Sadie was a beauty, a purebred Quarter horse with lots of racing bloodlines. She did love speed too. Getting her to go was never a problem; it was stopping. We went on some crazy rides together, some I wasn't sure I'd survive. Sadie or The Sha Investor as was listed on her papers, never received much training as she was pretty much intended to be a broodmare.
The story of how I came to own Sadie is a good one. We had been given a pony, which I had named Star (though he came to be called bonehead); Star turned out to have major problems and had to be sent to auction. I was despondent and began a habit of reading all the horse for sale listings out of the newspaper every day. One day, as I was reading, Dad interrupted me, saying something like, "Here, just hand me that" and proceeded to dial the number of the listing. The lady selling the horse was asking a thousand dollars for a purebred mare in foal. Dad laid it on thick about how his daughter was heartbroken over the loss of her pony. That changed the lady's tune. As it turned out, she was asking that much because she didn't really want to sell her, and if she did wanted her to go to someone who'd appreciate her. Knowing how loved her horse would be with me, she brought her price down to $500. I had saved maybe half of that amount already from the sale of my last 4H steer. We went out to visit and I loved her instantly. My parents put up the rest of the price and she was delivered to our house later that week. She was the truest friend a girl could want through her teenage years.
Ahhh, when the sun shone, she was like burnished copper! I always wished I could get her tail to grow out long and flowing, but a certain little somebody that came along several months later prevented that:
Apache Ghost was born one fine Sunday morning after I had stayed up all night two nights in a row so I could observe the birth. I guess Sadie just wanted her privacy.
The original owner and the folks that had charge of Apache's father came out to see the new colt. They had been doing a test to see how much color the Stallion (who was a paint) would throw being breed to solid colored mares. All of Apache's half brothers from that year turned out paint as well. To complete the test, they felt they should go another year. I was offered a free breeding back to the same Stallion for Sadie.
Red Cloud was the result. All the foals from the second year breedings turned out solid colored. This little guy was as smart as a whip and very mischievous, where his older brother was a bit dumb, but sweet as could be. I'll post more pictures of each of them as I get more scanned in.
I was very sad when college time came and I had to sell off my lovelies. The two boys went to the same place and were to begin training for team penning and calf roping. Sadie went to a lovely couple we knew, so I was able to get further updates on her, before they were also forced to sell her and I lost track of her from there. I've actually had dreams of finding her or her finding me. By now, she's either a very old girl or gone forever but in my memories.
-Jayne
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