Tag Archives: HVK NOBLE HEIRESS

HOW I MET MAMA TESS! The very first Horse and Man Podcast!


Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 | Filed under




Today is the day!

I have been getting ready to podcast for a few months now… and TODAY IS THE DAY!

For my first podcast, I decided to tell you the story of how I met Mama Tess.  Well, she was only 2, so she wasn’t a ‘mama’ yet…

Anyway, this story is about my impulsive trip to Kohler Morgan Horse Farm in Kohler, Wisconsin.

That was where I first saw her…

I’ve attached a few reference photos below the podcast bar, so you can see a few images to help picture the story.

I hope you enjoy this!!   AND, PLEASE LET ME KNOW if you have any comments or questions.

Thanks for coming along for a podcast!  (I have not included any music or effects because I know if I started that, I would never get the first one done!  So, I’m leaving it raw.)

So click on this MP3 file and listen to the story of my meeting Mama Tess!

PHOTOS OF NOBLE FLAIRE!

I forgot to mention in the podcast that Tommy brought Noble Flaire out for me!  Oh my Horsegods, that was a treat!  The stallion KNEW he was somebody.  Such elegance and presence… He had ‘it’.  Amazing.

4925NobleFlair1_93New Screen Shot 2016-03-02 at 7.44.26 PM NobleFlaire

 

AND OF COURSE, HIS DAUGHTER, HVK NOBLE HEIRESS (Mama Tess) in her show years…

This photo was her first year showing at the Grand Nationals. We qualified in hand, so we showed her in hand. We never, ever even thought she would place but she ended up 4th - which was awesome since we really had only planned on showing her in performance classes.

This photo was her first year showing at the Grand Nationals. We qualified in hand, so we showed her in hand. We never, ever even thought she would place but she ended up 4th – which was awesome since we really had only planned on showing her in performance classes.

Tess-nationals2

This is Mama Tess when she won her Grand Nationals Park Harness Mares and Geldings Championship. She was an amazing show horse but an even better mare. I so loved her. She was the best girl for me.  24 years we had together…

Here is a piece on Noble Flaire…  Originally posted here.

The Passing of a Legend . . . Noble Flaire
Monday, August 14, 2006
 

by Diana Davidson

The passing of Noble Flaire on July 28, 2006, saddened the Morgan industry and the show horse world. Perhaps once in every century there is a horse that revolutionizes its breed. While the breed was founded in 1789 by the stallion that went on to be known as Justin Morgan, there have been few other horses to have such an impact onAmerica’s First breed. Noble Flaire certainly will go down in history as a horse of this magnitude.

Just as Justin Morgan’s good looks, conformation, heart and athletic ability set him ahead of his contemporaries, so too did those of Noble Flaire. From our earliest memories of him making his now famous park harness debut in Northampton with people literally running to watch him show and following him down the track after the class, the legend began. The explosive power and awe-inspiring athleticism that Noble Flaire possessed did indeed set him ahead of his contemporaries.

Noble Flaire radiated the aura of greatness from the very beginning. Foaled on January 28, 1984, at the famed Whitney Stables in Cox’s Creek,Kentucky, the bay stallion by Noble Command and out of Lost River Sanfield was registered by Judy Whitney as Noble Flaire. It was only fitting that the horse with seemingly preordained greatness carry such a name.

Bob and Judy Whitney saw the potential of this colt from early on. True to his nature, Bob Whitney phoned Tom Caisse to come take a look. And the rest, as they say, is history. On September 10, 1984, Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. became the owner of Noble Flaire.

The partnership of Noble Flaire, Mr. Kohler, and Tom Caisse would be well chronicled over the next nearly 22 years. They have indeed proven that it takes courage to experience greatness. The loss of Noble Flaire ends an era at Kohler Stables where the two names have become synonymous. “I feel privileged to have been the person who directed this horse’s great career and have lost a special friend,” Tom Caisse related following the passing of Noble Flaire.

Beginning with the foundation stallion Vigilmarch, Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. and Kohler Stables embarked with a vision for their breeding program. The purchase of Noble Flaire was the next step. The show ring performances of Noble Flaire are indeed legendary. His every performance was highly anticipated by the Morgan show world, and they were never disappointed. His five trips to the Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show produced a total of eight World Championships. His final show ring performance came in 1991 when he wore the roses as the Park Harness World Grand Champion for the third time after also earning the World Champion Stallion title days earlier for the second time.

It seems hard to believe that Noble Flaire’s final show ring performance was 15 years ago, and that many present-day Morgan enthusiasts never had the opportunity to see him show in person. While Noble Flaire days in the show ring may have been done, his place in the show ring was well preserved. Just as he set the standard and raised the bar, his get have paved an even greater legacy for Noble Flaire.

The first foal sired by Noble Flaire was certainly a clear indication of the mark he would make in the breeding shed. The only foal sired in 1987 by Noble Flaire would go on to earn star status in his own right as the celebrated World Champion HVK Courageous Flaire (out of Val’s Christy). The ensuing foal crops in the 1980s would also produce show ring stars and World Champions including HVK Forte (out of Windy Hill Colleen), HVK Make Em Cry (out of HVK Cimarron), HVK Noble Wine (out of HVK Maywine), Issues N Answers (out of B-L Superfection), Marin Affaire (out of Sky Ridge Lil Sister), and Nostradamus (out of Beam’s Victoria).

