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Jane
Hamlin riding |
2009
LBF
Cimmeron Ladd
(Slate Run RK Ladd x Treasure
Brightsun)
Owned by Stella
Pence of Portsmouth, NH
It is with great excitement that I announce the sale of LBF
Cimmeron Ladd to Stella Pence of Portsmouth, NH.
Laddie as we call him was started in harness as a two year
old by Bruce Brink of Danville, Vermont and then was trained
under saddle as a three year old by Gene Limlaw of Weathersfield
Vermont. Gene spent a a lot of time riding Laddie in the Vermont
hills.
Due to no fault of Laddie he developed a terrible abscess
on his entire neck and chest after being shipped off to a
trainer as a four year old. He arrived choking after a 32
hour trailer ride (which should have taken 12 hours) with
a commercial shipper who had tied him too tight in the trailer.
Wether he developed the abscess from the choke or the banamine
will never be determined. It took a year for this lovely gelding
to heal and be able to go back to work.
This
spring I sent him to Jane Hamlin, a well known event rider
who rides and trains out of Pirouette farm in Norwich, Vermont.
Stella
had come to see Laddie before he went to Jane and liked what
she saw. After Laddie and Jane had worked for a couple of
weeks Stella went and rode him and it was LOVE.
Congratulations Stella and I hope you have a great time with
this fabulous boy in the dressage ring and on the trails.
"Hello
Polly -
Well,
beautiful LBF Cimmeron Ladd is happily settled in his new
home at 4.0 Farm in Stratham, NH and I am in heaven!! I knew
when I came into your barn in the dead of Winter and saw his
cheerful, inquisitive little face peering out at me the from
the X-ties that it was love at first sight. But prudent buyer
as I am, I forced myself to wait until he was once again under
saddle in the capable hands of Jane Hamlin. In June, two rides
on him at the end of a longe line at the walk and trot cemented
the deal - he was mine!
Happily
my schedule enabled me to leave him in Jane's care until September.
I rode him twice a week thoughout the Summer under Jane's
watchful eyes, and green though he is, he never put a foot
down wrong. Laddie, aside from being beautiful, kind, and
incredibly social to both man and beast, is a very serious
young man and he takes his work to heart. I may confuse him,
I may ask something that is hard for him, but he never says
"NO". Sometimes he says "This is hard"
or "Wait, wait, I'm just getting it". But I think
that's fair.
So
Laddie and I are enjoying the Fall weather - we are hacking
as much as possible, as the Winter will soon relegate us to
the indoor arena. He is fabulous on the trail - bright and
cheerful but very sensible - a perfect companion. With the
help of Beth Adams we continue to develop our work on the
flat - now we can pick up both leads correctly and he is very
proud of that! ( So am I!) I haven't jumped since I gave up
my eventing career five years ago - but I feel those little
vibes and I think Laddie and I will soon be popping over X-rails
- a good way to dispel Winter's boredom.
Thank
you, Polly, for raising this very special horse. I knew when
I came to you that I would see horses that had been raised
not only with good horsemanship, but with love and understanding.
Laddie is a perfect reflection of your good stewardship -
as his human, I hope I can live up to his expectation of me!"
Fondly,
Stella and Laddie
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All photos with Jane Hamlin riding |
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2008
LBF Chivas Regal
(H-Ken x Treasure Brightsun)
Owned
by Jebb Cuthbert
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Jebb
& Regal taking a jumping lesson April 2009 |
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"I
bought LBF Chivas Regal from Polly Smith in November 2008,
and couldn’t be happier with this 9y/o gelding. Having
mostly raised
my own Morgans, the search for a new hunting/ endurance Morgan
was quite an experience. I met many wonderful Morgan horses
and Morgan breeders up and down the East Coast. Polly invited
me to come stay with her overnight to help make the logistics
of my trip more efficient. The time spent at Little Brook
Farm confirmed my first impression of an honest and knowledgeable
Morgan breeder."
