Meet Fawn's Horses
Sugar Billy Hickory
I had a hard time determining Billy's 'horsenality' when Linda first came out with the charts. I knew he was a total punk - he loved to cause trouble in the herd and scrap with the biggest horses out there. After studying the charts further I finally came to the conclusion that in a herd he was a total Left Brained Extrovert and when he was with me, he was hard to read because he became so centered and willing. Areas that he has great confidence are in a herd, in new environments, with me as a leader and in himself as a learner. He is not very confident being by himself, though. As long as a person or another horse is around he is fine, but he gets worried if he's on his own and I can't blame him - loner horses get eaten by lions!Billy, also known as 'The Kid' by friends and as 'William' by me, was born and raised as naturally as it comes. He was part of a herd owned by a rancher in Northern Alberta who let his horses live the way horses are designed to live - free. Their 'paddock' was thousands of acres and their feed was whatever they could find growing naturally. They used trees for shelter and only saw humans when they were rounded up to be doctored, started, ridden or sold. Billy lived this life until his 2yo year when he was purchased as an untouched colt by my friend, former Parelli Instructor, Ron Knapp.
Unfortunately for Ron (but great for me!), Billy didn't end up getting as big as he had hoped, so after putting a month of training on him, consisting of a lot of rides in the mountains, he decided to sell him. Knowing that I was looking for a horse to replace my Level 3 mare who was not up to the physical challenges of Level 4, Ron contacted me and insisted that I come and take a look at this colt. He promised I would not be disappointed. He was right!
I'll never forget the day I met Billy. I'd been looking for a horse that had colour, bloodlines, temperament, athletic ability and a play drive and I knew that I'd found it. There was something really special about this horse and it wasn't long before I understood exactly what it was. I don't know that I can describe it, but I've never had a horse with so much heart, who would turn himself inside out to figure out what you wanted him to do and who would never quit on you.
I have owned Billy for 4years and I can honestly say that I never dreamed that I could do the things that Billy and I can do today. And I never dreamed it could happen so fast! Even though I had graduated Level 3, I just didn't know that it was possible to be that connected, that light, that confident and that trusting in a horse that even after months apart I could walk out into a pasture, swing onto him without anything but my body to guide him and he would do anything I asked of him. That is true unity.
Trinity
They say that you have a soul connection with certain horses. That is how it is with Trinity and I. She is my next Super Horse.When I got Trin, she was nearly 6yo and unstarted. She ended up being the most extreme horse I have ever developed when it came to acceptance of the cinch. Pat says that a horse that has talent at bucking is usually a great jumper. Let's just say that if that is true then I may have a Grand Prix horse! Starting a 17.1hh warmblood with a tendency to break in half and send her hind legs to the sky teaches a person to be thorough in their preparation! My motto with Trin was 'Don't scare her.' I ended up starting her lightly at 6 and then restarting her twice after long breaks where I had to travel. It was the third start when I was able to consistently saddle her every day for a month and let her wear the saddle 6hrs/day that we finally made it over the dangerous bucking hurdle and she 'accepted' the cinch. Today you would never guess it had ever been an issue, and she has never bucked a single jump with me on her.
Trinity predominantly displays traits of RBE/LBE with some RBI tendencies. Due to her development she is very centered and a total joy to ride and play with. She is sweet and loves affection. When I first got her she did not have the best social skills in a herd and was quite violent towards the other horses, with hind feet like lightning. In the beginning it could be dangerous to be in the pasture with her as she would lash out at the other horses and you had to dodge both her hind legs and the horse that was desperately trying to escape them. I thought she had broken Billy's leg once when she kicked him and he could not walk for a day. It's taken quite some time, but she has finally learned how to act more naturally in a herd and understands that behaviour is not allowed when humans are present. I thank the positive influence of my new lead mare, Summer, for some of that. A healthy and well balanced herd environment can have a huge impact on a horses development.
Trinity was bred to be a jumper and that is where I ultimately want to explore her abilities, but before specialization we are going to put a rock solid foundation on her. She will be taken through Level 4, learn to rope and follow cows, and become a solid and dependable partner before we head for the jumps. But I'm very excited to see how far, or rather how high, we can go!
Summer
I've only had Summer since this fall, but I met her a few years ago when her owner brought her to a clinic in Ontario. I found some excuse to ride her and had a blast! When Summer's former owner decided to get out of horses, she asked me to take her as one of my personal horses. I was happy to oblige!Summer is an 11yo registered Canadian warmblood and stands at around 16.3hh. She was raised as a jumper and I am looking forward to developing this talent and possibly re-entering the show scene with her next winter! In the meantime I'm just focusing on further developing her foundation and helping her learn to use her body more effectively.
