Mystery Photo Number 1 from N/L No 6 revealed: -

Eeze Flying Nugget and Jan Rae

I wasn't exactly sure it was us when I saw the photo in the last newsletter.  Well, we never like to admit " Yes, my bum DOES look big in this!!"  I must confess though, it is me and my boy.  The Boy in question is Eeze Flying Nugget, a four year old gelding by Move Over Nugget out of Eeze High Flyer, or Cody to his friends.  He has predominantly American blood, eligible for registration as a Ranger Bred Appaloosa. I have had him since he was 10 months old.  I have always admired the Nugget line and also have his half sister.  Cody did really well as a yearling and a two year old winning the BApS Scottish male championship, the North of England Championship and doing generally very well at every other show we took him to. I have three of his babies, all lovely and all very different.

The Championship last year was Cody's first show as a gelding.  He did well but we will have to do better next year because there were so many good horses and riders, we were lucky rather than good!  He had the unkindest cut of all after I had to face the fact that there were too many other really good stallions in the country and when I asked myself why I kept him entire the reasons just were not good enough. 

It is a very lonely life for most stallions and unless the reasons are good ones it is simply not fair.  He now has lots of friends and gets to go to lots of clinics and things where we simply weren't welcome before, even though he was a good lad most of the time!
My first introduction to Appaloosas came in my monthly horse mag.  A flyer with Amazing Blue fell out onto my lap as I opened it. I was stunned at the sheer beauty of this creature. The way he filled the eye and how you could almost feel his presence oozing from the paper.  I just had to have one of these.  Of course there's only one 'Blue' but we can dream, can't we!  I was permitted (thank you Joyce!) to buy one of his babies and still have her now Amazing Grace she is called and you may see her at a show someday Up until now she's been busy having foals and doing endurance with me.  Cody though, is showing lots of potential and enjoys showing where Grace likes to get out there in the real world. 

We hope to see you at some shows this year, if we ever get out of this mud and get some work done!  Thanks for giving me the chance to prattle on about my friends. Good luck to everyone in the coming season.

Jan Rae

From the Editor

Thanks Jan for sending in your story.  I doubt that any of us at last year's show will forget your stunning performance as Cleopatra.

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