I just recently found out about nurse mare foals. This is a cruel yet well kept secret. I’ve been riding horses for 7 years and owned horses for over a year. But yet….all this time I did not know about the nurse mare foals. I feel like I need to do something to stop it. When I first read about it last month….I was shocked and horrified. Here is more info for people who do not know what a nurse mare foal is and some videos:

 

This is from Nurse Mare Foals:

 

 

Orphan nurse mare foals are a product of the nurse mare farm industry. Most people associate these babies with PMU (Pregnant Mare Urine) babies and that couldn’t be farther from the truth. PMU babies are generated as a result of breeding mares specifically for their urine, as menopause drugs for women are manufactured from hormones found within their urine when they are pregnant. Though they are both generating foals, usually PMU ranches allow the mares to nurse their young.

Nurse mare farms breed mares to random studs for the purpose of bringing the mares into lactation. The pregnancies they carry are unwanted, the milk is the name of the game.

Once foaled, these mares are then leased out to other farms to nurse foals other than their own (usually high dollar show or race horses). Their own foals are pulled away from them anywhere between 1 day and 1 week of age. Their foals are then discarded due to the level care they require and the costs associated to raise the orphan foals.

There are many reasons why people think nurse mares are necessary. A mare may die in birth, a mare can immediately return to work as a show or racehorse, she may be transported immediately without having to worry about transporting her foal, or she can be covered (bred) on the foal heat, etc.

This has been happening for 30+ years, but has remained “underground” so unfortunately, it could be happening right down the street and you probably wouldn’t know it.

Many myths have surrounded this industry, including the most popular; it’s a Thoroughbred thing; and its understandable why people have come to that conclusion. In order for a Thoroughbred to be eligible for registry, they must have been a live cover breeding. Though the racing industry is a major player, many different breeds are involved in the practice. So to answer the question: “What is a nurse mare foal?” These foals are unfortunate by-products of a industry in practice of leasing a mare out for her milk.

The biggest challenge these orphans face is the myth that they are worthless. These foals will grow and mature the same way any other horse would. They just need a chance! Typically these make much calmer, relaxed, and bombproof horses. The bond they share with people is usually unsurpassed. They have been there and seen it all by the time a regular foal is being weaned.

If you find you are caring for an orphan foal, whether it is a PMU, nurse mare baby, rejected by its dam, or otherwise, it is very important to remember that each individual foal is different. So just because it works for one foal does not mean it applies to all! Always use common sense when making choices & decisions on your foal’s care. Don’t be afraid to ask someone with more experience, and always gather all the info you can through all the available sources. Remember that a little hard work & effort really pays off as you see these guys grow into the healthy & beautiful horses they will become.

 

And here are some videos about nurse mare foals:

favorite video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6vXTJINDvo

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ5C2AC5EbQ

 

I noticed in October that my horse Priss had seemed lame and sore. She refused to pick up the right lead, which is something that was never a problem before. Parts of her hindquarters also seemed sore and she did not like to pick up her hind legs very high. I had our vet come out and give her a lameness exam and I was sure he would say something was wrong. However he said she was perfectly sound and that he had found no lameness.

I talked to the farrier about it and he disagreed with the vet. He said he noticed that she seemed to be in some sort of muscle pain. He recomeend a equine massage specialtist to me and said that she may be able to fix Priss’s pain. I was a little skeptical at first and wasn’t sure if it was worth the money or not.

The first time she came out and worked on Priss was unbelievable. Priss had quite a few knots in her shoulders which was affecting her hindquarters. A couple of vertabrae were out of alignment in her neck and they were popped back into place during the massage. I noticed a huge difference in my horse the neck couple of weeks after the massage. She seemed sound, happier and feeling better.

After 3-4 weeks she slowlystarted to show signs of going back to how she was before the massage. We knew she would need another massage to keep her at a good place. It was not a problem that could be corrected with one massage.

