Meet the Mares
December 31 2020
Do you have room for 6 Morgan mares? That was the message left on my phone the week before Christmas. 6 Black Morgan mares – Whippoorwill and Caduceus Lines – all were registered – 2 had never had a halter on, the other 4 had not been handled in years. The owner had suffered a medical emergency that would render her unable to care for these mares and a relative was trying to find the best possible place for them to be safe and well taken care of. How could we say no? As the days passed and the magnitude of what we were taking on started to hit – It was slightly overwhelming. The logistics of moving 6 mares that had limited handling from a place they had lived most of their lives as a herd – leaving anyone alone would be clear disaster for them escaping the broken down fencing, dividing them from the herd and loading them on a trailer….having anyone trailer alone – it was all going to take a team. I took a huge sigh of relief when a very knowledgeable neighbor decided to take the youngest 2 – the 2 that had never had a halter. Ron Johnson agreed to make room for the middle 2 for a month of training (time enough to let us figure out our next step) and the oldest 2 would come home to us. So we know where there were going, now comes the how. It was hard to tell them apart. This one has a star, that one has double cowlick, that one has their mane on the right, the other on the left…. It was literally a game of elimination. It struck me as we were standing among these 6 mares; mares who hadn’t been groomed in years, their manes and tails were stiff with burdocks, who hadn’t seen a farrier or vet, who hadn’t even had halters on for years (if ever), these mares who had lived side by side, relying on each other for survival, who had braved the elements and not only survived but thrived, because of each other and their genetics. Was what we were about to do, tear their family apart, the best thing for them? It was and I know we needed to do what we did but I also feel empathy and sorry for what they lost. They lost their sisters, their aunts, their leader, their mother, their daughter, their granddaughter. These 6 mares were at the mercy of our decision making and it was not lost on me the responsibility that we assumed for their wellbeing. It was necessary to move them, it was not possible to move them together, we did the best we could and will continue to do what we feel is best for these mares. Like all families, theirs changed that day. In the wild, herds are continuously evolving, young stallions chased off, mares stolen by other stallions, the circle of life and death and survival requires us to change with what is handed to us. These mares were handed a new life that day and we will do our best to make sure that life is the very best it can be from her on. So back to the logistics of moving them. We decided to bring Rons to him first. That way he could help with separating those 2 from the herd of 6, leaving fewer for us to separate later. Alcy and Mae were herded away from the others and corralled into a small pen. From there, they were easily scooted onto the trailer. Whippoorwill Alcyone, born April 27, 2007 had arrived at ST Albans on November 2011. She had grown up at McCulloch Farm, where she had been born to Whippoorwill Ariel and Daddy Talisman. She spent her younger years frolicking around the fields of McCulloch farm without a care in the world. She had some training as a youngster but once at St Albans, she was seldom handled. Alcy was the low man in the herd. She has two small disconnected stars, brown eyes and a cowlick slightly to the left above eye level. Ron describes Alcy as a sweet girl, always looking for attention. Our hope is Ron will be able to reestablish any early training and give Alcy the foundation to become the horse she was bred to be. Since these mares came into our lives, I have learned so much about the Whippoorwill line, the versitality and incredible potential they all possess. We hope Alcy can one day become someones partner, someones number 1, the reason for that one person to go to the barn every day. Whippoorwill Alcyone will rise to her potential and bring happiness to someone who is willing to put the time into her that she deserves. Patura’s Ebony May will be Alcys partner for the next month. May was born on May 3, 2005 at the St Albans farm. Her mother, Ulie, was pregnant by Statesman Silhouette when she arrived at the farm and she had never left the field she was born in. May has a star, black eyes, median cowlick slightly above eye lever and another to the right of eye level. May left behind her mother and her daughter that she had while at the farm. It was a bit of a harder transition for her but Ron is patient and she is quickly adjusting to her new routine. May doesn’t have the Whippoorwill breeding but she has Caduceus breeding, just as magnificent and just as versatile. Like Alcy, our hopes are that May will begin her training and get the foundation she needs to leap into her new life with the grace, confidence and beauty of the strong line of ancestors she has standing behind her and supporting her for all the world to admire. Mae will succeed and she will not only bring happiness to that special someone but will bring happiness to everyone that meets her. After following Ron back to his place, dropping off Alcy and