Random Thoughts of an Old Friend - American Morgan Horse ...

Above: Equinox Beaubrook.Do you have news or informationfor the newsletter? Please send news to:T 802 985 4944 or chris@morganhorse.comRandom Thoughts of an Old Friend continued from page 1long story short, we were able to re-attach the harness and a carriage. Problem! The harnessnostril. Beau always had a little notch in his was for a 2,000 pound horse and the carriageright nostril as a reminder of that morning. was designed to be pulled by a draft team.The next spring those same three A leather punch quickly adjusted the harnessyearlings escaped from that paddock and to something approaching the right size forwere found over a mile away, terrorizing the Beau’s 14.2 hand frame. We hitched him toManchester Country Club and tearing up the carriage and I climbed all the way up tothe fairways. I’m sure it was Beau’s idea. the driver’s seat several feel above the tree line.As a three-year-old Beau had just finished There wasn’t a lot of oxygen way up there,a nice pleasure ride, and was standing quietly and as I peered down from under my top hatwaiting to be unhitched, when another out of at the little stallion way down below me incontrol driving horse careened into the scene the shafts, I felt a little like the Grinch That(sans driver) and ran right into Beau, driving Stole Christmas looking at his dog from thethe shaft of an old wooden cart deep into his sleigh. Again to make a long story short, Beauleft shoulder. The vet determined it would never dropped an ear or missed a step as herequire surgery to remove the tip of the shaft, trotted (uphill all the way) to his destination.which was still lodged deep in the shoulder, You start to get an idea of the sort of lifeso we proceeded to load Beau into the trailer that Beau lead, full of adventure! In spite ofto head for the vet clinic. For some reason all his escapades, he never took an unsoundthat I will never understand, Beau decided step or an unhealthy breath. He was quiteto protest by shaking his head, banging his often the most popular breeding stallion onright eye on the center post of the trailer, and the farm, never giving an inch to stallions likeslicing his upper eyelid horizontally so that Courage Of Equinox, Equinox Benn Adam,when his eye was open he was looking out or Issues ’N Answers. Not all of the mares heunder the lid, and when his eye shut he was bred were registered Morgans. I rememberlooking out over the lid. We go that fixed at one year besides all the Morgan mares hethe same time.bred, he also bred a Morab, two Arabians, aThese types of escapades continued Saddlebred, a Standardbred, two pinto ponies,Beau’s whole life, He was a perennial a mustang…. He produced foals all over thechampion at the Lippitt Country Show, where world through the use of frozen semen. Hehe won everything from In-Hand to English showed up in many sire ratings among thePleasure, Pleasure Driving to Western, etc. top stallions in the breed. In the last year ofHe was a fixture, participating every year, at his life, he was honored by the United Statesthe old sleigh rides that the Vermont Morgan Equestrian Federation as the top sire of drivingHorse Association provided at the Shelburne horses of all breed. In October, I watched oneMuseum every February. I remember that of his sons take top ribbons in OKC. He wasI had to make a particular effort to secure a very accomplished sire!the side door on the trailer, or Beau would I could tell stories all day, but I willopen it from the inside and nod his head at end with this. In the summer of 1977, myunsuspecting pedestrians beside the road. My father Orrin Beattie and I bred Equinoxtrailer had an additional lock on the outside Sarah Mia to Royalton Ashbrook Darling.of the door because of Beau.The next spring when the resulting foal wasWhen Beau was in his mid 20s, a nice born, by father had passed away and I heldformer employee from years before called that little bay colt near to my heart as a finalto see if Beau would be available to pull a remembrance of everything Dad and I hadcarriage in her upcoming nuptials. She had accomplished together at East of Equinoxalways dreamed of Beau participating in Farm. I cried the day Beau died, but notthis milestone of her life because he was her out of sorrow. How can you be sad aboutfavorite horse. I quickly agreed to do this the great life that Beau enjoyed? He filledwith him without any thought to the fact every one of his 32 years with adventure. Hethat I had no appropriate harness or carriage. lived his life with dignity. Everyone lovedNo problem, I would borrow these items the charismatic old stallion with the greatfrom a guy south of town that did this sort big heart. He will be missed, but we alwaysof thing professionally. When the day of have the stories, and he lives on through histhe wedding arrived, the guy dropped off a countless offspring all around the world.Page 2