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Friday, April 20, 2018

Remembering Serada



Serada was foaled 50 years ago today. His dam was Gayranna, my very first horse. His sire was Seranej, owned by the Gulleys of Jimjac Arabian Farm, who had virtually taken me in as a member of the family and coached me along in this journey of horse ownership, showing, and breeding.

When Serada was a yearling, I took him to his first horse show. I felt more than a little out of my league as I led this excited young colt across the distance from the show barn to the show ring. It had rained recently, and there were puddles to be passed. It was as if Serada had never seen a puddle before and thought each one was something that might hurt him.

By the time we reached the show ring, Serada was excitedly blowing and snorting; prancing, feet seeming to barely touch the ground; tail over his back; neck arched. He was a sight to see, beautiful always, but brilliant when excited.

He won first place in halter in his first show. It was the beginning of a highly successful show career, the highlights of which were:

  • U. S. National Top Ten Half-Arabian Gelding in 1971
  • U. S. National Champion Half-Arabian Gelding in 1973
  • U. S. National Champion Half-Arabian English Pleasure in 1973
  • U. S. National Champion Half-Arabian English Pleasure in 1976 (Serada was the first to win that award twice.)

U. S. National Top Ten 1971
At His New Home in Florida 1972

Realizing that I lacked the experience to help Serada reach his full potential, I sold him as a four-year-old to Bob Barbieri in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was under Bob's ownership that Serada won his three National Championships.

National Champion Half-Arabian Gelding 1973
National Champion Half-Arabian English Pleasure 1973
National Champion Half-Arabian English Pleasure 1976
Competing in Driving Class at Nationals 1976

Bob and Serada traveled to the Nationals again in 1978, looking forward to the possibility of earning a National Championship in Driving and a third National Championship in English Pleasure.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. Serada colicked and died the night before he was to compete.

Gayranna and Seranej continued to produce beautiful offspring for several years, although, to my knowledge, none ever matched Serada's show career.

Today, on the 50th anniversary of his birth, it just seemed appropriate to remember Serada. I know how dearly he was loved by Bob and how Bob's heart was broken that awful night in Louisville when Serada died. Horses like him don't come along every day.

The following photos were part of a photo shoot by the Arabian Horse Journal, which featured Serada on the cover of the July, 1977, issue of that magazine. The rider in these photos is horse trainer, Buck Grass.





18 comments:

  1. What an incredible life and I hope it was a good one for him. Must have been exciting to take him to the horse shows.

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

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    1. He was loved, Mersad. And it was indeed exciting to take him to shows. ;)

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  2. What a gorgeous horse, I laugh when I often converse with them. LOL

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  3. What a beautiful beautiful creature, Linda! Oh my...and how sad his ending was. The pictures from the photo shoot are amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

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    1. Thank you, Dianna. You know how some dates just stick in your mind? Well, Serada's birthday has always stuck in mine. And now it's been 50 years. Where does the time go?

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  4. Thank you Linda for sharing your memories of this beautiful and gifted horse. You were blessed to call him yours for a period of time!

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Diane. It was a privilege to have had a part in Serada's early life and a thrill to see him go to such a good home with Bob.

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  5. Linda, Serada was such a beautiful horse and I know you enjoyed your time of being with him and showing him. I know you missed him as much as Bob, because he still was a part of you and your training him. Wow, such beauty and poise.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. Gayranna was a great mare and the perfect horse for a beginner like me. And I was blessed to have such good friends as the Gulleys who allowed me to breed her to their Arabian stallion, Seranej. Serada was the first foal from that match, and what a way for a beginner to start! I was there at the end, along with Bob, the Gulleys, my niece, and the woman who had sold Gayranna to me. It was a sad, sad day for all of us.

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  6. oh my he was a beautiful horse! And to win all those championships.

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    1. Thanks, Kim. It was a thrill to have a part in Serada's life.

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  7. A beautiful horse. You must have felt like you lost a friend.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Sandi. Yes, he was beautiful. And yes, it was hard to lose him. Such a sad day.

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  8. Such a gorgeous horse... I know NOTHING (NOTTA) about horses other than I like them. When I was a little girl, they would have horse shows in our big park. My Dad was in the Kiwanis Club and he would be working there (concessions) through the Kiwanis Club... I would go with Dad and we would watch the horse shows... BUT--other than riding a horse ONCE when I was in high school (when our youth group went to a place where people could ride ), that is the extent of my horse knowledge. I had never heard the words his 'dam' or his 'sire' before--although I figured out that those were his parents!!!!

    Interesting post. Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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    1. I grew up loving horses, Betsy; and I never outgrew it. My folks always said I could have a horse when I could afford to buy one. I think they thought I would outgrow it. But I didn't. I bought Gayranna in 1967, when I was 22 years old. She was 10, and we had 14 years together.

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