Photography by Leslie Threlkeld Bryant
The farm is excited to welcome this gorgeous boy Affirmatif Song. “Song” is an 8 year old fabulous Thoroughbred who has had a long successful career as a racehorse, with a total of 52 runs. His name suggests hints to those historic runners we read about in books or see on TV, for example Affirmed and Unbridled Song. Song has pure royal blood galloping through his veins, and we are so fortunate to have him here at the farm.
The farm also wants to congratulate his new owner Amy Snowden of Florida. Amy is a Thoroughbred enthusiast and has often partnered in ownerships with the farm. When we told her of Song, she knew she had to act quickly because a horse like this doesn’t come along often. Now he is transitioning wonderfully at Little Kentucky Farm with hopes of becoming a show horse.
An 8 year old is quite refreshing because all the silly goofiness I go through with the youngsters can be taxing. Song is regal, serious, professional and a forward thinking workhorse. He retired sound mentally and physically and is loving his new life with his pony Winnie. There’s more news to come as Song’s transitioning progress develops!
Eor The Terrific enjoyed a recent outing at the July Poplar Trials. It was blazing hot.
We are up bright and early Thursday mornings since we’ve added a gallop to our fitness schedule. I’m hoping that it will not only give Louis better endurance, but also make him lighter in the bridle. We shall see in a few weeks!
By Anastasia Gallo
In the competitive horse industry, especially in the marketing of sale horses, what does it take to be successful in selling horses? There’s a little hot secret in the North Georgia mountains of a woman who prefers to fly under the radar. She’s a savvy Thoroughbred trainer who manages to stay humble. Zeb Alampi Fry of Little Kentucky Farm holds former racehorses and the sport of kings near and dear to her heart.
The name of your farm is interesting. To be located in North Georgia, there must be a connection to Kentucky?
Have you always had a love for Thoroughbreds and horse racing?
What kind of business do you have and are you personally involved in racing?
What do you struggle with mostly in your training and selling?
Would you say there are stereotypes or stigmas that are attached to Thoroughbreds?
What trait or traits attracts you to a particular type of Thoroughbred?
You don’t have a big operation. Would you say you prefer it that way?
It must be easy to get attached to your horses. Do you have a hard time with your emotions when you sell one?
A Giant View (Zen) had his exclusive photo shoot with the farm’s favorite photographer, Leslie Threlkeld. He was the perfect model and the camera loved him! Photos have been added to his info on the HORSES FOR SALEpage.
Little Kentucky Farm Thoroughbreds baseball caps are here! Uni-sex caps by Port & Co. 2 colors to choose from, Khaki with navy thread and American flag on the side or Navy with white thread and American flag on the side. $32 (includes shipping)
Send email to littlekentuckyfarm@gmail.com or message Zeb Fry on Facebook messenger.
Congratulations to the Hunt family of Asheville, NC on their newest addition of Watch Me Smok’em (Stevie). His new partner Molly was looking for an upper level prospect and Stevie was the first horse that she tried. Her search was immediately over. Talk about luck!
In the beginning stages of my young horses, I start working them over trot poles before I ask them to jump a fence. It’s an easy exercise to help balance, coordinate, concentrate and strengthen their muscles and mental awareness. It also doesn’t pound on their joints. For riders such as myself, it helps me stay in a rhythm.
In early jump training, its important to approach fences in a quiet trot that’s controlled and relaxed. Straightness is really important early on, so I focus on keeping the horse between my leg and hand aids, and will add poles on the ground to help guide the front and back end of the horse.
If everything is flowing along, I’ll start adding some canter fences, as long as the pace stays quiet and steady. Riders need to be careful to not teach the horse to rush at take-off or on landing.
Introduction of friendly and approachable fences will build a youngster’s confidence. Don’t get ahead of yourself in the training and to always read what your horse is telling you. Start off slowly, because it will payoff later.
When schooling over narrow obstacles, begin with a barrel on its side and put poles on each side spaced apart like a ‘V’, so that the poles funnel you to the middle and over the barrel. It is very simple, safe and the horse learns early that they can’t run out. If all your homework is going well, you eventually take the poles away. You can also set the barrel on its end to make the school more technical, but this is only when the horse is confidently accurate.
The season has started out super for Eor The Terrific (aka Louis) and I. We’ve certainly done and continue to do our homework with specific coaches (Harrison Ford, Kyle Carter, Michael Pollard and Daniel Sarango). I also took a look at the equipment I was using and made specific changes, for instance I’ve hung up a particular bit and made the change to a softer full cheek Waterford with a running martingale.
Like magic, I have a happier horse. It took me awhile to figure out what seems to work for Louis, who is known to pull like a freight train. I’ve had a couple professionals ride him and they both handed the reins back to me winded and red faced. “I don’t know how you do it Zeb”, they said to me.
I was convinced that I needed a thin port Pelham with a chain. It not only made Louis lean and press hard against it, and it also curled his head and made him body sore. For this horse, this bit design only made the situation worse.
A lot of good ideas come to me while I’m sleeping, and it finally came to me of a simple solution. I also told myself that Lou’s happiness is the most important thing and I’ve nothing to lose. I decided to pull out my full cheek Waterford and use the running martingale attachment. It’s a softer bit that got me the response I’ve been looking for, and Louis’ comfort and happiness.
We had a positive weekend at Chattahoochee Hills last week, with a 31 in dressage, clear cross country and clear stadium that put us in 6th place. Lou went home feeling confident with zero body soreness. The old saying of “less is more” definitely applied to my situation.
The photos on this story were from last week with us using the Waterford and running martingale. Photos by Liz Crawley Photography