Sunnybrook Ranch

01/08/2025

I watched this live in awe and amazement at these two great champions battled down the homestretch, both setting record times still unbroken 51 years later.

May 5, 1973 – Post Kentucky Derby

Sham’s team was heartbroken. A stunned silence hung in the air after witnessing their horse run an incredible 1:59 4/5, breaking Northern Dancer’s record—yet still finishing second to Secretariat. Owner Sigmund Sommer quietly acknowledged, “Secretariat beat us fair and square.”

As jockey Laffit Pincay brought Sham over to trainer Frank Martin, Martin and groom Gato noticed blood trickling from Sham’s mouth. The sight was gruesome—two teeth had been knocked loose at the starting gate, leaving Sham looking, as Martin said, “like a four-legged hockey player.” It took nearly 30 minutes to stop the bleeding, with Gato so shaken that he had to leave the area.

Despite the setback, Pincay admired Sham’s effort, saying, “I didn’t think anyone would catch him… I still had some horse at the finish.” Martin, too, took pride in Sham’s historic performance, pointing out, “Sham ran faster in losing the Derby than any horse had ever done in winning it.”

On that unforgettable afternoon, Sham solidified his place in history—not just as Secretariat’s rival, but as a courageous champion in his own right. As the story goes, perhaps he’s still chasing Big Red above, proving the heart of a great horse never stops running

12/29/2024

12/12/2024

12/10/2024

11/28/2024

11/26/2024

Ever Changing Horses

Lyme disease.
If you live in this area ( I am in south central Pennsylvania) you either have had a horse with Lyme or know a friend who has a horse with Lyme.

I remember 25 plus years ago the vet I worked for didn't believe horses even got it ! Things change. We learn more. Horses immune systems change.
20 years ago a yearling of a friend of mines got Lyme. She was stiff, could hardly walk and had huge swelling at her stifles.
Some horses can barely walk out of the stall....classic Lyme. Often they are spooky.

Over the last 20 years I have found about 5 bullseye on horses. A center dot where the tick was and then an area of bald and then discolored hair.

This year I had a horse with Lyme. She was different than all the others. She started refusing jumps . She doesnt do that ( 15 yrs old ) . It was sorta random at first. No refusals at home. Checked the saddle, the feet, checked the body / muscles. Made some small tweaks.
Next horse show more refusals. Crashed on a jump.
At home...jumping beautifully, then crashed on / through my roll top !

What is going on ?

Oh, and during all of this she was the best I had ever seen her on the flat ! The most through her back . The most supple. Accepting the aids. Really good.

Took her off farm to school and she wouldn't go over a pole on the ground ! Then she rode down the long side...BIG SPOOK. That's when I knew it was Lyme. She spooked several more times ( not a spooky horse ) . And yet, flat work super. In fact I posted a video of her rider riding 1 handed doing flying changes.

We tested her and her levels were elevated. 1 month of doxycycline. ( she had lymes before, but was more typical body sore ) .
Then we noticed that she would jump post and rail jumps fine. Straw bales fine. But any sort of oxer or more substantial jump, like planks or flower box , rolltop ....refused.

What an interesting " study " ...in this case it was clearly the biggest factor in her vision !

She is back to normal again. Jumping all the things, bounding through cavelleti.

As horses immune systems change, so do the symptoms . Remember , always test. Always consult the vet.

Reminder , Doxycycline has a side effect of being an anti-inflammatory. So just putting a horse on it may give you improved performance in your horse, but Lyme may not be the cause ! Consult your vet.

Disclaimer. I am not a vet. I do have 38 years of horse ownership, horsemanship, college degree in Equestrian studies, worked for a big vet with 200 head of horses and 23 years of running my farm of 25 to 32 horses. I think it is so important to bring these discussions to light.

11/22/2024

DOC BAR revolutionized the cutting industry in a way never seen before or since.
The 1956 chestnut stallion was foaled on Tom Finley’s Arizona ranch. He was by Lightning Bar by Three Bars (TB) and out of Dandy Doll by Texas Dandy. He was bred to run, but failed miserably, earning a total of $95 in four starts.
He was given to Charley Araujo of California to show at halter. This endeavor seemed doomed to fail because Doc Bar did not fit what the judge’s eye had been groomed to see. He stood a scant 15 hands and did not have the punched-together look of his contemporaries.
The halter industry was ripe for change. With Araujo at the lead and the stallion’s unique conformation, the guidelines for halter horse champions were altered almost overnight. Out of 15 shows, he won nine grand champions, and one reserve champion.
Doc Bar attracted the attention of Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Jensen of Double J Ranch in Paicines, California. The couple had pieced together a broodmare band of Poco Tivio, Hollywood Gold, King and Leo mares, and was in the market for a stallion. Doc Bar fit their needs and the couple bought him in 1963 for $30,000.
Over the following years, Doc Bar sired National Cutting Horse Association Futurity winners, world champions and top-10 horses. A few progenies include Doc O’Lena, Dry Doc, Fizzabar and Doc’s Kitty. He was the grandsire of Smart Little Lena, Tenino San, Docs Sangria and Don N W***y.
In AQHA competitions, Doc Bar’s get amassed nearly 9,000 points and won multiple world championships.
The key to Doc Bar’s success was summed up by Charlie Ward, manager of the Jensens’ ranch, “is that he’s so consistent in his type. His colts are all uniform and possess a lot of sense. They’re easy to train, they have a lot of natural ability – every one of them is cowy.”
Doc Bar was euthanized in 1992 at 36. He was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1993.
Biography updated as of march 1993, credit to AQHA.

11/06/2024

Hahahahaha!

11/06/2024