Ice and I riding from sandbar to sandbar along Big Juniper Creek in Milton, FL. I call this spot along the river "the bluffs". To get down to the river here, Ice has to pick his way down a narrow and sharp decent with a shear drop-off on one side.

Meet Ibn Ionah (or "Ice" as I call him) - my beautiful, fast as the wind horse. Ice is a purebred Arabian registered with the Arabian Horse Association. His sire's bloodlines are Polish, which contribute to his big bone, huge hooves, understated dished face, and even though he is  only 14.2 hands high and 870 pounds, he seems much bigger. His dam's bloodlines are CMK (Crabbet of Lady Wentworth  of England, Maynesboro of W.R. Brown in New Hampshiro, and the W.K. Kellogg program at Pompona in Southern California). Check out his pedigree here.

I purchased Ice on February 20, 2005 in Texas. After I sold my Appaloosa, Cody, I decided my next horse was going to be an Arabian, older, and experienced in endurance. I found Ice (then nicknamed "Silver") on and endurance horse trainers'  website. After several months of emailing them  back and forth, Dan and I drove the 15 hours to Texas, with horse trailer in tow - just in case. After a two-hour test ride on the local trails, my decision was made, and we were heading back to Pensacola with my new horse in the trailer. On the long drive home, we spent most of time trying to thing of a new barn name for my new horse, as the name "Silver" really didn't appeal to me. I new I wanted something short and catchy, and maybe starting with the letter "I" because of his registered name. We mulled aroun Noah, Onah, Ionah, and Pepper, but those didn't seem to fit. Then "Ice" popped into my mind and it stuck. Ice started with an "I", was short, made sense with his coloring, and also his personality. Compared to my last horse, Ibn Ionah was definetly NOT an "in your pocket" horse. 

When I got him to his new home, things started a little rough. During the  first couple months, it took me forever to  catch him in the pasture each time. And at our first NATRC Competitive Trail Ride, just a few months after I got him, we "departed" ways and he was MIA for 30 hours before being found. Slowly I gained his trust and now he walks up to me in the pasture. We are becoming true partners on the trail. Ice has learned to trust me when we come up on scary situations on the trail (such as blazing new trails in unfamiliar territory, proactively dealing with aggressive dogs, traveling across  noisy metal-grating bridges,  and crossing rivers). Aand I have learned to know when Ice knows bests. Ice  still spooks, especially at purple bushes, big ant hills, and when he is bored. Yes, he still has plenty of energy and shows no signs of slowing down, even though he will turn 15 years old on April 16, 2007. He LOVES to go!

So far I have ridden Ice in 5 States: Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and North Carolina. 

Ice's Endurance Ride History:

2007 Season (100 LD Miles To Date)

05/12/07: Blazing Saddles (Laurel, MS: DeSoto National Forest, Longleaf Trailhead): 25 Miles: 5:01:00; TOP TEN: 10th Place out of 18 starters

02/03/07: Cow Pen Trail (Lake City, FL: Osceola National Forest, West Tower Trailhead): 25 Miles: 03:33:00; TOP TEN: 10th Place out of 38 starters.

01/05/2007: Gator Run II (Dunnellon, FL: Goethe State Forest, Tidewater Trailhead): 25 Miles; 04:05:00; 29th Place out of 37 starters

12/02/2006: Blackwater Boogie (Milton, FL: Blackwater River State Forest, Coldwater Recreation Area): 25 Miles; 04:01:00; 16th Place out of 43 starters

2006 Season (130 LD Miles)

11/11/2006: River Run (Hahira, GA): 25 Miles; 03:28:00; 27th Place out of 73 starters

10/07/2006: Alabama Yellowhammer (Heflin, AL: Talladega National Forest): 25 Miles; 03:51:01; 27th Place out of 46 starters

10/06/2006: Alabama  Yellowhammer (Heflin, AL: Talladega National Forest): 25 Miles; 05:06:00; 33rd Place out of 42 starters

03/25/2006: Lost Posse (Apalachicola, FL: Vizant Trails): 30 Miles; 5:55:01; 30th Place out of 36 starters

02/11/2006: Camp Osborn Boy Scout Pow Wow: Sylvester, GA): 25 Miles; 04:18:00; 25th Place out of 28 starters

2005 Season (50 LD Miles)

11/05/2005: Osceola Endurance (Lake City, FL: Osceola National Forest: West Tower Trails): 25 Miles; 04:52:00; 26th Place out of 30 starters

02/05/2005: Frigid Digit (Decatur, TX): 25 Miles; 4:07:00; 41st Place (Rider: Wayne Becker) out of 68 starters

2003 Season (50 Endurance Miles; 25 LD Miles)

10/11/2003: Fort Worth Skyline Endurance Ride (Fort Worth, TX: Fort Worth Stockyards):25 Miles; 03:37:00; 12th Place out of 62 starters (Rider: Melissa Becker)