EquiShare Horses
The following is a brief history of the EquiShare horses. It is offered simply as a guideline to EquiShare members. Horses, of course, are unpredictable by nature and no person or document can completely describe or absolutely predict the behavior of any horse in all circumstances. Please remember that not every horse and rider are compatible and the fact that someone else has ridden the horse at Second Level or competed the horse at Novice does not necessarily mean that you can do so. By the same token, just because another member "doesn't get along with" a particular horse does not mean that you won't. The best approach is to ride all the horses at or below your level and make your own judgement.
Please also remember to check the log each time before you ride for the latest information
Please ride only horses at or below your riding level. Safety is our number one reason for rating the horses and riders. In addition, riding a horse above your level without incident does not mean that it was enjoyable to the horse, nor beneficial to his or her training. If you have difficulty with a particular horse you should plan to ride that horse in a lesson and let an instructor help you. A FREE monthly EquiShare lesson is the perfect time to do just that.
You may ride a horse rated one level up from your current rating, provided it is in a lesson. Before taking that horse in a group lesson, you should consult an instructor who is familiar with your riding to make sure that horse is an appropriate choice for you in a group lesson. If you would like to change your current rating, please see an instructor.
| Horse |
Level |
Description |
|---|---|---|
| Wickett | 2+ |
Started in the EquiShare program in 1994 and is one of our largest EquiShare horses. He has been shown through Second Level dressage. He wears “designer” shoes, so care should be taken when riding in the fields or trails. We do not jump him. |
| Breezy | 3 |
Breezy joined the EquiShare string in 2003, after being a school horse here for a few years. A lovely horse, lovely mover, whom dressage judges love. She can be behind the leg at times and benefits from a really forward warm up. Her trademark move is to stop and refuse to go forward, especially if the rider leans forward or grips with the knees. Use light, quick taps of the leg or whip, don't take too strong a contact initially and take care not to lean forward, and she will snap out of it. She is easy to tack and groom, both in the stall and in cross ties. Once you get her going, you can take normal contact, and her trot is to die for. Her canter needs a little support from the rider. She jumps, too! |
| Marilyn | 3+ |
Marilyn joined us in 2005 as a 12 year old Irish Sport Horse. She has been foxhunted and evented, and is a real sweetheart! |
| Hormiga | 4 |
Hormiga joined us in June 2006 as an 8 year old TB/QH mare. She is great on the flat, on the trails and over fences, although we are fitting her back up for jumping. Her owner (who is leasing her to us) retains the right to ride her on weekend mornings. |
| Somer | 4 |
Somer came to us in January 2006 as a 16 year old TBG gelding. He is extremely well mannered and has lovely, floating gaits. He is good on the trail (likes to be in or near the front) and is an honest jumper, although he can be a bit enthusiastic, especially after the jump. |
| Bart | 4 |
Bart came to us in 2005 as a 7 year old draft (Percheron, perhaps?) gelding. He is very sweet and quite fun to ride. Get help picking his feet if you have trouble picking them up. He is great on the trail, and is learning about jumping (in lessons only). He’s a big horse, and a big mover. Keep him straight and forward in the warm up. He knows his lateral work well, but needs to be warmed up with straightness and impulsion first. He can be impatient when mounting, so ask for help holding him if you need to. When grooming Bart in his stall, make sure to always close the stall door completely - or he will decide to leave! If you lead him to the cross ties, watch out for other horses food buckets down the aisle, he is always looking for a snack. ( You can lead him with his lead shank through the halter and carry a whip to help discourage this.)
