Mercedes is 7 years old, about 15.3 hands high, golden chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail with a nice star and stripe on her face. She is very polite and quiet to handle – and seems to be fitting in the program very nicely. She is with us for a week long trial and will have a final decision made about her on Sunday. Thanks for letting us test her out Jessica!
Pepper is a black and white pony, I don’t know her age, but she is learning the ropes of jumping. Her young owner rides her and we have her 1/2 time for lessons to help her get over little training glitches with more experienced riders. Pepper is willing to learn, and has figured out that good behaviour reaps many rewards! We will get some pictures of her soon!
Andy is a thoroughbred mare that we got as an ex-race horse – she turns 7 in spring 2010. She is a delicate looking 16 hands high, “liver” chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail. She too has some fancy leg markings and a large blaze. She has learned how to jump easily, and reminds us that thoroughbreds were made for speed. She is mainly ridden by the more experienced riders as she occasionally remembers what her ancestors were bred for.
Doc 1 is turning 7 years old in May 2010 – he is no longer our “baby”. He has had a fabulous winter of work and is now comfortably doing his flat work and low jumps. He is still very particular with who rides him – a decision we leave up to him at this point – only a chosen few are allowed in his “friends” group. He has a kind demeanor to go with his good looks – standing at 16 hands high, very thick build, a nice red chestnut with a blaze and lots of white on his legs. He is a breeding stock Paint – meaning that he has Paint parents, but no white splashes on his body.
Doc 2 has turned into a great horse for beginners to figure out the ropes – he is kind, thoughtful and very handsome. His draft heritage show clearly through his high white stockings on the back legs and a nice white blaze on his face. His neat roaned bay colour make him easy to spot in the group. He can work up to the level of the more advanced riders, or help a beginner learn how to canter. He is turning 6 in the spring of 2010, stands 16.1 hands high and looks like a warm blood.
Reba is a very pretty quarter horse mare, liver chestnut standing at 15.3 hands high, with a star and a snip. She is somewhere around the 10 years old mark. She has a very comfy trot to work with for beginners, and for experienced riders she can do the more advanced jumping. She is a doll to work with in the barn, giving the smallest riders a chance to learn their horsemanship.
Norman is the “lesson horse extrordinaire” – he is 19 years old this year (I think, maybe 20?) – standing at 15 hands high he has the heart of a much bigger horse. He is pure business man, but loves the smaller kids. He can teach youngsters how to trot and canter, or he can help an experienced rider with some fine equitation details. This guy knows it all, and will clearly tell you when you are doing it wrong. He was rescued from the PMU industry as a foal, and thanks to his previous owner, knows all of the dressage and jumping skills needed to help our riders. Norman is a Belgian cross, chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail with a star and stripe.
Monkey is still one of our favourites in the program – he does phenomenal dressage and jumps like a grand prix horse. He stands at 15.2 hands high, but rides like 16.2 hands high. He is turning 8 years old in May 2010 – he is a chestnut and white pinto, with a quarter horse/appaloosa heritage. He feels that he should be at home with me when he is not working, but alas, the city will not allow horses to live in my back yard. He has to be happy with interfering with my attempts to catch other horses.
Parker is brand new to the gang as of October 17th. He is a thickly built draft/paint cross – standing at about 16.1 hands high.He has had very little handling and is beginning to understand what being a “city horse” means. So far his biggest hurdles have been walking past the resident miniature donkeys and pony, and he managed to step over an extension cord without incident. Once he settles in he will be asked to work for real! Keep checking back for pictures of this gentle giant!
Vinny is turning 6 in June 2010 – he is another breeding stock Paint. He is a red chestnut, with very handsome markings on 3 of his legs, and a flashy blaze on his face. He is 16 hands high. He has superb basic dressage skills, but requires his riders to be very clear about what they want. He likes to do the bare minimum, and is the most energy efficient model we have. Vinny is another puppy in a horse outfit – always comes to meet us in the field, and tries to “help” when we are catching other horses.