2008 Love Your Horse Mare & Foal Photo Contest Winners

GV Fortune’s Reward is a Morgan gelding. He was born in June, 2005. The baby picture was taken when he was 10 days old. By that time, he was already nibbling Blue Seal Vintage Mare and Foal. His brother and sister were both raised on it and they and their momma all did well. There was no need to look for something else.

Reward was an easy baby. He liked people and anything that was asked of him was OK. I had high hopes that his good attitude and friendliness would continue. They did. By the time he was a long yearling, Reward had spent a week with a trainer who taught him to walk and trot on a lunge line, keeping his head down and moving forward. About this time, I asked at my Blue Seal dealer what feed I should switch to. The answer was that if he was doing well on Mare and Foal, I should continue it. That made sense to me. Reward continue to grow straight and strong.

When he was two years old, it was time to go back to the trainer. He started on a lunge line to see what he remembered from the year before. In two days, he was working at a walk, trot and canter in a circle on long lines, wearing both a bridle with a bit and a saddle with stirrups flapping. Nothing bothered him. By the end of only a week, he was long-lining up and down the road with traffic and all over the farm, among the cattle and even into the pond. He had learned everything a two-year-old needed to know and was able to go back home.

This summer, Reward will be three. He’ll go back to the trainer again and learn to carry a rider. What a thrill it will be to get on my sweet, calm, healthy, sound and strong “baby” and share some quality time on the trails. Thanks again, Blue Seal, for getting my guy off to a fine start.