The promising beginning of Noble Flaire’s breeding career was catapulted to new heights in the 1990s through the Kohler Stables band of stellar broodmares and a few select outside mares. The names HVK Noble Obsession, HVK Noble Heiress, HVK Take The Roses, HVK Noble Wind, HVK Tiz Flaire, HVK Flaire Rose, HVK Grand Entrance, HVK Trafalgar, HVK Stueben, HVK Heartbeat, HVK Man About Town, HVK Winter Rose, HVK Pavarotti, HVK Primary Light, HVK Noble Flame, HVK March Flaire, HVK Crystal Bay, HVK Classic Design, HVK Flash Back, HVK Man Of Distinction, All Flaire’d Up, Relentless Flaire, Carlyle Upper Caisse, Grandiose, Flaire For Music, Favorite Son, and Three Wishes are but a few of the show ring winners from coast to coast sired by Noble Flaire.

The 1990s would also produce a trio of stallions who would proudly carry on their sire’s legacy as Park Harness World Grand Champion. HVK Bell Flaire (1994, 1997, 1999), Queens Vanity Flair (1995 and 1996) and HVK Vibrance (2001 and 2002) carried the torch. In 2002 HVK Bell Flaire (out of HVK Belleek) also became the first Morgan to earn the Triple Crown as he added the Park Saddle World Grand Championship to his trio of Park Harness World Grand Championships and the 1994 World Champion Stallion title.

The genetic strength of Noble Flaire has been passed on from him to his sons and daughters who have in turn done the same. The influence of Noble Flaire in the show ring and the gene pool of the Morgan breed are assured in perpetuity. The legend of Noble Flaire lives on.




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For Mother’s Day, I’d like to tell you about Mama Tess…






As many of you know, my 23 year-old wonderful (my opinion…) mare, Tess, has been suffering laminitis for a few weeks now.

I’ve been speaking about the protocol we are using to help her, here.

Anyway, I’m very proud of MamaTess.  She is a ‘been there, done that’ kind of mare who trusts me so much – it makes me feel honored.

You see, Tess was my first show horse.  I made a sudden decision to visit Kohler Farms (yes, the sink people) when I was on a business trip 20 years ago…

Tess showing in-hand at Nationals long ago... Her trainer was Forest Nealon from Illahee.

Tess showing in-hand at Nationals long ago… Her trainer was Forest Nealon from Illahee.

THE STORY

Long ago, one of the most famous Morgan horse sires was Noble Flaire.  He was owned by the Kohlers.

Noble Flaire won everything – or just about everything – in the Park and In-Hand divisions.

He was like a God of horses in the Morgan world.

Now, the Kohlers were smart business people, obviously, so they decided to keep his breedings close to their chests… they only bred him to their mares.

The only way you could get a foal was to buy one of theirs.

Smart marketing.

Of course, this hard-to-get aspect kept all of us on the outside wanting a foal from him.

I was one of those who wanted a Kohler foal.  I was so into genetics and trying to figure which crosses would be so great with Noble Flaire… but the only way to cross to him was to buy what they had paired with him already.

Hmmmm.  How could I do this?  How could I create babies with his superior skills (I hoped)?

Tess at Nationals.  She won.  Many of you wonder if that knee action is natural and I will show you in the next photo... Yes, it is.  She trots over level barefooted when she is showing off.  Her sire was Noble Flaire.

Tess at Nationals. She won. Many of you wonder if that knee action is natural and I will show you in the next photo… Yes, it is. She trots over level barefooted when she is showing off. Her sire was Noble Flaire.

I LANDED AT KOHLER FARMS

Well, as fate would have it…I had a layover in Chicago and decided to rent a car and drive up to Kohler, Wisconsin (where their farm was so large, they made a town of it…).

I called their trainer, Tom Caisse, and said I wanted to look over his stock and could I visit?

He actually picked up the phone and said, “Sure!”

I couldn’t believe he was going to open the doors to me… it was well known that the Kohlers didn’t need any buyers or any business; their farm was for their family to enjoy.

What I didn’t know at the time was that Tom Caisse had decided to get out of the breeding business.

I didn’t know this…

…when I got there, he was ready to deal.

This is Tess with 2 week old Ava (Unfaithful).  As you can see, her filly Ava has the over level knee action from birth.  It is genetic.

This is Tess with 2 week old Ava (Unfaithful). As you can see, her filly Ava has the over level knee and  hock action from birth. It is genetic.

THE TOUR

First of all, I arrived in February, the absolute slowest time for any horse business, as we all know… So, I had that going for me…

But my total ‘awe and star struckness’ was big!  I had never seen a private facility like this (understatement).

It was huge, clean, pristine, state-of-the-art and all the horses ALL OF THEM, were perfectly turned out.  IN WINTER!!!

I don’t think I can adequately describe what it was like touring the personal training facility of the Kohler family.

