He's a Yearling, Now!

Those of you that followed my previous blog, Westbrook Farm,  know the story...the unbelievable story...that began unfolding, unseen and unknown to us, in the summer of 2015.



When a former neighbor mentioned to me that her mom's favorite broodmare needed a "retirement" home, the seed was planted.

Sassy Anna is lovin' this grassy pasture at our new home!

When we finally adopted Sassy Anna in October of 2015, to be Lexie's pasture companion, we had no idea that the 22-year-old mare was bred at all, let alone to the 19-year-old retired harness race horse, High Tech, who actually won a substantial amount of money in his very short race career.  High Tech, while producing numerous offspring in his younger days, hadn't produced a foal in 3 years, according to his owner, John D., driver, trainer, judge and breeder in the harness-racing industry for 50-some years.

2 days old

We actually joked about it one evening that fall - "Wouldn't it be funny if Sassy Anna had a foal?" What clever racehorse name might we conjure up for him or her?  How much fun would it be to attend races as owners?  Wouldn't it be cool to have "winner's circle" photos on our wall?  We laughed!

Fast forward to May of 2016 - Something just wasn't right...Sassy suddenly looked sullen and sway-backed.  Her belly seemed a bit swollen, but that could just be parasites...let's give her an extra dewormer and bump up her feed alittle.  She seemed...off-balance.  Maybe, she needs a bit more exercise after our looong NY winter.  

That last week of May Don, Rosie and I, though we didn't mention it to one another, all noticed her "bagging up", but... Nah!  She couldn't possibly be...

We had given her some extra TLC all that month, hoping she would "perk up", but in my heart, I was preparing myself for a possible heartbreak...

That fateful day, June 1st, rolled around, seeming like a typical day... Don and Will at work, the girls and I wrapping up our homeschool year... when Grace headed out the kitchen door to go for a walk around our 23 acres in NY.  Two minutes later, she burst through the back door, breathlessly shouting, "Come quickly!  Sassy's having a foal!"

I will NEVER forget that incredible day!  The girls and I were able to watch Isaac's birth, and Don arrived in time to see him take his first steps.

4 months old

For all the gritty details, video clips, and many photos, you are welcome to visit my former blog, specifically my posts from June through Sept. 2016. (westbrookfarmmaple@blogspot.com)

Isaac, named so for 2 reasons:
     - Abraham and Sarah from the Bible were "too old" to have a child, just as Sassy and High Tech were thought to be...
     - Isaac means "He laughs" in Hebrew, which is exactly what we all did when the proverbial dust settled...

...Is now a year old!  By racing world protocol, he, and all other foals born in the spring of 2016, were dubbed "yearling" on January 1, 2017, but here at home he became a yearling this week.

7 months old

Isaac is his barn name or family name.  We had to choose a "race" name, too.  If you recall, we went with Classified Tech, so he would carry with him a piece of his sire's legacy.

He's grown so much, and continues growing nicely month by month.

What a ham he is, full of attitude!

And, such a beauty! He's looking more masculine and handsome as he grows...

But, ya can't win a race...or even place...on good looks.  So, his future in the harness-racing industry remains to be seen.

10 months old

At any rate, Rosie has done a super job raising and training him, and if he's too slow for racing, I'm quite sure she will want to train him for some other sport.  She plans to cross-train him anyway, so who knows?  We'll just keep doing our best for him - the best feed within our budget, attend to his hooves and teeth, as much mental and physical exercise as a colt needs, and so forth.

1 year old

I will continue to share his progress in my blog posts, and who knows? Maybe, a couple of years from now, you'll see us in the winner's circle at Harrah's or Pocono Downs or Tioga Downs?

Good news on the home remodel:  We applied for the line of credit we'll need to get the job done in a timely fashion, and Don is almost finished with the demo!  Join me in a few days for an update on our home remodel, and some pics from the lovely short hike we did yesterday.   Hope ya'll have a super weekend!