I've already posted a bit of my horse's "Cinderella" story on a different thread, but here is the whole story.
I was at the '05 State 4-H Horse Expo with my sister and my Pinto Arab she was showing (we paid quite a bit for him! $$$$) I was browsing the tack booths when a lady saw my sweatshirt from the Villa Louis Carriage Classic and asked if I drove. She said she had a mini that she would just like to give to somebody who would use him. We talked more about him and made plans to go see him the next week. Her children had bought him from the breeder who had shown him successfully in futurities. They had done some halter work with him, but once they started showing their QHs at the state level, Galaxy just stood there. He was six at the time. Again, the lady didn't want any $ for him, but we gave her a quarter ($0.25) so he wasn't
worthless. We brought him home, but before we left the driveway, my husband said that "Galaxy" was too long to use while driving and said his name should be "Alax".
Alax was quite a flaky mini, and would even panic when I would "flick" the body brush. At one point, my husband even said, "That horse will never drive." That was "nails on a chalkboard" for me, so I worked harder at it. I started showing Alax in 2007 at Villa Louis, and he was 3rd in points at that show. He won two VSE divisions last year, and one this year. He just keeps getting better.
I have had a couple of other "Cinderella" horses. One yearling I bought at a local farm auction for $230 because she needed a home. I showed Reva in the 2007 Columbus Carriage Classic, and she won Progressive Cones.
I bought a mini for $150 from a friend of ours that got him at a mini auction. They were never going to do anything with him. I started him driving, but he was VERY prone to colic and probably wasn't going to handle the stresses of a show. The above two horses I found a good home for, so I could concentrate on Alax.
And then there is 31" Dolly. My mom traded a big horse for Dolly. She was shown a lot in halter shows, but wasn't trained to drive. She actually was the easiest mini I ever trained to drive, and is one of those "kid horses" that you can't sell! Anyone can drive Dolly, and she is great with the kids because even if she spooks, she only goes so far before she decides it is too much work! Kyle drives Dolly by himself at home.
My latest is Skip. She is coming 5 and her owner has been in college for 2 years, so she has been cared for but ignored. So I have Skip on a free lease to see if she will make a driving horse, and specifically a wheeler for our tandem. She is a BOB granddaughter, and a bit long in the back, but she can move nicely.
Myrna