Meet the equine herd of The Enchanted Forest
Simon
Simon is beyond special to me, as he is not only my first horse, he is my best friend. Simon came to me January 1 2002, almost two years after I began riding lessons when he was only 4 and I was 14. Though I leased a couple horses prior, Simon is the first horse to fully hold my heart.
We have been through so much together in our 22 year friendship and have formed a very strong bond during this time. Simon is beyond gentle, though still holds some spunk in his ripe age of 26. I've always let him know, "I'm keeping you forever and for always."
Xerxes
Or as we used to call him, Sexrex!
Xerxes (Zerk-Seas) was a dream of mine, for I had longed for a majestic friesian. In spring 2009, I was randomly searching for friesians for sale on line, all being prices that were far out of my reach, I came across a picture-less add for a 10 year old gelding that was way under priced. I wondered, what was wrong with him? Long story short, absolutely nothing! His owner wanted a good home for him and long story shorter, he came into my life. Xerxes was always the most gentle soul, always standing to be brushed and pet. Sadly, Xerxes crossed into the Spirit realm August 2021, three months before I had my daughter. He still holds space with my herd energetically and is our resident Spirit horse.
Donkey
My little-ist man joined our herd in 2007 after the breeder decided to sell off her herd. I knew Donkey (named after Donkey in Shrek, as when he runs he has a cute, quick waddle to him) since he was born two years prior and already had his half brother. I took Donkey to a couple local shows while he still resided at his previous home and became good friends with his breeder. He was the last mini standing and my Mum and I decided to bring him home. For a long time Donkey was really shy, but as the years went on he became quite the cuddle bug. Donkey is my best snuggler and will lean in for scratches and love. He has also become my young daughter's horse, being so well behaved while she leads him around and even allows her to sit on his back with no prior riding experience. Donkey is the perfect horse friend for any new person to make.
Nicky
The only stallion in the herd, Nicky fills the role of being the protector of the herd. Without hesitation, Nicky will chase off any intruders (mostly just cats). It seems nothing scares Nicky. He has a very brave and adventurous demeanour, but he is also very relaxed and safe to be around, so much as allowing my daughter to brush and lead him around the paddock. Nicky is the second horse to enter my herd in 2004 and came to me as a weanling. He and his half brother, Donkey are inseperable and are always close to one another.
Odin
It had been 15 years since I last brought a horse home, but a couple years after Xerxes' passing, I could feel another Soul wanting to join my herd. I always wanted a young horse to train entirely myself, so on my search I went to see a couple weanlings. After meeting this young colt, my heart knew he was meant to come into my life. Odin is currently a year and a half, going through his goofy toddler stage. He is showing me the importance of building a strong foundation and bond as we slowly pluck away at learning new things. I do plan to ride him, eventually when he is fully grown, but in the meantime, we are taking the next few years to go over much needed ground work training and building our relationship.