A tribute to a great horse
Nov 27, 2002 was a sad day in
the gypsy horse world. The stallion belonging to "Jim" had to be put down. In the breeding season of 2001, he was
kicked in the knee by a mare. The knee was hit in just such a way as to
chip the bone. After about a year of going on with a knee that 'wasn't
that good', but 'wasn't that bad', his owner decided to have surgery on it to
remove bone fragments that were making the
horse uncomfortable. Having surgery on a horse in the gypsy world is
nearly unheard of, you let them go when they are used up. His owner truly
loved this horse though, and tried everything possible to make him better.
The surgery only made him worse though, and about a month later, he was too bad
to justify continuing making him suffer.
This horse was a kind soul. Anyone who has been around horses any length of time knows about this. With some horses there is just something inside, something that makes them different. They seem to understand things a little bit better than their other equine friends, and seem to feel more deeply. When you look in their eyes, there is something more than just a horse looking back. This horse's owner felt that, and did everything in his power to make him better, in spite of being razzed by his peers about being sentimental over a horse. This man has owned hundreds, if not thousands of horses over the years. Something made this horse special. He was one of a kind, and can never be replaced.
As with many of the best horses in gypsy circles, he had no name, but the lads called him after his owner. He was the sire of many of the best gypsy horses in the world, and several of his bests are in the USA. Mares like "Panda Rose" in Florida, and our own "Babydoll" all were by him. Mostly mares and fillies called him dad, as he was also one of the most treasured types of stallions among gypsies, he was a "filly getter". A stallion that can produce the best, and do that on fillies is as good as it gets in gypsy circles. We have yet to come across a stallion who consistently produces horses of this caliber, his loss will be felt worldwide.
Click on these small images for larger views.
Some of the great horses that this stallion sired
Panda, a daughter, and Pie, a Granddaughter
Babydoll, one of the best I have ever seen.
Grace, a phenomenal 2001 filly
Gretal, 2002 filly
Another 2002 filly with everything in the right place
When he had colts, they were good ones.