BLUE IS IMPRESSIVE

 May 23, 1981 - September 27, 2011

The end of an error has come.

Blue was euthanized on September 27, 2011.  This was one of the saddest days of my life.  He was 30 in May and was starting to show signs of age.  We got a pony for him, Feather, and she gave him a new lease on life.  He was having a hard time getting back up after laying down and on that day despite our efforts we could not get him up on his feet.  I knew the tough decision I would have to make.  I called the vet and sat on the floor with him while we waited.  I brushed him as he lay with his head on my lap.  I talked to him about the times we'd had together and that he was very special to me.  He seemed to understand and lay there quietly while I rambled on and on.  Blue and I shared so many special times.  He was always a great stallion.  He was gentle with small children, loved Chip, and he and I were partners.  There are so many stories to tell about him.

I remember the first time I saw him.  In was in August of 1987.  He was at Cowboy Corner in Mississippi.  I was there to purchase some yearlings.  Then I saw Blue in a stall.  He was so black and slick he was almost blue.  They saddled him up for me to ride.  I grinned from ear to ear so hard it almost hurt.  He always had the smoothest jog and could canter in the palm of your hand.  He was so light that the slightest touch to the reins would bring a response.  He could almost run backwards.  So the handsome black stallion came home with me.

 Born May 23, 1981, Blue like a fine wine, kept improving with age.Sired by Mr. Impressive, a leading sire of performance winners and a grandson of Impressive,  leading sire of halter class winners, Blue had a pedigree to be proud of.  One of his most outstanding features was his beautful head, which was impressive inside and out.  He always had a remarkable disposition which he passed along to his offspring.  He had his Register of Merit in Western Pleasure, as well as points in Halter and Trail.    I had never owned a stallion and Blue was a great horse for a first timer.  He knew when he could breed a mare.  If you lead him with a cotton leadrope he was a perfect gentleman.  If you put a chain over his nose he knew there was going to be some action.  He never rushed a mare.  He always took his time.  He was no fool.  He didn't want to get hurt.

He always seemed to know when a foal was born and was so proud. I'd say "Blue you have a fine son" or "Blue you have a beautiful daughter" and he'd lift his head, tall and proud, as if he knew exactly what I was saying.  Sometimes I was sure he did.  One morning I went out to the barn to check on one of the broodmares that was due to foal.  She was tearing around her stall, whinnying out and frantic.  All the signs of her having a foal were there but no baby.  I looked down the alley and there was Blue standing in his stall, tall and proud.  Standing between his front legs was a colt with his head sticking out.  He was sad to be taken away from his Dad but once he found Mom's breakfast bar things were all right.

  Blue's foals all have his remarkable disposition. They are easy to handle from birth throughout training. No matter how plain headed a mare may be, the foals are all born with his wide forehead and gentle eye.  His foals have been successful in all disciplines - western, english, halter, and gymkhana.  Blue even has a daughter, Blues Chyna Girl, who is doing mounted shooting.  One of his other daughters, Imanimpresivelegacy, aka: Clover, is with us and has been given the honor of residence in his stall.  What could be more fitting than to let his beautiful daughter have his stall?

Horseman say in your lifetime you only own one great horse.  I've been lucky to have a few and Blue was one of them.  No other stallion will ever fill his shoes.  I never had one that was as well mannered, especially when breeding mares.  He could always be trusted in any situation.  He and I were always able to communicate without words.  There was a bond with us that I've never had with any horse.  I know he's in green pastures with a band of mares with beautiful foals prancing in the grass while their proud father looks on with his black coat glistening in the sun and his black mane flowing in the air.

Rest in Peace Blue.  I'll never forget you.

Thanks to my friend, Nancy G. for this beautiful vision.

           Below are two of his daughters, Whataimpresivelegacy, Clover, who lives with us in KY and Bittersweet Memory, aks Layla, who lives in Middletown, CT with her owner Michelle Mazzotta.  Both girls are spitting images of their Dad.

 

 If you have any of Blue's foals and stories about them or any remembrances of Blue please send them to me so I can share them with others.