"On paper, Regal was not my first choice—he was
older, greener and bigger than I thought I wanted. However,
from the minute he put his beautiful head in the crook of
my arm I was in love. Once on his back I was struck by his
strength and bold, forward way of going—traits I was
looking for. Ears pricked, Regal carried me down the Vermont
roads looking at everything yet always responsive to my seat,
legs, hands and voice. By the end of the ride, Regal was at
the top of my list. By the time my trip was complete, he was
still at the top of my list. Polly was great; she knew I wanted
a horse that would successfully carry me both in the hunt
field and over the many miles of long distance (CTR and Endurance)
rides. We were both confident that Regal would be a great
distance horse, but he hadn’t been schooled over jumps
nor been out with hounds, so that was an unknown. Instead
of telling me to take my chances, Polly took Regal to her
trainer for some initial jumping lessons and sent me video
footage of the sessions."
"I brought Regal home over Thanksgiving and began riding
him on our home trails. I was pleasantly surprised to find
he was already an expert at opening and closing gates. I couldn’t
resist and jumped him over some small coops which he took
so willingly and smoothly, and barely a month later took him
on his first foxhunt on a cold, blustery day. He loaded,
trailered over and unloaded quietly and took in the scene
with interest, yet confidence as you can see in the accompanying
photo. Nobody could believe it was his first hunt, and I came
home grinning ear to ear. Bad weather set in, and I’ve
only ridden him a few times since that day, but today I took
him foxhunting for the second time. This time we went first
flight (but no jumping due to frozen ground) on another cold,
blustery day. While others talked about studs, Regal was barefoot.
And again, he never took a wrong step. The hounds struck within
minutes of leaving the trailers and we had a long run. Regal
loved it!!! He watched the action, but never lost his cool.
Running, trotting, walking or standing at checks, he was always
well under control. He stood quietly while the fox and a handful
of hounds practically ran under our nose. At the end of the
day he was still full of energy making me wonder what he’s
going to be like when he’s actually at peak fitness!
Look out Arab endurance horses…
Tomorrow we go for our first jumping lesson. I can hardly
wait…"
~Jebb
Cuthbert
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2007
LBF Rhett Butler
(All Things Considered x H-Scarlet)
Owned by Jennifer Weske-Monroe, Melissa, TX
" I'd recommend Polly to anyone looking for a good
using Morgan horse from someone you can trust to tell you
exactly what you need to know. We got LBF Rhett Butler from
Polly and he arrived a better horse than we even thought we
were getting. I found Polly perfectly frank about the horse
and she practically insisted to send a same week current video
of him. Rhett is just gorgeous and you know if you are getting
an intact colt from Polly that he is correct with a good mind
and manners. Thanks Polly, as always, it has been a pleasure
to work with you."
~ Jennifer Weske-Monroe, MEMC Morgans
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2006
LBF April Delight's
(Statesmans Silhouette x Treasure Brightsun)
"When we began our horse search we had some pretty
specific criteria in mind. Piper is 11 and I have been riding
for less than three years. We needed a horse that was old
enough to know better, but young enough to grow with us. The
horse also needed to be experienced at eventing, our chosen
discipline, but willing to go back to the beginning with two
less accomplished riders. Finally, it was very important that
whatever horse we chose was happy with their job so it would
be fun for all of us. This seemed like a pretty tall order
so we began our search in January hoping to find a horse by
spring."
"Would you believe April was
the first horse went to see? We are still stunned at our luck.
She met every one of our criteria with ease. April is sweet,
alert, curious, affectionate, and smart. The vet said she was
incredibly solid and the perfect choice for a first horse. Her
canter is easily the most comfortable I’ve ever sat and
my trainer says you could set a metronome to her trot. Her ability
to gage her rider is simply amazing and I am thrilled every
time I see the way she takes care of my daughter. April seems
to be up for just about anything. She is an incredible jumper
and approaches every fence with such enthusiasm we use them
for a reward after flat work. This is a girl who loves her work.
Thank you Polly for breeding such an exceptional horse and
Erin for all of the love and hard work you gave her. We are
thoroughly in love and feel so privileged to have her as part
of our family."
~Lisa, Piper, and Tim Wysocki Previously
Owned by Erin Amato
See
Erin and April at the 2008 American Eventing Championships
(video)
"Polly,
It’s been a long time since we’ve last kept in
touch. Much has been going on and I’m sure you’ll
be excited to hear our news. April and I have kept very busy
this last spring and summer.
