BPR Shimmer Doll

Meet BPR Shimmer Doll

“Shimmer” was born February 13th in 2008, by Regal Tie Dyed out of BPR My Molly Poppins. Her breeder was Brush Poppin Ranch. She has notable Appaloosa names in her breeding, from Wapiti, Shavano, Sundance, Painter III, Prince Plaudit, and First Secretary. She, to me, was a lifetime type of horse. I never knew she would capture my heart and soul as much as she did. While her end story leaves a wake of sorrow in my heart, there is happiness, and I hope to continue her legacy one day. Here is Shimmer’s story.

When I decided to buy my next horse, it was on a whim and a little bit of pure adrenaline to say “yes.” I knew I wanted it to be an Appaloosa; I also knew I wanted a papered mare, and whether they were green or not broke was not a worry for me. I wanted a challenge; I wanted to train a relatively young horse and see where I could go.

I had followed a page on Facebook called CharEd’s Appaloosas for a great deal of time, falling in love with their herd and seeing their foals up for sale every year. Another plus was that they were only two and a half hours away from me. Shimmer had been on sale for a while, but I must have missed those posts because when she popped up, and I saw her, the pull started, the adrenaline to go out and see her and bring her home. That year she had her last foal Chareds Smoke n Lace, by Char eds Lucky Cloud, and to this day, I regret not buying that filly alongside her, but having two horses was not the right time for me.

My husband and I drove out to meet Ed Seamann, the owner of CharEd’s Appaloosas, and the experience was beautiful. Walking up to his herd and having them all meet us at the gate and stay for their hellos was just a peaceful experience. Shimmer came right up, and she did something I did not expect. She walked right up to me with her foal by her side and rested her head on my shoulder. Why was this so significant to me? My last horse, Eve, was very opinionated about her head being touched, but in times of comfort, she rested her head on my shoulder, and we would stand there as I softly stroked her neck. To me, this was a sign; even if Shimmer had done this with anyone else, it didn't matter. I had fallen for this mare.

Shimmer had two "faults" regarding her physical uniqueness. She had quite a large mass of missing tissue and muscle on the upper right side of her leg. The injury caused her to paddle out with her right front leg and slightly bob her head in the trot and canter. I also later learned she had an esophageal diverticulum. None of those faults ever mattered to me as long as I knew I could keep her comfortable with whatever we tried.

Shimmer officially came home to me in August of 2017; she was nine years old at the time, and our training and bonding began. It was a little rocky at first. She was unsure of me for a time, but she and I grew in confidence together. If I remember correctly, Shimmer only had about thirty to sixty days under saddle and then sat as a broodmare for the rest of the time. Shimmer always pulled the color stick out during her years as a broodmare, and she threw gorgeous foals, plus she always paired with magnificent stallions.

I took my time with Shimmer, and while our training was simple, this mare was the sweetest, most forgiving, will try everything for you, and never had a mean side. Never, she was an extremely docile mare. When I first started riding her, I remember her idea was to back up and think this lump of potatoes would get off of her. Well, I saw her game, and I gave in to her backing up and continued to ask it of her. She quickly learned that moving forward was indeed the better option. That was probably the most grief I ever got from her, and I learned riding her was a trust I never knew.  

Shimmer would stick by me when other horses ran her pasture; she would come to me from a distance and follow me without question. She greeted me with constant, constant nickers of hello's, I love you's, and thank you's. I always loved when I lunged her free or on a line when we were done; she would face into me and give me the slightest nickers.

But, what I loved most about this mare, were her hugs. She would lean into you, and you could have your arms around her head and hold her, and she would lean into you and stay. It was peace, trust, and love.

Shimmer had solidified that I wanted to excel in the Appaloosa breed, especially in the Hunter/Jumper show ring.

After having my first child, a daughter, and quitting my job as a veterinary technician, I earned more free time to work with Shimmer and hopefully start excelling in our groundwork and liberty training. However, in 2020, everything would slowly take a turn for the worst for Shimmer’s health.

What started as a constant lead change in the left lead canter slowly became a major neurological issue over a year. To spare all the medical details, I ask you to note that I worked closely with my vet, their research, and my research as a veterinary technician. We tried everything to help Shimmer, and in the end, sadly, she just was not fixable.

The only moment I will ever regret is not taking her to a University after her first round of treatment for Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) had failed. After finishing her second round, her neurologic state was unsafe to travel for long hours. While her diagnoses changed along with treatments, nothing improved her condition. She had terrific, good days to horrific, bad days. Ultimately, I genuinely believe she had something else wrong with her other than what we knew and that only a CT/MRI scan could tell us.

I chose to let Shimmer go on June 16th, 2021. She passed away in comfort and around so many people that loved her. Shimmer, in every way, was my heart horse; she healed me in so many ways that I didn't know I needed. She changed my thought about how I perceived my life with horses.

I hope I am blessed with a foal of her line one day. It seems silly sometimes, but Shimmer meant so much to me; she had such great potential. I had hoped to breed her someday, but life will now take me on a different path.

Two Feather Stables has been a thought on my mind for a while now, and I finally have decided to put forth the acknowledgment of it and slowly make a dream come to reality. The two white feathers symbolize the two white streaks in Shimmer’s mane that I often called her feathers. I choose stables over Appaloosa because I also want this to be a place in my time to work with horses who need their second chances, Appaloosa or not. I find this the perfect way to honor Eve and Shimmer, but overall, I want to show the world how great the Appaloosa breed can be, besides their magnificent colorful coats.