May and seeing them settle in just a bit, it was time to return to St Albans and get the others. The plan had been for the 2 youngest to go while we were gone but Ulie had other plans. She would not let them separate her from her granddaughter and the remaining 4 were starting to catch on that their lives were about to change. It took what seemed to be hours but in reality was only about 45 minutes. Ulie and Lark were a bit more aware about what was happening and separating them from the younger two proved a battle of patience and avoidance of 1000+ pound shoulders bumping past you. Once they were separated and corralled into a small pen, they knew they had no choice and they walked on the trailer. I wish I could have told them the others were going to be ok but once loaded we moved fast. A moving trailer is much more distracting then an idle one and once we got on our way they trailered the 2 hours back to Brooksville like the experienced travelers they once were. After we left, we checked in with the younger 2 and they loaded quietly once they were the only ones left. First off the trailer was Caduceus Ulricka. Ulie was born on May 3, 2000 to her Mama Exira and Daddy Falcon. Ulie is a black chestnut with no white markings, black eyes and a cowlick to the left above eye level. She was pregnant when she arrived from Evonly Equestrian Center in PA 15 years ago. Soon after arriving she gave birth to Paturas Ebony May (who went to Rons). She spent the next 15 years, longer then anyone else, in St Albans. Ulricka was the alpha mare, she took care of her mares, keeping them safe and leading them through some very tough times. Ulie is in amazing shape but is having a bit of a hard time settling since we took her herd away. She will eventually realize she is ok but I so wish I could tell her her girls are safe too. Ulie’s eyes have a depth to them, she has so much to say and we cant wait for her to feel safe enough to tell us her story. Last off the trailer was Whippoorwill Prairie Lark. Lark was born May 1, 1997. A dark dun with a star, brown eyes and a medium cowlick at eye level, Lark was the oldest mare in the herd and the mare that has the most history. She arrived in November of 2011 with Alcy. After posting about the mares on our face book page, we were inundated with comments and remarks about Lark. I have gotten calls from folks that have known Lark her whole life, having grown up in Old Lyme Connecticut at McCulloch farm, Lark was born at the farm and spent many years living among her family in the fields and pastures of McCulloch. She had 9 babies from 2009 – 2011. The people who knew her in her youth tell stories of riding Lark and watching her raise her babies. It sounds like a wonderful life she had as a young mother with all the love and care she needed. At 23, almost 24, Lark is tired now. Her 10 years at St Albans were not always easy. Gone is the carefree mother with the foal trotting beside her, now she looks for the soft hand that will simply pat her and talk to her as she eats her hay. Her eyes are tired but my heart is warm with the knowledge of how many people still love Lark, she is a lucky girl to be cared for and watched over by so many people that have her best interest at heart. Our hope for her is to find a home that will love Lark for her, not just for the baby she could carry, but for her – She has spent her life giving, although it seems to have been a wonderful life, her time for giving is gone and now she deserves to receive. We believe Lark would love to live the rest of her life being pampered, brushed, loved on and taken on in hand adventures wherever they may lead - I think Lark could easily be ridden with a bit of refresher training and patience - her days of hard work are over but she has years of fun adventures in her future. A bit of an update : The mares are starting to show their personalities and all i can say is Wow! they are so much fun! We hope someone will take Ulie and give her a bit of training to enjoy the trails - maybe even a mother daughter team that could enjoy Ulie and Lark together :) These 2 are quiet the pair - sugar and spice :) Age is but a number and these 2 have no idea how old they are - with very little riding under their girths their bodies are healthy and sound. May and Alcey are doing great at the trainers, they may stay for another month - Ron Johnson is taking his time with them since they are older and need a bit more patience but the wait will be well worth it in the end when they come back as well adjusted girls waiting for their forever homes. |
December 31 2021
Its New Years Eve, one year since our rescue answered the call "can you take in 6 Morgan mares?" 6 Morgan mares living in a field in St. Albans Maine, untouched for years by a human hand. It boggles my mind how much, in 365 days, the lives of these 6 mares have changed and how they have changed the lives of those that love them. Each on has taken a different path: The two youngest Pana Mae (Ulies granddaughter) and Raven went to Gail McCormack. They spent the winter learning what the touch of a human was with Cindy Levick. In the spring Pana Mae went to Infinity Farm and began training with Sydney Marden and has a bright future with the Infinity Family. Cindy continued to work with Raven, claiming her as her own, she is now at Puckerbrush Farm, continuing to learn new things every day and experiencing all she missed in her first decade. The middle two who went directly to Ron Johnson for training are living the lives they were meant to live. May and her Mama Sarah Gardella have had a busy summer, continuing training and playing and loving each other. Mae went to Unexpected Farm this early winter and learned a few new things with Chelsea Canady. Home now with Sarah,,this pair will be fun to watch as they grow their bond and do great things. Whippoorwill Alcyone and Kimberly Arey McGinty have covered many miles this past year on the trails. Bred for versitality, Alcy is the posterchild for the Whippoorwill bloodlines. Exactly where she was meant to be, Alcy and Kimberly will circle the world before they are finished
