A to Z horses – Zooming with Ziggy

Six-year-old Ziggy is a chestnut gelding with Blue Feather Farm, sporting four white socks and a blaze with a lightning bold.

The 16-hand hunter-jumper is double registered with the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) as Lonestars Iron Class. In the hunter arena, Ziggy is known as Payaso.

Ariel Univer bought Ziggy from a breeder on the Illinois/Iowa border, just before his third birthday. The youngster had just 10 days of saddle training at the time.

“All of the horses I had owned before him were Thoroughbreds,” Univer recounted.

“As soon as I saw him, I could barely contain myself. He was so cute – and such a spitfire! We bonded right away, and I knew I had to have him. Let the training project begin!”

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That was four years ago.

Barefoot, Ziggy has schooled on courses with jumps up to three feet and has auto lead changes.

Recently, he was named reserve champion in the Green Division at a Northern Illinois Hunter-Jumper Association (NIHJA) show at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Chicago’s Western suburbs.

“Now I know that buying Zig was the best decision I ever made. He’s become everything I ever wanted in a young horse. Whether we are showing on the NIHJA circuit or just going for a trail ride, he’s always my partner in crime.”

Currently share-boarded by Illinois equestrian Krystina Cortesi, Ziggy is now offered for sale.

Related Items:

• 10 Tips for Preventing Horse Barn Fires
• Idioms Unpacked: "Eat Like a Horse"
• Horses and Ponies - What's the Difference?
• Green Lessons - a Poetic Reflection on Riding Correction

Last year’s A to Z post: Zap! It’s a Zorse!

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Image/s:

Ziggy photos provided by Ariel Zara Univer
Czar photo provided by Amy Savaglio

2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo

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