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Registered Arabian mare 5/17/81-1/22/06
(Muhuli x Aurabell)
I fell in love with Belle before I ever met her. I'd long been an admirer of Abu Farwa bred horses & had been keeping an eye out for a good broodmare. One day in Sept 2002, I was browsing the rescue sites & listed on one was a 21 year old mare who was not only an Abu Farwa granddaughter, but also an Aurab granddaughter. Does it get any better than that?! This was as close in a pedigree as either of these great sires get in today's bloodlines. I immediately emailed Belle's owner & told her that I would take the mare sight unseen. I was jumping out of my skin in anticipation & with the anxiety that she might already have been placed. It was a few long minutes before I got the reply I was hoping for, Belle was mine. All I had to do was get a check in the mail & make arrangements for transport. There were a few moments when I questioned the sanity of buying this old mare. Especially since I hadn't even see a picture of her. But it was too late for self doubt because Belle was now mine.
I did a little research on her & found that she had shipped from Canada in April 2002, only a month before foaling. She had just weaned her filly & I wondered what condition she was in. I was told that after her trip down from Canada she spent a lot of time laying down & didn't move around much, which I assumed was fatigue from the long trip added to the weight of her pregnancy, but I didn't know. While records showed her as only having a couple of owners, she had been on numerous breed leases over the years. Her number of foals was unknown because I'd heard she'd been used in a part-arab breeding program for a few years. I also later found out that she'd lost a colt & can only guess that she lost others as the result of her SCID carrier status. She was in her prime before there was a genetic test for this fatal defect. Belle had been passed around & I'd been told she wasn't a very personable mare. That didn't matter because I was so excited, I couldn't wait for her to arrive. Finally the day came when the shipper arrived. Since the trailer was too large to fit in my drive, I unloaded Belle on the street. My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking, & I felt like I had living history at the end of the lead. My emotions as I led her up my drive are still indescribable today. I was just too filled with emotion & was more in love with Belle than I thought possible. She was a magnificent old mare with a lot of body & substance. She had some of the best bone I've ever seen on an arab. Basically she was fabulous.
Upon arrival I had my vet come check Belle because her hind legs were severely swollen & she was bleeding vaginally. A little reason had set in & I was doubting my sanity. It turned out that she had vaginal varicose veins that caused no more trouble than keeping her on hormones when pregnant to prevent bleeding. The swelling in her legs went down as she wandered my pasture. There were many days when I looked across the pasture at her & could hardly believe she was mine. Belle & I built a bond, beginning when I was able to reach out & scratch her butt. Boy did she enjoy that & ever after she would come looking for her scratches. She proved to be personable once she knew she was home at last. Belle gave me a really nice filly in 2004. In 2005 she was bred again in hopes of a replacement filly because this time she was bred to a stallion of similar pedigree to carry her old bloodlines forward. The prospects of that foal were exciting & I couldn't wait for spring 2006 to arrive. Unfortunately January 2006 arrived with heartbreak. Maybe it was the slick ground, maybe it was a wrong step, either way we'll never know. Belle broke a hind leg just 6 weeks from her due date. It was a very traumatic, somber day. It was a Sunday & no vet could be located. I fully expected that I would have to send her to greener pastures myself. I was in a daze as I walked to the house for the gun. I don't know what made me look in the phone book one more time, but I did & found an old local vet who came right out. For that I'm thankful. Belle was such a regal old girl, never trying to get up & staying calm throughout. My heart broke as I told her I would always love her. She still fills a place in my heart today.
(Muhuli x Aurabell)
I fell in love with Belle before I ever met her. I'd long been an admirer of Abu Farwa bred horses & had been keeping an eye out for a good broodmare. One day in Sept 2002, I was browsing the rescue sites & listed on one was a 21 year old mare who was not only an Abu Farwa granddaughter, but also an Aurab granddaughter. Does it get any better than that?! This was as close in a pedigree as either of these great sires get in today's bloodlines. I immediately emailed Belle's owner & told her that I would take the mare sight unseen. I was jumping out of my skin in anticipation & with the anxiety that she might already have been placed. It was a few long minutes before I got the reply I was hoping for, Belle was mine. All I had to do was get a check in the mail & make arrangements for transport. There were a few moments when I questioned the sanity of buying this old mare. Especially since I hadn't even see a picture of her. But it was too late for self doubt because Belle was now mine.
I did a little research on her & found that she had shipped from Canada in April 2002, only a month before foaling. She had just weaned her filly & I wondered what condition she was in. I was told that after her trip down from Canada she spent a lot of time laying down & didn't move around much, which I assumed was fatigue from the long trip added to the weight of her pregnancy, but I didn't know. While records showed her as only having a couple of owners, she had been on numerous breed leases over the years. Her number of foals was unknown because I'd heard she'd been used in a part-arab breeding program for a few years. I also later found out that she'd lost a colt & can only guess that she lost others as the result of her SCID carrier status. She was in her prime before there was a genetic test for this fatal defect. Belle had been passed around & I'd been told she wasn't a very personable mare. That didn't matter because I was so excited, I couldn't wait for her to arrive. Finally the day came when the shipper arrived. Since the trailer was too large to fit in my drive, I unloaded Belle on the street. My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking, & I felt like I had living history at the end of the lead. My emotions as I led her up my drive are still indescribable today. I was just too filled with emotion & was more in love with Belle than I thought possible. She was a magnificent old mare with a lot of body & substance. She had some of the best bone I've ever seen on an arab. Basically she was fabulous.
Upon arrival I had my vet come check Belle because her hind legs were severely swollen & she was bleeding vaginally. A little reason had set in & I was doubting my sanity. It turned out that she had vaginal varicose veins that caused no more trouble than keeping her on hormones when pregnant to prevent bleeding. The swelling in her legs went down as she wandered my pasture. There were many days when I looked across the pasture at her & could hardly believe she was mine. Belle & I built a bond, beginning when I was able to reach out & scratch her butt. Boy did she enjoy that & ever after she would come looking for her scratches. She proved to be personable once she knew she was home at last. Belle gave me a really nice filly in 2004. In 2005 she was bred again in hopes of a replacement filly because this time she was bred to a stallion of similar pedigree to carry her old bloodlines forward. The prospects of that foal were exciting & I couldn't wait for spring 2006 to arrive. Unfortunately January 2006 arrived with heartbreak. Maybe it was the slick ground, maybe it was a wrong step, either way we'll never know. Belle broke a hind leg just 6 weeks from her due date. It was a very traumatic, somber day. It was a Sunday & no vet could be located. I fully expected that I would have to send her to greener pastures myself. I was in a daze as I walked to the house for the gun. I don't know what made me look in the phone book one more time, but I did & found an old local vet who came right out. For that I'm thankful. Belle was such a regal old girl, never trying to get up & staying calm throughout. My heart broke as I told her I would always love her. She still fills a place in my heart today.
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