Photo taken by John Shirreffs
Hello Everyone!
It sounds like all of you are off to a busy 2011! Mine has started out wonderfully.
Dottie has been telling me about all of the questions you have. We will do our best to address as many of them as possible often in the Diary. We’ll start with these:
1) YES, Mario does know I’m playing in the MUD…and he is so happy for me. He knows I’ve wanted to roll in the mud for quite sometime. NOW I CAN REALLY GET PLAYFUL OUTSIDE! Very cute! Also, thanks for letting me know Mario has his own Facebook page now. I can’t wait to tell him! SURPRISE!
2) Steve is fine. He is working away at the barn and all is A-OK with him. Obviously, he misses me a whole bunch…as does Mario and the rest of Barn 55…but they are so happy for me. John does his best to keep them posted on my activities. All videos and photos are shared with them constantly!
3) John’s watch…is the IPOD Nano. It is a great tool and also a fun new ‘toy’ for John. Lucky guy, I can still be with him 24/7!
4) My future breeding plans. The Moss’ will announce them soon. Many different things will go into this decision. Everything will be finalized sometime in January. With the holiday, many people have been out of town. It is also fun for ME to ponder who my first date will be. Gotta’ love it!
5) Other breeding questions will be addressed when breeding season begins. The breeding sheds in KY do not open until mid-February. I probably will not be bred until late February. Believe me, I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED!
6) A Jockey question was asked…what does ‘throwing a cross mean’? Dottie has called my guy, MIKE SMITH, for this answer. Mike’s quotes will be used for this answer. They are touching base later today. FYI…Many have asked…and Mike is doing very well. Dottie and John saw him last night at dinner. He is planning a trip to come see me soon. Can’t wait!
7) Video of an interview…John did an interview with Susan Ashbrook of Equine Vip. She granted permission for Dottie to mention it in the Diary. You may find this interview by going to www.equinevip.com. It is the first interview that comes up. My JOHN will be standing there with Susan. (He says so many fabulous things about me and my heritage. He also notes how amazing the entire thoroughbred breed is and his love for the HORSE.) Very special! Please enjoy!
8) Rhonda pointed out that I was recognized as the #1 Female Race Horse of All Time…in a recent Sports Illustrated Article. You may find this piece by: 1) going to my web-page 2) clicking on the Facebook symbol in the right corner 3) that will take you directly to the page you need 4) scroll down the left hand column until you see the term LINKS 5) approximately 3 down is the story TOP FEMALE RACE HORSES OF ALL TIME. 6) Click on this title and YIPPEE…there I am with my owners! What an honor! There are some really amazing historical horses being honored in this piece….and they recognized me with the distinction of being #1! I can’t tell you how PROUD this makes me feel!
9) P.Q…many have asked about her breeding plans and things relating to her. From the beginning, I did ask permission to discuss her name in the Diary. Her owners were so gracious and said of course! Any other additional information, I will need to be polite and ask if I can discuss it. As she is not owned by my owners, we must respect her privacy at this time.
P.Q. and I are great friends…and we do get along beautifully. We have BONDED nicely!
Oh, I’m getting a phone call! Someone in my family is calling to TANGO with me! (Gotta’ get ready for my close-up!) Sending BIG HUGS!
With Love,
Z
Ensign
@ Elena,
NO ONE is trying to ‘out do’ Dottie. No one said this is ‘exactly what will happen to Zenyatta’.
An honest answer was given to an honest question. It was a generalized answer given that all farms run a bit differently.
.
*I* wasn’t attempting to be rude to anyone, unlike you who are making assumptions and telling other posters to go away. Perhaps a little growing up is in order.
Perhaps you’d like to tell everyone that if they want answers that they should Google for them?
