Zenyatta

Queen of Racing

Ask The Experts

Ask The Experts at Lane’s End

Photo courtesy of Alys Emson/Lane's End

Is there something you’ve always wondered about Zenyatta, Baby Z or Lane’s End?

For the next few weeks we will be collecting questions from Zenyatta’s amazing fans—questions about thoroughbred breeding and life on the farm.

Zenyatta will help us pick some of your questions to use in upcoming features on the the website. We’ll collaborate with the expert staff at Lane’s End to answer your questions.

To send in your question, please fill out the form below.

We look forward to hearing from you!
-Team Z

Edit: We have receieved so many great questions from all of you! Submissions are now closed for the time being. If you didn’t get a chance to ask your question, don’t worry, there will be more opportunities in the future.

Reader Interactions

959 Comments

  1. / Reply

    OK everyone! Here’s our chance to have our voices heard at Santa Anita … they are renaming a few stakes races for the Autumn meet. (At the last meet, I talked with Mark Verg about having a new Grade 1 stakes race named after Zenyatta (AND JOHN HENRY!) and he was quite receptive – as if he never would have thought of that! LOL! But it couldn’t hurt to go to this site and let SA know how you feel!

    http://arcadia.patch.com/articles/rename-the-santa-anita-stakes?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001

    • / Reply

      I think a new race for Z would be great–I hate the idea of taking Lady’s Secret’s race away from her. Just remember that no race starts out as a graded stake, let alone as a G1. It would start as ungraded, then–assuming it meets the criteria–would be gradually upgraded by the American Graded Stakes Committee. Tracks don’t grade their own races.

    • / Reply

      When JAG posted about naming a race for John Henry I sent an email to Roger Stein, who has a radio show here locally on Saturday and Sunday mornings. He agreed to pass it along to Mark Verge.

    • / Reply

      To my knowledge – when I read the article the other day very quicky – the new race is in honor of young fillies! I know John was gelded, but he wouldn’t qualify for this “named race”…..

      • / Reply

        LOL! Yes, JH would not qualify for this race to be renamed! But if enough people write in and request a stakes race be named for Zenny and JH, it may be noted by SA. Does not hurt to put the bug in their ear every so often.

  2. / Reply

    Hello again Z and Prince aficianados! Terry Crow and Karen: yes we did hear that Mel Stute interview and thought it fantastic! Roger does very good interviews, even if some of the interviewees try to dance around his questions. This one with Mel was good! Occas ionally–very occasionally– Rod & I would see him in the Owners’/Trainers lounge at HP. His sense of humor comes through: once we overheard (not hard–room is not huge, but is comfortable) him tell the story of when he won a race it had been so long, the others in the room had to guide him to the “outside,” he had forgotten where the winners’circle was! P.S. I try to peek my head in that lounge once during the day when we’re there, just to see who is lurking inside. Used to be a favorite place of Barry Abrams. These days don’t see him there–has to be careful I’m sure. Others go in and out. Don’t recognize everyone. Some are like us, small % owners, some of whom like to sit around the tables and handicap.
    Karen: looks like we’ll be there tomorrow. Saw a couple of races today on TVG. Although this was not the reason we did not go, Rod’s car is now in the shop–sudden overheating + no AC. Good thing he was very near “our” auto shop. (We feel very comfortable with the mechanic, probably not a good sign.) Anyway, I had to go pick him up, blah blah, and parts MAY be there on Monday. Beginning of the week car logistics. Sigh. Rod went to San Pedro this am to see the Iowa sail in—a longer wait than anticipated but he said it was worth it. At least car problems did NOT occur in San Pedro!

    Add me to the list of those concerned ‘s about Debbie G’s toe. I have been enjoying the postal stories…I have a fondness for real mail–grew up in a family of letter writers and still enjoy holding an envelope (that is not a bill) in my hand. I will go out of my way to buy “interesting” stamps.

    Can’t think of a clever way to sign off, so I’ll just drift a w a –ay ay ayy. :-)

    • / Reply

      I can not be there tomorrow Anne, but I will be there for the Belmont! We just have to hoop ‘n holler and HUG when I’ll have Another wins the Triple Crown! WoooWhooo! And you give the best bear hugs too! (and Rod!)

      • / Reply

        Ann and Karen G

        Have a wonderful time at Belmont !!!
        Looking forward to the report and KG great photos.

