by Cassidy Nunn | photo by Nunn Other Photography –
“Oh no, what have I gotten myself into?” Kirsten Danger thought as she stared at the newest addition to her family. He stood as tall as a large dog, had a forelock so thick it hid his eyes, and his brown-and-white coat was scruffy and unkempt. It took four people to coax the miniature horse off the trailer. Before she drove off, the transport driver told Kirsten her new little horse was a real “spitfire.” The name stuck and Spitfire Steve, the ragamuffin mini, soon found himself settling into his new home in Victoria after being destined for an auction in Alberta.
Kirsten and her husband Dick had been looking to add a miniature horse to their family after their two daughters, Bella and Imogen, took up horseback riding and were spending increasing amounts of time at the barn. They felt it would be a great idea for the girls to “experience the horse world from the ground up, in a pint-sized package,” she says, and the mini was to be the girls’ pet project. Through a friend they were sent photos of Spitfire Steve from a rescue organization and the family decided to bid on the scraggly horse. Imogen and Bella pooled their savings and bought him together.
“He was totally feral,” Kirsten recalls of that fateful day in December 2019, and while it may have taken some convincing for him to leave the horse trailer, “he was never mean,” says Kirsten. “He just was terrified of us.” His lack of handling and training was a blessing in a way, as it allowed them to start from scratch with his schooling. Spitfire Steve arrived as a stallion – he was later gelded – and they guessed he was around two years old judging by his teeth (you can tell the approximate age of a horse by their teeth, hence the old saying “never look a gift horse in the mouth!”)
When Steve first moved into the barn, Bella and Imogen would often bundle up with blankets and read in his paddock to get him used to people. Once he became accustomed to the girls, his training came quickly. Groundwork lessons with a professional helped them along and soon he learned to wear a halter, be led around the barn and to stand in the cross ties for grooming sessions. At this point he was able to have a visit from the vet and have his feet trimmed by the farrier. The daily grooming sessions soon had his coat shining and his scruffy appearance was tamed.
Spitfire Steve began to accompany the “big” horses on trail rides (he’d be walked in-hand) and the girls taught him to jump small obstacles in the arena. He loves spending time with his girls and “will follow them anywhere they go,” says Kirsten. One day while the girls were riding their “big” horses, Steve figured out that if he put his front hooves up on the mounting block in the arena, Kirsten could scratch his tummy. This led to an idea – if he could figure out how to use a step, he could load into the Dangers’ minivan, giving the term “mini” van a whole new meaning! Dick fashioned a step and with all the seats in the van down, Spitfire Steve rides in style around town. Since then, the miniature horse has gone on several minivan adventures: he’s visited Island View Beach, Centennial Park, the horse supply store Greenhawk, the Brentwood Bay Barber Shop, and the Sidney Firehall for a fundraiser.
Steve is now around three years old and next on the agenda for his training is learning to pull a cart. So far he’s taken to wearing the harness and ground driving with the same calm, easy-going manner he’s now come to be known for.
“He just needed some time and some love,” says Kirsten. He gets ample amount of from both the Danger family, as well as everyone at the barn and in the wider community who all enjoy Spitfire Steve and his escapades.