The second massage went a lot better then the first one. She responded quicker during the massage and was not as grouchy as the first one. Hopefully now she’ll stay where she is for at least a few months before needing another massage.

I was very surprised at the benefits of massage on my horse. I have noticed quite a few differences and my horse seems a lot sounder and happier. Sometimes the vet cannot always find pain that a horse is experiences. Exspecially since vets usually look at the hoof and anything below the hock instead of looking for pain in muscles and the upper leg. And sometimes you have to listen to what you feel in your gut. If you think your horse is unhappy and not sound then maybe you need to try something else after you get your vets opinion. I would recomeend horse massage!  

How many horses are slaughtered in the US each year?

According to the USDA, the three horse slaughter plants remaining in the US (two in Texas and one in Illinois) killed 65,976 horses in 2004 for human consumption and about twenty thousand horses were transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.  Together, these numbers represent about 1% of the total number of horses in the U.S., and the entire industry is only 0.001% the size of the U.S. meat industry.  It is entirely foreign owned, and pays no corporate taxes or export tariffs.  The horse slaughter industry is economically insignificant.

What types of horses are being slaughtered? Aren’t these old, sick horses?

According to 2001 field studies conducted by Temple Grandin, 70% of all horses at the slaughter plant were in good, fat, or obese condition; 72% were considered to be “sound” of limb; 84% were of average age; and 96% had no behavioral issues.  Slaughter plants do not want old, sick horses for obvious reasons.

Isn’t the transport of horses to slaughter regulated by the federal government?
Yes, and it is currently legal to transport horses in low clearance double-decker cattle trailers; legal to transport horses more than 24 hours without food, water or rest; and legal to transport horses without separating the stallions from the mares and foals.  Approximately 30% of horses are injured from fighting and transportation.

How are horses killed at the slaughter plant?

According to federal law, horses must be rendered unconscious prior to slaughter, usually by captive bolt.  However, some are improperly stunned, even with repeated blows, and are still conscious when shackled, hoisted by a rear leg, and cut across the throat.  The USDA specifies that 10% live vivisection is acceptable!  With their long necks and aversion to anything approaching their foreheads, many horses require multiple strikes.

If horses aren’t slaughtered, where will all the unwanted horses go?

The annual number of horses slaughtered in the US dropped from over 300,000 in the 1990s to less than 66,000 in 2004, with no special infrastructure needed to absorb the thousands of “unwanted” horses that were not slaughtered.  Horses are being kept longer, sold to others, humanely euthanized, or donated to retirement and rescue facilities.  The “surplus horse population” is a myth.

Won’t banning horse slaughter mean more cases of horse abuse and neglect?

No.  In fact, both the Hooved Animal Humane Society (HAHS) and the Illinois Department of Agriculture reported that following the burning of the only slaughter plant in the region, abuse cases quit rising and went down between 2002 and 2003. California banned horse slaughter in 1998, since that time horse theft has dropped 34% and cruelty reports have not increased (Dr. Carolyn Stull).  Texas, which had the only two slaughter plants in 2003, had among the nations highest rates of cruelty and theft.  The conclusion is clear, slaughter causes abuse and theft!

 How you can help

If you want to stop this abuse of our beloved horses, contact your Congressman and tell him how you feel about horse slaughter. Ask your Congressman to cosponsor the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503), a bill to ban the slaughter of horses and H.R. 297, a legislation to restore the ban on the commercial sale and slaughter of wild horses and burros.

I will see that he has every day,
plenty of clean water and good hay.
Shelter from the cold, wind and rain
and the ration he needs daily of grain

I’ll see to his need for play and exercise.
With Love I’ll create the bind that ties.
I’ll teach him and I promise to learn
His trust in me, I’ll take time to earn.

He’ll not be just a toy that I can afford,
that I forget, except to pay board.
I’ll see to his needs day in and day out,
not leaving him in his stall to sulk and pout.

