365 Days of Horses | Flutterby Maplewood | Welsh/Arab Cross | Elizabethtown, Ky
Flutterby Maplewood, (aka “Flair) is a 7-year-old Welsh/Arab cross who lives at Wild Rose Equestrian Center in Elizabethtown, Ky., where she is loved by her human, Maddy.
Maddy and Flair met when Maddy began searching online for her own horse. She had her parents had met several horses, but were struggling to find the right fit when they came across an ad for Flair, who was kept five minutes from Maddy’s grandparents’ house in Missouri.
“There was just something that I liked about her, she really listened to me even though she hadn’t really been ridden for a year,” Maddy remembered. “My favorite memory is when she walked off the big semi trailer and the man handed her to me, the feeling was as if we were meant to be together. We almost have the same personalities. We both want the best for each other and we are both stubborn at times. I was in tears walking up to her and grabbing the lead rope from the man and walking her up to the barn. I just knew that she was special.”
Maddy, who is twelve, has been riding most of her life. She started taking lessons when her father was on deployment in Iraq and met a man who owned a horse farm … which turned out to be right down the road from Maddy’s house.
Maddy says she’s really enjoying the horse ownership experience, and has figured out Flair’s favorite spot to be scratched (her nose), favorite treat (apples), and favorite place to play (the creek). The two are jumping and trail riding with hopes to one day event.
“She may not have won a ton of ribbons or come from a nice barn or bloodlines, but she has made me the happiest person ever and she has made my dreams come true. We have done some shows and got first in the trail class,” Maddy said.
When Maddy and Flair first got together, Flair wasn’t in condition. Maddy has worked to build her muscles and also put her on Smartpaks for extra protein.
“She is a different horse,” Maddy said. “She has muscle and can be worked and not even break a sweat!”
