Bella is the only horse at Blue Rider who was born here, on 30 April 1998. Bella is very good at her
job, in fact, she is very good at anything we ask her to do, whether that is therapy lessons,
barrel racing, jumping, teaching children, or just being a friend. Like her mother, Ramona, Bella
makes sure that we all are doing our part in the herd.
After twenty years of doing her best for us, Bella’s back is often stiff and sore, so we make sure
to keep her warm in the cold, that she receives regular chiropractic care, and supportive
therapies like BEMER. She also often has difficulty breathing when the air quality is poor.
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Billy Boy came to us as a five year-old in 1993. He may be small, but he has an enormous capacity for caring. He is no longer ridden, but he still teaches people about equines, still teaches about grooming and leading, and still loves to be the center of attention. He is looking forward to being able to go out into the community again, meeting new people, and teaching them how wonderful donkeys are. He is a very valuable member of our program, and we do everything we can to keep his body comfortable; his teeth are worn with age, and need regular attention, and he needs more food than he used to.
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Freyja came right after the circus in June 2022. She is a sweet feisty Icelandic mare, who doesn’t show her age. She was donated by her owners when they moved away. She will be the gem of our summer programs and our childrens’ lessons.
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Fritz has been with us since 2014, when he was rescued from a kill pen. Although he is only 14 hands high, he is stocky and strong. He is patient with his riders when they need patience, but loves to teach his independent riders to be thoughtful and clear. He loves when his riders give him challenges like jumping, and he loves adventure. His passion is playing with the other horses and he will spend hours every day running and playing games with them, especially Svadi.
Fritz has Equine Metabolic Syndrome (equine diabetes) and requires daily medication to keep him healthy, along with lots of exercise and supportive care.
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Garuda came to us in 2017 as a five year-old. He had been started under saddle before he came to us, but injured a front leg and required extensive rehabilitation. He is playful, energetic, and curious, always watching and “helping” with anything anyone is doing in the barn and playing with any and every horse that will play with him.
After several years of trying to decipher hind end pain issues, we finally diagnosed and treated him for a sacro-illiac injury; he is now learning that carrying a rider doesn’t have to be painful, although he isn’t very confident in lessons yet.
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Hekla also came flying over from Iceland. She spent a short time in another lesson program before being leased to us in 2020. She is still young, and occasionally reminds us that she is named after a volcano! Hekla is learning quickly and endlessly – learning to find her strength, learning to be attentive and patient with her riders, learning how to be the fantastic horse we know she will be.
Hekla still requires frequent training to teach her to be a good riding and therapy horse, and her growing body needs regular chiropractic care and bodywork to keep her feeling good. Also, Hekla has summer eczema, a severe allergic reaction that makes her itch herself raw without extensive care.
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Marcy came to us in 2016 as a ten year-old. She belonged to a Mennonite family in Pennsylvania where she pulled a cart, and has a quick, ground-covering trot, which she uses when she is excited or uncertain. Marcy can be careful and slow when her riders need it, and is very clear with the instructors about what she feels from her riders. She still is often very uncertain herself, and although she has become much more confident in the herd she still has a hard time interacting with the other horses.
Marcy requires several medications to help her manage her anxiety.
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Mia was only three years old when she came to Blue Rider in 2008, but we are her eighth owners. With so many changes so early in her life, it took her a long time to learn to trust humans. Mia has beautiful, soft gaits and a sweet nature, and she is very good at teaching her riders to turn correctly and ride well. In spite of her great size, Mia carries even the smallest riders with care. She also excels as a vaulting horse, and will try just about anything her girl asks her to. Mia has sensitive feet which often require boots for riding, and imbalances in her body mean that she needs extra chiropractic care, as well as BEMER and red light therapy.
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Mystery is a huge black 16 year old Percheron mare that joined us in November of 2022. She was donated to us by Patrick R, a rider here. Mystery came from a farm where she was used as a broodmare and as a driving/cart horse. She has not been ridden much and will need a lot of training to get there. Mystery came to us with some severe skin conditions that are still being taken care of. She will need a lot of time before she can become part of our riding program, but we have high hopes for her! She is gentle and very willing to learn.
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Rico was a schoolmaster and a jumper before he came to us in 2015, but prefers to keep his feet on the ground. He is now our star vaulting horse, and loves the job. He is our biggest horse, and can carry heavier therapy and adult riders. He is gentle and calm enough for beginners and timid riders, but very well educated, and teaches more advanced riders as well. Rico is big and goofy, and makes friends with everyone.
Because of his large size, and some dental issues, Rico requires extra food year round to keep him strong and healthy. He also requires regular dental care.
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