Happy January 2nd Everyone!
I hope all of you had a wonderful first day of the New Year. At Lane’s End, we had a great time and our birthday celebration was FABULOUS! P.Q. and I teased each other that we did not look a whole year older…maybe a DAY, but certainly not a YEAR. Too cute!
In this photo, I’m enjoying a bit of fun with a friend’s 2 boys. Great way to celebrate the holiday season! To quote their Mom…”Zenyatta is the sweetest mare ever!” So kind of her to say! I do love children…as you can see…and ALL people for that matter.
Here, I’m back indoors after paddock time…but as you know, I spend a great deal of time outside each day. Recently, Jahlgren asked about ‘my winter coat’. I had made a reference to ‘growing one’ in a previous Diary.
Horses’ coats do grow in the winter weather. What happens is the hair becomes thicker. It is part of nature. Now that I am in Kentucky, this is nature’s way to help me feel more comfortable in this colder climate. This also helps me to be happy and healthy while outdoors.
Often, at the race track, you may see a horse who is ‘CLIPPED’. This means that the horse did get a haircut. There are special people who work at the track who have a job ‘clipping horses’. The cost of this varies depending on what type of clipping style is requested. In CA, prices range from approximately $100-120 per horse. It varies. This is a baseline.
Basically, there are 2 reasons to CLIP a horse. ONE…in the winter, if the horse’s hair gets too thick, it can allow a great deal of mud/dirt to stick to the underneath portion of the body. The horse can then become more difficult to groom. If this is the case, you may want to clip him. SECONDLY, in the spring, when the winter coat is still a bit too thick and causing the horse to ‘sweat too much’ during exercise, you may also want to clip the horse. It all depends on the individual horse, the thickness of the hair, and the climate and training conditions.
Some trainers do a partial clipping (also called TRACE CLIPPING) on the ‘bottom/underneath part’ of the horse’s body. When you see this type of clipping on a horse…it looks like he/she has a design or pattern outlined on the body.
Other trainers may want their horse to have a full body clip…meaning all over the body.
Then some horses don’t need to be clipped. During the winter, they do not grow a great deal of thick hair. This varies per horse…just like humans have different types of hair.
As a result, if the hair does not get to be too thick, the groom is able to keep the coat looking good. THIS WAS ME! While at Barn 55, I never grew a very thick coat, and my dear MARIO groomed me perfectly all of the time. Per John, he used ‘good old-fashioned elbow grease’ to keep my coat looking slick and fabulous! Also, I was a horse with great inner health which helped.
Now that I am outside quite a bit in a colder climate, my hair is getting a bit thicker. Being able to grow a ‘winter coat’ with my dapples and all still there…is a very good thing for me!
Stay warm and enjoy your day!
With Love,
Hugs to ALL~
Z
M, LB & RL
@Nancy – I totally agree!
Happy New Year Zenyatta from the Little Bit Ranch.
Eve Cooper
Happy Birthday lovey mare! Zenyatta, I hope to meet you in person some day, to lay eyes on a legend. The last time I had such an honor was to see “Big Red” play in his paddock too.
I really enjoy your diary & photos, so Thanks to those that make it possible.
Shoshana
You are pure love and joy!
sg
THANK YOU FOR THIS PICTURE!!!
What a great picture to return to after a week absence.
This confirms that the LE folks now know how special our beautiful Z is…how much she loves the interaction with people and children especially. Thank you LE for bringing visitors to her…this truly makes Z happy. A happy horse is a healthy horse…
On another note, I’m officially retracting all of my previous non-horse person comments regarding Z. (i.e. lip chain, why walkers having firm grip on her, keeping her in for so long before releasing her….). I recently viewed special people and horses who are have passed in 2010 (bloodhorse) and too many horses (IMHO) were lost by rearing up and slipping, falling out in their paddock, etc. NOW I understand why LE has been so careful with our beautiful Z. Thank U from the bottom of my heart.
LE recently lost War Pass out in the paddock, though they don’t know what happened to him, it does opens ones eyes how precious these beautiful creatures are.
Shirley Nolan Al-mlaiti
Now that picture is a real nice one of you , one of the best , you look so happy with the kids your expression speaks a thousand words..A joy to look at your such a beautiful lady, lovely , lovely lady…The story about the body clips was very interesting Keep the stories coming Z I love reading them they are very imforative and I can always learn something new about horses, I LOVE LEARNING ABOUT HORSES I HAVE BEEN IN LOVE WITH THEM SINCE I WAS 4 YEARS OLD AND I WILL LOVE THEM TILL THE DAY I DIE…LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU
Liz Mahoney
Just stopped by for a moment to read your post and get my Queen Z fix for the day, now day is complete and I am heading to bed…any new video of you coming anytime soon? hope hope!
