Finesse colt

For Sale, Horses, Team

Mi (no name yet) palomino 1/2 Welsh colt

Mi Farmers Tan x Mi Finesse

This fancy golden boy is cheeky, brave and very fancy. I’m unsure if he will retain his slightly curly coat, but right now he looks like brushed velvet. He should mature a medium (likely right around 13.1hh) and with his athleticism should shine in any role you wish.

Mi Tir Na Nog

For Sale, Horses, Team

Mi Tir Na Nog – 2007 buckskin Section D Welsh Cob gelding
Mi Bare Essentials x Mi Dark Krystal
Teirney is very special to me as he is the last of his bloodline that started my love for Welsh Cobs. His grand dam Brynarian Nia was purchased when I outgrew my Section A geldingTwinkle. Nia had 4 fillies ranging from 13.2-16hh (fullsisters, matching color and markings but definitely not size). As far as I know, Krystal was the only one that produced purebred offspring, Mi Higher Power and Mi Midas Touch went on to be breeding stallions, and the fillies went out to either be performance ponies or breeding stock. Teirney being stocky but on the smaller side, was started, a few times, almost found new homes, but kept choosing to remain here. He is a solid leading rein pony, very tolerant of beginners and mistakes, and prefers to stop to figure things out instead of implementing the flight response, or find and adult to help in situations he is unsure of. Because he generally gets to hangout with me teaching beginners, he hasn’t spent a lot of time outside the arena, but will follow a buddy anywhere. He is lower in pecking order in any herd he has been in, and seems to enjoy having someone else make decisions. He has an enormous walk, and very swingy trot, his canter has rarely been played with. He is sweet over small jumps and obstacles and is fine on his own or in the company of other horses. He is used to cattle, dogs, quads, tractors and wildlife. I have had him ridden in bitless bridle or simple snaffle or mullin happy mouth, he is happy in any of those and goes bareback or with a saddle and has had student perform exercises and backflips (intentional) on him. His major quirk is that he can play hard to catch, but is very motivated by food. He is also uncomfortable around incongruous people, if you are scared and trying to pretend your body ace, or angry pretending to be friendly he gets worried. He is fine with honest emotions and a very generous cuddler in EAL sessions especially with people who often struggle to be noticed. His training has been sporadic and the buttons installed are very basic (which prevents confusion when being ridden by beginners) but he is a very fast learner that loves to please. Teirney is healthy and sound but does have a tendency to be on the round side.

Mia filly

For Sale, Horses, Team

Unnamed so far – 2023 buckskin 3/4 Welsh 1/4 Mustang filly
Cobblehill Geordie x Mi Why Not Me

Mia is always very proud to present her new babies to meet me. It appears that she may have given birth in one of the many cactus patches and unfortunately this beautiful filly lost her left eye. She has adapted well, and her yearling full sister Kachina rarely leaves her side. She nice this limits her future as a performance pony, I have made the decision to retain her as a future EAL for art net and possible broodmare. She is extremely sweet, very athletic and beautiful.

Licorice

Horses, Team

Mi Licorice – 2023 Smokey black 3/4 Welsh 1/4 Warmblood colt
Mi Farmers Tan x Mi Rhymes With Orange

I was expecting a buckskin sport pony from this cross, instead I was gifted a stunning black (carrying dilute genes) potential stallion prospect. He is beyond fancy, athletic and very correct and carries some of our best Welsh bloodlines, mixed with very old Gelderlander lines. He has a 1/2 sister (same dam) that is a fabulous eventer pony. His mom is very proud of him and I can’t wait to see what his future holds

Build Trust, Not A Trophy Case

Horsemanship, Philosophy

I often read posts about bad horse trainers, coaches, and competition situations which cause me sadness and frustration. They seem to ask for help from strangers in online forums. What is possible if we start trusting our own abilities and asking for expert help when needed? What if that trust builds a relationship with our horses or our kids, partners, fill-in-the-blank? And what about when we spend time understanding them or understanding ourselves? What if we stopped racing to the next clinic/trainer/show/guru – just slow down and enjoy the ride? The ribbons are great, but they are sometimes at the expense of partnership. Imagine the rewards from sharing the spotlight, being part of a team, and enjoying our passion. And maybe, just maybe, the idea of temporary horses, and other relationship partners, would become less?

As a person who started training by age 6, the relationships I have built are far more important than the tricks and special gear. The skills can always be developed if you become aware of body language and watch horse people who are admirable even though they may not be winning the ribbons. Happy horses are easy to train. It’s not going to be a Disney movie – there is going to be hard work, wet saddle blankets, and tears of both frustration and joy. It means that creating your own champion is definitely worth the ride.

Sadness fills me when I see people who haven’t spent time doing the work winning ribbons on pre-programmed horses. The worst, all-too-common outcome is that the horse stops winning, is replaced, and then the new horse doesn’t behave or win and the person gets frustrated, taking it out on the new horse. Every relationship has to go through challenges and if the communication and trust are there on both sides, it can succeed.

Why not start teaching that relationships need communication, trust, boundaries, and self knowledge? Not just with horses. In order for this to work, adults might need to shelve their egos, and students might have to do some hard work and take responsibility for injuries which means not blaming anyone else including the horse. Success cannot always be instant. They might have to stay home, do some training, take some lessons, or become a working student and learn from the ground up from several different mentors who are worthy of respect, not necessarily a big name.