Farms and Fans

[ourmims]

Claiborne was awesome, I went with my Dad to see Blame and First Samurai and while my Dad was shown the stallions one of the grooms gave me a tour of the stallion complex/cemetery and gave me alot of information about the history of the farm and answered about a 1,000 questions.

Coolmore was not fan friendly at all, we went there to see Tale of the Cat and Dunkirk and they would not let us take photos and seemed pretty cold when it came to answering a couple of general questions about the farm. We did get to see Giant's Causeway and Munnings. Giant's Causeway is downright gorgeous. Munnings was being groomed when we saw him, my Dad's thinking of sending one of our mares to him next year depending on how his foals look.

Gainewasy was okay. We were there last year looking at Tapit and Corinthian, they were great and answered a bunch of questions about the farm and the stallions that my Dad asked but did not seem visitor friendly.

Calument was great, I was there about 3 years ago and the tour was really great, we got to see Alydar's grave and got as much time was we wanted in the cemetery.

My Dad bought a few mares at the sale and via private sale, he's looking at keeping the better ones in Kentucky in addition to keeping about half of our band in Pennsylvania, and is making inquiries to farms in KY about boarding our mares there. The mares are at another farm right now and my Dad's not happy with how not visitor friendly the farm is when it comes to owners visiting. We've got it narrowed down to a few visitor friendly farms.

[Slewfan2]

Some farms are close together, but there's a lot of distance between many of them. Just depends on where you're going. It takes roughly 20 minutes to get from Lane's End to Darley.

A.P. loves visitors. He acts all bored, but he gets off on the attention. He would definitely stand there for hours allowing people to admire him. Mineshaft is getting fat. It actually took a while for him. I noticed last month, though, that he's starting to look more like his dad.

I think Bernardini looks a lot like Quiet American. Many of the people at Darley do, too. He got some refinement from somewhere, because QA is pretty coarse, but he resembles him. QA is also very smart, so B. got smart from both sides.

I guess since I wouldn't have be driving in cities (I presume), I should be ok.

AP sounds like such a sweetie - just like Secretariat, who was a big ham. He obviously knows he's special, lol. Aww, Mineshaft. You know, if it's genetic, I don't think there's anying LE can do. I know they get killed for Indy, but it's like with people - you can't change body type. AP is 22 years old, so they're doing something right, and he appears to be in good health.

Bernardini looks (well he's much better looking) a lot like Quiet American; he's plain, but stunning. Apparently he got the best of his sire/dam/grandsires/granddams. The only thing left for him to do is prove that his offspring train on............and, then, go and live a nice long life and produce lots of those offspring.

[Catinca]

Slewfan, it's easy to drive between the farms. I used to live in Lexington, and knew exactly where almost all of the farms (even some I hadn't visited) were in relation to each other. However, it's been a long time since i lived there, and when I visited last November, I rented a car for a few days. While I did remember some of the farms' locations, there were quite few I didn't know, and it was generally pretty easy to find them. I recommend doing the driving yourself over taking one of the bus tours, because you can visit more farms that way, as well as see who you want to see.

[mariasmon]

Coolmore was not fan friendly at all, we went there to see Tale of the Cat and Dunkirk and they would not let us take photos and seemed pretty cold when it came to answering a couple of general questions about the farm.

You're a breeder and they were rude? And didn't let you take pics? Unbelievable.

[mariasmon]

I guess since I wouldn't have be driving in cities (I presume), I should be ok.

AP sounds like such a sweetie - just like Secretariat, who was a big ham. He obviously knows he's special, lol. Aww, Mineshaft. You know, if it's genetic, I don't think there's anying LE can do. I know they get killed for Indy, but it's like with people - you can't change body type. AP is 22 years old, so they're doing something right, and he appears to be in good health.

Bernardini looks (well he's much better looking) a lot like Quiet American; he's plain, but stunning. Apparently he got the best of his sire/dam/grandsires/granddams. The only thing left for him to do is prove that his offspring train on............and, then, go and live a nice long life and produce lots of those offspring.

You wouldn't be driving in the city. It's mostly pretty rural.

Saying AP knows he's special is an understatement. LOL. He's really pretty nice. Don't know if I'd use "kind" to describe him, but as far as stallions go, he's on the pussycat side. I'm wary of stallions, but I could handle him with no problem.

Mineshaft is still very good looking. He just has that gut going. He's taller than his dad, so maybe the weight distributes a little better

[ourmims]

You're a breeder and they were rude? And didn't let you take pics? Unbelievable.

My Dad is the breeder, I'm still learning from him more about pedigrees and such. I'm more knowledgeble about breeding hunter/jumpers or warmbloods then I am about breeding for racing. Trust me on this.

Yeah, they gave us photos but would not let us take photos using our cameras. It seemed like the guy who showed us the stallions was having a bad day so you never know but still...