        Wish I was going, hopefully history will be made.

    • / Reply

      Anne-Roger’s interview with Mel Stute was especially good because it was not a Q and A, he just let Mel talk for the most part. It is too bad that Snow Chief did not like Churchill Downs and ran a clunker. However, it paved the way for one of the best feel good stories in Derby history, Ferdinand’s win for Shoemaker and Whittingham. Snow Chief did respond to take the Preakness. Do you think Mel had any money on him?

  3. / Reply

    Zenny, on my visit to Barn 55 today, I learned that YOUR Mario is recovering from a hernia operation. YOUR John said he’d be out two weeks! GET WELL SOON MARIO! WE miss you and your dumplings do too! Ebby WAS NOT PLEASED TODAY! I have never seen her pin her ears (just a little) back – she was wondering why you were not there – she definitely was not pleased Mario! LOL!

    • / Reply

      Or maybe “E” was in season, mares can have
      Really painful cramps like us humans when in season.

    • / Reply

      Wishing you a speedy recovery MARIO,
      everyone equine and human misses you.

    • / Reply

      Dear Mario, I wish you rapid and complete healing. Please remember John Shirreffs’s principle though: DON’T RUSH! You don’t want to be straining any muscles after an operation. Be sure to ask your doctor what you can and can’t do. SLOW AND STEADY does it! Best wishes, Trina

    • / Reply

      Amazing, RR painted 10 moneighs; maybe he and Gulch are going to become
      artists in their retirement. Have fun with this Old Friends.

    • / Reply

      Sign. Horses always look so good with braids. I wonder however if anyone ever tried to do that with Dynaformer?

      • / Reply

        Don’t think they would have a hand left with Dynaformer, I thought Rapid Redux was a chestnut, looks like he is my favorite light bay.

        Love the photo of David Wells leading him out onto the track at the ceremony,
        his ears were pricked liked “am I going to run” with this rug on my back and
        no equipment ??? It was very precious. I think both his owner and trainer really treated him well and I am so happy he has a new friend to teach him the ropes
        at Old Friends. However, RR is only 8 so he may be teaching Gulch how to be
        mischevious again.

        • Sign. I thought the same thing about Gulch and RR. They took to each other so quickly that they must have plans in mind to have some fun together. RR is a very nice color, much lighter than Gulch in the photo of them talking across the fences. Good luck, people, with those two.

          As to Big D, somehow braids may not have been a good look on him. As they said in the video of him in his paddock at Three Chimneys, he was their most aggressive stallion, and he was “all horse.”

  9. / Reply

    REDNECK SUNDAY JOKES

    You might be a redneck if your hairdo is ruined by a ceiling fan named Zenyatta.
    You might be a redneck if you think the three primary colors are: John Deere Green;
    Ford Blue; and Primer Gray.
    You might be a redneck if your purse is a toolbox.

    Here are a couple of additional Redneck Medical Definitions:
    D&C – where Washington is
    Enema – not a friend
    Fester – quicker than someone else
    Labor pain – getting hurt at work
    Pap smear – a fatherhood test
    Terminal illness – getting sick at the train station

    HAVE A GREAT SUNDAY AND A WONDERFUL WEEK.

      • / Reply

        I really love this summary of all of his accomplishments in 2011.
        He is such an awesome mover, very very talented and huge huge stride.

    • / Reply

      Dear Sign:

      Thanks for all the great links and especially the one on Frankel. Hugs, JB

    • / Reply

      Barbara. Great story. I hope that IHA makes it a Triple Crown win. It would be wonderful for the IHA team and good for racing. We need the celebration and could use renewed interest in the sport.

    • / Reply

      Thanks for posting this link, Barbara. That plane crash was so heartbreaking. I remember when it happened there were so many stories, but the one that stuck out to me at the time was a little 12 year old girl from Kansas was on the plane. The little girl loved horses and her and her mother came here to visit “horse country”. The plane was overbooked, so the mother let her daughter take the first flight and she was going to take the next one. It crashed right after take-off. I can’t even think about it without crying. There was a really good story about Mr. Brunacini on TV here on Derby day. His long-time girlfriend is still running the farm. Here’s hoping that IHA can win the Triple Crown for everyone involved.

