Mark and I flew to Stuart, Florida to share my mom's birthday (July 3) with her and my grand niece's baptism!  I can't tell you how wonderful the seafood is down there!  My favorite is the sushi grade, Yellow Fin Tuna.  I can't get enough of it!  Sad to say, the Midwest's only seafood delicacy is Catfish!  LOL!

My sister and her husband, Jon, took everyone out on their boat, the "Miss Chris!"  We went down the St. Lucie River and got to see some amazing houses!  After that, we went to Shrimpers for lunch on the dock!  As we were coming home, storm clouds started to gather.  It seems every time I go out on a boat, it rains!  LOL! 

While we were in Florida, I went with my mom, 2 sisters and my 2 nieces to see the movie, "Eclipse!"  I am such a fan of Twilight, Edward is so gorgeous!!!  I'm can't wait until "Breaking Dawn," it was the end book of the series and I've read it several times!  I know, I'm sad!!

I was going to try to get to Rita Crundwell's sale to see my friend Sandy Ellis, but it seems work piles up here so fast, I just couldn't make it!  Sandy said some gorgeous horses were there.  I know if I would have gone, I would have come home with more horses!!  I have a hard time passing up a nice looking mare!

Exceptional Look is at Olin Parker's now, getting reading for the Fall APHA World Show!  I am going to continue to fit on DC Legacy and see if he will be ready to go in November.  I would take him to Olin's, but I have more shows here to go to. 

It is with very, very deep regret that I must tell you that my beloved 2 year old stallion, Sparked By Precision, had to be put down.  "Sparky" died of complications from EPM.  He put up such a fight, but in the end, the protozoa invaded his spinal cord, then brain stem -- and he was paralyzed.  I am still numb, inside, my heart has been ripped into a thousand pieces.  I want to thank all of my friends for being there for me.  It was such a surprise how fast the EPM went through his nervous system.  He had the best possible care, with the drug, Nitazoxanide, IV's, and tube feeding...but it wasn't enough. 

**EPM is caused by a parasite spread in the feces of opossums. Opossums are everywhere in the United States.  The opossums defecate in pastures or any place outside.  When the horse ingests the feces, the organism's eggs, called Sporocysts, migrate to the central nervous system and multiply.   Leaving lesions on the spinal cord and brain stem.

I was hoping Sparky was one of the lucky few who survive this, but his father, DC Precision, must have wanted him up in heaven with him.

I also want to give my sincere condolences to my friend, Sherry Cesar, who lost her WC producing mare, "Zippos Heiress."  This mare was the mother of DC Precision's first world Champion, Rapped With Precision.  She had been Sherry's baby for 15 years!  Our friends, the Howertons, lost their WC mare, "I Concur."  All of you are in my prayers.  I know how hard it is to lose your "children."  Please stay strong.

My mom sent me this poem when Sparky died, I want to share it with all my friends who have lost their beloved horses...

I know I'm starting my June News early, but it has been a great month and it is only the 9th!  DC Legacy went to the Iowa Memorial Day Classic and got 3 firsts, 1 second and 3 grand reserves showing against all aged stallions!  His third show was June 5 at Gifford, IL - he received 2 firsts and 2 grand championships!  DC Legacy has his ROM in only 3 shows!  I am so proud of him!!!  I just can't believe how good he looks.  I would like to thank Rick and Lonnie McClain for doing such a great job showing him!  I am very proud!!!

On June 6, Mark, Erin, Jake (ER's boyfriend) and I traveled to Grafton, IL to hear Matt play at the Piasa Winery.  We had such a good time!  The winery sits on the Mississippi River and we watched every type of boat go by.  The winery has a double porch that overlooks the river.  The day was perfect, the weather was wonderful and the wine...well, what can I say...it was FUN!!!

Matt playing at the winery and Martini says, "I'm havin' fun!" www.mattlivasy.com

Jamaican Ruba went to his new show home this month!  His new mom, "Marcia," is so excited about him!  She plans on showing him AQHA and APHA!  I think she has a winner there!  He's just a gorgeous colt and has a heart of gold!

I'm holding onto Jamaican Royale until after the fall futurities.  We have some big ones to go to and I think he will do so good~!  The babies this year are so sweet...it is hard to part with them. 

The rest of the summer will be showing DC Legacy and gearing up for the world show.  I'm so excited to see all my "horse" friends again!!!  I would also like to get Sparked With Precision to some shows, but he is growing so much, I don't want to push him now.

My friend, Joy McGuffin, emailed me and told me her sister, Joell, won a Reserve World Championship with her yealing mare, PS I Love Lucy!  That is so exciting!!!!  The McGuffins have some gorgeous horses!  This was Joell's last year in youth, isn't that a great way to end?!!

