Suhayla

Her name is Suhayla.

She was born a warm chestnut but has slowly faded to her natural grey color with every year. She is now a silvery grey with chestnut freckles that hint at her first color. What used to be a pronounced blaze on her face has blended with the grey and can be faintly seen by those who know it used to be there. Long eyelashes and a pink nose highlite her feminity.

History
She comes from a long line of royal blood and was born to the royal stables. When still a foal, her mother was killed protecting her from an attack by a pack of wolves. Barely escaping with her life, she disappeared into a forest where she was discovered by a family. They adopted this stray, and hand raised her. They named her Suhayla, which means soft and flowing, because she appeared to float as she ran. But with the family having no other horses, she never learned to be a “horse”, and is more comfortable with human companionship than with others of her own kind. Several years later, her true owners finally found her, as they had never stopped searching for the last daughter of their favorite mare. While the family who raised her loved her greatly, they gave her up so she could follow her destiny serving in the royal stables. She now has found a home with a small band, but feels more comfortable living on the ‘fringe’ of the group, rather than really being part of it.

Personality
This unique history is reflected in her personality in many ways. She is independent and not ‘herd bound’. She is a leader, confident and brave like her mother. She has led many less mature horses on a great many journeys. Horrors that send other horses spinning and bolting in fear, she will blow past without hesitation. Her one fear though are dogs or wolves, which have haunted her dreams since the wolf attack.

She tends to be serious and practical. She likes to work, and doesn’t see the point in wasting energy on something with no purpose. This means when her herd is playing and galloping around their pasture, you’ll find her on the side calmly observing. Some will think that means she’s lazy, but given a job and a challenge, she’ll push forward with relish until its done. On a journey, she won’t be the fastest horse, but her great stamina will carry her farther and longer than the others.

She develops strong bonds with one person and will tend to only listen to them.

To ride her is like floating. Her trot is soft and easy, her canter is so smooth, it’s like being rocked to sleep.

For a rider, her independent nature can be good and bad. She can easily be ridden away from others toward another path. But she will also make her own decisions on the best way to go. This may result in her suddenly choosing a shortcut through the woods when the rider is cantering down a road or thru a mass of tree limbs. She has a strong sense of direction and can find her way back to camp or home very easily. Unfortunately, she may decide the best way back is across a ravine or through a thorny hedge.

Many Thanks to Cindy Stafford for allowing Zoey to be available as a Fantasy Horse in our stable.