Our Horses (part 1 of many)

When our program first began in 2001, the horses that became the first great teachers were simply the personal backyard/trail horses of Brandi and Stephen, our founders. Moon and Rocki, and yes, they were the inspiration behind the name of their ranch. They began the foundation of teaching young people as Brandi shared her knowledge and experience of natural horsemanship training and riding with young people, willing to help with chores to earn some time working with the horses.

Over the years, as the program grew in concept, several horses were donated, most from a non-profit organization called the Knapp Friesian Foundation. Oh what a magical and amazing opportunity this was, as everyone got to benefit from these impeccably trained and experienced horses, with great and varied personalities (despite their basic size, coat, and coloring having no variation AT ALL!). They all came to us in their late teens, with some issues or limitations due to various health issues, but all were such a valuable gift to the program.

It has always been a goal of Brandi's to educate the kids on the value that older horses bring (or any horse with limitations), and that being committed to doing the absolute best for the horses until their very last breath is not only a duty, but an honor. As the horses age and limitations creep in, their activity levels are adjusted. Sometimes, a horse can no longer be ridden, or maybe can only be ridden by very light riders at a walk, or they require special feed, medications or injections, or get special treatments. The kids are taught to listen to the horses, to watch for signs of discomfort, or unhappiness, and we always adjust our activities to meet the needs of the horse. These adjustments never mean that the horse doesn't still have value or things to teach us, however. This is a very important part of our message and education.

One such example of how we must listen so intently to the horses is of the reverent and quiet ol' Smoke. Smoke came to us in 2016 fresh from a life of fantastic entertainment. He carried his trainer/rider all over the western states to horse shows and venues, performing beautiful manuevers, tricks, advanced dressage moves, choreographed to beautiful music, adorned in fancy costumes, for adoring crowds on a regular basis. Smoke was and is such a hardworking, honest horse, and though when he came to us he was a bit scared of some things, he very quickly won the hearts of pretty much every barn girl who has ever crossed his path with his sweet, gentle and kind nature. He also came to us with some arthritis, to be expected in an 18 year old, big boned, hardworking beast. From the get-go we had to shoe him and work him carefully to keep him from hurting, but all the while balancing activity to also keep him fluid, limber and engaged. Over the past couple of years, his activity level has been greatly reduced to account for his advancing mobility limitations, but since we never stop listening to them, it had become obvious to us that he didn't like being left out. Though Smoke doesn't mind being alone, when we would grab other horses for activities, if we didn't have an extra set of hands to grab him for grooming or working with him, he would come hang out by the gate closest to the grooming area, softly neighing his displeasure for being left out. When we could bring him to the arena, we did, even if he was only left to graze nearby. However, too many times, he would leave a good grazing spot and head in to the arena to follow some of the other horses, or go hang out with a barn girl nearby. It was always clear to us that he very much wanted to remain engaged. It wasn't made completely clear until a fateful Saturday in October of 2024 just how much that sweet, old 1400-lb "pony" wanted to be included in our activities. On this particular Saturday, we had moved our horse trailer just next to the arena so the girls could practice trailer loading. Of particular importance, it's worth noting that our trailer requires a very big step up to get into it. At one point, Smoke walked into the arena to get some attention and then stood nearby and watched a couple of the other horses load and unload. Finally, after one of the gals unloaded the horse she was working with, Smoke, with no prompting whatsoever, walked right up to the trailer and loaded himself. With that big step up he struggled, but was absolutely determined, and after almost falling, and adjusting his footing, he succeeded. The look of satisfaction on his sweet face was undeniable. The looks of amazement, astonishment and awe, on the faces of all who had laid witness, were, undoubtedly, hilarious.

We already knew how much he hated being left out, and this clearly was him making absolutely certain that we don't doubt for one second how committed he is to staying as active as he possibly can. It was just the sweetest gesture and all of our seasoned girls were just as touched and convinced as Brandi was that he was wanting so badly to remain included. We all praised him wildly, loaded him up with treats and tufts of grass, and then closed the door behind him because there was almost no chance he could get out safely without injuring himself.

He is such a special horse and we all love him so much. And this event meant that we were all going to step up our commitment to be sure he remained included as much as is absolutely possible. Smoke is one in a million, for sure. But this story represents that we are always listening, and teaching the newcomers to be the same good listeners, to care for these magnificent beasts in the very best way possible - the best way for them, and not just the way that we assume is best for them.

And to secure a happy ending for that day, Brandi then drove him back up to the "normal" trailer parking spot where we have it rigged so the step is half as high, he unloaded with ease, and was clearly very happy to have been included. ❤️❤️❤️❤️