I know that I own him but he too owns me,
I’m responsible to keep him happy and healthy.
He is not a burden, but a lifelong friend.
Not one I’ll abandon when his life nears its end.

It was my choice, not his, to have a horse
With that choice his life should be better, not worse.
I’ll not ship him off when he’s too old to ride,
finding excuses and reasons behind which to hide.

Like marriage it is meant to last, not end in divorce.
For divorce often means the death of the horse.
It is more like a child, the purchase a birth,
a being to care for, a life that has worth.

I acknowledge this commitment with honor and pride,
I’ll care for this horse, he’s not just something to ride.
If the day ever comes, my promise I can’t fullfill,
I’ll see that he is placed with someone who will.

I have been learning more and more about rescuing horses from auctions and adopting horses from rescue farms. Adopting Rachel has made me much more aware of the many horses that need homes this year. I think a lot of people are not aware of the hundreds of horses that are being sent to the slaughter house. I was definitly not aware of how many horses are in rescue farms and how long they have actually been there. I know a lot of people are not in the position to adopt a horse now. But maybe instead of buying your next hunter you can look into adopting a horse.

I have actually been thinking about rescuing horses a lot recently. In the future I want to rescue horses. Maybe not right now but later on in my life that is something I want to do. I am finding myself more intrested in rescueing horses then boarding horses at our farm. I mean (I guess this is just me thinking out loud) but we have a four stall barn and only own two horses. We do have the space and money to rescue a horse. Obviously not now though. If I did start rescuing horses I would start very small. I could probably volunteer at a farm and learn more about rescue farms and rescueing horses. I am very intrested in learning more about the process. And if I ever did rescue a horse from an auction I would only obviously start small rescue one. But mabye I would actually be able to open my own rescue farm.

It would be a labor of love…and I am not intrested in making any money. But I would rather rescue a horse from an auction put some tlc and money into that broken soul and then try to sell the horse in order to be able to rescue another horse. However if I sold the rescued horse it would probably be $500 or so. Obviously making no money. But I think knowing that I saved a horse’s life would be a much bigger pay then actual money. So I don’t know…maybe I’ll be able to do it..maybe not. But I need to try to stop this epidemic of horse slaughter somehow. I know I can’t stop it completly but I can do something to change one life.

I have quite a few goals for Priss to get to by the spring of 2012. This winter I am going to work on her showmanship at home since most of it I can just do in the aisle. I want her to be able to do her to be finished with turn on the hindquarters, trot in hand, set up, back and turn on the forehand. I can work on the setting up and backing in the aisle and then as long as its not icy outside I can work on the turns and trotting in the field.

As far as riding goes for the winter I’m going to try to ride 3 days a week outside in the snow and then trailer to a boarding farm to use their arena 2 days a week. I haven’t been riding the past month but I started riding her again last week. We don’t do a lot when we ride because the field has been so muddy. I’m working on getting her to respond quicker when I ask for the back up and I am teaching her to neck rein for contesting and team penning in the spring.

I stopped using clicker training for her showmanship because the treats were distracting her from what I was asking her to do. So I am only using clicker training for desensitizing and tricks. I have a pretty long list of tricks I want to teach her over the winter. I may only end  up doing a few of them but the tricks are not my main priority. However I am going to use clicker training for teaching her how to ground tie this winter.

I have officially decided what I am finishing her in. I originally bought her to finish her as a HUS and 2’3-3′ circuit horse. I was going to try to put in the time and money over the years to be able to do circuit shows with her. But I have changed my mind!I can tell that she doesn’t like going around in circles….and I am sick of it to(after 7 yrs.). So we are going to learn together and do something new! Something that I know she will succeed at. She loves games and patterns and using her brain….she is very smart and curious. I learned that the first day I met her. So I am going to finish her in contesting! I also want to do team penning with her this spring. She loves keyhole and the flag race and since she loves to run I think we will do really well in competing in contesting next year!

