DAISY is a talented eventing and dressage horse who was generously donated to our program. Daisy is stepping down from competitions and her second career as a therapy horse is a perfect fit!
Irisis a Haflinger from Texas. She is a very stout girl and helps our riders feel every secure in the saddle.
BUDDY is a AQHA gelding. He is kind and sweet. His wonderful training with his previous owner makes him a calm, steady therapy horse.
Cash is a favorite horse for riders of all levels and ages. He is a Paint Horse with a great personality!
Aspen is a Palomino gelding He is a great horse for both beginner and advanced riders.
White Feather joined the SpiritHorse team in 2019 and he is great horse for our more timid adults and riders with disabilities. He is the tallest horse in the barn, rides English and Western and also likes to trail ride.
Butters is a great addition to our therapy team. Butters is a therapy horse but also helps new riders build confidence in the saddle.
Taco is our smallest pony but he is big on personality. He greets everyone who arrives at the barn and works with people of all ages to get comfortable around horses. He likes to do mounted lessons for our smallest and youngest riders.
Maizy is our newest addition to our therapy horse family. Maizy was a great trail riding horse in her previous home and her calm demeanor will help her shine in the arena helping smaller kids and teaching beginner riders to be confident.
OUR HORSES WHO HAVE CROSSED RAINBOW BRIDGE
Queenie was a Rocky Mountain gaited pony. Her smooth gaits and calm disposition made her the perfect pony for our beginner riders. She crossed Rainbow Bridge in Oct. 2022 at the age of 24 yrs old
Ester was a Welsh Cross Pony. Ester was a former Show Pony who was generously donated to us. She was the perfect size for our smaller riders and sadly crossed rainbow bridge February 2022.
Our barn was very saddened to learn that Tory had crossed Rainbow Bridge in the summer of 2016. Torvald "Tory" was a 27 year old Fjord. Don't let his age fool you... Tory loved to teach riders how to be confident in the saddle. He loved to be brushed and also liked to "drive"!
Sadly, one of our favorite horses has crossed Rainbow Bridge. Tuff’s Lucky Doc, “LUCKY”, April 1997-September 2015 Lucky was our very first therapy horse. Most people remember Lucky as the horse who "smiled".
We will miss him dearly.
We believe horses and ponies have the most accessible spirit of almost any creature and the vast majority have very beautiful spirits. They have one advantage over humans in that they do not have an ego to get in the way of their relationships. We also believe that children with disabilities have very accessible and beautiful spirits. We believe that this spiritual connection is what makes this intervention work. Our horses and ponies always greet the children who lead them from wheelchairs, walkers, and canes. They are so happy to see their riders.
The average age of our horses and ponies is fifteen years. They work here until our veterinarian advises that they are uncomfortable with the work, or unsafe (tripping, etc.). At this time they retire here on our ranch to live out their lives in peace and tranquility. When these wonderful old equines pass on they will be buried in the back pasture with a tree planted in their memory.