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The Story of Ruby
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This is a photo of Ruby at age 21. She was foaled
in the summer of 1968 on range land near Caldwell, Idaho. Just About
Horses featured stories on Ruby (and Wildfire) in 1985 and 1988. A special
run Breyer model was made in her likeness in 1988, only the company
thought it too expensive to convert the male mustang mold to make it
female, so the Ruby special runs were incorrectly made as males.
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Created
March 1998
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Updated
07-17-08
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Ruby was made famous in the 1985 Vol.. XII, #3 issue of Just About Horses. I (Jeannie Thomas Kelley) bought Ruby, a strawberry roan mustang mare, 26 years ago on my l5th birthday. She was a very wild 3 year old.
I did not intend to keep her, I only wanted to rescue her from a life of either abuse, rodeo stock or dog food. My plans were to gentle and sell her to a good home, as I was really after a Pinto.
That same day Ruby was hauled to the "mustang motel" with the rest of the herd where she was vet checked, vaccinated, halter broke and shod. The rest of the job was mine. First I had to teach her to like and eat grain. She was afraid to put her head in a bucket, so I stood on a bucket and shoved the grain into her mouth. The first time I did that she was wild eyed and snorted. The second time, she snorted and licked her lips. The third time she ALLOWED me to feed her. Gradually my hand would go deeper into the bucket and Ruby learned Mr. Bucket was a tasty guy.
From then on Ruby wanted to learn what ever I was teaching her as long as it did not involve touching her rear end or messing with her hind feet. We spent many hours riding the fences and turning into them as I sang so she would not spook. The only two songs I knew were "Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town" and "Leaving On A Jet Plane".
Ruby raised me through my teenage years. What fun we had at the rodeos; parades, grand entries, barrel racing, and chasing back the calves and steers after the contestants used them.
In my 20's, Ruby was my best friend. What fun we had as I rode her anywhere and everywhere. One year I served as secretary for the local rodeo and Ruby and I got to carry the American flag in the grand entry. The National Anthem was playing while I rode Ruby carrying the flag around the arena. Ruby was putting on her own show, prancing and dancing to the music as I rode. As the last notes were played we brought the house down! The crowd was crying and cheering as the announcer said he had never seen Old Glory paraded in such a proud way. It was almost as if Ruby understood the words to The Star Spangled Banner.
As Ruby made it through her 20's I rode her less and I rode Wildfire more. Ruby deserved the rest. Once in a while I would ride her when I was feeling sad, she made me forget my problems.
Imagine how I felt in 1988 when Leonard Huffman sponsored the Breyer special run models of Ruby and Wildfire. At that time Just About Horses printed the second story of Wildfire.
August 12, 1995 was the Puyallup Breyer Roundup. Burke Williams of Toys Northwest invited me with Ruby and Wildfire. I arranged for Starfire (Wildfire's champion 1/2 Arabian bay pinto daughter) to be there also. Only two years ago, Ruby was prancing around the Puyallup fair grounds as I rode her for the cameras. She looked so good. It would be her last public appearance.
July of 1996 was Ruby's 28th birthday, my 40th birthday and made it 25 years since that day I rescued her. Ruby was losing weight and for the first time in her life, she was walking as if her legs hurt. Her pasterns and fetlocks were swelling. The veterinarian said Ruby was experiencing congestive heart failure.
I made and kept three promises to Ruby: She never tasted a bit in her mouth, I am the only person she ever carried on her back, and I promised her I would never let her suffer. My husband, Dr. Larry Kelley and our close friends, Dr. Tom and Cindy Cooke helped me keep the last of the three 25 year old promises.
On August 2, 1996 Ruby was humanly "put to sleep". After putting a picture of the Navajo Spirit Horse in the grave, Larry and Tom buried Ruby while I cried with Cindy. Also in that grave were all the secrets and dreams I shared with Ruby while growing up.
Thank you to Breyer/Reeves for printing the stories of Ruby and Wildfire in Just About Horses and for making the special run models. Ruby's spirit will live forever in the hearts of all the horse lovers who collect Breyer models.
On June 19, 1982 Ruby had a foal, Wild Scirocco Fire. Wildfire is a strawberry roan tobiano Registered Pinto. Her sire is a double registered Saddlebred Pinto. The year Ruby died we bred Wildfire to a 7/8 Arabian black tobiano Pinto. In April 1997 she foaled a solid color strawberry roan colt looking just like Ruby. His registered name is Ruby's Distant Fire and we call him Fireball for short. The message was clear what I had to do. He was imprinted at birth and was given away as a gelding by me at the 8-9-97 Puyallup Breyer Roundup to an essay contest winner. I wanted to give someone else the chance to love a horse like I did Ruby.
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Photo of Wildfire taken August 1997, age 15. As you
can see the 1988 special run Breyer was not made correctly for her either.
She is a strawberry roan tobiano and Breyer said it was too expensive
to change the male San Domingo mold to a female. Wildfire was a good
horse, and now she runs once again along side momma Ruby with the Navajo
Spirit Horse guiding all horses through eternity.
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This is a photo of Rubys Distant Fire, "Fireball" for short, taken right before I gave him away. He was still shedding his baby coat, looking more like Ruby every day. Photo taken August 1997. |
All ANIMALS ARE GOD’S ANIMALS
( PSALM 50:10 )
Also have all the first Breyer value books and video's. Even have a Hartland book.
Click on Breyers for sale above.
future link to pictures of Starfire, Ruby's grand daughter
Photos of Ruby foaling Wildfire
Photos of our beautiful horses updated
Read about the horse we gave away at the 1998 Puyallup Breyer Roundup
See Breyer Collectables-Lots of models, including Ruby and Wildfire!
