Wednesday, November 16, 2011

SOME OF THE SAME


The day I bought her.



Schiroc in her later years



Angela on Schiroc



Schiroc and I in our hey day



She and I would spend quality time together quite often



Schiroc in her younger years



Cowboy bob and his mighty steed



Miss Cara on Schiroc



My first ride on her



Peps the first day I saw her

After reading Sherry's (Fernvalley) blog today and seeing the honorable mention of Schiroc, I felt inspired to add to her story. I originally blogged about Schiroc on March 17, 2010 but only hit the surface of who this mare was. Now that I have lost her son Blue, I find I really miss her and all that she taught me. I bought her on November 11, 1983. She was just 14 mths old. A real wild filly but I fell in love with her at first site. Now I didn't know much about riding let alone training a horse. She taught me both. I learned patience, kindness, loyalty and friendship. She would do anything for me. She taught all three of my kids how to ride and respect horses. I was told right from the start that she wouldn't amount to much. She was so small and fine. She was appaloosa/quarter horse but had some Arab in her somewhere. Her sire was registered so was able to find her bloodlies on her sire's side and sure enough there was an arab way back in the line but she still had the small refined arab head. She would go anywhere and do anything. We did many cancer rides, jumping clinics, endurance riding, chased cows and whatever else happened to come along. I remember one insidence where a bunch of us were riding and they are all on their arabs or thoroughbreds and putting down my little appy. I siad she could jump over anything so we kept upping the stakes with each round. They thinking, oh this time we'll stop her for sure. Well three straw bales high and two bales proved to be too much for their horses. My little appy cleared those bales like nothing. Another time I had her boared at a friend's place and his arabs were chasing her and putting her in a corner so she jumped the fence and headed down the road to a fancy boarding place where they put her in a nice stall, lots of hay and noone bugging her. She was also boarded at a warmblood stable and the owner used to laugh at how this little horse put those big warmbloods in their place. She spent her last years at Fernvalley and that's where she taught my kids how to ride, presented me with my boy Blue and enjoyed her senior years. She died peacefully there and was cremated on the farm and so was Blue. She maynot be there in body but she is still there in another wrapping. My new mare Peps doesn't look like her much anymore but she still does things that Schiroc did and I know that she was sent to me so that Schiroc could live on forever with me. I have bred Peps to Cactus and am hoping for a new black and white foal this spring. I still hope to breed her to Phoenix, Chile's last son and see if we can produce another Blue. Peps and Chile are from the same bloodlines. HIs sire's and her dam's lines are related. Her story could fill many pages. Sherry has written poems about both of my wonderful horses. With her permission, I hope to pose these to my blog. My blogger name greymareschiroc was made for her. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

6 comments:

Sherry Sikstrom said...

Love the old pics Deb, keep em coming I know we will find just the right one for her poem . If you like go ahead and post the poems on your blog, I had not gotten much of an honorable mention together yer for Blue ,its all a little too fresh for me still (I know he was your horse, but he was also my little Prince)

greymare said...

he was as much yours as he was mine. i would be very honored to have an honourable mention done of him.

GoLightly said...

OH, my, what a lovely long history, how wonderful!
Thanks for posting, made my day!

C-ingspots said...

She sounds like such a wonderful, life-changing kind of horse! Wasn't gonna amount to much huh? Sure shows what some people know!! She apparently had enough heart to fill the world! Love the story, and it just warms my heart to hear these kind of horsey/people relationships. Horses make us so much better people!

greymare said...

Thanks all for the kind words. She was a one of a kind. We had a very special bond. She was good with just about anyone, but her and I had something special. I think that's why Blue meant so much was he was hers in alot of ways. After loosing him, I thought the "something special" was gone, but the more I work with and get to know my new mare, I swear Schiroc is reincarnated in her.

Janice said...

Great story....your Schiroc reminds me of a special.......one as well.Loved the photos.