"Your Host"', Sire of "Kelso"

[terpsichorist]

A long time ago I read am article about the Sire of five time HOY Kelso (a thread of his own, later) and
I remembering tearing up.
He was born in 1947 and an injury in his early months left him with a a sort of twist in his neck. He also had
had one eye higher on his head than the other.
The news writers called him the freak, and he had several other unflattering nicknames. Poor thing.

What stayed with me most was the fact that despite many shortcomings , being runtyand awkward so they say and having gotten through.
illness he earned almost $400,000.00 and this was in the early 1950's.

The most emotional part of his story was his final race where it is said he may have clipped heels and he broke down he was in agony and his jockey put his head on him , sobbing . What a sad sight it must have been.
He was to be put down , but instead LLoyd's of London , the insurer purchased him , sent him to a farm where he was nursed
back to health , I believe it was a long haul and he never was fully sound , however what a wonderful legacy and
gift he gave to us in the champion Kelso.

My apology for not having all the names of the connections , but I will look them up tomorrow.

If anyone has any old photo's around of this tough little guy and would like to share , that would be great.
Of course to compare with his son would be super.

[arch]

Not my photo but there's a photo of Your Host for sale on E-bay....I remember the first time I saw this photo I thought he sure is a little fella compared to the other horses at the finish and then compared to the men in the winners circle....even his jockey looks big to me

I tried to put a link on here to go to but when I bookmarked the page the link didn't work...but if you go to Ebay and search for Vintage Your Host the photo will come up

[Native Diver]

This guy is one of my favorites from the past too. What a story. Here's a link to a good article about him;

http://en.allexperts.com/e/y/yo/your_host_(horse).htm

A Dr. John Walker nursed Your Host back to health after his breakdown (no small feat, especially in 1951, he had I believe 4 different fractures on his right). He later said that Your Host remained calm and never panicked during the long process, and he was bright, alert and willing throughout. For a while he was packed in sand to keep him immobile. It's a wonder he made it through that, but then he was a gritty tough guy.

A couple of pics I found

[Native Diver]

I wish I could find more photos. Years ago I read a thoroughbred book, it was a coffee table kind of book, and it had some amazing pics of Your Host in it. It was taken not long before he died, and from just looking at the pictures I got the impression that he had some serious arthritis, bless his heart. What a brave horse he was.

Some horseman said of Your Host, "You can breed conformation in them, but you can't breed heart and spirit." He was an excellent example of that quote.

[arch]

Great photos and web site Native Diver

On the Rancho San Antonio site they have a photo of Your Host....it's in a slide show fashion and there are a number of other nice photos of other famous horses

http://www.ranchosanantonio.com/pic_database/

[terpsichorist]

Thanks everyone . After work I will open the links as I will have more time, can't wait .What foresight everyone had back then.
What a movie that would make ending with the birth of Kelso and then the his sequel .

The original owner of your horse was the son of Metro Golden-Meyer dynasty , wonder how he felt after the horse was saved and eventually purchased by Mrs Dupont.

[Native Diver]

I know, terpsichorist, when you read YH's story from beginning to end, it really would make a great movie. From being bred by a movie mogul, to surviving that horrendous fall in his last race (it's a miracle he wasn't put down, I mean really), to siring the incomparable Kelso, it's always been an interesting tale to me. I've certainly seen movies made out of lesser stories, that for sure. :tongue:

Only thing, what horse on earth could play Your Host? LOL. What with his unique conformation and all. They would have to use digital special effects, I believe.

[Native Diver]

[quote author=arch link=topic=37481.msg813270#msg813270 date=1254150283]
Great photos and web site Native Diver

On the Rancho San Antonio site they have a photo of Your Host....it's in a slide show fashion and there are a number of other nice photos of other famous horses

http://www.ranchosanantonio.com/pic_database/
[/quote]

Thanks for that link! That's the best photo I've seen of him in a long time. It's great to see pics of the other horses too. You just can't find those every day.

