Meet the Herd
And then there were two. In the last six years of getting back into horses, I've gone from having one personal horse to four and eight client horses. Then I went on to manage a herd of 30 at a therapy center, and now just in this last year, I am down to only two. One of those horses is rehabbing and the other is too young to ride, so my horse life has dramatically slowed down.... and it is such a blessing. My riding horse and I are both healing in different ways, and the little guy is a piece of my heart horse, a mare named Sego, that started this whole journey for me.
Treasure Thess
"Tess" is a 2015 Arabian mare by Dahess and out of Treasure Trovee. She was bred at Cre Run Farm for racing, but I am told that jockeys couldn't stay on her and thus her racing career was short lived. As a 7 year old she went to Florida with Heather and Jeremy Reynolds to be trained for endurance. She moved west with them to California, where I purchased her shortly afterward.
Tess has by far been my most challenging horse-she's the most athletic animal I have ever ridden, but has a Jackyll and Hyde personality. She's smart, sweet and extremely sensitive- but was also dominant, angry and insecure. She has made me step up 150% as a horsewoman, trainer and owner.
In the first two years that I owned her, we got our Parelli Levels One and Two, as well as 465 endurance miles, placing in mileage championships for our region in 2023. In the fall of 2024, Tess was diagnosed with EPM, which my vet speculates she has had this whole time, since possums are hard to come by in Utah and she was an east coast horse. I am in even more awe of her, that she has been able to do so much for me with this disease, and now all of our challenges make sense. We are currently on the long journey of treatment and feeling hopeful for her future. She carried me through 2 years of not being well, now it's my turn to take care of her.
TK Oxalis
"Ox" is my home bred boy, a 2022 gelding by polish racing Arabian Ontario HF and out of my beloved Standardbred mare Sego Lily. Ever since day one Ox has been quite the character. He's bold, confident, inquisitive and smart like his momma. He LOVES people and is always the first one at the gate saying "put me in coach, I'm ready!". This left-brained extrovert likes to play games and is sassy like his mom, too, but loves to be told he's a good boy.
Ox is mainly just growing up. We occasionally do groundwork and pony out on the trail to let this eager boy feel like he's got something to do. He will be 3 this year and I will probably lightly start him, but no serious riding until he is older. He is the first baby I've ever raised and I can definitely feel a different kind of connection there. His future will be endurance and half-Arab sport horse competitions (dressage and jumping), although something tells me he'd make a great 3-day event horse. This guy is BRAVE.
Ponies of the Past
Letting horses go is a controversial thing in the horse world- some not thinking twice about it, others believing horses are a lifelong commitment. Being as horses are incredibly expensive to care for whether you are competing them or not, I do not judge when someone chooses to sell. They aren't like dogs, and many times they are better matched with another human. That being said, sometimes I can't believe I let these two go. Somehow I got blessed to own and ride a couple of baddest mares I have ever known. These two were the best duo, and I had a blast getting to ride with friends on my horses. However I had a dilemma many equestrians are faced with- choosing your sport or choosing to keep your horse, as they don't always line up, especially as you advance. As my personal life continued to unravel, I chose the sport, and moved these two mares along. Now that I am coming out of that fog (thank you, Tess), I realize how special it is to have two awesome riding horses to simply have FUN on. Now, both of these mares are in amazing homes, so there's absolutely no regrets there. And realistically, I cannot have multiple horses right now and be able to give them the quality of life they deserve. But I shiver at the thought of me having sold them to strangers and them getting lost out there... and do wish I had land and time and money for all the baddest mares to keep and cherish forever.
