LADYHAWKE - SOLD
16.1, 5 yr old Black




It is difficult to write anything about Ladyhawke without wanting to begin with the words: Once upon a time...Because that's quietly what we think every time we go out to get her, and she comes across the field, lowers her head to the halter, and her long, black forelock falls across her beautiful, gentle, utterly sweet eyes. And then she follows us like our own shadow, like Peter Pan playing a game, so that sometimes you look behind you-look left-no horse! look right-no horse! where is she?? until you turn all the way around and there she is, tip-toeing ever so carefully, right in your own footsteps, her great, war-horse charger self delicate as a ballerina.
Probably, what that Once Upon A Time quality comes down to, is Ladyhawke's extraordinary gentleness, combined with her unbelievable presence, combined with her simply breathtaking beauty, and then to top it off, the way her forelock falls across her eyes. Actually, even if she were dirt brown instead of jet black, it would really make not much difference. Her fairytale quality is more than skin deep--it's her history, as well. And her ride-abilty. And her huge, huge heart. And the way she will follow a tiny child around with her nose on their shoulder, acting like she's their pet. Comical, beautiful, and so sweet it touches heart strings.

So, having perhaps given a hint of how special we think Ladyhawke truly is, let us get on to the basics.
Ladyhawke is a coming six year old. Her exact stick height is 16 hands and one 1/2 inch--however, she is such a BIG 16+ hands that we feel safer saying 16.1, so people get a more honest idea of her size (the rider in the pics is 5'9). She has lovely conformation--uphill build, clean legs straight as arrows on a square base, depth to her heart, a free shoulder, a very beautiful refined head, and a neck that is the stuff of dreams, perfect to catch you if you foolishly attempt to fall off.

Movement-wise, Ladyhawke is a complete surprise. For all her breadth and width and great-boned majesty, one would expect heavy. Instead, she is feather-light: light, soft movement, a butter-soft mouth, and a feel under the rider as if she is moving along on air. So smooth she is hard to post to, and at the canter you feel like you are riding the black stallion along the beach, air and light and smooth joy, so that the saddle seems nothing but an encumberment.

One of the things most extraordinary about Ladyhawke is the fact that she is totally green. Not a LITTLE green: we mean TOTALLY green. Well, let us qualify that: she is green in the way that Cinderella was green at the very start of princess-dom. With Ladyhawke, as with Cinderella, all the princess pieces are there, and with only the tiniest amount of assistance they come firmly and permanently into place. As a four yr old, Ladyhawke had a very specific, and singular job--she was ridden by a VERY small child on pony rides, ponied along by her mother's horse, on trail rides that went over, under, and through whatever was before them. Now, any other horse....well, no, of course not. You wouldn't put a child that age on any other horse. Not even imaginable. Certainly not on a barely broke, totally inexperienced, able to flatten tall buildings with a single affectionate rub sort of horse--no, not possible. But Ladyhawke... you begin to see why she is the stuff of fairytales. YES, she is calm enough for a two yr old child to be ponied on, over the mountains and far away. YES, she is trustworthy enough, gentle enough, kind enough to forgive absolutely ANYTHING you do wrong. YES, she will catch you if you begin to fall off.
Ladyhawke is currently in 'serious' training (although we strongly doubt we can ever improve on her beginnings). She is learning to move happily forward without her nose in someone else's tail. Actual leg aids, canter departures, circles, caveletti, inside leg, outside rein, all that fancy stuff. That said, Ladyhawke is SO intelligent and willing that, having learned something at 12:00, at 12:15 she will contentedly teach it to your child, or your grandmother.

Ladyhawke is the ultimate horse for the amateur who wants a dressage horse, trail horse, BEAUTIFUL, BREATHTAKING, GORGEOUS, SANE horse. For the trainer who wants to teach a student on a horse that they absolutely will never get hurt on, never lose their confidence with, never give up with, never lose thier patience with.

What we want for Ladyhawke: someone who will keep helping her learn the basics. Who will maybe trail ride her, maybe learn to canter on her, or maybe show her to 2nd or 3rd level dressage, or take her eventing, and have a blast doing it. Who wants a horse that loves them, loves attention, loves to be groomed and scratched and made a fuss over. Mainly, someone who, regardless of what they do, considers Ladyhawke as magnificent, unique, and just plain fabulously wonderful, as we do.


For more information, or to meet Ladyhawke, please contact us.





Ladyhawke is offered for sale for $7500.

For video clips of Ladyhawke at liberty, please see our Videos page.