I know a lot of people don’t know what clicker training is or think that its just for dogs and dolpins so I though I would do a little blog about clicker training. I also know a lot of old school horse trainers that would tell me that this doesn’t work or is a waste of time…..but who cares(cause there wrong lol).

Okay so with that said(oh and by the way none of this is someone elses work….its all my knowledge of this subject)……clicker training was originally used for training whales/dolpins to do tricks in the water. But then people said, “Why don’t we use this to correct problems with dogs and to teach dogs tricks???” So they started using it on dogs and that became a really widespread success. So eventually people started using it with horses…..however there are very few people that use this with horses and I have yet to meet one in real life!!!!! But I think the reason there are so few people that don’t use it is because not that many people know about it.

Before I bought her I saw people yelling at her, smacking her, cranking on her with the lead rope and halter etc. It was basically a lot of old school training and they were basically doing what most everyone does to train young horses. “Do it right now…..I not asking I’m TELLING you to. Okay your not going to do it? Fine….WHACK!!!! CRACK!! And when you EVENTUALLY do what I’m asking you to do…..after fighting with your for x amount of time….I’m going to reward you by saying good girl.” And I know that that sounds like abuse(the way I worded it) but that is truly what the majority of people do to train there horses. I did the same thing…..for many years. And a lot well usually that method will work with a lot of horses. But the only results I saw from people and even myself doing that with my horse was that she became more and more stubborn. The more you fought her and yelled at her the more she fought back and the more dramatic the situation became. And even though occasionaly we were able to get her to do what we were asking her to do she did it because she was being forced to and she ended up doing it unwillingly and her additude became very negative.

So what I thought was I’ve got to find a way to train my green horse with out smacking her and yelling it at. Because the more upset the people who were training her became the more upset she became. And I didn’t like seeing her upset or being forced to do something. So thats when I started reading about clicker training…..I think I just came acrossed it one day on the Internet. Clicker training is basically when you use a clicker to mark the behavior that you want and then you reward for that. But when the horse does something that you do not want or you did not ask for you just ignore it. So instead of smacking them or disiplining them for the wrong thing you just ignore it. And most people would say, “well that doesn’t sound right….how would that work??? You have to correct the bad behaviors otherwise they’ll keep doing it.” And thats what I thought at first to. But by ignoring the bad behaviors and only rewarding the good behaviors the horse learns that she only gets what she wants( a treat) when she does the right thing. So basically the horse’s train of thought is, “Oh I get it!!!!! When I do what she is asking me to I get a cookie but when I do what she doesn’t want me to I get nothing. I think I’ll just stop doing what she doesn’t want me to do.”

So I’ll give you an example……you want your horse to stop pawing the ground when she is standing in the cross ties. So instead of smacking your horse’s leg and saying, “QUIT IT!!!!!” which is basically giving the horse attention(even though it is negative attention) which is what they are pawing for(they want attention….doesn’t matter what kind they just want you to give them attention, or treats, or a pet etc.). So with clicker training you would wait until the horse stops and when she stops you would click and then give her a treat. So she associates standing in the cross ties…still and quiet with the treat. But when she stops pawing you just stand there and say/do nothing. And after awhile the pawing will be less and less and the standing still will be more and more. But you do have to teach them what the click means before you start correcting behaviors with the clicker.

So to teach them what the clicker means you would teach them targeting. Which may takes 3-4 sessions before they get it. It took Priss a little while before she caught on to it. Basically you get some kind of a bright, interesting object. I took a bright red sock and tied it to the end of my crop. Then you click and treat them when they go to touch the target with their nose. Which will basically teach them that they get a treat when they heard the click. I’ll put some links to a couple websites with more info on this.

