Some fancy prospects have been sold to new owners this month and we would like to Congratulate them. 

Pat Rich, Springfield, Il (previous owner of World and Natl Champion Mysterious Secret) has purchased weanling stallion “Secret Colors” - who will hopefully follow his older sibling’s footprints in the show arena.

Kip and Barbara Shepard (Princes Charles Enterprises) Suffield, Ct. On their purchase of “The Hunt Is On” - yearling stallion prospect - full brother to World & Natl Champion Midnight Hunter, Honourable Hunter and Res. Champion Pirate Hunter.

Kip and Barbara, longtime appaloosa supporters and breeders have also purchased Zippos Diamond Dancer - APHC multiple World and National Champion western pleasure mare with her black and white 2010 foal by Lazy Loper-AQHA.  Zippos Diamond Dancer was bred by Char-O-Lot Ranch and sold as a two year old prospect (back in the day).  Lou-Lou is currently bred back to A Good Machine-AQHA for a 2011 foal.

Breeding season is pretty much finished up for the 2010 year and we hope that all of you had a successful foaling and productive breeding year. The final follow-up ultrasounds are being done this month and thru July - we are particularly diligent about checking progesterone levels on many mares at their 16 days pregnancy to insure that they have enough natural progestins in their bodies to carry on with their pregnancy. We have found that this deficiency tends to run in family groups passed on thru the dam side (not proven - only our experiences over the years of breeding mares, daughters and grand-daughters).

Mare care throughout the summer, winter and gestation period includes high level worming protocol that is pertinent to your locale- interestingly enough in the deep south when the weather gets super hot the worms die in the fields, whereas the winter months in the south are prolific worm seasons. In the north, obviously the freezes kill the worm population but the summer months are when their worm population increases- so do be aware of what is happening in your particular geographic location and worm your horses accordingly. Temperatures 45 - 85 degrees are the optimum times for worm population increases. We also do random fecal samples throughout the year to insure that our protocol is maximized.

Pregnant mares need their 5-7-9 month shots! These are Pneumabort-K (2 ml) injections given intramuscularly when your mare is 5 months, 7 months and 9 months in foal. It is important that the Pnuemabort-K vaccines are used as it is a killed vaccine and will not cause abortion in your mare. There are some live rhino vaccines on the market that can actually trigger an issue with your pregnant mare.

30 Days prior to foaling all of our mares receive their 5 Way EWT West Nile Booster, a Strep Booster (strangles) and on the next day we also give them a Calvenza Rhino-Flu. These vaccines will insure that your mare has the adequate anti-bodies ready to pass-along to her foal. If your mare has a caslicks this is most likely the time to open it. We utilize the 11 month due date schedule- many people use the 342 gestation schedule among others - your mare will foal when the foal signals her that it is ready to be born.

Once again this is not meant to take the place of your veterinarian advice.