Believe it or not, we became owners of Flabys Ringo a few months ago.....he disappeared from sight for several years because registry paperwork wasn't updated along the way and he changed owners a few times and finally spent several years at an apple orchard in sort of a petting zoo setting and then we were lucky enough to work out a deal for him and a mare he had bred. He was very fat and sassy and had a little herd of mares he was running with and just enjoying life. Unfortunately as far as I know none of the babies born during the years at the apple orchard were registered. I did a lot of research while straightening out his paperwork and learned all sorts of interesting stuff. His father, Flabys Picante was one of the hand picked minis the Flaby family selected on their trip to Argentina and imported to their farm in MN. Ringos father Picante was hardshipped into AMHR but I was able to get more info about Flaby Picantes pedigree by doing research on Falabellas. On his Dams side it is all Arenosa breeding and all the most famous "Kewpie" horses in history so Flabys Ringo considered 50% "Falabella" and 50% "Arenosa" with the Kewpie horses being shetland breeding and registered. Ringo is currently AMHA, AMHR, PtHA registered and is eligible for Falabella papers. I wish he could be registered Shetland somehow too. Like the article mentioned, I see a lot of things about him that are different from most US bred minis. He does have that signature trot that is different from most minis that they talked about. Very high stepping and far reaching and breaks at the knee. He has these huge expressive eyes and giant flaring nostrils and is quite the sight flying across the pasture at a trot with his neck arched, head tucked and tail flagging. He is a tri-color pinto and shed out without clipping and has a very slick and shiny coat. He is very cocky and confident but has been easy to handle and I've been playing around teaching him to jump and doing some ground driving. I'd love to show him at some point for fun and just to see how he does but he needs more work and has to lose more weight and I haven't had time to work enough with him. He is also in his late teens so would be an "old horse" in the show ring but he sure doesnt act his age. He learns very very quickly and seems to be up for just about anything and he jumps like he has springs in his feet and totally shocked me when I tried jumping him when we first got him. He just collected himself and flew over the first jump I put in front of him and will clear any height I try.
When we got him we also got a mare that he bred. That baby was born in May and is just stunning. I clipped him yesterday and was amazed. The baby has his daddy's attitude and big trot and fancy action so the baby may be a future driving horse for me.
I do keep an eye out for horses related to Ringo now and I've come across many of his offspring that have done very, very well in the show ring and I've been very proud. I like all the history that is documented in his pedigree too. I had fun researching it all.
