Cass: Retired
Cass is from northern Minnesota, in fact I found him in Cass Lake. He was 4 at the time and pretty hungry and lonely. He showed us what a gentle soul he is. Fortunately he was for sale.
Cass was green broke, very unconfident and spooky. I had a hard time stopping him and trail rides were never fun. That is how I knew I needed help beyond all I had done traditionally with horses. What I was doing, Cass didn’t need.
Natural horsemanship ensued; now I can take him in parades, put children on him bareback, we have discovered he is really good working with cattle and his liberty skills are a treat to watch.
He loves the trails now and is confident most of the time. When he isn’t I can see it and I help him to overcome his innate fears. He has paid me back with loyalty and a lot of try for all I ask of him. Cass is a lovely family horse and one that all of my students enjoy learning with.
Cass was green broke, very unconfident and spooky. I had a hard time stopping him and trail rides were never fun. That is how I knew I needed help beyond all I had done traditionally with horses. What I was doing, Cass didn’t need.
Natural horsemanship ensued; now I can take him in parades, put children on him bareback, we have discovered he is really good working with cattle and his liberty skills are a treat to watch.
He loves the trails now and is confident most of the time. When he isn’t I can see it and I help him to overcome his innate fears. He has paid me back with loyalty and a lot of try for all I ask of him. Cass is a lovely family horse and one that all of my students enjoy learning with.
J-J: Retired
J-J was an excellent find. I was made aware of a different horse that was "free to a good home." When I made inquiries about this horse, it was no longer free.
I did however, get offered J-J. All I knew about her was that she was a "kids" horse, that she was red, and 14.2.
My good intention of taking her in for my daughter has bestowed on us a wonderful little mare with so much give and try. We discovered what a wonderful trail horse she is and a great gaming horse as well. She still is a great little jumper. J-J has proven to be handy at dressage too.
J-J is a veteran and takes care of whoever she is working with.
I did however, get offered J-J. All I knew about her was that she was a "kids" horse, that she was red, and 14.2.
My good intention of taking her in for my daughter has bestowed on us a wonderful little mare with so much give and try. We discovered what a wonderful trail horse she is and a great gaming horse as well. She still is a great little jumper. J-J has proven to be handy at dressage too.
J-J is a veteran and takes care of whoever she is working with.
Leo: Retired
I found Leo in the newspaper under “gentle pony.” This was true and the little girl who had to say goodbye to him was in tears. We found all sorts of things out about him when he came home. For instance, food is very motivating to Leo. He didn’t see the point in moving unless it was to run you over to eat.
Natural horsemanship methods helped me learn how to teach this pony to respect peoples’ space and that he needs to have manners, especially at dinner time.
He is a wonderful trail pony, can be driven and is a good parade mount. We are continuing to work with him to make him think that work is his idea, not ours. Leo is very clever and makes whoever is handling him or riding him use all of their horsemanship skills to get along. Leo is a very handsome boy and children on him in an open field or trail are well looked after.
Natural horsemanship methods helped me learn how to teach this pony to respect peoples’ space and that he needs to have manners, especially at dinner time.
He is a wonderful trail pony, can be driven and is a good parade mount. We are continuing to work with him to make him think that work is his idea, not ours. Leo is very clever and makes whoever is handling him or riding him use all of their horsemanship skills to get along. Leo is a very handsome boy and children on him in an open field or trail are well looked after.
Charm: Sold
Charm was my daughter's horse that she used in pony club, exposing Charm to many experiences. She was evented, and fox hunted and many trail rides
Charm excelled at dressage and once her confidence grew, she did really well with jumping, especially cross country.
Now Charm is learning a lot about natural horsemanship, especially in the ground work. I use her for my more advanced students. She is ridden out on trail and does a great job.
Charm excelled at dressage and once her confidence grew, she did really well with jumping, especially cross country.
Now Charm is learning a lot about natural horsemanship, especially in the ground work. I use her for my more advanced students. She is ridden out on trail and does a great job.
Bopp
Bopp is a horse I offered to help bring back into work in preparation for selling. He came to me a very stable horse, but, once he left the surroundings he was familiar with for 13 1/2 years, he was proving a handful.
His herdbound issues were severe. He would break out into a full body sweat, rear, and strike, and was not be able to focus on humans. He was pretty scary. I heard from many people to "be careful, saddlebreds are dangerous and crazy."
While Bopp was proving to be scary, I still could see a good horse underneath that I wanted to learn how to help.
Time and gentleness, lots of thought put into how to best approach Bopp paid off. I ended up inheriting Bopp and he is now super engaged and connected to humans. He is not 100%, but, he is getting there. He has helped me grow again in my journey with horses to further understand them. This horse is doing amazing, road rides, ground ties, excellent at ground work, responsive, fun to ride!
His herdbound issues were severe. He would break out into a full body sweat, rear, and strike, and was not be able to focus on humans. He was pretty scary. I heard from many people to "be careful, saddlebreds are dangerous and crazy."
While Bopp was proving to be scary, I still could see a good horse underneath that I wanted to learn how to help.
Time and gentleness, lots of thought put into how to best approach Bopp paid off. I ended up inheriting Bopp and he is now super engaged and connected to humans. He is not 100%, but, he is getting there. He has helped me grow again in my journey with horses to further understand them. This horse is doing amazing, road rides, ground ties, excellent at ground work, responsive, fun to ride!
Cayenne
This is our newest horse, Cai. He is a gorgeous 8 year old Arabian/Paint cross. He is a real people horse, has a great play drive and is very sensitive.
Cai looks to his human to direct him in ground work and under saddle. All horses do of course, but, with Cai, you can see him asking, which is a lovely personality trait to possess.
Before Cai came to us he had some inconsistent riding which I feel made him unsure. He needs more miles and reassurances. This is what I have my students working on with him. I see Cai developing into the wonderful horse my beloved Cass was. Thank you Cai for all of your personality and try you bring to lessons!
Cai looks to his human to direct him in ground work and under saddle. All horses do of course, but, with Cai, you can see him asking, which is a lovely personality trait to possess.
Before Cai came to us he had some inconsistent riding which I feel made him unsure. He needs more miles and reassurances. This is what I have my students working on with him. I see Cai developing into the wonderful horse my beloved Cass was. Thank you Cai for all of your personality and try you bring to lessons!
Jazz
I received a call from an aquaintance when I was in the market for a new lesson horse. She let me know Jazz was available for donation to my program. Previously I had become aware of Jazz on FB so I was interested in her. I took up the offer to go check her out. I found a horse in need of a change and purpose. I looked her in the eye and said, let me go get my trailer, I will be right back for you.
After getting some weight on, vet check, vaccinations, hoof care, and mouth assessment, I went to work getting to know Jazz. She was a great little horse from the get go, but, was missing some understanding that there is comfort in yielding to the human and resting between maneuvers in the arena. Jazz learned to stand at the mounting block, to willingly be bridled, to walk, and trot and a nice steady pace and to come onto the bit and to respond softly to it. We are working to get cadence in the canter and smoothly transition into the canter.
She is a loving, sweet addition and fits right in with all that work with her.
After getting some weight on, vet check, vaccinations, hoof care, and mouth assessment, I went to work getting to know Jazz. She was a great little horse from the get go, but, was missing some understanding that there is comfort in yielding to the human and resting between maneuvers in the arena. Jazz learned to stand at the mounting block, to willingly be bridled, to walk, and trot and a nice steady pace and to come onto the bit and to respond softly to it. We are working to get cadence in the canter and smoothly transition into the canter.
She is a loving, sweet addition and fits right in with all that work with her.
