Can I Have a Pony?

August 08, 2026

Dani Memorial Model

I commissioned a Dani portrait model last fall....it took a really long time and with very little communication from the artist so it was a very frustrating process to me. I also felt like this person just didn't really care....it was just another model horse to them.

Upon receiving the model there are two things that really don't work for me.

One, is my fault, the model choice. I think there probably was a Breyer better suited to represent Dani, I don't know why I chose the model. I thought at one time the face was Dani?

Two, the color is too dark. I sent tons of pictures and even emphasized the pictures that represented her color the best. Winter photos often show her darker so I made sure to clarify.

I wasn't happy but I sat with the model for a while seeing if I was just annoyed at the process. Nope, it wasn't just the process. This just didn't feel or look like Dani. I think the details to all her little markings were spot on but the coat color was way too dark and the model....again that one's on me.

I did some searches on Etsy instead of the model horse remake groups. I found a lady that did memorial horses. Custom made models from your photos (STL 3D prints with PLA). I chatted with her about the process and decided to move forward. I sent photos off and crossed my fingers.

ANW Fine Art Creations

I cried when I opened the package. I was blown away with the care, details and empathy with which this whole process was conducted. I feel like the artist truly cared. The communication was fantastic with each step, the STL model approval, the nearly finished painting; all of it showed that she cared about what she was doing.

The packaging and the card on the inside of the package all made this feel like the artist understood the true weight of what this "simple" model meant to me. My Dani is gone from this world and all I have are memories and mementos. This model is a beautiful memorial and looks just like her.

I would highly recommend to anyone that wants a model of your horse, past or present....reach out to this artist. It looks like she may do other pets too....so I may be looking into that in the future as well.

I still haven't done anything with Dani's mane and tail aside from another bracelet that I had made. I do want to share that through SmilePoster a beautiful painting like portrait that can be made from a photo. The favorite photo I have of Dani is slightly blurred, I just love the feel of it and it's so Dani. I can hear her nicker greeting just looking at the photo. This was a perfect use for that photo. My Daenerys, I miss that mare everyday.

August 06, 2026

Sigi- Getting Cleaned up, then dirty again

I HAVE A FJORD!!!

This is just totally awesome! Sigi is a great little addition and we've been really enjoying her the past couple months. She and Seamus have definitely become friends but surprisingly he's the boss. Dani was always the boss before, I guess I assumed a mare with two geldings would be the boss. She's the middle, Chance is still at the bottom....poor old man!

The color of Fjords is very unique. It's not a buckskin nor a dun that you would see on a quarter horse but a brown dun (Sigi's color that is). They come in other shades of dun like a yellow dun, a red dun, a gray dun (grulla looking to me). I think there are five recognized colors of Fjord. Five recognized colors of cute!

Sigi's mane was grown out from the typical Fjord mohawk. It flopped to one side and was certainly cute....many people keep the mane long. I decided I wanted to go for the Fjord cut and was told on a Fjord group that once the hair bends to one side you pretty much have to roach or just really short. Before we did the beauty work we needed to get the tail taken care of.

Mud and grit made a big tangle of the tail. It was the size of a football. I didn't want to cut any hair if I could avoid it so applied nearly a half to three-fourth of a cup (estimated) of the Manely Long Hair Polisher and Protector. This stuff I've had in the barn forever since it is awesome! If I kept up with it I would never have tangles in the horses manes.

Chance gets wicked tornado tangles in his long mane and this stuff makes it easy to detangle and keeps it detangled for a while. I just go too long between applications so eventually he gets tangled again....bad pony mom! This tail was going to put this stuff to the test! I was very pleased. After working the product in and combing out small sections from the bottom up I was able to detangle her tail in about 30-40 minutes with very little hair loss. Sigi was just loose in the track, no halter, no interest in piles of hay. She seemed to relish the spa treatment.

What a pretty and sweet girl she is, I think we found a great one!

And would you just look at that cute dorsal stripe?

Squee!!!

Another day I set out to trim the mane up and see how short I'd need to go in order to get that hairs back up to standing straight.

The before pic.

The after.....but in need of some more trimming. The scissors I bought from recommendations on a Fjord hair styling group on Facebook were too big for my hand and were hard to work with. I'd have to find another set that work better for my tiny hands

So the intermediate cut would work for a bit as I learn how to trim and get the right tools for me. It's a learning curve and she doesn't seem to care either way.

I trimmed a little more....it's short but their hair grows fast I'm told. All done Sigi! Quick muzzle kiss and you can go back out with the boys!

I HAVE A FJORD!

Hehehehehe!

About 2 months later the mane had grown out a bit and was looking a little ragged. So it was probably time to do a slight trim again.

Still, she looks adorable....

Even with patches of dirt all over her....

I got a new pair of scissor for fetlock trimming and those worked very well for me indeed. She may grow a thicker mane but currently the width doesn't seem as wide as some horses I've seen pictures of. I'm fine with that, easier to trim. Just look at that stripe!

Working on getting the shape....I may need to have it taper more towards her forelock to really get an arch going.

She looks a little tidier now. It's been raining a lot and since we've been in a drought that rain is MUCH needed. Hence, muddy ponies. Now that her mane is trimmed again I need to trim up the boys bridle paths!! Anyhow, I will post more on the new pony and of course Seamus. Cooler weather ahead means more riding! I need to get a saddle that fits her so she's just been a pasture pet which is fine. I adore her and so does Steve!

