Simply Sophisticated-Sophie
Sophie is a 14.3h Friesian/Morgan cross mare belonging to Meagan. Approximate DOB is 2000. Sophie's past isn't well known, but she came to Meagan in March of 2010 as a hopeful jumper prospect. She had very little training under saddle but was a complete angel on the ground. Sophie is very relaxed and isn't phased by much of anything, she can be handled by a toddler, but under saddle is a different story! When Meagan first started working her she was the most awkward and unbalanced horse. With a lot of blood, sweat, and tears she's come a long way with proper training over the years. The original goal with Sophie was novice level eventing, with the prospect of training. Meagan wasn't sure Sophie would make it far due to size and confirmation but Sophie exceeded everyone's expectations! Sophie's energetic and naturally lengthened trot is stunning to watch and always gets good scores in Dressage, if you can hold her together. She is proven through third level, helping another rider achieve their Bronze Medal, but due to life Meagan was never able to attend the shows needed herself. Sophie loves to jump and is a technical, yet safe, ride and Meagan really enjoys the challenge. Sophie and Meagan have only competed through Training level, and always place between 1st and 3rd. (highest final score of the day when they placed 1st, finishing on a 25.9 dressage score!) but have schooled some prelim. Sophie has done up to 4' at home but not enough for a full course. Sophie just seems to always exceed expectations with her amazing heart and try! Sophie is a dream come true. She was purchased for only $750, under weight and scraggly with no muscle, and came from an owner who was too afraid to ride her due to her willingness to go and big step. Meagan made the switch to eventing after purchasing Sophie, and her honesty to fences and love for xc has made it a great learning experience even though neither had done it before. Sophie's heart and try, paired with Meagan's determination and ambition, made for a great pair to learn and progress together in new disciplines. Sophie regularly is used for lessons to teach others as well. Want to know more about this fantastic little mare??? Follow Meagans blog "The Little Horse That Could!"
Wryn
“Wryn” is a rescue Arabian mare owned by Katherin. Wryn was adopted in 2017 as a green broke mare that needed a lot of trust and work done. She was very scared of a lot of handling and general daily tasks, even nervous simply having people around, so a lot of ground work was done to build her trust and confidence. She is 14.3h and approximate DOB is 2004. Before coming to Katherin she is none to have had one foal, it is expected she had more prior to ending up at the rescue. Wryn is a pretty level headed Arabian, but she is a mare! She can be sassy and opinionated, throwing tantrums and has her quirks about what she will and won’t tolerate. She is very intelligent and picks up on all training quickly. Katherin hopes to use her for endurance and just enjoys having a horse to grow with. They have been working on dressage work as Wryn was still very green under saddle and have made a lot of progress in Wryn carrying herself better and responding to seat and leg aids. They have done a little jump training, which was very scary for Wryn but she worked through and had been doing small jumps. She had gone on trails and an endurance training ride where she had handled herself beautifully and is showing promise to be a steady mount for Katherin to get started in endurance on!
Invite A Dancer-Luna
Luna is a 2017 APHA mare, 15.3h and growing, that was originally purchased for breeding and potentially a future grandkids horse. She is now owned by the boarder, Brooke, and has been under saddle for about a year now. Luna is still in light work and mainly just doing trails as she is still young and growing. Luna is coming along easily and has a great mind, naturally self confident, and while she can be a bit of a doofus she catches on very quickly to everything under saddle. She is sweet natured and offers rather minimal tantrums through training when she doesn't understand or doesn't want to do something. She is on the lazier side but is willing. Despite her age she is well mannered and you would think she's been under saddle for years given how relaxed she is at every new experience. Everyone loves the opportunity to ride Luna. She is responsive to light aids and has potential for any discipline, but was bred for the hunter ring. Her trot is smooth and eye catching and that canter is exceptional!!! She has the canter all equestrians dream of across an open field with your hair blowing in the wind. Brooke takes Luna off property as often as she can. They hack up the roads on a regular basis and occasionally catch a ride with local trail riders to go out on trails. In Summer of 2021 Luna even went to a judged trail competition and completed the majority of the obstacles without issue even though most of that she had never encountered or been trained for! She is a steady and sane mount that is a joy to ride and is coming along nicely under her amateur owner. Brooke is enjoying this journey in bringing along her young horse and its a new experience for them both!
