Good Morning,
Well, it has been a relaxed and happy time here at the farm! I love sharing snacks with my pals. Friendship and bonding with others is so important! We spend a great deal of time around the feeders…visiting and enjoying the grass hay that the farm sets out for us. As you can see, it is clear here…but the snow is due to fall soon. That is the reason the feeders are elevated…so we can supplement our diets while outside no matter what type of weather we are having.
Thank you for the kind words about the ZENYATTA LOUNGE. This is really helping so many women. The ladies have also planned a MOVIE night where they will get together on FRIDAY EVENING and watch movies. POPCORN FOR EVERYONE! Some discussion groups are also being organized so they can just “TALK ABOUT STUFF GOING ON IN THEIR LIVES.” This is so helpful. The Chaplain’s wife is going to start these get-togethers off…and then the topics will go from there. All of these activities are meant to be special for these Ladies. It sounds like we are off to a great start!
Maria asked about further donations for the LOUNGE. Please call Santa Anita…and they will give you the necessary information. You are all so thoughtful! Having this type of situation at other tracks would be a wonderful idea. I agree! Let’s hope this sets a good example for others to follow.
ZENYATTA FOR PRESIDENT!!!! Now, Suzen you are TOO CUTE! I am still blushing about this comment!
Baby pictures…Dottie is going through all of John’s files and will get some more for you. I guess this FAMILY HERITAGE and BABY PICTURE THING is really important to me now…with the anticipation of becoming a MOM!
As for my meeting Bernardini earlier this week…NO, that has not happened yet. I know they are ‘getting me ready’ for the big day…but we have not met yet! Dottie WILL LET YOU KNOW when it has happened. I PROMISE!
Oh, the snow is dusting the ground as I’m writing this.
Stay warm and enjoy your Tuesday!
With Love,
Hugs to all~
Z
OraJean Stevenson
Dearest Queen-Z & Team-Z,
Thanks for the photos of you and your paddock-mates (taken by Sarah), and you in training (taken by John)…you and your TEAM sure know how to keep your fans HAPPY, and excited about what you will be sharing tomorrow. These Diary Entries are terrific!! Thanks, Dottie and John.
Fondly, OraJean
Luvhorses
@L
All of this is supposition as yes we do not know
if she will be a successful Broodmare. We sure
Hope she will pass on all of her wonderful traits.
As far as Curlin and Rachel, their mating is very
Much of an unknown. And how many multimillion
Dollar yearlings are sold and can’t race. It is all a
Crap shoot with some good cognitive decisions but
A lot of luck.
Only the future holds the answer. It sure will be fun
To see it all unfold !!!!
Debi
Hi Zennie! I love seeing you with your friends, just being a girl. And so… I missed the announcement of Bernardini. I’m sure he’ll be quite the gentleman, and a lucky one at that! Wish I had a carrot for you~~~~
Peggy
@Ensign, I went back and read yesterdays posts. Thank you so much for your information on Chapel of Dreams. I would so much love to see her. Don’t know if its possible, but I can hope. Love ya Zenny
Dylan
Beautiful picture Ms. Zenyatta. Love all the pics you’ve been posting. Nice to hear your Zenyatta Lounge is coming along nicely. I think it’s great that it is happening, and that it could influence other tracks possibly. I’d love to see more baby pictures of YOU, so if any are found please post them, the one of you in the gate is adorable. And I can’t wait till you get to meet Bernardini, hope he makes a good impression. And I agree you should be president, after all you have your cabinet right there on the farm with you =) Stay warm in the snow Zenny, with love xoxoxoxoxoxo
-Dylan
ENSIGN
Hi Peggy,
.
If you’re in Ky, shoot off an email to Three Chimneys. They’re great about answering emails, though I’m not sure what their policy is on seeing the pensioners. They’re on a seperate parcel of land.
Maryann
Oh this picture reminds me of the song “The Ladies Who Lunch.” But stay away from the vodka stingers. Guinness is better! Hope you have a wonderful week. and I agree Zenyatta For President! At least you have horse sense, which is so sadly lacking in politics.
Sharon in Seattle
her royal prezident-ness, Zenyatta!! yay!
Luvhorses
Dear Zenny
Thanks so much for sharing all these wonderful
photos of your new wonderful life. Good luck with
Your date and a successful cover and catch. You are
so wonderful as you are!!! Thanks so much to
Dottie for keeping Z in touch and real for all of us.
Sweet dreams !!!!
Julie Ann in O.C. CA.
Dearest Zenny, Dottie et al, I’m so happy to see you having good fun with your friends. The photos are truly beautiful. Thanks too for the update on the Lounge and all the ladies there at Santa Anita. It is such a wonderful project you’re sponsoring. I’ll start collecting items for another basket. It truly would be great if others started a similar project like yours at other tracks…you’ve got a way of inspiring all of us…con mucho corazon! Abrazotes Reina! Julie Ann
Barbara Wood
@Dawn Conrad–your post made my day! I’m dancing with you (figuratively) for joy that our prayers were answered. Hope you get a good night’s sleep.
