Our Horses

Seventeen horses currently participate as co-therapists in Equi-Rhythm programs. Ten of these are owned by Equi-Rhythm and the other seven belong to boarders at Mountain Meadow Holistic Equestrian Center (MMHEC), co-located Joder Arabian Ranch with Equi-Rhythm, who have generously offered us the use of their horses at no cost to the program. The following are the horses for whom Equi-Rhythm is responsible.

ALFRED

Alfred is a very special Haflinger colt with an interesting story. Alfred was born in 2006 with numerous deformities. His ears are attached more to the side of his head than the top and are floppy and twisted. His mouth is longer on one side than the other and there is quite a difference in the size of the nostrils. Alfred and his dame, Rosie, were purchased at a spring Haflinger sale in Ohio by Sara Haas of Sure Shot Haflingers, Longmont. After seeing the pair prior to the auction and noting the mare’s poor condition and Alfred’s multiple deformities, Sara said, “That night I continued to think about the little mare with the sweet disposition and the sad state of affairs she and her colt were in. I just couldn’t get them off my mind.” When the pair came up for auction the next day, according to Sara, “I found my bid card raised and became the owner of Rosie and Alfred.” Upon re-turning to Colorado, Sara began looking for an equine therapy program that might be in-terested in Alfred once he was weaned. She contacted Caroline Roy, who knew as soon as she laid eyes on Alfred that he would be a great fit for the Equi-Rhythm program. “The fact that Alfred is not perfect is something that youth in the program will be able to relate to. He will be a good teacher.” Alfred is enjoying being with the Equi-Rhythm herd in Pen 10.

BEAU

In June 2005, Anna Wood agreed to allow Equi-Rhythm to “borrow” Beaudachius, af-fectionately called Beau, for summer horse camp. Born in 1985, Beau is a chestnut Polish Arabian. Anna fell in love with Beau who became her junior young rider horse and, with Julie Barringer-Richers’ tutorship, turned Beau into an accomplished second-level dres-sage horse. He placed third at the Canadian National Championships and was Reserve Champion at the Denver Stock Show in hunter pleasure. When Beau was retired from showing dressage, he became a schooling horse for young riders at Bell Park Arabians. The Wood family has since donated Beau to Equi-Rhythm, where he lives in Pen 10.

BUZZY 2

Born in 1988, Buzzy is a gray gelding who lives in Pen 8. He was purchased by Mark Bishop of Sombrero Ranch in Mexico when he was seven years old. According to Caro-line, “Buzzy was Mark's personal horse for the past 11 years and regularly participated in Sombrero's annual horse drive, parades, and cattle roundups. You can see Buzzy in the pictures on the Sombrero website that advertises the annual horse drive. Last year he led the Tucson Parade with the parade matron of honor, an 82-year-old woman, astride him. Sombrero allowed me to use Buzzy for the Marty Marten Horse Clinic Benefit last fall and I fell in love with him and purchased him for Equi-Rhythm. Buzzy comes with his issues, namely he is head shy and historically hard to catch. But he is a pleasure to ride and will be used for Equi-Rhythm summer camp and as a schooling horse. We are calling him Buzzy 2 to distinguish him from Bob Joder’s gray Arab, also called Buzzy.”

CASSIE

Cassie is a Morgan mare who was abused as a young filly and was very scared and skittish in her former life. Cassie was adopted by Equi-Rhythm when her owner had to bring his horse operation to a close. She is the mother of Story, a lovely young Morgan mare who also lives at Joder Ranch. Cassie lives with the Equi-Rhythm horses in Pen 10, where she has adjusted very well and seems to have a lot more confidence.

CHARLIE

Charlie is a bay Arab with those classically beautiful looks that make many a young girl a horse lover for life. He was born March 2, 1982, and has the personality of a typical Pi-sces – sweet, gentle, and sometimes a bit neurotic! His former owner, Liz Gould, met Charlie when she came to Joder Ranch after a sixteen- year hiatus from horses. Charlie was a Joder horse bought for the purpose of being a school horse. Liz believes he came from a cow-working ranch where his sensitive Arab nature was grossly misunderstood. She says, “He was the second horse I had a lesson on and even though he was difficult to the extent that almost nobody else would ride him, it was love at first ride and from then on he was the only horse for me. This was despite the fact that he was skittish, would fling himself away from the approaching saddle and quiver, leap over the entrance into and out of the indoor arena and completely be terrified to go out on the trail. (His nick-name was Cha Cha Charlie because of his inability to stand still.) Not to mention that he was off with sprained fetlocks a good part of the time. No matter to me. The spell was cast. And I decided to buy him.” After several years of kindness, patience, and love, Charlie’s true nature came out and he is now the most wonderful, trusting, and friendly horse who, Liz says, “has taught me volumes about life, love, trust, and true friendship.” After many years of keeping him exclusively to herself, Liz decided to share her “noble beast” with others. Now he is an Equi-Rhythm horse and he can continue to do what he has always done best: share his love of life and people with others, because Charlie is truly a very special horse.

