Gender: Filly

Year of Birth: 2014

Height: currently 14.3 1/2

Colour and Markings: iron grey with a star

Breed: Nooitgedachter

Discipline: Dressage

Known to friends as Faith, this beautiful filly is the product of almost forty years’ diligence at the renowned Arop Stud. A lady-in-waiting of the breed, her breeding is impeccable; her looks, breathtaking. Well, they will be, once she outgrows the adorable camel stage.

Faithy came to us after the sale of one top horse and then the death of another, leaving me brokenhearted and empty-handed to lay down the fragments of my dressage dream at God’s feet. He chose to give me that dream back, making it into something far more powerful and holy – a calling – through the kindness of the man that bred Faith and gave her to me.

She is one of the most interesting horses I’ve ever worked with. She has a stubborn and feisty streak, an opinion, and a mind of her own; she’s smart and sensitive, and she won’t be bullied. However, she’s also been one of the easiest horses I’ve ever backed and brought on. She loves to work, she loves to have a conversation, and she’s intensely social. She has been an absolutely joy, although she’s still very much a baby just playing with the basics and going to a few little shows.

Faith is stunning and she knows it. She’s a little bit of a diva and always has an opinion, but enjoys work, loves people, and occasionally loses her marbles completely. She’s as bright as a button and currently has an attention span of 0.32 seconds. I love her to smithereens.

2017 Goals:

• Stand for grooming and farrier.
• Lead and tie up.
• Box well.
• Be good to bath.
• Be good to catch.
• Show in-hand.
• In spring, lunge.
• In November/December, do the groundwork and have a rider on, just sitting.

2018 Goals:

First and second quarter:

Complete the backing:

• long-line
• introduce pole work
• introduce the rider
• introduce walk
• introduce trot
• introduce canter
• move to the dressage arena.

Start preliminary schooling:

• introduce the figures
• establish good transitions between gaits
• establish balanced and united canter
• introduce hacks, alone and in company
• possibly ride a walk/trot test at our April show
• show in-hand.

Second and third quarter:

Complete preliminary schooling:

• introduce the idea of a long and low, stretchy frame
• grow the frame upwards to connection
• improve consistency in the connection in all three gaits and transitions
• introduce free walk and stretchy trot figures.

Introduce competing (August at the latest):

• box out to a clinic, lesson or training show
• compete at least twice at Prelim.