I mentioned in my 2018 recap post that I would write about the deaths of both Ichiban and Knickers that happened at both ends of the year. Well here we go.
Ichiban
Ban was the first foal born in 2018 and was very vibrant. He was cuddly, curious, and my
favourite of the foal crop. He was also the only colt we had (as Salem turned our to be a filly). When we dropped him off in Kentucky for the 2018 breeding season together with his mother, Kiss, everything was as it should be. But when he returned to retrieve the pair and bring them back home, all wasn't well. Both had lost a lot of weight. Kiss was angry and lashed out at her son. Ban was dull and thin. It wasn't the farm, really. The other 3 pairs were thriving and both Ellie and Millie were in the same paddock as Kiss and Ban. We were suspicious and brought them home. We were stuck at
the Canadian border for hours trying to convince them that they were our own horses. Even after giving them proof, we still waited and ended up getting back to the farm at 5am.
Both Ban and Kiss improved. They both gained weight and both bonded again. But something was still suspicious. Ban was doing better but something was just weird about him. On the weekend of my model horse show, Toronto Live, my farm manager brought the vet out to look at him and it was bad news. He has severe pneumonia. Serious enough that it was a one way trip to the hospital and he died a few days later. We had the vet out before and she looked at him, but nothing was really amiss... but this came on very suddenly. His travel companion Taiga was tested right away and came up positive for pneumonia as well which we treated very aggressively. Fortunately she pulled through fine.
We informed the farm and they tested their foal herd right away and caught one little colt before it got too serious. Ichiban was 3 months old.
Knickers
I really don't know how to even describe the kind of horse that Knickers was... she was
really one of those once in a lifetime, easy going lesson horses that teach you everything and become a part of you forever. Below is the post that I wrong on our farm page.
For the last 15 years, long before we were A&A, Knickers has been our gold standard for ranking horses.
"Is it Knickers safe?" "Is it Knickers smooth?"
We stumbled upon this gem of a mare when we were taking family polo lessons, and it so happened that Nikki was one of the equine instructors. She was filled with ever lasting patience, even with our lack of hand eye co-ordination, and was above all the biggest confidence booster that anyone of us ever had (this still stands). We had the great fortune to lease her, but buying her was far out of the question; no one in their right mind would let such a brilliant horse go.
It wasn't until a riding accident, that left Andrij in the hospital, that there was even a glimmer
of hope that Knickers could one day be ours. Her owner came to Andrij and offered to sell this once-in-a-lifetime horse. It didn't matter that she was already 16, it was an obvious choice. Knickers became ours and we vowed to keep her for the rest of her life.
Now here we are 15 years later. Polo, field hunting, Pony Club, point to point steeplechasing, eventing, hacking, pony rides, lessons, parades... her resume is extensive to say the least.
Knickers, the matriarch of our herd, we are both honoured and humbled to have known you. You have been an extraordinary ambassador to the thoroughbred breed and you will never be forgotten.
Native Serenade (Knickers) March 12, 1988 - August 6th, 2018