My Girl - Born May 16, 1998 Sugar has devloped a personality deluxe and a face to sink 1000 hearts! She will leave the herd to come to her human companions! Absolutely amazing!   Take a Look at Sugar's Webshots Photo Album |
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by terry hirneisen It was springtime in the Pacific Northwest, 1994. On the ground before me lie Princes Ti Wi Was, my appaloosa mare. I had changed her name from "Paper Doll" to Nez Perce for "Bow That Will Not Break". She was a descendent of horses bred by Chief Joseph's people and she deserved a Native American name. But in spite of this strong name, my lovely young Princes lie broken. She suffered a burst intestine from a spontaneous colic. As the night passed, it became clear, that what I had not done with Princess, would not be done. My beautiful companion, with a long flowing mane and sense of humor would not be sharing this summer with me. Princes would be leaving before we'd climbed those mountains I dreamed of climbing. We had not ridden in the mountains. We had not gone flying down a sandy beach. Fear and lack of knowledge had me delay those dreams. Now, through tears, I regretted what had not been done. Carrying Princess in my heart would be all that I could do. We did manage to climb one mountain. The previous fall we attended a John Lyons clinic. While that clinic did not cure my fear, it did provide some essential knowledge. It was Princes that was there with me. We shared that in the fall of 1993. That summer, with Princes gone, Pam and I considered the possibility of breeding our Arabian mare Camille. Camille stands over 16 hands high and moves as beautiful as any horse. We decided, crossed with an Andalusian, she would make a spectacular foal. We went in search of the appropriate stallion. This search took us to see the Andalusian Majorio in Port Townsend, WA. There we saw a yearling colt name Majo. Majo was a descendent of Spanish horses protected by Carthusian monks. But although he was of fine breeding, it was a special spark between Majo and I that impressed me. Actually, Pam has always said Majo picked me. Before leaving the ranch, we made arrangements to purchase this "Gallant Young Man About Town". Camille would not be bred to Majorio. The Hacienda de Majo was born. At age 51, I didn't ride like the man from Snowy River. I didn't even ride! Never the less, the making of Majo was about to begin. On our first day together, I led Majo on a five mile hike through the woods. Again, the qualities of his breeding were evident. I could see why Andalusians were historically the premiere War Horse. Majo did not flinch at many things that would have caused more experienced horses to spook. I did not know that most people think of Andalusians as dancing horses wearing double bridles. To me, the qualities I saw in Majo as we walked in the woods were what I liked about the Andalusian. I was more interested in preserving these qualities than teaching Majo to "Dance". My measure of success would be based on what Majo did willingly and not what he did to avoid pain. I will be impressed with "High School" trained horses when they do their movements without the use of spurs or leveraged bits. I was told if you had a stallion you need to show him in halter classes. I decided if I could show Majo unclipped we would try this halter class business. Our first adventure away from home was at local Andalusian show. Though presenting a horse on a rope was not my goal, this would turn out to be fun. As a yearling, Majo was selected Reserve Champion Stallion in a field of quality mature Andalusian Stallions! We were lucky! The judge really saw something special in this yearling colt. We still show halter once a year and we still don't clip hair or polish hooves. By age two, Majo had spent a year expanding on his natural courage to frightening objects. He learned to load, tie, and walk around with a tarp covering his body. He also learned to follow me everywhere without a lead rope. Now it was time to for him to start carrying me around. His first lessons were bareback with a halter. The old fears that had stifled me before were gone. I was eager to show off Majo in front of a crowd. So I scheduled him for an exhibition at the annual Andalusian show. We were both inexperienced, but I had visualized doing this entrance for the past year. So we entered with Elton John's "Can't Wait to be King" . But I sensed the crowd did not share my vision. They were probably wondering why my young horse was being exhibited under saddle. He was not doing "High School" , he wasn't fighting a pretend bull, and he was obviously a bit nervous with the flash cameras and all. Sure, I personally made great strides, but this was nothing special for this crowd. The day really needed saving. I had to take a chance. Majo would have to show off his other talents. I hoped off my two year old and unclipped his reins. Majo was now free and it was either going to get really worse or a lot better. As I ran off from him he instantly took the cue and followed. There was applause! Whew! I worked harder to twist and turn and prove I could not loose him. No matter what, Majo was right there. Even more applause! My confidence returned. I knew we had control. I positioned myself so Majo would line up beside me and proceeded to step backwards. Now Majo stepped back with me in unison! If I went left he went left. If I went right he went right. This was my version of a dancing Andalusian. I clipped his reins back on and went to mount him. He startled and I had to try a second time. Not perfect, but it was live and we rode out of the arena to applause. I hope Princess was watching. Majo would prove his ability to cope with parade work before his third birthday. As we finished his first country parade, we came to the densest part of the crowd. Just as I wondered how this would work, I felt Majo relax under me! Instead of tensing up as we approached the crowd, he relaxed and was completely confident in his demeanor. A parade horse is judged on his attitude and natural beauty. The people loved Majo. That was good enough for me. It was clear parades would be part of Majo's rise to popularity. He has been awarded best equine entry in several parades since, and we look forward to several Northwest parades ever summer. Halter classes, exhibitions, and parades have certainly played a part in the making of Majo. We still do all these. But the real making of Majo happens when the three of us fly down the beach or wonder along a wilderness trail. The third party in this fun filled fest is a Golden Retriever /Samoyed I call General. Through Majo and General I have known great joys in the last few years. We have certainly climbed some of those mountains. And best of all, Camille was finally bred to an Andalusian - Majo. As predicted, a beautiful Hispano-Arabe filly resulted. So we have come full circle. The license plate on Majo's Trailer reads "In Memory of Princes Ti Wi Was". A stallion of the Conquistadors honoring the memory of a mare of the Nez Perce. We love you Princes. Sugar Pie hears the story of how a wonderful hispano-arabe filly owes her beginning to a loving Appaloosa mare named Princes Ti Wi Was. |
