Fogbow

Apparently there's a few of us here who love and own horses, so here's my herd.

First, of course, is Azastan. Foaled April 28, 1993, she is a purebred registered Arabian. I found her listed on Craigslist, for free. I had been down in Oregon visiting a friend, and saw the post on my way back to Washington State. She was located in an area which is a little bit off the beaten track, so I made the detour to stop and take a look at her. The owner told me that she'd been trying to re-home Az for seven years, but hadn't quite clicked with any previous adopter. I tacked Az up, went for a short ride in the covered arena of her home barn, thought she was great. I noticed, without paying much attention, that the owner seemed a bit worried, which I chalked up to my not being able to get the girth really tight for some reason.

I arranged for Az and another horse, Poppy, to be delivered to me and they arrived a few days later.

It turned out that Az was a bit more difficult to ride than I originally thought, and had a bad habit of being ridden at a trot where she would go into a right turn at the corner, come to an abrupt halt and drop her right shoulder. This maneuver had apparently caused several riders to be unceremoniously unseated, and Az had been promptly returned to her increasingly worried owner. That, and Az's random spooking at various objects, but especially white objects such as styrofoam cups, feed bag labels, a patch of snow, etc.

But I persevered and somehow managed to always stay on her when she did these things, and learned a lot about how to just remain calm on her.

https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/azastan

Love Over Goldd, foaled May 14, 1993. Named by a Dire Straits fan, 'Joey' is a hair over 75% Crabbet, and for those who know about Crabbet/Maynesboro/Kellogg breeding, it's pretty obvious that he's a little Crabbet boy, what with his broad white strip, white on his lower lip, high white stockings, and a glorious shining chestnut colour. Lady Wentworth, of the Crabbet Stud, didn't like bays, and so virtually all horses with Crabbet breeding are either grey or chestnut.

I had a fellow rescuer contact me about Joey. His owner had been in hospital for over three months with MERSA, and was not expected to live (he did survive, but was never very robust afterwards). Located down in Olympia, I went to see him and thought he was darling. Didn't know he was registered, so didn't know his registered name until his papers showed up with him when he arrived a couple of days later.

https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/love+over+goldd

Joey is the chestnut, Valiant Guy ('Fajr') is the grey

Since Fajr, registered name Valiant Guy is in the photo with Joey, he's next on the list.

Valiant Guy was foaled February 27, 1999. He's a racing-bred Arabian, so he doesn't have a very dished face. He was one of five horses which went through the Eugene Livestock Auction in 2019. As far as we could determine, he had been sent to the ranch of an Eastern Oregon alfalfa rancher when it was discovered that he wasn't fast enough to be a race horse (he doesn't have a lip tattoo, so he was never raced). The rancher died, and all the reject race horses were rounded up and sold.

He is very wary around people, and after two years, I still can't groom him. He's not mean, just doesn't like being touched. Apparently all five of the horses which went through the auction that day were like that, although two others have settled down.

His barn name, Fajr, is Arabic for 'Dawn'. I was fostering him for a rescue (which went belly up, so he's mine now), and early one morning I got a call informing me that the person hauling him was five minutes away. The rescue person hadn't bothered to tell me that he was coming, and the hauler hadn't bothered to tell me he was coming, so I was pretty miffed about it since it was dark still and I had no idea what he'd be like to handle or if he would stay behind hot wire. I wound up parking him in my neighbour's arena until it was light enough for me to watch him, but since he arrived at dawn, and since I wasn't going to call him 'Val' or 'Guy', Fajr it was.
https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/valiant+guy2

Nejed Nijm Zarik was foaled June 8, 2003. She is what is known as an Al Khamsa horse, very special. Her desert-bred ancestors are as close up as great grandparents. She is a big stout horse, with not much of a dished face. Her breeder was developing dementia, and a friend of mine saw that he was in trouble with far too many horses (over 50), with three stallions breeding every mare! My friend forced Ray, the breeder, to send in DNA for each horse, get each unregistered horse registered, and helped him find homes for all the horses except for two which he kept.

'Comet' came to me because my friend had asked if I would be willing to take her if she could pry her away from Ray. One day Ray called my friend and told her that if she came that day and picked up Comet, he would give me Comet for free. She went flying to his ranch, over 50 miles away, and Comet came to me about a month later after a 30 day quarantine at my friend's place.

One of my favourite horse anecdotes involves Comet. I came home one day to find a black Mercedes in the driveway. I don't know anyone who drives a black Mercedes, so I had no idea who it was. My husband was talking to the driver, and beckoned to me to come talk with the two men in the car. It turned out that they were students at the University of Washington, had grown up with horses, and had just driven around looking for a rural place trying to find a public riding stable because they really wanted to chill with a horse! I figured out pretty quickly that they were Middle Eastern (Saudi princelings, to be exact) and asked them if they would like to visit with an Arabian. Oh, they were THRILLED that they had found not just someone who didn't shoot them on sight, but who had Arabians to boot. I took advantage of the situation to ask how to pronounce Comet's Arabic name, and they told me how to say 'Nejed' and 'Nijm', but they shook their heads and told me that there was no such word as 'Zarik' in Arabic. Turns out that Ray, the breeder, actually meant 'Azrak', which means 'blue' in Arabic, but hey, he was in dementia and got it wrong.

