Meet Rosie
Rosie is the only horse we have ever owned that did not become a member of our family when he was a youngster; he was 12 when he joined our family. He looks different than the other horses doesn't he? Other than the fact that he is gray, he is not a Morgan like the other horses. I know he looks white but I'll explain why he is called "gray". Rosie is a PRE - that stands for Pura Raza Española - Pure Spanish Horse so it makes sense that he is the author of "Armor to Art". You will have to read it to find out why! A gray horse has a coat color characterized by progressive depigmentation of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes. A white horse is born predominantly white and stays white throughout its life. A white horse has mostly pink skin under its hair coat, and may have brown, blue, or hazel eyes. Gray horses may be born any base color, depending on other color genes present. White hairs begin to appear at or shortly after birth and become progressively more prevalent as the horse ages and as white hairs become intermingled with hairs of other colors. Rosie's real name is Romano Imperator but his barn name is "Rosie" because of his color. He is a "rose gray". When he was young, he had a rosie glow about him so he was nicknamed "Rosie". That's Rosie in the lead of the tandem below left and on the right is Rosie now - you can still see hints of the rosie color in his mane and tail!
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Rosie was bred in Spain by Miguel Ángel de Cárdenas—one of the most highly esteemed Pura Raza Española (PRE) breeders in the world. He was the breeder of the famous Fuego XII (Rosie is a half brother of Fuego XII!!). So you may be wondering how he got to America and eventually to our family. Several years ago our friend, Gloria Austin, went to Spain to buy Spanish horses to use for carriage driving. She visited many farms and eventually settled on several lovely horses bred by Mr. de Cárdenas and brought them back to her farm in Florida. Here are some pictures of Rosie with the other horses - it's easy to pick him out - he's the "rosie" one! He was even the off leader when put to the Golden Carriage that Gloria owned .
Rosie's other "color" is dirt. I'm not sure what it is about gray horses but they love to roll. Some people think it's because they know they need to camouflage themselves. Others think it's because gray horses have drier skin and itch more. I think it's because he's trying to look like one of our Morgans so I make him happy by calling him our "Spanish Morgan".
So....how did we end up owning Rosie? For several years I worked with Gloria as the Research Writer on many of her books. I would often go to Florida to collaborate with her. Every time that I went, Rosie would run to the fence to greet me. When we went for drives with the other horses Rosie would run down the lane and follow us. I finally asked Gloria, "Does Rosie do this with everyone?" and she replied, "No, just you." Shortly after I got home from that trip, Gloria sent and email asking me, "Do you want Rosie?" OH MY GOODNESS! Who could say no?
In 2010 I was a runner on the dressage field for the WEG in Kentucky. I saw Fuego XII. I had never seen such a magnificent horse and I wondered what it would be like to ride a horse like that and now I was going to own his half brother - but I didn't even know he was his half brother until we picked him up and I saw his registration papers.
Rosie joined us in Michigan in 2019. The weather might have been a culture shock for him but he rolls in the snow as much as he rolls in the dirt! Tyson and Rosie are best buddies and spend most of the day grooming each other. And yes, I have never ridden a horse like Rosie. He is a rush to ride! He was trained dressage in Spain and knows way more than I do but he is kind and patient. He of course drives too and we are planning to put hm in the lead of a tandem with Tiger once Tiger has a few more miles on him.
Rosie has been become a beloved member of our family.
In 2010 I was a runner on the dressage field for the WEG in Kentucky. I saw Fuego XII. I had never seen such a magnificent horse and I wondered what it would be like to ride a horse like that and now I was going to own his half brother - but I didn't even know he was his half brother until we picked him up and I saw his registration papers.
Rosie joined us in Michigan in 2019. The weather might have been a culture shock for him but he rolls in the snow as much as he rolls in the dirt! Tyson and Rosie are best buddies and spend most of the day grooming each other. And yes, I have never ridden a horse like Rosie. He is a rush to ride! He was trained dressage in Spain and knows way more than I do but he is kind and patient. He of course drives too and we are planning to put hm in the lead of a tandem with Tiger once Tiger has a few more miles on him.
Rosie has been become a beloved member of our family.