    • / Reply

      Thanks for the interesting story Barbara. My interest in IHA is even more ramped up now!
      Sandy

    • / Reply

      Thanks, I probably know a few folks going. That is where I learned to cuss!!! HA!!!!!!!!
      Wish I could make it.
      Sounds like fun.

      • / Reply

        Making sure I don’t sound like I am a potty mouth.
        I was w/ my sweet pops and he said…cover your ears,we were on the backside and I was all eyes and ears!!!!!

    • / Reply

      Ann, I just read several pages on Amazon, and it looks good, at least the writing is good. I may buy it at some point for its detailed descriptions of the cultural times in London of that era, so different from our own. I’m not sure where, but I had heard about this book, somewhere else recently.

  16. / Reply

    Thank you to everyone that asked about my toe. I feel really dumb. I’ve broken the same toe 3 times! It’s my little toe on my right foot. I stubbed it on my cat’s scratching post. You’d think by now I would learn not to walk around the house barefoot. Luckily I’ve been on vacation all week, so I didn’t have to call in sick to work. You wouldn’t think that something so little could hurt so much, but believe me it does. It should be better just in time to go back to work.
    @Terry Crow – I live about 3 hours from where the McCoys lived. They lived in far eastern KY and I live in central KY. I really enjoyed that miniseries.
    @Anne from Paramount – Thank you for your kind words about the post office. I wish there were more people like you. I feel the same way. Getting a letter or card in the mail just makes me smile. It’s so much more personal than emails.

    • / Reply

      @Gebbie G.—OUCH!! I am hurting for you from here. Three times–oh wow! I won’t tell my feet–they’ll want to follow, as I am a notorious klutz. Sorry you were off, but I’m glad you didn’t have to take off from work. Get better soon! Hugs.

    • / Reply

      Debbie-Thanks for the info. I figured the McCoys were near the West Virginia border just didn’t know where you were. Tell the truth, now. You had an itch on your foot and you were using the scratching post to get rid of it. Your points about mail are well taken. Letter writing has become a lost art. Computers are great and all that but a lot of people are going to lose their jobs because of the drop in regular mail.

  17. / Reply

    I forgot to thank Signofthetimes for the jokes. Those are great! The pap smear one made me laugh out loud.

    • / Reply

      Your very welcome. I love finding these jokes, it is so much fun.

      • / Reply

        Like some of the postal workers, I might lose my “job” to sign, who would be a worthy successor.

        • I don’t think you have to worry about losing your job, Terry. You’ll always be our Grand Poobah. Sign can be the Vice Grand Poobah.

  18. / Reply

    El Vino finished 4th beaten by 11 1/4 lengths, on June 3, 2012, at ARAPAHOE PARK in Race 9.
    Off odds: 8.00

      • / Reply

        Sign… Yes, Arapahoe Park is in Colorado. I was there for the races on Friday, but did not know until yesterday that El Vino was there. I was bummed. I would have tried to get to see him if I’d known. I wasn’t able to go today.

        • As is often the case, the true story of a race does not lie in the margins of victory or defeat. El Vino’s race in the Arapahoe Park Sprint Stakes was better than it appears. The chart reveals more: “El Vino was last from the outset, and advanced three wide to rally and improve placing.” The horses which finished in front of him, in first and second, are both record-holders: STREAKN’ MOHICAN holds the 6F (turf) record at Hollywood Park, set on Aril 28, 2012; and NO IT AIN’T holds the 6 F (dirt) record for Arapahoe, set on August 12, 2011.

        • Cynthia,

          I saw your comment on El Vino’s FB page after the race. My initials in the comments are MCR and I mentioned what the announcer had said about the quality of the horses being the best ever for that race. I watched the race via live streaming through http://www.mihiracing.com. They say you can watch reruns of the races. Warning…the quality is not great, but it is better than not seeing it at all. Hope it works. Marty R.

        • It is surprising what types of horses can turn up for these races. I would compare Arapahoe to Pomona here in California. Some very good horses have run there but the type of track it is lends to a horse for course situation. Cynthia-Thanks for the info on the horses which participated.

        • Marty, I did see your very kind comment on El Vino’s page, but never connected it with you! Thank you very much. I missed the announcer saying that. It is great to know! And thank you also for supplying the link. I think El Vino would say, that he hopes you will come to visit his page often! ♥

          My pleasure, Terry.

