Well...this is something I think I've toyed with for a while, but it has taken me being down with an injury for 2 wks to finally start it LOL! So...welcome to Enyalien's new blog!
This first post is a good place to let you know a bit of who we are. If you found this blog thru my website, then you may not need to read this *smile * That's up to you.
I have been horse crazy my whole life. Most females seem to be at some point...some of us never get over it! I think it truly is in the blood. I took some riding lessons, went on some trail rides, rode with friends, even did a short stint as a carriage driver for one of the companies in Louisville, KY. For the most part though, my 'horse craze' was 'satisfied' through reading and Breyers. I am a voracious reader, and took in everything from Walter Farley, Margeurite Henry, and CW Anderson to Colonol Podhajsky's writings on classical dressage and theories and principles of breeding and breed histories over the years, many times over.
In 1994 I had my first opportunity to own my own horse. I ...made the 'mistake' of going to the Kentuckiana Classic Miniature Horse Show, for which I had seen an ad at a pet store. Oh my. Some of the horses were breathtaking, this was my first exposure to Miniatures, and of course, I fell in love....with a 29.5" black bay yearling colt. The rest, they say, is history...
Warrior of course needed a friend when he came home to live with me after the show season ended. Stallions do NOT like to live alone. He made this loud and clear when he rolled under the post and rail fence while I was at work and went missing for 3 days, nearly scaring the life out of me! I promptly went and found him a filly to keep him company!
I am, as you may have guessed, a research addict...years of reading can do that to a body. So I began researching this breed. I quickly became impressed with the quality of some of the animals that could be found...and dismayed at others. I dug into bloodlines for years, and still do. I bought a variety of lines I deemed to be consistent in their production, and shortly found out why some told me breeding was a crapshoot. I couldn't buy that though, not after decades of reading after full size breeders, so I paid attention to what lines I crossed "worked" and what went to pet homes. And...after the first couple years, I came to the realization this was NOT how I wanted to operate. I needed to find a niche, and a bloodline that was consistently consistent! I also wanted as few suspected dwarf genes as possible. I wanted history. I wanted horses with well set necks, excellent shoulders and toplines and hips...correct legs, and gorgeous heads. I am a head fanatic. Give me width of forehead, tiny tippy ears, large expressive soft eyes, teacup muzzles, clean underjaws, large defined jaws or don't give me that horse! Clean throatlatches that don't have to be sweated, muscle definition that is natural and smooth and flowing and powerful. And I wanted athleticism. I have dreamed of driving for years, and I wanted natural movers. Horses that could jump, knees tucked like a hunter. And a horse that NEEDED to be bred...one in danger of extinction if it wasn't preserved. I'm a preservationist at heart, I can't help it. There were lines I found that fit the above...but already had a good following and quite a few breeders. Then I began to notice a common thread among some of them. Winks mares.
to be continued...at it's almost 1am!
