Meet Our Herd

#horsesofoksnhc

Here at OKSNHC we currently have 15 of our own equines and 8 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 22 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. 
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​Tango
Tango was purchased when her owner became ill and could no longer care for her horses. She is a 13 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 her is always fun. She has the nicest feet of our entire herd, always barefoot and rarely 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 8 years old in the spring. She is registered with the APHA, has been barefoot her whole life and is one of our riding horses. Rain is still a little green as she was started late and has been allowed to mature at her own pace. 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.

​Lacy
Lacy is one of our older horses, she is 23 years old and was previously used as my daughter's riding horse. She has been retired for a few years and just enjoys her days being the lead mare of our herd. Lacy has PPID and we do our best to manage her, but she is starting show a decline in her top line muscling and weakness supporting her hind end. She has good strong feet and does well barefoot, but does require a little more frequent trimming then most of the others.

​Jack
Jack is a 16 year old Welsh Pony x QH. He has been in our family for 7 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.

Dusty
Dusty is a mini horse with a big attitude and came to us from a petting zoo where he was less then polite with the kids. He has since learned his manners and is a feisty little member of our herd. He is trained to drive and also likes to do mini horse agility. When Dusty came to us he was foundered but has since made a full recovery.

Maverick and Goose
These brothers are so much fun to be around! Maverick is our alarm clock in the mornings, waking us up when he is ready for his breakfast with his bellowing heehaw that echoes across the farm. They are 16 years old and came to us this a couple of years ago having not really been handled much in their lives. They have won our hearts and are much more trusting now even allowing students to trim their hooves. They are living the good life with the horses on our track system and we are currently working to get them down to a healthy weight!

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​Flash
Flash is an older gelding that we purchased to join our rehab program. He was diagnosed with Navicular disease in the spring of 2020. He is improving greatly and has gone from very unsound with shoes on to mostly sound when barefoot and wearing composite shoes during the summer months when he is used in our youth program. We are looking forward to documenting his journey, you can view his case study here.

​Bella
Bella came to us in the spring of 2021 at two years old, she is a QH x Welsh Pony. She is currently in training to work on her ground manners and will eventually be trained for riding and for our youth program. In the meantime she is just enjoying life in the herd.

​Eddie
Eddie is our official farm mascot. He is the friendliest donkey you will ever meet and loves to give hugs, get in your personal space and will even curl up on your lap if you let him. he likes to spend his summers "free range" like one of the farm dogs.

​​Cloudy
Cloudy is a 28 year old Welsh pony who spent his life show jumping and being pampered. When he was retired at 18, he came to board at our farm and recently when his owner decided to move out of the country he became part of our herd. Having been here for 10+ years we just couldn't see upsetting this old man with a big move and so we just had to keep him. Don't let his age fool you, Cloudy has more attitude and spice then most of the others! He does well in our youth program challenging the youth and ensuring they understand how to take a leadership role. He also has beautiful barefoot hooves that keep him sound on all surfaces.

​Clover
While Clover isn't technically ours, she came here for rehab in  2021 when she suffered a laminitic attack. Her owner was unable to find a suitable boarding situation for her and so we decided she could spend some time here indefinitely in our mini herd. She has undergone a diet and transformation in her body and is a more fit and agile pony. Laminitis no longer plagues her and her hooves are in great shape.

​Gypsy
Gypsy came to us as a rescue in the summer of 2021 when she was just three years old. She was badly foundered and found living with a herd of cattle. She had very little training and was friendly but a little untrusting. She is starting to feel better and her hooves have improved dramatically with proper trimming. You can follow Gypsy's case study here.

Odin
Odin 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. Odin has some complicated hoof problems that we have been working to correct. He is sensitive on hard ground and cannot maintain hoof wall connection. Because of this he has thin soles and requires boots for riding. As we get to know him and evaluate his health we hope to gain a better understanding of how to help him and hopefully be will able to use him in our youth program someday. You can view Odin's case study here.

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​Ruby
Gone but never forgotten, Ruby was one of the sweetest little ponies I have ever met. We rescued Ruby from a hoarding situation and worked tirelessly for 2 years to try and nurse her back to health. She came to us foundered and severely under weight. We were able to get a handle on her weight and after some testing determined she had PPID. Over time things got a lot better for Ruby, but every spring would bring severe bouts of laminitis for her and the spring of 2020 just proved to be too much. Ruby was that kind of pony that even though she had been abused and neglected always nickered at you when you walked by and though apprehensive of people still walked up for a nuzzle. I'll never forget how she would look at me through those big brown eyes as if just saying "thank you". Ruby's case study can be found here.