Status: Retired Broodmare
Foundation Black Thoroughbred Mare Genotype: EE aa Grace has done exceptionally well with producing some exceptional foals; but has had a few rough spots through out her pregnancies and deliveries. Despite this fact, her last few deliveries went well and she had little to no difficulty deliveries. She resides at the broodmare barn now and helps raise the other foals she is a loving and devoted mother and mare. We are pleased that her aggression has diminished with age and training. To read her story, see below.
Foaled: February 2012
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Progeny
Her Story
When Cheyenne purchased a four year old Thoroughbred filly, she was warned by the owner and breeder of the horse's aggression and complete lack of interest in human contact; in fact, the horse had been called Black Devil by the breeder's staff. She was an enigma, an amazingly uncommon foal out of one of their prized broodmares. Some people say that there are horses just born bad, that they are a lost cause from the moment that they take their first breath or are simply wired wrong; this filly, it seemed, was one of those unfortunate horses. The breeder was desperate to get rid of her, having spent many years trying to train her before trying to talk someone, anyone into taking her off of his hands. He was at his wits end and about to make the final decision of her fate when he got a call from Cheyenne.
He was so desperate, that he nearly gave her away for free, but did so with a warning, "She's a lost cause." The filly gave a good struggle as they loaded her into the trailer, bucking and grunting as they closed the door and locked the hatch good and tight. She and Roger were determined to work with her, to prove them wrong. There was something that Cheyenne saw in the filly, something that no one else could see. Even Roger was worried about what they were getting themselves into, but Cheyenne, had no doubts. She watched the breeder shake Roger's head before they left the property and headed home. The filly didn't calm down for most of the journey.
When they finally arrived at Quiet Meadows Ranch, the horse was as untamed as a wild Mustang; skittish and aggressive to any human that came too close. Chuck, the stable's trainer suggested that they back the trailer up to the paddock and let her get out on her own, after a quick glance of her behavior. For the safety of everyone, they did just that. She came bucking out of the trailer angry and kicking at full strength. She galloped and charged at the fence with hatred and determination in her eyes. Cheyenne watched quietly as the filly tired herself out. Wondering why this poor girl was born so angry. It hurt her so much that it brought tears to her eyes. "Something so beautiful should not be so angry" she thought to herself. Once she was tired out, they tried to lead her to her stall, but the filly found a second wind and was unable to leave the paddock. They decided to leave her be for the night, perhaps tomorrow she would do better.
She was not. The black filly continued her aggressive behavior and was so untamed that she spent several months in the paddock. Luckily, she was purchased in the Spring and they had plenty of time to work with her before the icy grip of Winter fell over the area. Day by day, Chuck, Roger and Cheyenne visited and worked with the filly. Roger began to lose hope that it could be done; but Cheyenne and Chuck stayed true to the course. Believing that someday, they could see a gentle soul instead of the "Black Devil." Cheyenne refused to call the filly by her terrible name and decided that all she needed was a second chance, some grace to find her way; so she named her "Grace."
Finally in the fall, thanks to constant training from Cheyenne and Chuck, Grace was able to see her stall in the barn. Funny thing was, she looked happier there then she ever did in the paddock and from that day on, Grace began to do her name justice. Through out the Winter, they continued to work with her and even introduced her to a new mare, Pearl, through the stall doors. Grace was unsure of the newcomer and reverted a bit rearing and grunting at the grey horse; but again, every day got a little bit better. When Spring arrived, the two were able to enjoy the same paddock that Grace once reigned over with terror, together. Though it wasn't all smooth sailing, Grace had her days where she would nip and kick at Pearl for no apparent reason. It was hard to figure out just what was causing this and Cheyenne and Roger had to decide if they would continue to pair the two girls or force Grace to be on her own again. Ultimately, they did for a short while when Pearl was covered for the first time. For the safety of both mare and foal, Pearl spent much of her pregnancy grazing alone in her own paddock, but was able to visit with Grace through the fence. They found that this helped both girls and kept Grace from reverting back completely. That Fall, they also purchased another filly named Cinnamon. Cinnamon was another gentle soul who they tried to pair with Grace, but Grace had her eyes set on Pearl and rejected Cinnamon immediately. After a brutal attack from Grace, resulting in Cinnamon needing some lengthy wound care, it was determined that they would never again share a paddock; at least not until Grace was fully trained and trustworthy.
