Random Thoughts of an Old Friend

Spring 2011 • Volume 4, Issue 2
Random Thoughts of an Old Friend
By Ivan Beattie
Editor’s Note: This article is reprinted from the Vermont Morgan Horse Newsletter, December 2010 issue.
We would like to extend our condolences to Ivan and the East of Equinox family on the loss of Equinox Beaubrook.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
5/14/2011
Mid-States Morgan Horse
Club Open Show
FVSA Showgrounds
Hampshire, IL
Contact: Kris Breyer
(847) 526-3012
[email protected]
5/15/2011
29th Annual My Lady’s
Manor Pleasure Driving
Show
Carriage Pleasure Show
ADS Sanctioned
Winterstown, PA (York County)
Contact: Dana Bright
(717) 246-2351
[email protected]
5/22/2011
El Dorado County Fair
Schooling Show
Schooling Show sanctioned by
El Dorado County Fair
Placerville, CA
Contact: Anne Frost
(209) 245-3609
[email protected] x
Continued on page 3
Contact Information
4066 Shelburne Road, Suite 5
Shelburne, Vermont 05482
T 802 985 4944
F 802 985 8897
www.morganhorse.com
[email protected]
I
n September of 2010 the final page was turned on a long chapter in the history of East of Equinox Farm.
After over 32 years, Equinox Beaubrook’s stall is empty as he was laid to rest in a pasture overlooking the
Battenkill River. The mares he loved to visit every day graze peacefully next to his final resting place. It’s not a
sad thing, but his passing has left a void in the daily life of the farm and in the hearts of the people that knew him.
Beau had charisma and character, and he was a character; always looking for ways to cause trouble. Because
of his “class clown” personality he got injured a lot, not major or life threatening injuries, but injuries just the
same; it seemed like they were never his fault. Nothing ever really fazed Beau. He would never even flinch when
receiving a shot or a needle.
I remember a cold 30 degrees below zero morning in December of 1978. Beau was turned out behind the
house with two other coming yearlings. They had their halters on because the filly was very hard to catch (She
went on to be a multi-time world champion, but I digress….) I remember looking and seeing that her halter was
broken with the chin strap hanging down, and making a note to myself to catch her right after feeding to fix the
problem. Because it was so cold when I poured water into their tub, all three youngsters plunged their heads into
the water. Something startled the filly and she jerked her head up, setting that hanging hook right into Beau’s
right nostril. He looked at me with that look that said, “This is kind uncomfortable,” so I gingerly took hold of
both halters and gently tried to dislodge the hook. Lacking a third hand to complete my mission, we all stood
there for what seemed like an eternity, until the filly decided she had enough. She reared and ran away, taking
Beau’s right nostril with her. The vet wanted to remove what was left of the surrounding tissue, but to make a
continued on page 2
Page 1
Above: Equinox Beaubrook.
Do you have news or information
for the newsletter? Please send news to:
T 802 985 4944 or [email protected]
Random Thoughts of an Old Friend continued from page 1
long story short, we were able to re-attach the harness and a carriage. Problem! The harness
nostril. Beau always had a little notch in his was for a 2,000 pound horse and the carriage
right nostril as a reminder of that morning.
was designed to be pulled by a draft team.
The next spring those same three A leather punch quickly adjusted the harness
yearlings escaped from that paddock and to something approaching the right size for
were found over a mile away, terrorizing the Beau’s 14.2 hand frame. We hitched him to
Manchester Country Club and tearing up the carriage and I climbed all the way up to
the fairways. I’m sure it was Beau’s idea.
the driver’s seat several feel above the tree line.
As a three-year-old Beau had just finished There wasn’t a lot of oxygen way up there,
a nice pleasure ride, and was standing quietly and as I peered down from under my top hat
waiting to be unhitched, when another out of at the little stallion way down below me in
control driving horse careened into the scene the shafts, I felt a little like the Grinch That
(sans driver) and ran right into Beau, driving Stole Christmas looking at his dog from the
the shaft of an old wooden cart deep into his sleigh. Again to make a long story short, Beau
left shoulder. The vet determined it would never dropped an ear or missed a step as he
require surgery to remove the tip of the shaft, trotted (uphill all the way) to his destination.