LI’L JOE (TOKONAVE)

Joe is a very special horse. His name is from the T.V. show Bonanza. Little Joe Cartwright was a character on the show who galloped around the Ponderosa Ranch in Wyoming on a horse that looked just like Joe. His show name is Tokonave, which is an American Indian name from the Navajo Reservation. Joe was born on the Navajo Reservation and lived there for many years. He was branded on the reservation by the Navajos. The Navajo traditionally slit their horse’s left ear. Ouch, I bet Joe did not like that! Joe was bought by the head of the CSU Veterinary School who liked his wonderful black and white patterned coat. He was sold to a young girl showing 4-H and dressage. Joe was a champion dressage horse when he was 14 and won a state championship – no small feat for a pony who was competing against many expensive and very large warmblood horses. He was eventually sold to the Linfield family who wanted a safe horse for their two daughters. The girls outgrew Joe and the family wanted to see Joe help other children and he was gratefully donated to Equi-Rhythm as the program’s first equine therapy horse. Joe has touched many children’s lives and continues to impart his wisdom to those who work with him.

SEQUOIA

Born in 1983, Sequoia is a dark bay mare who has a son, Mystic, born in 2000. The DeGroves, Sequoia’s former owners, donated her to Equi-Rhythm because of her big heart and her need to continue to teach young children after her many years of taking care of RoseAnna DeGrove, who was five when her mom got Sequoia. RoseAnna took lessons and was involved in 4-H. At the annual Joder Ranch Halloween show, she and Sequoia were ballerinas and Sequoia wore a giant tu-tu. RoseAnna became a confident rider because Sequoia took such good care of her and made sure she was safe. RoseAnna showed Sequoia in dressage and went to championships one year. Sequoia is the sweetest and most motherly horse and she loves children. She lives with many other Equi-Rhythm horses in Pen 10.

SUNNY B

Sunny B belonged to an elderly man who owned and loved him for many years, but he had a stroke and had to give Sunny away. He was adopted by Knick o’ Time Horse Rescue and Rehabilitation, a local horse-rescue organization which has partnered with Rocky Mountain Equi-Rhythm to foster horses, with the goal of integrating them into the Equi-Rhythm programs or finding them a suitable adoptive family. Sunny has since been adopted by Equi-Rhythm. His feet were in very bad condition when he arrived and he is being sponsored by Kelly Kanizay, an MMHEC boarder, in our “adopt-a-horse” program, through which boarders can sponsor a horse in the program by covering some or all of their bills. Kelly generously has assumed responsibility for Sunny’s farrier bills. Sunny lives in Pen 10 with most of the other Equi-Rhythm horses.

TUCKER

Greentree T. Tucker was born at Greentree Morgan Ranch in Loveland, Colorado, on April 21, 1987. A beautiful bay gelding, Tucker is a teacher, full of joy. Charlotte Hanks, his young former owner, said of Tucker that he is the “top dog, proud, loves to play and work everyday. He has always been a kid’s school horse and dressage horse his whole life and he loves trail riding. He has always been owned by a girl. He loves to show off and is gorgeous and knows it. He is never afraid to correct you. When Tucker was a very small colt he was bitten on the nose by a rattlesnake. His nose swelled up so much he could no longer breathe. The vet had to drop what he was doing to rush to Tucker’s rescue to perform a tracheotomy. If it was not for this vet, Tucker would not have survived.” Tucker was donated with lots of love to Equi-Rhythm by Charlotte because she thinks the ranch is where he is the happiest. According to Charlotte, “He loves to teach kids and eat carrots and apples and although he is aging, he still has lots of bucks left in him. When you have a chance, please visit our friend, Tucker, and slip him a carrot or two.”