    • / Reply

      Hi Karen:

      Thank you for the info on El Vino. So happy he did good. Hope they are taking care of him there. Hugs, Marilu

  19. / Reply

    @Terry Crow – I just watched the documentary “Hillbilly” on the History Channel that I taped earlier. Did you see it? It’s very interesting. They told about the history of the word “redneck”. They said in 1921 hundreds of angry coal miners assembled south of Charleston, West Virginia for the 80 mile walk to non-union Mingo County. They were wanting to break the big coal company’s stranglehold on miners’ rights and were aiming to unionize the coalfields of southern West Virginia. To identify themselves they were red bandanas around their necks and a reporter coined the term “redneck”. Being called a redneck was a compliment. Fifty miles away from Mingo County there was a big battle between the redneck army and the men that the crooked sheriff had hired to fight them and 50 miners died. The leader of the redneck army stood trial for murder and treason, but public sentiment was with the rednecks and he was found not guilty. I’m always fascinated by stories like this. A lot of people take things for granted and don’t realize how hard people had to fight for us to have what we now have.

    • / Reply

      That is a great story, Debbie G., thanks! In some ways, times haven’t changed much, just the settings.

    • / Reply

      Wow! Wonder if our “history buff” and GP knows this story? Would be interesting to know what caused the term redneck to become more widespread from this beginning. I sure never associated it with coal miners or West VA specifically. Thanks Debbie!
      Sandy

    • / Reply

      Debbie-I did not see that program but am familiar with the history of the coal miners strikes in West Virginia. Didn’t know the origin of the term redneck, but I must say that, as the people on this blog know, being called a redneck is still a compliment.

      • / Reply

        That is very interesting information. Thanks Debbie G. I always thought red neck related to farmers and the condition of their necks from so many hours on the tractors in the sun. Now that I have a tomato plant growing in front of the house, I feel I really qualify. (Found some new blossoms, yesterday. I have high hopes for this plant.)

        Just an aside. I remember Mr. Moss saying in an interview that they had high hopes for Zenyatta’s yet unborn foal. I wonder if that phrase could be a consideration for his name. hmmm???

        • Sandy, I don’t know how the term became so widespread, but I’d like to know. I most certainly consider it an honor to be called a redneck by you, Terry! And you definitely qualify, Marty. Are you the president of the Colorado chapter?

        • Debbie, I am the Colorado president and, as far as I know, I only preside over myself.

    • / Reply

      Dear Debbie G. and Z Fans:

      Thanks for the info on the word “redneck”. I didn’t see the program, but I’m always interested in historical films and documentaries. The Hatfields and McCoys last week on the History Channel was excellent. Did you see it? Great factual detail and acting by all of the cast. Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton were wonderful as the matriarchs of each family. TV at it’s best. Hugs, JB

      • / Reply

        I did see the Hatfields and McCoys, Judy. I really enjoyed it. I saw on TV earlier that it was the highest rated program ever on the History Channel. No surprise there.

        • Dear Debbie G.:

          I read that too and it probably will be nominated for an Emmy Award. Certainly deserving of one. Hugs, JB

        • Yes, Tom Berenger did a great job. I’ve always liked him. I used to have a “crush” on him. But he played such a jerk in the show, I just wanted to throttle him! I guess that’s the sign of a good actor, though.

        • Tom Berenger would probably think that was a compliment. Actors revel in those kind of roles. I also liked Berenger in the film Gettysburg, in which he played Longstreet.

  20. / Reply

    @all, I have so much to review with links etc. that I thoroughly enjoy. Right now Sue F. said Keta had posted a link for bidding on a Z’s halter and visitation. Now, heavens to betsy, I know I don’t have a large some, but I wanted to at least offer my best!!
    Do you know where I can find this link of Keta’s as I did not find it here.
    Anyone, please. thanks, Sally

    Keta; If you should read this, my heart needs to try. I don’t know if it is too late, but I’d like to check it out; to bid on halter & visiting Z. (They will probably laugh at my figure, but oh well, I’d offer something that could not be refused if I’d win the lottery!ha)
    Thank you too! hugs, Sally

