Comment

Comment by Debra McDaid on May 8, 2010 at 4:29pm

Hi I can check up throug Track-It (the pedigrees from STB Canada) online and see what his breeding is. He must have had some class in his background for John Kopas to want him, as he is a big name in racing (and not a bad guy alround with horses... STB horseman, but far, far from the worst of them). I'm glad he found your stable, as he like all of them deserve the best. They are very generous horses, and I could tell you of lots of family history of ours looking out for us. Including one mare that defended my brother-in-law from her own colt (when he was full grown). The colt wasn't sane and was very dangerous (due to an unusual event), she took the attack herself to protect my brother-in-law. Her colt was much bigger than she was and it was a couragous thing to do. We had one old horse Keltic Doc that would no matter what come out of each race safe even when all others had gone down around him... five races out of six this happened... he would look back after he was pulled up as if to say I'm good, how are you?

I know plenty about racing, more than I want to in ways. I was in it for many years, then about 12 years ago I quit and along with my husband and brother-in-law sued them. I stayed away for 11 years then bought Che. So now we have one horse, and either he races or dosen't, then he will show and be a part of the family ever after. My husband raced horses since he was 15, drove/trained etc. So our family is well versed with STB's... we rode our race horses for fun, but also if the tracks weren't good we would ride them.... or if they were track sour we would ride them instead of jog them... before that I reschooled some for other people (pre-husband/race horse time for me), and liked them then and wondered at the negative attitude that people had towards them.
As to the bitless briddle, we have driven Che in one, and he loved it... we can't train him in it though (go fast) since it won't stay straight enough on his face and he gets on a line but that is an equipment issue due to the style that we could get in my area, not a bitless briddle choice per say... but I plan to ride him in it and really liked how he went in it... he is very light mouthed horse, and very sweet to steer both driven and ridden... he is so light you have to watch not to get him behind the bit! Collection will be no problem when the time comes I'll bet... he does that already in the paddock himself!

Anway... got to go to work... It still does not tell me if your fella is a pacer or trotter, but I'll find out and let you know his breeding when I get the chance.

take care deb

Comment by John Freeman on May 8, 2010 at 9:17am

Hi Debra,
Thanks for the gift and for your extensive information.
This is all the information I have regarding Zuckie's background:
Birth Date: 22-FEB-1994
Cdn Reg: 25-AUG-1994 Last Prt: 16-MAR-1998
Eligibility Fee: 2009 Not Paid 2008 Not Paid
Coggins Test Issued:
Freeze Branded NP734 right side of neck
Foaled: Campbellcroft ON
Not Tattooed
Bld: M94113(PV)
LEFT HIND CORONET AND HEEL; RIGHT HIND PASTERN WHITE, DESCENDING TO CORONET ON OUTSIDE, WITH BLACK SPOTS.
Yearling Sale Prices:
CANADIAN CLASSIC ON 16-SEP-1995 Hip# 39 $6,500
Current Owner:
(Transfer Date: 12-JAN-1998)
Ont Stndbred Adoption Soc, Campbellville, ON

Breeders:
Alexander Horn, Campbellcroft- Alan Berk, Willowdale, ON- DR Marvin Buff, Saratoga Springs, NY- John Kopas Stables Ltd, Oakville, ON
Added Money Events:
OSS24 2nd sustain (1997) WC035 nominated (1995)
Race Summary:
View Complete Summary
Starts 1st 2nd 3rd Money Gait Age Time Track
Life: $0
$0
You obviously know a lot more about Standardbreds than I, and your description of the typical modern standie fits Zuckie to a T. He's versatile and easy going and has lots of personality. I'm riding him in a bitless bridle these days and he has responded to it so well. I'm grateful that he was so well retrained as a riding horse, but also for his original training to drive as he understand so many voice commands. Switching to bitless was a breeze as I hardly used the bit anyway.
Everyone but me worries about it's value on trails, but the first concern that was expressed came right after he and I returned from a 90 minute ride on the Cataraqui Trail, during which he behaved perfectly.
Yesterday a canter through a field suddenly turned into a gallop when a large dog appeared out of nowhere and started to chase us. I had no idea he was there until Zuckie spooked and took off. The friend I was riding with said I should go back to using a bit, but he wouldn't have stopped any sooner that way. In fact, I was impressed by how quickly he did calm down and return to a walk. Maybe the bottom line is that I trust him absolutely and I like to think that he feels the same way about me.
I have to close. I have a busy day with Zuckie's previous adopter and four other women coming for the day from Pembroke, in the Ottawa Valley. A visit to Zuckie, lunch at the Camden East Bookstore Cafe, followed by a visit to Wilton Tack, then a bbq at our house. Of course, it's raining - it's Saturday!