You can use clicker training for a lot of correction….you can use it to get a foal used to a halter, tack, being ridden, being touched, being crossed tied, being led etc. You can use it to despook a horse to water, tarps, plastic bags, gunshots, loud noises, cars, roads etc. etc. Yuo can use it for tricks like nodding their head, rolling over, laying down, picking up toys, following you, “smiling”, rearing, bowing, saying yes, saying no etc. You can use it to correct behavior problems like head shaking, pawing, spooking, refusing different things like clippers, dewormers, picking up feet, backing up, being lazy, being to fresh(learning to be calm), you can use it on retraining off the track horses. You can use it for riding like to teach them to trot slower, stop faster, relax their head and neck, lower there head and neck, I’ve even see people teach horses to collect and have a correct headset while riding. You can use it for longing, long lines, flexion, bending, pressure on neck to lower, accept a bit for a horse that is hard to bridle. Their are so many things you can use clicker training for it!!!!

When I bought Priss she wouldn’t stand in the cross ties, pick up her feet, let me clip her whiskers, bend, longe, flex etc. So far I taught her with clicker training to pick up all her feet, bend and flex her head and neck, clip her whiskers (long story), stand in the cross ties, back up when I wiggle my finger, follow me, longe, shake her head on cue, target, walk over tarps, pick up and hold brushes with her mouth desenitized her/despooked her and I think theirs a bunch of other stuff too!!!!! And currently I’m teaching her to ground tie, lower her head while riding in just a d ring snaffle(which she is doing really good at), put her halter on herself and nod her head yes. Trimming her whiskers is a long story because

　I know a lot of people don’t know what clicker training is or think that its just for dogs and dolpins so I though I would do a little blog about clicker training. I also know a lot of old school horse trainers that would tell me that this doesn’t work or is a waste of time…..but who cares(cause there wrong lol).

Okay so with that said(oh and by the way none of this is someone elses work….its all my knowledge of this subject)……clicker training was originally used for training whales/dolpins to do tricks in the water. But then people said, “Why don’t we use this to correct problems with dogs and to teach dogs tricks???” So they started using it on dogs and that became a widespread sucess. So eventually people started using it with horses…..however there are very few people that use this with horses and I have yet to meet one in real life!!!!! But I think the reason there are so few people that don’t use it is because not that many people know about it. I started clicker training because I wanted to find a better way to teach my horse manners, groundwork, longing and riding.

Before I bought her I saw people yelling at her, smacking her, cranking on her with the lead rope and halter etc. It was basically a lot of old school training and they were basically doing what most everyone does to train young horses. “Do it right now…..I not asking I’m TELLING you to. Okay your not going to do it? Fine….WHACK!!!! CRACK!! And when you EVENTUALLY do what I’m asking you to do…..after fighting with your for x amount of time….I’m going to reward you by saying good girl.” And I know that that sounds like abuse(the way I worded it) but that is truly what the majority of people do to train there horses. I did the same thing…..for many years. And a lot well usually that method will work with a lot of horses. But the only results I saw from people and even myself doing that with my horse was that she became more and more stubborn. The more you fought her and yelled at her the more she fought back and the more dramatic the situation became. And even though occasionaly we were able to get her to do what we were asking her to do she did it because she was being forced to and she ended up doing it unwillingly and her additude became very negative. And I have seen people with TONS of different groundwork problems with the horses…..I have seen them fight and fight there horse and some people never actually stop the bad behavior. I saw someone once that could NOT get there horse to walk into the stall slowly…..the horse would always run into the stall ahead of its owner. And these people would put a bit in the horses mouth lead it into the stall and yank on its mouth, crank on it and the horses mounth would be wide open because the bit was being pulled so forcefully. Then they would start smacking the horse with a crop to get it to stay back and not move forward. It was the most painful thing to watch. And personally I thought this was wrong. In my opinion clicker training would have corrected the problem in a matter of days not months.