Alex Bowdoin
Dear Z,
I would love to see you roll in the MUD…
My horse loved to lay in mud puddles before horse shows!! He was sooo happy doing that! Hope we get a great video of this fabulous event. Love the “Mario knows I am playing in the Mud” too cute. We love you.XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Shari Voltz
HI sweet Zenyatta. I received a special magazine from Blood Horse all about you. It also included another picture for me to frame. I will put this one in our spare bedroom. It is the room I use a lot to dress and store my clothes. Now I can look at your beautiful face when I am getting ready for work in the morning. I also want to ask when are some of the east coast fans able to visit? I am hoping May or June just like someone else wrote. I really want to see you in person. I will cry but that is because you raise so many feelings in my heart. I love you Zeny always. Hugs and kisses from Shari in Ohio
Nancy
Dear Sweet Zenny
Thanks so much for sharing the beautiful photo
of you eating your alfalfa. I think that everyone is used
to seeing your legs wrapped and not your natural
white socks, which are beautiful. Regardless of the breeding
process the love of the Sherriffs, Mosses and the
wonderful Lanes End friend and owners will watch over
you very carefully and kindly. They are truely wonderful
people. Thanks so much Dottie for expressing Z thought
and feeling. You do it so well. This diary makes my day
Happy and bright everyday. Off to see John’s interview.
Have warm and cozy night and a wonderful morning run
with PG. The Greatest horse of all Time!!!!!
M, LB & RL
Have fun in the mud Zenny. WE enjoy being horse “mud-bugs” and know YOU do too! From Little Bit and Ready Lady (horses who are Z fans from Texas).
P.S. Dottie thank you so much for your postings. Always look forward to you and Z’s news each day.
Kim
Hey Zenny, hope you had a wonderful day. I so enjoy this diary and am so thankful to Dottie for helping you with this.
Have a great evening. Love you
The Kennedys in San Diego
Ensign, everything you stated above is exactly as it was explained to us at the more than ten breeding farms we visited in the Lexington area in November. Some farms will allow visitors to observe an actual breeding, other farms do not. I have also read several books written by equine vets and breeders describing the breeding process. I, for one, want to learn as much as possible about the industry and I have appreciated your well-written responses/comments on this blog and on previous ones. I hope you will continue to comment. Thank you.
briancbrite
Interesting that 95% of the entries here are from females (acting like 13-year-olds). Zenyatta does not write, has no idea or preference as to who she will be bred to. She is a mare who ran very fast. If she was smart, she’d have gotten out of the gate faster in the B/C. Her owners wanted to keep her undefeated. It worked until her last race. If she doesn’t get HOY blame her owners…not Blame.
Astrid
Please, please no bickering anymore. Any information about Zenyatta is a privilege! Team Z has always been so generous and gracious about sharing Zenyatta with us, I don’t want it to end! Dottie has such a wonderful way speaking for Zenny and she promised to talk about breeding issues later so I will patiently wait for this.
I, for one, did come pretty close imagining how a controlled TB breeding would be – probably because I know dogs breeding – I did google a few details:)Googling really is your best friend LOL
I have no doubt that Zenyatta’s connection will make the breeding process as comfortable as possible for her. Her care has always been beyond remarkable and outstanding, why should this be any different…
Ensign, may I suggest that for future breeding details questions from now on you reference to your past posts since you have talked about it several times? This might be easier and again, just a suggestion!! Thank you for your info.
Peace out everyone:) I know we all love and care for Zenyatta!
Zenny, beautiful pic. of you. So happy for your mud rolls. Can’t wait until you see Mike. What a great day this will be for you! Sleep tight!
Darlene
I just watched the interview with John on Equine VIP. I truly believe that the magic of Zenyatta is because of John, The Mosses, Dottie, David and the wonderful Team at Barn 55. I took my Dad there for his 92nd birthday and Steve talked to him for an hour…everyone was so welcoming and nice during their busy day. Thank you so much for this…..my Dad’s comment was that he had never seen a horse like Zenyatta in all his years with horses. She is truly Number One in our book.
Parker
briancbrite – I wonder why you are even on this site if you have so little regard to the majority of Zenyatta’s fanbase? You obviously do not sound like a Z fan by the tone of your comments but rather a disgruntled person who seems jealous of the love and attention for a remarkable and loving horse. We are all entitled to our opinions but I do hope you can contribute something more positive if you intend to continue participating on this site.
Ensign
@ The Kennedys,
Thank you for your kind post. It really is appreciated : ) I don’t post anything here with the intent to offend anyone or to look like I’m speaking for Zenyatta, which I’m certainly not. Some questions asked have been general in nature so I’ve offered to answer some of them until Dottie or someone else steps in and answers as well, or answers the ones specific to Zenyatta.
.
