ASF VANIAH

 

I found this lovely photo of Andi's great-granddam while I was looking for something else, and wanted to share.  This is a recent photo so she's 20yo in this shot.

As a young mare, VANIAH was one of the herd caught up in the 'Sheets' debacle in Ohio way back when.  She was well fostered and adopted and cared for, but never part of a family until she came here a few years ago.  She was included as the bargain part of a deal with her sister, WITNESS, because she only has half a hoof on the right hind, having apparently hooked it in something as a young horse and ripping most of it off.   She was sound as far as I could tell so we started her under saddle and used her as our extra horse when we had guests.  She has a wonderfully gentle and maternal nature and as we found ourselves riding her more, we spent about a year of corrective shoeing to get her damaged hoof to grow the support it needed. She did her first LD Endurance ride at 17yo, and later did 25 miles of a 30. Her rider moved away and she's since been retired from the longer distances.

Unfortunately, she's only had three foals, the stallion ALI ZEUS who has since passed away, a filly that's still in Florida and the cute bay gelding,, LANDROVAL, in a few posts back.  Andi's dam, Marah, is a Zeus daughter and in spite of, or maybe especially because of, the small numbers in this group, it's exciting to see all that works so well through the generations.