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Sun Chief’s Apache

“Apache”

SUN CHIEF’S APACHE

NWHATR pending

SSHBEA  10102357

Black tobiano, blue eyes

Foaled March 27, 1997

Apache’s Foals

Elected as Chief Chakotay

By Wyatt Earp, RMH/KMSH stallion

SMHA and SSHBEA gelding, Foaled November 7, 2000

Pictured at 3 years

(We’d like to find out where Chakotay is—if you think you may have seen him, please contact us!)

Apache Whitecloud Katsina

By Prides Coin Cash, TWH stallion

SSHBEA mare, Foaled March 16, 2002

Pictured at 9 months

“If you mistreat a horse, if you hit it on the head repeatedly, it may take revenge on you.  It will cause you to get sick.  Then you must go to a shaman who specializes in the ceremony of the horse.  The mule is bad if you mistreat it; it will cause you to be sick too.  The man who knows the horse cures both kinds of sickness.”

~ Chiricahua Apache warning and recommendation

Apache and her first foal, Elected as Chief Chakotay,

born Election Day, November 7, 2000, by RMH stallion Wyatt Earp

Apache, Katsina and Scott on Katsina’s first day of being born

March 2002

Apache and Chardonnay, her respected friend

Andrea and Apache, 2003

It was through Apache that Andrea discovered there are better ways to train a horse than to “cowboy” them, and this started her down the path of rediscovering the true art and joy of riding.  Andrea and Apache learned together with a certified John Lyons trainer.  Their journey focused on building trust and respect between horse and rider through resistance free type training that focuses on positive reinforcement and communicating to the horse in there own language.  

When Andrea decided she wanted to start showing and they gelded Red Hawk, Apache no longer had a place in her life.  So she was sold to a friend of Scott’s.  That friend since sold her to another person, and Andrea lost track of her.

One day while cruising the Internet, Andrea found an ad for Apache.  She was up for sale!  After many years of trial and error with other horses, Andrea realized that she had continued to think about Apache and miss her.  After keeping in touch with the owners for several months, she was finally blessed with receiving Apache back into her life.  Apache will never be sold again and will live her days out with us.

Apache is 3/4 Tennessee Walking Horse and 1/4 Quarter Horse.  She is registered as a Spotted Saddle Horse with SSHBEA.  She has been bred twice to solid colored stallions, and both foals were spotted and big!  Apache Whitecloud Katsina, her second foal, is owned by friends of ours who use her as both a trail and a show horse.  She has even won some reserve championships!

Apache is a wonderful trail horse, a real powerhouse.  She exhibits both a true flat walk and a comfortable stepping pace, and with her Quarter Horse butt she has the capability to sit down and turn on a dime.  Apache’s strength and stamina make her an ideal horse to take care of Andrea on the trails.  She and Andrea have an amazing bond that Andrea has never had with another horse.  As much as she loved all of the horses she had after she sold Apache, her mind has never strayed from her dream horse, and it is a true blessing to have this wonderful animal and soulmate back in her life.

When Andrea was a little girl, she read a book called Summer Pony by Jean Slaughter Doty.  This book was about a young girl named Ginny whose parents decide to rent a pony for her for the summer.  Instead of being the shining show pony of Ginny’s dreams, the pony they rent is a shabby, spotted underweight mare with one blue eye.  But under Ginny’s care, her pony, Mokey, begins to blossom, and Ginny learns that this little mare has more to offer than meets the eye.

Ever since reading that book, Andrea has dreamed of owning her own spotted horse, black and white with blue eyes.  In 1998, she met her dream horse. Then a little under two years old, Apache was the horse that she was assured the breeder would never sell.  But when the breeder fell on hard times, he offered Apache to Andrea.  Andrea did so much with Apache—riding challenging trails, camping, and breeding her twice, once to Scott’s horse, Red Hawk, when he was still a stallion.  Apache always gets tons of compliments every time she’s ridden, both on her color and her gorgeous blue eyes.

Apache’s Ancestor

Midnight Mack K.

(Photos used with permission from Bansidhe Graphics  CLICK HERE FOR THE WEBSITE)

Apache’s Ancestor

Sun’s Delight D.

1963 WGC

Katsina

Chakotay

Apache

In 2003, we rescued Chakotay from an abusive owner.  He stayed at our house for a while until we found him a new and safe home.  Here’s a photo of Apache with her kids.  She hadn’t seen Chakotay in three years since he was weaned, and yet she immediately remembered him and accepted him into the herd.  Being Star Trek fans, me and the woman who helped rescue him decided to name him Chakotay after Commander Chakotay in Star Trek: Voyager.

Chakotay and Katsina in a large pen together, dirty and tired from a day of playing together!

Chakotay pictured as 3 years old, Katsina at about a year and a half.

“Katsina” is the real Hopi word for kachina.  She is now living in North Phoenix and is being shown and trail ridden on a regular basis.  We couldn’t have asked for a better home for this beautiful girl!

Apache and Apache Whitecloud Katsina, her second foal,

born March 16, 2002 and by Prides Coin Cash

A word about Apache’s name: Apache came to us with her name, and it really does seem to fit her.  The Apache Indians were widespread across the Southwest, northern Mexico, the Great Plains, and Texas.  They were know to be a powerful war tribe, but were also great strategists.  The tribe was also known to produce some great leaders in the Native American culture, including Cochise and Geronimo.  Apache is also a leader—she has been the alpha horse in our herd most of time.  Her only exception was to two mares who were older than her, whom she greatly respected.

 

We also know that Native Americans of all tribes relied on their horses as valuable assets to their way of life.  The horses weren’t just valued for riding, they were also valued for their spiritual influence over humans.  The Apache used horse healing ceremonies, where they believed shamans who know the horse well can cure human ailments.  An agent of the horse could also grant supernatural powers to any human to help him heal his horse in times of sickness.

Quote obtained from They Sang For Horses by LaVerne Harrell Clark