About Gambler| Photo Album | Online Studbook | Foal Gallery | Video Clips | Stallion Service Contract
Return to Westwood Farms

Gambler's Lucky Draw
Golden Gambler x Commanding Spirit

Commanding Spirit decided to foal nearly a month early. She easily delivered a beautiful buckskin colt and all seemed well at first. A few hours later, the colt developed symptoms of colic and went down. Luckily, his owner, Vicki Thomas, was quick to realize something was wrong and called the vet immediately. He had an inguinal hernia and his intestines were coming through an opening into his testicle sac. He was rushed to the Equine Medical Center in Ocala, Florida and underwent surgery to repair the hernia at the tender age of 6 hours!

Once he was in recovery, he acted just like any other happy, healthy foal. (He has since made a full recovery.) When I spoke to Vicki on the phone, I laughingly called him "Lucky." It  just seemed to fit. Vicki came up with "Gambler's Lucky Draw" for his registered name.

Updates from Vicki

January 9, 2008 -

Lucky gave me a scare yesterday morning.  I moved Lucky, Sunny, and my gelding Dusty to a different pasture last week away from my mares.  This pasture has a shade barn with two stalls divided by 2 x 6 boards.  The bottom board is about 12 inches from the ground, give or take several inches because the ground slopes in my pasture.  Sometimes both colts will lay down in the same stall to sleep.  Victor told me earlier this week he saw all three laying down in the same stall.  I only lock them in separate stalls at feeding time, all other times they are free to come and go from the stalls as they please. 

I fed Fancy and Fire and then trucked out with hay and grain to the Golden Boys.   It was about 20 minutes before I actually got out to the Golden Boys with their food from when I first stepped outside with the dogs.  When I was about 25 feet from them, I saw Lucky.  He was pinned on the ground between the two stalls lying flat on the ground ...  as still as a ghost.  Most of his body (from the hip forward was in one stall and his hind legs from the hip back was in the other stall).  He was perpendicular to the boards.  I dropped the hay and grain and ran past Dusty and Sunny towards Lucky.  As I approached him, I began talking to him soothingly, and I saw his ears flick back and forth, but he wasn't too concerned.  Actually he was extremely calm.  I could not tell how long he had been pinned because the ground around him was undisturbed.  It looked as if once he'd discovered he was pinned, he just layed there (waiting for help).  Amazing!

Anyway,  Lucky was extremely calm as if he had been waiting patiently for me.  As I spoke to him, I reached down and ran my hands down his body to his top hind leg and grabbed the pastern.  I pulled as hard as I could.  His hind quarters moved maybe 3 inches sideways towards me, but I couldn't move him any more.  I was surprised I could move him at all; he weighs almost 400 lbs.  There was no one else home to help me, so I decided to go into the house and get the electric screwdriver to dismantle the bottom fence board.  I left him and as I walked towards the pasture gate, I turned to check on him one last time before he was out of sight, and HE WAS STANDING UP!  I had moved him just enough; he was able to move his legs under him just enough and dig in with his hind legs to get up.  I think I only moved him 3 inches, but maybe I moved him more.  What a scare. 

We would like to congratulate Jan Chamberlin on convincing Vicki to part from this amazing fellow. We know that the two of you will have many great adventures on the trail.

COMMANDING SPIRIT
TWHBEA #19907753
CHESTNUT