Thoroughbred mares

Young FarmWife on Sophie

Isis

FarmWife loves little brown mules. This much is true, and there's no denying it. Still, I'm willing to acknowledge that she has, in past, had her flirtations with cob geldings and draft stallions, with horses and ponies, and with two very particular thoroughbred mares.

The first best thoroughbred of FarmWife's life was Sophie, her mom's mare. She was a lovely blood bay with a shining coat and a fast metabolism. She ate like a . . . well, a horse, but she was worth her weight in Omolene. She was a typical TB—emotional, sophisticated, refined, and passionate. She had a series of compelling love affairs with the important geldings in her life, and she was universally adored. She died when FarmWife was 11, and she's remembered fondly even today.

The next best thoroughbred (in terms of chronology, not importance) in FarmWife's life was Isis—a muscular 17.1 hand mare with what one could truly call "a warmblood build." She was wonderful. FarmWife admired her terribly, and even now Isis is the definitive Best Mare Ever in FarmWife's books. Isis had a thing for tobiano geldings, and she loved one and then another and then another after that. When her Husband Gelding died, tragically, in 2002, Isis latched onto the other resident tobiano at the boarding barn. When she was moved to another barn, she pined and lost weight until FarmWife's mother, her owner, got her her own tobiano pony. They lived happily ever after, despite the fact that he was a full two and a half feet shorter. (He was Sailor, incidentally—the villain pony in yesterday's post.)

FarmWife loves me—it's certainly true. Someday, though—someday, she hopes, she'll have a thoroughbred mare again. When such a time comes, I'll welcome my leggy new girlfriend with earful exuberance.

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