We had a pretty laid back winter, but starting in February,
we kicked off the season heading south for a few weeks. We
trained with Denny Emerson at Tamarack Hill Farm in North
Carolina where we both enjoyed getting gout of the freezing
cold and indoor ring. In April we did a few schooling events
and the first weekend in May we competed at the UNH Spring
horse trials where we placed 8th out of 16 with a double clear
stadium and cross country round in the pouring rain. We kept
up tiwth the schooling until our next event, Valinor Far HT
in MA where it also poured all weekend. We placed 5th in the
Beginner Novice Division and were on of the 3 out of 18 to
go clean cross country. We finished off at Huntington with
a double clear jumping rounds and place 4th out of 16. We
are qualified for the American Eventing Championships which
will be held in Illinois, September 10-14. And we still have
2 more events scheduled before the AEC.
April
and I have come a long way in our progress and relationship
and we are still growing and learning together. She has been
such a confidence boost out in the cross country field. She
is a jumping machine and she know her job at this level well.
She loves to be out there galloping in open fields, running
through water, up and down banks, over ditches. People always
ask me about her at the events. She’s a true show pony
and she loves to be watched while she puts on a show. This
horse is filled with character and is such a sweet heart.
I hope you enjoy our pictures, and I’ll try to continue
to keep you updated on ouprogress!"
~Erin Amato
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In memory of a great little gelding...
LBF Yukon Gold
(Edelweiss Magic Man x Saint Bernadette)
bred by Nancy Nard of Ragtime Morgans
To view Kody's extraordiary life please view his web
site.
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LBF Gay Enchantment
(H-Ken x LBF
Gay Enchantress)
with filly Gab Creek Rosado by
PKR Primavera Brio
Owned by John and Joyce Hutcheson, Dahlonega, GA
"We wanted to line breed the 'Primavera' lines. We had
discovered that blood when we lived in California and met
Carol Simpson and Primavera Valdez.
Richard and Phyllis Nelsen, Mohican Farms started a strong
line breeding program more than 40 years ago, which was rich
in Old Government, Brunk & the Old California blood. Valdez
and Gay Vaquero were two of the best they produced. Polly
Smith had bought both Primavera Gay Vaquero and Primavera
Ramona from the Nelsens, and from this pair she bred LBF Gay
Enchantress and she in turn, bred to H-Ken, produced LBF Gay
Enchantment (aka "Mandy") whom we bought from Polly
as a foal.
We were thrilled to find that Mandy was a double-bred Primavera
on her damside, as we wanted to cross Primavera Brio, a son
of Primavera Valdez, on her. We did that twice over the next
10 years and were so pleased with the line bred offspring
that we have retained them both, Gab Creek Rosado and Gab
Creek Golden Vaquero.
When we got Mandy home as a yearling, we really fell in love
with everything about her-her personality, her tractable disposition,
and her quick mind. She was the fastest horse to learn something
I have ever trained. It was always like, "So is that
all you want me to do?" When I started her, we were living
in the barn and only had one pasture fenced so I would put
all the mares down there for the day and bring them up at
night through the woods to the top of the hill and stall them.
Mandy very quickly became the Alpha or bell mare.
One evening I went down and haltered her and lead her over
to the fence and used the fence to climb on. The next night
when I haltered her, she side passed on her own to the fence
for me to get on (so we could hurry up theprocess and go get
into the feed bucket up at the barn). By the third time I
went down there she would side pass to the off side.....then
I tried getting up on a stump and she would side pass over
to that. I have enjoyed showing off with her in the aisle
of the barn for visitors who all want to know how do you teach
a horse to come to you without touching her, to theoff side,
to the tailgate of a pickup truck and have her stand there
while you climb down on her?? "You don't. She taught
herself."
Mandy is all business about everything. I have ponied young
stock on her. She has always been in a halter or a hackamore
and will stop on the pull and slack with one hand. Her foals
have been the same way about people and training. She is cat
quick and is all in all just a wonderful creature."
~John Hutcheson
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LBF
Son of a Gun
(Statesmans Silhouette x
LBF Gay Isabella)
Owned by John Ohaus, Harford, VT
Update from John Ohaus,
This is John Ohaus's progress report (from 2008) on his gelding
LBF Son Of A Gun (Pete):
"Pete
had done several local dressage shows and one "grasshopper"
level event during his 5 year old year. He was still very
green and had a hard time concentrating on his work when at
a show. This was age appropriate.
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LBF
Son of a Gun with Jane Hamlin riding |
My
goals for the 2008 season were to see continued improvement
in all 3 phases of combined training as well as an improvement
in his ability to focus and deal with the stresses associated
with being at an event.
