|
This story has it roots in my first trip overseas in 2002, to Italy and the Fierra Caveli, to promote the Curly horses. For this was where I saw my first Tinker and fell in love.
May of 2005 my friend Kim called and asked if I wanted to bring an Irish Draft stallion into Canada with her. I of course said yes and then the wheels started rolling and I figured if we were going to go to all the bother to bring in one horse, why not two! So my search started to fulfill me dream and find a Tinker mare to bring home.
No easy task as it all has to be done via emails. But I was very fortunate to finally hook up with Katja Bech of www.sitecenter.dk/stutterilillevang
on September 15th. She had a friend, Maria, that had a mare, Sally, for sale. When I received the first photo’s above I knew we finally had our Tinker. And a bonus, Katja owned a fantastic, champion Tinker stallion, Gigant (pictured below) that we could breed Sally to. So on September 24th Sally arrived at Katja’s to start her Canadian adventure.
Pictures of Sally performing in Denmark.
Lillevang’s Gigant.
Champion Tinker in Europe.
And the sire to our future baby from Sally!!.
October 4th Sally was first exposed to Gigant.
We were all worried about breeding this late in the year, but sometime you do what you gotta do!
Sally and Gigant become better aquatinted.
October 26th Sally is back in heat!! Yikes, she is bred again and then November 18th she is checked and more bad news, twins!! Katja has the vet squash one of the twins and we cross our fingers that Sally does not reject the other one. Katja assures me that this in one of the best vets around and he has a high success rate with this procedure (only looses 1 in 5) December 16th we make the first blood tests and swabs for Sally.
December 19th we receive the confirmation that Sally is still bred, wheh!
Sally in Denmark with Gigant.
We have a tentative transportation date the middle of January and the transportation is all arranged and then we find out that the company that was suppose to have a third horse does not!! Back to the drawing board again!! Katja says she thinks our Denmark Canada fairytale is not meant to be. I tell her YES, it IS!! We will make it happen..
Katja’s champion Gigant in Winter.
But the pressure is on as Katja has another horse to arrive at her stables the first of February and Terrence also has new horses coming in. Then we find out that the third horse is delayed in her blood work and cannot leave before the 8th of January. Maybe Katja is right!!
January 2006 Gigant then Sally.
Sally feeling good! (Obviously nobody has told her she is coming to Canada!)
And finally February 13th, 2006 They Arrive!