The last two, Cadaceaus Ulricka and Whippoorwill Prairie Lark, came here, to the BRER barn and joined our herd. Unlike the others, Ulie and Lark had had some contact with people. In fact, Lark had left behind an entire farm full of family, both horse and human, when she arrived at St Albens. Ulie had never felt what it meant to belong to a human family. Although well taken care of before she arrived at St. Albens, Ulie was a brood mare and was basically looked at as a commodity, a vessel of productivity for human gain. Once she landed at the St Albans farm, she became the matriarch, the leader, the independent survivor who would lead her mares through freezing winters and blistering summers, finding burdocks and moss to eat and huddling together on the outer walls of a barn against cold winter north winds. These two mares could have both gone to training, learned a new job and went on to serve people for the remainder of their lives and perhaps they would have been happy, perhaps Lark would have been happy but Ulie I question. Her reason for living, her job, her identity for years was to lead her mares to survival. Unlike the younger four, Ulie and Lark had already given all they had to people. Lark had given 11 babies, Ulie had given her youth. Now well into their 20s, these two mares thoroughly enjoy a good belly scratch, a treat hinding in a pocket, they both enjoy people however, they love eachother. Their souls are connected by years of shared experiences, the need for relying on each other for survival, they trust each other with their lives. Ulie and Lark will stay together for ever, because unlike the other 4, they do not really need us, they were living fine on in their herd with out the intrusion of human hands. They could not stay there, in that field with their herd. Life had to change for them, but their lives do not need to change into what we, as humans feel they should be. Their lives will and have changed but only in location – their sense of herd life, their family, their lives will continue to be horse lives, as unchanged by humans as we possibly can allow. Everyone here at BRER works with, plays with, interacts with, these 2 mares, but we also know, they are allowing us into their world.
6 Black Morgan Mares, full of burdocks and untouched for over a decade.
The last two, Cadaceaus Ulricka and Whippoorwill Prairie Lark, came here, to the BRER barn and joined our herd. Unlike the others, Ulie and Lark had had some contact with people. In fact, Lark had left behind an entire farm full of family, both horse and human, when she arrived at St Albens. Ulie had never felt what it meant to belong to a human family. Although well taken care of before she arrived at St. Albens, Ulie was a brood mare and was basically looked at as a commodity, a vessel of productivity for human gain. Once she landed at the St Albans farm, she became the matriarch, the leader, the independent survivor who would lead her mares through freezing winters and blistering summers, finding burdocks and moss to eat and huddling together on the outer walls of a barn against cold winter north winds. These two mares could have both gone to training, learned a new job and went on to serve people for the remainder of their lives and perhaps they would have been happy, perhaps Lark would have been happy but Ulie I question. Her reason for living, her job, her identity for years was to lead her mares to survival. Unlike the younger four, Ulie and Lark had already given all they had to people. Lark had given 11 babies, Ulie had given her youth. Now well into their 20s, these two mares thoroughly enjoy a good belly scratch, a treat hinding in a pocket, they both enjoy people however, they love eachother. Their souls are connected by years of shared experiences, the need for relying on each other for survival, they trust each other with their lives. Ulie and Lark will stay together for ever, because unlike the other 4, they do not really need us, they were living fine on in their herd with out the intrusion of human hands. They could not stay there, in that field with their herd. Life had to change for them, but their lives do not need to change into what we, as humans feel they should be. Their lives will and have changed but only in location – their sense of herd life, their family, their lives will continue to be horse lives, as unchanged by humans as we possibly can allow. Everyone here at BRER works with, plays with, interacts with, these 2 mares, but we also know, they are allowing us into their world.
6 Black Morgan Mares, full of burdocks and untouched for over a decade.