Pete had a very good 2008 season. He has competed in two local
dressage shows and showed real progress in his performance
both in the ring and in dealing with all of the excitement
of a
show. His scores went from 59% in May
to 63% in June.
Pete has also been entered in 4 combined training events,
including 3 events sanctioned by the USEA. He is competing
at the Beginner Novice level. In his first sanctioned event
at Hitching Post Farm, he finished 4th with a score of 43.3.
His other scores are:
Event~Date~
Place~Score
~4th
in area 1USEA beginner Novice with Jane Hamlin as senior open
rider. He achieved this award having entered only three sanctioned
events.
~ Hitching Post Farm USEA
Sanctioned event 5/17/08
4th place 43.4, 4th place
~ Hitching Post Farm 5/31/08
1st place 35.3
~ Huntington Farm 8/23/08
1st place 36.1
~ GMHA 9/13/08
1st place 23.7
.
He has been ridden at all of his events to this year by my
instructor, Jane Hamlin. Jane and I decided at the beginning
of the year that Pete deserved a good start in the hands of
a professional and I am glad we made this decision. Pete has
continued to improve in all facets of his work and more importantly,
has matured and really likes to compete. He now "knows
the ropes" and really is a joy to compete. I will start
riding him at the combined training events at the end of this
season and will ride him
all of next year.
I
have been so pleased with Pete's performance that I took the
plunge and purchased his half-brother, LBF Panama Jack. "Jack"
is a 2-year old gelding and although I have only had him home
a few months, I can already see intelligence, confidence and
a kind willingness to work. Jack and I take frequent walks
down the road and he shows complete confidence when exposed
to a wide range of things, including: tractors, round bales,
mail boxes, bicycles, cars, bailers, etc. He willingly walks
over tarps and is coming along very well with his trailer
loading, which only began several days ago. Teaching him to
lift his feet, lead and come to me in the pasture came very
easily. He stands for the farrier and unfortunately (two cuts
requiring stitches), is outstanding for the vet. He is a great
horse."
~ John Ohaus
And
a previous letter from John:
"I bought LBF Son of a Gun (Pete) from Polly Smith
in October of 2002. Pete was 4 months old and my first horse.
Being in my middle 50's and a first time owner, there were
many people who felt a 15-year old 'packer' would have been
a wiser choice than a 4-month old Morgan gelding. Nonetheless,
I had always wanted to start from scratch with a horse and
felt the time would never be better. I fell into a very fortunate
situation with a very caring and knowledgeable breeder and
a wonderfully kind and talented horse. I have never regretted
my decision.
Pete is now 5-years old and had the benefit his initial training
with Dixie Doran and, beginning as a 4 year old, the skilled
hands of Jane Hamlin. Prior to his professional training,
I taught him trailer loading, foot picking, grooming, etc.,
often with a
book in one hand and Pete in the other. Pete and I took walks
through the woods, down the road and across the brooks at
the Green Mountain Horse Association. The point is that Pete
liked doing all of these things, even with a greenhorn, and
easily acquired his basic skills due to his intelligence,
curiosity and natural desire to work. Those same personality
traits have served him well in his professional training and
he is coming along beautifully as a young combined training
horse. He is an excellent athlete and a wonderful mover as
well as being brave, confident and a 'trier'. He is a joy
to have in the barn and gets along well with every horse he
meets.
Pete would not be who he is were it not for Polly Smith. Polly
is a breeder with years of experience and a very clear sense
of both what she wants to produce and how to make it happen.
Her foundation mares are all exceptional examples of the Morgan
breed. Her offspring are uniformly athletic,conformationaly
correct, and temperamentally well balanced. In addition, Polly
has proven over and over again to be fair and honest.As a
first time owner, I have appreciated her availability and
willingness to help me both when I bought Pete and also years
after the sale was made. The Morgan breed is very fortunate
that people like Polly Smith are in the business."
~John Ohaus
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LBF Remmington Stehl
aka Remmy
(Statesmans Silhouette x LBF
Gay Isabella)
Owned by Sally Horne, Maine
"Remmy is a very special horse. His curiosity is
always entertaining, he's an over-achiever always wanting
to learn and please, and his conformation and way of going
make him a natural for all sport-horse disciplines. He's logged
many miles on the trail, which will lead to his competitive
career. He'll do some dressage tests as a 5-year old, and
he's a natural over fences. I've enjoyed all aspects of working
with him since I brought him home as a two-year-old."