  21. / Reply

    I just watched the movie War Horse this afternoon. I had backed away from seeing it when it was out because of all the cruelty I had heard was in it. A British girl that I work with gave me her copy that her husband gave her for her birthday. (She’s a may baby too) She wanted me to watch it and tell her what I thought. Well she told me to leave the room when I saw the horses heading up the hill as it was bad. I did leave the room cause I knew what was coming. I know war is realitybut it is still hard to see. Even thought it did have cruelty I really did enjoy that movie. I thought it was really good. Wasn’t Joey and the Black horse beautiful. OMG I want a horse so badly anyway, this just fueled it. Oh, and I just loved the goose too. We had ducks too when I was little, not geese but it sure brought back memories. Now I want a goose too.
    @Trina did you see the movie? How about that goose nipping at the trouser legs. Reminds me of my beloved Holly. My Hoilly was a little more stern, though with her nipping and tugging.
    It was a tear jerker, but I loved it. Reminds me Sgt Reckless and all the men and women and animals that gave so much of their lives. How can we ever repay them……
    Thank you Steven Spielberg, Great Movie.

    • / Reply

      Peggy,

      Oh my goodness, what a coincidence this is. I bought the DVD of War Horse as soon as it came out but did not watch it until last night. I LOVED it. Joey and the black horse both stole my heart. So glad it had a happy ending. Really made me realize how much of a roll horses had in the wars. They dont teach you all that in history class, do they? Glad you enjoyed it too. Steven Spielberg you are amazing.

      BUT, I have to add more to this that you all may not believe, but this is true. My husband was watching the movie with me. We were in for the night, our dog was in with us and the cats were outside, garage door down, typical in for the night routine. About half way through the movie we heard a thumping and a crash in the garage. He went to investigate and after opening the door I heard this “bleep—” there is a skunk in the garage!!! He said it ran out when he put the garage door up. How lucky we are that we did not get sprayed and I am thinking it must have been hiding out there while I was out there. Yikes! Anyway it seems to be gone now,

      • / Reply

        LOL….So glad you all did not get skunked!! Guess you had your own version of “intermission”.

      • / Reply

        Barbara and Darlene, The music was great and Joey and the Black Horse just stole my heart too. I thought the scenery was beautiful also
        I am going to buy the movie to add it to my collection of favorites.
        Darlene so glad the skunk didn’t spray you.
        OOps you might be giving Terry some ideas for some more jokes. WATCH OUT……………………………………………….
        Love Ya Zenny and Baby Z.

        • Dont think the “Dead Skunk in the middle of the road” wasnt running through my mind today! LOL

        • The music, scenery, cinematography, direction, acting, everything about this movie is wonderful. Even the horses seem as though they have acting skills. Joey has acting talents in this movie that reminded me of Hidalgo. I highly recommend War Horse and Hidalgo to everyone that loves horses and great movies.

        • Peggy, Barbara, & Darlene — I liked “War Horse” very much, and “Hidalgo” too. I also like the fact that Viggo Mortensen (from Hidalgo) was earlier so involved with his horse in “Lord of the Rings”, that he kept that horse, after filming — the one that he mounts from lying on the ground by the river, when the others thought he had died.

        • Accidental encounters with live skunks don’t count unless you invite them in. My daughter loved Hidalgo and it encouraged her to talk to me about the fate of wild horses, which she was not aware of.

        • Terry C. Live skunks usually do not wait for any invitation. They do not respect RSVPs either.

      • / Reply

        That skunk was a Redneck, who survived! Not dead in the road. At least you or your garage was not sprayed. As Judy B. said earlier, after their greyhound was hit, “It was many weeks, before the smell was gone from her fur.” Phew!

        • You are very fortunate. Crazy skunk. My horse,dog and myself were fortunate one day too. Momma skunk and 5 little babies crossed my trail one day while I was trail riding. E Gads. I pulled ole Fred up, gave ole Birdy dog the evil eye and held my breath. Oh yeah and prayed,prayed,prayed.
          The team effort came thru for us. Mrs. skunk and family went their way and we went ours. The dog was famous for wearing skunk scent constantly,that was her favorite past time….that day was a huge step for her.

      • / Reply

        All right, I’ll give Karen another chance to make fun of me. In my opinion, War Horse was the best film in 2011. The Artist doesn’t compare and neither do any of the other nominated films. The scene near the end in which the wounded soldier whistled to Joey even affected this old goat.

