Cracker, Clydesdale Cross Gelding, 5 years
Jameela, Kiwi Sport Horse Mare, 8 years
Jameela meaning graceful, beautiful, lovely is Anke's personal horse. She has got Thunder's stunning looks and movements and Jaffa's loveliness. Her colour is a bay dun but Anke like to refer to her as a "caramel dun", her nickname could be "toffee". For the first 2 years fo her life she got treated like a princess in the herd. If Jameela raced around and bumped into the other horses at full speed they didn't even tell her off. Several times when she was a bit younger she would just stand in the paddock and the others would come over to groom her and even fighting over it, never seen that before in our life. Even Vic who usually sets very quick very firm boundaries used to allow her everything...so it was up to me, Anke, to set some boundaries. Now being a bit older she does get told of by the others but gains respect and trust and is a real integrator for new horses in the herd, it seems she is the lead mare in training...With people she still can push bondaries in the sweetest way :). Like her halfsister Kola she has amazing jumping abilities. Climbing through or jumping fences (even electric ones), exploring the next paddock used to be sooooo much fun, specially in her teenage years. Our journey together and starting her has proven a very interesting and joyful one. She is incredibly fine but is a fighter if you wrongly use too much energy, a little warrior in disguise of a princess.
Merlin, Kiwi Sport Horse Gelding, 5 years
On the 8th of February 2012 the little colt got born on a fullmoon. Out of Jaffa and by Thunder he is a full brother to Luca & Jameela.
According to Ian he is the biggest foal ever born here on North River, no wonder Jaffa was as huge as a bus. So far he looks like his Dad Thunder, a Golden Dun. As Ian was the first human he said hello to, Merlin was going to be his personal horse and we decided Ian should be the one to name him. On his first few days which prolonged for over a week, he had several names: "Bruce" (Ian first idea;-), "the little man" and "Prince Charming" (named by our guests from Switzerland who saw him first). Well, in the end Anke woke up one morning with the name Merlin on her mind, ran it passed Ian and he approved;-). At the moment the little North River Magician is the star for all our guest here and the most photographed foal of our herd ever (yes, there are even more pictures of him already than of Jameela). Being the teenager in the herd he gets everybody to play if they want or not. In spring 2016 we decided that Melrin will be in our teaching team of horses after being started. We are sure people will love learning from and with this golden character :).
According to Ian he is the biggest foal ever born here on North River, no wonder Jaffa was as huge as a bus. So far he looks like his Dad Thunder, a Golden Dun. As Ian was the first human he said hello to, Merlin was going to be his personal horse and we decided Ian should be the one to name him. On his first few days which prolonged for over a week, he had several names: "Bruce" (Ian first idea;-), "the little man" and "Prince Charming" (named by our guests from Switzerland who saw him first). Well, in the end Anke woke up one morning with the name Merlin on her mind, ran it passed Ian and he approved;-). At the moment the little North River Magician is the star for all our guest here and the most photographed foal of our herd ever (yes, there are even more pictures of him already than of Jameela). Being the teenager in the herd he gets everybody to play if they want or not. In spring 2016 we decided that Melrin will be in our teaching team of horses after being started. We are sure people will love learning from and with this golden character :).
