This sections is for the articles or stories I write. Some true, some fiction, some both, all written for the horses and people in my life.

The Sentinel was written for all, who don't think History is important.

This story may be true, or not, you decide.

I define Déjà vu as fragments of memories attached to the links of our DNA. Flashes of information pulled from the depths of our being, ignited by some unknown spark beckoning you to remember or react. Consider going back in history to discover what events rooted in your bloodline influences the decisions you make each day, challenges the mind.

Horses have always amazed me.  I like to think I know a lot about horses, but must admit every day I learn something new. Each horse I have known has offered something in regards to my education; my only regret is not always paying attention.

I purchased a Foundation Quarter Horse about 15 months ago; he has changed the way I regard geldings. Before I tell you what I have discovered let me fill you in on some of the basics. Every horse has its own personality, as with people, some are easy to get along with others can test your patients. Some horses are happy, some grumpy, some shy, and others aggressive. I can pigeon hole each one to resemble someone that has crossed my path over the years. Each horse has their own job, some earned, others inherent by pecking order, and a few by competing for position. I notice their jobs change to fit the lifestyle they have imposed by and large out of their control.

We expect horses to understand exactly what we want, when we want it, and to do it without question.  Who hasn’t noticed when issuing a demand a slight chewing on the bit, swishing of the tail, twist of the ear, in displayed response to our barking out orders? I always pay attention to the cues displayed by my heard of assorted bloodlines. A Commander must establish a line of authority, a well ordered troop demands following rank. You can show favoritism to a private, but it is unadvisable in front of the troops. I have seen a few privates get kicked around pretty good when they returned to the barracks.

Status is coveted in the pasture. New residents are prone to posturing; they want to impress the boss. This posturing often leads to a full out attack from the rest of the group, and many scars have been delivered by the gentlest of beast when seniority is put in play. New members must figure out their “pecking order” in the family. Many come in acting like they are going to take over, but quickly learn they must rethink the position. Some fearlessly stroll in prance around and all the residents fall in line. I relate this dance to hiring in to a new job. You know what you are expected to do, but still pay your dues by engaging in politics with co-workers.

The gelding I spoke of earlier is of the presence, his self appointed position, to take over HR. This position to him included not only representing equine residents, but also any humans about the barn. He arrived like the camp counselor, happy excited, upbeat, running up to each of his curious soon to be associates, introducing himself like a want to be elected politician.  He didn’t want to step on toes, or take over any ones job, he was just happy to be here and be part of the team (a little post employment humor for me). I laughed about his actions; he reminded me of a cheer leader all happy, peppy, and often getting on your nerves. Most of the other horses kind of rolled their eyes and walked away, but that didn’t stop him he just kept nipping at their nerves like a Chihuahua puppy.

Our residents at that time consisted of four Percherons and two Quarter Horses, respectively three mares, two geldings, and a stallion. I felt he was probable thinking; fear shown at this stage could ruin the rest of his life, if indeed he was to remain here for any length of time. Draft horses are gently, playful, and curious and knew this guy was going to be a source of entertainment. What I failed to consider at the time was his history; life experiences that shape the way we think. We are all sums of the total: past, present and future. Past is what we carry from our ancestors. Present is what we learn to pass on the next generation, the future. Also the future is what keeps us alive and able to survive in any situation.

Studying this horse I was determined to understand his rationale to appoint himself overseer in a life imposed on him without his consideration.  He is the first to see someone arriving, and never misses a stray animal crossing his territory.  These skills are often displayed by mares, watching over their foals, but he is a male. Geldings typically would not raise their noses out of the grass if a moose walk by with bells on its head. He would, however, alert the entire heard if a butterfly few within his no fly zone.  Why? Is he nervous? He paces in his stall if the other horses leave the barn first. Demanding to be the first out the door, he patrols the perimeter each morning before joining the others to eat a breakfast of grain and hay. He wants to be the last one in the barn each night making sure all are in place before he surrenders the pasture to the night.

I soon noticed that when I took him off the farm to shows, or training (ours not his) he was completely relaxed. He could care less what the other horses at the shows were doing; he just stood around munching on hay or begging for treats he thought you were hiding. None of the pacing, patrolling, or hurrying to tell other horses what he saw or thought. He wasn’t concerned about his surroundings he acted like a tourist on vacation, given a chance to relax with time off from the job.

