Newest Equine Clan Member

Got a call from Ida today, inquiring about the weather, saying she wanted to pick up Meeker and daughter from the field by us.  I invited ourselves along, so we piled in the van and met her at one of their leased pastures about 15 minutes from us.  Sunny out, but bitingly cold.  This was our first close up of the youngest member, Estes' newest grand-daughter, born last Jun-ish.  What a looker-and me with NO camera.  I can't believe I left the picture-taking box at home!

We couldn't see the horses when we pulled up, but Ida called and lo-and-behold, four of the seven came pell-mell out of the woods a long distance away:  Peanut, Brownie, Meeker & filly.  Makes your heart flutter when you see them racing in the wilds...and boy, could that little one run.  Five months old and almost as tall as her mother (Friesian dad).  Soon she would display more talents....  Ida put a halter on Meeker and let her and daughter out of the field, leading them to the waiting trailer.  Meeker loads right up; kid says, "Not on your life.  I'll stay here with the uncles." 

After a half dozen attempts at persuasion by unloading and reloading mom, Ida decides to let it go for a bit and go look for the others.  We were a tad concerned by then that the last three hadn't made an appearance.  Ida pulls out a saddle, gets Meeker saddled up and is ready to mount when the two geldings in the field turned and hollered toward the trees.  Sure enough, here come the stragglers:  one Friesian filly, Dutch, and the other Friesian filly.  But something isn't right. The last filly is on the wrong side of a fence and can't get through.  She finally followed the fence line down to the road we were parked on and Ida called her over to a gate and let her out on the road with us (a small dirt backcountry road).  What gorgeous horses these two fillies have grown into; coats like black velvet, long flowing manes and the prettiest legs and feet you will ever see on young horses (eat your heart out, Mrs. Mom). And then, they just run right up to you and dance around for petting!  These are also Estes' grand-daughters, from last year.

As we watch the progress of the last three, suddenly the newest filly trots over to the barbed wire fence, glances at it and hops over it like a deer!  Right back into the field with the oncoming horses.  She wasn't about to miss the fun.  Just hops right over.  My heart stopped when I realized she was going to jump, thinking about that wire.  She didn't even come close to it.  When Ida came out from behind the truck with Meeker, she looked at the field in surprise and asked how the filly got back in.  We just looked at her in shock and said, "Jumped!"  In true Ida form, she just chuckled and said we would get them all and move all of them across the road to new pasture.  We added a couple more halters, to Peanut and one of the black fillies, opened the gate and walked them down the lane to a holding pen in the new field.

When we left Ida, she said she would just back the trailer up to the little loading pen and get Meeker and kid that way.  First she wanted to check the pasture fence before releasing them from the holding pen.  As we headed home she was mounting up; she wouldn't let us help (hamper?) the fence repair business; we didn't have horses with us.

By the way, this youngster is still un-named.  Maybe you all could make some suggestions.  She looks a lot like her mom, except no markings at all; just a pretty bay with those long Friesian legs and a little more refined looking head.