Noble Lady 1971 - 2001 |
Her number was 023630 and she was born March 24, 1971and died on
Feb 23, 2001. She was bred by William Montgomery of Elk Grove, CA, who was a brother
in law of Hazel Sweden, one of the founders of the Sacramento Valley Morgan Horse Club and
the show at Plymouth, CA. It was known as the Mother Lode All Morgan Horse Show for
years. William and his wife leased some mares from the Circle H ranch at Bridgeport,
CA, and bred them to some California stallions. Noble Lady was sold as a two year
old to a couple in the Carson City area of Nevada who also raised Arabians. They
bred her to their Arabian stallion and she had her first black filly for them. Sadly
a divorce forced her to go through a sale and only by a stroke of luck did she end up in
my area just long enough for me to hear about her and buy her... |
When my boss gave our daughter a horse for Christmas one year we had no
idea how much it would change our lives. First came lessons and tack, then we had to find
a ranch so we did not have to board the mare out, then a truck and horse trailer so we
could take our daughter to 4-Hevents. The list just seemed to get longer and longer. Soon
I had a horse too so I could ride with my daughter. The gelding we had was as sweet as
they come but just like being on a jack hammer. My doctor told me that if I just HAD to
ride a horse, I would have to find one that was smooth and gentle. Thus began my search
for a special mare.
I had no idea of color, size, breed, level of training or price. I just knew I wanted
to find a horse that was comfortable to ride, seemed willing and safe and sweet. It took
two years! I had no idea it would be such a "needle in the hay stack" search.
Being a novice horsewoman, I needed to learn a lot during those two years. We took horse
husbandry classes and I got involved in 4-H to the point I could be a horse project
leader. At long last I saw an ad for a Morgan mare and her yearling filly for sale, just
five miles from my ranch, on Lariat Dr. in Cameron Park, CA. It was May so I was able to
talk my husband into buying the mare for me as a combination Mother’s Day and
Birthday gift.
Noble Lady had some kind of bad experience and had been very difficult to catch that
first day. She was so relieved when we did start to handle her as she sensed we meant her
no harm. We were able to take her out for a ride that very first day. I spent the next
year getting her over what ever that terrible event might have been. It had to have
included a man as she was afraid of all men. At the end of the first year she began to
trust men again. Noble Lady was 8 years old when I found her on Lariat Drive She was black
according to her papers but she did have the brown around the muzzle and loin so I think
she was a brown. Her filly was a real black. She had been bred to a Morab the first time
and this filly was her second foal. The sire of this one was Bar Bee’s Romeo. Our
mare was sired by Impala Nobleman and her dam was Sonnetta Spar by Lee Spar. Noble Lady
was a close, living example of what Richard Sellman had once bred in Texas. I did not know
that at that time. She had wonderful conformation and had already produced two black
fillies so I was encouraged to breed her. I started looking for a sire. At that time we
did not have the option of transported semen. Working, raising children and having a limit
on what we could spend made it a more limited decision. I found the Smith’s of Sonoma
who had the old Government lines from Tutor and we decided to breed Noble Lady to one of
their Jr. Stallions.. His name was Skyridge Sky Lark. He was sired by UVM Vantage, a son
of UVM Flash. Our filly was black and truly lovely. We bred the two again and had a full
sister, black, also a real beauty. They were Noble Lady’s Diva and Noble Ladylark.
Now I had a terrible decision. My husband said, you have three mares, you can only keep
two.So I sold Noble Lady to a women who had a Lippitt stallion and wanted a superior
broodmare. "Lady" had three black foals for her, two fillies and a colt. During
her years with Edith, she was used for trail riding, parades and some endurance rides,
besides her broodmare duties.
Noble Lady - Four Generations
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In 1993, I had a chance to buy Noble Lady again. She had come
back to No. Calif. leased at age 21, after having had 7 foals. A man we were doing
business with rode her in a bareback dollar bill race against all the kids from 4-H and
FFA and won $28.00 with her at that age. Noble Lady had been bred to a bay stallion and
had another black filly. She had now produced seven black Morgans and one black Morab, 7
fillies and one colt. She was bred back to the same stallion and the following year she
had her one and only non-black. She had a bay colt. In 1996, she had her last foal, a
black colt. That made an even ten. |
Our grandson wanted to name the last foal from her so we told him that
he could help name him. He loved Joe Montana from the S.F.49'rs. He came up with the name
"Johntana". We loved it. Our prefix is Trot'r Ln.,so his registered name is
Trot’r Ln Johntana. The man who purchased our first filly from Noble Lady played golf
with the real Joe Montana and got him to autograph a photo of the colt named in his honor.
In 1998, I let a young girl that was working with Nancy Hazelwood in Sacramento, CA,
borrow Noble Lady to take lessons and to learn to show and ride. Her name was Megan Evans.
She outgrew Noble Lady as she became a wonderfully talented rider. By then her sister,
Randy Mae was ready to ride and show. We took Noble Lady to her last show that year at
Watsonville, Ca.. This was a class "A: Morgan show. There was Noble Lady, carrying a
young girl in Western Pleasure, a tot in the Leadline class and a beginner adult rider in
an English flat class. The announcer took a few minutes to tell the audience that Lady was
27 years young and still out there showing and sound as a
dollar. After that show we decided she needed to retire and just hang out at the ranch in
Shingle Springs, CA.
Over the years, her daughters had been shown in the Produce of Dam class at one of the
"A" Morgan shows and won it three consecutive times. We retired the "Friday
B" Challenge Trophy for Produce of Dam. In 1996, we had a lovely trophy made in
Noble Lady’s honor and allowed it to replace the one we retired.
But, as her fate and destiny would have it, "Lady" was lonely here and we had
a chance to let her spend some time being a companion for a young mare.
"Lady" was just shy of 30 years old. In Feb. of 2001, Lady suffered a
severe case of colic .
We walked her out into the sunshine and let her enjoy it on her back for one last time.
Do you believe in destiny? Noble Lady was laid down there on Lariat Dr., Cameron Park, CA,
just at the West end of the same street where I had found her 22 years before. Lariat
Drive makes a full circle in there, I guess life did too for Noble Lady and me. We all
cried, except the Vet. He knew we had given her that one last gift, a quick and painless
ending.
How I pity those who make the journey in this world-but fail to have the chance to
meet, and own, and love, a Morgan horse like Noble Lady and her offspring.
Nancy King, Shingle Springs, CA, TROTTER LANE MORGANS
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This picture of her at age 29 was the very last picture we took of her.
She died about six months later. In the picture, I sure could not see any problems
with her back or legs. She was still very sound and willing to be ridden.
Those two girls are two of five children from a family in Davis that Karen knew. The
mother is a Veterinarian and she wanted a safe horse for the kids to start learning on, so
she borrowed Lady from us for the summer just prior to her going to Cameron Park to keep
Lil company.
True to the Morgan breed, she had the love of work and saw her retirement...as
punishment. She would stand at the gate and wait for her next assignment.
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