I Am Ready- Feyre
Jockey Club: Jumpzar, May 31, 2019 Filly out of Jump Start. Raced four times, too slow so she was pulled from racing. Meagan purchased her April 8th, 2022 and her last race was March 23,2022. She is sweet but can be pushy and very distracted on the ground. She is still a baby so she was given a lot of time to let down and time to mature some! Most work sessions involve just grooming and handling to teach better manners and focus a baby brain. As of 2023 her work consists of the round penned, ponied off of Sophie on and off property, and ridden briefly every week or so. Feyre is built quite petite so her workload will be minimal until she has done more growing. She is a sweet personality that gets a lot of love and affection at the barn and has so far been a very easy ride with a great brain. Meagan is very excited to bring her along!
*On a whim Meagan decided to put a handful of rides on Feyre to take her to a poles class in March 2023. Feyre was very level headed and didn't put a foot wrong! They even came home with ribbons. It was a wonderful test to see how Feyre would mentally handle off property in a show atmosphere and Meagan was very pleased.
*On a whim Meagan decided to put a handful of rides on Feyre to take her to a poles class in March 2023. Feyre was very level headed and didn't put a foot wrong! They even came home with ribbons. It was a wonderful test to see how Feyre would mentally handle off property in a show atmosphere and Meagan was very pleased.
Wave Jumper- Beauty
Sonny Boy
Sonny Boy is another rescue horse owned by Katherin, or moreso Katherins mother. Sonny has a stifle issue that prevents him from being a riding horse and has made him the most puppy dog of pasture ornaments. He was born in 2010 and raised on treats and love, which makes him lack personal space, but he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He is still playful with horses in the herd, crowds EVERYONE, and needs more manners training. Sonny ocassionally is ponied from other horses and gets exercised around the fields or even on hacks down the road! He may he taught to lightly pull a sled around for winter, but other than that is just left to be a horse with occasional ground work so he remembers he’s a big horse and not a lap dog. He is bombproof and confident, it’s a shame he can’t be a kids pony! Sonny is a welsh/paint mix that was rescued as a foal. He’s truly just a big dork.
Annika
Hogwarts Express- Scooter
Scooter pony is a 12.1hh Welsh/Hackney cross owned by Meagan. Scooter is a happily ever after story. In 2009-2010 Meagan was boarding elsewhere and just starting with training horses. Scooter belonged to the farm owner, had been started and then tossed in a field and left alone. He was obese, over grown feet, lacked some manners, but was adorable and sweet. For fun Meagan restarted him and fell in love. They went to two shows together, got him jumping 3', and just simply bonded tightly and had fun doing everything together. She named him Scooter since he had a habit of scooting right out from underneath you. She begged to buy him, even writing letters to the owners after buying Sophie and leaving their farm. The owners never responded. A decade later she got a call and was offered Scooter as they were no longer able to keep him. On 01/18/2020 Meagan picked up Scooter and brought him home. He was again obese, had awful feet, and needed vet care. Months later and he was significantly better and now Meagans son, Preston, gets to enjoy him. Meagan is restarting Scoot again but he still remembers a lot. Preston adores his pony and has really blossomed into loving horses because of him. He is the most adorable pony ever and everyone loves him. He is a real gem of a horse. Hopefully Preston and Scooter can have many years together so Preston can learn and maybe do small local shows. Scooter is approximately 2002 DOB but hopefully has more years to train Preston. Their love and connection are priceless!
***Scooter is currently being leased out in Staunton as a childrens lesson pony***
***Scooter is currently being leased out in Staunton as a childrens lesson pony***
Previous Beloved Horses
Caesar belongs to Amy and his breeding is unknown. Everyone has some guesses! Caesar is a tank of a large pony but is a blast to ride! He is confident and steady, with an extremely smooth trot, which makes him a great trail partner. He is just fun to be with which makes him very well loved. Amy has had him for a long time and enjoyed many years of riding him in almost everyone discipline. Amy naturally rides and works on low level dressage in general, but she's also competed Caesar in games (where he excelled), has done some hunter shows, fox hunts, and is a good trail mount. Occasionally Caesar acts as lesson pony for friends who want to try their hand at riding, and sometimes even goes off for Summer horse camps. Caesar is a very smooth ride, but can get a little quick at the canter. Amy loves to just come and hack on him as he is a terrific stress reliever. Plus he's just so darn adorable!
Caesar is now retired and living out his days as herd boss. He has some medical issues that caused his retirement so his days are filled with being loved on, hanging out with his best pal Jett, and getting very excited about dinner!