which was still lodged deep in the shoulder, You start to get an idea of the sort of life
so we proceeded to load Beau into the trailer that Beau lead, full of adventure! In spite of
to head for the vet clinic. For some reason all his escapades, he never took an unsound
that I will never understand, Beau decided step or an unhealthy breath. He was quite
to protest by shaking his head, banging his often the most popular breeding stallion on
right eye on the center post of the trailer, and the farm, never giving an inch to stallions like
slicing his upper eyelid horizontally so that Courage Of Equinox, Equinox Benn Adam,
when his eye was open he was looking out or Issues ’N Answers. Not all of the mares he
under the lid, and when his eye shut he was bred were registered Morgans. I remember
looking out over the lid. We go that fixed at one year besides all the Morgan mares he
the same time.
bred, he also bred a Morab, two Arabians, a
These types of escapades continued Saddlebred, a Standardbred, two pinto ponies,
Beau’s whole life, He was a perennial a mustang…. He produced foals all over the
champion at the Lippitt Country Show, where world through the use of frozen semen. He
he won everything from In-Hand to English showed up in many sire ratings among the
Pleasure, Pleasure Driving to Western, etc. top stallions in the breed. In the last year of
He was a fixture, participating every year, at his life, he was honored by the United States
the old sleigh rides that the Vermont Morgan Equestrian Federation as the top sire of driving
Horse Association provided at the Shelburne horses of all breed. In October, I watched one
Museum every February. I remember that of his sons take top ribbons in OKC. He was
I had to make a particular effort to secure a very accomplished sire!
the side door on the trailer, or Beau would I could tell stories all day, but I will
open it from the inside and nod his head at end with this. In the summer of 1977, my
unsuspecting pedestrians beside the road. My father Orrin Beattie and I bred Equinox
trailer had an additional lock on the outside Sarah Mia to Royalton Ashbrook Darling.
of the door because of Beau.
The next spring when the resulting foal was
When Beau was in his mid 20s, a nice born, by father had passed away and I held
former employee from years before called that little bay colt near to my heart as a final
to see if Beau would be available to pull a remembrance of everything Dad and I had
carriage in her upcoming nuptials. She had accomplished together at East of Equinox
always dreamed of Beau participating in Farm. I cried the day Beau died, but not
this milestone of her life because he was her out of sorrow. How can you be sad about
favorite horse. I quickly agreed to do this the great life that Beau enjoyed? He filled
with him without any thought to the fact every one of his 32 years with adventure. He
that I had no appropriate harness or carriage. lived his life with dignity. Everyone loved
No problem, I would borrow these items the charismatic old stallion with the great
from a guy south of town that did this sort big heart. He will be missed, but we always
of thing professionally. When the day of have the stories, and he lives on through his
the wedding arrived, the guy dropped off a countless offspring all around the world.
Page 2
Morgans Win at Little Everglades CDE
T
he Morgan breed was well represented at the Little
Everglades CDE, which took place February 24-27
in Dade City, Florida. Winning the FEI Single Horse
division was Spring Hollow Dark Shadow (Statesmans
Silhouette x Caduceus Jocasta), shown by Jacob Arnold
for Michael and Penny Arnold. Shelley Temple and her
LR Ami B-Line (Tanglwood Trade Wind x Melissa’s
Nora Bea) took third in the FEI Single Pony division.
The Intermediate Single Horse competition was
Hotspur’s Red Rowl (Book’s End Trademark x L&AKnapp Ule Easter Onyx), owned by John Merritt and
Karen Chandor and shown by Cheryl Rivers.
Morgans came from behind to take the lead in
the Pairs division. With a strong showing of eight
advanced pairs, the Morgans continue to put in a
Continued on page 4
EVENTS Continued from page 1
5/21 & 5/22, 6/4 & 6/5,
6/18 & 6/19, 7/16 &
7/17, 7/23 & 7/24, 9/17
& 9/18/2011
Western Pennsylvania
Riding and Driving Club
Riding and driving-high-point
Morgan award
Crawford County Fairgrounds
Meadville, PA
Contact: Janet Nathan
(814) 547-0031
[email protected]
5/21 & 5/22/2011
Nebraska Cornhusker
Classic I & II
Above: At age 18, Jacob Arnold was one of the youngest winners at this year’s Little Everglades CDE.