 Congratulation Joell!!!

I am proud to announce that will have 8 foals coming next year on our farm.  Bred to Jamican Hottie, Exceptional Look and one to Sparked By Precision!!!  I guess I should start getting caught up on my sleeping now....!!! 

Have a great 4th of July everyone!!!

What a great month!  Our weather is hot, the horses are outside and happy!  We have all the horses pregnant this year and I'm so excited about the 2011 foaling season!  This will be Exceptional Look and Sparked By Precision's first foal crop!

Chris Arensten, a wonderful Quarter horse trainer In Illinois, came to visit us and look at the horses.  He brought his wife and two daughters. What wonderful people they are!  We had a great time talking horses!  I surely appreciated him taking the time to drive all the way here!!!

The two foals are growing like weeds!  It seems like they just keep getting better and better!  They are shedding out to be such rich dark colors.  I've started weaning them and neither one likes it!  LOL!  I'm taking it slow.  It is so much fun watching them play in the pasture...best friends!

Jamaica Rumba Jamaican Royale

DC Legacy went to his second show in Iowa on Memorial Day Weekend!  Rick McClain showed him in Open Yearling Stallions.  He won 3 firsts and 1 second place!  Then went back in and won 3 Grand Reserves showing against yearlings, two year olds, three year olds and aged stallions!  When we get his picture from the show, I will post it!  I'm so proud of this guy!  Thank you Sherry for all your hard work!

After breeding season, it's nice to have the quiet of the summer months!  I bought a convex probe for the ultrasound and it will be so much fun to be able to ultrasound the mares from the outside to see their foals!  I love playing with new toys!

I think we have all the outside work done!  Barn is free of cobwebs and dust, pasture has been seeded and the grass is growing, trees have been trimmed, mulch has been put down, drive way has new rock...it looks so nice!  Why leave the farm when it's a small piece of heaven? 

Happy Memorial Day to everyone!  Bless the ones who gave their life so we may have a future!

I am so excited, that I had to write!  We had our first POR in Gifford, IL was this weekend.  I wasn't going to take anything, as I've been too busy to start fitting on anyone.  Everyone has been outside for the winter and have enjoyed being a horse!  I decided to just go and take one horse.  I took DC Legacy.  He was such a gentleman and so good!  Olin Parker showed him in open for me and he ended up with 1 first, 3 seconds, 1 grand championship and 2 reserve championships!  I was on cloud nine all day!!!  Here is a picture I took of him in ring with Olin.  He takes my breath away, just like his daddy did!

Olin Parker was kind enough to drive over the Sunday after the show to check on my stallions!  I enjoyed showing him all the guys and girls!  He is taking Exceptional Look in July to start getting him ready for the World Show in November.  Sparked By Precision and DC Legacy are growing so fast, they are higher in the backend than the withers.  We are going to wait and see what their growth does to determine if they go this year.  I don't mind them being off, it means they will grow tall!!  ...and...it will be a lot kinder to my checkbook with only one going every year!  LOL!!

You can certainly tell spring is here.  All of our trees are just beautiful!  Three of the huskies were sitting under our cherry tree, enjoying the sun.  Our official greeter, Tiburon, our giant cat was also basking in the warm sunshine! 

Click on pictures to enlarge.
 

The young colts are growing like weeds.  Jamaican Rumba is so independent.  He can be at one end of the pasture and his mother at the other end!  He is going to be such a rich chestnut when he sheds out!  Jamaican Royale is just so gorgeous!  He has so much presence and when he comes to see me, the first thing he wants done is some "Royale" scratching!!  These two have such "neat" personalities!
 

Jamaica Rumba Jamaican Royale

Martini loves running and playing outside.  I think she thinks it is her job to herd the huskies!  In her little mind, she is bigger!  Should have named her "Fearless!" 

 

Click on pictures to enlarge.
 

Martini was stalking Tiburon, trying to get him to come out of the bushes!

Finally, warmer weather has come!  Being outside is so wonderful when the weather is sunny and warm!  Breeding season is going well!  Jamaican Hottie looks forward to Monday, Wednesday and Friday!  LOL!  Exceptional Look has been doing so well on the breeding phantom and we have live covered a couple of our mares with Sparked By Precision.  We call him our "Minute Man" around here...that's all it takes!  (More LOL!)

We got a late start breeding our mares, their heat cycles were not cooperating with our weather.  We will check most of the mares in April to see if they took!  I'm so excited about the next years foal crop!  When you have a new stallion, it's like waiting for Christmas and so very exciting!