|
| Bonnie | 4 |
Bonnie joined us in 2004 as an off-the-track 4 year old Thoroughbred. After receiving re-training by Reddemeade staff, she joined the ranks of EquiShare, and has been evented through Beginner Novice. An all-around, versatile horse, Bonnie has done stints as a Reddemeade lesson horse, in addition to her success as an EquiShare horse. |
| Roxy | 4+ |
Roxy is a kind and willing mare. She is forward but relatively uncomplicated on the flat. To preserve her soundness, we do not jump her. She joined us in 2000. |
| Annie | 4+ |
Annie is a Thoroughbred mare who is great on the flat. She needs a careful warm up to overcome occasional initial tension. Ride her in side reins or a running martingale to help relax her back. |
| Tiskit | 4+ |
Tiskit joined us in 2008 as an 11 year old TB gelding. He has had a career as a Hunter/Jumper. He is a sweet guy, but can occasionally be timid and spooky, so he needs to be ridden by a confident rider. |
| Juice | 4+ |
Juice joined us in 2009 as a 15.2H, 14 year old TBxQH gelding. Before coming to Reddemeade, he was shown in dressage up to Training Level 4, jumped, trail ridden and was used as a school horse. He is well mannered on the ground and loves attention. He may be jumped in lessons. He recently won his Training Level 2 test at the PVDA Schooley Mill show. He is for sale; see Jane for more information. |
| Sarge | 5 |
Sarge is a 17H Thoroughbred gelding who joined us in 2008. He has a wonderful, quiet temperament. His canter is still a little unbalanced, and his and jumping skills are a little green, so he should be jumped in lessons only until we get to know him a bit more. |
| Picasso | 5 |
Registered Friesian/Appaloosa cross. He was green broke when he was sent to us for training and eventual sale. His training is progressing well, and he is available for private lessons on the flat and over fences. He has a cute personality, and can be a bit lazy under saddle. He is for sale. |
| Chaka Zulu | 5 |
Chaka joined us in 2009 as a 12 year old, 13.2h large pony. Before coming to us, he was pony clubbed to C1 and advanced level mounted games. He has also been shown in Dressage to Training 1 and 2, show jumped to 2 feet and evented Novice. Recently placed 1st and 2nd at USDF Intro A & B at the PVDA Schooley Mill show. He has the typical pony willingness to be the boss, if you are not! He is for sale; see Jane for more information. |
| Georgia | 5 |
Georgia joined us in June 2007 as an 8 year old registered American Paint Horse mare. The following February, our growing suspicions were confirmed, and in March she presented us with a beautiful and spirited Paint filly (Cherokee Rose) whose father was apparently a racing Thoroughbred and a son of the great racehorse Smoke Glacken. Georgia is a lovely mover, still a little green in the canter. She is available for 30 minute private lessons for now, and does not jump. |
| Jacob | 5 |
Jacob joined us in 2010 as an 18 year old TB. He has shown through Training Level dressage. He is a sweet gentleman with great ground manners. We are not jumping him. |
| Andy | 5+ |
Andy joined us in late 2006 as an 11 year old Thoroughbred gelding, following a career on the race track and then several years as a hunter/jumper. He has a sweet personality, and is fun to ride. He loves to jump, but tends to rush his fences a bit, and since he is still recovering from surgery for removal of a splint bone, he is not jumping at the moment. He is for sale; see Jane for more info.Andy joined us in late 2006 as an 11 year old Thoroughbred gelding, following a career on the race track and then several years as a hunter/jumper. He has a sweet personality, and is fun to ride. He loves to jump. |
| Miss Hope | 5+ |
16 year old Thoroughbred mare. With a former career in the Hunter/Jumper ring, she had been donated to a private school in Western New York, who determined that her type and skills did not fit for their Western oriented riding program, so she came to us. As we work her into our program, she is available for private lessons on the flat. No jumping as yet. |
| Mr. Beaujangles | 5+ |
joined us in 2009 as a 7 year old Saddlebred gelding. Prior to coming here, he was trail ridden extensively, and had some basic dressage/flatwork. His trot has lots of suspension and float. He had no prior experience in jumping that we know of; we will be introducing him to that. So no jumping until we get him started with it. He is very kind and sane, but sensitive and alert to ride. He can be spooky outside of the arenas. He is great on the flat and knows his lateral work well. His canter is coming along nicely. He is very light in the rein, and will curl up if the rein is too short. Encourage him to stretch into a long frame. Do not longe him, as we are working on his acceptance of the longe whip without fear. He is an absolute sweetheart in the stall.
|
| Valentyno | 6 |
joined us in 2007 as a 16 year old Polish Thoroughbred gelding. He has been evented extensively through the Preliminary level, and is always a star in the dressage ring. He is a very sweet, but sometimes a little insecure, gentleman. He should be ridden only in lessons, and in side reins to relax his back. We do not jump him. Does best with a long and low approach to warm up. Please post your trot initially to give his back a chance to warm up. His canter can be very forward but smooth. At times he can be spooky about the open doors at the end of the arena. The best thing to do is just work him quietly through it. He should not be taken on trails. |
| Robert Redford | 6 |
Robert joined us in 2004 as a 19 year old Fourth Level Trakehner gelding. He made the trip here from Kentucky to join our "Schoolmaster" string, and is available for lessons only. He is a complete gentleman and very solid in his training, but reacts very acutely to the whip, so be judicious in its use! |