Blythewood Hawk Mountain
2004 bay gelding. (Burnt Mtn Ebony Hawk x Blythewood Royal Isabella)

Hawk has gone home with Tracy Lee-Izell to join Coreen Ashmore in Choctaw, OK. Tracy had him re-trained for western, and they have been doing great things together. In May 2009, Tracy and her husband, their dogs, cats, and horses had to evacuate their property as the Oklahoma/Texas wildfires approached. Fortunately, everyone was safe while the fires were controlled, and their home and property were spared. Now, Hawkie has been trying out for several different jobs. He says he will provide reports on his events, and we'll put them up here.

Am I cute...or what??

Here I am in 2008...all grow'd up

May 2010

Hello Everyone!

 So, I know I have been promising a letter for quite some time. Mom is taking a break now that it looks like all the tornadoes have past us, so she decided to go ahead and send it on.

 I know it has been quite sometime since I have updated you. Wow! A lot has gone on!

You know I got really, really sick last summer. Took quite a while for me to fully recuperate...several months actually. Anyway, I am back to normal and have filled out quite nicely! Except for one tiny problem. Seems that I scared mom pretty good so now every time that Coreen and I so much as have a funny look, here she comes up the hill with that darn thermometer!

Did I tell you that Mom was certified as a judge for the USEDA in November? She was pretty excited. She will be pretty busy this summer since she is also the Drill Instructor of a local team in Choctaw. Mom told me the other day that Coreen and I will both be of rodeo performances and parades. At the end of the month, she is taking me camping!!!

Oh, oh…did I tell you that Mom led me in my first Parade?? It was last year right around Christmas….it was so cold. She wasn’t sure how I would react to all the different noises and such, so she just led me through the parade. BUT…..she dressed me up….as a Christmas Reindeer……she put ribbons in my hair (I’m a BOY! BOYS don’t wear ribbons!)…….AND JINGLE BELLS! I didn’t even tell you the worst part…..she made me a pair of reindeer antlers. So here I was….walking down main street with Christmas tinsel, jingle bells and antlers. I’m just sure all the other horses were laughing. We won first place though. But still….next year I’m going to protest if she tries that again. You should really talk to her about that. Coreen was laughing at me so hard I thought she was gonna choke on hay. Mom said I did really well in the parade. Of course, I did well….I was so embarrassed that I certainly wasn’t gonna do anything to draw any MORE attention to myself.

 Dad is doing pretty well. I like to help him a lot. He works up in the pasture a lot and I know he needs help….so I help. He lays his tools around so I pick them up and move them for him. For some reason, he doesn’t really like where I put his tools though. I find what he does very interesting so I watch him intently. (And it’s really funny if he doesn’t know I’m there!) Coreen and I were just helping him the other day. He had to get into the garden to plow and we were both by the fence just watching……just waiting for him to let us know when we could help. So….after he drove the tractor out, Coreen and I went in garden and helped him till the dirt up. Well, I helped him till, Coreen just rolled in the dirt. The ground was so nice and soft!! And then, here comes dad…..arms waving…he was yelling…..he must’ve been pretty upset. I heard him talking to mom on the phone….and he used the phrase, “Your horses…”. Something about tearing up corn field. I just thought we were helping him work the dirt!! Mom thought it was funny.

 Oh yes, one thing you failed to mention before I left is the weather. What is up with the weather down here??? First of all, in the summer it gets sweltering hot. Then, this winter we had TWO blizzards. In fact, one of them it was the most snowfall Oklahoma had seen since 1982! Then…there is the wind. Sixty mph wind gusts??? And I bet you didn’t know about the earthquakes, did you?? Earthquakes, tornadoes and hail!!

 Well, I should get going since it’s a little past feeding time. Tell everyone I said “hi” and come to visit when they get a chance!!

 Hawk

 P.S. Mom said she is really sorry about taking so long to send pictures. She sends her love to all! 

Granma and Granpa- 

 You would not believe all the stuff I have been doing here in Oklahoma!  A couple of weeks ago, Mom took me to this thing called a horse show.  Wow!  There were so many horses and people and trailers and noises!  But I was on my best behavior and didn't spook at anything!  She entered me in Halter and Western Pleasure.  I didn't like the Halter class cause I had to stand for a long time and I moved around alot.  My friend Gypsy was outside the ring and her and I kept talking back and forth, too.  Mom just laughed.  She said it was my first show and she just wanted me to get used to the environment.  Then we had the western pleasure class.....Mom said I was "spot on" with all my cues!  But all these other horses had their head down so low!  Mom calls them peanut rollers.  They were really slow too!  She has pictures but is waiting to get them back from her friend Bobbi.
 
And I have two new jobs!  My friend Sonny....he's a barrel horse who gets kinda nervous at the gate so I go with him to his barrel races and walk in with him to calm him down.  He says he does so much better when I do that!  In fact, he's placed at the last two barrel races!  Mom says it is really good for me to get used to screaming kids and such.  But I am always on my best behavior. 
 
Mom tried me out with the drill team and she said I did really well!  It got kinda boring at the end cause all her friends were talking and not moving.  But she says we will go to Duncan at the end of July for a competition.  It's kinda confusing at first, but I think I will really like it once the "people" know the drill!
 
This weekend Mom entered me in an "Extreme Cowboy Race" with all these obstacles and stuff.  It was really neat.  She rode my friend Gypsy too!  Gypsy placed first and I got fourth.  Most everything was ok, but there were two obstacles I didn't like.  They had these "swimming noodles" laying on the ground in all different colors and I was supposed to walk thru them.  I didn't really like those.  But the worst was the "water obstacle".  It wasn't really water, but a blue tarp...and when you step on it, it makes a really odd noise.  I didn't like that at all!  But the rest of it was fun!  I opened and closed a gate, picked up and delivered mail, went over two small jumps, did a figure eight and a serpentine.  Mom said she was really proud of me and that loping on me is like sitting in a rocking chair!  (I think that is supposed to be good......)
 
The other day, Mom got on me bareback and we went swimming!  There is a pond where I stay and it was really hot!  So we just went for a swim......it's a nice way to end a hot day!
 
Coreen says "hi".  She isn't really happy.  She is off of stall rest, but mom is being very careful how much she gets turned out.  Coreen wants turned out more and Mom is building her back up slowly.  Mom says she will start her back under saddle in Sept.  Personally, I think Coreen just wants to eat. 
 
Thanks for letting me come to Oklahoma!  I am having a blast with all these new things!
 
Hawkie