Dixianna
1992 - 2015
This horse is very timid at heart. She is low horse in the pecking order of all the ranch horses and gets a bit nervous if she is last horse in the string.
Statistics - A Description of Dixi
Dixianna goes by the barn name "Dixi". She is a mare born in 1992 and registered as a Paint horse.
She is 15 hands (or 60 inches) tall at the withers.
Dixis main body color is black with white spots; she is considered an Overo Paint. She has a large white
spot on both the left and right side on her belly and many many tiny white flecks (like snowflakes) just
above each of the spots. She also has several odd shaped splotches on each side of her neck; the one on her
left side looks like a little lightening bolt. She has a low white sock on all four legs and a wide blaze
down her forehead and nose that droops over the left side of her face. Her mane and tail are both black.
The Beginning - How We Obtained Dixi
Dixi was used as a brood mare, and occasionally as a saddle horse, for many years. She raised several
beautiful foals for a large black and white Overo Paint ranch in the Chehalis, WA area. In a poor horse
market, breeders are making the smart decision to raise fewer baby horses.
Dixi came to our ranch in February of 2013. She was in excellent health, and her long winter hair made
her look very shaggy. She is very timid, non confrontational, and soon found herself at the bottom of
the pecking order. She is not generally interested in apples or carrots, but does enjoy peppermint horse
treats.
Horse Tails - Funny Things & Stories About Dixi
Dixi is not especially eager to be caught out in the pasture. She knows if a halter or rope is hidden
in a back pocket and will run from capture for several minutes. If the halter is held openly, she is
more easily caught.
She is very spirited and even at her mature age, she may be more horse than most beginners can handle.
But she is blending in and becoming a reliable trail horse. She is learning to walk, rather than trot,
and even excepting the responsibility of being the last horse in the string.
Dixi enjoys the attention of being groomed, more so than the other horses at the ranch. She will even
help the groomer by leaning into the brush strokes.
The Present - What We Think About Dixi
Dixi enjoyed being a momma and misses having a baby to take care of, but our ranch is not set up for
breeding. Coming to the ranch was a huge life change for her, but she is adjusting to life as a working
trail horse. And she is learning that the trail rides can be enjoyable for her too.
Initially, Dixi seemed stand-offish, but she has become much more affectionate with time. Occasionally
she is startled by quick movements, like she thinks someone might strike her, but this is just her timid
or "low man on the totem pole" syndrome. As soon as she realizes that she has not been struck or hurt,
she moves in closer for the "lovin".