Birthdate: 2003
Sire and Dam:
sire - NorthStar Bright Sun
Sue Magnuson, NorthStar Appaloosas, Garvin, Minnesota)
Registrations: ICAA
Accomplishments:
She's entered in a few judged trail rides for this summer and possibly a few shorter endurance rides too! Keep checking for updates on results!
Skills:
overview: trained for a Western saddle, has been ridden some on trails in English tack and sidesaddle with no fuss!
general intelligence and movement: "I purchased Ladybug as a yearling and trained her myself. I'm not a professional trainer, but I've trained several horses over the years on my own. Ladybug has been one of the easiest horses I've ever trained and worked with. She learns quickly and responds well. Ladybug doesn't have a show record because I believe her movement is not well suited to the current show environment. Ladybug is an endurance horse deluxe. Her easy walk has an average speed of between 3.6 - 4 miles per hour and that means she would outwalk any horse currently showing in the show ring. I've pointed Ladybug more to speed events and endurance and competitive trail events. Since for the most part those events have an age requirement of a minimum 4-5 years old, she's been brought along slowly."
trail: "Ladybug's skills on the trail are exceptional. She negotiates all kinds of obstacles with ease. We've completed creek crossings with water up almost to her belly which is kind of a rare event here in arid New Mexico. Her stamina on the trails is also amazing. We live and train at an elevation of 7200 ft above sea level and Ladybug has completed rides of 7-10 miles at this elevation at fast walk and slow trotting speeds and still come back to the barn with energy to go again. She's ready for more distance in her rides and could easily go further."
Currently Training In:
mounted cowboy shooting: "I've also been working mounted cowboy shooting events, but I'm not as fast at the pattern as we need to be. Ladybug does very well with me shooting from her back and has accepted all the noise and action of a mounted shooting event very well. We are just not ready to compete because I'm the one who needs more practice on the draws and the shooting."
Possibilities in the Future:
"Ladybug is quite a versatile horse and has accepted all kinds of different challenges with ease. Recently my sister came out to test out her new dressage saddle. Ladybug had never been ridden English before and my sister hadn't ridden a horse in about 10 years. There was a little bit of adjusting for both of them to get used to each other, but within 10-15 minutes, my sister agreed that Ladybug had potential as a dressage horse. Since Ladybug's half-brother Casper is doing well in his dressage testing, it's quite a possibility for Ladybug also."
Owner/Farm:
Ladybug is owned, trained, used, and competed on by Anna Larson of Anna's Appaloosas in Thoreau, New Mexico, United States. All quotations here are from Anna, as are the photos.