@ Astrid,
LOL, I’ll not likely post the answer again since as you’ve noted, I’ve answered the same questions several times but not everyone reads every entry/all posts. I do thank you for being so polite. Shame everyone on here isn’t so.
Tiffany
If the breeding of fabulous TB mares is designed around bloodlines and heritage vs just a record…than look no further than LEMONDROP KID!!!
Shannon
Saw the interview with John earlier today and loved the fact that he start working young horses with Henry Freitas at Loma Rica Ranch in nearby Grass Valley. Loma Rica was really something back then. As I recall, it was owned by Frosty and Grace Knoop who were avid Thoroughbred breeders and great supporters of racing at the time.Those were the days!!!…I guess these are the days now too.
EK
Twitching is painful. Zenayatta deserves to be a willing participant not a victim. Those things are not necessary. My stallion never had a mare held for him. They were willing. He also never hollered only talked to them and told them how beautiful they were and he told them every day not just when they were in heat. Curlin won $10.5 Million and set an earnings record. Maybe Zenyatta would like him. Why shouldn’t a mare get to be with a stallion she likes? She might make a better choice for herself than her people would.
Jane in Seattle
Hello Beautiful!
You are just the BEST girl! I love to hear what you’re doing =-) I wrote to Mike Smith a while back and I think he is planning a book about his adventures with you, but I’m hoping that your whole Z team, including Mike but all the rest of your Barn55 family, and now maybe the Lanes End folks too – will put out a beautiful coffee table book about your life. Did you know? Many of us here just can’t get enough of the “Z story” =-)
Please encourage Dottie to get everyone together with all their photos and reminiscences and put out a big beautiful book! I’m counting on you, Z – I already plan to give this book to all my friends for Christmas next year. Now I just need to figure out how to get your autograph in all of them. Maybe they could take you on a book tour and your could “sign” books like you painted your Moneighs!
Love you sweet Z xoxoxox
Linda / NJ
Hi Zenny: That picture of you is just great!!! I agree with those that would prefer to have you and Dottie give us the answers to our questions. I very much enjoy this site. I love being able to respond to your daily posts and follow your life at Lanes End Farm. This site is a real PRIVILEGE for all of us to stay in touch with you Zenny and with your Team Z family–who are very POSITIVE thinking folks. On another note, I really enjoyed the video with John. John seems to be such a kind gentlemen who really loves you. Thanks again Dottie for taking your time to go through our many questions. All of us know that you are a very busy lady, and your time spent writing these posts is much appreciated. Take care, Zenny. Get a good night’s sleep. With so much love, Linda
maryann
Hi Z, another beautiful picture. You look so happy and content.
I so look forward to reading your daily posts. Thank you so much Dottie, for keeping Z’s fans updated.
Love you Z
Robbie Pfeufer Kahn
Dear Elena: I am quoting what you said in an earlier post:
As for Robbie and the information. We really don’t care about female, girl, woman, filly or mare. We are here for Zenyatta and all that talk muddles the whole intent of this website, so please if you have all this information go to another site and post it.
You two need to lay off. Enough is enough. Queen Z will speak and we will listen. We want to think what we want when we want. So please go bye bye.
Lady Renee
Greetings My Queen and The Moss’s,
How are doing these days? I’m concern about The Q’s breeding, is she ready for it, and of course The Moss’s best interest or even racing at this time.
As a mother of two daughter , myself. I feel that Zenyetta may not be ready to be broodmare at this time. Perhaps, it may be in Zenyatta best interest to resist the temptation of the breeding shed for the 2011 season, thinking about her love for racing,allow the Queen an chance at Dressage/SHOW JUMPING.
Address her love for racing & the clear fact she loves her fans and public,perhaps you may think about a new path for her, which will allow her to settle in to retirement in an more comfortable and fashion way.
IN YOUR Blog posting SINCE Zenyetta’s RETIREMENT, I’m reading an since of hesitation on your part. As an mother myself, I feel an since of hesitation as well.
Allow this great mare to wine down slowly and allow Zenyatta the public attention she craves by retraining her in the Dressage/Jumping discipline.
Thank you for your attention and concretion.
Ensign
@ EK,
It sounds like your stallion has very nice manners. Always nice to hear!
He obviously also sees mares outside of just breeding them.
