Wow what fantastic stories and beautiful horses!

I also read the Walter Farley and Marguerite Henry books and actually did visit the horses on the islands off Virginia and NC. It was so fascinating. Raffles was another favorite. I learned to ride on the Hackney/shetland crosses I loved so much when the owner of Carol Ann Farms in Virginia left enough money in his will for his farm to stay open for one year and for any kid who wanted to to be able to ride there free. Our mom would pick us up at school with our riding pants (had to wear skirts to school back then), we would change in the car on the way there and ride until the sun went down. it was at least a 30 minute drive each way and we went everyday. I was a dream come true. But they had to sell the ponies at the end of the year and my dad said "horses are a luxury. You take care of necessities first". So I finished college, got a job, got married, had a son, and when we got our son's education loans paid off we finally went horse shopping - at age 58. It took us a couple of months to find two paso finos we loved and both were waaaay too much horse for us but we're very stubborn and spent two years getting these mares trustworthy. It was well worth the time although our boarding barn owner said she was going to sell tickets my buckskin mare bucked so much.
A mare with an attitude when we first got her.

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Why paso finos? We saw them gaiting like a floating vision down the median of the Pan American Highway in Colombia SA, horns honking, buses backfiring, cattle crossing the road, without a single hop or skip. We were enthralled and have never regretted buying this breed because we are still riding ten years later with no problems. But we still love to watch our friends ride their beautiful Arabians, TB, TW, warmbloods, paints, QH's and everything inbetween. It's for sure horses are a passion that doesn't go away even if you have to wait forever to get one.

Our second paso fino - a gorgeous flame bay


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our older stallion - a push button silver slate grulla

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my second endurance mare - flame colored chestnut

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He must have been a beautiful baby
Cause baby just look at him now! image