Annie Reynolds
Zenyatta you are beautiful! I loved you the first time a saw you. I am so happy that you get to be a mom.
Thank you for dancing for us. You are precious! Love to you, Annie
Hilltophorsewoman No Cal
Dear Zenyatta and everyone. I’m working in Portland, OR and it is so nice to be able to come back to the hotel and read what you all have been doing today. It definitely makes it less lonely. I love the pictures and everyone’s comments. Thank you.
Linda Henderson
Love every picture of Zenyatta!
Paula McCaleb
ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL PICTURE….thank you to the good folks at Lanes End for taking the time to share these Z moments for us to see. We are all so very lucky to be a part of Zenyatta’s new life on the farm……thank you Dottie, John, and most of all Ann & Jerry Moss for sharing your PRECIOUS ZENYATTA with the world.
Lori Stein
Love you Big Z. I think about you all the time. You truly are Transformative!!!
Linda in NJ
Hi Zenny: I have a question with regards to yesterday’s post. I was thinking more about the picture of you in the starting gate. How did you learn when to break when the gate opened. In other words, how are horses taught to break and go through the gate. I would think the noise of that gate opening would be very scary until you got use to it. I would also think your reaction would be to pull back and run away from the gate, not run through it. That must have been a very difficult skill to learn.
jeanie langford
Looks like fun to me. So the time is getting near to meet Bernie. I believe they will leave you with your friends after you are in foal. They will be in foal soon also. I would hate to have you adjust to a new band of mares. You can not be President you are a QUEEN and that is better than president any day. Hugs and Kisses.
Robin A.B.
Thanks so much, Dottie. We are all so thrilled that Queen Z is living such a happy life on this beautiful farm. I hope she and her pals are all bred successfully and can stay together. Hugs and Kisses to our beautiful girl!
melanie
Do you miss having Mike or Steve ride you at times?
L
@Linda in NJ,
Gate training can be very delicate and precise work but in a nutshell. The young horses are introduced to the gate with the front and back open in an effort to keep their experiences positive and as non claustrophobic as possible. As a rule of thumb, they always ‘leave’ the gate through the front, so that instills the habit in them from the beginning that you go out just the one way.
Gatework is usually done in pairs. Horses are herd animals and will follow one another so the break as a pair and want to go ‘head to head’.
A lot is dictated by the how the young horse handles the gate but the gatecrew will work towards getting the front doors closed, getting the back doors closed, having the horse get used to a man moving around in the tight confines with them, all as positive as they can make it.
Then when the time comes, the gates fall open. Now please keep in mind the big clang and bell you hear in a live race is not what a young horse hears their first few times. Only the bang open of the gates in front of them and at that point, they have a man at their head urging them forward, their rider urging them forward and hopefully a training buddy also breaking beside them urging the forward.
Everything is taught ‘forward’ and sometimes just nature can kick in. I was gate training a young filly, my first time doing gate work actually. We went a couple of days across a week and one day we put it all together, with the front of the gate popping open.
The plan was we would ‘trot’ out but I remember her sort of turning her head to her workmate and then being like ‘hey wait a minute…’ and then next minute she sank on her heels and launched out of that gate. Thank God I had hold of her mane or I would have gone right off the back end. It was the most AMAZING sensation the way she sank and leaped.
She just put it together and never looked back.
Of course, we were working with one hell of a good gate crew, which is essential!
Holly Zemba
I agree with Suzen Zenyatta for President. And I knew which one you are – you look like you are having so much fun at Lane’s End.
Linda in NJ
@ Dawn Conrad: This is wonderful news!!! So glad to hear this.
Sue
Zenyatta, some of us on the East Coast did not get a chance to say “Goodbye” to you. Could there be a “Zenyatta Admiration Day” at Lanes End? We sure would like to get a glimpse of you.
Linda in NJ
Hi @L: Thanks so much for the explanation. I just started thinking about that picture and just wondered how on earth do they teach a horse how to break. I can see a lot goes into it. Thanks again.
The Kennedys in San Diego
@L — That sinking and leaping is an amazing phenomenom to see — to experience it must be beyond words.
The Kennedys in San Diego
@ENSIGN — Hope we hear tomorrow if “reliable sources” are indeed reliable. We leave for Africa tomorrow afternoon for an extended safari and were concerned we would not know until we return. Thank you, as always, for your contributions.
L
@The Kennedys,
It truly is. I’ve ridden jumpers in my career and there is a lot of power in how they gather and then jump but even that didn’t prepare me for that deep sink and lunge. It is truly breath stealing.
Wendy Bratten
Zenyatta, thank you so much for keeping us up to date about what is going on in your life. You look very content, living the life of leisure at that beautiful farm and I’m happy for you.
KIMBERLY
Oh stay warm sweetie Queenie….. Just close your eyes and dream about home in California…. We miss you soooooooooo much. Can’t wait to come visit you Z.