The History of Gem Star Arabians

...Continued

2000 and on

Uptown Girl GSA at Futurity 2000

The show season of 2000 was quiet for myself. I only showed two of my weanlings at the futurity. My filly, Uptown Girl GSA was 2nd in a very large and tough filly class. She and BackStreet Strutter GSA were presented by John Lambert. Uptown looked incredible and is one of my best foals to date. These two also represented the first foals that I've gotten to show, with the exception of Long Neck Bottle GSA, I showed at futurity the year previous, she was 4th with me showing her. All of these foals were by Shah Jameel.

2000 was a great year in that my first foal crop was competing at Regionals. In that foal crop was the filly, On A Good Night GSA, by Shah Jameel and out of My Precious Dream. She is a super filly owned, at that time by Kelly Garner. "Ona" went on to win the Championship Sweepstakes Filly at Region 18 with Rob Langois. Not to bad since Gem Star's first foal produced and trying for a Regional win, succeded!

The winter of 2000 - 2001 was when American Express arrived at Gem Star Arabians. He was a coming five year old Half Arabian that was Top Ten in the US National Half Arabian Halter Futurity and had been shown in the English Pleasure Futurity where he was 11th or 12th. I was playing around with Express for the first month, getting him in shape and seeing what we could do. I'd been talking to John about him and one day he helped me out with him. He watched for a few minutes and then asked if he could step on him. Within two minutes he had Express' head up and elevated six inches more than I'd been able to. From then on, it was a great match that is still together today. The first show I took Express to was the 2001 Ohio Buckeye. John had only been working Express for about two weeks and it was the first time I'd been to the Buckeye. We did go Top Eight in the halter which was a lot of fun. Express really looked great in his classes and with John pulled off a fourth against some really nice horses. My country class had some 18 or 20 riders and it was a great class. We didn't make the top eight but I was excited non-the-less. Although Express was in shape and I'd been conditioning him for some time, he didn't have the training the other horses had, but he held his own and looked great. We showed him country that first year. We went on to Region 18 in Canada where he was Top Five in my AOTR, my first performance Top Five and Express too and then later was Reserve Champion with John in the Junior Horse class, his first Regional Championship in performance. So it was a great show full of first's! The next week we went on to Region 13 in Detroit where Express put on an amazing performance in the AOTR and we came out as Champion! My first Regional Championship! We ended the year with many Championships, it was a wonderful first year with American Express RLB.

Leave Me Breathless GSA	Shahry Baby GSA	Shah Ceelia GSA

The spring of 2001 produced some great Shah Jameel foals. Leave Me Breathless GSA, Shahry Baby GSA and Shah Ceelia GSA were born. Some of my finest foals. ShahCeelia would find a new home in Ohio and Shahry would head to Lincoln Nebraska in the fall to Mirage Arabians. Breathless stayed with me and became my show horse for 2002.

The winter of 2001 - 2002 John broke American Express RLB to drive and I started conditioning and schooling Breathless. Both horses started the season at the OHAHA Spring Show. Breathless brought home a District Top Five in the Open yearlings with John Lambert (3rd overall) and a District Top Five in the AOTH all ages. Express brought home a District Reserve Championship in the country driving AOTD, his very first driving class, and then a District Top Five in the Country Driving Open. It was a great show for Gem Star Arabians.

The next few local shows brought home many blues and championships and somewhere in this time, Express bumped up from the Country division to the English divison. Region 13 was a wonderful show. Express was Champion in the Pleasure Driving AOTD and Reserve Champion in the English Pleasure AOTR. Breathless brought home at Top Five in the Sweepstakes colt class with John Lambert. Region 18 Breathless was Top Five once again in the Yearling Sweepstakes this time with Rob Langois. Express stayed home for Region 18 - saving money. The year ended with a trip to US Nationals for Express and I. I can say one thing, we were there! I had a great year showing Express and love riding him but I think I might have had more fun working and schooling Breathless. John taught me the best way to school a youngster and I really enjoyed myself. John did the final touches on him at the show and Breathless would show all day for you. I think all the time I spent with Breathless has made him my favorite Jameel foal. He's been a real blast.

2002 brought along the Shah Jameel filly, Alrighty Then GSA. She was the only foal born on the farm, and quite possibly my best one! She is a full sister to On A Good Night GSA, Uptown Girl GSA and Leave Me Breathless GSA. She has this freaky cool neck that is set on just right.

Shah Jameel

2002 brought much sadness to Gem Star Arabians as we lost Shah Jameel, June 3, 2002. I was very lucky in that my best mare, My Precious Dream was covered once and took and my other mare Spring Fever's Honey settled. My sisters mare, Mt. Star was also checked in foal to him. I was afraid they wouldn't settle, but Jameel left me these last few gifts.

