This wonderful colt grew to become an outstanding
sire, with his foals sharing the good temperament, beautiful conformation and
willingness to work. It is a tribute to Je Fe that many of his offspring not
only have competed successfully in various disciplines, but the farm has had
frequent requests for permission to use photos of him and his get as examples of
Andalusian excellence.
It is heartbreaking to lose any animal you love,
but to have one so special taken by a disease that seems to especially target
grey horses seems unfair. The classic Andalusian is historically a beautiful
grey animal with flowing mane and tail. Yet, the very color that makes these
horses so striking is their downfall. Statistics show that more than 80% of grey
horses will develop melanoma during their lifetime. Usually the melanomas are
benign, slow-growing tumors and are more unsightly than dangerous. They may
remain that way for years, but with each tumor there is the possibility that it
will change to a malignant growth. The underside of the tail, the perineal and
peri-anal regions, and the penis and sheath in males are the most common
locations for melanomas to sprout. Melanomas also can spread internally, most
commonly affecting the surfaces of the liver, spleen, and lungs.
Because of this high rate of cancer in the grey
horses, Tamarack Stables Rivers Edge has made the decision to introduce and
breed with a bay Andalusian stallion. Partron demi Carazon,
affectionately called “Bubba,” is Pure Spanish Andalusian and is registered with
the International Andalusian and Lusitano Association. We are expecting the
first foals sired by him in Spring 2002. Making certain of a dark gene on either
the sire or dam side will help to lower the incidence of premature melanoma
occurrences.
Tamarack Je Fe lives on in our memories. A true
gentleman in every way, his presence will be felt for years to come as we see
his daughters frolicking with their foals, hopefully bay and black replicas of
their grandfather.
