In order of their arrival to the farm...
Hank -
Anyone who knows him well has seen this pose very often, his nose is in everything and everyone's pocket. His idea of fun is taking every brush out of the grooming box and then walking away with the box as a new found toy. He is a perfect trail horse and absolutely fearless, alpha horse in his herd and is such a loving big guy with a ton of personality. Hank is a registered Paint, standing at 15.1hh, this is his pedigree,
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/barny+jeckle
Fleet -
Fleet was my first "project", he was abandoned in a field for the majority of his life, not cared for or fed properly. He arrived at my neighbors barn with instructions to sell him if we could and if not to send him to the auction. After waiting to see if anyone would take him and realizing that no one would, we decided to bring him home with no real expectations except to be a companion for Hank. When he arrived at the farm, he was nervous, temperamental and hot-headed. But what a gem he has turned out to be. I gave him 6 months to re-learn how to be a horse and how to relate to people and then slowly started riding him. Now, he is one of my best lesson horses and every week teaches beginners how to ride and love horses. He has bonded so strongly to me that if I am gone for too long he will go off his feed and is always waiting for me at the gate when I return. Fleet is a registered TB, standing at 16.1hh, this is his pedigree,
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/kirfleetReds -
He was our second project. Reds came to us from a local TB barn where he was used as a track pony and ran barrels. Reds suffered horrific abuse from a past owner and still carries the scars on his nose and legs from the mistreatment and our first order of business was to gain his trust. Megan is now the proud owner of our old man, she faithfully worked with him for almost an entire year and was rewarded with his unflinching trust and love. He has now discovered that moving water does not kill him and we have recently found out he has a particular fondness for jumping. Reds is probably our fastestest horse (though we have yet to truly race Reds and Mingo) and is also our oldest at 26 years old (he believes he is 4 though). Reds is a grade QH, standing at 15.3hh, he has a lip tattoo but no American registry carries his brand or tattoo.
Mingo -
Mingo came to me from my neighbors barn where his experience ranges from show, trails, lessons and barrel racing. His amazingly smooth and slow western jog/lope won him the entire Carrol County show circuit in western pleasure. Mingo is my personal choice for a riding horse, he knows me so well that on the trails all I have to do is think about what I want him to do and he has already picked it up and doing it. Mingo also is a part of our lesson program though I never share him on the trails =) Words cannot describe our bond, he's one special horse. Mingo is a registered QH, standing at 15hh, this is his pedigree,
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/miss+lemans+mingo
Calista was my 5th horse that I adopted from Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue,
http://www.gentlegiantsdrafthorserescue.com/ . Tragically we lost her to an unknown GI problem after only a few short months. Calista, I will listen for your hoofbeats in heaven. Calista was a grade Belgian, standing at 16.3hh.
May -
I bought May shortly after loosing Calista and the Lord led me right to her. May was the first horse that I knew exactly what breeding, color and use that I wanted in a horse and found it. They always tell you never to shop for color and gender but I knew exactly what I wanted and looked until I found her. May has an excellent foundation QH pedigree with 14 Hall of Fame Stallions in her bloodlines. She is extremely intelligent and very loving towards people. May is currently on maternity leave, having recently given birth to Dakota and will be going for her next stallion visit on Saturday. After her second foal she will take a break from breeding and enter our lesson and trail riding program. May was bred to RS Pine Oil Slick,
http://www.rsquarterhorses.com/ owned by Ryan Schultz in Gettysburg, PA. May is a registered QH, standing at 15.3hh, this is her pedigree.
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/sonnys+may+west
Rae -
Rae was purchased from a friend at church as Kelley's horse, and what a perfect match they make. Their personalities match so well, Rae has enough spunk to keep Kelley on her toes and Kelley spoils Rae to her hearts content and always makes sure she looks her best. Rae is best known as our Houdini horse. If the gate is not latched perfectly or a small "dead" section of the electric fence is not fixed immediately, Rae will find it and as they say, the grass is always greener on the other side. Rae will also be taking a short maternity leave as she is in foal and due in late April. But her spunk is still very evident and we are excited to see how much of her speed and intelligence her foal recives. Rae was bred to RS Pine Oil Slick,
http://www.rsquarterhorses.com/ owned by Ryan Schultz in Gettysburg, PA. Rae is a registered QH, standing at 14.3hh and this is her pedigree,
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/skip+times+sixDakota -
Dakota is our newest addition to the farm. Born on May 5th he is such a complete and total character. He inherited all his mothers personality and looks like his fathers coat color. At almost 2 months old he stands when tied, picks up all four feet, walks in hand, and comes when called. Starting this horse is going to be so much fun. Dakota's registered name is still pending with the AQHA as "Sonny's Poco Cinco", which means Sonny's Little Five which seems to fit him perfectly as he was born on the 5th day of the 5th month of the year. Dakota has a superb foundation QH pedigree with 20 Hall of Fame Stallions in his bloodlines. We are very excited to see what his show career will be. His sire is RS Pine Oil Slick, http://www.rsquarterhorses.com/ owned by Ryan Schultz in Gettysburg, PA.
Here are some camp pictures. We had a fantastic time!
