best M&N) started showing at the age of three in 3 year old fine harness. She also showed in 4 year old fine harness and my sister began showing her at the age of 5. Jet turned 13 last year and we decided she had done enough and would take over for her mother, who passed away years…
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Added by Nina Kraus on May 15, 2009 at 7:50am —
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As I read back through my many posts about JC (Buck Almighty), I began to think about our entire journey together and what a journey it has been. JC came to Winsome farms in August of 2006 when he was a yearling. I had only seen him a few times at his previous home. We have been breeding a long time and, from the day he arrived at Winsome, I knew I had to have him. He was the one baby that just touched my heart. He was big and lanky with this wonderfully chiseled face and a flaxen mane and tail…
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Added by Nina Kraus on April 3, 2009 at 8:30pm —
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I remember a year ago, we were wondering if JC would make it into the show ring as a 3 year old. He did and he did us proud. Six months ago we were debating whether or not I would learn to ride him well enough to be able to show him as a 4 year old. It was questionable as my leg was broken at the time. Well, here we are 4 weeks from our first show and he is an angel. He tries to please every second from the moment you go to get on him. I am vertically challenged so it takes me time to get on. I…
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Added by Nina Kraus on April 3, 2009 at 8:25pm —
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It is so much fun to watch the new babies come in each year. This year Raquel, our now 2 year old, came in. What a different personality she is from her brother. Raquel definitely has attitude. She is a mare and doesn't let anyone forget it. She tries hard, but gets confused, and then gets upset. It really is not fair to her that we keep comparing her to her brother. We have to remember that we have been breeding for over 25 years and she is still one of the best ones we have bred.
It is hard t…
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Added by Nina Kraus on February 22, 2009 at 9:31pm —
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Wow, it's been 4 years since he was born, but I am finally riding JC. He has exceeding some of my expectations and didn't rise up to others. He is beautiful, but is not gaited. I can forgive him that. He is a gentle giant of a boy. Everything he is in his stall; he is when you ride him. He doesn't get angry or confused. He doesn't hold it against me that it takes time for me to get on him and end up hitting him with the step stool. He doesn't get upset that I hang on his mouth every now and then…
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Added by Nina Kraus on February 10, 2009 at 9:57pm —
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Last time I looked it was the end of October and JC was being let down for the winter. We had just finished the last show of the season. Now, we are planning shows for this upcoming season, JC is back to work and everyone is discussing how they will fit into their riding suits. As for me, I have ridden JC once and I have to learn to ride him in order to show him.
Riding him was wonderful. He is the most honest horse I have ever ridden. He tries to please every step of the way. You tell him what…
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Added by Nina Kraus on January 24, 2009 at 5:16pm —
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I have been pretty much laid up since September of 2007 when I got beat up in a fight at work. By the end of January, I had had two shoulder surgeries. I rode after my surgeries if you could call it that. When I got to the point that my shoulders were as healed as they could get, I broke my leg. That left me with another 10 weeks of not riding.
My arms will never improve; they are what they are. My leg has almost healed. I do have to get on and off with a 3 step stool. I am trying to ride as mu…
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Added by Nina Kraus on January 6, 2009 at 7:00pm —
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My husband was able to come to the barn today to see his "boy". JC has been on vacation since the middle of October and gets to spend his mornings running outside. I never get to see him do it as, by the time I get to the barn, he is inside. Today, we got to the barn and JC was still outside--as beautiful as ever. We went outside and called him. He came running. The first thing Brian said was, "where is the camera?" Well, it was at home. What a wonderful picture watching this beautiful liver che…
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Added by Nina Kraus on December 20, 2008 at 9:52pm —
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It is the time of the year where we need to remember and thank all of the people who help our horses look and be the best they can. For some of us, it is our trainers who spend countless hours and a lot of patience to help our horses become the best they can. Not to mention the hours they spend on us as riders and probably more patience to make us the best we can be. It is no wonder we have so many trainers who are either grey or bald. These trainers also care for our horses when they are sick b…
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Added by Nina Kraus on December 4, 2008 at 8:00am —
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One of our babies, who is obviously no longer a baby, was retired at the age of 14 after her last class at the Mane Event charity horse show. New York's Best a/k/a Jet retired after a great career and will join Lady Skybuck in the broodmare ranks.
