After more than 10 years, this one still gets me and finding words is difficult. Amigo was an outstanding introduction to appaloosas, to horses in general and to showing. Purchased at the age of 5, he was definitely not the epitome of a show horse in the beginning. In the course of a wonderful partnership, he turned into the most outstanding mount I could have ever asked for. While we taught each other, he never once let me down in 15 years and never once stopped trying even in his final hours.

Earner of 26 Performance Points (Senior Western Pleasure with Toni riding and training him), multiple World Show qualifier in Sr. Pleasure and 40 Youth Points, he was still earning national points in Sr. Pleasure when I brought him out of retirement in 1991 at age 17 for two shows before his final retirement. He had previously been out of the show pen for 4 years while I was away in college and had only been turned out regularly for exercise, no riding.

Unfortunately, the 4th of July will never be a celebration for me since his death. It was a very long, very painful day as our wonderful vet tried saving him to no avail. He was lost due to complications of sand colic. To this day I still blame myself for not knowing about sand colic after moving him from Nebraska and it was a terrible lesson to learn. I think he lived a wonderful life in his 20 years and he is never far from my thoughts. As Joe and Copper's great uncle, at least a part of him, as small as it may be, is still around and I sometimes see him in their eyes.

In the fall of '86 I was beginning a new adventure away from home in a new state in college. As much as I would have liked to, I wasn't able to take my horses with me. One evening, I got a phone call from my parents who told me Will had been sick and had gotten better, but that he had been lost that day. Apparently, one of the race horses who had been stalled temporarily where we boarded had brought in a virus which effected several of the horses. They didn't let me know he was sick because they knew I would have dropped everything and driven 16 hours home to be with him. They were right, I would have and wish I could have been there with him.

I showed Will in halter as a weanling and yearling, just for the experience of being at the shows, but his true calling was as a performance horse. If yearling longe line had been offered back then, he surely would have been outstanding. He had a natural slow collected way of moving and a natural headset. I had planned on starting him under saddle the following summer. He is forever in my thoughts as well.

Netta was purchased as a two year old in the winter of 1990 as a performance replacement for my gelding Amigo once he was retired. She was Joker's Sleepy/Joker B, King Bars/Three Bars and Del Rio Joe bred on top with Gold Strike's Equal, double bred Commanche's Equal, Little Moon Deck/Moon Deck and Tonto Do/Tonto Bars Gill bred on the bottom. Unfortunately, Netta was plagued with several illnesses and was never able to reach her potential. We finally lost her, we believe, to a liver problem though a necropsy was not done.

Mitzi

198 - April, 2002

Mitzi

Cubby

1989-2002

While I was living in Texas, I guess you could say I rescued Cubby from a life of fleas and spaghetti, well spaghetti off of dirt anyway. When I went to pick out my new puppy her owners got her and her siblings to come out from under the back porch by throwing a pot of spaghetti onto the dirt. By the time I got her home, I realized she was covered in fleas.

Cubby (aka The Queen, Cubrina Green, ) was certainly a character and quite fond of stealing marinating steaks and cupcakes when we weren't looking and before we figured out her tricks. She would gladly pay you tomorrow for a hamburger today! She was the most wonderful dog I have ever owned. A protector and a friend, she always made me smile with her spotted tongue and curly tail and she was always gracious in her acceptance of new members of the family. It was a very difficult day when I had to decide to have her put down. She was suffering badly and had lived a wonderful 13 years with me. Cubby had a two inch + tumor on her spleen. We know she is free from pain now and having a ball in that great hamburger stand in the sky.

Cosmos

2001-2002

Nosey

1992(?)-2004

(Nosey is the one sitting with her mom Kali, see below)

Kali

1990 - August 24, 2007

A wonderful cat who lived an outstanding life. You will be missed more than you know. We know you are with your friends and daughter who have gone before you. Sleep well Miss Kali kitty.

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