Pat Parelli says that when you take off the halter and lead, what remains is the truth. “Liberty” is the practice of engaging with horses without the aid of ropes or halters. If your horse decides they don’t want to be with you, well, you can’t make them do it. You have to learn to…
You’re not too unfit, too old, or too ‘newbie’ for horsemanship
If you’ve always been interested in horses but hesitant about whether it’s “okay” to reach out … now’s the time. We can’t think of a better way to get fresh air, healthy movement, and a total mind-body-spirit uplift than playing with horses. Of course, as life-long horse lovers, we’re biased. But that doesn’t make us…
SOLD: Grand Prix Dressage Bloodlines, Presence, A+ Personality
Dorian Black aka “Hank” Imported Hanoverian gelding $18,500 Dauphin (Donnerhall/Feiner Stern) x Esprentina NPF (Sir Oldenburg/Florestan) Contact seller at 530-818-9118 (ask for Nell) Hank’s pedigree is studded with Grand Prix dressage and Olympic medal winners. Imported in-utero from Canada. Born 4/16/2018, Black with star, snip and 4 white socks. He is currently 16 hands, 960 pounds…
A program for horse lovers
One of the things people love about our program is that we celebrate all aspects of the horse, not just riding. Our students learn how to care for horses physically, mentally, and emotionally. They learn how to listen to horses, how to understand horses, and how to interact with horses in a way that promotes…
Nakota’s Story
Nakota is a 21-year-old black-and-white Spotted Saddle Horse. He is very special to the horses on the ranch, the staff and to the students who enjoy learning from him. From trauma to trust Nakota came into my life 16 years ago when one of my students purchased him from a horse dealer in Northern California….
A matter of tack
You’ve probably noticed in our photos and videos that our students ride in various kinds of tack. On any given day you’ll see us using bareback pads, English saddles, dressage saddles, Western saddles, endurance saddles, hybrid saddles, and sometimes nothing at all — just the warm, soft back of the naked horse. We ride in…
What kind of riding do we do?
We often get this question when new students find us online or come to the ranch for a tour. Typically, they are asking if we do “Western” or “English.” Sometimes experienced horse people ask us if we teach a sport or discipline, such as reining or jumping or cowboy dressage. The answer is – we…
Another successful Rally and Agility competition!
We are once again impressed with the dedication and enthusiasm of our students! The event began at 7 AM with everyone cooperating to get the horses ready for the first contestants to enter the arenas at 8. We especially appreciate all of the families who got here early to get parked and set up their…
SOLD: ‘Fergus’ gentle giant trail buddy [Video]
Fergus is a registered Clydesdale gelding, 16 years old, 17 hands, 1500 pounds. $6000 The ultimate husband horse! He is sound, has excellent ground manners and has a gentle presence. If you are looking for a trail riding/camping buddy he is the best! He is an excellent confidence builder and will take care of a beginner…
SOLD: ‘Juliet,’ a supreme trail horse [Video]
Juliet is a registered Appendix Quarter Horse, 11 years old, 15 hands, 1000 pounds, grey mare. $2,000 Juliet is priced at only $2000 because she is serviceably sound. She has no trouble with walk, trot, or canter on the trail, but she does not prefer circles in the arena. She has a mild intermittent left…
Slide Show: Agility and Rally competition
One thing we loved about the day is how many smiles we saw, and how everyone put their horses first rather than get overly focused on completing a task. That is why students can earn up to 10 points per task for horsemanship, compared to up to 5 points for completing the task. Horsemanship —…
Equine Partners: The Next Generation
Our advanced students are getting an opportunity that you won’t find in many lesson programs. They’re helping us develop our new lesson partners — the next generation of equine teachers and companions. On any given day you’ll find Gizmo, Aspen, and Raven practicing new skills with our most advanced students, under our direct supervision. Ground…
