As a wrangler, I really appreciate the quality of horses at the ranch. From a 13.2 hand tall pony to the gentle giant draft horses, they are all a joy to work with.
Those horses ridden by our guests are the saddle horses. This group consists of 31 Quarter Horses, Paints, and Appaloosas. A few of these, Reed, Checkers, Chance, Blue, Dusty, and Sinco, are still young and in the training stage. These six are ridden primarily by the ranch wranglers. The other 25 horses are enjoyed by our guests in every season excluding winter.
The ten draft horses are a great source of entertainment no matter the season. These giants are great workers, whether pulling the wagon or sleigh. Another super fun thing about four of the drafts; Bill, Larry, Justice, and Selma, is that, unlike many draft horses, they are able to be ridden. Nothing else compares to sitting astride that much power! Their movement is so unique from that of a stock horse. We are hoping to have a couple of them going well enough for guests to ride next summer.
Our youngest horses are the half siblings, Pearl and
Duke. Both are 1½ years old and will begin some light training this fall. Since Duke is half Percheron, and huge, he may get some saddle time before the fall is over. Pearl is a more normal sized variety of Appaloosa. I am looking forward to seeing both of them going under saddle, but I am especially excited about Duke.
It is always thrilling getting new horses, and I am especially excited about the new additions this fall. “Zippers” is a big, 11-year-old, roan Appaloosa mare that the ranch purchased from Mary Snedden. Zippers was trained to a highly competitive level in Western and English Pleasure. Roley (my dad) has ridden her in two-horse shows this fall and did
extremely well. I have recently been “grounded” from riding due to my pregnant belly so I am especially excited for next spring when I will be able to begin riding Zippers in preparation for the summer show season. The newest addition this fall does not actually belong to the ranch; she belongs to me. I purchased “Lil Horse” about a month ago and unfortunately, because of my “grounded” status, I have not been able to ride her. My mom, Janice, has, however, taken her on a couple of rides. “Lil Horse” is a 10-year-old, 13.2 hands tall, Pony of America. My hope is that after a summer of me riding her on trails and teaching horse camps she will become an excellent children’s horse.
If you haven’t had a chance to see or ride some of these amazing steeds, be sure to stop by for a ride before the snow flies or a sleigh ride when winter sets in.
