The second registration (the one that mattered) came through today.

Journey's DNA testing allowed her registration through the American Appaloosa Horse Association (hardship).   So I now can declare my spotted wonder a legitimate Appaloosa.  Here though is the strange part.  Remember I first registered her with The Appaloosa Sport Horse Association?  They declared her a blue roan.  I wrote them and said...she was born bay with a blanket, wouldn't that make her a bay roan?  Where upon I received a very snippy reply that I was wrong.  So today I opened Journey's packet from the AAHA registry and I'm looking at her paperwork and guess what she was classified as in color?  Bay Roan.  So now she is dual registered as two different color horses.  Since AAHA did the DNA testing through UC Davis, I really have to lean towards they know what they are doing.  However it makes the previous set of papers pretty much worthless.  Perhaps I can send a copy of her registration by AAHA and they will change it?  I believe she can have registered offspring now if she is crossed to registered breeding stock and the offspring has Appaloosa characteristics.  Not something I'm interested in doing, but in the case of an emergency re-homing scenerio it might matter to someone else.

Now the DNA testing itself is a complete mystery to me.  I have the print-out but have no clue what any of it means?  Any DNA / Appaloosa horse experts out there that may want to weigh in on what all those letters and numbers mean?

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On another front, I booted Journey on her front feet this weekend.  Even though the boots are not a perfect fit by any measure, she walk, trotted, and cantered in grass and the boots stayed on, and we did not fall on our heads, so even though breakover may not be "high performance" as boots go, at least she can travel with protection and since we usually just do a putt-putt speed trot I think as long as I wrap her to protect her heel bulbs against any possible friction, we can get the job done.  Hoping that some day things that fit actually are made for this horse.  For the present I am licking my financial wounds for the next twelve months or so...so what we have we must utilize.  Since I went back to the Crestridge saddle Journey's back has healed up, no pink skin, no soreness or back dipping, and that is with either pad.

It was interesting (and a little disheartening) to hear people this weekend that know this mare through her previous owner saying things like "It is good Terri sold her, she was going to get hurt trying to ride her."  Made me kind of swallow hard.  Then there were also comments like " she looks like my friend Terri's horse" and "that IS the same horse?"  "Man she sure acts better."     I never got to the bottom of what Journey actually did...that was so bad.  But apparently there was something.  If I were describing Journey I'd have to say she is a horse that has an opinion.  She can be explosive, and she can throw herself a temper fit, and if you let her get buy with it...you are sunk.  She is a very smart horse.  She is also an alpha mare (per the trainer, not just my idea) so every day is a test.  Does this all sound remotely familiar?

Might as well laugh as cry I reckon, cause I really like the little turd. We are going to continue in lessons until we get it right. Until we do distance riding is pretty much on the back burner.

~ E.G.