The first time I saw Flossie was almost an accident. My trainer and
dauntless coach, Cyndie and I were returning from a fruitless day of
shopping misadvertised horses. It had taken a few months for me to
consider looking for a replacement for Celestial Trail, Jumper candidate
extrodinaire. She had died in horrorific circumstances some months
earlier.
This had been an especially frustrating trip to a triangle including
Newhall, an accidental visIt to the San Fernando Valley area of LA and
Ojai. We saw horses that turned out to be 14h when adverstised as 16h,
displaced shoulders, bowed tendons, nags you name it. After our
last stop viewing the hottest prospect in Ojai who turned out to be nothing
like the Thouroughbred advertised in the Horse Trader we were pretty much
totally disgusted. We were on our way home in abject defeat.
As we were passing Buellton Cyndie mentioned, "hey Crawford pitched me a
horse I green broke." "I think she might not be the horse for you
though, she's pretty slow, disorganized and green." Well Cyndie hadn't
worked at The Flag is up Farms for some years and Very Light (a/k/a
Flossie) had grown up unknown to Cyndie, who last breezed her as a two
year old. It was late in the evening, we were tired and only as a spur
of the moment thing decided to stop at all.
Pulling up to the enormous gates of The Flag is Up Farms is rather
impressive. The whole facility is surrounded with California Oaks. The
owners Pat and Monty Roberts planted each and every one themselves.
Monty was a famed champion roper in days as a rodeo cowboy back in the
40's and 50's. His racehorse facility is one of the prettiest in
Southern California.
Actually as one approaches the gate it's right erie. We drove up and
Cyndie spoke into the phone at the gate, "It's Cyndie!" The gates swung
open. Cyndie and I like to joke that a semi truck could pull up to the
gate and tell the mystery person on the other end of the line, "It's the
horse thieves!" and the gate would swing open as well. Well maybe not
Cyndie had, after all, worked for The Flag is up for several years. Still
the posibility always makes us chuckle. We knew they only knew the sound of
Cyndie's voice, still we alway get a laugh!
The long interior roads are lined with oaks and Pines keeping it
relatively private from the rest of the world. A lot of tourist traffic
on their way to Solvang drives by the front gate here. There are open
fields filled with quarter bangers as the ractrack folks like to call
the appendix racing quarters. There are fields filled with Arabs being
readied for the Arab racing tracks. Monty also still trains world class
reining quarter horses as does his ranch manager Crawford. The fields
keep the studs segregated from one another, from the broodmares, the
reiners.
Needless to say Cyndie knew exactly where Flossie was quartered. We
drove through the office area with it's surrounding main barn and
indoor arenas, covered bullpens and various satellites. From there down
a pristine oak lined road to the small pastures where the mares with
foals were kept. Each had her own approximate half acre area to herself.
Flossie was also a foster Mom to two additional weanlings. Her filly was
also at her side. A rangey looking little thing, bay with a beautiful
tricolored tail.
As we pulled up to the gate to flossie's particular area Cyndie told me
how she got her name. "When we first took her off the van from Kentucky,
she was tiny. I asked Monty what the Hell was he thinking?" she giggled.
"You know this horse has certainly filled out since I last saw her." She
went on, "Monty told me her blood lines are as impressive as they get
and the price was one if the lowest bringing in a bid at the Keeneland
auction." "I guess I'll register her as Very Light, since she's such a
frail little filly." Cyndie told me that she just couldn't believe Monty
would bring home such a runt.
Then she told me as they played with her teaching her gound manners
though she was still a wisp of a horse her Eyelashes were long and
lusterious. "Hey Cyndie, let's call her Flossie, you know like Flossie
the Flussie, those eyelashes sure look like false ones," one of the
other excercise girls told Cyndie. I guess they had a good long laugh
over that and the name stuck. She did have such a beautiful eye.
Flossie and the youngsters all ran over to the gate as we approached. I
suppose being late in the day maybe she hadn't yet been fed. Or maybe
it was just good horse curiousity. We went inside and I introduced
myself. She was a little wary and had a bad case of white line disease.
Cyndie made a conformation check and announced, "Damn this horse has
grown into a monster, nice legs though, look at that heel." As she did
this she walked around to her rear. "Awlllllll Flossie your babies have
chewed your whole tail off." As she pulled on it laughing. Floss
responded by cowkicking Cyndie sending her back a few steps. "OUCH!"
"Damn I deserved that." Flossie turned and trotted to the back of her
pasture. The foals remained looking at us.
Cyndie turned to me and asked, "You like?" I said, "Certainly has the
size I need for a jumping candidate." She said, "Well, darling, let's
hit the road and I'll call Crawford tomorrow and we'll check her out." I
had already begun thinking that this 16h3 Chestnut mare with the long
beautiful eyelashes was the horse I was going to take home and retrain.
She was full of both love and spunk. I think my decision had already
been made. I was falling in love again and I didn't think it possible
after losing Celeste a few months before. Sure I was denying it, but the
fact remained it was another case of love at first sight.
******MORE IN LATER FLOSSIE EDITIONS******
Latest update: March 15, 1996
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