Haley update . . .

Haley is gaining weight and feeling good! Her & Bucky are now best buddies. I haven't had very much time to ride her lately. She knows how to walk / trot / halt on the lunge line and is for the most part pretty calm about new things!

My best friend came to visit this weekend and we rode Bucky & Haley together. Poor Haley got stuck with the Western saddle and the snaffle bridle! I have been riding her exclusively in a bitless bridle, which she goes well in. She accepted the bit well, but I suspect she has not been ridden in one before. She is also VERY talented at getting her tongue over the bit.

So we included a bosal (as an energency brake / steering) in her tack. This was she could continue getting used to the snaffle and we could primarily use the bosal to stop / steer as this is more like what she is used to.

Overall she did very well and was yielding her head to the side and halting with gentle bit pressure by the end of her second ride. She still needs lots of desensitization and hours under saddle to be a good trail horse! Her very sane & sensible temperment sure is helpful.

The Sassafrass Fan Club . . .

It's official - the snazziest, brattiest, fuzziest pinto pony around has her own adoring fans . . . they are just as cute as she is!

My 3 year old niece Emma on Sassy!

Nathan having a ride on Sassy while his sister Hannah helps lead her!

Hannah, with her brand new helmet on Sassy.

Payton (almost 2 years old) having her very first pony ride (and loving it!)

After riding Sassy usually gets a little treat . . . and spoiling . . .




She also insists on a pedicure!

Haley is a superstar!

Haley was great for her grooming, she let us comb her mane and tail out, trim her ears and bridlepath.

She was also great for her first real ride, she has made great progress longing but as she is still gaining weight / muscle she tires easily. She really looks forward to halts and is always checking to see if I'm asking her to stop and look at me!

Here is Haley on her first real ride with Ali walking beside her. She is very green, but our lessons in yielding to pressure paid off and she has a solid halt.

This is her second ride, we walked a few laps around the paddock, she really wanted to be back with her herdmates eating grass, but was good for the most part.

Big day . . .

Today I came home with a brand new saddle for Bucky, had a great ride and then worked Haley on the longe in the new saddle. She was being so very good, I figured what the heck, time to sit on this mare!

Should have brought a mounting block home from the tack shop too! We have spent the past week getting used to standing next to the gate or bucket while I pet her all over and mess with the stirrups, no big deal.

I'm waiting on Ali to come this weekend for her official "first ride". But she was good today while I got on and off her.

Who has dapples?!

While I am busy working on Bucky's lameness, Haley also continues her training. She has made great progress in the past few weeks, she is now longing - walk, trot, halt both directions very nicely, leading well, yielding to halter pressure, and has become much more attentive.

I still primarily have to longe her on a line because she will jump out of my little "round"(its actually square) pen, when she's had enough. The fence is only about 4 feet tall and it has never occurred to the other horses to leap out, but Haley figured this out in about 5 minutes. She is a terrific jumper.

We are working on desensitization now and she literally yawned as I flapped a saddle blanket all over her body. The flag took all of 5 minutes to get over. So today I saddled her up. This mare has obviously been ridden at some point, she knows to hold her breath when the girth is put on!

So after assuring her I was NOT going to girth her too tighly I showed her what being saddled is all about - relaxing and eating grass of course! She's almost ready for her "first" ride, how exciting!

Look at her dapples! Now if we could just add a tail . . . her papers from AMHA also arrived last week.

Goodbye Lady Byrd . . .

After 20 years of being a part of our family, the time has come to say goodbye to our beloved Morab mare, Lady Byrd. Yesterday she tried to have a nice roll in the dirt after her bath and could not get back up again without assistance. Her hind end is just too weak and wobbly. We got her to her feet for a last weekend of love and spoiling before we say good bye.

Lady was my first pony, she was not always so sweet. I was bucked off this little mare more times than I can count (and most of my friends have been too!). She taught me how to be a quiet, gentle rider, and also about perserverance.