Through artificial insemination, Grace was covered by the founding Thoroughbred stallion of QMR, Wind Chaser, and produced a wonderfully beautiful filly named Bon Bon. It was a risk to breed a horse with such a past, but she had calmed so much and was pleasant with Cheyenne when she visited; and even allowed Cheyenne to ride her barebacked for brief periods of time. Because of this, Cheyenne believed that it was worth the risk and hopefully, it would help Grace. To her delight, it did. The pregnancy and delivery went well, but they all held their breaths for the first few weeks and kept a constant eye on the pair to ensure that Grace would accept the foal. It was a beautiful thing to see and Cheyenne even invited Grace's breeder out to see. He couldn't resist and visited in disbelief that the mare nursing a little foal so peacefully was the same horse that he had once called the Black Devil. He shook hands with them all and thanked them for their patience. Even Roger had a hard time believing it some days, remembering a day that Grace nearly got his ear in rage. Thanks to Bon Bon, Grace's behavior truly changed and she became a much softer mare. Though she would act out occasionally, it was never more than a soft kick or grunt at Pearl, which Pearl quickly nipped back like a pair of two old friends.
Over the next few years, Grace was able to be covered naturally by several different stallions and produced some beautiful foals; but her third pregnancy had devastating results. Her pregnancy was watched carefully as they had in the past and the ultrasound just days before she went into labor showed a healthy foal; but when the time came, the delivery was hard. The foal had gotten turned and stuck, causing terrible pain for Grace and ultimately the loss of the foal. Maneuvering and turning of the foal finally provided Grace the ability to give birth to the still born foal after hours of painful contractions and cries. It took her several minutes before she was even able to look back at the foal due to exhaustion and even longer to get to her feet. Cheyenne cried as she watched Grace whinny to the foal encouraging it to move. They allowed Grace time with it to grieve before removing it from the stall and Cheyenne was worried that the experience would have lasting effects. Understandably, Grace was heartbroken and showed signs of depression for a few weeks until the day that Pearl gave birth to her foal. Though it was Pearl's foal, Grace was there to help and it acted like a calming and therapeutic experience for her. Showing that the loss would not stick with her.
Since then, she has had several troublesome deliveries, and has only been bred 8 times in her life; but she still enjoys the days with the foals and looks happiest when she is pregnant. Grace is now fourteen years old and has truly embraced her name. It is no longer stressful to add a horse to her pasture and Grace is one of the first to welcome any newcomers and make friends. Her aggressive tenancies have all but disappeared thanks to the dedication and love of Cheyenne, Chuck and (the late) Roger. The glimmer of something that Cheyenne saw in a horse that no one wanted is now shining bright for all to see and causes questions as to whether the story of the "Black Devil" is true. It just goes to show you, that nothing is impossible and no horse is worth giving up on.
None of her foals have showed signs of her aggression issues and are all solid competitors.
He was so desperate, that he nearly gave her away for free, but did so with a warning, "She's a lost cause." The filly gave a good struggle as they loaded her into the trailer, bucking and grunting as they closed the door and locked the hatch good and tight. She and Roger were determined to work with her, to prove them wrong. There was something that Cheyenne saw in the filly, something that no one else could see. Even Roger was worried about what they were getting themselves into, but Cheyenne, had no doubts. She watched the breeder shake Roger's head before they left the property and headed home. The filly didn't calm down for most of the journey.
When they finally arrived at Quiet Meadows Ranch, the horse was as untamed as a wild Mustang; skittish and aggressive to any human that came too close. Chuck, the stable's trainer suggested that they back the trailer up to the paddock and let her get out on her own, after a quick glance of her behavior. For the safety of everyone, they did just that. She came bucking out of the trailer angry and kicking at full strength. She galloped and charged at the fence with hatred and determination in her eyes. Cheyenne watched quietly as the filly tired herself out. Wondering why this poor girl was born so angry. It hurt her so much that it brought tears to her eyes. "Something so beautiful should not be so angry" she thought to herself. Once she was tired out, they tried to lead her to her stall, but the filly found a second wind and was unable to leave the paddock. They decided to leave her be for the night, perhaps tomorrow she would do better.
She was not. The black filly continued her aggressive behavior and was so untamed that she spent several months in the paddock. Luckily, she was purchased in the Spring and they had plenty of time to work with her before the icy grip of Winter fell over the area. Day by day, Chuck, Roger and Cheyenne visited and worked with the filly. Roger began to lose hope that it could be done; but Cheyenne and Chuck stayed true to the course. Believing that someday, they could see a gentle soul instead of the "Black Devil." Cheyenne refused to call the filly by her terrible name and decided that all she needed was a second chance, some grace to find her way; so she named her "Grace."
