11/02/2022
Oh where to begin....I knew I was going to have to write this post eventually, but it wasn't the fairy tale ending I had envisioned. However, I am so grateful to God that yet again he brought us wonderful buyers and a great home for another Double M horse.
Back in 2015 I acquired a very special mare (that story could be a whole post in itself). That mare, albeit broodmare sound only, lit a whole new fire inside me for barrel racing. I selected a stallion I thought to be a wonderful cross on her and despite some crazy adventures getting her bred and getting her to finally foal at day 356....she gave me a beautiful bay filly. I was certain we'd make a great team and we would go on together to accomplish all of my dreams in the rodeo world. Whatever "it" is that makes one a winner, I knew in my heart this filly had every bit of "it".
She was fiesty, super gritty, freakishly athletic, confidence oozed from her every second of her life but she loved people and genuinely enjoyed working with you. We started her under saddle as a 2 year old and brought her to our vets for an unrelated issue when radiographs we had taken revealed a devasting injury. Due to the location, she was not a great candidate for surgery; however, because she was neither lame then nor had been lame before, our vets suggested we keep using her until it became a problem. So we took it easy with her, I still hoped to have her as a rodeo horse, even if our futurity dreams were not likely to be realized.
Over the next 4 years we taught her all the basics, ranched on her a little, started her tracking the dummy, patterned her, etc. It was red light/green light, always checking to make sure she was still comfortable. It became apparent her injury was bothering her and prohibiting her ability to perform. So we gave her some time off and on August of this year, I brought her back to our vets to hopefully learn she could now be a candidate for surgery and get her fixed once and for all.
Unfortunately that was not God's plan. Our vets were gracious enough to do some consulting over all three sets of her rads. With a unanimous vote, stated she was not a good candidate for surgery and they would not recommend it. She was given a 50% at best, odds to return sound and if she didn't get sound she would likely be in pain the rest of her life. Furthermore, if she did get sound, the rehab would be very costly, very extensive and may all be for nothing. Sometimes we aren't given the option to realize a dream and no amount of effort or work we do will change that, only God knows why, but it is our duty to trust Him and keep pushing on for whatever He has in store for us.
We made the decision to sell Smooch as a broodmare and prayed God would send us an honest buyer that would love her the way we loved her. More importantly, a buyer who would care for her, honor her as broodmare sound only and breed her to some great stallions to give her a chance to be a great producer! He did just that. Today we sent off a small piece of my heart on a trailer headed to Canada, it's definitely sad but also joyous to know she will have a GREAT home and will have a chance to prove herself as a producer!
Congratulations Henkelman and H Ranch Quarter Horses on your purchase of FrenchmansFamedKiss, aka "Smooch"! I am so glad that she has the opportunity to help make your dreams come true! Rafter H Ranch Quarter Horses will be breeding Smooch to their great young stallion prospect, who is a son of Slick By Design and out of a daughter of JL Dash Ta Heaven! I think Smooch will approve of her baby daddy, I sure can't wait to see that cross
