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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Sprite is one of our newest horses, arriving in December 2021. She is also our youngest horse at just four years old. Sprite had very basic training to ride, but hasn’t been ridden in quite some time. At her young age, we are starting over from the beginning, to make sure she is comfortable with the training and that we help her understand everything a good therapy and riding horse needs to learn. She is very sweet and curious, but calm and thoughtful. She also hadn’t been with another horse for about two years, so she is relearning how to be a good member in the herd. We have great hopes for her!
Sprite is still learning a lot about how to be a horse here at Blue Rider Stables. She is in lessons but still needs training as she is so young!
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Svadi came into Riding Instructor Becky’s life as a three year old in 2015, and they came to Blue Rider together in 2018. Svadi is currently the only privately owned horse in our herd. Like most Icelandics, Svadi is strong, thoughtful, calm, and brave. He also is very mischievous, and if he doesn’t have a job to do, he will find one! He loves to play with the other horses, especially Fritz and Falcur. Svadi is very well trained for his age and can teach riders quite a lot about clear and careful communication. He is very good at dressage and loves to jump! He also excels as a therapy horse and frequently tells the instructors what they ought to do (and he’s usually right). Svadi is very adventurous, and loves a challenge.
Svadi is a rarity, in that he has had very few injuries, and has always been treated well. We put a lot of effort into keeping his body strong and comfortable, so that he may continue to be a star in the program for years to come.
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Taquito was born during a tornado in 1995, and immediately orphaned. We rescued him off a slaughter-bound truck just a few months later, in 1996. Taquito thinks he is a horse, and he can do anything a horse can do. These days, age is taking its toll, and he doesn’t do many of the lessons he used to do. He still carries children, teaching them to be clear, correct and considerate in their riding, and he still delights in teaching young riders to canter. Taquito loves attention and ear scratches. He also often sticks out his tongue and sucks on it. In the spring of 2021, Taquito and Billy got their own donkeys-only shed, where they have their own space to eat and rest away from the big horses. Taquito needs extra support due to chronic Lyme disease, arthritis and age.
Update on Taquito:
Taquito was diagnosed with arthritis in his neck and shoulders months ago. Sadly, this is taking a toll on him, and we have decided to retire him from active duty. He is happily spending his time at the gate with Billy Boy, waiting for hugs and cuddles.
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Tonka came to Blue Rider in June 2021, at fifteen years of age. He came from a loving family who recognized that when his girl outgrew him, he would still like to have a job. Tonka has had extensive training in dressage and reining, loves to jump, and is very good at teaching riders all of his considerable skills. He is still learning how to be a therapy horse but he is catching on quickly to the lesson routine. Tonka is small but mighty, playful, friendly, and always tries his best.
He has some old injuries from a previous life, requiring support from our farrier and chiropractor, as well as regular bodywork from the instructors.
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Zora was not quite six years old when she came to us in 2018. She had been kept in a very small herd, and was very overweight, which caused stress to her legs and joints. In the time that she has been here, she has become a valuable member of the therapy program, a good herd-mate and a joy to work with. Zora is not very tall, but she is stout and strong, and has delightfully smooth, soft gaits. She can be slow and careful when called for, but joyously energetic and light on her feet when her rider wants to have fun. She is not always very confident outside of the ring, but she is learning to trust herself and her trainers.
Zora will always need extra exercise and careful feeding to maintain a healthy weight; also, stress from being ridden at a very young age has caused soundness issues that will need ongoing care.
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