Ermelinda

Ermelinda -- Purebred Andalusian -- RESCUED from killer buyer in PA. Ermelinda is a 2004 National Champion Mare, as was her daughter. Her sire was the breathtaking Apollo II, also a multiple National Champion. She has been trained to drive, trained in lower level dressage and in cross country. She also produced three beautiful offspring. Despite all these assets, Ermelinda ended up in the New Holland auction yard and was sold to a killer buyer at the end of May, 2011. Fortunately, the buyer allowed the rescue "Another Chance for Horses" (ac4h.com) to include her on their website for one week, prior to her being shipped to Canada for processing. Additionally, (and what probably helped her as much as anything) an Andalusian enthusiast had seen her in the auction yard and kept calling people until she found someone who was able to get word out about Ermelinda's plight to one of the Iberian chat lines.
Avalon Farms had actually looked at purchasing Ermelinda years ago, after she had won her National Championship. We were familiar with her. When we saw what danger she was in, we acted to rescue her. Even after 30 days in quarantine, during which time she was fed very well, Ermelinda arrived looking like she came out of a concentration camp. Her body score might have been 2. She was traumatized.
As one can see from the video, she is in much better shape now. Her longtime training is coming back. Her weight is coming back. She is not totally up to "Andalusian weight" but she is getting there. Her looks and overall "presence are coming back. She is a beautiful, kind, well trained mare. Ermelinda does hang her tongue out when being ridden, but she is even getting better about that. The "tongue thing" is a learned behavior that she picked up at the farm where she foaled out. One of the senior mares did it and the babies copied her. Ermelinda will do it when she is stressed. The more she is ridden, the less she is stressed and the less the tongue is hanging out. We like HAPPY horses here, so we try to give positive reinforcement.
This is Ermelinda's (Ermie's) story.
http://avalonandalusians.com/

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Pets & Animals

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• Ermelinda
• horse
• training
• mare

[HeartHavenFarm1996]

A true Cinderella story for a true princess. Thank you for caring.