Below: Alan Aulson came from behind to lead the Pairs division. (Photo by Pics Of You)
USEF/USDF sanctioned
Lancaster Event Center
Lincoln, NE
Contact: Anne Sushko
(563) 556-5261
5/26 – 5/29/2011
Memorial Weekend
Dressage & CDI 3* Y/J
Eastern States Dressage &
Combined Training Association
Dressage event sanctioned by
USEF, USDF, FEI
Horse Park of New Jersey,
Allentown, NJ
Contact: Terry Masters
(609) 912-9401
[email protected]
5/27 – 5/29/2011
54th Annual Waynesburg
Charity Horse Show
Open Show; USEF Sanctioned
Waynesburg, PA
Contact: Suzy Trueblood
(252) 717-6471
[email protected]
Continued on page 4
Page 3
Morgans Win at Little Everglades CDE continued from page 3
EVENTS Continued from page 3
5/28/2011
FVSA Pleasure Driving
Show ADS
strong showing against larger equine competitors who
dominate the sport of combined driving. Standing in
sixth place after the dressage and marathon, owner
Alan Aulson drove his athletic Morgans with speed
and confidence winning the cones competition,
which pushing him ahead to win the blue in the FEI
pairs division.
Nordby Coalie’s Duke (Caduceus Falcon x Coal
Creek Sabra’s Coalie), Nordby Coalie’s Coal Dust
(Ortawn Captain Royal x Coal Creek Sabra’s Coalie),
and Nordby Shadow’s Sam Spade (Ortawn Captain
Royal x Ribbon Shadow SRD) are all registered black
Morgan horses. When driving a pair in competition,
ADS Pleasure Driving Show
FVSA Showgrounds
Hampshire, IL
Contact: Julie Kneip
(630) 940-4160
[email protected]
5/29/2011
Dirty Harness Day
Pleasure Driving Show
FVSA Showgrounds
Hampshire, IL
Contact: Kristen Breyer
(847) 526-3012
[email protected]
6/4 – 6/5/2011
Woodstock Riding Club
Annual June Show
Woodstock Riding Club
Woodstock, NY
Contact: Brenda Locke
(845) 336-0743
[email protected]
6/18 & 6/19/2011
Iowa Dressage Classic I & II
USEF/USDF sanctioned
Maffitt Lake Equestrian Center
Cumming, IA
Contact: Anne Sushko
(563) 556-5261
6/18 – 6/19/2011
Green Country Dressage
Classic
Dressage, Level 3 event sanctioned
by USDF/USEF
Claremore Expo Center
Claremore, OK
Contact: Rita Stegeman
(810) 300-6168
Find more events at:
www.morganhorse.com/news_events/
event_calendar/?cat=open_dates
I
you can alternate three horses in the three phases:
dressage, marathon, and cones so all three horses
competed. The Morgans are owned by Maureen and
Alan Aulson of Georgetown, Massachusetts; who are
also the owners of Black Prong Equestrian Center in
Bronson, Florida.
This is a very important year for the advanced pair
drivers, as they are all being observed at competitions
by United States Equestrian Federation (USEF)
officials who will select the best pairs to compete on
the United States Team at the World’s Pairs Driving
Championship to be held in Conty, France August
24-28, 2011.
The Morgan Dressage
Association Wants You!
f you ride a Morgan in dressage and want to share your passion and
enthusiasm for dressage Morgans with like-minded riders, whether
you ride for show or for pleasure, the Morgan Dressage Association
would love to hear from you! The Morgan Dressage Association (MDA)
is a National Service Organization for the AMHA. MDA members
are Morgan dressage riders from all levels through Grand Prix, as well
as individuals whose goals are more on a personal level—to improve
themselves and their horses through dressage.
The MDA’s quarterly newsletter is filled with information for
the Morgan dressage enthusiast. Regular features include a breeder’s
highlight; articles on Morgans and their riders who have reached
Grand Prix; features spotlighting MDA members, their horses and
their accomplishments; tips from dressage judges and trainers; as well
as free classified ads for members.
The Morgan Dressage Association awards yearly scholarships to
Junior/Young Riders, Adult Amateurs, and Professional riders. Yearly
Awards of Excellence are presented to competitors from Training Level
through Grand Prix, as well as to Morgan Sport Horse breeders. In
addition, the MDA sponsors the Morgan Individual Breed Class at
Dressage At Devon in September, the most prestigious sport horse breed
show in the country, which attracts more than 35,000 visitors per year.
To join the Morgan Dressage Association, please go to www.
morgandressage.org and download an application form, or call Karin
Weight at (801) 377-4180 for MDA Membership information.
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