[Slewfan2]

Slewfan, it's easy to drive between the farms. I used to live in Lexington, and knew exactly where almost all of the farms (even some I hadn't visited) were in relation to each other. However, it's been a long time since i lived there, and when I visited last November, I rented a car for a few days. While I did remember some of the farms' locations, there were quite few I didn't know, and it was generally pretty easy to find them. I recommend doing the driving yourself over taking one of the bus tours, because you can visit more farms that way, as well as see who you want to see.

Catinca, thanks! Oh I definitely don't want to do a bus tour......I really am seriously considering it. I don't want to put it off all the time and then one day find out that one of my favorites has died. I want to see them before it's too late. Is Spring/early summer a good time to go? I'm not sure I'll have time in the Fall.

[Slewfan2]

You wouldn't be driving in the city. It's mostly pretty rural.

Saying AP knows he's special is an understatement. LOL. He's really pretty nice. Don't know if I'd use "kind" to describe him, but as far as stallions go, he's on the pussycat side. I'm wary of stallions, but I could handle him with no problem.

Mineshaft is still very good looking. He just has that gut going. He's taller than his dad, so maybe the weight distributes a little better

That's driving I like - I'm sure it's beautiful down there. AP has had a silver spoon in his mouth since he was born - no wonder he thinks he's special, lol.

Thanks for all the help!

[Claim To Fame]

Habibti is still owned by Shadwell.

Yes idk what I was thinking. I meant Ashado! I was talking to a friend about Habibti recently and I got Shadwell and Darley mixed up. I have asked about Habibti and they are very closed on anyone seeing the mares. They were more than welcoming on their studs though.

[Claim To Fame]

My Dad is the breeder, I'm still learning from him more about pedigrees and such. I'm more knowledgeble about breeding hunter/jumpers or warmbloods then I am about breeding for racing. Trust me on this.

Yeah, they gave us photos but would not let us take photos using our cameras. It seemed like the guy who showed us the stallions was having a bad day so you never know but still...

Wow, that is unbelievable! I went there last year to inspect Dunkirk, Tale Of The Cat and Thewayyouare(sp?) and I took pics of the stallions and they didn't mind at all. I have heard if you have one of those fancy cameras they will say no, I have one of those point and shoot cameras so maybe that is why they were ok, but I've never had any problems with them, perhaps it was because I was a breeder? not sure or because I dont have a fancy camera

[Claim To Fame]

Claiborne was awesome, I went with my Dad to see Blame and First Samurai and while my Dad was shown the stallions one of the grooms gave me a tour of the stallion complex/cemetery and gave me alot of information about the history of the farm and answered about a 1,000 questions.

Coolmore was not fan friendly at all, we went there to see Tale of the Cat and Dunkirk and they would not let us take photos and seemed pretty cold when it came to answering a couple of general questions about the farm. We did get to see Giant's Causeway and Munnings. Giant's Causeway is downright gorgeous. Munnings was being groomed when we saw him, my Dad's thinking of sending one of our mares to him next year depending on how his foals look.

Gainewasy was okay. We were there last year looking at Tapit and Corinthian, they were great and answered a bunch of questions about the farm and the stallions that my Dad asked but did not seem visitor friendly.

Calument was great, I was there about 3 years ago and the tour was really great, we got to see Alydar's grave and got as much time was we wanted in the cemetery.

My Dad bought a few mares at the sale and via private sale, he's looking at keeping the better ones in Kentucky in addition to keeping about half of our band in Pennsylvania, and is making inquiries to farms in KY about boarding our mares there. The mares are at another farm right now and my Dad's not happy with how not visitor friendly the farm is when it comes to owners visiting. We've got it narrowed down to a few visitor friendly farms.

I would LOVE to visit Calumet Farms, no clue how to do that though. Heard they don't allow visitors anymore

[Purcocious]

Darby Dan is very friendly to visit. Of course, they also get business from us which I'm sure helps. Haven't met their new stallion manager, but everyone else was always more than happy to answer questions.

WinStar is pretty laid back. Even before I worked there when I visited they were very friendly. Kieran was even more than happy to let me love on Summerly, despite slightly interrupting turnout.

Wintergreen was pretty nice too. They weren't really helpful on bringing the stallions up, despite going there to look at Elite Squadron for breeding purposes but they were more than happy to let me go walk around.

The groom that showed us around Lane's End was very helpful and enjoyed talking about all the stallions and their personalities. A.P. definitely is a total attention hog, he'd follow the golf cart as far as he could and come running back to greet you when you came back. He knows he's the star for sure.

[Claim To Fame]

Darby Dan is very friendly to visit. Of course, they also get business from us which I'm sure helps. Haven't met their new stallion manager, but everyone else was always more than happy to answer questions.

WinStar is pretty laid back. Even before I worked there when I visited they were very friendly. Kieran was even more than happy to let me love on Summerly, despite slightly interrupting turnout.

Wintergreen was pretty nice too. They weren't really helpful on bringing the stallions up, despite going there to look at Elite Squadron for breeding purposes but they were more than happy to let me go walk around.

The groom that showed us around Lane's End was very helpful and enjoyed talking about all the stallions and their personalities. A.P. definitely is a total attention hog, he'd follow the golf cart as far as he could and come running back to greet you when you came back. He knows he's the star for sure.