Jet was out of our first mare Best Loved and by New York Times. My mother had always wanted a black horse. Best Loved was by Status Symbol so we knew she had a chance of producing a black baby. My sister and I bred lady (Best Loved) as a present to my…
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Added by Nina Kraus on October 27, 2008 at 9:08pm —
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It was one year ago that we were watching JC drive. That's all he did for months was drive. There was never any thought of showing him. He was a lanky 2 year old who could barely lift his legs and was really good at tripping over them. In February, I finally said it would be interesting to see him under saddle once again.
Terri Anne (my trainer) said fine and rode him. Jimmy (who had been training him) said there would be no more thought of him showing in harness as he was much prettier under s…
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Added by Nina Kraus on October 27, 2008 at 1:47pm —
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We are getting close to the holiday season. Check out our companion store
all things horsey for all your stocking stuffers and gift needs. Almost all the merchants are having sales right now. We have gifts and items for everybody and every room in your house. Remember, each merchant does carry non-horsey items also. The carousel at the top of each shop are from Amazon. If you buy from Amazon, and click through the carousel, whatever you order will be…
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Added by Nina Kraus on October 19, 2008 at 7:24pm —
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Each day I read questions from people asking what to do about their horse's behavior, training or general care. These are from people who have limited experience with horses, but want to train these horses themselves. It is really not as simple as these questions make it out to be. You must consider your knowledge of horses and the horse you own when deciding whether or not to hire a professional.
I have been raising horses for 25 years now and riding and showing them for over 35 years and I do…
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Added by Nina Kraus on September 25, 2008 at 8:25pm —
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It is murphy's law that a good horse will always sell themselves. It doesn't take much to sell these horses. However, this is not necessarily the horse you want to sell. This is it--the best baby you have produced. Isn't that why many of us breed--to produce something better than we can afford to buy and have the thrill of showing that baby?
There are 4 babies at home which are for sale at very reasonable prices. For some reason, the lowest priced horse is the hardest horse to sell. People expe…
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Added by Nina Kraus on September 11, 2008 at 9:52am —
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After having the now 3 year old in training for over a year, you take a look at it and ask yourself, "What breed is it?" This happens many times. A baby doesn't meet our expectations of what we wanted or is not talented enough to compete. What do you do now? We've all read about these breeders who just leave the horses to starve or abandon them. That is not an option. No matter what the baby turns out to be, it is still your responsibility as the breeder to take care of it or find a home for it.…
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Added by Nina Kraus on September 4, 2008 at 8:13am —
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As you've all followed my blogs, you know that JC (Buck Almighty) has had a good show season for a 3 year old. He is qualified for the 3 year old finals in Kansas City the week before Thanksgiving. Now, the decisions...do we take him? There is huge prize money, but no guarantee he will win. Do we show him at the Wisconsin Futurity Horse Show in 3 weeks or wait until the Mane Event horse show in October? If we wait until the Mane Event show, it gives him more time to get stronger and it is closer…
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Added by Nina Kraus on August 31, 2008 at 4:20pm —
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I recently broke my leg. That is not humorous, but the reaction I have gotten from people is. The first thing people have said to me is, "Oh my you fell off your horse," or "Oh my you got hurt by a horse." They immediately blame the horse. No, I did it putting my pants on. Horses have a reputation as being dangerous. I am not saying that there aren't horses who may not have the perfect temperament and that accidents on horses don't happen, but that quick reaction of it must have been the horses…
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Added by Nina Kraus on August 27, 2008 at 9:17pm —
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As the baby grows and develops into a yearling, they start to get much bigger. You have decisions to make at this point. First of all, you have to decide whether or not you are going to train the baby yourself in which case you are going to make sure you have all the equipment necessary for starting the training process. You will need a lead chain, lunge line and eventually the equipment to
long line th…
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Added by Nina Kraus on August 22, 2008 at 1:23pm —
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When the foal reaches about 6 months old, the baby is going to have to be weaned from it's mother. Do you have enough room? How are you going to separate them? They will yell for each other. It is easier if you have had the mare and foal out with another mare and foal. This way you can turn the babies out with each other and the mares out together in a separate field. You are going to have to learn to ignore the noise. If it bothers you, get some
ear plug…
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Added by Nina Kraus on August 18, 2008 at 1:00pm —
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