Meet The Miniature Horse People – Kendra Gale

Meet The Miniature Horse People will be a regular feature on the site, starting with myself, then the members of our private community, sharing stories of our journeys with Miniature Horses. 

When did you first become involved with Miniature Horses?

In November 1981 when my Grandad brought home our first three Miniature Horses.

If you could pick, tell us about one mini that changed your life.

I think it’s probably well documented, but it has to be Hawk. While Image is my heart horse, and I certainly wouldn’t trade all the joy he brought me, Hawk is the reason that I became a better horse person. His issues were the catalyst for me to learn about so many of the things that I am now passionate about: combined driving, positive reinforcement, biomechanics, dressage based training. All thanks to Hawk.

Did you have big horses first?  Do you still have larger horses, and why?

While I’ve always (well, since I was 18 months old) had Miniature Horses, there were some special bigs in my life as well. I had a pretty little bay roan welsh/shetland pony I rode as a little girl named Rosie, who liked to run at the hedge and stop quick to try and fling me off. I had an older quarter horse named Velvet that my Grandad bought me when I was about 12 – my first horse of my own which was special. I had a lovely red dun quarter horse in college named Jake, the horse I rode the most, and learned a lot with. And then my friend Tara and I conspired to raise a little appaloosa/arabian cross from two horses we each loved. ToSpot was our sweet baby, living first with me and then with her, until he tragically had to be euthanised due to a neurological disorder. I do not have any bigs in my life currently, as the littles keep me very busy, but I have a very soft spot in my heart for those special ones in my past.

What’s your favorite activity with Miniature Horses?

Driving, always driving. But I have to say, trick training and liberty work might be an awfully close second these days!

If you drive, tell us about an interesting experience you’ve had.

Three favourite driving memories:

1 – Tearing through the hazards with Hawk. One day soon I will have a competitive CDE horse again and have that same rush!

2 – Driving into the big arena in Fort Worth at the AMHA World Show. It really is amazing, so huge with perfect footing and the amazing atmosphere.

3 – Driving Image again, when I thought I never would. Racing down the hayfield with such joy, from both of us. My favourite memory, and one I’ll never, ever forget.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done with Miniature Horses?

Hmm, so many options. I taught Hawk to paint and read at the story corner. We took him downtown into a TV studio for an interview. Then there was the time during the light horse demo at the Stampede that they turned Grandad’s blacks loose to run in the arena, and dressed up as cave people to represent eohippus, the prehistoric horse. All fun and games until they escaped out the back of the Saddledome and spooked all the other horse breeds waiting to come in. 😉

 

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