Wilby Wilby (registered name Wilbert) was born in Holland in 1999. Wilby is a purebred Friesian, descended from the warhorses ridden into battle by medieval knights. He is a perfect example of the kind temperament, intelligence and patience that the breed is known for. Pure black with a long mane and tail and “feathers” (long hair) around his fetlocks (ankles) he has become a favourite subject for our local horse-photographer, Leslie Town. His wonderful nature and rocking-horse movement make him popular with our volunteers, too, when it’s time to warm the horses up before a lesson. He is simply the kindest horse I have had the honour to work with, and he has won over more than one new rider who had some doubts about getting on a horse at all (in the end, the problem tends to be to get the riders off!).
Henk I bought Henk as a four-month-old weanling in 2002, and he immediately took over the farm. A Friesian like Wilby, Henk is much more of a character. Those of us who know him best joke that he would rather live in the house with the humans, watching TV and munching on popcorn, than in the barn with the other horses. He likes to pull zippers and untie shoelaces, tease dogs and cuddle with humans, sticking his big head into your arms and just “hanging out.” Doing work with Henk around is impossible. He likes to steal hammers and brooms, and always stands with his nose or feet in the exact spot where you need to hammer a nail or sweep the floor. Henk loves therapeutic riding lessons, flirting with his leader and trying to eat the stuffed toys the riders toss into buckets, but the bouncing of some of our bigger riders has proven to be hard on his back, so Henk is on sabbatical from therapeutic riding, filling in only as needed. He still likes to socialize in the stable, though!
Dooley Dooley is a 1988 Appaloosa gelding who was donated to our program by his owner, who had bought a younger horse for competition and worried that Dooley was not getting as much work and attention as he deserved. “He needs a job,” she told me on the phone. Now he has one. Rock-steady and kind, Dooley easily made the transition to therapeutic riding where he works with everyone from absolute beginners to the handful of advanced riders who are able to ride independently. Like Oscar, Dooley has “been-there-done-that” and knows his job like the old pro he is. In fact, the two old campaigners have become paddock buddies, and like to spend their time outdoors grazing together or just hanging out. In addition to providing us with another reliable school horse, Dooley has added some colour to our lessons: Appaloosas were bred by the Native Americans for, among other things, their brightly patterned coats which are often accented by striped hooves and a very short mane and tail.
Louis 2004 Canadian Horse (Cheval Canadien)
As a proud member of Canada’s national breed, Louis exhibits all the characteristics that make this a breed worthy of representing our wonderful country: strength of both body and character, together with a high degree of intelligence and remarkable hardiness. Louis moves through his world with a wary eye and ears always slightly back of vertical, indicating his refusal to simply accept things at face value. Despite his relatively small size (15’1’’ hh), he is “second in command” only to Wilby on the herd hierarchy, and has been known to chase the mighty Moose (17 hh Belgian-cross) away from a tasty pile of hay. Under saddle, Louis is rock-solid, refusing to be startled by snow-avalanches sliding off the arena roof or cats appearing suddenly over the kick-boards. He has been diligently schooled in therapy-horse skills by Joslyn, and recently joined our string of school horses, ready to take outstanding care of our special riders. Like Henk, Louis enjoys interacting with humans more than most horses do, and likes to have his active mind challenged.
Sunny Sunny is a lovely Standardbred gelding who has been kindly loaned to the Stonegate therapeutic riding program by the Couture family. His trainer had tried hard for several years to make Sunny into a racehorse, but he just doesn’t have that killer instinct that drives others of his kind to really, really want to come in ahead of everyone else. Now his days are spent hanging out with his friends in the paddock, having his coat and hooves polished to a glowing shine before taking one of his owners on a nice, relaxing ride, and helping out in our program two nights a week. We’re delighted to have Sunny available for some of our smaller riders. He is a sweet, gentle soul and a welcome addition to the program.
Wilby (registered name Wilbert) was born in Holland in 1999. Wilby is a purebred Friesian, descended from the warhorses ridden into battle by medieval knights. He is a perfect example of the kind temperament, intelligence and patience that the breed is known for. Pure black with a long mane and tail and “feathers” (long hair) around his fetlocks (ankles) he has become a favourite subject for our local horse-photographer, Leslie Town. His wonderful nature and rocking-horse movement make him popular with our volunteers, too, when it’s time to warm the horses up before a lesson. He is simply the kindest horse I have had the honour to work with, and he has won over more than one new rider who had some doubts about getting on a horse at all (in the end, the problem tends to be to get the riders off!).
I bought Henk as a four-month-old weanling in 2002, and he immediately took over the farm. A Friesian like Wilby, Henk is much more of a character. Those of us who know him best joke that he would rather live in the house with the humans, watching TV and munching on popcorn, than in the barn with the other horses. He likes to pull zippers and untie shoelaces, tease dogs and cuddle with humans, sticking his big head into your arms and just “hanging out.” Doing work with Henk around is impossible. He likes to steal hammers and brooms, and always stands with his nose or feet in the exact spot where you need to hammer a nail or sweep the floor. Henk loves therapeutic riding lessons, flirting with his leader and trying to eat the stuffed toys the riders toss into buckets, but the bouncing of some of our bigger riders has proven to be hard on his back, so Henk is on sabbatical from therapeutic riding, filling in only as needed. He still likes to socialize in the stable, though!
Dooley is a 1988 Appaloosa gelding who was donated to our program by his owner, who had bought a younger horse for competition and worried that Dooley was not getting as much work and attention as he deserved. “He needs a job,” she told me on the phone. Now he has one. Rock-steady and kind, Dooley easily made the transition to therapeutic riding where he works with everyone from absolute beginners to the handful of advanced riders who are able to ride independently. Like Oscar, Dooley has “been-there-done-that” and knows his job like the old pro he is. In fact, the two old campaigners have become paddock buddies, and like to spend their time outdoors grazing together or just hanging out. In addition to providing us with another reliable school horse, Dooley has added some colour to our lessons: Appaloosas were bred by the Native Americans for, among other things, their brightly patterned coats which are often accented by striped hooves and a very short mane and tail.
2004 Canadian Horse (Cheval Canadien)
Sunny is a lovely Standardbred gelding who has been kindly loaned to the Stonegate therapeutic riding program by the Couture family. His trainer had tried hard for several years to make Sunny into a racehorse, but he just doesn’t have that killer instinct that drives others of his kind to really, really want to come in ahead of everyone else. Now his days are spent hanging out with his friends in the paddock, having his coat and hooves polished to a glowing shine before taking one of his owners on a nice, relaxing ride, and helping out in our program two nights a week. We’re delighted to have Sunny available for some of our smaller riders. He is a sweet, gentle soul and a welcome addition to the program.
Moose, 2003 Belgian-cross gelding
Ronan, 2003 Clydesdale-cross gelding