The rest of the Equine Family!

Let's start today with a reminder that you should go hug your pony today. Really, it's awesome. So, go do that, right after you read this.
Well, you already met Annie, (obviously) so, now I guess I will introduce the rest of the Equine Family.
Star is my OTHER baby. In fact, she might as well be mine. It's final. Star is mine. Mine, mine, mine, ALL mine. I guess you probably want to see her, don't you.......well, to bad. Haha, just kidding, I promise. Here she is.

The picture isn't that great, but if you will look closely, you can see that the reins are NOT attached to the bridle. We were working on our bridleless riding. Shortly after this picture was taken (15 minutes I believe) I went and took the bridle off completely! She was so good!


Star is really my horse. She's my baby. She is also the only other horse I really work with at grandpas...maybe I will post some on the other horses, but only if something interesting happens with one.
                And remember, go hug your horse!

Meet My Annie!

So, if you look to my mom's blog, you will notice a short post on my getting my first horse. Well, let us delve into the rich background of this, shall we?
  Like I said, I was stricken with 'Equine Eccentricity at quite the tender age. This is, of course, followed by begging and pleading for TIME with horses, getting lessons, riding in general, and...the point of no return, wanting my OWN horse. I used to have very heated arguments with my dear papa about how the chimney needed to be bigger so Santa could fit my pony in it this year. Alas, it never happened. Thanks Santa. Well, this year, for my 15th birthday my parents allowed me to pick out my own gift. So, naturally I chose a horse. Annie, to be exact. Now, I will go into my Annie-Bananie's History.
   If her registration papers are correct, her racing name was Can Affirm. (yuck, right?) She was started under saddle at a year old, and raced at 18 months. By the time she was three she had raced twenty times. In the last five races, she never finished.
  She was then sold as brood mare. She stayed there for a bit, then she vanished. poof. She resurfaced several years later on a meat truck, bound for the slaughterhouse. She was severely emaciated, and had a gash on her face that was several inches long, and so deep, you could see her bones. I am told that she was lucky to live.
   She was rehabilitated, and went to another farm Maefield, to improve their Caspian Sport horse lines, but alas, she was soon found to be infertile. She was bounced to a few different homes until she ended up at my trainer's mom's house. She remained there until her pasture mate died. Her owner could no longer afford her upkeep, and so, she was given to me. She was pitifully thin when she arrived, as you can see in the next few pictures.

Please note, that in these pictures, I was NOT RIDING HER! I was checking saddle fit, and girth length, and the saddle was also for reference.

 

 

Over the next six months I have poured all my heart and soul (and money. Lot's and lot's of money) into getting her healthy again. She is my baby, and Lord help you if you touch her in anything other than a gentle manner, because I will kill you and make it look like a horrific accident. Just kidding! (but really, don't touch my horse) Annie excels at napping, eating (always eating) and being a goof. She will frequently fall asleep with her head on your shoulder if you allow it. She also likes to go for walks. she is like a puppy in that regard. It's actually kind of funny. Six months of Love and copious amounts of food, and today, she looks SO much better! Here are some pictures from a few weeks ago!

So, yeah, there they are!! Sorry about the one that's sideways, I can't seem to fix it. I LOVE how Annie gives you hugs. Which reminds me, have you hugged your horse today?

 

A Leetle (or a LOT) About ME!

Well, hello. My name is Olivia. Olivia Davis. You might recognize me from me mum's blog, Life With The Davis Gang. I would be the horse-crazy middle child with the adorable chubby cheeks. *snorts* not. but anyway, about me. I am 15, and I was stricken with Equine Eccentricity (horse crazy-ness) at a very early age. To date, there has been no cure. Equine Eccentricity is known to get worse with age, and often leads to dirty clothing, close calls, SPECTACULAR falls, and a bond that lasts a lifetime. It begins with one horse, that forever changes your life. I believe that I have a quote from a renowned rider that can sum it up MUCH better than I,

“Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seizes a person whole and once it has done so, he/she will have to accept that his life will be radically changed.”

I think it was George Morris, but I am so scatter brained, I can't really be sure. All I know is, this quote is going on my wall someday.  Many girls have discovered this passion, this humility, (because let's face it, if you are not a humble person, your horse will make you one) and this strength, and it has changed our lives forever. I hope that through this blog, or whatever you wish to call it, I can showcase the bond that we girls (and boys) have found with our horses. I really don't write about one certain thing, but rather a collection of things (the would be the scatter brain kicking in).
      Sometimes I might right about MY horse, (there WILL be a post coming up about her soon. As in a few minute soon) and the adventures we have, sometimes I will write about my grandpa's horses, and sometimes I will write about any and everybody's horses. So buckle up and enjoy the ride, and DO try to keep up with my writing. It is kind of weird in some places, but trust me, there is a madness to my method.