Meet the Horses

 

Resolute

Barn Name: Rah

JC Name: Tres Rios

Breed/Year: Thoroughbred (OTTB)/ 2010

Height/Color/Sex: 16H bay mare w/ small star  

Rah has a very in your pocket personality and might be the sweetest horse ever. Rah has done some serious trail riding in the Cascade Mountains and helped me get my feet wet in the eventing world. She can be your stereotypical OTTB under saddle as she is a sensitive, forward type, and that has not changed with age. Rah has been forgiving and brave over the cross-country fences and is very correct and is lovely in the dressage ring once she settles down. She is one of a kind, my first horse as an “adult” aka the first horse my parents cant sell.

Zuni

Breed: Fox Trotter/QH

Year Foaled: 2003

15H, Chestnut pinto, mare  

Zuni I got as a companion for Rah, and also as a steady eddie trail horse for my Mom and friends. Prior to me she had been removed from an abusive/starvation situation and spent a year in a field while the lawsuit prosecuting her former owner played out. While she has always been good under saddle, saddling, getting on, catching her, and touching her face were all things that took years of work. She is now happly retired, going for walks around the neighborhood, and being a calming force for new horses, she even played mom for Rolo and Steel two KWPN colts who arrived at 4 mo. Z will live her days out with me as a pet and companion. This horse taught me patients and so much else.

Riptide

Barn Name: Rolo

Breed/Year: KWPN/2023

Height/Color/Sex: 16h, chestnut colt, 4 high whites w/ blaze 

I was doom scrolling during COVID and bought Rolo in-utero. And while I had a full year to think about how dumb I was for making that decision, he has turned out to be a stunning little horse. He is a lovely mover; the chrome makes him fancy and is just all-around a nicely put together horse. He is a sensitive type, which works for me, and loves to put his chin on peoples’ shoulders and just hang for a minute. Rolo should mature to around 16.2H and will be started lightly as a late 3 y/o. He will trail ride and do basics as a 4 y/o and at 5 will start over low fences. I think he will be competitive in any ring but for now, I am enjoying him as a pet.

Atomic Blondie

Barn Name: Blondie

Breed/Year: Paint/QH/2014 (fall)

Height: 14.3 H

Color: Palomino/Stripe  

 

B really takes her name seriously and can clear every horse and person within 50’ of her with a look and an ear flick. While she can be a handful on the ground, and is unquestionably the herd boss, when it comes to work she is all business. She is my “hold my beer” horse, the horse I take when I need a safe ride and one with a strong sense of self preservation. You can drop the reins on her and she will go for days in the mountains and then the next day take her eventing. She taught me that having a soft and fair hand gets a better result than a heavy hand and will not tolerate unfair treatment, which she shouldn’t.

Empire

Barn Name: Chubby

JC Name: Alpine Swift

Breed/Year: Thoroughbred (OTTB)/ 2015

Height/Color/Sex: 16.3 H bay, gelding

 

Chubby came to me after getting shuffled around for a few years. From what I can tell, the first three years were easy until the trainer he was with tried to start him. Chubby is very sensitive to physical touch, noise and is mentally just nervous. After a rather unsuccessful attempt at getting him started under staddle, he was sent to another trainer who also did him no favors. After getting him injured, and giving him strangles, she gave him a novice horse person who, kept him as a pet and did some liberty work with him. That owner just needed something different and I ended up with Chubs as a 4 y/o.  He is overall an easy nice ride, scope for days and just a stunning horse undersaddle. Getting his head in the right place has taken a while but, last year we did some cross-country schooling, trail riding and a few jumper schooling shows. He is Blondies best friend and likes scratches and treats.

Finale

Barn Name: Fin

Breed/Year: KWPN/2010

Height/Color/Sex: 15.3 H, chestnut mare, 4 high whits and big blaze

 

Finale was born into a KWPN-dressage breeding program, where she stayed until 2022 after the breeder had a mental health crisis and left the horses without food, water or care. Fin never got a proper start; I am guessing 30-90 days to get saddle broke. She has had toxin induced stringhalt when they were starved and has some skin condition where she doesn’t really grow much tail, mane and some facial hair. The trainers who were caring for her said to put her down, that she was dangerous but she has turned out to be a total puppy dog and working on being a great trail horse. She is the first to come see you in the field and will follow you around all day. She too is tight with Blondie but, seems to irritate the others. Fin struggles with her inter-horse skills. Fin will continue to do groundwork, trail riding and hopefully that will help improve our arena work.