Finally in the fall, thanks to constant training from Cheyenne and Chuck, Grace was able to see her stall in the barn. Funny thing was, she looked happier there then she ever did in the paddock and from that day on, Grace began to do her name justice. Through out the Winter, they continued to work with her and even introduced her to a new mare, Pearl, through the stall doors. Grace was unsure of the newcomer and reverted a bit rearing and grunting at the grey horse; but again, every day got a little bit better. When Spring arrived, the two were able to enjoy the same paddock that Grace once reigned over with terror, together. Though it wasn't all smooth sailing, Grace had her days where she would nip and kick at Pearl for no apparent reason. It was hard to figure out just what was causing this and Cheyenne and Roger had to decide if they would continue to pair the two girls or force Grace to be on her own again. Ultimately, they did for a short while when Pearl was covered for the first time. For the safety of both mare and foal, Pearl spent much of her pregnancy grazing alone in her own paddock, but was able to visit with Grace through the fence. They found that this helped both girls and kept Grace from reverting back completely. That Fall, they also purchased another filly named Cinnamon. Cinnamon was another gentle soul who they tried to pair with Grace, but Grace had her eyes set on Pearl and rejected Cinnamon immediately. After a brutal attack from Grace, resulting in Cinnamon needing some lengthy wound care, it was determined that they would never again share a paddock; at least not until Grace was fully trained and trustworthy.
Through artificial insemination, Grace was covered by the founding Thoroughbred stallion of QMR, Wind Chaser, and produced a wonderfully beautiful filly named Bon Bon. It was a risk to breed a horse with such a past, but she had calmed so much and was pleasant with Cheyenne when she visited; and even allowed Cheyenne to ride her barebacked for brief periods of time. Because of this, Cheyenne believed that it was worth the risk and hopefully, it would help Grace. To her delight, it did. The pregnancy and delivery went well, but they all held their breaths for the first few weeks and kept a constant eye on the pair to ensure that Grace would accept the foal. It was a beautiful thing to see and Cheyenne even invited Grace's breeder out to see. He couldn't resist and visited in disbelief that the mare nursing a little foal so peacefully was the same horse that he had once called the Black Devil. He shook hands with them all and thanked them for their patience. Even Roger had a hard time believing it some days, remembering a day that Grace nearly got his ear in rage. Thanks to Bon Bon, Grace's behavior truly changed and she became a much softer mare. Though she would act out occasionally, it was never more than a soft kick or grunt at Pearl, which Pearl quickly nipped back like a pair of two old friends.
Over the next few years, Grace was able to be covered naturally by several different stallions and produced some beautiful foals; but her third pregnancy had devastating results. Her pregnancy was watched carefully as they had in the past and the ultrasound just days before she went into labor showed a healthy foal; but when the time came, the delivery was hard. The foal had gotten turned and stuck, causing terrible pain for Grace and ultimately the loss of the foal. Maneuvering and turning of the foal finally provided Grace the ability to give birth to the still born foal after hours of painful contractions and cries. It took her several minutes before she was even able to look back at the foal due to exhaustion and even longer to get to her feet. Cheyenne cried as she watched Grace whinny to the foal encouraging it to move. They allowed Grace time with it to grieve before removing it from the stall and Cheyenne was worried that the experience would have lasting effects. Understandably, Grace was heartbroken and showed signs of depression for a few weeks until the day that Pearl gave birth to her foal. Though it was Pearl's foal, Grace was there to help and it acted like a calming and therapeutic experience for her. Showing that the loss would not stick with her.
Since then, she has had several troublesome deliveries, and has only been bred 8 times in her life; but she still enjoys the days with the foals and looks happiest when she is pregnant. Grace is now fourteen years old and has truly embraced her name. It is no longer stressful to add a horse to her pasture and Grace is one of the first to welcome any newcomers and make friends. Her aggressive tenancies have all but disappeared thanks to the dedication and love of Cheyenne, Chuck and (the late) Roger. The glimmer of something that Cheyenne saw in a horse that no one wanted is now shining bright for all to see and causes questions as to whether the story of the "Black Devil" is true. It just goes to show you, that nothing is impossible and no horse is worth giving up on.
None of her foals have showed signs of her aggression issues and are all solid competitors.
