Brandy, you’re a fine girl

11/26/2023

Lovely 14 mile day in the Shawnee with besties on gaited beasties all trying in vain to catch Ms Sandy

07/18/2023

07/18/2023

This is “Brandy” ,a Mft reg as “Spitfires Ladt in Red”
3 years ago
My hot shoe Mft endurance racing tiny wife says “found a mare I want from bloodlines we like to endurance race “
I mentioned we had 9
Horses and asked if I needed another horse to train ?
Instead of answering she said the mare was a high level show horse who hadn’t been ridden in 5 years , needed an advanced rider, and was in foal .
Oops , back to my question, “Do we need two horses for me to train ??
No answer from her
Then , “She’s in foal to an Akhal Teke !”
Me ; er, what?
Her ; you know from Turkmenistan !
Me : I have no idea what you are saying !
Her; Google it
Me : ok, see pics looking like metallic paint job on 69 GTO
Her ; would you pray about this ???
Me :ok
God: but the woman the horse !
Me : how many 100s and where to?
Her 12-15 KC mo

Hasn’t been ridden in 5 years and “needs experienced rider “ means I have to make a plan and consistently work on trust
She didn’t like men and had never been ridden out of an arena
It took me 9 months to establish her trust to get my hands on her by her catching me
Then I kept on with her foal
Now three years later , her foal the only gaited Akhal Teke Sporthorse I know of in the world . Tango is headed to 16 hands and shows the running walk and rack and trot
Brandy catches me and we are 60 days from her first 50 mile endurance race
Life is an adventure !
Keith
Shawnee Sunrise Farm
Marion i

08/25/2021

Brandy is a mft mare that is a former show horse that was let set for 5 years and in foal with an Turkmenistan Akhal Teke when we ought her from Kansas City. She gave us an Akhal-Teke Sport Horse WITH her gaited gene as confirmed by dna.
I got her ready for an endurance race which was my plan from the start but the race was cancelled at the last moment due to extreme rain.
Sandy had booked a breeding to another mft
Who is the sire of her top mft endurance mare Samba. It was his last scheduled breeding. Brandy was in foal but with twins. One had to be aborted and treated with regimate to keep the remains foal.
She is doing great and still in foal !
Pic of her, the sire and the Akhal Teke Sporthorse Tango who is a yearling.
I love this mare but my top mare hates her and I think the top mare hates her and I think she is jealous !

08/25/2021

The Brandy girl is very far from my best horse but she is my sweetest horse and actually a favorite. I had her ready for a 30 mile endurance race recently but the very severe storm the night before rained it out as too dangerous.
My bride of 41 years had booked her for a breeding to the mft stud that had sired her top mft endurance mft mare and as it was the last time the stud was going to be offered ,we took her to the stud.
She caught, but ultrasound showed twins. This results in at least one if not three fatalities 90% if the time.
So, we made the sad, but necessary decision to abort one of the fetuses. Then I had to two weeks dosing Brandy with Regimate , which is estrogen.
The later ultrasound shows a viable fetus and a healthy Brandy!!!!
So she lives in a mare herd we’re she is the bottom horse in the pecking order. My top mare , Kate is a two time Twh national champ and has done over 30 races. She has won a 30 mile race, 5 50 mile races and 2 100 mile races,
She also HATES Brandy and tries to kill her.
I believe this is partially because Kate is jealous of My relationship with Brandy. Btw, I have ridden Kate over 10,000 miles. I can call her, she catches me and kisses me on the mouth.
I hope for yet another great baby. Her last one is a Akel-Teke with her gaited gene which may be my entry into FEI endurance. (A guys gotta dream as he heads into 70!)
Pics, of Brandy, her stud, our last mft from the stud (which was a top 5 mft in the US last year, and the yearling mft x Akhel Teke Tango from Brandy

07/22/2021

Brandy , my sweet heart of a mare that had not been backed in 5 years nor ever ridden outside of an arena was ready for a 30 mile ld endurance ride had her race cancelled due to heavy rain and flooding right . So now she is with a top stud for breeding

06/09/2021

2 weeks from the Brandys 30 mile endurance start !

03/29/2021

Two of the beauties in my life!

03/27/2021

Almost 80 degrees and 9 miles often at race pace. It was all the Brandy girl needed and we had a great time. She hit 11 mph in a racking gait on the gnarliest speed trail I know of.
Considering it was only about the 12th time she has been ridden outside an arena, I am thrilled with her.
We almost always end with “trot out” practice. With Brandy , it is often “foxtrot” out.

03/10/2021

I love this mft Mare

11/12/2020

Well now, Keith just blew my mind. He took me on a trailer ride to somewhere called the Shawnee. Two other horses went.
We rode EIGHT miles, which is 4 times longer than my one other time ride.
Keith said I have a foxtrot, trot,running walk and a rack.
He said my rack hit 13 mph!
Creeks, water rocks and fallen trees.
I did not know I had those gaits but Keith and the other horses taught me. I am tired but it was a fun and interesting day!

11/12/2020

My first ride! Only 2 miles and I was a little nervous, but it was fun

11/12/2020

My daughter Tango right before weening

11/12/2020

I may be prejidiced, okay, I am. But my baby Tango sure is fine!

11/12/2020

Spitfire’s Tango showing how she got her name. Tango was 3 days old and first time she was free. What a zoomer! Made me nervous

11/12/2020

This is my little filly Spitfire’s Tango.

11/12/2020

Well Howdy! My barn name Brandy, you know, like the song. I am a retired MFT show horse where I was a “Reserve National Champion” . That means I was 2nd.
When I retired, I was let to just be a horse for 7 years. I got a little “wiggy” and the only thing that happened in my life was coming in foal to an Akhal-Teke stud!
Then, Keith came into my life. He brought me from Kansas City to Southern Il. He introduced me to a herd of really mean mares who are not my buddies. One mare, Sapphire, is nice to me.
Keith and his two legged mare, Sandy are both really good to me.
The other horses told me they train and race in something called “endurance” which is fast riding on trails at 50 and 100 mile distances .
This confuses me as I have never ridden outside an arena and only know a slow walk and a show foxtrot.
Keith says he will teach me.
I had a filly and her name is Spitfire’s Tango . My fancy name is Spitfire’s Lady in Red.
This blog will be about my journey at Shawnee Sunrise Farm from a sedate life of a retired show horse Brood mare to a long distance endurance competition horse.
I will post when Keith shares a lap top with me!
Brandy