I went to Wintergreen to look at Pollard's Vision and Elite Squadron and nobody was there to show me around there was one groom but he didn't know much about either of them. It was a Tuesday at 11am so not like it was after hours, needless to say we were not happy and did not breed to them nor will we think about them.

[ourmims]

Wow, that is unbelievable! I went there last year to inspect Dunkirk, Tale Of The Cat and Thewayyouare(sp?) and I took pics of the stallions and they didn't mind at all. I have heard if you have one of those fancy cameras they will say no, I have one of those point and shoot cameras so maybe that is why they were ok, but I've never had any problems with them, perhaps it was because I was a breeder? not sure or because I dont have a fancy camera

That makes sense, I was shooting with this:

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consum...cameras/eos_7d

So now I wish I would have just brought my point and shoot instead. Grrrrrr.....

What did you think of Dunkirk? My Dad thought he was a nice horse but my Dad won't breed to any UBS line stallions due to the soundness issues.

[Claim To Fame]

That makes sense, I was shooting with this:

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consum...cameras/eos_7d

So now I wish I would have just brought my point and shoot instead. Grrrrrr.....

What did you think of Dunkirk? My Dad thought he was a nice horse but my Dad won't breed to any UBS line stallions due to the soundness issues.

That's a nice camera! & yes Coolmore sees that and it's if you don't stop we will escort you off our property I've had good luck with my point and shoot, so it does what I need it to do...but would love one of those you have.

I really like Dunkirk but your dad and I are on the same page, I will not breed to an UBS line either but two of his sons I think could be ok, Rockport Harbor and Dunkirk could break that mold but just the same I would not be suprised if they turn out just like all the UBS sons.

We only have 3 mares so we can't really take a "chance" on anything like an UBS line. Just our preference on what we have, if we had 6 mares we could use 1 to play around with but maybe in a few years

[Catinca]

I really like the 7D. We have two of them here at work, and I use them all the time.

It's strange though, I know Coolmore isn't happy with cameras, but I was there in November and got away with using my 50D + 100-400 lens to shoot Grand Slam, Munnings and Giant's Causeway. Granted, the only two people in the barn were non-English speaking grooms, but it was still during their open house, so I'd think they would have known to tell me "No."

I'd also been to Coolmore back in something like 2003-2004, and cameras were fine then. But I know that policy has changed quite a bit since then.

[Claim To Fame]

I really like the 7D. We have two of them here at work, and I use them all the time.

It's strange though, I know Coolmore isn't happy with cameras, but I was there in November and got away with using my 50D + 100-400 lens to shoot Grand Slam, Munnings and Giant's Causeway. Granted, the only two people in the barn were non-English speaking grooms, but it was still during their open house, so I'd think they would have known to tell me "No."

I'd also been to Coolmore back in something like 2003-2004, and cameras were fine then. But I know that policy has changed quite a bit since then.

I understand why Coolmore isn't happy about those cameras and I can see their point. Always after finishing up with them they do kind of make you feel very little, maybe it's just how they came off on me but as a breeder I'm also not happy about dealing with them as far as contracts, deals etc...

[ourmims]

That's a nice camera! & yes Coolmore sees that and it's if you don't stop we will escort you off our property I've had good luck with my point and shoot, so it does what I need it to do...but would love one of those you have.

I really like Dunkirk but your dad and I are on the same page, I will not breed to an UBS line either but two of his sons I think could be ok, Rockport Harbor and Dunkirk could break that mold but just the same I would not be suprised if they turn out just like all the UBS sons.

We only have 3 mares so we can't really take a "chance" on anything like an UBS line. Just our preference on what we have, if we had 6 mares we could use 1 to play around with but maybe in a few years

It was a gift from my husband for our 2nd anniversary. I love it and it shoots great photos.

My Dad trys to breed for soundness, and will not under any circumstances breed to an UBS line horse. He's also tries to avoid inbreeding in the first 4 generations. I have a friend who pulls OTTB's off the track for retraining as hunter/jumpers or pleasure mounts and has had issues with UBS horses not being sound enough for anything other then the occasional hack through the woods.

[ourmims]

I really like the 7D. We have two of them here at work, and I use them all the time.

It's strange though, I know Coolmore isn't happy with cameras, but I was there in November and got away with using my 50D + 100-400 lens to shoot Grand Slam, Munnings and Giant's Causeway. Granted, the only two people in the barn were non-English speaking grooms, but it was still during their open house, so I'd think they would have known to tell me "No."

I'd also been to Coolmore back in something like 2003-2004, and cameras were fine then. But I know that policy has changed quite a bit since then.

I was using this camera at Claiborne and the groom who was giving me the tour was giving me tips, turns out he had the same one.

[Claim To Fame]

I was using this camera at Claiborne and the groom who was giving me the tour was giving me tips, turns out he had the same one.

This time when I go there, after I'm finished w/ looking at Flatter I will take pictures of the burial site, they are all near the office right?