Flying W Farms Little Blue Boy

FEATURE
Flying W Farms Little Blue Boy –
the “perfect” little horse
As told by Fredericka Wagner
lying W Farms Little Blue Boy
was bred and foaled on Tom
and Marie Wilson’s farm near
Hammondsville, Ohio. Blue Boy was
born in 1975. His sire was Ohio Tiny
Tim and his dam was Ohio Nellie Grey.
Both are buried here on our farm.
F
We visited the Wilson farm in 1979
because we had heard they had wonderful horses. We were looking for a
very special stallion. We looked at
dozens of horses at the Wilson farm,
and we liked several of the little stallions but they were not exactly what
we were seeking. Our daughter
Robin, then in her early teens, was
with us on this trip. She had wandered off looking at the horses on
her own as my husband and I were
visiting with Tom Wilson. Robin
came running up to us and said,
“Mother, there is the most gorgeous,
beautiful little Arabian stallion down in that lower
barn! He is in a stall way in
the back; I heard him whinny and went to see what it
was! He is the most beautiful little grey horse you ever
saw! Come see!”
With that, Tom Wilson said,
“Hey, no, sorry, that horse is
not for sale.” (I always
thought Tom had him “hidden” but I could not blame
him for that) I convinced Tom
it would not hurt for us to at
least see him, so finally Tom
brought him out of the barn; I
almost fainted!
Under my breath I said to my
husband, “That’s him! That is
the horse! He is everything we want!”
Blue Boy was so gorgeous, so small,
Continued on page 42
This photo was taken for an
ad that ran in Town and Country magazine
in 1981. Owner Fredericka Wagner recalls a
huge response to this photo of Blue Boy her
“perfect tiny little horse.”
February/March 2007
Miniature Horse World 41
LEGENDS IN MINIATURE
continued from page 41
(30”) so Arabian looking and he had a
natural self carriage and show ring
presence. That little grey horse looked
liked he just stepped out of a fairy tale!
Tom insisted Blue Boy was not for
sale. Rather than waste everyone’s
time pleading, I just decided to go
for it. I wrote out a check for an
amount that was at least twice as
much as any Miniature horse had
ever sold for at that time. It was a lot
of money and Blue Boy was worth
every dime and much more! I handed the check to Tom Wilson. He
looked at it for a minute or two, and
then handed me the lead rope. “You
just bought yourself the best little
Miniature stallion alive” he said and
I could not have agreed more.
I can tell you… I RAN with Blue Boy
to our trailer. Robin and Bob helped
me load him. Tom had gone in the
house to speak to Marie; I was so
worried she might say no to selling
the stallion. But then Tom came out
with the paperwork and handed it to
me. Tom and Marie Wilson became
some of our very best friends.
We eventually bought out their
entire herd. Tom and Marie have
both gone to heaven years ago, but
we think of them every time we see
our Blue Boy descendants on our
farm or winning in the show ring.
I think Blue Boy loved my daughter
best, maybe because she found him for
us. But when it came to showing, he
always did the best for my husband.
Blue Boy would show his heart out for
George (Bob) my husband. He adored
him and the feeling was mutual!
Once he was showing for Grand
Champion at the National show in
Fort Worth; my husband wasn’t feeling well and sent our son Bobby in
the ring with Blue. He ended up
Reserve Grand Champion that time
and I am sure it was because instead
of showing the way he always did,
Blue kept looking around for my
husband. Little Blue Boy won so
many championships and so many
best in show trophies I could not
begin to list them all here. Each time
he was shown he was always the
smallest horse in the class. He was
also the leading sire of champions at
the time of his death in May of 1986.
Blue Boy and George Wagner
at home in 1981.
If you asked me for just one thing
that Blue Boy really improved in the
breed that nothing else could ever
compare with I would say first of all
his gorgeous head and eyes. He also
had the tiniest tipped in ears and
short back. He was very balanced with
overall Arabian type conformation
and out of this world movement. He
has also passed on to his foals his
show ring presence that made his
such as great show horse. A judge
once commented to us, “You can spot
a “Blue Boy” horse from a mile away!”