So what I thought was I’ve got to find a way to train my green horse with out smacking her and yelling it at. Because the more upset the people who were training her became the more upset she became. And I didn’t like seeing her upset or being forced to do something. So thats when I started reading about clicker training…..I think I just came acrossed it one day on the Internet. Clicker training is basically when you use a clicker to mark the behavior that you want and then you reward for that. But when the horse does something that you do not want or you did not ask for you just ignore it. So instead of smacking them or disiplining them for the wrong thing you just ignore it. And most people would say, “well that doesn’t sound right….how would that work??? You have to correct the bad behaviors otherwise they’ll keep doing it.” And thats what I thought at first to. But by ignoring the bad behaviors and only rewarding the good behaviors the horse learns that she only gets what she wants( a treat) when she does the right thing. So basically the horse’s train of thought is, “Oh I get it!!!!! When I do what she is asking me to I get a cookie but when I do what she doesn’t want me to I get nothing. I think I’ll just stop doing what she doesn’t want me to do.” Clicker training makes the horse WANT to do what you are asking her to not HAVE to do what you are asking her to do. It makes them involved in the training, it makes the horse willing to work. You wouldn’t believe how easy it makes training and correcting a bad behavior.

So I’ll give you an example……you want your horse to stop pawing the ground when she is standing in the cross ties. So instead of smacking your horse’s leg and saying, “QUIT IT!!!!!” which is basically giving the horse attention(even though it is negative attention) which is what they are pawing for(they want attention….doesn’t matter what kind they just want you to give them attention, or treats, or a pet etc.). So with clicker training you would wait until the horse stops and when she stops you would click and then give her a treat. So she associates standing in the cross ties…still and quiet with the treat. But when she stops pawing you just stand there and say/do nothing. And after awhile the pawing will be less and less and the standing still will be more and more. But you do have to teach them what the click means before you start correcting behaviors with the clicker.

So to teach them what the clicker means you would teach them targeting. Which may takes 3-4 sessions before they get it. It took Priss a little while before she caught on to it. Basically you get some kind of a bright, interesting object. I took a bright red sock and tied it to the end of my crop. Then you click and treat them when they go to touch the target with their nose. But you have to make sure to give them the treat right away otherwise they won’t associate the behavior with the reward. Targeting will basically teach them that they get a treat when they hear the click. I’ll put some links to a couple websites with more info on this.

You can use clicker training for a lot of correction….you can use it to get a foal used to a halter, tack, being ridden, being touched, being crossed tied, being led etc. You can use it to despook a horse to water, tarps, plastic bags, gunshots, loud noises, cars, roads etc. etc. Yuo can use it for tricks like nodding their head, rolling over, laying down, picking up toys, following you, “smiling”, rearing, bowing, saying yes, saying no etc. You can use it to correct behavior problems like head shaking, pawing, spooking, refusing different things like clippers, dewormers, picking up feet, backing up, being lazy, being to fresh(learning to be calm), you can use it on retraining off the track horses. You can use it for riding like to teach them to trot slower, stop faster, relax their head and neck, lower there head and neck, I’ve even see people teach horses to collect and have a correct headset while riding. You can use it for longing, long lines, flexion, bending, pressure on neck to lower, accept a bit for a horse that is hard to bridle. Their are so many things you can use clicker training for it!!!!

When I bought Priss she wouldn’t stand in the cross ties, pick up her feet, let me clip her whiskers, bend, longe, flex etc. So far I taught her with clicker training to pick up all her feet, bend and flex her head and neck, clip her whiskers (long story), stand in the cross ties, back up when I wiggle my finger, follow me, longe, shake her head on cue, target, walk over tarps, pick up and hold brushes with her mouth desenitized her/despooked her and I think theirs a bunch of other stuff too!!!!! And currently I’m teaching her to ground tie, lower her head while riding in just a d ring snaffle(which she is doing really good at), put her halter on herself and nod her head yes. So as you can see there are A LOT of different things you can clicker train your horse to do!!!!! I know some people might say its a waste of time or stupid……but in my mind its not. In my mind and through what I have seen my horse do it will make your relationship with your horse so much stronger and better!!! It puts trust into the partnership between horse and rider. And the best part is that the horse is happy to do what you want them to do….they are willing and want to do it because it is fun not because they are forced to do it. And overall the things my horse can do now because of it surprises me everyday because I never could have imagined that she or any horse could be capable of what they learn through clicker training.

