A Baby Boomer Dreams of Arabian Horses - The Search Part 4

I remember that on the way home that Betty asked me my opinion of the Arabian filly. Betty had been concerned because the horse did not have a flat topline and wouldn't make a halter horse. The horse that Betty had really wanted to buy was the Safire daughter, the filly's mother. She was not for sale.

My advice had been if you have a mare you want that badly but can't have, the daughter would be the next best thing. I, too, had been impressed with the Safire mare, heck I was impressed with everyone of them. As far as I was concerned you couldn't go wrong buying any horse on the place.

Even as hot as she was, I'd have bought that JK Amadeus filly in a heartbeat if I'd been in the market for a horse. She was the most correct black horse I had ever seen. There was no doubt in my mind that she would mature the way the woman had told us.

So now, a few years later, I find myself heading down the road to return to this farm. I already knew most of the horses have been sold off because the owner fractured her pelvis in a horse related accident.

There was only one horse left for sale. That horse was a yearling filly by SH Phantom Echo (Echo Magnifficoo X QF Laila) and out of Line of Fire (Safire x Gamaay Rose). I couldn't wait to see her.

When we arrived, we were led down the same pathway through the now empty barn and out into the field. The yearling filly was in the same paddock where we had seen the black filly years before. Only this time the horse in the field was gray and on the wild side. Because of the woman's injury, the young horse had been handled very little.

This was a totally different horse than the JK Amadeus filly. It was striking how much difference there was between the two horses. But one thing was unmistakable and that was those incredible Gamaar eyes. The young horse was a really pretty mover, so fluid and easy. I wasn't really sure about her neck although I liked the rest of the package.

Dave took video so I could really study the horse when I got home. I really wanted a chance to study that neck and how it was put on. With my double vision, one time looking at a horse is just not enough. While Dave followed the filly around the field, the woman told me she had an offer on the filly. If I wanted her, I would need to check back later to see if the deal had gone through.

Once we were done looking at the horse, our guide asked if we would like to see the old mares one more time. Of course, I jumped at the chance and Dave and Lindsay were pleased to go along as we headed off to that same pasture again.

This time it was different when the owner's shrill whistle filled the air. There was no thundering of hooves because there was no longer a big band of mares. Instead two lone old gray mares raced up over the rise with a week old chestnut filly in hot pursuit. I still was impressed with these two great old mares. Their faces seemed to reflect the wisdom of their years.

Delighted to see us, they threw their tails up over their backs and raced around in glee. Snorting and blowing their pleasure at finally having an audience. Whoever wrote the song The Old Gray Mare was NOT looking at an Arabian horse. The two grand old dams of the Arabian breed were as proud and regal as ever. The chestnut filly had trouble keeping up and whinnied over and over again wondering what all the excitement was about.

My heart felt a little heavy as we walked away that day. This was clearly the end of an era for a great breeder of Arabian horses. Kings Gate Farms may never get a big write up in the Arabian Horse Times or the Arabian Horse World but it was a loss to the breed when they quit breeding horses. I've been to some big farms and I've never seen the consistency and quality I experienced in that one backyard.

To be continued...................

Part 5

artwork by Julie Wear

Arabian horse Arabian horses horses horse dream horse bask
horse breeding khemosabi Gainey Gamaar Safire Echo Magnifficoo SH Phantom Echo Bask JK Amadeus