I LOVE Exterminator! You may also want to try the Keeneland Library; the folks there are great and have been very helpful to me during my book writing/research. They also have some great photos of “Old Shang.”
Need Contact Info for Bloodhorse.com
Do any of you have a phone number or e-mail address for customer service at bloodhorse.com? I want to contact them about ordering the Zenyatta special and I can’t do that online. And this public library computer won’t let me access their web site, for some (probably unreasonable) reason. If I could call them, or e-mail them, I could order the commemorative issue.
I must say, in the jewish religion we do not leave flowers at the grave site, it is always a stone found there…
A lot of horses that retired to these farms are buried in unmarked graves only places like Claiborne and Calumet really put up a lot of stones. Maybe Riddke did too…Also most were not buried whole it was heart, head and hooves…
:rolleyes: Leaving stones is a very Jewish thing to do (some Christians have picked it up, but placing a rock on the gravestone is a Judaic tradition. I don’t know if just Ashkenazim, or also Sephardic. I don’t know any Sephardic Jews to ask.) It’s not normal to put flowers in a Jewish cemetery, and it’s normal when someone Jewish is buried in a mixed ground to see stones left even when flowers are permitted (ie Arlington–any given day, you’ll see stones left on markers while live flowers are permitted if done correctly.) It might also be Islamic–they come from the same root region and have similar burial traditions.
Stacking stones as some sort of totemic or other ritual where the stones themselves have meaning is a different thing entirely and not generally related to burying the dead. Stacking stones in a CAIRN over the grave when it’s filled–also different (and the practical justification is it keeps the grave from being dug up by scavenging animals.) The stones are not a mark of visiting the deceased.
Marked human (though not animal) burial creates a permanent easement on a property, but it does not automatically create an access easement. There are some states that require property owners who have graveyards to allow relatives of the deceased access, but I don’t know of any that mandate allowing anyone and their brother on the property. Reasonable, as there is a market in antiques for some kinds of old markers, plus graveyards a major vandalism targets.
And, of course, there are millions of unmarked graves in places one would never think they were, so it’s actually rather unreasonable to expect them to remain forever (and I can tell you from personal experience, the occupants of the graves no longer care one way or the other. Skeletons are very indifferent.) Heck, there are graveyards still in use where grave locations have been lost or misrecorded. Places where you wouldn’t think it’s a graveyard but there are burials. Heck, I’ve seen places where looking at the subsidence, I’m fairly sure there’s something there, but no indication on the surface. In older yards, there’s much less left than you’d think. About the only graves that WILL absolutely bring development to a screeching halt are native graves (protected by federal law) and even then, most tribes can be convinced to move them for reburial. Non-native, you can generally, once you know it’s not a recent burial that isn’t supposed to be there and therefore not a crime scene, remove the remains for either reburial or placement in a study collection. Animal burials are even more easy to lose. The Grave Matters section of TBHeritage lists a LOT of horses whose graves are long-lost (and who knows what human graves went along with those early 19th century Kentucky farms?) and even some knowingly built over (like Omaha, buried at what used to be Ack-Sar-Ben) or hidden on purpose (Seabiscuit.)
Taking care of a cemetery like the pet cemetery where Exterminator’s buried is less an issue of sacred (which is always subjective) is more a matter of keeping a park nice (as pet cemeteries are related to the park-cemetery movement of the 19th century). Unkempt cemeteries are not good visitor draws (and thus more likely to be sold for development), look unsafe, and are easy marks for vandals as failure to clean the place up makes it look like no one’s checking on it. Keep it clean, people come, discourages vandalizing. But it comes down to who owns it–if the owners aren’t taking care of it, and won’t permit someone else to, there’s not much to be done about it.
Placing stones on a headstone is also done with the Sephardim along with pouring water on the headstone.
Hi Eliza
Hi Eliza,
Isn’t this a great thread? I knew the COTH Racing folks would come through for you!
Hugs,
Hallie
You were right, Hallie! Thanks everyone. Eliza
Remlik
I devoured many books on horses as a child, and Wesley Dennis and C.W. Anderson were by far my favorite illustrators. One place I read about Peanut and Exterminator was in a book titled “20 Gallant Horses” with illustrations by C.W. Anderson. Another was “Old Bones, the Wonder Horse” written by Mildred Mastin Pace with Wesley Dennis illustrations.
As far as Exterminator, he retired to Remlik, VA, and the farm is still there. Has many of the old stables sitting remote and abandoned in large fields. Part of the 1/4 mile indoor racetrack still stands. It was built to train horses through winter in all weather, by having a roof and fire barrels to keep the track from freezing.
Link to Remlik article.
I accidentally came across the farm and it’s old track when looking for a nearby marina. I took a few pictures of it while I was there.