WE HAVE A FJORD!!!! SQUEEE!!!

June 14, 2026

Have you Ridden a Fjord Lately?

We brought home a lovely Fjord mare named Sigrid (Sigi)!! She is 9 years old, sweet and cute as a button. I'm so delighted!!

There are definitely some mixed feelings being so excited to have a new horse and a mare at that (I love my mares!). I miss Dani every day; this new horse is NOT a replacement in anyway, no horse ever could be. We'd been looking for a third horse....for several reasons. Chance being 28 and with health issues could pass anytime, obviously it can happen anytime unexpectedly to any horse. We weren't expecting Dani to pass but colic is something that can happen suddenly and without warning. We also wanted a horse that I can get Steve on once in a while. Plus....I love horses....I want all the horses!! Hahahaha.

We went back this weekend to Inner Coastal Livestock where we'd seen that cute little Haflinger with the eye growth. We'd passed on him and that was sad but it was the right decision. I'd been keeping an eye on his pages and now knowing that a PPE would be more challenging I accepted the risk of finding a horse, evaluating them and then taking them home without a pre-exam. There had been two Fjords, one was in foal and the other was only 3 so I didn't look at them last time. The sad thing is recently the mare in foal (Sigi) lost her foal, Isaiah had found a still birth in the field, 8 months along. He'd updated the page with two more Fjords, or so I thought but it was the same horses just this time with videos. I reached out and chatted with him about her. There were also two haflingers of interest.

So Steve and I headed down on Memorial day to check out horses. We arrived a bit early which was great, a family was looking at buying 3-4 horses so Isaiah was already busy. In a nearby pasture the Haflinger I wanted to see came right up to us and was very sweet. I liked him but he had an obvious crack in his front hoof. If I had more knowledge and a farrier with me I could assess if that was an injury that could eventually grow out and be fine but since I was on my own I had to pass on even considering him. Isaiah asked which horse we'd like to look at and we told him the 8 year old fjord mare so he grabbed Sigrid for us. We groomed her and checked her out while the other group was testing out a couple other horses. Her feet were terrible but I think most of the horses only get trimmed every 10-12 weeks if that. With the high turnover a lot aren't there long enough for trims, that's the thing about horses as a business.

Sigi Arrives!!

Sigi was very sweet and kept putting her head on my chest as if to tell me that I was hers and to take her home. We tacked her up with the saddle Isaiah said would work and when he was free he took us in the ring to test ride. He rode her first. Then I hopped up. The rain started just then, it'd been on and off all day but what cha gonna do? Sigrid and I slopped around in the muddy ring. I turned her different directions, stopped, backed a little, and trotted (with a gaited horse as my ride I'm gonna have to relearn trotting and posting!). She was responsive and calm, compared to Seamus she was a F-350 with him being more of a Porche. I like that I'll have two very different types to ride. Steve figured it would be a waste of time for him to ride, he trusted my decision.

We went back to the dry barn and while Isaiah was finishing up with the other client Steve and I chatted. I had that feeling about her, everything was telling me she was the horse. I knew going in a PPE on site was near impossible and more expensive and I knew even when I get vetting at home that I will live with what ever pops up. Something about her spoke to me, she herself spoke to me. She wanted to come home with us and I felt like she needed us. She was overweight; recently being pregnant I'm sure contributed a bunch to that. She needed a lot of care for her feet, her weight but she was young and sweet. We'd have to work on her stubborn ground manners; it's obvious that she'd been more of a pasture broodmare with minimal training over the past few years. We told Isaiah we would buy her.

This time around we just drove down in a car for the day and didn't have the truck and trailer and we bought a horse. First time we went down and brought the rig, stayed overnight and didn't buy a horse. So that's just how it goes! We arranged for shipping the 2.5 hours to our house and was told that Wednesday would be the day which worked great. I felt this was the right decision, I was happy! Steve was pleased too....I already see the thoughts in his head about getting in his Viking clothes and riding her around. Viking pony it is!

On Wednesday Sigrid was delivered by Swift Fox Shipping. Amanda was the person I'd reached out to about a month ago in case an auction Haflinger was a match for me; she was pleased I'd found a horse. It all felt very serendipidous. Sigi of course looked around as I led her up our driveway and back to the barn area. She whinnied once.....such a cute little pony whinny. I set her up in Kessel run (our track system around the one field) and then made a electric fence divider to keep the geldings away from her but within view in the barnyard. I'd walked Sigi around the entire perimeter to give her a sense of the space. She took a nice long drink of water. Later when she was free and exploring I witnessed her dunk her entire face into the trough Dani would dunk just her nose in....is that a mare thing?

We'll get those feet better

Seamus looks on

I plan to keep the horses separated for a few days at least and then start some over the fence introductions. Rain poured here for a little while after Sigi's arrival, she trotted up and down the one side of the track and whinnied a few times and also rolled a couple times covering herself in mud. Then settled in to eat some hay in the run in shed while the geldings just starred across the fencing. Seamus doesn't know what to think! Welcome home sweet girl, glad you are here and hope that you will be happy!