Our Horses

Boo is an American Draft Cross hores. She is a sweet horse who is built like a tank! She is very well-trained and requires a skilled rider who is confident in the saddle. She is able to jump and can actually jump quite high. She is a wonderful school horse. Many of our adult riders enjoy her.

Jay is one of the favorites among the advanced beginner and intermediate riders. He is small but mighty! He is a great horse for jumping and for ring work. Some of the riders call him "Jay Pony".

Patriot was born on Memorial Day which is how she earned her name. Patty is a paint horse and has unique coloration. Native Americans called her coloring a "Medicine Hat" because of the dark 'cap' appearance. Check out more information about Medicine Hats here. Also, there is a great book called: Sam Domingo: the Medicine Hat Stallion by Marguerite Henry (who also wrote Misty of Chincoteague). Patty is still kept in a paddock and stall with her mother, Vixen, but her training has already begun. We try to handle her every day. She has been bathed, had her feet trimmed and she gets led in her halter. Soon, she will be weaned from her mom and then she will start to get broke to a saddle!

Here is our pony, Hercules. Some say he's the very best school horse we have. We love him!

Ginger has been a solid, beautiful horse for us since starting the riding school in summer 2008. She came as a pair with Dixie and the two of them have been so important to our growth. She was sent to another farm for some R&R for some lameness for a while, but is back now and after a little work, we are hopeful that she will resume her place of enormous importance in our beginner rotation. She and Dixie have earned their stripes so we are managing the use of them quite closely - don't expect to be cantering on this girl in lessons!

Reno was a great horse for us to acquire from a barn in the Berkshires. From day one he has been a dependable and loved school horse. He is a bigger horse so can accommodate some of our taller riders but is also very responsive. He can jump and do just about any type of lesson. His chestnut coloring seems to be part of a wider trend (especially among boarded horses!) here on the farm!

Vixen's registered name (she is a registered paint with the American Paint Horse Association) is "Sho'nuff Fancy Lady". Can you guess why we call her Vixen? Here is a hint: if you look at her markings, what do you see?

Here's Buck, a Buckskin Quarter Horse Gelding. A frisky yet great lesson horse. Loves a good trail ride!

Here's Dixie, a black and white Paint Mare. Many love to ride this older girl who is very trustworthy and easy-going.

Horses are a lot like people -- there is a social pecking order in a herd. Unfortunately, when we found Mr. T he was in a large herd and clearly at the bottom of the totem pole. He was very skinny because the other horses would chase him away from the hay, and he had many bite marks from the other horses on his body. He is a 'hard keeper' -- meaning even here on our farm where he isn't pastured with aggressive horses and gets his share of hay, he needs a very large portion of grain and something called 'hay stretcher' to keep his weight on. We even add corn oil to his food when he is still losing weight. He is the equivalent of the person you know who can eat 'like a horse' and never put on weight! He is worth the extra feed, though -- he is a great horse for beginners learning to canter.

Zeus is "Lizzy's horse" but is being used in some beginner lessons and will eventually be a big part of our school riding program. A young (5 years old) half paint, half quarter horse he has an amazingly calm and unflappable temperament. Riders have already taken him on trail rides and nothing phases him. He still needs work on his canter starts but has the potential to be a great intermediate and beginner horse - like Jay. We bought him from a farm in Middlebury, VT and we are really happy to have him on our farm.