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December 2008- Chad Oness surprised wife Beth with a wonderful Christmas present. Chad went off to a Neil Young Concert at the Allstate Arena (IL) with son Jensen. He came home with Helicon Pathfinder.  Beth has wanted a Helicon pony from George and Thalia Gentzel since she first visited Helicon Sports Ponies.  Merry Christmas Beth.

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Updated 4-27-10

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OUR SPORTS MODEL - HELICON CORVETTE by Thalia Gentzel Some years ago I made up a list of the accomplishments of our North Central Welsh, everything from fine harness to draft to hunters to reining - and here is another area of sport that we can add this year! Our trainer daughter, Molly Rinedollar, works with hunters and jumpers right up the road from Colorado Horse Park in Parker, CO - and the park, or High Prairie as it was originally known, has a David O'Connor designed cross-country course. You know the O'Connor name from David himself who has been an Olympian gold medalist for the USA in eventing at Sydney - and more recently for his wife, Karen, who rode the late Theodore O'Connor, the wonder pony, to his triumphs at the Pan American Games and at the Rolex 4-Star. On April 14th of this year, a dressage/eventing trainer of some note, Lynn Klisavage, took a gelding of ours for a trial run over the Horse Park's cross country course. Helicon Corvette had been shown in green hunter pony in several states - Colorado, California, and Arizona - finishing up 2007 as USEF Zone 8 Champion in Large Green Pony Hunter. He had also done some lower level jumpers - this talent was discovered when he and a junior rider won the "famous" Halloween High Jump at Helicon Show Stables - at 4 feet 3 inches! Corvette LOVED the opportunity to run and jump in the wide open spaces! Lynn felt his bold willing nature and jumping ability warranted further training so he moved a few miles to the barn and arena where she conducts her business. New skills were honed for dressage and the stadium jumping practice continued. In less than a month Corvette came back to the Park for his initial competition - and he won handily at Beginner Novice level in an Eventing Derby in which the stadium course is incorporated into the cross country. Corvette was not in the ribbons at his first Senior Novice event back at the park yet again in June - but did have a 7th at the big October event AND joined with three of Lynn's students to make up an aptly named team of "Kibbles and Bits" -14.1 1/2 hand Corvette in a mix with a Thoroughbred and two draft crosses standing up to 17.2 hands! They WON the Western Region Chronicle of the Horse Adult Team Challenge, the novice division being especially hard fought with eight teams. In the presentation picture Corvette is on the left with the Percheron/Quarter Horse cross, Thoroughbred/Clydesdale cross, and Thoroughbred in back. They were in the October 31 issue of the Chronicle which has been such a treat for us to see! Corvette is a crossbred pony by Helicon Corsair, our Welsh/TB by GlanNant Skipper who, as Believe In Magic, won Mediums and Reserve Overall at the 1999 Pony Hunter Finals, having had the second highest over fences score out of 251 competitors that year! BUT, going back a generation, it is pretty much a miracle that we got Corsair at all. First of all, his dam was a TB who Sally Davidson had rescued from a near-death situation with a nefarious "breeder" in MO. Sally herself could not cope with C.B. so she sent her home with us when we returned from a WPCSA AGM in Kansas City in the early 90s. George did not think C.B. would make the 10 hour trip to Illinois as the poor mare was a rack of bones and covered with lice. It was March and we couldn't bathe so we dusted and dusted till the weather broke. Molly was at school at Colo. State at that time and kept calling home to warn, "Mom, you cannot feed her much at one time. MOM, DO YOU HEAR ME?! You can't feed her very much at one time!" Bit by bit the flesh started to cover the projecting ribs and hips. George would gently brush and brush and brush on her - no curry on the bony frame. Later we discovered that C.B. carried the blood of famous old-line Thoroughbreds such as Sir Gallahad, Teddy and his son Bull Dog, Count Fleet, Beau Pere, Hyperion, Ben Brush, and more. And after just walking the first year, the second C.B. jogged, and by the third her big trot and lope had sprung forth! GlanNant Skipper had been acquired to breed to our GlanNant Epic daughters and all had been proceeding according to plan - As a youngster he had been Jr. Champion at PennMaryDel and later he was reserve champion to *Sleight of Hand in Section B Stallions at Tulsa in 1994, and Supreme at a GLMHPA show at Jefferson -and then was kicked in the testicles at home. We had a line-up of mares to cover and C.B., our rescue TB, was the only one who was in foal at that time. Skipper had literally been kicked out of the breeding shed. Imagine our amazement and delight in the spring of 1995 when C.B.'s tall dirty brown colt soon had a COAL BLACK coat emerge! That handsome youngster was Helicon Corsair - "Mom's Black Stallion"! In turn, Corvette arrived in 1999 - by the 14.2 hand Corsair and out of a 13.2 hand crossbred mare, Unchained Melody, who is by All Star by Anisha. Anisha was an Arabian at Farnley Farm who produced many beautiful hunter ponies. Bonnie Reb, Melody's dam, was a major winner in large pony hunters and a full sister to one of the most famous ever, Dresden - both by the Thoroughbred, Ole Glendale. Gremlin's Delight, their dam by Farnley Gremlin, was also super famous "back in the day" as winner of the 1961 International Pony Competition in England! So Corvette is an athletic blend of Welsh, Thoroughbred, and Arabian. We are so pleased that our boy is excelling in his new found sport and trainer Lynn confesses that "I am afraid that I have fallen in love with your pony!" What is there not to love? Hopefully he will find a new owner who will click with him and our North Central product will soar to new heights of achievement!

Corvette is the pony on the left

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