April 2014 -
When the decision was made to once again cover QMR Grace, we did it with the expectations that it would be a carefully followed pregnancy. What we didn't expect was what we found when Dr. Rowley did an early ultrasound to verify the pregnancy; Grace was pregnant with twins! Having such a poor history with pregnancies, we knew that Grace was not able to carry both foals to term or even deal well with the delivery if she was able to. We decided to do an embryo transfer with one of the embryos. Luckily both pregnancies took and we were expecting 2 foals by her. Our surrogate mare was WPE Uncommon Chrome who just happened to be ready at the same time, and she carried and delivered a perfectly healthy black colt named QMR Summer's End, sired by QMR Summer Wind. Unfortunately, Grace was a different story.
Grace's pregnancy was closely watched and she did very well until the last week or so before her due date. Things began going down hill when Maryann noticed her acting more lethargic. Dr. Rowley was quickly called who found that the foal was in danger and Grace was rapidly becoming dehydrated. IV fluids and a variety of things were done to help her but she went into labor the following day. She was weak, having eaten very little the past 48 hours and drinking even less. The fluids helped but the labor was draining any strength that she had left. Luckily, things were progressing quickly for her and the foal's hooves were showing before we knew it. Dr. Rowley made the call to intervene as early as possible to help move things along; and with good reason. The foal was stuck, it's chest was large and Grace was having difficulty passing it. Grace laid down in fatigue and Dr. Rowley had to do some maneuvering with the foal; giving Grace the ability to birth the foal with a few more good pushes and Dr. Rowley's continued help. As soon as the foal was born, Cheyenne hurried in to help. The foal was healthy and breathing fine, then Dr. Rowley's attention quickly turned back to Grace. She was now unconscious and breathing shallowly. We were losing her! It was like no matter what we did, we couldn't get her back. Then, just as we were about to give up on her, she came back. She perked her ears up and quietly whinnied. She didn't have the strength to get up or even lift her head up but she was back. Right then and there Cheyenne decided to never put Grace through this again. If she is able to pull through, Grace would be a pasture mare; free to enjoy life and help with the youngsters but never again have some of her own. Luckily, she did pull through and though her milk never came in, she was there to care and watch over her new little bay colt; QMR Summer Rain.
When the decision was made to once again cover QMR Grace, we did it with the expectations that it would be a carefully followed pregnancy. What we didn't expect was what we found when Dr. Rowley did an early ultrasound to verify the pregnancy; Grace was pregnant with twins! Having such a poor history with pregnancies, we knew that Grace was not able to carry both foals to term or even deal well with the delivery if she was able to. We decided to do an embryo transfer with one of the embryos. Luckily both pregnancies took and we were expecting 2 foals by her. Our surrogate mare was WPE Uncommon Chrome who just happened to be ready at the same time, and she carried and delivered a perfectly healthy black colt named QMR Summer's End, sired by QMR Summer Wind. Unfortunately, Grace was a different story.
Grace's pregnancy was closely watched and she did very well until the last week or so before her due date. Things began going down hill when Maryann noticed her acting more lethargic. Dr. Rowley was quickly called who found that the foal was in danger and Grace was rapidly becoming dehydrated. IV fluids and a variety of things were done to help her but she went into labor the following day. She was weak, having eaten very little the past 48 hours and drinking even less. The fluids helped but the labor was draining any strength that she had left. Luckily, things were progressing quickly for her and the foal's hooves were showing before we knew it. Dr. Rowley made the call to intervene as early as possible to help move things along; and with good reason. The foal was stuck, it's chest was large and Grace was having difficulty passing it. Grace laid down in fatigue and Dr. Rowley had to do some maneuvering with the foal; giving Grace the ability to birth the foal with a few more good pushes and Dr. Rowley's continued help. As soon as the foal was born, Cheyenne hurried in to help. The foal was healthy and breathing fine, then Dr. Rowley's attention quickly turned back to Grace. She was now unconscious and breathing shallowly. We were losing her! It was like no matter what we did, we couldn't get her back. Then, just as we were about to give up on her, she came back. She perked her ears up and quietly whinnied. She didn't have the strength to get up or even lift her head up but she was back. Right then and there Cheyenne decided to never put Grace through this again. If she is able to pull through, Grace would be a pasture mare; free to enjoy life and help with the youngsters but never again have some of her own. Luckily, she did pull through and though her milk never came in, she was there to care and watch over her new little bay colt; QMR Summer Rain.