Or, as she is commonly
called by her fans here at the farm,
"BRATTY MAY"
Or, as she is commonly
called by her fans here at the farm,
"BRATTY MAY"
Here's Elli
just hours old. Her dam Emily was a horse
I was very proud of, so Elli's arrival was special.
As she grew up,
Bratty was our problem child.
She's funny, she's bright, and she has a terrific sense
of humour that reminds me of her mother, Emily. In fact,
it wouldn't be far off to suggest she is an exact replica.
Here she is approaching the yearling year in 2002. She was
a tiny filly, and took a while to grow up.
Part of the
reason was that Elli was a June baby - so we
got her started in 2003 when she turned two, just
riding her very very lightly in the fall with plenty of
groundwork - we had her doing walk trot and canter
in the roundpen and lots of work while ground driving
such as sidepass and backing - doing it from the ground
was our way of giving her plenty of time to grow up
before she started her training under saddle.
Here she is turning two, in June.
So, during the third spring, when a sunny April day
in 2003 gave us lots of energy, we scraped off the hair
& saddled ALL the colts and fillies up & got started!
Elli had had so much ground work and was 'backed'
several times already - so we just lunged her, and
Brittany (our working student) jumped on and off she
went! It is amazing just how well trained you can get a horse
from the ground, and Elli didn't disappoint us for all our
years of waiting. We needed to have her going by
the summer camps, so that she could be a guide horse
on trail rides - best of all, she's finally 14 hands, &
looking good! (albeit a bit scruffy from the spring
and of course Elli LOVES to ROLL)
Here she is
with Brittany that very first day - Elli is
incredibly light in the mouth, and has all the
best attributes of both her dam Emily (a Great Pine granddaughter) AND her sire,
Little Peppy's Star.
Her sire is a son of the great Peppy San Badger
- the only one who stood in Ontario, and a proven
competitor in working cowhorse to boot. Click here
to read about, and see photos of both Emily & Billy.
We are VERY excited about this young filly we've
waited so long to ride, and so we will be putting her
through training carefully. We hope she does what
Emily never got the chance to do.
Tah dahhhh! Summer OF 2004 finally arrived, and
Elli finally looked
like a real horse. She's 14 1/2 hands and still growing - we think
she'll end up 14.2 like mom. Here she is doing some work in the round
pen. Elli is very light on her feet, and her feet lead her into all sorts of
mischief. I've never SEEN such an affectionate, pesky filly. She follows
me around like a dog, and it can get VERY annoying because she will
come up behind you and poke you with her nose while you are doing
something - or you bend over to pick out a hoof and you feel her nose
pressed up against the side of your face, and she blows and snuffles in your
ear instead of letting you work. It's wierd - she's so smart it's creepy.
We like
horses with personality (thank god) and so she is a constant source of
entertainment and annoyance. She has many hours under saddle now,
both off and on the trail, and is a favorite of our young campers in summer.
She is still a
brat, too. She never lost her smart alec attitude,
and I am so glad. She's a very fun ride, she loves to go down
the trail and you have to watch she doesn't barge over obstacles.
I don't think it ever occurs to her that the ground is a bit uneven
or in spots, really rough - she is young and she is invincible! Best
of all, she is exceptionally quiet minded, which is what we were
hoping for all this time. She is even tempered and readily
subjected to all sorts of distractions on the wilderness trail rides.
Best of all - she's got a canter to die for! (good
thing, because
her trot is a killer *grin*)She is definitely a product of her pedigree.
She's scary smart, and you have to keep your mind on keeping her
occupied when you are training in the ring, lest you bore her.
She is as flexible as a worm, just like her mom! People say you
shouldn't breed because you might not get what you want
- but we did, and she's everything we ever hoped for.