[terpsichorist]

[quote author=Native Diver link=topic=37481.msg813436#msg813436 date=1254163204]
I know, terpsichorist, when you read YH's story from beginning to end, it really would make a great movie. From being bred by a movie mogul, to surviving that horrendous fall in his last race (it's a miracle he wasn't put down, I mean really), to siring the incomparable Kelso, it's always been an interesting tale to me. I've certainly seen movies made out of lesser stories, that for sure. :tongue:

Only thing, what horse on earth could play Your Host? LOL. What with his unique conformation and all. They would have to use digital special effects, I believe.
[/quote]
I hadn't thought of that they would need to do a world wide search for a match.
I wonder what his nickname in his barn was.

[terpsichorist]

[quote author=arch link=topic=37481.msg813270#msg813270 date=1254150283]
Great photos and web site Native Diver

On the Rancho San Antonio site they have a photo of Your Host....it's in a slide show fashion and there are a number of other nice photos of other famous horses

http://www.ranchosanantonio.com/pic_database/
[/quote]
Thank you Arch , his was the last slide and I enjoyed them all .

[flytothestars]

Seems like Darley Arabian had a white spot on his shoulder according to the recent link

[shortlead]

Wikipedia also has some nice stuff on Your Host. I believe it says that not only was his ear about an inch or so higher on one side than the other, but also the eye on that side.

He got so busted up in that last race of his...I love that they decided to save him and that he was a fabulous patient. Very good story all around.

[shortlead]

Oops, forgot the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Host_%28horse%29

[carbonite]

[quote author=flytothestars link=topic=37481.msg814660#msg814660 date=1254349710]
Seems like Darley Arabian had a white spot on his shoulder according to the recent link
[/quote]
That's a saddle mark. It was a convention in many 18c portraits to record the scarring from saddle sores.

[Blushing Groom]

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/search...=1256395988953

[terpsichorist]

Blushing Groomt thanks for the link . These are nice for Black and white photo's and a nice site I've never
been on.
Couldn't help notice in several photo's he has his weight of the the right foreleg , maybe just his stance.

[Blushing Groom]

[quote author=terpsichorist link=topic=37481.msg830009#msg830009 date=1256404555]
Blushing Groomt thanks for the link . These are mice for Black and white photo's and a nice site I've never
been on.
Couldn't help notice in several photo's he has his weight of the the right foreleg , maybe just his stance.
[/quote]

I accidentally found it and thought you might enjoy it :wink:

[jjacks1]

I've always loved Your Host and his story. Here's a wallpaper I made (not my photos) for my computer, thought I'd share. Looks better in the original 1530 x 1200 size but too big to post here.

[terpsichorist]

I love it.
LOL couldn't say those words about Your Host these days .

[jjacks1]

Yeah, too politically incorrect, I guess. But that's what they called him. And it's not a bad nickname either, really. He was a very courageous horse with a very strong will. You wouldn't see anyone racing or breeding a horse like him today either. Can you imagine the uproar if someone tried to race a horse like Your Host today? PETA would have a field day.
You probably can't see it, because I had to cut down the size of the paper so much, but I listed all his major wins on the right side under the small pics. And he had a bunch. His only claim to fame wasn't just Kelso, although that was a great accomplishment too.
I grew up on stories of those old, courageous horses, Your Host, Dark Secret, Black Gold. Stories that broke your heart and made it swell with admiration at the same time for the awesome spirit they showed. But things have changed so much these days that it's hard to reconcile those stories I grew up with what happens today - Barbaro, Eight Belles, George Washington. Is it just that times have changed? The stories are the same, basically, but the whole attitude is different. So it's hard to know how to put it all in perspective. Was it great spirit or great tragedy? Really it's a combination of both but sadly, you don't hear so much about what great heart and courage Eight Belles had, just what a sad waste it all was. And that's not the whole story, and really not fair to her.
And it's late and I'm babbling. Love this thread.