Meet Wiley’s Rosabelle

Remember this photo from back in December?  This is Belle and her pile of hay.  She’s what I would call our best broodmare.  That’s all she’s done for us, but she’s done an excellent job.  She’s a gorgeous girl, excellent movement, the dam of our best fillies (yes, she’s only had fillies to date), and is quite a personality.  She’s now fourth horse out of five on the ‘totem pole’ so to speak, just above our red dun mare, Cali.  She’s not to proud of her position because she’s been known to hold the lead position in the herd.  Some how she’s been beat out by her daughter Annie, our gelding Sunnie, and our mare Etta (for sale, and that’s why she’s not listed on our “Our Horses” page).  But, Belle is sure to let the cows know their place and isn’t shy about making sure her daughter shares the hay with her when she feels the need to join someone else in their pile.

 Belle is sired by a gorgeous gelding who only sired just a few foals in his very short breeding career.  Like us and our Sunnie, the owner was not wanting to breed any more and decided to geld instead of sell.  Kiger Wiley Cayuse aka Wiley is his name and he is a cherished horse of a dear friend of ours.  We had the priviledge of having him visit us for a year with the thought that we were going to buy him, but things just didn’t work out and we had to send him back home to Washington state.  It was one of the saddest things I had to do; I really bonded with that boy.  But!  I am sure proud to own just a little part of his bloodlines through Belle and his granddaughter Annie Oakley. 

Photo Credit: ©Hitzeman

He’s what is known as a seal brown dun, some people in the Kiger world just called him a bay but he is obviously not just a bay.  He has a very distinct dorsal stripe and many other patches and markings all over his body showing just how dun he truly is. 

Belle’s dam is Kiger Riddle Mountain Rose aka Rosie, who last I heard, is still a broodmare.  She’s got a little more white than most Kiger junkies want, but she does have good conformation and I think has produced some nice babies, Belle being no exception.

Photo Credit: ©Hitzeman

The above photo was taken of Rosie and Belle in spring of ’98, when shortly after Belle was born.  They were a beautiful pair and caught the eye of Wiley’s owner right away.  She tracked me down when I bought Belle and sent me these pictures, of which I am very grateful.

So there’s more to my relationship with Belle than just another broodmare.  She’s pretty special with a special history behind her.