When we apply the term “Champion” to a horse, we think of
pampered show pets, blanketed, groomed daily, and living in luxury and
ease in roomy box stalls. Ginger, a true Half-Arabian Champion,
Lived a much different life… She seldom saw a stable; a true “working
Beauty”, She was anything but pampered. Her accomplishments were
many, and with then she introduced many a horseman to the real meaning of
the phrase “versatile Half-Arabian.” Ginger was one of the greatest
ambassadors for Arabian breeding it has ever been my privilege to know.
This is her story.
She was born in a pasture near Drake, ND May 1 1958. Her sire was the
purebred Arabian BORKAAN #1383, her dam, a grade mare. When she was but a
few days old, a 15-year-old neighbor child saw her, and fell in love.
Here began a partnership that was to last 26 years. Young Bonnie Vollmer
knew nothing about the chestnut fill’s Arabian heritage and “registration
Papers” were a foreign language to a ND farm child of 1958. Raised around
horses on a working ranch, Bonnie had been riding since she could
walk, horses were part of her life. This foal
attracted her so strongly; she bought her with $150.
of hard-earned babysitting money with out consulting her parents.
“When my dad found out I had bought a baby foal for so much money, e was
furious!” recalls Bonnie. “The neighbor explained that she was a
registered half-Arabian, but the papers meant little in those days.
They meant nothing to me at the time, all I knew, was this foal was
SPECIAL, and I had to have that horse!”
Officially named “Little Gypsy”, her sandy Chestnut coat soon earned her
the stable name of “Ginger”. Bonnie was determined to do well with her
purchase and arranged with the owner to bring her home, with her dam,
prior to weaning so training should begin right away. By the time she was
a yearling, Ginger already knew many of the tricks that she willing
performed all her life. She would kneel, bow, stretch, roll over, pray,
count, lay down, play “sick”, place her hoof where ever she was told… but
these were “child’s play”, and as soon as she was of riding age, Ginger
took her place as a working ranch horse.
Ginger worked cattle, and was a good roping horse, she would pull a sled
with feed for cattle in the winter, carry a calf, and was an excellent
“pony horse” when bonnie was breaking new colts. When an older Bonnie was
raising her children Ginger was a “Baby sitter”… working farm women have
no Daycare Centers, Bonnie simply left her children near Ginger when she
had to work in the yard. “She was wonderful with children,” Bonnie
recalls. “They loved her, and would clime all over her, and play under her
feet. She’d tolerate anything from them, and I never was afraid they’d
wander off playing with Ginger.”
But Ginger was a show horse, too. Bonnie competed regularly on the NDHSA
circuit, and Ginger was her mount for many years. “You didn’t have a
special horse for every event in those days!” laughs Bonnie. “I hauled
one horse… Ginger… and she did everything. She was consistently placed in
Western Pleasure, Costume, Reining and Stock Horse classes. We were at
our best, though, in games. Ginger did them all: Barrels, Poles, Keyhole,
Sack and Relay races. You should remember that in these shows, we were
almost ALWAYS the only Arabian representative present. Quarter horses and
other stock breeds still dominate those events. Ginger quickly silenced
those who would snicker, however… we won and
placed so often!” Bonnie never kept a formal record of her winnings,
though the boxes of ribbons attest that there were many Official records
attest that too: in 1972, Ginger was the High Point Barrel Racer in ND for
the entire season, and that same year, she was third in Poles. If nothing
else would shut up the Q.H. loving critics, a State Championship
succeeded!
There were few approved Arabian shows to attend, but Ginger did show on
occasion in class A Arabian shows at Minot and Rugby ND. Her sound
conformation and good Arabian type earned her
placings in Halter, including an occasional first. She loved
Costume and Parade classes, and carried flags in many real parades as
well.
Retired from the show circuit due to advancing age, Ginger remained an
active ranch horse the remainder for her life. “I learned how really
smart she was when we has an accident while ponying
a colt”, recalls Bonnie. The colt spooked, and ran behind Ginger, pulling
her legs out from under her with his halter rope. She fell, and landed on
top of him, with the rope tight, I couldn’t free him. Had Ginger
struggled to rise, she would have broken his neck I had to run quite a
distance back to the house to get a knife to cut that rope… I hated to
leave, but I simply had to tell Ginger to “stay” and move as fast as I
could. She never moved a bit until I returned and cut the colt free.”
Ginger always did do whatever Bonnie asked. At one show, a QH owner was
putting Ginger’s Arabian heritage down to some of
Bonnie’s friends and while she ran her barrel pattern. When Bonnie
completed her run, she left the ring to discover her friends had bet
Ginger would do anything the braggart’s Q.H. would do. The challenge was
that she’d jump up in the back of his pick-up. Bonnie didn’t hesitate,
and neither did Ginger.
She did have her quirks! No rope or halter would persuade the mare to
stand tied. She’d stand in a tie stall with only a string behind her, and
never back out, but would not tolerate a halter rope. She didn’t care to
be fussed over either; her relationship with people was always
“businesslike”. In later years, attempts to breed her were unsuccessful
because she would become ill from homesickness when left at another farm.
Bonnie did raise 3 foals from Ginger, two fillies which are working ranch
horses on other farms, and a gelding Bonnie still uses on her own farm…
working Beauties all, like their dam.
Ginger was Active until the end of her life, but the last few years the
sever winters of her ND home began to take their toll on her. “Of course
we grain our horses daily in winter” Bonnie recalls, “but those last
years, Ginger lost condition all winter no matter how much we fed. We’d
have made room for her in the barn, but she was the boss mare, and
wouldn’t tolerate being locked up. We couldn’t see letting her go down
hill, suffering, she had earned a better end than that. So, reluctantly,
we had her put down that last fall, she was still in god shape. It was
hard to say goodbye.
|
