Meet Our Herd

#horsesofoksnhc

Here at OKSNHC we currently have 10 of our own equines and 6 boarded equines. All of the animals in our care are barefoot or transitioning to be barefoot. Some are rehab cases; some are riding horses, and some are just companion animals. All of them have come into our lives for a purpose and they are instrumental in helping us to teach students both how to trim and how to connect with horses on a deeper level. We also teach a youth horsemanship program that allows youth to explore groundwork, liberty training and riding. Some of our older horses excel in this youth program as it has given them a new purpose in life.

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​​Legend
Legend is a 24 year old Arabian gelding who started his life off in the show world. We bought him as a riding horse when he was 14 years old. He has been barefoot since we have owned him and he is mostly retired from riding now. He is known as Mr. Personality around here and being that he was left as a stallion a little later then most he is not short on attitude. Legend is very personable and loves attention. He is high up in the herd pecking order and is not afraid to push the others around. Anytime we bring a new horse into the herd it's Legend that they have to win over before the herd will accept them. He is the king of Liberty and loves to rear on command, perform his Spanish walk and prance around like the superstar that he is.
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​Tango
Tango was purchased when her owner became ill and could no longer care for her horses. She is a 14 year old Missouri Fox Trotter. She is currently in full time riding training, Tango is my favorite horse to ride. She is always ready to go and has so many gears riding that her is always fun. She loves liberty and bride-less riding and to get out on the trails and explore. She has the nicest feet of our entire herd, always barefoot and never requires boots for riding. She also mostly self trims her hind hooves as they wear very evenly and require little maintenance.
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​​Rain
Rain was born here and will be turning 9 years old in the spring. She has been barefoot her whole life and is one of the first horses we raised here from birth. She has interesting hooves as she suffers from a slight high/low in her fronts. When she was young she had the typical "gazing foot" stance where one foot was always stretched forward and one was always back. This resulted in the forward foot becoming low heeled and long in the toe, and the other hoof becoming high in the heel and almost a club foot. With proper trimming and management this issue is almost not visible unless you are looking for it.

​Jack
Jack is a 17 year old Welsh Pony x QH. He has been in our family for years and has helped our daughters learn to ride. Jack is insulin resistant and has a very hard time maintaining a healthy weight. In spite of his IR he does have beautiful strong and healthy hooves. He suffered a laminitic attack a few of winters ago due to his weight and diet but has since made a full recovery. Jack is also used in our youth horsemanship program. You can view more info on Jack here.

Kameko
Kameko, or affectionately known here as Fancy Lady, is an Arabian mare that came here for founder rehab in July of 2022. She was suffering from founder and reoccurring laminitis. It took us approximately 6 months to help her become sound and comfortable on her hooves again. She is still growing in connected hoof wall and healing her founder. She is sound to be ridden in composite shoes and we hope to transition her to barefoot when the connected hoof wall reaches the ground. Along they way she was diagnosed with PPID, which was likely the cause of most of her hoof care problems in the first place. 

​Raven
Raven came to us in the spring of 2021 at two years old, she  was rounded up from one of the wild Alberta herds so her breeding is unknown. Raven has just had her first few rides and loves to be with people. She is always the first one to meet me at the gate is with more training will excel in our youth program. 

Sunny
Sunny is in his mid to late teens and came to us in the winter of 2021. While he may be "younger" he is an old soul. Sunny has some complicated hoof problems that we have been working to correct. He is sensitive on hard ground and cannot maintain hoof wall connection. He has underrun heels and this issue is perpetuated by his poor posture and under developed thoracic sling. Because of these issues, he has thin soles and requires composites for riding most of the time. You can view Sunny's case study here.

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Mustang
Mustang is a 5 year old wildie that was rounded up in 2021 from the South Okanagan area. We are currently working on his ground manners and training so that he can one day be a riding horse. He has some the strongest and thickest hoof wall I have ever seen! While he is not an actual mustang in his breeding, his wild heart and beautiful soul lead to his name.

Dixie

Dixie is a quarter horse that came to us for rehab with a severe hoof crack. We fell in love with her character and personality and made her owner promise that if she ever sold her, she would let us know. Low and behold a year after healing her hoof crack and sending her home, her owner called and told us we could buy her and bring her back. Dixie is used in our youth program and as one of our family riding horses. To view the case study about her hoof crack, click here.

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Rosie

Rosie is a Halfinger mare that we use in our youth program. She is insulin resistant and therefore her diet must be managed carefully. Rosie has big strong feet and is a wonderful addition to our youth program.