I love the months of March and April in the bluegrass. The foaling and breeding season and the Derby trail are all going at full steam, and Keeneland is right around the corner when the calendar turns to March. And though Kentucky weather is unpredictable and I’ve seen a blizzard hit suddenly during Keeneland’s April meet, turning the calendar page to March at least does mean spring is getting closer and closer.

The first day of March began beautifully this year, warm with clear blue skies and foals romping or sleeping all throughout Taylor Made’s extensive acreage, and mares entering their first breeding season in waiting to have their own foals at their side.

The visit began by seeing a few foals and then Joyful Victory. She carries herself with so much class and elegance, and almost a look of superiority. I guess it is that classic “look of eagles” seen to full effect, and it is magnificent to witness.

I took a little video of her as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YfddpNODz0

A highlight of the visit was definitely seeing foals. Folklore, Wait a While, and several other elite mares had new foals at their side. That was just a fraction of the accomplished racemares there as well. It is incredible to visit Taylor Made and see how many great bloodlines and incredibly accomplished horses live there. In fact, Wait a While was a favorite during her racing days and I hadn’t even known she lived there, so seeing her was a nice bonus. Getting a clear photo of her was challenging as she was eating in a corner of the stall during the visit, but it surprised me how much she has changed since her racing days. She looks almost like a true roan, flecked all over with little spots of brown. This photo was somewhat the best just to show what she looks like now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKPAESGiKJg

This is a Medalgia d’Oro colt and his dam being led up to the fence.

Coincidentally, this visit to Taylor Made was almost at the exact time I visited last year. Then, Peppers Pride was in a pasture close to the barn with the other mares nearing the end of their pregnancies, to keep a close watch on. She was carrying this colt, now at the yearling division. The farm thinks highly of him, ranking him as even better-looking than her previous foal, as good as they said he also looked. He has a lot of presence and was a bit feisty too.

After seeing the mares in the barn that were entering their first breeding seasons, like those above, the visit stopped by the barn where Peppers Pride and her new foal, only hours old and just born that morning, resided. I think the foal is a colt, but am not 100% sure that’s what they said. We lingered by the stall for a moment, long enough to see the foal still working on getting the hang of mobility, rising butt first from the straw but doing fine after that.

With the afternoon breeding sessions concluded, visiting a few of the stallions was next on the agenda.

The visit concluded with seeing Eskendereya and Astrology in their paddocks. I wasn’t able to get a good photo of Eskendereya this time, but he loves to have his tongue pulled and is a very engaging horse. This is a photo of him from last year playing the “tongue game.”