Three years ago, a Thoroughbred mare that had been a family member for many years tragically died soon after giving birth to a foal. We had sold her to our trainers when I went off to vet school. I took Yoshi with me, but wouldn't have been able to handle two horses given the time constraints of school. It had always been my intention to buy her back when I finished school and was able to, but apparently that was not to be.
The little colt, named "Tigger," was hand-raised as an orphan our trainers. I first visited him in the winter at about six months of age and took the following picture of him. (He is the chestnut fellow in the middle of the picture).
Well, times certainly change and horses grow up! Now that I am back home, I have moved Yoshi back to the same barn and have become reacquainted with that little colt...and, my, has he changed! Here is a current picture of him, taken almost exactly 2 years after the above picture: (I need to get a picture of him outside so you can get a full sense of his size)
As you can see, he has greyed out to something of a strawberry roan. His sire is a large, grey Irish Draught stallion and chestnut (which his dam was) is a recessive color in horses, so it is not surprising his color has changed so much. Actually, you can see that he is already starting to grey out in the first picture of him. He easily stands close to 17 hh (68 inches or 5' 8") at the shoulder which is pretty large. And he has the heavier build of an Irish Draught, though he still does have some of the lighter Thoroughbred features in his conformation.Regardless of color and size changes, fortunately, he is a gentle and intelligent horse, certainly the most important aspects in any equine!
So, the year has changed as has Tigger. I wish you all the best in the new year!
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