Pictures Aged 3 years

Name Sienna

Height Currently 15.2hh

Breed Polling (by Pilot Bavarian Warmblood) x Westland Bay
 

 
Above Left - Stallion Polling   Right - Mare Westland Bay

Bred out of Florence (Westland Bay).   Sienna was lucky to have been born at all, having survived a colic operation before she was born.  Florence (her dam) was rushed to Liverpool for life saving surgery, she was very lucky that her mother was one of the few to recover from the colic surgery complete with 8 month old unborn foal.  Sienna was then born 3 months later just a week before her due date. (Sienna right aged 1 week)

 
Sienna has proven to be a testing youngster, at just a few weeks old the first signs we had she was going to be a handful was when she took a strong dislike to a visiting farrier.  A bit of a fire cracker as a foal she would bound across the field jumping up and kicking out at you, leading her just short distances could prove challenging as her favourite trick was to try and spin her head and neck away from you and then aim her back legs at you.  Due to her challenging behaviour we nicknamed her 'Satun's Daughter. 

As a yearling she some how took a metal gate of its hinges slicing her fetlock to the bone. During her treatments she had to wear a neck cradle as it was the only way to stop her attacking her wound or attacking us.  7 months box rest followed while it repaired, amazingly she was never lame but the stable confinement did nothing to improve her temperament to handle and be around.  As soon as possible she was then turned out and left to grow up. 

Age 3 she showed a marked improvement in temperament the leading problems suddenly disappeared.  Due to me being pregnant last year she was only lightly lunged, saddled and I sat on her but nothing else.  I was expecting to see some flashes of her difficult temperament but quite the opposite that bold over confident behaviour seemed to now be working for me with, Sienna accepting everything very easily (partly because she is almost fearless) and even seeming to relish applying her brain to something that made her think.

Age 4 years her new nickname is now 'Grumpy pants' she still has her grizzly moments but can some times surprise me and be quite willing and 'nice' to be around. We notice she is much better when living outside something that I put down to her memory of 7 months box rest.  She is still not a fools horse to be around, but so far I believe she may be, as the saying goes 'A grooms nightmare and a riders dream'.  We started riding her in July 2009.  The plan to start with will be to give her an all-round education, on paper she should be a jumper but only time will tell.