This is Eowyn's Thunder, aka Eowyn, or sometimes simply Eow. She's my coming 6yo 1/2 Arab filly out of my wonderful, do anything Morgan/QH mare, Hoanna. Pretty cute, isn't she?
THIS......this is what she's really like. Teenagers...sighhh... That's her mom in the background.Some history is in order. In 2003 my friend Terri and I got into endurance. We were totally dumb Newbs at it, and managed to go over time every ride we started that year. Didn't help that no one mentioned your vet checks counted into the 6hrs you had to do a 25.... I guess that's better than going fast and running your horse into the ground at least! :) At any rate, despite the failures, we were bitten by the endurance bug.
We both were on our fairly unsuited backyard horses. Hers, a big, lanky, Appendix QH who likely could have done endurance physically, but was an emotional basketcase at rides and almost literally worried himself sick. My own mare Hoanna, was a Morgan/QH who's favorite past-time was eating and sleeping. She 'did' endurance, because she did anything I asked of her, but never had her heart in it. Thus, Terri and I both decided we needed more proper mounts. She got an Arab, who spooked and spun and dumped both of us many a time. I ended up riding him and she got an Arab/Mustang that wasn't much better. He didn't spook, but had been a top ten horse and didn't know how to do anything but grab the bit and run with the pack, and was so hard a trotter, we nicknamed him the Jackhammer. Suffice to say, I ended up riding him, too. He took me through around 5,000 miles of rides though, very happily and safely (after I spent a year teaching him it was OK to slow down, LOL). Terri finally found her horse in a little, gaited, colorful Singlefooter, and they have over 6,000 miles together and are still going strong!
At some point, I decided Hoanna was a wonderful horse in all things, but endurance potential, and though I loved her, she needed an upgrade. I thought, why not breed her to an Arab, pass on all HER good traits, and HIS endurance potential....good idea, huh?? :) I wanted a horse I could eventually do Tevis on, and Hoanna was not going to be it for sure. So hopefully her baby would? Well, we all know the saying, right? About those 'best laid plans'?? Well this blog will see if those plans will eventually work out, or not. For almost two years now, I really wasn't sure. I had quite the struggles with my willful little filly. I was on the verge of selling her a few times, but always hesitated to take that final step and advertise her.
Good thing too... I decided to toss her in the pasture for a year and let her mature a bit more, while I worked with my new stallion (see HIS blog here: www.stallionadventures.blogspot.com) and got HIM ready for endurance instead. When I pulled her out again this year and started riding her again, I got a whole new horse! Sure, still a stubborn and willful teen, but now one that was willing to at least talk about it :) We have had a few months of good riding now, and she is here to stay! So...all you, dear readers, may watch with me how things turn out. I'll start with her history and work up to today, while throwing in some current happenings as well.
I hope you enjoy the journey, as much as I have (well, except the times I was ready to kill her, LOL... but mostly she's been a wonderful light in my life :) )
