It literally started with a Dream. My youngest daughter woke up one morning when she was 8 yrs old and told me that she wanted to take riding lessons. I was bewildered considering the child had never been around a horse in her life. I had not grown up around horses and had not exposed her to horses so her request to me seemed to have come quite literally out of left field. Vowing as a parent to allow my children the opportunity to explore interests, hobbies, and sports without pressure or prejudice, I quickly obliged and signed her up for English riding lessons.
In September 2006, the saddle club at the Stable where my daughter took lessons had planned a weekend field trip to visit Churchill Downs ,The Kentucky Horse Park, and Three Chimneys Farm.
I had followed the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown since 1999 but only for a few months each year. It represented more or less a Right of Spring for me each year so to visit Churchill Downs was a thrill. The biggest thrill actually came when we visited Three Chimneys Farm. I had never been near a Thoroughbred racehorse before and the first one we were introduced to was Point Given. I remember being in complete awe of the horse and taken with his imposing size and confident manner. I watched him in his paddock and he exuded such an air of greatness. I had never been touched by an animal like that before. The next paddock over was the adorable, fun-loving, Smarty Jones, but I couldn’t refrain from looking back and staring at the huge chestnut stallion in the next paddock over.
Fast forward four years to July 2010 where one night I was browsing Equine Now and came upon an ad for a 3 yr old Point Given daughter. She was large like her sire and in the picture she exuded the same confidence I had seen four years earlier in Point Given. Injured as a 2 yr old in training, On The Point had never had the chance to prove herself on the track, and so now her story begins in the breeding shed.On The Point, affectionately named “Dream” for her barn name, produced her first foal on February 13, 2013- a BIG, strapping Colt whose barn name is “Rudy”. I invite you to visit the Photo Gallery to follow Rudy’s first year. He’s awesome like so many of the great horses in his pedigree. I can’t stop taking pics of him!
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