Name: Snowstorm

Nicknames: Storm, Stormy, Snowman

Age: 30 years old (deceased, but can be drawn at any age/stage in his life)

Breed: Appaloosa

Gender: Stallion

Height: 15.2 hh

Colour

Pelt: Blue roan leopard spotted

Eyes: Deep brown

Markings: grey/roan leopard spots on body, black spots on head and lower legs

Mane/tail: white with black streaks

Relatives

Sire: Thunderstorm

Dam: Snowflake

Siblings: None

Relation to Spirit: He lived where the Cimarron herd would eventually come to be, and some of his grandfoals are friends or acquaintances with Spirit

Family & Friends

Mate:  Be a Dream

Foals: Falling Snow, Never

Grandfoals: P.Snow, Coriolanus, Therefore, Cottontail

Herd: The Palouse Herd

Rank: Former Lead Stallion

Friends: Open

Enemies: None yet

Personality:

Snowstorm is level headed and intelligent. His life as a wild horse has made him strong and resilient, whilst his time as a domestic horse has left him thoughtful and polite. He takes a stronger than usual interest in his offspring, and he is particularly proud of his fine sons

Likes:

Warm weather, good manners, his offspring, has a keen interest in the welfare of his herd, the Palouse River

Dislikes:

Bad manners, drought, deserts, cloudy days

History:

Snowstorm was born in Idaho, near the Palouse River. His mother, like most wild mares, had left her herd to foal. The two Appaloosas stayed by the river bank for a couple of days, whilst Snowstorm grew stronger and sturdier on his feet. Eventually his mother was satisfied that he was strong enough to accompany her back to the herd, and they set off. But they never made it. After about a day’s travelling, as dusk was beginning to fall, a group of cowboys that had been watching the mare and foal for a few hours made their move.

The mare bolted in terror as the band of cowboys burst out of the trees and pursued them. Little Snowstorm tried valiantly to keep up with his mother, but he was very young and very tired after travelling all day. He was roped quickly. Suddenly his dam noticed what was happening, and her natural instincts to protect her baby kicked in. Flying at the cowboys with their ropes around her son, the mare inadvertently galloped right into their trap. You see, the cowboys knew all too well that it would be difficult to pursue the mare, but that she would come to them if they threatened her baby.

With the leading cowboy keeping one rope tight around Snowstorm’s neck, the others pulled his struggling mother along, aware that she’d follow her baby. In this way the group eventually made it to the nearest town, where the wild mare and foal were sold to a horse dealer and loaded onto a train with a band of other horses. Snowstorm and his mother were afraid, but at least they had each other for comfort. 

After much travelling, the train pulled into a town where the horses were off loaded and driven to a ranch that bred mounts for the US Cavalry. It was here that he met a beautiful Appaloosa filly called Be a Dream. Although he would have loved to play with her more, her mother scared him so he usually kept away. But Snowstorm’s own dam urged him not to forget his wild roots, and, if he ever got the chance, to return to the wild. As a result, he obstinately refused to be broken in. Eventually, exasperated by their behaviour, the ranch set him and some other horses free. Amongst them was the beautiful Be a Dream.

By now Snowstorm was a young stallion. Together with Dream and the other Appaloosa mares that had been set free, he formed a herd of spotted horses. Snowstorm led his herd for many years, until, at the end of his long life, he passed it down to his son, Falling Snow.

Head and body image render (c) me

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