Roxanne Cook
What an adorable photo with the boys! Regarding the clipping, I wonder if PQ has a blanket clip or is that just her coloring? Also, about finding a suitable match. It is generally understood that responsible breeders try to find crosses that improve the breed. That means that where a mare might be weak, crossing her with a stallion who passes on a strength in that area to his offspring is a good match. It is likely that Zenyatta will be matched with a stallion who has proven a good cross with mares who have similar bloodlines to Zenyatta’s. It would be extraordinary for Zenyatta to become just as legendary as a “producing mare” as she was a racehorse. Lastly, I loved Abigail Anderson’s article which highlighted several racehorses that are pretty far back in Z’s pedigree. Stories about the legendary TB racehorses (and producing mares) are easily found in thoroughbred books that can bought for cheap on eBay. I do pedigree research on quarter horses, and since you don’t have to go too far back to find TBs in most QH ancestries, I have several wonderful books on TB racehorses. I once owned a QH who had almost the identical pedigree as Z right up to the 1940s (mostly on her dam’s side). She went back to Man O War six times! I just love thoroughbreds; agree with John that Z is the result of 300 years of careful breeding. She’s perfect!
Pamela Hutchins
Happy New Year…to the greatest and sweetest racehorse EVER. Your stretch run in the 2010 Breeder’s Cup absolutely humbled me. I had no idea just how tremendous you are until that moment. You left it all on the track, my love, and I will never forget the wonderful memories you have given me.
I will love u forever.
Pamela Hutchins
Dani
I was thinking a little bit more about this clipping lesson you gave today and had often wondered why some horses had those clipped designs. I thought it was kind of odd looking when seen amongst the sleek coats of the other thorougbreds and didn’t understand the reasoning behind it. But it makes sense now. Thanks for the explanation for all the different reasons. I will be paying better attention to such things when I watch races from now on…..Since you are in much colder weather than you were in CA I imagine that your hair would grow in thicker for the warmth? Does that mean you will need to be clipped as the weather gets warmer?…. You know, there was a wonderful horse, John Henry, who was beloved by many, many, many people just as you are. He grew to be quite old and they finally just let his hair continue to grow out. He became quite shaggy by the end. He looked all the more loveable. He passed on, but people still talk and talk about him….. In any case, excellent job by Mario for keeping you looking so sleek and shimmery. A person practically needed sunglasses to fight the glare of your glistening coat in the sunshine as you pranced around the paddock. A job outstandingly and most lovingly performed by your dear friend Mario.
Gerrie P.
Z, you are a treasure.
Snoprinz
Hi Zenny!Your picture with the two boys is so lovely and priceless. You are the most gentle of horses. You will make a great MOM. Thanks for the info on horse hairclipping. Yes, hair clipping can be very expensive especially the designer ones. I’m glad you had a great birthday celebration with your girlfriend P.Q. and the rest of the TBs at LE. By the way, can you tell me more about dapples? Thanks.
Zeina
Hi Zenny!! So glad you enjoyed your January 2nd day!! This picture is adorable, I love it!!
Thx again for all the wonderful facts you’re giving us about horses. I enjoy every bit if them.
Happy New Year and hope that all your days will be wonderful and filled with joy and happiness.
Thx for all your team’s efforts and Happy New Year to them too!!
I love you, Zeina
Nancy
What a wonderful picture of such a gentle and kind mare with 2 young fans.
Franci Nelson
Love the pic. Thanks for sharing.
Tamyatta
Happy New Year precious girl! I just got back from celebrating the NYear in Vegas. It was wonderful but I have to admit it wasn’t the same going into the racebook and no Zenyatta/M Smith on the program…I almost cried just wishing time hadn’t passed so fast! One of your sisters, Unzip Me, won a big race and that was fun but I just wanted YOU:). I toasted you and all your absolutely wonderful connections…not any of this magnificent ride with you would have been possible without all of them! Hope you are staying warm darlin’ and a great 2011 coming our way Zenny! Love you with all my heart:)
P.S. Thanks Dottie for teaching us so many wonderful things about the TBs we love so much, happy new year to you and John:)
Heather Myers
Charles must be doing an excellent job of keep you groomed to Mario’s standards, Z. Your coat looks wonderful. Happy New Year to you, Team Zenyatta and all at Lanes End.
Dana
You are one beautiful, sweet girl! You have so many people that love you and love to read about you! Thank you for taking the time to be so informative! The average person does not know these things and it is very interesting to them! You are so thoughtful!
