The prettiest horse on my parent’s ranch in Idaho is a 2 year old buckskin AQHA filly named Docs Honeycomb. She is the 2008 baby out of a bay mare, Steel Hickory, by their buckskin stallion Docs Cold Cash. I remember the first time I saw Honeycomb, she was just a few days old. Born in the warm confines of a stall in their barn, she had just been brought outside to spend a day in the sun of the paddock. Honeycomb was racing around full blast while her mother grazed, and at one point she misjudged her destination and slammed right into the pole fence, bouncing off of it to sit up with a comically confused expression on her little face. I was worried she had hurt herself, because she had been running as fast as she could go when she hit the fence. But she got back on her feet and gave a little kick in the air, as if to show us all that she had meant to wipe out all along, it was just part of her performance.
Living over a thousand miles from my folks’ ranch, I didn’t see Honeycomb for another year. But they sent me a couple of photos of her at three months of age, and I was blown away by her muscle and stunning color. I thought that if this filly turned out with a disposition to match her looks, she would be one of Dad’s best horses.
We went out to visit again the following spring, and Honeycomb had really grown. Living out with the mare bunch, she was getting the best nutrition on the irrigated fields. When we walked out to look at them, she was the first horse to come loping up to say “hello”. She had a natural curiosity with no hint of bashfulness, and we enjoyed petting and admiring her. My sister had done some halter breaking on her, and so she was gentle and comfortable around us as we looked at the mare bunch, petted the babies, and took a bunch of photos.
This fall, Honeycomb is a full-grown beautiful mare, and has just started training under saddle. I just drool when Dad and Mom mail me photos of her, she is looking better than ever, and seems to be happy to learn the basics of being a riding horse. My sister is doing all the training herself, and she is currently training a mule to ride as well, so she has her hands full. These photos came in yesterday’s mail and I just had to share them. I’m thinking when we go out to visit again in the spring, we need to pull our trailer out and bring that filly back home with us. She’s definitely our favorite of the Idaho horses.
Honeycomb is for sale and will continue being ridden on their ranch until sold. Email me if you are interested in learning more about this beautiful mare.