2003 Express turned the final leg in his training. All year he was a super star and got better and better. He was no longer the horse in between country and english, but full out english with a lot to offer. Laurel Rhodes rode Express in JTR during the 2003 season. She was Region 18 Champion English Pleasure JTR. Region 13 was by far the best show I've ever had in my life. Express was Champion in English Pleasure AOTR, ATR and Pleasure Driving Open with John. He was a super star and I've never had so many compliments from judges on a horse. Region 13 was also great in that my filly, Alrighty Then GSA was Reserve Champion in the Yearling Sweepstakes. Once again I conditioned and schooled her at home. She wasn't quite as well trained as Breathless (blame the owner here!) but she got out there and showed incredible and I guess those judges liked that freaky cool neck! I've never had so many compliments on a halter horse. Just walking her out to lunge people would continuously stop and ask about her. Region 18 also turned out to be a good show. Alrighty Then GSA was once again Reserve Champion in the Sweepstakes fillies and Express was Champion in the AOTR and JTR with Laurel Rhodes. For once, I brought home big checks from a horse show and actually made more than my expenses!

Black Party Dress (Jacala)	Finale GSA	Ever After GSA

The Spring of 2003 brought the very last foal crop of Shah Jameel. Black Party Dress, Finale GSA and Ever After GSA. My sister owns Black Party Dress and the other two are mine. I have decided to keep these two, forever. I have a special story about these two. The weekend of Thanksgiving of 2002, my sister and I went to see a physic. Whether you believe in them or not, I will say that she hit the nail on the head more than once! She mentioned to me about a very special horse I'd had for a long time. I was at first thinking of Express but when her face turned sad and she said "it must be difficult", I asked if this horse was still alive. She said no and I new she was talking about Jameel. She then went on to ask if he died because of something with his belly. She said she was getting a vision of a horses belly. She then said that he is sending me a special horse that will remind me of him. I explained how his death had nothing to do with his belly but that I had two mares in foal to him. So to make a long story short, Jameel sent me two very special gifts that I plan to hold on to. They are both very special weanlings and I'm looking forward to starting to condition them for the show ring in a few months.

July of 2003 brought on a job change. I now work for The Arabian Horse Network, Scott Bailey and David Cains. It's the perfect job, what could be better than what I use to sneak and do at my other job, Looking up horse stuff?!? I love working for the guys and it's the job I've always wanted. "They" always say, If you love your work it's never a job, well, that's very true! Thanks guys - Love ya!

So this brings us to the winter of 2003 and getting ready to celebrate the New Year. Express is home for the winter and enjoying his time running the pasture with the babies. I'm at an all time low on horses with only six on the farm. I can't remember the last time I had less than eight. It's really nice and I'd like to sell one more. Five seems like a nice number. It's a tough decision on who to sell as I love them all and they are all top horses, I couldn't ask for better horses. So I leave it to fate and who ever sells first (of course the weanlings aren't available), sells first.

GSA Home	GSA Pastures

The pond winter of 2004

2004 turned out to be an ok year. Top Five with Express at Region 13 and Region 18. I then sold him and he went on to NSH Finals, where he was Reserve National Champion in the Country Pleasure for his new owner. The last show of the year I showed Mr. Holland LOA. He was a real super star. One month out of the field and in a snaffle. He marched around the ring like he owned it. The only thing he wouldn't do was a back so I faked it and got busted! I'm such a bad liar, it was pretty funny. So that moved him down to fourth place, but out of nine, I couldn't have been happier. He did so well that both judges came back to the farm to see Andy go after the show. But since I sold Express right after, I decided to keep Andy.

Late in 2004 brought some big changes. With Lamberts moving to Scottsdale, I'm on my own once again. 2005 was a lot of fun. I just went to one show with Andy and had a blast. We brought home two blues a 3rd and 4th. He was great. My friend Stephanie and I took one horse each, had a groom and tack stall with curtains and managed to work longer and as hard as when I was with John and had 11 horses at a show. It was a lot of fun though. Breathless was under saddle and had I not ran into a bad farrier, he would have been in the show ring.

2006 is looking good. The plan is to show Mr Holland LOA at US this year. He's back to work and shaping up great. I'm going to do it on my own. I want to show in Louisville for that one last ride. Maybe we'll make it, maybe we won't but I plan on having a lot of fun along the way. Alrighty is under saddle as is Fantacy and Avery is ready, but I'm not on him yet. So all five horses will be under saddle this year and getting ready for the show ring. Two will make it in the ring for sure and the others, we'll just see.

Best of luck to everyone out there showing and I'll see you in the ring. If you get a chance stop and chat at the shows. Stop by my stall curtains, we keep pretty busy but you might catch us on a little break so please stop by and say hello. I enjoy meeting new people and I'm thankful for my second family (what I call my wonderful friends) I've met along the way. Horses have been a journey for me and continue to be. I'm thankful everyday for the experiences I've had and those to come. I've learned so much about horses and life while having fun. I can't imagine being involved in a better industry than the Arabian Horse Industry. Take hold and embrace it, for you get what you put into it. After reading this you'll see I've never had the "privilege" to sit back and watch others work, whether at home or at the shows, but rather have enjoyed the (what I call) "privilege" of working every step of the way. I can't imagine doing it any other way, as what I've learned is absolutely irreplaceable.

Thanks all of you that have been there, celebrating the highs and lows. I look forward to seeing you again in 2006. I've finally succeeded in getting the Regional win (How many years? ouch), now my new goal is a National win (I've made the cut once, now I'm ready for a Top Ten)!

Roxy