Hallmark Stables Breeding Barrel Horses with Brains and Bloodlines

Beloved Super Sarita 

March 15 1989 - April 24 2009

She had a brain tumor

Sarita foaled 4/23/2009 Saritas Super Trooper

Lucky and my Son Trenten

Best Friends  

Finding Super Sarita

by Kristy Hallmark 

Deuce and I competed in the High School Rodeo for 4 years and every where we could turn a barrel. We set records all over the Midwest and won a trunk full of ribbons and trophies. Deuce was my first barrel horse and I rode him everyday even in the rain. Right after I was off the bus from school I went to the barn to saddle Deuce up. Deuce ran a barrel pattern like a train. He taught me more about barrel racing than any book or video could. Deuce's life was cut short and he passed on August 11 2001. He was hit by a stray bullet and died at 14 years old and his prime. Losing my barrel horse was a terrible loss, I still feel the pain and miss him.

The last memory I have of Deuce was him standing at the gate looking at me. Deuce wanted to go for a ride but had to go to work.“Deuce I can't now I have to go to work.” I said as I patted him on the head and left. The next morning, I drove by the barn and Deuce was not at the gate. I thought he was probably eating in the back pastures. Instead of going to look for him which I wanted to do, I went to work. A few hours later my Mom called me and I knew it was bad news. Mom does not call me at work unless something is wrong. Mom had been crying , I could tell and she said that she found Deuce . Oh is he hurt? There was a pause in the phone and mom said “No.... He is dead Kristy you need to come home.” I left work and came home. Moms words still running miles in my mind. Deuce was laying in the back pasture and I felt so bad. He died alone and maybe if I had looked for him I could have helped him. The back hoe dug his gave and then it drug Deuce into a the hole. It took some time to get over Deuce and I really was sick and hardly paid attention to any of the other horses. It was funny how when I fed the other horses none of them would go into Deuce's stall. Like the horses knew he should be there but was not. Time passed by and I was ready to look again for another horse.

I looked for a sibling of my first barrel horse Deuce for a long while. I looked for 3 years and found Sarita I bought her with out hesitation after seeing her papers. She is a Granddaughter of Easy Jet and Hempen. I have owned her for four years and she has been a wonderful mare. She reminded me a lot of Deuce. The day we went to pick her up and bring her home was a happy day. Sarita 1^st ride was not exactly great I found out why she was sold. Sarita is barn sour horse and she would have fits when I tried to ride her away from the barn. I worked with her for months and walked her by hand away from the barn and rode her till she would have a fit. Get off her and walk her again. Me and Sarita walked for miles away from the barn. I finally broke her of the of being barn sour for Sarita knew I would not give up. After this I could ride her all over the country side. I wanted to get her back in shape to run barrels.

We went trail riding at High Knob, a camp ground in Shawnee forest in Illinois. Sarita walked the trails twice as fast as all the other horses. I held her back all the time for she wanted to go and go. I had never let Sarita into a run not one time because I did not trust her. The trip to High Knob did me and Sarita some good. Sarita seemed to enjoy trail riding and did well. The third day my Mom's horse Baby ran away from us and headed back toward camp this was exciting!. Travis my fiancée wanted to go after Baby but I said no. I feared that Travis would get hurt and this was his 1^st trail ride. If he did get hurt he may never want to ride again. I took off on Sarita after Baby down the trail as fast as she could run. Baby had a head start and Sarita took off like a train after him. She jumped over logs and went around turns in the trail like she was a trained cross country. We caught up with Baby and he was still running flat out. I grabbed onto Baby reins and stood on Sarita with my right foot on my saddle and left foot on Baby's saddle and yelled “Whoa!!” Stopping both horses. I rode Baby back to Mom and Travis with Sarita walking behind covered in sweat and still ready to run. We walked over 2 miles back to them. Mom was so happy to see me not hurt with both horses. Sarita and I had learned to trust each other and catching Baby was a turning point. Sarita is so well mannered now and loves me. She likes to put her head into my stomach for a hug.

Sarita and I were as inseparable as me and Deuce once were. We were ready to go to the big races, for we both were in the best shape of our life's. I felt that I had my barrel horse and we were ready to compete against the world. I was so excited and ready for the next season of barrel racing to start. Then I found out some news of my own. I was pregnant and barrel racing with Sarita would have to wait till after my baby came. I was going to be a Mommy!

Sarita surprised me one day in August. I walked out to the pasture and seen Sarita had eight legs!! I was pregnant and my horse just had a foal.. Sarita had a nice colt late August 28^th 2006 on the lunar eclipse. This is how Lunar earned his name and he was a nice surprise. I did not know she was bred. Sarita had Lunar so late in the year that I gave her a year off from breeding in 2007. Trenten my son was born on April 12 2007 and he is my pride and joy. Having my son really changed everything now I had a little me on my hip everywhere I go. Me and Trenten play with the horses happily everyday. Sarita lets my 2 year old son climb all over her and will not move a muscle.  I bred Sarita for a 2009 foal with my stud Tipper. This foal will be his last, for he is now gelded. Tippers is my Moms retirement project. 

I had my Vet out to do Coggins tests on April 6, 2009 and check on Sarita. He noticed that Sarita had some facial paralysis on her left side. She did not respond to touch at all by her eye and her lip on the left side was hanging down lower than the right side. Me and the Vet both thought she had a pinched nerve from being in foal.

On the 16th of April Sarita could not hardly walk. She kept stumbling and tripping all over herself. I called my Vet. He came out and looked at her.

Well Kristy, Sarita has brain tumor and I am sorry. ” She will only get worse”, My Vet said.

