Mystery Photo Number 3 from N/L No 4 revealed:-

Ibee Storming Back with Nicola Sands

There I was reading the newsletter and I 'spotted' MY horse!

MIKKA is a 14.3hh appaloosa. She is 3 years old this year. I am 13 years old and this spring I have just started to break her in with my mums help. She has been as good as gold and seems to love the attention and the new things she does each time.  We don't do a lot, due to her age, mainly walking.  We practice our steering and go out for walks along the road and in the field, passed scary jumps and poles!  This is in contrast to my coloured cob VINNIE who does everything, from show jumping to X-country and from dressage to swimming in the sea! (If my mum can get her hands on him, she steals him for gymkhana games!)  She says Mikka will be able to do all this in time. I'm looking forward to bringing her to the national show in-hand this summer and next year you will see me in ridden classes!

Mikka's breed name is Ibee Storming Back and she is out of an Arab mare called Bint De San Antonio and her sire is Kerney Dancer.  She was six months old when we bought her from Cindy Rodderick.

Mikka lives in a paddock with her 2 friends the same age, Athena, and Elliot. All three of the 'babies' (as we call them) have a very good temperament and enjoy everything we do with them. Elliot is a Welsh X Thoroughbred and Athena is a part bred Appaloosa.

I REALLY can't wait until I can take her to shows, because I think we make a good pair! It will be good to go to the ApHC UK show to see how successful we are!

Photo: Mikka and Nicola in the Youngstock in-hand trail class at the ApHC UK 2001 show.