Don't forget...

[Tsiyu]

24. It's fascinating when you see the horses

that are your own horse's ancestors.

I guess my daughter's mare was more Egyptian/Russian lines. She was Strawberry Roan and just as gentle as a kitten.

Her daughter ( my horse ) has attitude and is far bossier than her mom, but she is like one of my kids to me and my old 1/2 arab/ 1/2 quarter horse (no papers) mare is like a sister.

I wish i had the money to breed the younger mare. She is something else. The weather is cool tonight here - in the forties on the mountain, and perfect time to ride - fewer bugs and no heavy sweating. Arabs are the best on the trail to me, as evidenced by your stories of endurance.

My mare's sire was "part-bred" but the papers (which I cannot find) make him nearly 99% Arab. There was some color bred in there, but all of the lines have western pleasure champs as his ancestors, and he was a western pleaure champ. I can believe it, because she is fast on her feet and smart - needed about 1/2 hour to figure out the bit ( I started with a rubber snaffle.)

The Crabbet line has produced some awesome horses. I know you love your baby no matter what, but Arabs have such well-documented pedigrees, it's like owning a little bit of history, a little mystique from far away, as it were.