Topper
Born: 1988–died: December 1, 2008

Willow
Born: 1988– died: May 13, 2009

Cimarron
Born: 1988–died: January 22, 2021

Iceman
Born: 1988– died: January 22, 2021

If you really think it’s,
‘Just a horse,’
Like ‘just a promise,’
‘Just a friend,’
Then you can’t see,
The beauty of it all.
You just can’t see.
-Jess Schwarcz “Just a Horse”

Saigh’s father decided to switch from larger breeds of horses to Miniature Horses for a driving team in 1990/91. The family already had one Mini, having gotten a colt they renamed Willow for a pasture pet around 1987. This likely influenced the decision and Iceman was the next, followed soon by both Topper and Cimarron. While not official rescues, the fact that both Topper and Cimarron showed physical and behavioral signs of abuse, it’s not so clear with Iceman (who is pretty stoic, so it’s harder to tell) they pretty much were rescues.

There will be more history here…but for now. We inherited the herd when Dad died in October of 2008. It was only a short time that we had the whole herd, for Topper, who Dad had nursed through Cushing’s for years, was failing. Chances are he had held on until Dad went and was ready to rejoin him. He returned to Dad on Dec. 1 and while he’s missed by the rest of us, they were meant to be together. On May 13, 2009, Willow, our first Mini, also returned to Dad and is now teamed up with Topper once again.

As of the end of December 2019, Cimarron and Iceman are still with us. Both have some health problems, but *knockwoodx3* they seem to be going strong. Having lost both Misty and the goats, we hope that they continue to until we are in a position to adopt another horse so Saorsa isn’t alone.

Here are a few more recent photos of the boys.