        • Terry I agree! I loved ♥ War Horse – even through the tears… beautiful story above friendship and love!
          JAG

        • Terry OMG when he whistled to him and Joey looked up, as hurt as he was. Just the look of everlasting love on that face.

        • Peggy-You are absolutely correct. Don’t know how they got Joey to do that. His trainer mist have been standing directly out of camera range.

      • / Reply

        Darlene Daniels; Close call I must say!! Sure glad you were not skunked! I have no clue how long that would stay on a person but I do know how long the stink stays on a tire……..a l o n g time.
        I agree with you, Peggy(N) and others; War Horse is a fabulous movie!! I wish I could have my grandkids see it, but the reality of war is a bit too much at their ages. Some day though.

        • Sally you’ll have to get the movie and Keep it for them to watch it when their older.

      • / Reply

        I’m so glad the skunk got out before it sprayed, Darlene! That would have been a nightmare. That’s even worse than the time my cat brought a live snake into the house!

    • / Reply

      Dear Peggy N,
      Really love the movie, Joey is such a very talented expressive horse.
      So very amazing. TB are often very sensitive and I think he is one.

      • / Reply

        Sign didn’t you just fall in love with that horse. Such a beautiful expressive face. I just loved it when the young girl was trying to get him to jump that made up fense and he walked around it and jumped over like she did that little elevated made up fense. Just too cute. Its’ like he was saying I’M Not Jumping that.

    • / Reply

      I loved the movie too and wish I could have seen it with some of you peeps rather than the “no interest in horses whatsoever” group that grudgingly accompanied me on Christmas! I cried when Joey was born – and that was just the beginning!

      • / Reply

        Sandy,

        I agree. When our family and friends have no interest in horses, as none of mine do, it takes a lot of the fun out of it. Just one reason all you friends on here mean so much to me. I also teared up when Joey was born and I thought, boy, what I am in for here.

      • / Reply

        Dear Sandy:

        Me too and as the Grand Poobah TC posted, “Rednecks care about horses”. Hugs, JB

      • / Reply

        Sandy I cried at the very first too when he was born. I thought ut , oh going to be a tearful afternoon.

    • / Reply

      A guy at work gave me a copy of War Horse, but I just can’t bring myself to watch it. Even though I know it’s just a movie, I can’t handle any scenes where animals are hurt. I’m just too soft-hearted when it comes to animals. That’s my Achilles Heel!

  22. / Reply

    @ Karen and Ann have a wonderful time at the Belmont. Wish I was going to be there too.

    • / Reply

      I have to wonder if they didn’t mean a “Belmont watching party” at Hollywood Park? Or am I wrong, and you guys are really going to NY?

  23. / Reply

    Yes, Hidalgo was great too! We’ve had some wonderful horse movies. Wish there were more. Heaven knows there are stories aplenty!

    @Darlene Daniels–so glad your skunk beat a hasty retreat. I think I mentioned once that at one time we had a family of skunks and a family of raccoons having a turf war under our house.. NOT fun! I didn’t know then to check to ask them if they were rednecks……..

    • / Reply

      Barbara,

      It’s funny but I did immediately think of you and your little visitors when my little skunk came for a visit. A quick visit is all I hope it was LOL.

  25. / Reply

    Just what we thought!!!
    Voice recordings can’t fool horses

    When fans of old TV shows hear the shout, “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” they know to look for the Lone Ranger. So, too, may Silver. A new study reveals that horses can tell individual people apart. Researchers positioned 40 horses in front of a pair of human handlers that they knew well, then had the animals listen to a recording of just one of those individuals calling out to them.

    And sure enough, the animals tended to gaze directly at the person whose voice they had just heard, suggesting that they could distinguish between their two-legged companions.

    This ability to match faces with voices has previously only been shown in primates and crows.

    Such feats of recognition, reported online last week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, likely stem from the deep bonds that horses form with their caretakers. ScienceNOW

    Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/06/04/2102023/science-briefs.html#storylink=cpy

      • / Reply

        Glad you enjoyed it.
        I meant to tell you,how much I enjoyed your comments about Neville. I can relate to the thoughts you shared about warm bloods vs. the TB.I hear wonderful stories from my daughter about her fiascos w/ an OTTB, now learning to jump. It is very rewarding,hard, but very rewarding.Just like you said.
        Did you see the picture of Calvin Borel when he visited w/ Rachel Alex.during derby week? She most certainly remembered him. It is on the Chimneys FB page. Moving for sure.She just nuzzled right into his arms and was proud to show him her new son!

