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Batman is truly a one in a million kind of horse! He is completely trustworthy, seems to know he has a great purpose here, and LOVES his job! He is 30 years old (which is well over 100 in horse years!!) and has been a teacher for almost his entire life…when we met him a few years ago, he was tired, skinny, and had been neglected for so long that his shoes were rusted into his rotting feet. His condition was so deplorable that I almost didn’t even want to test ride him, but I decided to just sit on him for a few minutes, and I am so glad I did! Within moments I could tell how beautifully trained he was; his willingness to do whatever I asked had me giggling out loud with glee, and after only a few times around the arena I knew we had to have him! Batman is our most beloved horse; he is the one everyone starts on- the confidence builder, the quiet, slow, gentle and incredibly affectionate horse that everyone needs in their lives. I have seen children who were shut down, withdrawn, and terrified of horses completely come around within a few minutes of meeting Batman, and then become confident, outgoing, talkative kiddos within only a few sessions, and the credit really goes to this horse! He is infinitely kind, patient, and gentle, and without him, this program would have never become what it is today…
Sammy is truly an inspiration; when I found him he had spent his entire 4 years in a tiny little 8 foot square of dirt, had barely ever been handled, and was so undernourished that every bone shown through his long, dull coat. His feet had been neglected for so long that his toes had curled up and split, his halter had been on for so long that the metal parts were rusted into his fur, and his mane was one giant dreadlock. He trembled with fear when I reached to pat him, and my heart sank with the realization that this horse was a much bigger project than I was looking for…BUT THEN I SAW HIM TROT, and even with those messed up feet, he floated over the ground like he was in slow motion, and I knew I had to bring him home…it took years of incredibly slow and patient training to bring him out of his shell, but now Sammy is one of the goofiest characters in the whole barn! He is a magnificently talented horse, with limitless potential, and yet he seems to know when he needs to tone it down and take it easy for less experienced riders! Everyone has a crush on Sammy, and he knows it!
When I first met Eve I thought she was a lost cause…she was head-shy and would break free of her halter at the slightest provocation (and then be very difficult to catch, even with a delicious bucket of grain as a lure!) and she had been through a variety of methods of training throughout her life. Under saddle she was difficult and unbalanced, and after our first ride I remember thinking how much I disliked her (which is very rare for me and horses!) but she was on my training docket while I worked at The SquarePeg Foundation, so I ended up working with her many times per week during that first year. I decided to start her over, as though she had never been ridden before; After extensive groundwork, Eve and I finally began to bond…and when I left SquarePeg to start EquiFabula, I was honored and delighted to be given the opportunity to bring Eve with me! Our entire philosophy with her has centered around making her whole life so easy and simple that she could finally start to trust humans. I promised her I would never push her, never expect her to compete, and never ask her to do anything really hard. Since then she has blossomed into a fabulous little horse, and has not only become a barn favorite, but has excelled beyond my wildest expectations! Her life changed drastically when she met Dr. Joanna Robson and finally got some huge parts of her body adjusted. Then we found her a saddle that really fit her well, and slowly brought her feet into a shape that would help her move more correctly. We treated her ulcers, and put her on a diet rich in supplements designed to bring her anxiety levels down. We taught her that going exploring the world on long trail rides in the mountains was not something to fear, but to look forward to! She has bonded deeply with many of our students, and always presents just enough of a challenge to teach them to better themselves as riders, and yet is always ready to make them laugh with her array of tricks that she uses to beg for treats. She has become the step up, second level horse that people usually move up to after they graduate from Batman, and the students who bond with her truly fall in love with her!
Eve has now retired and lives close by with two Nigerian dwarf goats and a bunch of chickens to keep her company. She is living the life of luxury, and has never been happier.
Mickey was 8 years old when I met him, and while he was the biggest love-bug on the ground, it was immediately clear that he had never been properly trained as a young horse. This horse is a beautiful example of a horse that would have gone completely sour in the wrong hands… he is delicate and sensitive, and he used to think that the answer to everything was to fight instead of yield…He was incredibly opinionated, and had been lead to believe that if he didn’t want to do something, he didn’t have to! This made him one of the most interesting training projects I have ever encountered… Mickey was the kind of horse that is fast and spooky, very difficult to ride, and is almost too intelligent for his own good! It took the better part of two years to finally get him to understand that life could be a dance instead of a race, but now he is AMAZING to ride! It was a long process, but incorporating regular massage, chiropracting, acupuncture, and a special blend of herbs and minerals with a slow and methodical regularity to his training sessions has really brought out the best in this horse. Surprisingly, his biggest breakthroughs came after we decided to try giving him earplugs! Within a month of being ridden regularly in them he finally became really focused and stopped spooking at every tiny thing…it was transformative for me as a trainer to see what a difference it made- and confirmed our whole theory that some horses may just be more easily overstimulated by what may pass as uneventful for most horses- and since then, we have given all of our horses the option of wearing ear silencers- and amazingly enough, about half of them seem to prefer the muffled stimuli! It has been fascinating watching the progression! Mickey is even getting to the point now where he will happily carry some of our higher level students around a course of jumps! Mickey surprised us all when we took him to his first horse show, just to see how he would like it, and he did GREAT! We have high hopes for his future, but more than anything, we are just really happy to see him becoming a sane and happy horse…
Cupcake spent most of his life doing pony rides at fairs, and then was lucky enough to be pulled off a slaughter truck and saved! When he came to EquiFabula he only knew how to go left and refused to be ridden without being led by someone… he is also 90% blind due to cataracts, but he has overcome ALL of the odds against him and has turned into a fantastic little lesson pony! He can now walk, trot, and canter independently, and has even learned to jump! Thanks to a generous donation, Cuppy will be getting cataract surgery sometime in the near future, and we can’t wait to see the results!
Pumpkin isn’t even technically ours yet, but in the 6 weeks that we have been caring for him, he has already captured our hearts! He has a had a rough life as a race horse, and then was misunderstood by an unqualified owner, underwent surgery for kissing spine a year ago, and has finally landed with us. Despite his unhappy past, he has quickly realized he no longer needs to be defensive and scared, and has relaxed into his new life beautifully. He is a full rescue and rehab case, and we have started from the ground up with him. He needs everything- dental care, hood rehabilitation, bodywork, ulcer treatments, a very difficult saddle fit, and more groceries than most horses…He has already gained a ton of weight, and we can’t wait to see what his future holds! If you would like to help with his rehabilitation, donations are absolutely welcome! We are trying to fundraise $2500 for his needs, so every little bit counts…
All of horses are incredibly well cared for, with regular chiropractic work, acupuncture, supplements and proper maintenance nutrition, as well as regular hoof trimming, high end dental care, and multiple saddle fitting sessions per year.We teach from a Dressage and Eventing background, are heavily influenced by Centered Riding Tehniques, our training methods are slow and gentle, and our lessons are easy and fun. Our horses live an extremely happy life, and we plan to keep them all throughout their entire lives unless we find the absolute perfect home for their particular needs and wants. They all get daily turn out, and live in roomy stalls with rubber mats that are well bedded... they are fed high quality hay, grain, and treats, and they clearly know they are loved. We have over 30 years of horse experience and pride ourselves on taking excellent care of our animals. We look long and hard for the kind of horse who shows a real interest in their people- each of our students are encouraged to bond with the horses and to act as though they are their own .