Let me just say, it was a beautiful experience (understatement).

You should have seen the fixtures in their barn bathrooms!!!

And, what really made me laugh was that there were boxes of faucets and fixtures and tubs, etc, stored in the barns.  I had to laugh.  Even these people stashed stuff in their unused spaces…

Anyway, Tommy showed me all of Flaire’s yearling and weanling (which was amazing), but I didn’t find the one.

That’s when I saw her.

This is me with Tess just after she gave birth to Ava (Unfaithful).

This is me with Tess just after she gave birth to Ava (Unfaithful).

This is little Ava (Unfaithful) as a tiny filly.

This is little Ava (Unfaithful) as a tiny filly.

 

She was coming 2.

Her name was HVK (Herbert V Kohler) Picnic.

Hmmmmmm.  I’d have to change the name…but she was definitely THE ONE.  In her paddock, she was trotting over level and had such presence that I gasped.

She was out of the famous mare, Maywine.

I loved her immediately – and a deal was struck.  A deal that I’m sure Tom Caisse wouldn’t have made if he thought he was going to continue breeding/training…

…which he did.

But on that day, I hit it right and she was sold to me.

Yes!

ava4

Ava (Unfaithful) winning at the Worlds.  Same knee/hock action she had as a tiny filly.

TESS’ CAREER

I changed her name to HVK Noble Heiress with the barn name of Tess.

No one had ever seen a Kohler mare on the west coast.  She was the first.  And, as hot and talented horses suffer often – there were no trainers out here who could deal with her.

Except one.

Illahee.  Forest Nealon.  He was young and willing to work really hard to understand her.

And they won together.

And won and won and won…

So we took her to Nationals, and she won again.  SHE WON!

This is Tess' first filly, Gwen.  I raised and trained Gwen myself.  She still lives here with me and I write about her often.  She is a prankster!

This is Tess’ first filly, Gwen.  Ulendon is her Great-grand sire.  Orcland Bold Fox is her Grand sire.  General Crook is her sire.  (I am very proud of her lineage…) I raised and trained Gwen myself. She still lives here with me and I write about her often. She is a prankster!

This is Gwen all tacked up on a special ride we did to help the CA State Parks.

This is Gwen all tacked up on a special ride we did to help the CA State Parks.

 

MY PROMISE

I told her that if she won at the World Championships, I would retire her.

She won … so I retired her.

Silly me.

I often think about what I would have done with the incredible purchase offers that were thrown my way after her victories in 1997.

But, I didn’t take them.  I let her retire.

The flip side of not selling her was that I was able to experience babies – 6 of them!  Babies are my favorite!

This is Ava again... She won everything for her new owner.

This is Ava again… She won everything for her new owner.

THE BABIES

She became ‘Mama Tess’ because she loved being a mother.

Tess pampered and spoiled all of her get – which was a problem because she was lead mare…

So, her babies were not well behaved and could taunt all the other horses without impunity.

Again, not good.

But, gawd her babies were all beautiful and mostly talented.  Tess fulfilled my secret geneticist dream of creating Kohler crossed babies.

So, on this Mother’s Day, I’m going to show you a few of her babies in tribute to her contribution to Damdom.

She has had 6 babies.   One was sold before it was born and the other sold shortly thereafter.  The photos above and below are the 4 babies that I raised (Gwen, Ava, Razzo and Wrigley)  plus one grandfilly!

This is Bellorazzo when he was still living here.  I call him Razzo.  He was very full of himself...

This is Bellorazzo when he was still living here. I call him Razzo. He was very full of himself…

He is also a Champion - those genes pass through well!

He is also a Champion – those genes pass through well!

Razzo rides, too!  He is the biggest of Tess' babies.

Razzo rides, too! He is the biggest of Tess’ babies.

Yup. This is Wrigley as a baby... he hasn't changed much!  ;)

Yup. This is Wrigley as a baby… he hasn’t changed much! ;)  Wrig is the last of Tess’ foals.  He lives here with me.

 

This is Wrigley... he is the baby and lives here.

This is Wrigley… he is full of himself, too.

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

He is very talented but very hot… and in training with a vary calm, lovely trainer.

AND THE GRANDFILLY…

And this is the lovely CBMF Cheating Heart.  She is the filly of Ava (Unfaithful)

And this is the lovely CBMF Cheating Heart. She is the filly of Ava (Unfaithful) by Street Talk.  Looks just like her Granddam, doesn’t she?…

 ALL THIS JOY MAMA TESS HAS BROUGHT TO ME…

Which is why I will do anything to make her better.

 

The Grand Dam herself... eating her medicine and recovering in the barn - I will do anythng for her - she has given her entire life to me.

The Grand Dam herself… eating her medicine and recovering in the barn – I will do anythng for her – she has given her entire life to me.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!

 

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

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Storm went from wild mare,  unhandled mare to sweet mare... But she needs lifesaving wither surgery... click image to read her story!

Storm went from wild mare, unhandled mare to sweet mare… But she needs lifesaving wither surgery… click image to read her story!

 




HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth... if you like this, please pass it around!