When Krista MacPherson, a DeWinton area horse trainer and breeder, purchased a "ten or twelve year" old mare and a chestnut filly out of the recent SPCA seizure auction at High River, she thought she would possibly breed the mare and train and sell her offspring as sport horses and train the chestnut filly as a riding horse. Identification was an issue with these horses but the older mare had a tattoo and had obviously raced at some point in ther life. Krista asked the CTHS for some help figuring out the identity of the mare based on what she could read on the somewhat worn off tattoo. Imagine the surprise when the tattoo was read more clearly in the light and the letter she thought was a 'B' or a 'D' turned out to be an 'R' and the sequence matched to the tattoo of a race horse many long time Alberta fans will remember well - Lady Alta. Instead of the 10 or 12 year old mare, Krista thought she had bought, she turned out to be 22 years old but what a horse to have ended up with.
Lady Alta won a number of awards and earnings of over $360,000 in her years racing on Alberta tracks back in the early nineties. This 1988 mare by Ky Alta out of Nauti Li'l Miss was a favorite of her trainer Floyd Arthur and put in six years racing before being retired as a broodmare in 1996 as an eight year old. Her life took an unfortunate turn for the worse when she was sold out of the 2006 CTHS Fall Mixed Sale and ended up at the SPCA sale earlier this year but things are looking up again for Lady Alta now and one of Alberta's favorite race mares will enjoy a final well deserved home.
Krista MacPherson is at Hillside Farms in DeWinton, Alberta and her website is www.pintowarmblood.com. Krista said that anyone who wants to contact her about Lady Alta is more than welcome to do so or pop by her farm to have a look. (Posted February 10th, 2010)
