ca. 1979 Belgian gelding
(To read Tony B.'s story from his point of view, click here.)
Tony B. is one of Blue Star Equiculture's grand old men. He's an enormous, nearly 19hh, Belgian gelding with a long career as a show horse in a team with a hitch wagon and a companion to his teammate, Iceman.
No one is entirely sure where Tony B. came from, but we do know that he was acquired by the Buxton family in Plaistow, New Hampshire, when he was young. Tony B. was a part of the Buxton Oil Show Hitch, with 5 other horses. The Buxton Oil Hitch travelled all over New England and all over the country going to horse shows and parades. By the time Tony was 16, he had pretty much seen it all when it came to being a member of a big hitch.
The Buxtons decided that Tony B. was ready to be retired in favor of younger horses in the hitch, so they sold him to a good home with the Conkey family of Belchertown.
Tony B. was the Conkeys' first Belgian. They got him as a hobby in 1995, but were soon taken by his gentle nature and work ethic. In 1998, the Conkeys had purchased three other horses: Iceman, Mark and Tim. With the four Belgians, they participated in local shows and parades. The Conkey Lumber Hitch was every bit as famous in our neck of the woods as the Buxton Oil Hitch was in New England.
Tony B. and Iceman lived on John Conkey, Sr.'s farm, while Tim and Mark lived with John Jr. and his wife, Sandy. John Sr.'s wife needed a liver transplant and was (and is) very ill, and John Sr. hurt his back and was no longer able to take care of Tony B. and Iceman as he once was. They never went without, but they were not able to be worked with. Their beautiful show harness sat moldering, unused, in the barn. Tony B. was not worked for 4 years before he came to Blue Star Equiculture.
Then, Tony B. and Iceman got to be more and more unruly to work with when it came time to have their feet trimmed. The two horses just weren't being handled at all. Our farrier, Tony Diamond, who was also Tony B. and Iceman's farrier, contacted Blue Star Equiculture, once the Conkeys started expressing interest in our retirement facility. John Sr. had contemplated trying to sell Tony B. and Iceman, but the only way he had thought of selling them was to send them to auction at New Holland, PA. He was afraid though, of what kind of buyer they might find there.
We went to see Tony B. and Iceman and instantly fell in love with their gentle, awesome presence. Tony B. and Iceman moved to Burgundy Brook Farm in July of 2009. Trainer Sally Sorel and Justin restored their harness and hooked them up as a team a few times, but it quickly became obvious that, although he clearly remembered how to do everything, the years had caught up with Tony B. and he no longer wanted to work as it had become difficult for him.
We listened to the wise old horse, and retired him. He now lives as a retiree, hanging out with Bud and Mike, and especially the other Belgians, Iceman, Tom, Duchess and Chyna. He was stressed out by the move from his longtime home with the Conkeys and lost some weight, but he is gaining it back now. He's also fighting some of the other medical issues that come with extreme old age, but he gets along just fine.
Tony B. seems relieved to have Iceman begin working with Tom in a team. He's glad to have some time to himself not to have to worry about his teammate. Tony B. was officially retired on October 18, 2009, at a celebration with co-retiree, Bud.
We are grateful to the Conkeys for giving Tony B. the opportunity to live out his golden years in comfort here at Blue Star Equiculture.