        • Dear Ann:

          Trina has corrected me on the fact that you are another Ann and not Ann from Paramount. Sorry I messed up. I do always enjoy posts by Ann from Paramount and I really enjoyed your post as well. Will look forward to more from both of you.

          Hugs, JB

        • Ann. I found the picture of Calvin Borel with Rachel on the Stonestreet site. She surely remembers him. That is a great photo which shows clearly that horses are very intelligent beings with the ability to show love. I read that Rachel has mellowed a little since she had her foal and is a very good mother to him. His nickname is Taco. As Sign said, he is a light bay color so far, and is very handsome.

    • / Reply

      Dear Ann from Paramount:

      Love your post and the article. Doesn’t surprise at all that horses can recognize individual humans and their voices. They are very intelligent and intuitive, I think. Hugs, JB

  26. / Reply

    More on the skunk subject. I watched a recent hidden camera incident on TV. A very real-like stuffed skunk was placed by a change machine. There was meter parking. These individuals, one at a time, needed to get change and would walk up to the machine and suddenly see the skunk so no way did they get money for the meter. The meter policeperson would be at their car writing out a ticket and these people would attempt to explain about the skunk (which was not there now)

    Another one was how a person would react when opening up their car door and seeing this skunk on the front seat!!
    The laughs the skunk could bring!!!!! It was funny!

    • / Reply

      Yes, I saw that. Hope it doesn’t give some city the idea that positioning a fake skunk like that will enhance parking fines.

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    To my fellow Z-sters: This is hard to post, but I wanted to let you know that I had to have Chester euthanized on Saturday evening. He had a severe colic couldn’t be fixed at the age of 30. There is more info on his Facebook page (Chester and Friends). He was much loved and I wish he’d had more time living the “good life,” but I know he enjoyed every moment.

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      Susan,

      My heart goes out to you. Thank you for sharing your grief with us. I know many prayers for comfort will be coming your way.

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      Susan, I’m so sorry for your loss. We’ve all learned how much he meant to you. Please know that many prayers and virtual hugs are headed your way, and thank you for sharing with us.
      Sandy

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      Oh no!! Susan what a tremendous loss! We all enjoyed so much your adventures with Chester. My heart aches with grief for you lovely lady, and for the wonderful character Chester became through those adventures – stealing our hearts. What a great life he had under your loving care and ever watchful eye. I know he will always be by your side though he has crossed over. He will be missed. I am truly so sorry.

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      Dear Susan:

      So glad that Chester was able to experience the “good life” that you made possible for him for the time he was with you. Love and Hugs, JB and Lola Mae

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      Dearest Susan and co-adopter Sharon Call, I am SO sorry for your loss of dear sweet Chester. I will post a poem of sympathy and farewell further down. RIP dear Chester.

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      Dear Susan and Sharon Call,
      I am so terribly sorry about Chester. I, too, wish he had lived “the good life” for a longer time; however, you gave him the gift of love and security. He did indeed enjoy every moment. That helped make up for the hard times since he knew he was loved at last.
      Bless you for being his earthly angels!
      Hugs,
      Marshall

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      Susan and Sharon,
      Sending love and comnforting thoughts to you and all who loved and cared for Chester. Bless your hearts for all that you did and still do for these rescued animals. I’m sure he is very happy in the great green pasture in the sky. Hugs

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      Susan – I’m so sorry for loss – I’m so happy for him that you gave him the life that he deserved.

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    Still dealing with the eye problem. Here are today’s redneck jokes. You might be a redneck if your best jacket has an advertisement on the back of it. You might be a redneck if your bridal veil was made of window screen. You might be a redneck if the ask tray in your care is so fill you can’t pull it out. You might be a redneck if the insurance deducible is higher than the value of your car. You might be a redneck if your church has a happy hour. You might be a redneck if your daughter gets married before you do. You might be a redneck if your baby’s crib mobile is made out of beer cans.

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      Dear GP TC:

      Love today’s jokes. Very funny. Hope your friend improves soon. Hugs, JB

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      Yes, that would be my STP hanging up proudly in the hall, front and center,next to the PBR,won that w/ “the friends”….it was a dare. PBR,as in rodeo not beer.

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