Toy Come To Life: Dixie’s Story

Christmas morning, 2006, I found the most amazing gift for a horse-crazy little girl. Waiting by the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree was a pony-sized toy. It was Butterscotch, the FurReal toy that was all the rage at the time. When you stroke her side, she would turn her head toward you. When you rubbed her face, she would nicker. When you sat on top, there would be clip-clop sounds and whinnies.

After a while, she would grow ‘tired', and you had to ‘feed’ her a carrot - complete with crunching and chewing effects. They don’t make toys that fun anymore! With her sounds and movement, I could live out the daydream that I had a pony of my own. I loved that toy so much and spent hours upon hours playing with her. But little did I know that about twenty years later, that little toy pony would come to life for me!

Meet Dixie

Golden fur coat, white fluffy mane and tail; small enough to be a pony, with the power of a full-size horse. Filled with energy and excitement. Absolutely too cute and adorable for words. Meet our newest herd member: Dixie! 

An eleven-year-old Halflinger mare, trained to both ride under saddle and to pull a cart, our little Dixie is kinda the horse everyone dreams of having. She looks so much like that Butterscotch toy, and every day I just can’t believe she’s actually mine!

How It Began

I’d been looking into adding another horse to the stable for some time now. But the timing and the money just never seemed to line up. And though I had casually kept an eye on the horse market, there was no particular horse that caught my attention. As summer was winding down, I concluded that I just wouldn’t be getting a new horse this year. 

Only a few weeks later, I learned that friends of ours were planning to sell one of their horses. One of my brothers (who thinks I have enough horses - like what’s that, right?) told me, “Now don’t get too excited, but remember Dixie? They’re looking to find her another home. And they asked if you would be interested.” 

My heart skipped a beat. My answer: a resounding YES! I had been dreaming of owning a Halfinger since the first day I rode one.

A Little About The Haflinger 

The Haflinger originated in the southern mountains of Austria and Italy. They are said to have been around since medieval times as the preferred means of travel to get through the steep, narrow mountainous paths of the area. There are pieces of art dating back to the early 1800s showing riders on small, noble chestnut horses with white, flaxen manes and tails. The first official documentation of the Haflinger breed was in 1874 with the foundational sire, Folie, from whom all registered Haflingers can trace their lineage back through seven bloodlines. The two World Wars took their toll on the breed, but the hardy horses carried through.

Thankfully, we still have the beautiful Haflinger - known for being versatile, dependable, beautiful, filled with intelligence, character, willingness, grace, stamina, and athleticism. They also have longer lifespans, often living into their forties! Standing between 13 - 15 hands tall and weighing between 800 - 1300 pounds, the Haflinger excels as saddle horses and as driving horses. They can go just as fast as horses twice their height, reaching speeds of 20 to 30 mph. 

The Haflinger is easy to recognize; every purebred will have its classic golden chestnut coat, with its white manes and tails. They can also have different facial markings, plus the white markings of socks or stockings on their legs. They seem to thrive in every type of equine sport imaginable, with each individual horse having their unique gift, be it western pleasure, jumping, dressage, and more. Some of my favorite things about them are their expressive and outgoing personalities and their incredible staying power. 

Getting To Know Dixie

The sound of the stock trailer pulling into our driveway had me scurrying outside in excitement: Dixie was here! Our friends had offered to let us have her here for a little while on a trial basis and see if she would be a good fit for us. I was thrilled. I couldn’t have asked for a better setup. And I tried to keep this ‘we’ll-give-it-a-try” state of mind, but seeing her glimmering coat and bright eyes as they led her off the trailer had me instantly beginning to fall in love. It took Dixie a little while to settle in; she was leaving the only home she’d ever known. But being the amazing horse that she is, she acclimated very well. I think it helped that she had been to our place before and that she already kind of knew our horses. Reina was thrilled to have her here, and the two of them often spent hours standing by the gate that separated them, just hanging out together. I think they're going to be the best of friends!

Dixie and I began to bond right away. She meets me at the gate every time. And if I'm walking nearby, she'll whinny, calling me over to the fence to come spend time with her. We did Join-Up (from the horse trainer Monty Roberts); she responded perfectly.

I walked into the pen with her one day; before I could even call her, Dixie was walking towards me. I climbed to sit on the mounting block, and she came next to me, resting her chin on the step beside me.

"I'm so glad you're here, Dixie." I smile as she gives me her full attention. "We're going to have lots of fun together, aren't we, girl?"

Dixie blinks her eyes and leans closer. For the next half hour, we stay there: I on the mounting block, Dixie staying close by. I talk to her. About all we'll do together. About what I need to get done that week. About the birds flying overhead. We both just relax in each other’s presence.

When I ride her, I feel her excitement flow into me. And as we do training, I find myself smiling and laughing when we're together.

We connect as horse and rider and as friends. She comes when she’s called by name and follows me around like a little puppy

And she absolutely loves to work - she wants to have a job to do, it makes her so happy. She will prance by the gate, going “Pick me! Pick me! I want to ride!” Getting to be a part of her excitement has been such a blessing.

It didn’t take me long to realize that Dixie’s favorite speed was just ‘faster’. She is always ready to speed up and get going. And while I love her enthusiasm, we have been working on learning to slow down under saddle, to stretch out, and to just breathe. And we have discovered that Dixie is a fast learner. Though she sometimes can’t contain her energy and speeds up, she is learning to slow down on her own and wait for my cue. I’m so proud of her! 

Our friends have also lent us Dixie’s cart! (Yeah, pretty amazing friends!) And as they told us, Dixie is a fantastic riding horse, but when pulling a cart, she is in all her glory! I’m now learning how to harness and drive a cart with her, and it is sooo much fun! 

Plans For The Future

With a little more training, Dixie (and Reina!) will soon be joining Dolly as a part of our lesson program! And I know my students are going to love riding Dixe and Reina as much as I do! And I am so excited for this coming year of riding lessons with our trio of my favorite saddle horses! Perhaps we will even be adding cart rides in the future, too! 

One thing is for sure, I am looking forward to many years and many adventures with our beautiful, energetic Dixie!!