Now introducing my pride and joy: Cotton the filly

The top picture is my filly at about 5 months with her first woolly, winter coat. She had just recently been weaned.

The second picture is her at about 2 months. She used to be so tiny that she could stick her head out of the barn and look around!

Now she is almost 2 years old and weighs almost 900 lbs.!

thanks for sharing her with us!

I call her my large pet. She is very sweet natured and well-trained. The small pets (3 cats) are at home.

I need to get a digital camera so I can take some cute kitty pics for those ever popular kitty cat threads!

I love the white splash on her forehead :-). I haven't been riding in so, so long.....

"star". Her dam, Crestie, has a little white curved crest on her forehead. Cotton has developed a little white smudge on her muzzle too! I like to kiss her there!

You ride too? (I see that you livetohike!) I think that horses are so beautiful and wonderful to be around. I can't ride Cotton until she's almost 4 years old because her breed matures later due to their size. I've been riding a very fat pony with a mind of its own lately!

Maybe you can go riding someday soon. I used to take lessons through a continuing education program at the University where I live. It was very affordable.

There was a stable near our house and my friends and I would curry the horses in exchange for riding for free. There were also places to go on "trail rides" in the local parks.

When we lived in Houston, we would go down to Galveston and ride on the beach. I don't know if that is still offered, but it sure was fun.

It's very peaceful (riding), isn't it?

How wonderful that you could groom to ride! I never had a horse as a child (my mom had 2 as a child), so I had to wait until I turned 40 and I bought Cotton as a Christmas present to myself! I've been with her since the night she was born. I knew both her granddam (now deceased) and her dam, who still lives at the farm.

I've never ridden on a beach. That must be magic!

Perhaps there is a facility nearby whre you live that needs someone to groom and do some barn chores in exchange for riding. Thanks for the compliments! My husband hears enough from me about how beautiful she is! He does love her and actually comes out and helps me do farm chores! (He doesn't even ride!)

In the top photo she has that nice well rounded full rump and in the bottom photo shows what a beautiful head and face she has. Very classic Quarter Horse looking. She's a beautiful girl :-)

I miss having horses in my life but I know I will again some day.

out of a Thoroughbred mare (with Northern Dancer and Native Dancer lines) by Coromino, a premium Oldenburg stallion.

Thanks for the compliments. She does have great hindquarters (she'll be a jumper) and a beautiful face. Both her dam, Crestie (who lives a the farm too!) and her sire have georgous faces. She definitely has her dam's face and eyes.

Oldenburgs were bred as an elegant light carriage and saddle horse in Northern Germany in the 1600s. In the early part of the 20th century, they were crossed with selected Thoroughbreds to create a modern sporthorse. They can do dressage, hunter-jumper and cross country. Cotton is very suited for the hunter-jumpers!

You are a rider too! Aren't they the most beautiful of creatures? What kind of horse did you have? We always welcome equestrians to visit the farm where Cotton lives. Even if you can't ride, there is always a horse who needs grooming and love and lots of kisses on its soft muzzle!

You will have a horse again one day! Someone may need a horse sitter or a helper with a very young or old or disabled horse who just needs some love.
Check out local farms and riding stables and breeding facilities. There may be an opportunity to ride or part lease in exchange for barn work.

Good luck!

had any hands on personal experience with them. Many-MANY years ago as a young horse crazy girl I tried to get to any local dressage or hunt seat events I could get too. I was in pure zen mode whenever I watched horses dancing and I'd tense up with clenched fist as I watched each horse and rider make their way through the course until the last fence was cleared. Then I walked the barns with horse dreams in my eyes.

All my life it seems no matter what I do I always have to be the "odd' one so to speak :-) While Western was (is) the common and most "popular" style of riding and that's how all your friends are riding...... And then there's me:evilgrin: NOOoooooo, I preferred the look and feel of English style riding and jumping in particular. But that was "sissy" riding, and I was teased a bit but I really didn't care if they thought that. Beside most of our riding days then were carefree, a bridle and a horse is all we ever needed or maybe a bareback pad at the most cuz when ya wear shorts sweaty horse gets the skin to itching and stinging after a while. Yea it's uncomfortable huh;-)

I was 14 when I bought my own first horse. Did A LOT of babysitting for a LONG time to save the $350.00 I needed to buy my Sir Bishop. I finally got him when he was 5 yrs old and he was a palomino gelding, 1/2 Quarter 1/2 Arab. But the very first time I saw this horse he was only a year and a 1/2, freshly purchased from an auction and being unloaded at this one boarding (only) stable, this place was my primary or "home" stable I use to hang out with my friend and her older sister. Anyway this horse had obviously been severely abused, he was terrified of every one but especially he feared men and for the longest time he just stood frozen-tense in the back of his stall cowering and shaking:-( One can only imagine what he must have endured to wind up in such a terrorized pathetic state at his young tender age. Some people you could just :mad: :nuke: ya know.