Unfortunately, most TB stallions only have contact with mares in the breeding shed and as such have’t had to learn much about manners when dealing with a mare. Many are quiet and kind in the shed, but there’s an equal number of hollering, rearing fools who would even jump a gelding from behind.
It’s a shame they couldn’t all learn to ‘read’ mares and respect them, but the contraints of huge books, and keeping things as safe as possible take away much of their interaction with mares outside of their trip to the shed.
If you’ve been around stallions who’ve been trained to pasture breed, you know what respect they learn for mares in a natural setting!
deana dameron
ENSIGN-I am sure that you have only the best of intentions in explaining the breeding process to all of Z’s fans. I am also sure that it is a somewhat “touchy” subject to most of us right now because we are still pining for her racing days and the way it was just a short time ago. Z’s fans have been blessed to be supported by her and all of Team Z and have been respected and cared for throughout her career. “I” think that we all need to remember that Queen Z and Team Z would not appreciate us being unkind to one another. If we do not like something said, state so nicely and go on with it. I do not wish to lose my link with Zenyatta over mean words, it is not necessary. We all need to be the “bigger” person in these postings. As my Mom says, “Keep your words sweet like candy, they taste better going down that way!”
Tory
Hoping for Curlatta or Zenlin after your first date with Curlin. :-)
Jan
Zenyatta,
You look gorgeous as ever. Hugs & kisses. :)
Bkaye
I love being pen pals with you!
Marie
Zenyatta, what’s your favorite quote (about you)?
Long Live the Queen!!
Paula Higgins
Wonderful interview with John on Equinevip.com!
Barbara Wood
Good night, sweet Z–
Just tell Mikey when he comes that he has our love and we miss seeing the two of you together. Love you always.
Bonnie MacRaith
Thank you again Zenyatta for all the great news! I feel very privileged to be able to come here and hear your stories. Thanks for letting me know how Steve, Mario, John, Mike, etc. are doing!
Please everyone, don’t start quarrels. It is up to Zenyatta and Dottie how to run the website, not us. ;=)
Peace to Everyone in the New Year!
Robbie Pfeufer Kahn
Dear Elena: I am quoting what you said in an earlier post (somehow the qquote got sent before I had a chance to continue):
As for Robbie and the information. We really don’t care about female, girl, woman, filly or mare. We are here for Zenyatta and all that talk muddles the whole intent of this website, so please if you have all this information go to another site and post it.
You two need to lay off. Enough is enough. Queen Z will speak and we will listen. We want to think what we want when we want. So please go bye bye.
I am very sorry to have offended you. If you had had a chance to read my posts on Diary Posts #33, 37, 38, 45, and 47, I think you would find them unoffensive and highly respectful of Zenyatta and her CA and KY families. Some of the posts I wrote received praise from others writing here.
I did find your second paragraph insulting, which is never pleasant to experience. I have read Dottie and Zenyatta’s posts with great care and have in previous comments complimented their joint ability to express Zenyatta’s thoughts and feelings.
I do not know Ensign, nor he me. “You two,” therefore is a misconception. I am a sociology professor and author, and Ensign is a horse professional. We are not in cahoots, which your comments implied. Like Ensign, I appreciated the Kennedy’s compliment to him for presenting information in what seemed to me an objective manner and was, keep in mind, in response to a question about breeding procedures.
As for my remarks, I had a premonition that they would offend some people, as the use of a feminist lens usually does. Life is variegated and dark coexists with light, at least as far as I can tell. The upcoming Horse of the Year nomination combined with the article I read from The Guardian caused me to take the chance of talking about gender relations and the human/animal boundary–the latter subject has been in all of my postings.
When you invite me (and Ensign) to post elsewhere, saying “bye, bye,” I am not aware that anyone has the authority to determine what ought to be said and what ought not to be said on this site. My standard would be that anyone who writes here speak respectfully. I don’t believe that Ensign or I violated that standard. I’m not sure that your remarks to both of us lived up to that standard.
I will try from now on (if and when I post again) to avoid radioactive subjects such as gender relations. Exploring the human/animal boundary seems acceptable and is at the heart of the new academic field called Animal Studies. As I said in my first post (#33), I have learned more about the possibilities of crossing the human/animal boundary from Zenyatta, Dottie and Zenyatta’s CA and KY families than from anything I’ve read so far in Animal Studies.
Best regards–Robbie