Well, I looked at my Sarita and I cried. She is in foal and the thought of losing her at this moment in time was awful. I asked my Vet if we could save the foal. He said we would take the foal if the Anti inflammatory did not work. Luckily the meds are working and Sarita with shots everyday will stay alive long enough to have her foal. The shots will keep the swelling in her brain down. The meds also keep the pressure and pain at minimal. Hoping to prolong her life and save this foal.

This will be now the 2nd barrel horse I have had to put in the ground before their time. I hope my luck will change.. I will do all in my power to save Sarita's foal... I can only hope that she will have her foal and live long enough to wean it. If the meds keep working she could with any luck. I will watch her close and hope for the best. I will miss her when she is gone but if I can save her foal that will help both of us. This will not only be Tipper last foal but Sarita's too. Sad times we are having now but a new foal will bring happiness to Hallmark Stables again.

April 21^st and Sarita is waxing today!!  She will have the foal anytime. It has been a long week for me and Sarita. I am not sure how long she will stay with us but she has a will to live. In time the meds will stop working and the tumor will grow. I will in time have to put Sarita down. It is a shame for her breeding makes her one of the Greats. She ran barrels like a learned response and has been barrel racing since she was 7.

On April 23 2009 at 3:00 AM Sarita foaled a healthy colt. He looks a lot like her. Momma and colt are doing well. I will name him Lucky for he is so lucky to be here. I hope that Sarita can stick around a little longer for Lucky.

On April 24th at 4:00 pm we had to euthanize Sarita. She turned circles and pushed her head up against the barn poles and me, to relief the pressure from the tumor. She was in great pain and disoriented. We had to separate her and Lucky because she could no longer stand up. She talked to Lucky and kept an eye on him until I lead her out to the Vet. She walked with me so easily outside the barn that I was amazed. She could have stomped me into the ground or drug me across the yard but she lead right to the Vet with me. She was still the gentle mare I had came to love at the end of it all. I held her head and patted her face as she received the shot to end all her pain. She went peacefully and is not in pain now. I can only hope I can save her colt. The little colt quiets my heartbreak for I miss his momma a whole lot but not as much as Lucky does. He was only 1 day old when his momma passed.

Sarita's Last Steps

By:Kristy Hallmark

Lucky's Mother Sarita left me with a great hole in my heart. I was shocked that I was Losing my second barrel horse to a brain tumor. Once in a blue moon is when a horse is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Sarita started showing signs of the tumor about 6 months before she was put to sleep. I rode her for the last tine in December and the whole time she was turning her head to the left. I thought it was a bad tooth. Sarita seemed to be eating fine and not dropping a lot grain on the floor. I let Sarita take some time off since she was expecting. She dropped weight and I put her on more feed and more hay.

Sarita's last 2 weeks went so fast. All I wanted to do was run her like we used to, down the 2 mile dirt road. I could not ride her, she was expecting and far to sick. Her paralysis was so severe she had to have anti-inflammatory shots everyday. I had to try everything to prolong her life for her foal. I have never seen a more deteriorating disease in a horse than a brain tumor. Her muscles looked like they were falling off the bone on her left side. She could hardly walk and I had to increase the dose of her meds daily.

Sarita held on and she gave birth to Lucky. She had no help and had Lucky all by herself. Sarita nursed him for 36 hours and she could not hold on anymore. We had to separate her and Lucky she could no longer stand up. She kept turning lefthand circles and was very disoriented. I talked to her and Sarita pressed hard against my hands. Sarita pushed her left eye into her head. I knew then that she could not take the pain anymore. There was only one shot left to give her. For Sarita to have peace and no more pain. Sarita did not want to leave Lucky's side. I called the Vet and it was the longest 20 minutes of my life for him to arrive. Sarita was in so much pain. My vet arrived and agreed that she needed to be put down.

I lead my beautiful sweet mare out of the barn. She did not fight and could have pulled me across the property. Sarita was the gentle mare that I had came to know. She lead right to the vet and away from her son. I patted her face and looked in her big brown eyes as the last shot was injected. I heard her last breath and held her head as she fell to the ground. I did not want to let go but I had to.

I cried for a little while and then walked back in the barn to Lucky. I realized right then that Sarita had left me with the best of her. I needed to save her son. I feed him every two hours for the first week from a turkey baster. Lucky would not take any nipple. Lucky ate the milk replacer better by the second day. Me and my 2 year old son spent more time in the barn than in the house. I knew if Lucky became depressed that he would give up and die. I have spent so much time with Lucky that he now thinks I am his Mom. He plays with my son and is so happy. Lucky runs just like his mother. This tells me that he will be a great barrel horse. Lucky will be much more than a barrel horse to me but like my son. I have thought long and hard about the last 6 weeks in my life. Things do happen for a reason, I guess. I just am glad that since, I had to bury now my second barrel horse, that she left the best of her behind for me.

4/29/09

Lucky is being fed with a turkey baster and is doing great. He has already learned to lead! He is so sweet!!

5/4/09 

Lucky is doing well and is eatting alot. He plays with me and my son in the yard. Lucky leads everywhere for me. He is so sweet and I have a feeling he will be a great barrel horse. He runs just like his Momma did..

6/18/2009

Lucky is working on being weaned! He is so healthy and is growing tall!

7/2/2009

Mister Lucky had to have stitches today. He ripped his brow above his eye! He will be ok just glad I caught it quick.

7/4/2009

Had to call the Vet out the Anitbiotics made Lucky colic!

7/18/2009

Lucky has to have Hernia  Surgery in August. I can hope for the best and hope nothing goes wrong.  

Bloodlines of the Greats 

Sarita we miss you!