Here are some links to some websites and videos that helped me learn about clicker training:

http://www.equineclickertraining.com/ ………..Love this one!!!!!!!!!!!http://www.clickertraininghorses.com/ …………….Don’t know a lot about this one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwCT6jGytqw …….these are THE BEST videos for clicker training…they are totally explained while they train the horse!!!! They are THE BEST!!!!!! If you go to there channel and look at there other ones there are a lot more. http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePonyPros#p/u/64/ECJmX0y5obU ……same person’s videos, different channel still THE BEST VIDEOS!!!!!!!

                                                                                                   

 

Me and my dad decided to rescue an off the track tb mare in September. We went to a farm that rescues thoroughbreds from the track. I expected Rachel to be a typical hot headed, spooky thoroughbred. But she is actually very friendly, calm and bombproof! I rode her and me and my dad loved her! We adopted her but we are currently boarding her at another farm so my dad can take lessons. She is a great horse and we are planning to primarily use her as a trail horse. However I would also like to show in hunter flat and equitation classes this summer. When she moves to our farm in 2012 I am planning on working on desensitizing her to tarps, bags and other scary objects….something that she was not trained with. I also want to clicker train her and work on some basic ground work like the Parelli 7 games. She is very polite and respectful but it doesn’t her to teach her some games and desensitizing. So excited to bring her home and enjoy many years with her!!!!!

 

One brisk day in September I came to my friend’s farm to help with the farm chores and ride her horses. I knew a few new horses had come in for training and were to be sold as soon as they’re training was finished. After exercised four horses, mucking three stalls and feeding all twelve horses my friend had asked my to go ride the new pony. On any other given day I would have been glad to….but on this cool fall night I was tired and didn’t feel like riding yet another horse. But I decided I might as well go tack her up. I had expected yet another stubborn, green broke, young mare that was going to be like the other couple that had come in from the same farm. Stubborn, lazy and pushy. However to my surprise was a extremly inquisitive, friendly and calm young mare.  She was still as green as they come but I was entriguied by her.

The next couple of days I came out to the barn something dragged me to go see her. Everytime I was asked who I wanted to ride I always picked her. Something about her made me so happy everytime I was around her. She made me laugh even when I was not in a good mood. I soon fell in love with her personality. I could not get mad at her or loose my patience with her like I could with other horses. However she was still for sale and I knew I couldn’t have her. When I found out that if she wasn’t sold soon she was going back to the farm she had come from….I was very sad. But I decide to ask my dad if he would buy her. He surprised me by buying her as an early christmas present!!! I was so happy that she was mine and wouldn’t be going back to the other farm!

After boarding her for the winter at the same farm we decided to move her home in the spring. Having her at home has been an awesome experience. We do a lot of trail riding and we ride western and english. And I can’t wait to ride her on Christmas morning through the snow!

 

This is my blog site about my horses, their life and training and my farm. I have two horses. One I partially own with my dad. We rescued her and she is a 5 yr old ottb named Rachel’s Wild. My other horse is a 6 year old American Paint Horse and her registed name is Berich Destiny Moon. Her barn name is Miss Priss and we keep our horses on our property in Ohio.

I primarily ride english but I recently started riding western and am learning a lot. Even though I was taught old school training methods when I started riding years ago I use clicker training and natural horsemanship with my mares now. I also have two german shepherds named Wini and Buddy…they are both girls. Wini is a 4 yr old black and red german line shepherd. And Buddy is a 9 yr old american line shepherd. We used to have 15 hens and 2 roosters but last summer we sold them to a farm down the street. I am going to blog about the riding and training I do with my horses and my farm. I want to blog about clicker training and natural horsemanship as well.