Caesar is now retired and living out his days as herd boss. He has some medical issues that caused his retirement so his days are filled with being loved on, hanging out with his best pal Jett, and getting very excited about dinner!
Leo
Leo is a 15.2h Kiger Mustang/Thoroughbred cross purchased in March 2012 by Meagan. DOB 03\01\2010. He is a dun with tiger striped legs, dark dorsal, shoulder bars, and black tipped ears. He is a looker! Meagan always dreamed of having a buckskin sport horse, and she pretty much got it! Leo's sire, Tesoro De Mi Corazon, was a wild caught Kiger who bred in captivity with a TB mare on a stormy night after a tree knocked down his fence line. Leo was a mistake, but turned out to be a good one! He is extremely intelligent, lovable, full of himself, and always making everyone laugh. He nibbles whatever is within reach, and is constantly getting into EVERYTHING. He loves to come to a whistle and trot or canter around the field while Meagan runs through it. He is great at bonding and ground work, smooth under saddle, but a big wimp who is too athletic for his own good. Oh, and he's a melodramatic gelding that acts like a mare! Meagan had hopes for him as a great jumper and eventing prospect. Leo has the athleticism but not the heart so the expectations have changed over the years as he can be a little on the lazy side and lacks confidence. His trot is gorgeous when you get him moving with impulsion and is so smooth. Leo can be a wimp and can spook easily and lacks confidence to fences, so while 9/10 rides Leo is an uncomplicated ride, just as long as you show you're the leader from the beginning, if his mustang self preservation kicks in he can see monsters in every corner and can basically teleport out from under you if he is scared enough. He can be ridden by young kids most days yet can sometimes require an advanced rider. He is the type that needs to be regularly worked off property in order to be brave enough to compete well, and confidently, and due to Meagans inability to do that often enough he hasn't been pushed to jump as much as she had hoped. He did beautifully at his jumper show, winning ribbons in every class 2-4th, after getting the wimpyness out in the warmup. There is a lot of potential there in the right circumstance. He is full of personality and charm and is just fun to have around and play with. He is currently leased out to a more beginner rider who is thoroughly enjoy him for mainly flat work and occasional jumping as they progress together. ***Leo is being leased out as a hunter horse, which he prefers, at Jacobs Run Equestrian Center where he is loved and cherished!*** Leo SOLD to a rider at Jacobs Run and they're doing amazing!
Rune
Jockey Club name "Spirit of Caledon"- 02/01/2014 Off the track Thoroughbred. "Rune" last raced in November 2020 and was purchased by Meagan December 8, 2020. He had a good racing career, almost a war horse with 45 races! He was bred and started in Canada before coming to the states. Total earnings $137,999 and raced in Canada, Florida, Arkansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. He has traveled more than most of us! Meagan wanted to try her hand at an OTTB but didn't *need* another horse, so she searched and waited for an awesome one to come along. She wanted looks, a certain ride, and a certain personality. Hes got the looks, so check. Ad said "wicked cool dude with tons of personality" CHECK! Followed by "forward ride" check! So Meagan bit the bullet and "bought the damn horse". Rune has been a complete charm since arriving and has big shoes to fill to replace Sophie in the coming years. So far, personality wise, he is doing a great job. He loves being loved on, is such a sweetheart who thoroughly enjoys head scratches, is super easy to deal with in every way on the ground, and returns affection with placing his head against your body and pushing into you whenever you're close to him. He makes everyones heart melt, and makes them laugh, with what we call his "smokers neigh". He rarely lets out a full neigh, its more of a raspy whisper of a neigh. He had a few rides early on just to test him out where he was ridden w/t/c, taken on his first trail and hack down the road, and ridden in the open fields. He was a saint for it all. He is currently just sitting around being a horse while he makes his changes from track life to a more normal life. He needs to gain weight, grow good hooves, and go through the process of abscesses (new and old), and once he blossoms through all of this he will then be started back into work and start training her a new potential career in eventing. His long vacation is spent getting loved and groomed and just being allowed to get dirty and roll around and learn to be in a herd, in which hes the low man and gets pushed around frequently.