Comet had been virtually unhandled until she was almost 13 years old, but we got her started under saddle a couple of years ago and she's finally getting used to the idea that she's a saddle horse. The photo is the first day she wore a saddle. She's looking much less chunky now that she is in work.


https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/nejed+nijm+zarik

The last member of my herd doesn't officially belong to me, but she's not leaving! Desi, registered name and birth unknown, is approximately 22 years old. She's a lovely little thing, almost certainly straight Egyptian because she is small and relatively fine-boned.

She had gone through the Eugene Livestock Auction in 2018, was bought by a horse trader who was commissioned by a local woman to find 'party ponies'. The local woman needed small 'white' horses because she would dye their fur (she was the '12th horse Seahawk' person for the locals, here). Desi didn't work out for party pony woman because she has separation anxiety and doesn't like little kids. But she'd gone through ELA as 'ridden at kid's riding camp', so she sounded perfect. At any rate, Desi was offered to the rescue with which I work, and since I lived only 5 miles away from party pony woman, Desi came here for fostering and so that she could decompress.

Desi got adopted by someone in Oregon, so off she went. But the person who adopted her was really nervous around Desi, and Desi picked up on that and didn't do well in that environment. Somewhere along the way, Desi picked up a thorn or small sharp stick, which went into her just in front of her udder. Her owner didn't think it was significant, and delayed getting a vet out, but eventually a vet came out and determined it was just a flesh wound, so here's some topical ointment. Well, that flesh wound is over 12 inches long and is now a permanent draining tract, so Desi isn't uncomfortable, but she can't be ridden and she isn't adoptable, so here she stays! But I love her because she's very sweet!

I sent in her DNA to see if she is registered, but the Arabian Horse Association didn't require DNA to be on file until after 2001, so she's not in the DNA database. I am slowly going through the several thousand grey mares registered between 1990 and 2001 to see if I can identify her by her graphic markings, but let me tell you, it's a SLOW process!

And because I love this photo, here is my 'Three Grey Mares':
Taken through the windshield of a pickup, my friend had driven into my place, looked up to see Miss Valerie, Rose Capri, and Leah prancing in front of her. All three horses are gone now. Miss Valerie leads, Rose Capri--my first horse--in the middle, and Leah bringing up the rear.

My ex-wife had an Arabian she called Blue that looked just like your picture Azastan.

Uninformed wrote: ↑Sat Feb 27, 2021 6:24 pm My ex-wife had an Arabian she called Blue that looked just like your picture Azastan.

Then Blue must have been gorgeous!

Ahhhh, horses! Love 'em! I don't have any now and just took my first dressage lesson after over three years away from them. But I was always partial to OTTB' s (for the non-horsey "off track thoroughbred). A friend, who is still in Oregon, loves his Arabians, having at least 5, I think.

I'm not a horse person, but you sure have some beautiful rescues.

Lin Wood, [28.02.21 14:04]
[ Photo ]

Lin Wood, [28.02.21 14:13]
After getting Rascal situated in her new abode and watching her set a world record in consuming a bowl of dog food, I had a chance to visit for the first time with King David! King walked over when I called him, so he already responds to “King!” Guess he knows his place.

I will be a loyal servant to King. I know our relationship will grow stronger every day. Kinda like another relationship I have with the King of Kings that also grows stronger every day.

Thanks for letting me share my new family members with you.

Such a blessed day and not even half way done. Trump speech to come!

Nice Paint. Ummm....nice halter/head collar. Looks like one by Weaver, with the throatlatch snap buckle. I like those, very sturdy and well made, and the throatlatch snap is really handy.

Should have had more of the horse in the photo, though.

Azastan wrote: ↑Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:37 pmShould have had more of the horse in the photo, though.

Well, they got most of the horse's ass.

Estiveo wrote: ↑Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:50 pm

Azastan wrote: ↑Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:37 pmShould have had more of the horse in the photo, though.

Well, they got most of the horse's ass.

Yes, yes they did .

Those are beautiful horses! And I'm also not a horse person.

Using horses to help comfort cancer patients.



More at link.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/gal ... n-pictures

AndyinPA wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 1:53 pm Using horses to help comfort cancer patients.



More at link.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/gal ... n-pictures

What a fabulous article, thank you. I'd heard of 'Doctor' Peyo before via a friend who teaches dressage in France.

I will hope that Ms Hen gets reunited with her flock soon.

@EsOnMiami
Godzilla (the bantam polish top hat) says: Hello pretty lady. I am a young roo. I enjoy crowing at the meal worms and the ladies. I am a Virgo with a Scorpio rising. Nuff said.

New grandpony just arrived at the barn. Or so I'm told, I'm 1400 miles away..

Wow! Beautiful horse!

Gorgeous

Grandpony is settling in at his new home, getting to know the local dirt
Hopefully we'll get back up to New England in the late summer or fall and I'll get to meet him..