~Sally Horne
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LBF Hickory Smoke
aka Pokey
(TruWest Gold Peso x Rocking
M Rosa Lita)
Owned by Esther Fiddes, Bethel, CT
"I purchased Pokey as a long yearling from Polly
one freezing cold December day. I had been looking at
pictures for quite a while, and had to take the plunge.
I went up to her farm with two friends who were supposed
to keep me from doing anything rash, like buying a baby!
They were unsuccessful. Pokey and I fell in love instantly,
and he came home to me in the spring. He was easy to train,
even for someone completely inexperienced in starting
youngsters, and was a gentle laid back fellow about most
things. Polly had warned me he would be big, and oh my.
He just grew and grew. First up and up, then wider and
wider! Now he is a 9 year old, 1200+ lb., 16+ hand gentle
giant."
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Esther
Fiddes & LBF Hickory
Smoke in 2007 winning the Green Mountain Horse Assoc.
100 mile
ride rookie rider award on their
first 100 |
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LBF
Hickory Smoke & Esther Fiddes on the 2007 100 mile
Green
Mountain Horse Association Competitive Ride |
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I
have been able to achieve a great deal with him, because of
his kind nature, excellent conformation and willing attitude.
I use him as a pleasure horse, a competitive distance horse,
and a baby sitter for my grandchild. He goes camping, acts
as an ambassador in our local public parks and is simply a
pleasure to be with. His tremendous heart and grit carried
me through a very difficult endurance ride this past season,
as well as our first 3 day 100 mile ride. He finished both
in excellent condition, ears up and sound.
He is exactly what he was bred to be, a 'user friendly' amateur
horse, capable of doing pretty much anything I set my fancy
to, and doing it well!"
~Esther Fiddes
LBF Hickory Smoke's Achievements in 2009:
Champion for Extended Distance AMHA Open Competition
3rd in both MD and LD
LBF Hickory Smoke's Achievements in 2008:
• Gold medal Middle Distance for ECTRA
• Bronze - LD ECTRA
• AMHA Silver Medallion for over 1500 miles
• AMHA LD -3rd nationally
• AMHA MD- 4th nationally
• Champion, CT Morgan Horse Association
•
Multiple, consecutive Connecticut Morgan Horse Association
year end championships in Competitive Trail
Riding
• Multiple years ECTRA medals in LD and MD
• Many High Point Morgan awards at ECTRA
sanctioned rides
• High Point Morgan at AERC Justin Morgan Endurance
ride (he was the only one....vbg!)
• Morganfield's Trophy, GMHA VT 100
• ECTRA 1000 mile award (he is about 3/4 of the way
to his 2,000 now)
• AMHA bronze medallion Open Competition program; has
been in top ten nationally of AMHA Open
Competition CTR program every year he has competed
• ECTRA Versatility Award 2007 and 2008
• AMHA Open Competition Champion in Ext. Distance 2008
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LBF Yukon Jewell
(LBF Yukon Gold x LBF
Gay Enchantress)
Owned by Lyndsey Lewis, Maine
"Jewel is just simply the best horse I have ever owned
or ridden! She is as smart as she is friendly and is the perfect
companion. From her very first trail ride she always led the
way. She is so trusting she never refuses anything I ask of
her no matter how new or strange it is. She has faultless
conformation and is very square and balanced. And her gaits
are fabulous. She has a very pretty reaching trot and a canter
that is forward, soft and balanced. She is a joy to be with.
Absolutely undescribably sweet. She is so quiet and steady
with new people that she has totally non-horse people wrapping
their arms around her with absolutely no fear. She also stops
traffic! I can't ride on the road without cars stopping to
tell me what a pretty horse I have. And of course I agree
with them." ~Lyndsey Lewis, Maine
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LBF Spider Man
(H- Ken x LBF
Gay Enchantress)
1998 Bay Gelding
Competing with his owner
Stacie Hoffman, Patchoque, NY
May '08 - Won preliminary Pony division at Lord Stelling CDE.
June '09 - Int'l Bromont CAI-won Preliminary single Pony division
Sept '09 - 2nd at Laurels at Landhope in the Intermediare
Pony division.
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