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Meet Our Horses
Horses come to us with different histories. Some are traumatized. Some are unfamiliar with human touch. The horses you see here are truly remarkable. Be amazed by their stories!
ZAZU
Zazu, born Sept. 11, 2020, is the daughter of Babette, a Welsh pony mix. She came to Equinimity505 as a two-month-old, untouchable foal in May 2021. We tested her to find out she is mostly Mangalarga Marchador, a Brazilian gaited breed that is very rare in the US (only 250). When she first arrived, she was difficult to catch and handle. But with almost daily human contact and training, she is now a confident trail horse who trailers, stands for the farrier, and can be ridden at the walk, trot, and canter. She is currently being trained for trail riding: loading, unloading, water and bride crossing, and maneuvering challenging terrain. UPDATE: Zazu was adopted in the spring of '24 to a young woman who will continue finishing her training by trail riding.
STELLA
Stella was a yearling when she came to Equinimity505 in May 2021 from The Horse Shelter with very little training. But she followed humans around like a puppy dog, a trait that soon turned into a liability: The first thing staff had to train Stella to do was to respect humans by keeping her distance. When the trainers started lunging Stella in her turn out pen, she thought it was a bad idea. She disagreed by not going in the direction asked, rearing, and kicking out with both hooves. But eventually Stella realized it was easier to be compliant. With regular, consistent training, Stella has developed into a quiet, obedient 3-year-old, and is being ridden in an arena at the walk, trot, and canter. UPDATE: Stella was adopted in mid 2023 and is being used as a trail and hunt horse.
GARTH BROOKS
When Garth Brooks came to us in April 2022, this 8-year-old Thoroughbred gelding needed groceries and some exercise. We gave him high-nutrition grain and an all-you-can-eat buffet of timothy hay. When we started working him regularly, he developed occasional lameness, which we treated (and fixed!) with shockwave treatment. Garth was raced four times and barrel raced before he came to us, so he needed to be introduced to calm, pleasurable riding. We discovered, ironically, that Garth was hesitant to move forward. He was not connected to the rider, so we showed him that it is much more fun to be connected and move forward as asked. With his puppy dog personality he become a barn favorite, and is now walking, trotting, and cantering calmly. He will require additional training before he is adoptable.
LADY GAGA
Lady Gaga came to Equinimity505 in May 2021 as a 12-year-old from The Horse Shelter as part of a seizure. She had hooves that needed attention, was nervous and untrusting, and often tried to run over her handlers. After Lady G regained her trust of humans, staff taught her to stay at a safe distance while being led and worked with. This beautiful mare turned out to be one of our super stars: She was trained to lunge and then easily accepted a saddle, bridle, and rider! Her sensitivity turned out to be an asset because she quickly learned to walk and trot with light leg and rein pressure. She was a featured horse at an Equinimity505 clinic, and was adopted out in 2020. She is currently being used as a lesson horse for children.
SCARLETT
Like most of our horses, when Scarlett, at 4-year-old Arabian mare came to us in January 2022, she could barely be touched. Four Corners Equine Rescue had rescued her from a kill pen and taught her to stand for haltering, but she was still frightened of unknown people, and hyper-sensitive to touch. Her front hooves were severely overgrown, and there were mats of hair on her haunches. Through gentle, consistent handling, Scarlett learned to trust humans and be groomed, lunged at liberty, stand quietly, and be saddled and ridden. She was the stand-out horse at an Equinimity505 clinic which resulted in her being adopted September 2022 by a woman who has experience in Endurance riding and owns another Arabian.
BABETTE
Babette came to us in November 2020 from Four Corners Equine Rescue. She was gathered (already pregnant) from the El Rito area. She survived a life-threatening injury, then gave birth to a perfect filly despite severe damage to her buttocks and udder. It was obvious she was not a Mustang, and genetic testing showed her to be part Welsh Pony. At first Babette was leery of humans, and often froze when touched. But frequent, slow, gentle handling made her easy to catch and lead. Staff exercised her to rehab her injury. Babette easily accepted a saddle and learned to walk, trot, and canter. Now, she is being ridden as a lesson pony by horse-crazy girls at our sister ranch in Carmel, CA.
LILY
Lily is our 22-year-old gentle Warmblood giant, standing at nearly 17 hands. Her sport horse career included being a competitive jumper, easily clearing 5-foot obstacles. But her jumping career left her with some stress injuries, arthritis, and intermittent lameness. She came to Equinimity505 in May 2020. She needs corrective shoeing on one hoof and anti-inflammatories to feel comfortable. Lily recovered from her lameness and was then used as a Dressage training horse for girls. But recently, Lily’s lameness reappeared. In her mid-20s, Lily is getting the rest she deserves along with the companionship of her best pony buddy, Babette, in Carmel, CA.
OLYMPUS
This part-Thoroughbred gelding came to EQ505 from The Horse Shelter, where they provided him with acute care. He had no muscle tone on his neck or haunches. He was so physically depleted he sometimes fell over when turning. EQ505 staff gave Olympus special feed and supplements along with gentle, consistent training and bodywork. But, as more was asked of him, he developed anxiety, especially under saddle. After two years, staff decided to place Olympus in retirement with a herd of horses in Colorado. He now lives a carefree life on 100 acres.
Sponsor a Horse
Zazu, Garth Brooks, Lily, Babette
If one of our horses has captured your heart, consider sponsoring him/her. Your money will be used for feed, training and veterinarian care.
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