Meet My Horses: Banderas.
The dream of owning stunning, vibrant horses from movies and television was typical for horse-loving kids like myself. I envisioned wild mustangs like Spirit, Rain and Esperanza in my pastures. Hidalgo and The Black saddled up for trail rides and races. The flying mane of Tornado as I chase bandits with John Wayne and his Appaloosa Cochise. I loved to torture myself with The Black Beauty, when the unforgivable scene of him seeing Ginger as they wheeled her by.
The movies and the television loved to capture the moment of “connection”, and untamed horses become mild tempered when they found their soul-human. Their once in a lifetime rider.
The amazing movie Zorro was one of my all time favorites. I had an endless loop of horse movies, and it was always a top pick. The masked vigilante would come flying across the scene on his black stallion, as they reared and scratched the famous Z into wood (and sometimes skin). Tornado was a constant dream. I wanted a black horse, like Zorro. A large horse that would be striking at shows and playdays.
As I grew up, I realized how expensive Friesians and Andalusians actually are. The child’s dream stayed a dream.
Until, I made a fated friendship.
She came to visit me after we had a common hobby (Breyer Horses – yes that will be in another blog post because that child dream didn’t stay a dream!), and we became quick friends. This friend told me that her dream was to breed Warlander horses. As an avid horse lover, of course I instantly went into a deep internet dive that night about the mystical Warlander horse. Instead of repeating the dive of history, I found that a Friesian crossed with an Andalusian did sound pretty amazing. The cross began in the new age of horse breeding registries, but bases its ideals on the olden style of Baroque war horses. I begged for her to show me pictures when she bred her PRE Andalusian mare.
That evening came a year later. I received a text from my friend of her stunning solid black colt. A successful birth from a Andalusian x Friesian dame and a Andalusian sire. He was beautiful, and she said: “It’s a colt!”
I was enthralled and thrilled for her, but never thought that one day, he would be mine. I closed our messages, thinking about how great it was for her to finally get her dreams.
Four months later, she messages me about him, saying that he is even tempered, easy to look at, and needs a home. I laughed, and said “well not with me, my wallet won’t allow it.” I laughed for two months, until she sent a serious message, “No, really, I want you to have him. He needs a home that will cherish and spoil him rotten.”
I was planning a wedding, I was finishing my graduate degree, and I was starting a business. I was done training baby horses, or riding green brokes!
My friend kept sending me photos, and my husband loved to see me smile/pout about “Zorro’s Horse”. I will never forget the day he looked across the dining room table, our meal fresh on the plates, and said:
“I will get him for you. For a wedding gift.”
I laughed, then I forced a laugh, then I rolled my eyes because he wasn’t laughing.
“Right,” I huffed.
“No, really. Tell her you want him.”
“We can’t afford a $10,xxx horse. I won’t spend that kind of money.”
The friend didn’t want that for him, instead, she sent me her Breyer wishlist that night. “I want these from your collection and you can have him for $2,000.”
I blinked. Then I went pale. I could do that. Those horses were worth a lot of money, but how dumb would I be if I didn’t trade them for a real horse! It was a child’s dream!
My family was very supportive, my parents my biggest cheerleaders. Of course they were worried about me training baby horses, and green backed, but they knew I could do it (I had before very successfully!). I had hung up my trainer’s cap years before, but instead, I was hitching my horse trailer and driving 6 hours to go pick up my new baby horse! 2 months later he was present at my barn wedding, and a joy to have in our family.
Banderas Salvio is an Andalusian x Friesian cross, and while my dream horse was black, he is slowing turning white! So, he is my new dream elven steed like Arwen raced on across the wood to escape the daunting Black Riders! He is kind tempered, with an even kinder spirit, wild curly mane tendrils, and already as big as my other horses at two years old! We can’t wait to watch him mature and grow into a beautiful riding steed.
