Gogo's Dream Schedule

It's cold. No really. It's really freaking cold. My Weatherbug right now says it's 4 degrees without windchill. The horses did not go outside today... we handwalked and lunged everybody instead. Gogo got two long handwalks today, and I was going to lunge her in the chambon but wow, it really was just TOOOOO COOOOOOLD. She got wrapped behind tonight and had a hot grain mash, and drank plenty of warm water all day. It was nice to just slow down and hang out with her and snuggle for a little while... I need that for tomorrow.

Someone asked me what Gogo's longterm plans are, so I thought I would write a little bit about that tonight. I have a very hazy schedule sketched out in my head that I want to put down on paper (or internet!). Obviously, this is a completely tentative schedule, and one that I'm sure will only work if all the stars in the world align and money and success suddenly come raining down on me (which I am inviting them to do, lol). I'm NOT going to push her to do anything that she's not mentally or physically capable of, so if we're not ready, we're not going to do it. I HOPE that we'll able to roughly stick with this, but obviously only time will tell.



2009 Plans:
Eventing: Run Novice, qualify for AECs and Areas at Novice, finish year running a Training or two
Dressage: Show First Level in spring, by fall be hopefully ready to show at least Second 1-2

2010 Plans:
Eventing: Run Training, qualify for AECs and Areas at Training, finish year running a Prelim...... also complete a Training 3-Day at the end of the year (some good information from the Ocala T3DE can be found here, and some more information can be found here.... I will explain what it is further in a later post, if you'd like to know more!)
Dressage: Second Level

2011 Plans:
Eventing: Run Prelim early in the year
Dressage: Second/Third? Level
Breeding: Breed mid-summer!

2012 Plans:
Breeding: BABY! (And yes, I've thought this out a liiiiiiiiiiittle too much... this will be a D year for Holsteiner fillies, so I will insist that she pop out a little filly and I'm going to name her Disturbia, for her mother's tendancy to be a little... weird.)
Other: Start to slowly get back in shape, see how well and how fast she comes back from foaling and nursing and weaning and go from there! You better believe I'll still be sitting on her bareback and walking around right 'til baby comes (which is good for them anyway... hard to have a baby when you're an out of shape chunkaloo)

2013:
Prelim, Third level, and then?



For those of you that didn't know, I actually have a college degree in Equine Reproduction, so it's sort of my forte, and I'm REEEEEEEALLY excited to breed her.

EDIT: As pointed out by Beckz, it seems a little weird ot be breaking up her competiton schedule like that, but there is a reason for it. Gogo is currently 7, and in 2011 will be 9. IDEALLY, you want a mare who is going to at some point be a broodmare to have at least one baby before the age of 10, at which point if she successfully carries the baby to term and all is well, you can go back to competition for a few more years. Trying to get the older maiden mare pregnant is SO difficult, and especially if she's an old show mare who has been on chemicals like Regumate or Depo (Gogo is not and will never be), you'll potentially dump thousands of dollars into trying to get an old body suited for something it doesn't know how to do. However, if you breed a mare at least once at a younger age, her body has already been conditioned to maintain a pregancy and will therefore have a MUCH easier time concieving and carrying to term if you choose to breed her again later. A lot of top mares are often bred once before being started under saddle, and then go on to have a competitive career, at which point they can then be bred again at a later date. This also shows what kind of produce the mare will create, and whether or not she will be a good investment in the long run.
So I am breeding her at the age of 9 to ensure her reproductive soundness at a later date. Once a younger mare has carried a pregancy to full term, she will have a much easier time concieving and carrying when she is older.


So who am I going to breed her to, you ask? Well, there are several options but I think my favorite by far is a Holsteiner stud called Cicera's Icewater. I have a DVD of him somewhere that I requested and MAN this horse can MOVE and he can JUMP, and his babies are all very nice too. VERY nice. He was competing at Prelim with Team O'Connor, but I think he's back home currently. Here is some information on him off of West with the Wind's website:

"Cicera's Icewater is the American Holsteiner Association 2002 approvals tour Stallion Champion. At the time of his approval Icewater was the highest scoring and highest bonited Holsteiner stallion ever approved in North America. He is also approved and licensed RPSI and GOV (Oldenburg Breeders Societ/ German Oldenburg Verband). He stands 16.3+ hands. He is a leggy, refined, modern type. At his AHHA approvals he received 53 bonits: type 8, topline 7, front legs 7, hind legs 7, walk 7, trot 9, canter 8. The German judges loved his huge, elastic gaits! For his pedigree he was awarded the absolute top score 10! He is one of only two stallions ever have received the score. In 2003 Cicera's Icewater competed in the Five Year Old Young Jumper Championships, and placed in the top 15 at the East Coast Finals at the Hampton Classic. In the spring of 2005 Cicera's Icewater completed his stallion performance requirements in eventing with Team O'Connor. Icewater placed in the top three of all five events that he competed at, with notably excellent dressage scores. Icewater is also approved RHPSI Stallion Book I, with a total score of 60, with bonits such as "8" type, "9" canter, etc. Icewater is by international show jumper Corofino (by Corrado I), out of State Premium Mare Cicera, Stamm 474A, Cor de la Bryere - Liguster. Cicera is full sister to the late Cicero that stood in the US and to the international show jumper and extraordinary sire Cavalier Royale (see link at the bottom of this page and read about his impressive progeny!). Several years after his premature death at 17 Cavalier Royale is now also a leading sire of eventers 2006, (he is, for example, sire of Cavaldi, second place at Fair Hill CCI*** 2003, and Starlight). Cavalier Royale had no less than THREE entries in Rolex 2007, including the WINNER Ben Along Time. Cicera, the dam of Cicera's Icewater, and full sister to Cavalier Royale, is also the dam of the young international Grand Prix jumper Kira (by Carthago). Ridden by Ludo Philippaerts, Kira (a maternal half sister to Icewater) came third with a double clear round in the 2004 $91,488 Grand Prix of Cannes, one of the most coveted Grand Prix in Europe. In 2003 year she successfully competed in the international Audi-Championship for Young Horses. This proven pedigree with depth heightens the predictability of passing on awesome performance and looks! Icewater's sire Corofino I competes in international show jumping under Italian colors, and is one of the Holsteiner Verband flagship stallions per frozen semen. His full brother Corofino II recently qualified for the German Championship of five year old stallions. Corofino has sired a number of approved stallions, successful jumpers and excellent dressage performers, and is especially known for passing on outstanding rideability. If you are looking for an EXTRAORDINARY MOVER that also can jump, here you go! Icewater comes from Holsteiner Stamm 474A, one of the best and most successful motherlines in the world. This motherline Stamm 474A has produced close to 40 approved stallions plus international sport horses. At the 2004 Holsteiner Verband approvals no less than two stallions from Stamm 474A were approved. Icewater's first foals are a living proof of Icewater being an outstanding refinement sire of modern type: they are very elegant, refined, athletic and correct and most of all they are destined to excell in performance."

He also successfully completed a CCI*, and was third, I think... his dressage scores from two different judges were a 71% and a 73%... which is AWESOME.






And this is the part that just makes me think they're a match made in heaven:



THEY HAVE THE SAME DAMN JUMP. I LOVE IT.


Now, we've all been mad at FHOTD for her irritating posts as of late, but her basic concept is one I stick to - breed the best to the best, and that's it. Don't breed crappy quality horses. Don't breed mediocre quality horses. Breed QUALITY horses only. Gogo is a lovely mare but she has her downfalls too, as does every mare, so I'm only going to breed her responsibly and for my own future pleasure horses, ones that will be guaranteed a good home for life. And she really DOES have the potential to throw some pretty high-quality offspring, especially if paired to a matching stud who will build on her strengths and enhance her weakesses.

Gogo's Physical and Mental Strengths:
- Incredibly intelligent
- Independant, bold, level-headed and calm
- Excellent feet
- Textbook shoulder angle, perfect for scope over fences and reach in dressage
- Huge natural gallop
- Three high-quality gaits, exceptional canter
- Very nice hind leg
- Nice short, strong back
- Overall body angles very desireable and correct

Gogo's Physical and Mental Weaknesses:
- Can be very opinionated.... need a stallion with a tractable mind!
- Forearm a little shorter than desireable
- Upright LF foot (not genetic as far as we can tell)
- Offset front cannons
- SLIGHT (VERY slight) toeing out in front.... which I'd rather have over toeing in!!
- A hair flat in the croup
- Weak topline, neck put on slightly upside down (her biggest and most noticable fault in my mind)
- Slightly narrow in the body and chest
- Needs more room in the throatlatch area


So the biggest improvements that I'm looking for are a much improved topline, more depth to the body, and nice correct legs. Icewater's topline and legs all scored 7's, which is acceptable. His foals all look to be very correct in the topline, and it's kind of hard to tell with the legs but I see no glaring faults on any of them. And not all of them are grey!!! I would love a steely grey that stays steely grey, or maybe one with lots of dapples, but I have zero desire to ever own a fleabitten grey. I pitch fits over Gogo's TINY little socks.... can you even IMAGINE me with a grey horse? I'd be killing myself every day and my hands would be perma-purple from all the whitening shampoo!


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On an unrelated note, we seem to have an Adequan problem here. Gogo last summer went through the initial loading dose of once per week for four weeks, and then moved on to one shot per month.... but I have recently heard information saying that once monthly Adequan is apparently a waste of money, and isn't actually recommended by the company. WTF, why did nobody mention this to me before? Apparently, what IS recommended is once every two or so months, doing the entire loading dose thing over again.... flooding the body with Adequan, I guess. Well, I can't exactly afford to do that, so I was going to ask around and see if it might be possible for me to go every three months and then maybe do three doses for three weeks instead.... which is the same amount of money as the once a month thing, only more effective, apparently. Gogo is actually moving better than she ever has, and isn't giving me any indication that she might be feeling her little bit of arthritis, so hmmmmm.

Adequan. Stop trying to confuse me. Money is tight enough around here as it is.




Tomorrow is the anniversary of one of the saddest days of my life, and I don't want it to come. At least I have it off.....