After introducing the horse that we have had the longest at Berry Sweet Acres, I have to move to introducing the oldest pony we currently own (after Paige). Fi is just one year younger than Paige as she is a 2012 model. I can't believe that Fi is 12 this year but even more so I can't believe that this year's baby will be her SIXTH foal for us. Fi has been our most reliable broodmare; always settling, always foaling with ease and always being the best mother. She has never been bred to the same stallion twice so there will be seven total Fi babies out in the world this year, none of them paternal siblings.
We are also lucky enough to know where her first baby (pre Berry Sweet Acres) ended up and I am Facebook friends with his owner. I love the updates I get of Fi's first colt and he is gorgeous. Yes, I said first colt because she has had ALL colts except one very special filly, Pepper. Pepper gets her own intro page so I won't share a whole lot about her story, except she is part of how we got Fi.
Speaking of which.... it was 2019 and I put a post out on Facebook looking for a broodmare. We were just thinking about getting the breeding side of our farm going with Cher coming home and didn't want Cher's baby to be all alone in 2020. This person responded to my post saying that she had a mare that was due to foal and would consider letting her go home with us. It would be a 2 for one deal and we could have the foal on the side too. She was a medium sized Silver Kid daughter and once I saw her I was smitten. When we call Fi our unicorn pony we aren't lying. She has this gorgeous mane and tail, beautiful big soft eyes and looks exactly like the unicorns I have always dreamed out. She also produces unicorn ponies with amazing disposition and movement. That year she foaled out the most adorable "black" filly (see Pepper's story for that tidbit) and when it was safe, she was ready to come home with us.
Funny sidenote to the "gotcha" story is that when my friend Tara and I drove down to pick up Fi and Pepper, we asked if Meg had any others she would part with. She said just a yearling. We walked in the barn and this yearling filly came charging up to the stall with her teeth bared. I was like "yeah, we're good." The funny part is that the next year I would buy that exact filly and her name.... Elsie. Ha!
We didn't know a lot about Silver Kid until Fi (and Pepper) but I'm not lying when I tell you I fell in love. I can see why he is the most winning stallion in POA and why everyone wants a Silver Kid baby. They are the kindest souls on the planet. Fi was not convinced that she trusted us at first, as Meg and I have talked, Fi can be suspicious. But there has never been a mean or nasty bone in her body and she would NEVER dream of stepping a foot in the wrong direction. She is the kindest mare and she has become a favorite. She also is more "whoa than go". I often joke that she reminds me of the rhino in the stampede scene in Jumanji. When the others get a hair up their butt and start tearing around, they will go flying by and here will come Fi, lagging behind at MAYBE a fast trot. They will often go tearing around bucking and jumping and she will just stand and watch them. I think I can honestly say that I have never seen Fi buck or rear. Ever.
Fi brought us a little controversy in 2023 because to some she is a detriment to the breed due to her color, gray. It brought about some heated conversations on Facebook but I think her, her siblings and her sire speak volumes for themselves in talent and disposition no matter what color they are. Fi has earned her spot as a proven producer in POA. She has also earned her spot as a broodmare producing Pepper who has already been a Congress champion and was top 5 in the McClaren last year. I don't care if Fi is pink with purple polka dots and only ever produces orange and fuscia babies. As long as it is safe for Fi to do so, she has a spot in our broodmare band.
I can't wait to see her baby with Nugget this year. Watch the page for updates around that last week in May. I'm feeling filly vibes this year. If you dream it, it can happen!
Not only did we get two amazing ponies when we got Fi and Pepper, but I also made a life long friend and one of my own personal heroes in her owner, Meg. Meg has been with us every step of our POA journey since bringing them home. She's my sounding board, my biggest enabler (but in all fairness I am hers as well, and my friend. We are very thankful that we said YES to bringing home Fi and Pepper.
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