I was so excited about this that originally I wrote the title in all caps and really struggled to force myself to go change it so I don’t appear 100% insane. But we FINALLY have our first Foal Friday of 2021, which I’m ecstatic about, and boy are we ever starting the year out with a bang with Pippa.

I’m used to a lot of the newborn foal pics being cute in that awkward baby horse way where they’re discombobulated and wobbly and 95% legs, therefore mostly just fuzzy and adorable. And while Pippa does have her moments of being discombobulated or silly…

for the most part she’s actually quite balanced, really light on her feet, and has a general air about her where she clearly thinks she’s special. I feel like she’s judging me and finding me unworthy in a lot of her pics.

Pippa also trots A LOT already, which… normally we don’t have our first decent trot pic of these jumping bred foals for a good month or so while they figure out how to work their legs. Usually it’s cantering or nothing. But she’s out here trotting around like a machine, and managing to look fancy in the process.

I’m… pretty impressed with her, to be honest. I mean of course I like Peyton, and of course I like her sire Leprince des Bois, but I’m not sure I was expecting the full Pippa experience. Leprince is a 5* event horse, his sire Yarlands Summer Song was a 5* event horse, and of course Peyton is a full TB. Pippa’s got a lot of blood, 81% for crying out loud, and a pedigree that screams eventing from it’s very core. I’d have expected her to be a straight up galloper for the first few months for sure. Definitely didn’t expect her to be performing her best baby Valegro impressions just a few days old.

To be fair, she does plenty of galloping too, and it’s nice. Like I said, she’s quite light on her feet and quite balanced, even when she’s flat out. Like a little sports car. She already seems to have a lot of quality.

I think the most interesting thing is how different she is from Remi. This is only Peyton’s second foal, so we only have the sample size of two. They also have very different sires, Remi’s being Ramiro B. He has less blood and is a much more typical heavier warmblood type compared to Leprince. And indeed Pippa is quite pretty and more refined… maybe partly to do with the fact that she’s a filly.

The differences aren’t just physical though. Remi was a little more meek, a little more inclined to just be a good straight-laced kid and do exactly what his mother told him to do. He wasn’t ever the first one to show up to play or investigate new things, because Peyton (the helicopter mom) told him not to. She might have her hands full with Pippa though, who has yet to look twice at anything, already trots happily through puddles, was jumping the hay pile in her stall over and over at 14 hours old, and has started directing Peyton and telling her where they’re going rather than vice versa. I think Pippa is a born bossmare, brimming with confidence and a little bit of spicy sass. She’s still sweet to and very curious about humans though, like Remi.

Granted, she’s only 5 days old, so these are the only observations we’ve been able to make thus far. I think foals do tend to start to show their personalities pretty early though, and she’s been no exception. Maybe I’m wrong but I get the feeling this one will be a little more sophisticated and little less goofy.

Pippa has already been sold to an upper level event rider, the same one who has Remi and Ellie, so she’s staying “in the family” and going to what I think will be the perfect home for her. I suspect that this one will be pretty talented and she certainly looks like an event horse.

Pretty darn strong start to the 2021 foal crop, I’d say! Healthy, beautiful, and already matched up with the perfect owner… you can’t ask for much more than that. Lark (Chanel’s recipient) is at 330 days as of today, and Chanel herself isn’t far behind at 315. We shouldn’t have too much longer to wait for more babies!

Happiest first Foal Friday of 2021, and here’s to the next 6-7 months of weekly foal cuteness. Yesssssssss I’m so glad it’s back!