The Legacy our Mother Left—#10
It has been over 10 months since the last blog on BRH’s. In that time we have moved to a new location in Frederick County, and I am very close to be able to ride again after a rather serious accident nearly eight months ago.
I realize I have lost the momentum of the entries on our mother and the legacy she left. However, I would like to close the chapters on her with a couple photos of one of the last times she and I had with the horses. Thank you for indulging me.
The Legacy our Mother Left—#9
Whatever our Mother embarked on she went full steam ahead. She intently pressed onward towards her next idea, vision or goal. That vision after the river trips were miniature horses. Griz loved the idea, and always had carrots in his pockets for ‘the little dudes’, as he always called them.
Griz made the shed into a cute mini barn.
Her twin sister, our Auntie Bliss, had a few years earlier, discovered the joys of
This is Crimson and her foal, BR (Boomerang). This author is now the proud owner of BR, who is now a great little senior citizen of 26 years old.
miniature horses. Mom and Griz visited her place several times in New Hampshire. There, they too, caught the joy of mini’s. Not missing a beat, she and Griz began preparing their home at 13021 in Maryland for two mini broodmares and the beginnings of their next adventure together. Our Mother always called herself a ‘tag-along’ behind Auntie Bliss and so appropriately named their farm, Tag-Along Farm Miniature Horses.
These little foals were so adorable.
Their Maryland home was deftly transformed by Griz’s skilled hands into a happy miniature horse farm. The back yard became the pasture for the mini’s, and the training arena for the foals that would soon arrive. A shed was purchased and configured into a cute miniature horse barn. They were off! Unlike Auntie Bliss, who owned mini’s for pleasure, Mom and Griz turned their farm into a business.
Professional miniature horse magazines began appearing on the coffee table. Mini horse supplies were everywhere! A throng of new friends entered their lives. All enthusiastic mini horse owners, trainers, and showmen. Everything was so little after a life-time of big horses. At first we poked a lot of fun at them, with their little horses and the little shows she and Griz and all their new friends went to. They even hauled their mini’s inside a van, where Griz fashioned two ‘stalls’ for hauling them to shows!
This is Georgia, our Mothers’ prize show mare.
But he who laughs last laughs best, as once again our Mother showed us the power of fearless determination, vision, grace to learn from others and generosity go a long, long way. She had forged yet another path we children could follow.
Georgia could jump higher than she was tall. She won many ribbons for Tag-Along Farm.
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- Spooky was her prize gelding. He won many Championship ribbons.
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- BR was a foal from her mare. He is a perfect mini size and conformation. Making him not only one of her two breeding stallions, but also her gold mining partner in her costume classes!
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- Spooky was also a terrific mini to drive.
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- A mini is a little horse with a big horse mind! What size difference?
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- Happily driving/showing Spooky.
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- Georgia knows she’ll be getting a treat from Griz after she gives the kids a ride!
Our mother never turned down a good adventure. We knew she would be all for a rivertrip, so did Griz. Griz was a highly skilled outdoorsman who grew up in Michigan, served the Navy during WWII in the North Pacific, and logged countless hours floating his canoes, Castor and Pollux, on many, many rivers. He was ready to log more on the Mackenzie River with our mother. She was all for it.
They piloted Pollux. Our mother, Ken, as Griz called her, sat at the bow. Griz manned the stern. He always said Ken was the best ‘bow man’ he ever had, followed by his big hearty laugh. An old CIA buddy controlled the stern of Castor while a ‘young buck’ (as they called the young man) sat at the bow.
This 1,000 mile river trip was just beginning practice for them. For after they returned from it, Griz was already planning their big float. They were going to the Northwest Territories of Alaska to paddle the Yukon River. An 1,800 mile canoe trip on the wildest river in North America. Our mother did not blink an eye.
We have decided to let our mother tell us their story in her photographs. All these photographs and notes belong to her. They serve to remind us of the strength, fortitude and the adventurous spirit of our mother.
Ken admiring a king salmon.
Carl wrote of their adventures on the Yukon River. It is a wonderful story, well written, full of photos and beautiful drawings done by his daughter, Mary T. Laur.
Jim, the bow man, and Neil, manning the stern.
They look so small.
Our mother never passed an opportunity to photograph twins—of any sort!
For our mother to be in this wilderness so many days is amazing.
The Legacy Our Mother Left—#8
The Legacy Our Mother Left—#7
Griz was a big part of our Bi-Centennial Wagon Train adventure.
Our mother and Carl (whom we lovingly called ‘Griz’ because he was as big as a grizzly bear!) were married as soon as the Wagon Train ended and all departed back to their homes.
Our mother and Carl were married as soon as the Wagon Train was over.
Griz was a ‘G’ man. His career with the CIA for over 30 years had filled our imagination with stories of espionage and intrigue. We knew behind his smile were stories we would never come to know or hear of. He was a man with connections, that we only caught glimpses of…like the night our bus (it truly was a school bus converted into a 4-horse trailer) broke down on the way back home from the Wagon Train.
