Our first international show, and we made it in the ribbons! My special thanks to the Minix Family, and to Dave Butcher, for showing my fillies for me this year. They will be taking them to the Kentucky Mountain Show as well! Good luck!

I went to my first horse show ever - the Rocky Mountain International Show, held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. I went for Tuesday and Wednesday, and was fortunate enough to meet some of the Rocky Mountain legends and their owners!! I met Wendell Johnson, the owner of Johnson's Toby, one of the most procreative stallions I know of in the breed. I met trainer Rick Hall and Mr. Rose, who seems to be a Kentucky staple, like Rice is to China. He taught me about shoeing Rockies, about kinds of shoes, and offered to teach me anything I want to know any time. He was very friendly.

I pent the days with the Minix family, who were showing my two fillies, Kings Fine Design and MX Southern Belle -or " the California Girls." The yearling filly class was the most competitive class I observed at the show, and there were many great looking horses there. I sure did have a wonderful time!

I had the opportunity to meet Belle for the first time!
She is fantastic, a real Rocky beauty. So far I have really been lucky and blessed with my choices. She placed 8th, and it was such a thrill to hear the judge say "Orange Blossom Farms Southern Belle". Apparently the judges this year were going for a very round and low to the ground look. Desi is long and she is thin (we all feed her tons) so does not represent the ideal Rocky. But she is beautiful and I believe will place well at the Kentucky Mountain Horse show coming up. The Kentucky and United Mountain shows are more inclusive of other standards and I believe Desi (King's fine Design) who won the Hoosier open in her class, will do well there. The ideal rocky is usually a stout horse. Slender King's Fine Design looks, to some eyes, more like a thouroughbred or saddle bred than a Rocky, but all agree that she is a extraordinary horse.

The Minix family were especially helpful and so friendly. They brokered the purchase of 'Mata Hari' my newest mare, one my trainer Azael has been working with quite extensively. She is coming along great. I took her out for a ride this morning and she gaited the entire time, about 40 minutes nearly non stop. She was looking all around just gaiting along, it was really fun. I always sing to the horses while we are out riding. "I'm an ole cow hand..." They laugh!

Our mares were confirmed in foal and are both due around April 6, 2006. What a week that will be!

Thanks for visiting us here at OBF. We are preparing for the winter rains, and working each day with our colt Sonny Day. He is stunning!

All the best,
Rickie Lee Jones

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