We appreciate Hallie's sweetness, excellent "motor", and energetic nature ... and most people comment immediately on her cute face. You can't ride a face, but we do have to admit it's cute. Hallie has superior athletic abilities, and loves to demonstrate that. Hallie is also extremely sensitive, and very bright. You know that person who excitedly finishes all your sentences for you, sometimes incorrectly? That's Hallie!

We bought Hallie in hopes that she would become a good fit here as a trail horse and sometimes-broodmare.  We had always admired her late sire Tico —who has only four other living daughters — and Hallie herself certainly exudes Tico's excellent type and talent!  But right after Hallie came to live with us, life took some rather unexpected twists and turns.

Faced with more horse training responsibilities than we were comfortable with (largely due to acquiring Hallie rather unexpectedly), we accepted an offer for Hallie to go out in February 2021 on a broodmare lease.  She did not return to Lost Creek until March 2023, was pregnant with Nyota until late August 2023, and then nursing Nyota right up until our senior mare Winny went on maternity leave in early 2024.   As a result, we have not really had a fair opportunity to personally evaluate Hallie's under-saddle skills and attributes. 

We can say that Hallie definitely approves of our acquisition of Horse Speak® skills, that Hallie is a natural at the sentry/protector role (exactly what our herd has been missing) and that Hallie is also an excellent mother who is very invested in ensuring the safety and proper education of her foals.  We were honored that she trusted us so much with Nyota despite the short time she'd been directly in our care.  Now that Nyota has been weaned, we are focusing on getting to know Hallie much more intimately so that future breeding decisions — if any — will be as solid as possible.

Hallie is a completely unique genetic combination of two imported parents; she has no full siblings.  Fortunately, Hallie does have some half-siblings from both sides of her pedigree in use within Fjord breeding programs around the country.  Several related stallions are now actively contributing to the gene pool:  Hallie's son in Idaho (WHR Freyr by OFI Thorsten), a maternal half-brother in North Carolina (Wyldwood's Floki), and a paternal half-brother in western Washington state (OFI Federico, who is also available for AI via fresh-cooled semen).  Even one of these stallions can sire far more progeny and have a considerably larger impact on the gene pool than Hallie herself; between all three, her genetics are potentially well-represented.

Neither Hallie nor her immediate ancestors have been used in competition.  However, Hallie's 2015 paternal half-brother Sweetwater's Marmaduke earned the 2023 USEF National Champion Horse of the Year in Combined Driving Preliminary Single Pony.

Hallie adores attention from humans and particularly finds Jim to be downright magnetic.  She loves being part of our sane and functional horse herd, and being appreciated therein for exactly who she is. 

*****************************
Hallie's foals to date:

• OFI SHF Selja (2016 mare by OFI Siljar)
• WHR Freyr (2019 stallion by OFI Thorsten)
• DD Haldora (2022 filly by OFI Siljar)
• Lost Creek Nyota (2023 filly by OFI Siljar)

*****************************

"Haldana" means half Danish ... and Hallie's ancestry is indeed one-half Danish Fjord breeding.  She's been called "Hallie" (pronounced HAL-ee and rhymes with "Sally") since birth, with a couple of intervals of answering to her given name Haldana.  Hallie responds readily to her nickname, so we are continuing to use it even though we'd rather it wasn't short for such an impersonal and unoriginal given name ... not to mention so ill-fitting for her.  Hallie is definitely not "half" anything — she's an all-in kind of gal!