I've started fitting on the show horses and they are coming along great! The boys are growing like weeds, but are very mild mannered and easy to handle.

Our two baby boys are growing!  Jamaican Royale, "Roy" is breathtaking. (picture to the left)  The muscle on this big boy just doesn't stop!  He is the total package!!  If all goes well, this boy will be at the AQHA World Show!  The other colt, Jamaican Rumba, "Rumba" (pictured on the right) is also doing equally well!  These are the friendliest boys I've ever had and very easy to handle.  Rumba is double registered paint and quarter!  It has stopped raining so much, so the babies have been able to go out and play!

Thank you to everyone who has been sending me their "Hottie Baby" pictures!  His babies never cease to amaze me!  The are all so elegant!!  I also want to thank everyone who has bred to him so far this year!  Without you, I wouldn't have all these "grandchildren!" 

I wish I could tell you that I've traveled to some very exciting places this month...but it just didn't happen!  Breeding and babies keep me very close to home.  I do enjoy my web site business...I can let my creative juices flow.  I met  a very nice lady in Canada and am doing her artwork for her.  I hope to meet Sherry some day....we seem to have a lot in common!

Again, thank you to all who has bred to Hottie and Exceptional Look!  I know you are excited for next year as I am!!!
 

My goodness, how time flies!  February is gone!  We had 3 babies this month!!  Jamaican Rose gave birth on January 26, to a double registered colt by Absolute Precision!  This boy has the same head as our DC had.  Kind eye, gorgeous colt.  He would make someone a nice colt and they could show APHA and AQHA!!!
 

On the same day, A Starr Attraction gave birth to a "gorgeous" bay colt by Jamaican Hottie!  Is this colt built!!! That Lexie is some producer an she didn't let me down!!! 

Our last baby was born on February 23!  This is the colt of colts!!!  43 inches at birth and just has legs that don't stop!  Our of Casinos Ms Elite and Jamaican Hottie!!!  This colt will be a world contender.  We have never had a colt this huge on our farm!  I can't wait to get pictures of him outside and show his popping muscle!  This boys hocks are as tall as his dam's and she is 16-1H!!!

Breeding is going well!  I have Jamaican Rose in foal to Exceptional Look and will check Justa Seductress the first of March to see if she is in foal to Sparked By Precision.  We bred Fanny to Sparky...live cover.  He is young and I thought this would be better!  From now on we are calling Sparky, "The Minute Man!"  LOL!!!!  What a great job he did in such a short time!
 

With all the mud we have, I just hope our spring rains don't add to it.  We've had so much rain and snow.  Spring will be a welcome sight!!
 

I want to thank everyone who has bred to Jamaican Hottie and Exceptional Look.  You've kept me busy this month!!  (But I don't mind!!!)  Hottie is throwing some just truly awesome foals!!!  I am so proud of him.  Next year, will be like Christmas for me...Exceptional Look and Sparked By Precision babies will be here!!!

Happy New Year everyone!  Oh my goodness, the weather that we have had this January.  Many inches of snow and colder temperatures that I have remembered in a long time!  I got some great shots of my little Martini in the snow.  When she would run way out, I felt like the game, "Where's Waldo."  All I could see were 2 little black eyes and a nose!

If you go to our new site www.siberianhuskydla.com you can see I put new pictures of the sibes on the adult dog page!  They are in heaven with all this snow!!

Tila is due to have her pups the 23 of this month.  This will be her first litter and I am so excited!! She and Misha have become best friends!

A Starr Attraction, "Lexie" is due the middle of this month.  We ultra-sounded her in the spring and we never saw a baby, but low and behold, she kept getting larger and a milk bag appeared.  We palpated her and yes, there is a baby on board!  "Rose," Jamaican Rose is also due the end of this month.  She is a maiden mare, so I'm not sure of her schedule!  You can go to www.marestare.com under Double L Acres and watch our mares!  Isn't technology wonderful!!!!?

Looking forward to breeding season this year and to our babies coming next year.  It is so exciting when you have a new stallion and wait for the babies!!!!  Hottie continues to throw us exceptional foals, and talk about gorgeous!!!!  This will be Exceptional Looks first breeding season.  He is such a gentleman...he knows his job and he does it well, LOL!!!!

We will be welcoming 2 new, fabulous broodmares to Double L Acres.  Check them out on our broodmare page.  They will be here the end of February!!!!  Thank you again, Olivia Palousek!!!  One mare is a full sister to our April, OP Obviously At Last and the other is her dam.  I couldn't be more excited!!!!!