Corn Chips
by Lucia Roda
Last year I was the enthused new Spanish Mustang owner with
a great gelding and then a super filly.
I said if I got the third one I would name it
"Corn Chip" 'cause you can't have just one. Well call me Fritos,
I have a mixed bag now. I've become the Imelda Marcos of
Spanish Mustangs. I have 6. Three fillies and two stud colts
and of course the one who started this all Thunderhawk.
Thunderhawk has gone from a culture shocked
3 year old that didn't know what to do with children,
to a guy that is the pony ride horse for a group of toddlers on the
fourth of July.
He is a consummate baby sitter
and takes care of my 7 year old when he is learning to drive,
and gives great joy to my almost 87 year old grandfather in
country drives.
Grandpa enjoys driving a "fine horse"
down the road and to town.
Thunder is also in training for combined driving
as I don't think that ring pleasure driving will be his cup of
tea. He'll have to humor me until the babies get older though,
for some of that.
Thunder loves to go down the road,
the longer the better.
Distance driving is new to the American Driving Society and I
think that our horses will be very suited to this new branch of
the driving tree.
I am trying to give him as much exposure as I can, because I
believe that these little horses
are incredibly athletic and intelligent.
I think that there is a place for them
in the sport horse industry,
especially in the growing and highly competitive
large pony divisions in driving.
I am hoping to have the only tandem of Spanish Mustangs in
ADS by this falls annual
American Driving Society meeting in Colorado.
The madness behind all this is that I am building my
four-in-hand, one baby at a time.
I have little kids so by the time I can do a four,
the babies, human and horse will be old enough.
I am going to brag now.
Be ready, it's pretty obnoxious.
Thunderhawk was shown in an article
on carriage driving with Today's Horse Magazine,
the July 2004 issue.
He was also featured in the Whip,
the magazine for the American Driving Society.
I am really proud of the impression that he made on the
president of ADS and her husband. They had never been
around Spanish Mustangs before and were somewhat skeptical.
By the time they left they praised a filly of Caballos de Destino's
that is going to a friend
of mine in California to compete with. Great advertising for our
horses.
My kids are getting the bug too.
My 4 year old wants to know why other people don't have horses
like ours.
She even talks about the sanctuary mustangs as those other
kind of mustangs.
"They're not Spanish Mustangs, mommy."
One of the six has been claimed by my 4 year old daughter and
Yuma follows her like a puppy.
Shadow Cat thinks that he is pretty studly stuff
but is quiet and sweet with the kids.
Little Star is a Mexi and believes
that she is in charge of the family,
and has started up the steps of the deck
to go into the house.
Sirrocco just arrived a month ago and is a DNA Sorraia type
Spanish Mustang filly.
I love to just look at her and her beautiful
polished silver pewter color.
Lovely to look at and twice as nice.
Kachina is yet to come and I can't wait.
I am lucky I have a husband with a sense of humor,
or is it resignation?
I told Sharron Scheikofsky
that this is fast moving from hobby to obsession
and that therapy might need to be the next step.
She asked me what kind of therapy would it take.
I said probably need to go ride a horse or something. I hope you
like the baby pixs that I am sharing as I am enjoying my
growing family and even my father who has never understood
my horse obsession, sneaks apples to the girls in their pasture.
HORSES..... bah, who needs them... WE DO!
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