But leave it to a few pre-teen and young-teen horse crazy girls to eventually bring this young horse around with their love hugs and kisses:loveya:

Other horses I've had at various times....
A Morab mare, an Arab gelding, a Morgan mare that was more than awesome in her spirit and soul. When we had to sell her this woman came one day to look at her and to try her out. I had readied and warmed Lady up a little before this woman arrived. :mad: She actually smacked my horse with the reins after I told her Lady never needed nor deserved a lash. This horse would have put ALL of her heart and every ounce of strength she had to try and climb a vertical wall if you asked her to. The second time she smacked Lady I grabbed the reins and told her to get off NOW, No Sale! Bye Bye CYA:mad:

Then we had this darling 9 month old Belgian/Arab filly that came with Lady as a package deal. Sapphire's story as we were told, her mother had apparently died it was either while giving birth or soon there after so Sapphire was totally bonded to people. Talk about yer large puppy dogs, she was a sweetie girl. And she loved playing 'Tag,' it was her #1 favorite game. She and I had a lot fun chasing each other around. And of course whenever I took Lady out to go wandering through the forest Sapphire always went along too.

I know horses will return as a part of my life again I'm not worried about that. Simply "now" is not the time. The proverbial plate is full at the moment. Anyway I got in much later tonight (er, this morning) than I expected so I'm headed for my pillow. Tomorrow I'll post a few pictures and show you what my ultimate dream horse would be, assuming I could ever afford one in the first place, whew $$$$$$$ x(

Anyway I'm tired oh and yeah sure use the running horse if you like. It's not "mine" and I don't recall where I found it. I have another one I'll post later for ya too.

Nighty Nite:bored:

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Your horses sound like they were so wonderful! The Belgian/Arab cross filly sounds very beautiful! How lucky to have had more than one equine!

I'd love to see pictures of your horses and of your dream horse!

Here's some pictures of Cotton's sire Coromino:


Jumping test at the Oldenburg stallion approvals in Vechta, Germany:


COROMINO wins the 5 yr old Jumper Classic at the Oaks Beach Cities show with rider: Damian Gardiner


an up close picture of his lovely head:

Can I have a copy? I don't know how to add a picture to my sigline but I would love to use that one, with your permission of course.

Happy trails to you!

Someday if I hit the lottery or rob a bank;-) I might be able to afford one of these magnificent creatures.

The Friesian Horse.













:sigh: maybe someday :-)

They are like magic, fairy tale, Meidieval horses! I hope that you can own one someday! You'd have a lot of horse to groom! You'd need a mounting block to reach the top of their heads!

Thanks for the gif and the pictures that you posted! That made my afternoon!

I just remembered, there is a DUer named friesanrider (I think that's right...) I think that she's from PA and she owns and rides these beautiful black beasties!

Well, I'm off to feed Cotton.

Happy Trails and Horse Dreams!

Course those are pix of a few of THE top premiere stallions. But they are a magnificent breed, a Dutch breed that became nearly extinct and though they aren't "extremely" rare any more, they are still fairly rare. But they're gaining notice and popularity.

Yes I pm'd Friesianrider over and over just waiting until she acquired enough posts her pm/inbox finally became active. I couldn't wait to ask this newbie, "Friesianrider" about Friesians :bounce:
I miss her around here :-( :sigh:

heh heh One of my first pm's to her I said something about how jealous I was because (based on the screen name) "you have ridden" these magnificent horses before and then AArrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh, here she pm's me back as an actual owner of MY DREAM HORSE :wow: It truly gave me a "moment" as Oprah would say. :-)

Hey kiss Cotton for me too :*

Yay! Maybe she can give you some info on where you might be able to visit or ride a black beastie in your area!

:)
Last week, I got to meet a Percheron stallion, his mare and their two offspring.
The owner breeds and trains them to drive and pull farm machinery! They are HUGE and their feet are like dinner plates. The owner's farm is right next door to the farm that Bill Berry (of r.e.m.) owns and across the road from the stables and breeding farm of a local vet/horse breeder. It is so cool that he can actually use the animals for more than riding. It is such a pretty area and the roads are dirt so he has lots of room to take them out for a spin!

I will kiss Cotton for you! I saw her last night. She was drinking from her trough. She saw me at the gate and walked right up to me for a wet kiss!
:)
She and her pasture mate, Magic (an almost 2 year old Holsteiner gelding who is even bigger than Cotton!), were enjoying their evening hay. She is the Alpha horse. She will not let Magic share her hay pile. He walked over and she bumped him with her rump and kicked at him. He left but came over later while I was grooming her and she lunged at him with her teeth! "You can't share my hay or the attention!"
:)
I need to "stick" her this weekend. I think she may be well over 15 hands by now. Her sire is 17 hands and mom is about 15.1 or 15.2.

Horses are so intelligent and loving (at least, that's my observation, what little I know about them).

Horses are very smart in their own equine way. Some are more friendly and loving than others. Some are haughty. Some are grumpy. Some are goofy! They all have different personalities.

The best thing about horses is that you can never lie to them. They keep you honest. They read body language and the tone of you voice and know exactly what you're up to!

One must learn to speak the language of horses (think of the natural horsemen like Monty Roberts, Pat Parelli and Native American horsemen.) I have worked with a natural horsemanship trainer who had taught me to be the Alpha horse in our little herd of two. Cotton must both trust and respect me. I am never cruel to her. I am a benevolent dictator. I discipline her like another Alpha horse would in a herd situation. It has been a real learning experience.

How adorable, I saw a newborn foal last weekend (tis the season) he/she was wildly enjoying the spring sunshine, thrashing about...

We didn't have any new foals at the farm this year but we will have some next year. The gestation period is 11 months! Amazing!

Cotton was so cute as a little tiny foal. I helped her into the barn on her first night here on earth! (She was born in the pasture.)