What reasoning was he using to exhibit such behavior? Initially I thought of the Napoleon complex because he was small compared to the big boys. This was not the case he is not intimidated by the size of the draft horses. He was more than willing to take on one or all…when he appointed himself spokesman.  Horses come and go on this farm, and during this time our three mares left for other farms. Yet he continues to act the same, regardless of who stayed or who left. On patrol always watching, always alerting the others, performing his self created role.

During the first year I began researching his pedigree; long exposed to equine breeding I have always found this to be intriguing.  How much you can learn from a pedigree? Temperament, expected color, potential lifespan, and physical attributes, with the opportunity to trace ancestors by the list of numbers and names provided on the tree. My original goal was to determine how far back I could trace his bloodline. I wanted to see how closely he retained the physical characteristics of his traceable genealogy.  I have photos of him and his ancestors if mixed you can’t tell the old from the new. Each search has uncovered information, stories, and descriptions regarding the lives of past horses. Horses, whose lives formed the genetic make-up of this gelding patrolling my pasture, it was the legacy deep in his bloodline that provided a link to unravel his thinking process deeply imprinted in his DNA.

I soon discovered searching back from the 1600’s until today, the special history he is carrying and certainly shapes his thought process. Legends we still honor pepper his heritage, each listed by name and number in the tree of his life.  Fox, Herod, Old Billy, Justin Morgan, Old Sorrel, Traveler, and Cincinnati the son of Lexington, all traceable back to this Quarter Horse standing watch in the pasture. I am sure although it has never been proven the horse ridden by Paul Revere was a ancestor to these great horses. He is a war horse always on guard, standing sentinel, ready to alert, to protect his family. His feet carry the speed of histories fastest racehorses ready to deliver the message at the first glow of light. This is his historically developed position, a sentinel, his genetically imprinted job.

The Sentinel
http://www.civilwarhome.com/warhorses.htm
2) "Cincinnati" was the son of "Lexington," the fastest four-mile thoroughbred in the United States, time 7:19 3/4 minutes. "Cincinnati" nearly 'equaled the speed of his half-brother, "Kentucky," and Grant was offered $10,000 in gold or its equivalent for him, but refused. He was seventeen hands high, and in the estimation of Grant was the finest horse that he had ever seen. Grant rarely permitted anyone to mount the horse --two exceptions were Admiral Daniel Ammen and Lincoln. Ammen saved Grant's life from drowning while a school-boy. Grant says: "Lincoln spent the latter days of his life with me. He came to City Point in the last month of the war and was with me all the time. He was a fine horseman and rode my horse 'Cincinnati' every day."--TFR

The horse, named "Old Sorrel," carried Jackson over many of the bullet-swept battlefields and was with Jackson when that officer fell before the volley of his own men at the battle of Chancellorsville. During the swift campaign through the Shenandoah, in 1862, when Jackson marched his "foot cavalry" towards the citadel at Washington, the horse was his constant companion.

"Traveller" became the special companion of general Lee. The fine proportions of tiffs horse immediately attracted attention. He was gray in color, with black points, a long mane and long flowing tail. He stood sixteen hands high, and was five years old in the spring of 1862. His figure was muscular, with a deep chest and short back, strong haunches, fiat legs, small head, quick eyes, broad forehead, and small feet. His rapid, springy step and bold carriage made him conspicuous in the camps of the Confederates. On a long and tedious march with the Army of Northern Virginia he easily carried Lee's weight at five or six miles an hour, without faltering, and at the end of the day's hard travel seemed to be as fresh as at the beginning.

Lexington, a Kentucky thoroughbred, and his fine action attracted the admiration of all who saw him. When the Federal forces finally entered and occupied Atlanta, in 1864, Sherman was astride of "Lexington "; and after peace was declared, in 1865, the general rode the same horse in the final review of his army in Washington.

Growing up in the TV generation the phrase “Space is the final frontier” has been programmed into our memory.  Certainly space is an interesting dimension, but hardly the final frontier. The ultimate frontier beckons you to explore. We owe so much more to mankind besides getting out of bed each day, or thinking the world revolves around our little portion of the universe. What was accomplished to allow you the right to drive to work, go to a movie, or sit in front of your television each day should humble the strongest, give courage to the week, and cause you to thank your DNA you have such opportunities.

