Our Horses and their People

	Tisca (1985, Paso Fino, 14.0 hh) is one feisty little mare. She is biddable but is always asking if we couldn't go just a little faster. She will take you up to 15 mph at that incredibly smooth paso gait. Perky, friendly and inquisitive, with her striking pale buckskin coat, Tisca has a lot of fans among those who like a little bit of a challenge.
	BP (1995? Arab, 14.3 hh) is in his 20's. We have no papers for him, but there is no doubt about his Arab ancestry. You would be shocked if you saw one of his "before" pictures. His initials stand for "boney parts." Our soft-hearted horse dealer picked him up at the auction for next to nothing because she felt sorry for this skin-and-bones equine, and she passed him on to Pat at a low price. By cautiously increasing his feed we brought him up to fine form, and we now have an excellent lesson pony who only cost a few hundred dollars ... plus a lot of feed.
	Barney (1986, 1/2 Standardbred, 13.2 hh) is as long as a 14.2 horse and as wide as a 15.2 horse and has the ego of a 17.2 horse--at least. He doesn't look much like a Standardbred,but you won't doubt his ancestry once you experience his overdrive trot; he can trot faster than anything we have except Mack. Barney did some competitive trail with our former helper Alison. He is very dominant; when he passes by, almost all the other horses snap to attention and address him as "Mr. Pony, Sir!" His major excavations in the stall have earned him the name Barney Backhoe, but we wouldn't trade him for anything. Where would this website be without his popular column? Barney has added to his repertoire in recent years, learning a number of circus tricks such as playing a keyboard and brandishing a sword. Pat will be happy to demonstrate his talents at the drop of a curry comb.
	Dandee (1987, Arabian, 15.0 hh) was Pat's usual mount for competitive trail for many years. People who think that Arabians are hyper and goofy should try this laid-back boy. He is always quiet and gentle. His calm personality makes him an excellent lesson horse as well as helping him to finish with good results in competitive trail.
	Tico (1992, Thoroughbred X Peruvian Paso, 15.1 hh) did not inherit the paso gait, but has the smoothest trot you've ever experienced. He is very friendly and curious in a pushy sort of way, always picking up Vic's tools when he is working in the barnyard.
	Rocky (1995, Arab, 14.3 hh) is Roxy's son, though we just bought him recently and are very pleased with him. In a few months his smooth gaits and sweet temperament have made him popular with a lot of kids.
	Snowy (1998, Cremello, 15.1 hh) has big blue eyes. She has worked out very well as a lesson horse for older students.
	Cocoa (2000, Welsh/QH pony, 13.3 hh) is our latest addition.
	Seabreeze (2001, Arab/Quarter Horse, 14.3 hh)—Breeze, for short—was named for the seahorse silhouette on her forehead. She is a very pretty chestnut mare, and Pat plans to use her as her next mount for the longer rides and camping trips. Breeze has a very smooth trot and generally a sensible attitude.
	Brandi (2002, Belgian/QH, 15.2 hh) is the proud mother of Brandi's Surprize, seen below. She is a very quiet laid back mare, who was purchased to carry some of the larger adult students. We regret having her out of commission while she nurses her foal.
	Pat Gottlieb (no foaling dates given for humans) has been fascinated with horses ever since she was a very little girl. She took riding lessons at 13 and bought her first horse at 18. That first horse was soon killed in a barn fire, and she bought Lonesome shortly after. Pat has done just about every conceivable equestrian event: pleasure, Western games, cross-country jumping, competitive trail as well as week-long horseback camping trips. She has an immense library of horse books. Pat's was a primary school teacher for many years before retiring and thus has the background to set young riders at their ease. Her lessons and summer camps are a fun time for the kids. e-mail: [email protected].
	Vic Milne has been looking after horses since 1972, but didn't get into riding for a long time. When he moved in with Pat in 1989, he told her that he would help her look after the horses but didn't plan on getting any closer to a saddle than wearing English Leather aftershave. On a vacation in Cuba he accompanied Pat on a livery ride and had so much fun on his gaited horse that soon after their return Pat was shopping all over to find a Paso Fino for him. Tisca was soon purchased, and after that there was no stopping Vic. He does much of the maintenance work around the barn, tracks the finances, maintains this website, and does most of the cooking as Pat is out in the arena teaching lessons in the evening.

We've only tried breeding one of our mares a few times. We don't have much space for babies which take four years to grow up and become useful lesson horses. However, more than once one of our boarders has moved in a mare, never suspecting that it was in foal. It happened again this summer. Joan's black Rocky Mountain horse Sable gave birth to a little colt on July 18, 2010. He's been named for the time of day when he was born—Sundown.

However, this time he wasn't the only one. Pat got caught by surprise too. She had bought Brandi to be a lesson horse, and it wasn't until just a few weeks before she dropped the foal that we began to suspect. So this one is called Brandi's Surprize, or Prize, for short. She arrived early in the morning on the first day of Pat and Vic's vacation at Pinery Park (July 29, 2010), so Sara called on their cellphone to let them know. It's going to be hard to give up this one. She is very friendly and is likely to be very big. Mommy is a solid Belgian cross and the dealer says that the only potential father is a 17.2 hh warmblood.

Here the two babies play together in what we call the "playpen" as it is fenced with mesh to prevent little guys from squeezing through.