I think Flying W Farms Little Blue
Boy is definitely one of the greatest
sires in the Miniature breed. His
daughters and grand daughters are
sought after as broodmares. It’s been
said that a Blue Boy mare will make
anyone’s stallion a sire of champions.
We haven’t shown since 1986 but we
still continue to breed double bred
Blue Boy foals every year. A double
bred is a foal whose sire and dam are
both 50% Blue Boy which makes the
foal 50% Blue Boy (the same as an
own son or daughter,) however the
Blue Boy influence is coming from
both sides.
In his final years with us, Blue Boy
ran in the pasture near the house
with his mares. He was a very happy
healthy little horse. On Memorial
Day in 1986 another breeder had
Flying W Farms Blue Boy won Grand Champion Stallion at the Ohio State Fair in 1983 and
1984. In 1985 he was featured on the program cover for the Ohio State Fair and was again
awarded Grand Champion Stallion of the show.
42 Miniature Horse World
February/March 2007
Continued on page 44
LEGENDS IN MINIATURE
continued from page 42
Here are some of the National Grand Champions
from the Little Blue Boy lineage:
YEAR
CLASS
Flying W Farm’s Little Blue Boy
1981
SENIOR STALLION
RESERVE NATIONAL GRAND CHAMPION
Flying W Farm’s Blue Le Fox
1991
AMATEUR SENIOR MARES
RESERVE NATIONAL CHAMPION
Flying W Farm’s Blue on Blue
1984
JUNIOR MARE
1986
SENIOR MARES
OVER 30” TO 32”
Stats:
Flying W Farms
Little Blue Boy
AMHA I 00802
Grey Stallion - 30”
Foaled: 5/28/1975
Breeder: Tom & Marie Wilson
Purchased by:
Bob & Fredericka Wagner in 1979
Deceased: May 1986
brought a nice palomino mare to
our farm to be bred to Blue Boy. She
was in show shape and they asked us
to keep her in the barn. We had
stopped hand breeding Blue Boy by
then as he was used to breeding free
in the pasture. But because they did
not want their mare turned out in
the pasture, I put Blue Boy in the
stall with their mare and left them
together. It breaks my heart that I
was the one that actually went out in
the pasture and got Blue Boy and
put him in that stall.
That night we had a terrible electrical
storm. Our mini horse barn caught
fire and burned to the ground, taking
twenty-two minis with it. Blue Boy was
one of them; I still struggle not to cry
when I think about it. It is one of those
things I will never get over. My son
and husband tried to rescue the hors-
RESULT
NATIONAL GRAND CHAMPION
NATIONAL CHAMPION
Flying W Farm’s Blue Quo Vadis
1987
JUNIOR STALLION
1987
TWO-YEAR-OLD STALLIONS
RESERVE NATIONAL GRAND CHAMPION
NATIONAL CHAMPION
Flying W Farm’s Blue Rose
1990
MULTI-COLOR MARES
RESERVE NATIONAL CHAMPION
Flying W Farm’s Blue Beautiful Doll
1987
SINGLE PLEASURE
DRIVING MARES
NATIONAL CHAMPION
Flying W Farm’s Little Blue Daisy
1987
SENIOR MARE
RESERVE NATIONAL GRAND CHAMPION
Flying W Farm’s Little Blue Girl
1982
JUNIOR MARES
1982
WEANLING MARES
NATIONAL CHAMPION
NATIONAL CHAMPION
Flying W Farm’s Royal Blue
1990
OPEN HUNTER
1990
OPEN JUMPER
NATIONAL CHAMPION
NATIONAL CHAMPION
Flying W Farm’s Showtime True Blue
1991
OPEN JUMPER
NATIONAL CHAMPION
Spring Valley Fantastic Blue Chief
1985
JUNIOR STALLION
NATIONAL GRAND CHAMPION
Yellow Diamond Moonlight
1985
SENIOR MARE
NATIONAL GRAND CHAMPION
es. They were both burned, Bobby
pretty badly. The barn burned so
quickly, I am just thankful they got out
alive. They tried but could not rescue
any of the horses.
Sadly, I wish I could say Blue lived to
be 30 and went peacefully to sleep in
the pasture, but that is not the case.
“The Lord giveth and the Lord
taketh away, Blessed be the Name of
the Lord.” Amen.
February/March 2007
Miniature Horse World 43