When Sherry called me about 3:00 a.m. I got dressed and went over to her place since she only lived about two minutes away.
He was absolutely gorgeous.
I started by touching him all over for about a week. Then when he knew that I was not going to hurt him, I started to put him in and out of the trailer. He was very easy to work with. He wasn't afraid of anything.
Then I took him down to the end of the driveway so that he could get used to the traffic. I lived next to a very busy road. The cars didn't seem to scare him much. Maybe a little! Soon I was able to walk him down the road. Of course, when the drivers saw him, they really slowed down. I was glad of that. I just couldn't believe how easy he was to work with. He was very gentle.
I continued to work with him every day, touching him all over and lifting each one of his feet. He didn't mind. Finally, I had to get him used to having a bath. He absolutely loved the water. He would drink it right out of the hose.
When I worked with him on the lunge line, he would flip his tail all the way over his back. Boy, did he look fancy. He really loved to be lunged. He would really strut his stuff. Also sometimes he would be running in his pasture and if I was out there too, he would come running up to me and all I would have to do is raise my hand and he would come to a screaming halt. Then he would just stand there and sniff my hand.
When Sherry came and got his mother to go riding, he did get a little upset, but I stayed in the stall with him for a while and he calmed down shortly. She didn't come over too often to ride his mother and when she came to get her for good, I was really worried. I kept him in the stall so that he wouldn't go through the fence. It was a good thing that I walked him down the road several times. That way he was used to being separated a little.
When he was about 15 months, I had him gelded. Since I was not going to use him for breeding, I thought that it was a good idea. He wasn't a biter which I was glad of. I figured he would grow up to be a real good gelding.
I took him to the Columbia County Fair and got him in a stall. I wanted to see how he would act with all the commotion going on. He did just fine in the stall. When I took him out to be lunged, he was very light on his feet. And of course, his tail was over his back every time. There was a lady watching me lunge him and when I was through, she came up to his stall and said that she wanted to buy him. So I sold him and he went on his way.
I saw him about a year later. I had been visiting people and there he was. He practically stuck his head in the car window. He had really grown a lot. He was very friendly. That was the last time I saw him for several years.
I had moved to Prineville, Oregon, and Sherry called me and said that she had been looking at horses to buy. She said that she had gone to this one stable and there was a grey gelding standing there. Guess who it was??? Yes, it was Ziyadah. She bought him. It was kind of funny because first Sherry owned him and now she owns him again. He is about 15.1 hands high.
He is 17 years old now and a really nice horse. Gentle but still spirited at the same time. I think that Sherry will probably keep him until he dies or she dies. It is nice to know that he is happy.
I have moved back to St. Helens, Oregon, where Sherry and Ziyadah live. I have seen her ride him and he looks very nice. Here are some more pictures of him when he was young.