Your mind is incredible not only does it orchestrate your body like a symphony conductor, but it paints pictures for you to see, and seek, and occasionally to learn.  Your choice is to ignore or observe.  Learning to observe is difficult, because at first you don’t consciously know you are looking.   Uncertainty and fear can stop you from paying attention to the encrypted signals your brain sends; once you surrender to the code the pieces start falling into place. Have you ever felt compelled to act or react in a certain way, when there is no logical reason for behaving that way? 

I have explained in other writings how I interpret Déjà vu as memories stored in your DNA from the lives of your ancestors: Information attached to our genetic link; pulled from storage to support our basic existence. Unconscious thoughts heightened by a smell, or sound, and sometimes spark a hint of familiarity.  I came to terms with this connection while studying my Quarter Horse. I wanted to understand the unusual behavior he exhibited, what drives him to perform daily rituals for seemingly no clear reason.

 I learned so much about his history I was able to paint a coherent outline of information that clearly forms the rational of his thinking. It was the remarkable findings of his investigation, which drove me to investigating my own ancestral connections.  I soon discovered the history I carried in my DNA made me consider stopping the investigation. I had two options to consider: 1. The parallels in my life to my ancestors, was frightening. 2. If I told anybody the parallels they would either think I was crazy or making it up.

I decided to continue; having a research background it is difficult to walk away from an unknown. I also had to determine if the findings on my horse were verifiable or just plausible explanations for his actions. True it was enticing to investigate further; certainly I saw the investigation I applied to my horse now was unlocking the code in me. The code defines what we do, how we act, who we select, and how we relate to others, and certainly it explains the déjà vu.  Still I had no idea just how influenced we are by what is stored in the brain; unconscious direction resonating from generations now long past. I soon realized the story stored in my DNA under lock and key was waiting to be opened. 

No one technically dies, you move with your DNA to a new body. Individually you are here for a short span, but collectively you share your experiences with your children, grand-children, and future generations. The flashes of déjà vu they receive from your life’s events shape their thoughts, actions, and give them benchmarks to living. It is of my opinion that each generation builds upon the next, and the reason intelligence is enhanced as each generation develops.  I think we carry our own guide book around with us in our DNA. Think about how much you must learn in your life, without these pieces of built in history we would still be in caves, waiting for each person to mentally progress to the next level. Always starting over no one would reach the level of intelligence man has attained in a relatively short span.  Your brain has filed and stored important information for you to survive; new skills babies perform are really abilities they already possess. The only missing ingredient is building strength to perform the tasks. How quickly children learn, they already can decipher the language they will be using by two days old . Remarkable, unless you realize how much is pre-programmed in their DNA.

I have been able to performing tasks that I had never tried and achieve reasonable success. Yes, sometimes all it takes is watching someone else do the task first, and you are able to recreate the same task. Many tasks we are able to figure out for our self and don’t need to watch someone else first.  Is it because of our intelligence or perhaps great, great Grandpa was highly accomplished in doing exactly the same thing.  Either way you are right, we do have highly developed intelligence. We constantly evolve like all living things on earth and what we pass on by intelligence or survival skill is our legacy.  I spent months on the genealogy of my Quarter Horse, and can trace his ancestors back to 1620 AD.  I have photos and artwork of all the great horses that make up his family.  He carries his bloodline strong, in personality, physical traits, and lessons learned.  Reading “The Sentinel” will help to understand my findings, and explain the seeds it planted to investigate my roots. Please note: I wrote his story before I researched my own history.

I wanted to determine if any parallels existed in my life that could be traced to my ancestors.   I used his pedigree to investigate his actions, why he patrolled his pasture like a guard on duty. He performs his duty with such passion; it is not to be ignored.  Now taking my turn in the gene pool I found out more than I bargained. Some of the information uncovered not only defines the person I am, but connects me to the Quarter Horse now living in my pasture, and his Percheron stable mates.  Several pieces of information I uncovered left me shaking my head in disbelief.  I spent hours going over the information, checking and rechecking, finding it unnerving to the point I considered not writing the story.   However, it is way to interesting and a story that needs to be written.  My information was taken from many sources, legal papers, library documentation, family records and history information gathered from universities and foreign scholars.  I will reference the documents, and supply links, or resource notes and you can make your own determination.  Some of the history is speculation, based on the findings of researchers in ancient history. I will present the information as received and note where it applies.

