Bedda

I was looking for ponies on Craiglist because around Christmas time last yer, and at the bottom of an ad I saw a side note that they had a Straight Egyptian Mare for sale. I told my husband that he should check her out. I have ALWAYS been an Arabian lover since I was a child. Arabians are my all around favorite breed. For those of you who don’t know much about Straight Egyptian Arabians, they are a rare breed. Their lineage goes back to a select few Arabians owned in Egypt and bred by the Bedouin tribes of ancient Arabia. Being a straight Egyptian means her blood lines are traceable 100% back to those horses. There are less than 6,000 Straight Egyptian Arabians that exist in the World. Less than 3,000 of those are found in the United States.

Bedda is a unique and amazing horse. Like most Straight Egyptians, Bedda had primarily been used as a broodmare and shown in halter as a yearling and 2 year old. She placed in the top ten as a yearling. But Arabians have to be worked with a different way than the average horse. You can’t just send them off to an average trainer like a quarter horse etc. They are just wired different. A lot of people don’t really know how to train Arabs, so they end up sold as broodmares, or unbroke, or ready to be started.

• 

• 

Bedda was no exception. She was a nervous horse, and always on edge. Standing tied she would pull back, rear, paw the ground…Or sometimes try and jump over the trailer. I looked at her and saw absolute beauty. I was beside myself with excitement over the prospect of having an amazing horse like her in our farm. Shortly after we brought her home, we had a trainer offer to help train her in dressage and get her started for us. Unfortunately after a couple of months, things with the trainer were not going well and we went and picked her up and our other horse up from his property. Bedda was even more high strung than she had been. Nathaniel rode her a few times, and each time she would flip over with a rider on her. We also heard she had flipped over for the trainer a few times. It was just a rear and move on, it was a dangerous flip all the way over on top of your rider rear.

After a lot of discussion, we decided (I begrudgingly agreed) maybe we should sell her as a broodmare only. I really deep down inside felt that she was full of potential and could work past it, but it was a question of it it was worth the safety of our family with a horse that had dangerous behavior. I did list her for sale, but I felt horrible inside about it. This horse had so much more potential than what she had been used for up until this point. I started taking Bedda out every day and working on simple liberty training. We walked initially with a lead rope loosely in hand and then graduated to no lead rope. She learned to walk in step beside me off of my hand signals, and turn both directions, and walk through obstacles. She learned to back off of a hand signal and would also back simultaneously with me walking next to her when cued. I started working with her on tapping her on the side of her knee to pick up each foot, and she learned at an amazing rapid time frame. At this point, I had pretty much made up my mind that we needed to do something for this mare. She deserved it.

• 

Destini must have also seen the potential there. She is not an avid Arabian lover, but Bedda won us all over. I told her I thought Bedda would let me ride her, or someone ride her if I could give her the signals she had been learning. So, one day, Destini hopped on this magnificent mare, and I did our routine just like we did every day. We walked and turned both directions, backed, and she picked up her feet, and lowered her head when I asked her to. Never even blinked at the rider sitting on her back. You can imagine the grins on our faces. She rode her like this a couple more times, and Nathaniel and Destini started taking over from there.

Most every day, they would get Bedda out and started tacking her up, and introducing things one by one. Bedda was very motivated by treats and praise! It was winter, so it was basic riding, and limited according to the weather, but Bedda was making progress every day. Destini’s horse at the time was not working out so well with English riding, so one day they decided to tack up Bedda English.

I still remember the first time Destini stretched Bedda out into a canter. She was SO of balance, and it was so fun to watch them. Bedda taught Destini perseverance. She taught her, if at first you don’t succeed you try try again. Or it was the other way around…I’m not really sure which. I watched Destini’s riding improve every day, that she worked with Bedda, and I watched Bedd’a riding improve every day that she worked with Destini. Nathaniel did a lot of training exercises with Bedda, and often is out of the spotlight. But it really was a team effort getting these two to soar to their potential. Neither has reached full potential yet, but they both needed each other. Pure joy would go across Destini’s face every time they rode. It was a beautiful experience.

After a while of English riding, they decided to start her over some cross rails. Destini was new to jumping, and they both had learning to do together. Every day there was some sort of jump set up in the yard. It was a new adventure.

Whether she was trotting poles, or cantering circles, or jumping cross rails, or venturing up to a slightly higher jump…Every day was a new adventure. I watched my daughter living my childhood dream before my eyes. <3

Fast forward to spring, and Bedda and Destini were taking weekly lessons. They took a beginner training level dressage test together, worked on slowing Bedda’s canter down, each learning new skills and becoming more and more refined in their riding. Nathaniel built Destini some jumps so she could practice some real jumping. She had two and managed to set up cross rails with barrels, etc. I remember one day watching her do serpentine and she rarely came off, but for some reason it was an off day. Bedda stood still as soon as she fell and Destini landed on her feet every time. Bedda waited for her to get back on, and off they went again. Bedda learned flying lead changes, and Nathaniel trained her to side pass. She was really doing big things. 🙂

• 

• 

• 

• 

Bedda and Destini did a few fun shows together and competed in English WT classes and won ribbons. She won riddons in Keyhole, poles, and barrels. And of course hit the trails together! There came point in time, where Destini’s riding was being held back by riding a more green horse, vs if she were to ride something more experienced with jumping. Instead of focusing all of her time on training the horse, she needed to focus on herself. So we found a wonderful OTTB with jumping experience, and Bedda became a family horse. I will be the first to say, I am not as avid a rider as Destini. 🙂 So, she’s had the chance to just chill out some and enjoy some family ride time. She’s taught the boys some lessons, and trail ridden some, and gone to a couple fun shows with the kids. Bedda is amazing all around. From the horse who would flip over, to the horse showing in a WT class with a 9 year old rider. Who would have thought it?

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

At this point in Bedda’s life, I feel that she is completely ready for her next adventure. She could go on to be a national level show horse. She could teach a little kid some confidence, or ride Western, or English. Show jump, go to train further in dressage. This amazing mare could literally go anywhere with her life. She has immensely blessed us. I’m so glad we have been a part in helping her get to where she can be the truly amazing horse that she is. No longer is she stuck as just being a brood mare making some truly beautiful show quality babies, but she can have a job and be useful. She has a future of purpose in her life. I am excited to see what the future holds for Alfano Bedda. Her name means beautiful. And truly she is inside and out.