Andrea's Horses

[Andrea Valentine]

FLASH OF ONYX

Registered Name>> Flash of Onyx
Barn Name>> Felix
Age>> 7
Sex>> Gelding
Breed>> Belgian Warmblood
Breed Registry>> BWP-NAD

Coat Colour>> Black
Stable Colour>> Medium Orchid
Height>> 16 hh

Personality>> You could say that this gelding is high-strung. He leads well enough, takes baths, doesn’t try to bite or step on his handlers, and yet he’s always fidgeting. If he’s not moving forward, he’s shifting around on his feet or pawing at the ground. He tosses his head around and shakes his mane. Under the saddle, he’s a forward-thinking horse, which makes him good for dressage and jumping, and hopefully for cross country. In the pasture, he’s playful but he doesn’t start any real fights. He may nip at the others to get a rise out of them, but he’d never draw blood. This horse is not recommended for beginners due to his forward attitude. A novice rider might find his fast pace a little intimidating.
Caution Around>> Stalls. He’ll stand in the stall just fine but after a while he starts cribbing.

Basic History>> Felix was born on a farm in the U.S. The breeders started him in basic groundwork, and sent him to a trainer for dressage. As he got older, it was decided that he was worth more as a gelding than a stallion; his temperament was becoming an issue. A few solid months after gelding him, they saw little improvement. Luckily, Andrea’s father had a feeling that his little girl could handle him. He was shipped to their farm in New York and arrived in good condition. As soon as he was acclimated, Andrea started with him. They started with groundwork, then trail rides, and then some dressage work. Once they were on the same page, they started training in show jumping. Now all he needs is work with cross country and they’ll be a formidable pair in eventing.

Owner>> Andrea Valentine
Rider>> Andrea Valentine
Discipline>> Eventing (Dressage - Novice; Cross Country - Beginner; Show Jumping - Novice)

[Andrea Valentine]

MCREADY'S WILD THIEF

Registered Name>> McCready's Wild Thief
Barn Name>> RJ
Age>> 8
Sex>> Gelding
Breed>> Mule (Friesian Cross)
Breed Registry>> AMA (American Mule Association)

Coat Colour>> Dark Bay
Stable Colour>> Maroon
Height>> 14.3 hh

Personality>> He loves to be pet. He'd rather be groomed than ridden. If you scratch his belly, he'll be your friend forever. Despite that, this goofy guy is pretty easy to bridle. In the first place, he's not terribly tall, but he never lifts his head up anyway. Since he loves being groomed, personal space is kind of an issue with him. He bumps, nibbles, nudges, but at least he doesn't step on you. He gets along really well with all the horses in the pasture, but he runs away when he sees someone with a halter. It takes a little while to catch him. It always helps if you take an apple for him.
Caution Around>> Other horses spooking. If he sees a horse freak out, he's going to freak out.

Basic History>> He was rescued as a foal from a neglectful owner. He stayed in the rescue for a long time, long enough to be broken to ride by some of the workers. They thought it was a shame for such a sweet guy to go untrained. He was gelded as early as possible, so he would have a better attitude and a better chance at getting adopted. Finally, a family took him home when he was 4 and even started him in show jumping. Unfortunately, due to financial trouble, they had to put him up for sale.

That's where Andrea's father comes in. He'd been looking to add some new faces to his barn when he stumbled upon the ad for a show jumping mule. He thought RJ would be a great addition to the barn, and a great birthday gift for Andrea. He hopes that a new jumping mount will keep her off the cross country trails for a while. Yeah, right.

Owner>> Andrea Valentine
Rider>> Andrea Valentine
Discipline>> Show Jumping