*Rune was found to have arthritis in his hocks. So instead of injections to allow him to go on to jump it was decided to sell him. He is now at a local trail barn which is much easier on his joints! He is missed!*
*Rune was found to have arthritis in his hocks. So instead of injections to allow him to go on to jump it was decided to sell him. He is now at a local trail barn which is much easier on his joints! He is missed!*
-Willow
"Willow" is another off the track thoroughbred, JC name Trafficplan, who was purchased in May 2020 by Kaylyn. Willow was born 04/14/2015 and raced 19 times in Maryland and West Virginia earning a total of $81,705. Willow was rehomed through the After The Races OTTB adoption program. Willow is very sweet and easy to handle. She loves kids and enjoys human company. She is a very sweet mare in the herd and is currently best friends with Luna and Apollo. Kaylyn gave Willow the downtime she needed to go through her changing process from track to normal horse and only did groundwork during that time. Willow had some hoof issues, and a lot of abscesses, that lead to a long process of minimal to no work. She was able to be a horse in the herd and recover and heal and had her first ride in January 2021 after doing groundwork to build a bond and bring her back from her vacation. Due to more hoof issues Willow has had intermittent work but things are looking up. She has only had a few rides post track, as of August 2021, but she has been a doll for each ride. Kaylyn is currently learning to long-line Willow while Meagan coaches and does the riding since Kaylyn is expecting her second child. Kaylyn can not wait to get to start building with this mare that she cherishes so much!
Incredible Machine- “Eddie”
Eddie is a leased horse who is boarding at the farm. He was born right down the road in 2010 and is 15.2h and is extremely adorable and blind in one eye. He is “owned” by Brooke, who wanted a steady Eddie (pun intended) horse to re-build confidence on while still in college. Eddie has proved to be perfect for anything and everything she’d want to do! He learns quickly, as she trains him through dressage and away from his hunter background. He is very sane, almost
bombproof, and has a gentle nature and great heart. He is a lover that tries for you and really wants to please you. They’ve been working on him and really getting him engaged and carrying himself, all while Brooke works on herself and advancing along. Eddie is helping Brooke get confidence back in jumping and they also just play around and have fun in their partnership. Eddie is easy for everything and is level headed with new experiences. Brooke, other than pampering him endlessly, hopes to get into low level showing with him but mainly is building confidence and advancing her abilities. While he may be a lease, she’s hoping he turns into very long term!
Unfortunately Eddie had some meniscus injuries, that with miles and age, became painful for him to continue as a riding mount. While Brooke was devastated to loose him as her lease she had to do what was right for him and he is now living a retirement life with his owner. Brooke occasionally visits and still loves him immensely! We miss Eddie, he was such a great horse!
bombproof, and has a gentle nature and great heart. He is a lover that tries for you and really wants to please you. They’ve been working on him and really getting him engaged and carrying himself, all while Brooke works on herself and advancing along. Eddie is helping Brooke get confidence back in jumping and they also just play around and have fun in their partnership. Eddie is easy for everything and is level headed with new experiences. Brooke, other than pampering him endlessly, hopes to get into low level showing with him but mainly is building confidence and advancing her abilities. While he may be a lease, she’s hoping he turns into very long term!
Unfortunately Eddie had some meniscus injuries, that with miles and age, became painful for him to continue as a riding mount. While Brooke was devastated to loose him as her lease she had to do what was right for him and he is now living a retirement life with his owner. Brooke occasionally visits and still loves him immensely! We miss Eddie, he was such a great horse!
Chance is a retired OTTB owned by Amy. Amy bought Chance and put a lot of work into him. He never quite made it to being a riding horse for anything less than a more advanced rider, but Amy loved the challenge and quirkiness.He is another sassy ride that can throw in some athletic antics. Chance is a nice jumper, but is very forward to fences and gets a little carried away. He has springy movement and did well for low dressage work. His trot is beautiful and he does great lateral work! Chance loves to be pampered on and is one of the top horses in the field. Even in his old, grumpy, age he still bolts and kicks in the field. Chance LOVES being a "babysitter" for the foals and takes his job very seriously. He is now on a retirement companion lease off farm.
Chance sadly had to be euthanized after breaking a leg in a field accident on his lease. Chance was a character that is definitely missed!
Cupcake
Cupcake was a mini purchased as a pair for the farm owners grandchildren. After living a retired life of beating up most of the other horses because, come on, shes a small chestnut pony mare, she now is living off property with a boarder as a companion pony and love toy for her young son. Cupcake can be a sassy little thing if you try to make her do something she doesn't want to do and has the typical love/hate relationship with other horses. She will peacefully live out her years beating up horses much bigger than her.