Comment by Debra McDaid on May 7, 2010 at 1:41pm

Hi John,

Thanks for putting in pics of your horse. He's a nice looking fella, and very typical of the STB's of today, which is to say a nice solid horse that can do most anything you want. I can't see from the pics how he stands, but he does have a great head on him and a wonderful eye. What is his breeding or do you know? Most STB's don't have the look or the confirmation that people think, first off all they are super bred horses now that can and do go incredible speeds. They are actually quite inbred at this point, which has prettied them up a lot, but left them not as much hybred vigor as they once had. I don't know how familiar you are with them, but I have had them/raced them/ rode them for years. There is no real typical STB if yo wan't to know the truth, I have fooled people with my horses for a long long time, I even had a horse called Village Lover (Sam) that looked exactly (enough you would have thought they were brothers) like my pure bred 1/4 horse Badger. They were both studs. Sam was Cam Fella/Albatross mare bred, and looked the part, Badger was a roping sire, with a racing mare mother... the two were the same look, colour, size and shape in every respect, they even travelled the same... Sam was a great race horse, Badger was a lousy western horse and an amazing eventer/ dressage horse-- go figure.

My horse's conformation is probably the best I have ever seen for a standardbred, of any type. He is all trot in his distant background, with the Asante and Assota lines (not spelled right I think) being heavily not too far back... they are the leading broodmare's for his breed in the trot and have so many world champions that can be traced back to them that they are too many to mention. But Che is pacing bred. His grandmother on his sire's side is Rich N Elegant, she is the number one standardbred broodmare in the world, and has been inducted into the C. hall of fame. His mother is a full sister to Gallo Blue Chip who was not only the richest STB, he had perfect confirmation. Camatross is his grandmother on that side, and she is considered to be the second best broodmare of all time. Che is super bred. Whether he turns out who knows, but he has the breeding, gait and confirmation to be the very best type of race horse, but it takes a lot more than that, so we shall see. In answer to your question, he is 16.2 right now, and still growing it seems, so he is more than big enough for a race horse, and big enough for me to jump as well. Gallo was 17 +, and this is who in his family he most resembles, so we shall see, he won't be that big, but he should see 16.3 I think... his size and growthiness is why I own him, he was too big to make a two year old... plus he has a wild side and a grumpy tough dispostion that can in the wrong hands become quite dangerous. He if not handled right could actually seriously hurt someone if angered... he is great with us, but we made him our friends which has made all the difference, and we don't fight with him. He's a stud, and actually great with other horses. Thanks for the luck, I need it. Luck to you as well.
Anyway, I'm glad you gave a STB a chance. most people won't and I don't really know why. It was my husband who has always had them that turned me on to the them and I have never looked back. They as a breed are able, couragous and just glad to get a home that people will look after them in. I have seen great cruelty and neglect at the hands of the racing world, and when these horses get a kind home that cares they seems to know it and live up to your expectations like no other horse.

deb

Comment by John Freeman on May 7, 2010 at 8:54am

How tall is he, Debra? He looks very leggy in the video. Does that mean he was bred as a trotter. My standardbred is only 15h3", and kind of stocky, but he was supposed to be a pacer. He was trained for the track, but never raced, placed in the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society and retrained as a riding horse. He was adopted (maybe more than once) and then the adoption was transferred to me last summer. I don't think his conformation is so good as your horse's, but he has a lovely head and is definitely not the old school big headed standie. I shall be so interested in your progress showing Che and wish all the luck in the world. John

Comment by Debra McDaid on May 6, 2010 at 10:36pm

Hi John,

Thanks. We have had lots of compliments on his looks. Funny enough people turned away from him as a yearling at the sale since they thought he was to 'big and rough boned', we just saw a nice big colt that would grow into his own... We jokingly call him an ambassador for standardbreds. I eventually want to event him and he was bought for this purpose, so far he hasn't shown me anything that says he cant do anything I want him to... at first I thought about not telling anyone in the riding world he was a standardbred and then just showing him, then I thought that would be doing him a diservice, why shouldn't I let him speak for standardbreds and for himself, they are just as good and often times better at most things than other breeds... so when we go to show I'll be listing him as a STB, and either we win or loose on those grounds, I hope he gets judged on his ability and not on his breed but only time will tell. Have a good one, glad you liked this video, I'm going to try to get a good one of him taking his tempertantrums (he does that fairly often... like when he hear's 'no don't do that!" It's funny as all get out... ) deb

Comment by John Freeman on May 6, 2010 at 9:42am

Anyone with a negative attitude towards Standardbreds should take a look at your horse. He's beautiful and has so much personality, too. Fun video - thank you.

Comment by Debra McDaid on April 30, 2010 at 1:00pm

Hi

Thanks, he's our forever horse. Right now we are having trouble with him getting him to the races, but we love him anyway. He is very well bred, he looks like his "Uncle" Gallo Blue Chip, which is pretty special to us since Gallo is such an amazing horse.

take care, ps Che is always doing something wierd, when there was a well being dug by a huge drilling rig at the place we were keeping him, all the other horses freaked out, plus one broke loose and ran away... Che stopped and took my husband over to check it all out... I have never seen such a currious horse. Where we are now he stops to look at the wild turkeys and the deer each day, he actually looks through the fields as we go along, then stops when he sees them to watch... and he loves it when the make the top soil, he stopes and stares at all the machinery... me makes me think of a little kid pointing the dump trucks out... he loves those too!

Comment by Jordan Brown on April 29, 2010 at 10:06pm

gorgeous horse!!!!!! and this is hilarious!