She is also Sonny's first and favorite horse. They both look forward to her nightly wither scratching routine. In her later years she taught many kids how to ride, took them to their first horses shows, and gave first pony rides in our yard. She is the only pony I know that has had two barns AND a run-in shed built just for her in her lifetime (thanks Dad and Sonny!).

She will be missed.

Lady Byrd living large . . . a VERY good day!

Our old mare Lady Byrd will be 31 this summer, and she has recently started showing neurologic signs, unsteadiness, stumbling, weight loss, and weakness. With much sadness we realize she probably won't be with us for much longer.



She is very spoiled and gets out almost everyday for lawn mowing duty (in moderation!), grooming and treats.



A few days ago for some unknown reason Lady spooked! and took off trotting. It was scary at first because she is unsteady, but she quickly found her stride - nice trot for 31 years old!

Then she decided to take off cantering . . . after a few half-hearted attempts to catch her we just took pictures as she cantered and then galloped around her small paddock.

Once I realized that she was *really* enjoying herself and not likely to fall, I let her out into the bigger paddock with Haley and Sassy to run.



She did lap after lap cantering around with her ears pricked forward . . . the other horses just watched for the most part.

Haley finally joined in . . . see that 2 strand divider fence just behind them? Lady JUMPED it with ease and was then running around with Bucky.

We did finally catch Lady after about 10 minutes of play . . . she has not run around like this in years . . . it was amazing and she really seemed full of joy. I know this was just one good day, but I'm glad she had it.

Training progress & sad news . . .

Today each of the three young horses got some much needed training time . . .

Bucky, our 4 1/2 year old QH is the leader of the bunch. He is well started under saddle and is working on balancing himself on the lunge line. We are working on trot-canter-trot transitions and not leaning on the lunge. He also likes to supervise and stick his nose into the other horse's lessons. Bucky has his own blog here, with dramatic before & after photos at the beginning.



Sassy, our just-turned-5 mini is good for pony rides, but has no steering or brakes for the rider. So we are working on teaching her to lunge (she is now learning voice commands for "whoa" and "walk"). We are also working on yielding to pressure on her rope halter - leading to bending and turning.

And of course Miss Haley, the new princess is providing a challenge, we are still working on building her trust, catching and leading her. I know this mare has had some saddle training, but really needs some confidence and time to trust us. She we are working on putting on her rope halter and leading / walking forward. She is a real sweetie, but needs some time and patience.

In sad news, our beloved 30 year old Morab mare, Lady Byrd is failing. She has been battling Cushing's, and arthritis for years and has just started showing neurologic instability. She is still eating and very happy (she LOVES Haley), but is ataxic (tipsy) and falls down occasionally. She has been with me for 19 years and we will likely need to put her down soon.

Fallen from grace . . . Haley's story.

Haley just arrived this weekend, although space is tight we just had to make room for this sweet mare. Here is her story, as much of it as we know . . .


Through searching the internet I found these photos of this mare as a young filly on her breeder's website.

It appears that this filly "Shades Noble Highlight" aka Haley was well loved and cared for, and a well bred Morgan. Her sire is a smokey black stallion named Whirlwind's Morning Star and her dam a typey bay mare named Seacrest Fancy Impression. (Click link for photos).

At some point Haley was sold to a less-than-responsible owner. She was bred, neglected, and starved along with 30+ other horses and ponies. In December 2008 they were seized and their owner prosecuted for animal cruelty. So at only 6 years old this beautiful mare found herself at Spring Hill Horse Rescue.

I came across her while photograping the recently seized herd for their website, she looked at me and I melted. I have always wanted a buckskin Morgan and here was one in need of a home . . . so in March we picked Haley up and brought her to a friend's farm.

The plan was for her to stay there until foaling. We then found out that Haley was no longer pregnant and ready to come home sooner than expected.

So we build another paddock, started a run-in shed and brought her home to start her new life as a pampered princess. Thanks to her friends at Spring Hill Rescue and the generous friend who fostered her for us, Haley is making a dramatic recovery. She still has a ways to go, but I feel lucky everyday to have come across this beautiful mare.