Name: Layla

Name Meaning: “Night/Born at Night”

Nicknames: La-la (by foals)

Age: 8 years old

Breed: Andalusian

Gender: Mare

Height: 15 hh

Other: She has a lilting Spanish accent

Colour

Pelt: Pale Grey

Eyes: Brown

Markings: Darker grey muzzle, areas around eyes, knees and fetlocks

Mane/tail: Dusty blonde

Relatives

Sire: Clapton

Dam: Laura

Siblings: Many full and half siblings

Relation to Spirit: She was shipped to America to serve as a Cavalry horse, but stolen by the Lakota before she got there. In the Lakota village she befriended the chestnut Lakota horse from the movie.

Family & Friends

Stallion: Golden Heart

Foals: None yet

Herd: Golden’s Herd

Rank: Mare

Friends: Miss Pandora, Nutmeg, the chestnut Lakota horse, Alice, Open

Enemies/rivals: Candyfloss, Vision

Personality:

Layla is a charismatic, proud mare with an optimistic outlook on life. Wherever she goes she turns heads, and many stallions consider her quite a prize, aiming to win her or steal her for their herds. Whilst Layla enjoys all the attention, and can be a bit of a flirt when it suits her, she is too attached to her good friend Pandora to ever willingly leave Golden’s herd.

Likes:

Hot weather, cold water, the chestnut Lakota horse, Miss Pandora, Golden’s herd

Dislikes:

Candyfloss, jealous mares, cold weather, stallions trying to steal her

History:

Layla was born in Spain, on an Andalusian breeding ranch. By the age of 3 she was fully broken in, a respectable, proud mount destined for the United States army, who bought her and shipped her over to Utah with many other horses. The journey was long, and the final stretch had to be completed on foot, as the railway didn’t reach as far as the fort where the horses were to be boarded. With her resilient Andalusian blood, Layla was more adaptable to the elements and tiring treks, and she earned the admiration and respect of the attending soldiers. But some of the other horses grew jealous of the extra attention and affection she was being shown, and one mare in particular took a spiteful loathing to her. This mare was a strawberry roan by the name of Candyfloss.

The journey to the fort was long, and the group stopped to pitch camp for the night for the third time since leaving the train. Little did they know they were being tracked and followed. In the early hours of the dawn a band of Lakota braves attacked the sleeping camp on horseback, sweeping and causing confusion before tying up the soldiers and driving away their horses. The tired animals were driven all the way back to their camp, but once again Layla showed her endurance and strength. The men decided then and there to keep the grey mare for themselves. Most of the rest of the other horses were sold, but to her dismay, Candyfloss was also kept.

Gradually Layla adjusted to life in the Lakota camp. Although she hated Candyfloss, she grew very close to a chestnut stallion with a cluster of Birdcatcher spots on his near shoulder. Candyfloss noticed this, and grew even more jealous of Layla, desiring the chestnut’s affection for herself. For weeks she waited, planning to get rid of the grey mare, who grew closer to the chestnut stallion every day. Finally, after a few months, Candy saw her chance. While Layla and Candy were ridden out on a deer hunt, Candy steered Layla into a herd of stampeding elk. Layla’s rider was thrown, and the grey mare was swept along with the deer, unable to escape. Candy’s rider tried to go after them, but the roan mare refused, tipping her rider unceremoniously onto the ground. Hurt and embarrassed, the Lakota men returned home with one horse, giving the grey mare up for lost. Back at the camp Candyfloss told the chestnut horse that Layla had been killed in the stampede. He was mortified, and retreated into himself, eventually drawing close to two other horses in the camp, a grey and a palomino.

As for Layla, she was unable to escape from the stampeding herd until they calmed down and slowed. By that point they were well away from the Lakota camp, and Layla, unfamiliar with looking after herself, was lost and alone. Eventually she found another lone mare; a grulla named Miss Pandora, and travelled with her. The two mares began to think about forming a herd, and with the arrival of a stallion named Golden Heart and another mare named Orabelle the herd began to grow. Layla has been with them ever since.

Theme Song: Layla ~ Eric Clapton

Head and body image render (c) me

Background © Spirit:SoTC