As I uncovered information it started to form a pattern, I can place this horse’s ancestors with my ancestors or at least within miles of my ancestors from the 1600 AD to present.  I did not expect to find this pattern, and must admit it makes me uncomfortable at times to be able to trace our lineage thru history with such accuracy. I have a book from my mother, passed down to her from my great-grandfathers wife. I am not sure on the age of the book there is no print date, or publisher’s reference. I do know it is very old, and the pages are yellowed and smell musty, and the leaves from the spine have long been removed. Names of my ancestors written on pages, referenced in history, many of the book pages have hand written notes. Birth dates, marriages, and deaths noted by years and locations fill the columns. Simply stated on the books front cover is “The Preston Family”. My mother was born a Preston; her father was a personal guard to Henry Ford. I was lucky to be able to go with him to work occasionally and explore Fairlane in the years after Mr. Ford’s death.  The book starts out with the early history of the Preston family as listed by church and family records back to the 10th century.  Having the recorded history of the family gives me dates and names to use in my search; still I was unaware until now of the link to my Quarter Horse, the Percherons, and the similarities in my life.

Apparently the Prestons of Scotland lived in and owned a castle, Craigmillar Castle, and for centuries many residents held the title Sir which denotes: knights.  I have been able to recover documents giving dates and names of those who achieved Knight Status. Over a period of 300 years the Preston family owned the Craigmillar Castle a mere 3 miles from the Edinburgh Castle.  The two castles were located 25 miles from the ancient city of Camelot. The location of Camelot thought to be mythical by some has always been disputed as to the actual existence and location. I am linking information taken from one of Scotland’s account to the existence of Camelot and its claim to be the legendary location.  I will leave it up to the reader to determine if the legend/location is factual or mythical. Whether you believe the legend of Camelot the fact remains, the Craigmillar castle is factual, and well documented; it was owned by the Preston family.   I have been able to confirm that no less than 67 knights are represented in my bloodline.   Craigmillar Castle is located 25 miles from the battlefield in Camelon, on the outskirts of Falkirk in Scotland.  The book I have in my possession clearly shows the direct link back to those owning the castle to my grandparents.

Camelot

Within this Kingdom of Manann/Manau lay an imposing Roman fortress known to them as 'Ad Vallum', but to which the names Camelot and Camelon later became attached. It is still a protected site. The fort has gone but the name has passed to a nearby village, still known to this day as Camelon, on the outskirts of Falkirk in Scotland. Camelot was first mentioned by a French writer of the 12th century called Chrietien de Troyes. The idea of Camelot as a fortress connected with Arthur can therefore be traced to France and not Wales or England.
There are two possibilities:
1. Camelot was simply a non-existent figment of the writer's imagination
2. The notion of Camelot is based on a real fortress.
If it was a figment of the imagination, then that is the end of it, full stop. However, if we consider the possibility that the idea of Camelot is based on a real fortress, then there is only one serious contender - the old Roman fortress, "Ad Vallum", which lay on the outskirts of Falkirk in Scotland, just some twelve miles or so from the battlefield, where, according to the 7th century AD monk Adomnan, Arthur (Arturius) was killed while fighting the Picts.
The name Camelot is believed to be derived from the word "Camulodonum", which was the Roman name for Colchester, which lies several hundred miles away in the south of England. However, early historians of Scotland, without the knowledge that we have today, mistakenly believed that the ruins of the Roman fortress "Ad Vallum" were in fact the ruins of Camulodonum, and because of the closeness of France and Scotland, and the influence the two countries exerted on one another, you may be certain that if the Scots          believed this fortress was Camulodonum, then the French did too.Indeed, in the early 12th century, many French religious orders existed throughout southern Scotland, and some of the Benedictine and Cistercian monks may well have been responsible for carrying the tales of Arthur from Scotland to France.
"Ad Vallum" was situated in the region where Arthur (Arturius) fought and died. This is historical fact, and despite claims to be the original Camelot by other sites in Britain - such as the hill fort at Cadbury in England, the fortress "Ad Vallum" is the only site to which the name Camelot became attached which can claim a connection with a 6th century AD warrior called Arthur (Arturius), because of its proximity to the battlefield where he fought and died in the Battle of the Miathi Picts.

