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The late, great, "Bicentennial Bill"
Billies Bay Spirit
("Bill") (aka "Bailey")
AQHA registered #1244756 mahogany-bay gelding
Born July 4, 1976 (the USA's bicentennial)
Deceased January 17, 2007,
of old age.
By the winter of 2004, Bill was too lame for
anyone but the smallest child to ride, even a short distance. He
had always been badly knock-kneed, and his left knee had gotten
very painfully arthritic. By January 2007, we didn't realize
that he had quit eating hay, and suddenly there was so little
left of him,
that one night he was down and couldn't get up.
Though we did finally get him to his feet on that awful cold night,
he couldn't even walk.
The vet said he could not go on.
So, we sent him home to Jesus, with many tears.
We were originally told that his name was Bill Bailey, and his
previous owners preferred Bailey to Bill. So, we knew him as Bailey
during the 8 years that my husband Joe rode him at their farm. Years later, when
he bought him, we checked his registration papers, and found
that Bailey was not part of his registered name.
And he really
only answered to Bill. So we called him Bill, his last 7
years.
Joe first rode him sometime around 1992, when the lady's mother
where we boarded Amir traded her speedy grulla QH for him, to be a
trail horse for her daughter.
But that daughter was a busy mother of
5, first in medical/technical school, then working full time.
So Joe
was his main rider for about 7-8 years.
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 Bill
was a great-grandson of King, the legendary Quarter Horse sire.
We're very grateful to those wonderful folks who let Joe ride him
for so many years! They were owners of the same farm, shown here,
where we used to board
my little
horse.
These pictures are from the spring 1999 children's
church outing. Pastor Joe brought Bailey down bareback from the top
of the 30 acres where all of the 6-12 horses boarded there roamed
free most of each day (weather permitting). They were very happy and
healthy there! This is the Whites' former farm, where he lived and
to whom he belonged for 7-8 years. He's around age 20 in these
pictures.
He's not small: he's 15.1 HH and weighed about 1100 lbs in
that picture; Joe's just a tall guy!
 Pastor Joe and "Bailey" (as he was called when these
photos were taken) wait for some attention..."Bailey" was
"Born on the Fourth of July", 1976! Since we found that out,
sometimes we called him "Bicentennial Bill". But mostly I called
him "big guy" or "old man". He was about 15.1 hands, steady,
big-boned and muscular (when he's being worked!) Ironically,
he was MY dream color! This picture was taken in 1999.
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 Pastor Joe
fixes Bailey's forelock, as Leigh Anne sits happily on his
back and the outing's organizer, Jackie, provides some
attention!
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... the summer of 1999 came and went; most of us
survived; on to 2000 ....
March 2000
 Amir Halam, the Arab, at age 20, is on the left
here, with 23 year old (at the time) AQHA Bill in the
background, at their "new home". Though both are wearing
their winter woolies, and a bit of extra fat for those cold
nights, Amir still looks awfully chunky for the purebred
Arabian he is. Bailey is 1 hand (4") taller than Amir.
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 This is an "artistic" picture of Bailey
enjoying his "room with a view". It's VERY BIG, so don't
click on it unless you REALLY want to see a close-up! <grin>
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 A close-up of Bailey - foundation Quarter Horse
- mahogany bay with pangare coloring (light nose, belly and
"armpits").
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 Pastor Joe joins Bailey for a pensive "guy"
kind of moment. Also a VERY large picture.
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 This picture
shows Bailey's upper facial mask and temporary leg barring
typical of countershading/ sooty/smutty, coloring. The leg
barring later vanished; it was temporary, due to shedding.
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 Joe thinks Bill
is a natural wonder!
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 Bill Bailey, AQHA reg. as Billies Bay Spirit
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 Now in-laws,
these two remain good friends
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May 2000
  These 2
pictures were taken where our round pen is now located.
Bailey's head is not this big, the telephoto lens did it!
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 Our dear
farrier, Dave Sherman, was working on Bill Bailey's feet,
June 2000. Dave's a great guy and a Christian! Too bad most
of the photos have vanished... here's what's left.
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His last night on earth was January 17, 2007. The
pictures are too painful to display, sorry.
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