Summer is one of those horses that can be hard to classify. I've had people guess everything from RBI to LBE! The truth is she's a pretty centered girl and quite willing to move, but not particularly playful. In a herd she looks like an LBI - doesn't move her feet much and is the lead horse. As a learner she can move around the quadrants. I just find her to be a confident, willing and lovely horse and when it comes to the horsenality I judge it in the moment rather than labeling the horse.
Justa Bonne Heure
'Bonnie' was easy to classify - Left Brained Introvert all the way, aka 'Energy Efficient'. Her first love is food, followed closely by doing absolutely nothing. If I could clone Bonnie, I would never have to work another day in my life - she is the perfect horse for someone who lacks confidence and she has the athletic ability to do any discipline. Right now she's living the good life on lease in Florida with a friend of mine. She's 20 and just doesn't do well in the Canadian winters anymore.Bonnie and I go way back. She was my first real horse and the second equine I ever owned. I bought her when I was fifteen from a man in Nakusp who had done an excellent job of raising and training her for halter and western pleasure. It was the middle of February in Canada when I went to see her with my friends and it was cold! Bonnie was in foal at the time and due in April. When I first saw her, I was not impressed. She looked like a sway-backed mule in the dark stall with all her winter fur and her huge belly! I decided that I was more interested in the 3yo colts the fellow was selling, but he had other ideas! He insisted on taking the mare out of the stall and tacking her up. Once on level ground, she looked a lot better (and a lot bigger!). When he hopped on and rode her around in the roundpen, belly and all, she looked better yet. But when I got on her and felt that trot, it was a done deal - she was going home with me!
A few months later, 'Cody' was born and he was the love of my life. A fiesty little chestnut colt with 4 white socks, he was a charmer and he kept me and his mom busy! In the afternoons he would lie down next to me in the field where I would sit for hours just being with them and lay his head in my lap to sleep. He was a pretty special little guy. Tragically, I lost him shortly before he turned four, but he remains the love of my equine life.
From '95-'97, Bonnie and I competed in every discipline they offered in my area; Dressage, Jumping, Driving, Roping, Barrel Racing, Reining, Trail, Equitation...we did it all. We cleaned house at all the local shows despite the fact that I had very little formal training and absolutely no idea what I was doing. But we learned together and we were one heck of a team to beat. In 2000 we attended our first Level 3 course with Pat Parelli in Pagosa Springs Colorado and passed our Level 3 there the following year.
Horses for Sale
Justa Lucky Stretch - SOLD to Jim & Linda Herron of Kemptville, ON
'Stretch' is Bonnie's second son and was born in '98 right after I returned from studying Parelli in Australia for a year and graduated Level 2. From birth he was a total punk and terrorized his mother with his constant play drive (remember - she likes food and rest, not play!). We decided to geld him really early. Another Left Brained Extrovert, playful, cocky and dominant would be the best words to describe him. He loves people and if he does not feel as though you are giving him the attention he craves he will very gently start ruffling around your body with his muzzle until he finds something that is attached to you that he can grab onto and tug, sometimes quite vigorously! He loves beer, but I drew the line when my dad tried to offer him a cigarette. Did I mention that technically he is my dad's horse even though he is also a part of my string?Stretch's many talents include an amazing jumping ability (which I will be developing next winter when I bring him to Florida with me), catlike movements and a strong herding instinct, and loads of suspension for lead changes. He's got a great mind and attitude and although he likes messing around with people and racking up what Pat likes to call 'gunsil points' every chance he gets, he really takes care of green riders and has a heart of gold. He's another horse that I would point up a steep mountain trail and know he wouldn't quit me halfway up.
In 2001 I took Stretch to Pat's ranch in Pagosa Springs Colorado. He was quickly nicknamed 'Houdini' for his ability to crawl through fences - something I accidentally taught him to do. Over the next two years Stretch replaced Bonnie as my upper level horse, and went on tour with me to the PNH stops in Scottsdale, AZ and Denver, CO. He's had the past few years off while I focused on bringing Billy along and getting some of my younger horses started, but will be returning to the spotlight in the fall so that I can progress my Level 4 studies to include riding and playing with multiple horses online and at liberty. Stay tuned...
Donating a Horse
I frequently have people contact me about the possibility of donating their horse to me. I have had a number of really great horses given to me over the years that I have been
able to develop through the levels. After working with the horse I would then decide whether to keep it as one of my personal levels horses or develop it to place with a
quality life-long Parelli home. If you have a horse that you are interested in donating, email me with information and I will let you know if I have any openings.
Fawn Anderson 