 

Taken at face value this might not seem like much, unless you know some of my history.  We have owned and operated Kamelot Coach for close to 20 years, we also own and have bred Percheron horses.  My husbands name is Kraig, not quite Craigmillar but close enough to make me look twice at the writing in the book.  If that doesn’t raise your eyebrows think of this; his full name is Kraig Arthur with a stretch of the imagination one could link the initials to King Arthur of Camelot.  It was at this point I wasn’t sure if I would write this story, it sounded bizarre.  After more investigation, I decided it was way to intriguing not to write, the reader can decide how conceivable it sounds.

Chapter after chapter of the family book, made me want to learn more about the ancestors who made my DNA and if there was anything else that cropped up in my life that reflected theirs centuries before.  Several chapters referenced Queen Mary of Scotts who was a frequent visitor to Craigmillar castle, during the period it was owned by the Preston family.  She was given safe haven by Sir Simon Preston .   Queen Mary and her son, James VI of Scotland owned the Royal Mares and for a time the Royal Studs that founded the Arabin horse and link to present day Quarter Horse and Percheron.  This information was key, because it established a connection I did not expect.  The ancestor to my Quarter Horse lived in Edinburgh, a mere 3 miles from the Craigmillar castle owned at that time by my ancestors.  

Is my love of horses more than just enjoying their company?  Is my need to care for them deeply imbedded in the fibers of my cells, or just a fun expensive hobby?  Kraig often asks why I want certain horses, or why so many. Who knows maybe it is an unconscious thought I might need them for the next invasion of the castle.  In the past I have never been able to answer his question, but now at least I understand.   

My color preference is black; I always thought it was a carryover from Henry Ford, “You can have any color car, as long as it’s black”.  Now I consider the choice is seated deeper in my psychic, my vehicles have predominantly been black.   I typically do not even consider other colors, yet I like other vehicle colors, but I do not want to buy them.  Who can explain why the tag on the front of my truck states “Horsepower rules” or the license on the back clearly marked “Kamelot”.  The impact of this isn’t fully realized unless you consider I have only had this book for 2 months, and up until now knew nothing of my family history other than what I knew of my immediate grandparents and pieces of information about their parents.  The truck I have had for 7 years. 

Kraig and I disagree on which Percherons are better black or greys I have a very strong connection to black horses they are my preference. I do love a great bay horse with no white anywhere, unless it like my Quarter Horse that has a band across his nose of a few white hairs probably caused by a mechanical device:  my guess would be a bozel.  The few white hairs are noticeable, but he was not born with them so I choose to ignore them. Still black horses are stunning.  From my search for information I pulled this from a website devoted to recording the history of Scotland. It seems that a legend about a black horse is still told today, surviving centuries along with the castle.

CRAIGMILLAR Castle stands on the outskirts of Edinburgh. An L- Plan tower overlooking the capital, it dates from around 1374 and has witnessed many of the great events of Scotland's history, not least when it was used as a residence by Mary, Queen of Scots, and her grandfather, James IV.
When James IV was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, the people of Scotland refused to believe that he was dead. There were many who believed that he had simply gone off on a crusade and that he would eventually return and it was around this time that the first sightings of his black horse were reported in the vicinity of Craigmillar.
Last summer I decided to visit Craigmillar Castle and take some photographs.
It was a warm, bright day and the sun was on the wrong side of the castle walls for a picture, so I climbed over a fence and walked around to the field below the building. There was a black horse.
Now it may not have been the same horse that James IV used to ride when he used Craigmillar as his bachelor pad 500 years ago.
Nor could it have been the same steed that carried him to Newhaven to supervise work on the Great Michael, the enormous battleship he built to terrorise the English, but its presence did help to confirm the legend.

Craigmillar Castle Road, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, EH16 4SY
Tel: 0131 661 4445
Email: hs.explorer@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

Do you think this is all a coincidence, or is there more fact than fiction?

I believe my portion of the pattern is not one regaled in the story of Camelot, but to the connection of the horse. My part is keeper of the bloodline, caretaker of the promise made centuries ago to repay the horses that fought and died carrying the knights into battle. We know from history our heritage was founded on the back of a horse.  A small price to pay is cleaning their stall and bringing them hay for a service well done.

This is far from the end of the story, also not the beginning, but certainly a chapter worth noting.  I uncovered so much information, confirming the links to these great horses it will provide many hours more of writing on my part.  Hopefully I will make it interesting enough for some to continue reading, and even more to investigate what drives you.  You don’t have to own horses to research your past, you only need to take a long look at your life and ask the question, why.