We had gone far off route looking at a horse to buy. The folks kindly offered us their living room floor to sleep for the night so we could repair the bus the following morning. The entire household was awakened by firm wraps upon the front door. Whereupon opening stood two state troopers looking for three young people. They listed each of us by first and last name! That was just one glimpse of Grizs’ connections.
Between the two of them stood ten children. Griz had three grown and gone sons, and two mostly grown, though still at home, daughters. Our mother had one grown and gone son, and two sets of twins. All were on their own except for one twin living at the Caverns.
Griz and our mother were preparing the canoes for a trip!
Having grown children at home provided an easy answer to the question of who would care for the house and animals as Griz and our mother were preparing for a trip. A trip that required the repair of Griz’s two Otca Old Town canoes, named Castor and Pollox. Griz, our mother, and two other crew members were going to canoe 1,000 miles on the Mackenzie River in Canada!
The Legacy our Mother Left—#6
The joy horses gave us were a tie that bound our mother and us together. The glue that held our divorced mother and us close for the remainder of our lives.
We spent many happy hours riding our horses together.
Like good ‘ole fishing stories, we shared plenty of horse stories. The pinnacle of our riding days was the summer of 1976. The Bicentennial Wagon Train was on the roll. Five wagon trains re-tracing the five major wagon routes across the country were heading backwards. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania was the hub we were riding towards. Each state had an official wagon, and the Virginia wagon with it’s entourage was heading to our place, Endless Caverns in New Market, Virginia to bivouac for the night.
We led the Wagon Train into their camping grounds at the Caverns.
Our mother waving a happy hello, with three riders, and three important support team folks.
Our official Virginia wagon.
This month-long adventure was our mothers idea. We were to take the month off from work, horseback ride through four states, 370 miles to Valley Forge, PA. Five of us rode. Two, teen-age boys, we teen-age twins, and our 51 year-old mother. We broke camp on a bright early morning in June of 1976, and headed north towards PA.
It was also there, at the Caverns, where our mother met and married, Carl T. Taylor. He would soon take her on an adventure of a lifetime. Though we did not know it at the time, our trails together
Our mother riding her last ‘big’ horse, Snip.
had come to an end.
The Legacy our Mother Left #5
Time marches on and days at Arlington Hall came to a close. Mom pushed on into a new chapter of life, her twenties, which brought marriage and family. Horses were placed on hold or rather part-time, at least for awhile.
Before the time my twin and I could remember (we are the youngest in the family), Mom had friends who owned horses near our home in Charlottesville, Virginia.
We little twins meeting another ‘little.’
She went out as often as she was able and had we little twins in tow. She had discovered her next riding buddies, and we discovered our passion. Our training began early. We would take turns riding with her in the ring. The old horse was our teacher. Mom was teacher to the younger, more energetic horse. That horse felt huge to us as we sat astride him. Mom would laugh and urge us on.
This author cannot tell which of us is which!
A frightening memory still holds a place for us. We were watching Mom excercise her horse over jumps in the outdoor ring, when the horse went into a bucking spree. Mom flew off into the air and met with a hard thump on the ground. She lay still. Running towards her with great fear as we little twins yelled, “Mommma, Momma!” She pushed herself up from the ground and stood up. To our great relief, she was alright. She told us later that she thought herself back at Arlington Hall. It was our yelling “Momma” that shook her reverie.
The Legacy our Mother Left #4
The 24-horse drill team at Arlington Hall had to have been thrilling to be a part of. Indeed, our Mother told stories of how “The Arlington girls” always beat “The VMI boys!” They also had the distinct privilege of performing for President Franklin Roosevelt.
This photo captures only part of the 24-horse Drill Team.
The girls had a great respect for their drill instructor, known only to us as Klemann (forgive the spelling). There was quiet whispering swirling around the circle of friends of Mom’s parents. “Did you know that Edward and Esthers’ girls are being instructed by a German?
This concern was understandable, as it was the early 1940’s. The world stage was approaching a terrible upheaval.
The Legacy our Mother Left #3
A proud, happy student. See the silver cup in her hand?
We are so biased here at Blue Rock Horses. Any photo with a horse in it just has to be good. Add a pretty, young lady and it is a take. The time and place is unknown to us, but we are certain it is another photo from Mom’s days at Arlington Hall. Here is a fun fact, there were three sets of girl twins at Arlington Hall at the time Mom and Auntie Bliss were there! We wonder, did they confuse the horses?
The Legacy our Mother Left—Picture #2
Today is Mom’s (and Auntie Bliss’s) birthday. They were born in New York, February 5, 1925. Mom always thought herself so clever to be born on 2-5-25. As if she had something to do with it! They both were life-long, accomplished horsewomen. So this day we have decided to post a picture of the both of them.
Mom (standing) and Auntie Bliss on one of their school horses at Arlington Hall after a show.
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