Dana
What a beautiful, sweet girl you are! Thank you for taking the time to be so informative! The average person would not know these things and it is very interesting! You are so thoughtful!
Anne
This is the best blog out there. Not only do we know how “our” loving and beautiful girl is doing but we learn so much from Dottie’s horse knowledge. This diary would be good for a book at some point. Too much knowledge to go unseen or read by those not in the know of this page or want this information for future reference.
Thanks again for Dottie, who takes the time, keeping us informed and happy while spending time with you.
Cute photo…I am so jealous of anyone getting that close to you.
Evy
As a new horse lover, I really appreciate all the information Dottie gives us on your site. Thank you for being such a great example of horses. You and your brethren are magnificent.
livey
Beautiful photo. You can just see it on Z’s face, the joy and warmth in her posture and eyes. The love that has been given to Z, she will certainly pass on to her babies. And there is no doubt she will be a wonderful mother. I am so happy to see she has acclimated to her new surroundings. She genuinely looks happy:) Oh, how I hope one day to see Z in the flesh like those lucky little boys.
Georgia Harper
It is so nice to see children not afraid or backing away. What a wonderful asset you are to the equine world, I hope you never stop being in the spotlight. Thanks to your team for keeping us all informed and all the pictures. Love you!!!!!
Julie
Hi Zenny,
Happy Birthday! You do not look 7.
I, like everyone else, can’t wait until we can come visit you.
Love and hugs from chicago,
Julie
Roseann King
Dear Zenyatta,
Just love that the dapples are still there, only much thicker! I also love envisioning your 1st roll in the “mud” :)! Did your pasture mate join you? Also, how well did you coat yourself and how long did it take to come clean again?
Love you dear girl! Have a wonderful 1st week in 2011! This will be a very great year for you :)!
Roseann
Roseann King
Oh, and one more thing….does Mario know that you got really dirty???
Christine Coleman
Hi Zenny! You look so cute with the little boys. Another reason why I love you so much :) THANK YOU for the informative explanation about clipping. Every now and then I see a race horse on TV that has an unusual pattern on its coat, and I was wondering what on earth that was!! Now I know. You and Dottie are the best! Stay happy at Lane’s End Zenny, give my best to P.Q. and all your new friends both equine and human there. Love you much!! XOXOXOXOX
JJV
Hi Robin, Dapples are usually considered a sign of excellent health, feeding and grooming. You see a lot of dappled race horses because they are kept in a controlled environment and very well fed and taken care of. Excersise, I believe, also helps a horse dapple out. The color of the horse also has a lot to do with it. Grey’s, of course, dapple the most. Bays or dark brown horses tend to dapple easier than say chestnuts. For example, Curlin is a beautiful and obviously well cared for stallion, but to my knowledge his glistening chestnut coat is not dappled. As for the fuzzy thing on Zenyatta’s noseband. It’s called a shadow roll. It helps prevent the horse from seeing the track surface right in front of them as they race. You see, some horses have a tendency to want to jump over marks in the track that might be left there by the starting gate, a tractor, a rake, footprints, whatever. Obviously jumping during a race is not desireable. It can slow a horse down enough to cost it a win . . . and I’m sure jocks aren’t thrilled to have there mount sudenly jump at speeds of 40 mph. One last observation – winter coats. First, I’m surprised to hear that beautiful Zen is keeping her dapples even as she grows a winter coat. It has been my experience that dapples dissapear when coats get long. But why should I be surprised? After all, the horse gods have always made Zen special, why should they stop now? Something you might find interesting: Many horseman and vets think that it is not actually the cold weather that triggers a horse to grow a winter coat, but instead the length of the day. As the days shorten, the horse starts losing its fine summer hair and it is relaced by thicker winter hair. Then in the spring when the days get longer the reverse happens. The horse sheds its long, winter hair and replaces it with short, fine summer hair.
Carolyn Caswell-Brown
Enjoyed the information on “clip jobs”. I thought it was more related to horses adapting to Mother Nature, as in if they lived all their lives in CA or FL they never grew a coat. Would anyone care to elaborate on what a Ragozin Index is & how it is determined? Loved the new pics. First Zenyatta Lounge now Zenyatta Daycare! Girl, you’re to much. Big Love back at You.
Debbie Bassett
Z- You have a heart of gold! What a precious picture! I can’t wait to see the video of you rolling in the mud…One of our horses can’t stay out of the mud. Right now in California there is plenty of it! Stay warm sweet Z.
Mary
Adorable photo! Thank you for all the insight and information! Will it be months before fans can see you? I think I read that. I ask for our vacation plans to KY. Summer? Stay safe on that snow. Hugs and Prayers