YAHTZEE

Jesse Hunter, Yahtzee’s former owner, says “Yahtzee is an amazing little mare who will touch your heart. I got Yahtzee when I was 6 years old. My mom had found her in some magazine, and I thought it was so cool to get a horse from so far away! She was from North Carolina, which was the other side of the world to me then. I remember the day she arrived. I led her out of the trailer, and everyone was amazed at how well behaved she was. Yahtzee has always been a very slow mover, but I have always loved speed. It was so funny to watch my brother or my mom ride her. They could never get her to move very quickly, and my brother couldn’t even make her trot in the beginning. When I would get on, though, that little pony would fly around the arena. We always got along very well. She was the perfect little show pony. I was flying higher than a kite when I got my 75% at Intro on her. She taught us all how to jump. She was a fine little jumper. I used to love cantering over the cross-country course. I always thought she was my little gold pony, because after I would give her a bath she would shine as if she was made of the brightest gold. She was a spunky pony though. Every year in the spring we would have to have our ritual dumping. I would be cantering on the trail, and she would simply take off and throw me, and then we could go on with our year. She is one of my favorite horses I have ever had. She will still whinney to me when I go visit her. We will never lose that bond. When I got to be too big to really ride her any more I would take her for walks like she was a dog, and we would go running across the fields, and she would just light up. She would nuzzle me if I was feeling down, and bump me with her nose to make me realize that she was there and how special she is. And I will never forget how special she is, because she has entered my heart in a way that no other has ever been able to do.” The Hunter-Carr family donated Yahtzee to Equi-Rhythm so that she could touch the hearts of those with special needs. She continues to live with her long-time companion, Sassafras, in Pen 2.

Why Horses?

Why does Rocky Mountain Equi-Rhythm ask horses to be part of our program? For many reasons, they are perfectly suited to help us help our clients:

  • Horses provide the opportunity to have a relationship with another living creature.
  • Horses require being “in the moment,” hard work, responsibility, communication skills, and assertiveness.
  • Horses are honest. Their reactions provide a powerful evaluative and intervention tool. Individuals seem to be able to hear a message and apply it to other life situations if it is in the context of their interaction with the horse.
  • Horses have the ability to mirror human body language. Statements such as “the horse doesn’t like me” provide opportunity for individuals to discover that if they change how they interact with the horse, the horse will respond differently towards them.
  • Like humans, horses are social animals. Horses have defined roles/jobs in their herd and have individual characteristics. Horses, like humans, do not all respond the same way to a situation. Horses provide countless opportunities to use metaphors with youth and often parallel what is going on with that individual.
  • Horses create a learning environment that allows direct interaction between adults and youth, where the horse is the teacher and all the rest are students.
  • Horses are awesome creatures both in size and power. From the first interaction, two components are set in place: the youths are removed from a comfortable setting where their problem behavior works for them. They are in a highly structured setting where their safety depends on listening and following rules. This sets the stage for effecting change.
Horses, like many other animals, have telepathic abilities based on the bond they have with other horses and humans. They are powerful spiritual creatures.

 

Our Horses- Continued

The following horses are owned by MMHEC boarders, who allow their use in the Equi-Rhythm program. Equi-Rhythm is grateful to have these wonderful horses in our program.

BJ

BJ is a chestnut appaloosa gelding (more white every year) who has been owned by Pat Cantwell since about 1999. He's a grade horse but he does have a brand and Pat thinks he must have some quarter horse in him. He has long been a favorite lesson horse because of his even temperament, especially for beginners. He’s at home in Pen 10 with most of the Equi-Rhythm horses, since he is used in the program.

CINNAMON

Cinnamon, owned by the Tierney family, is a quarter horse mare with quite a history! According to Jenni, Cinnamon was born in 1982 and began her life working in the Marlboro herd as a photo-shoot horse and then went on to be a polocross competitor. (Polocross is like polo but played with lacrosse sticks.) In about 1990, Jenni’s Aunt Maggie brought Cinnamon to her home in the Sopris Mountain area near Aspen. Then, ten years later her aunt gave Cinnamon to Jenni and she went to live at Jenni’s place with Jenni’s gelding, Cisco. Now both Cisco and Cinnamon live at Joder Ranch in Pen 9. According to Jenni, “Cinnamon is stiff and very sore, suffers from lameness from her early hard use, and I just want to give her a lot of TLC and make her as comfortable as possible in her later years. I’ve taken it slowly, to find out what she is up to, and am doing with her whatever she is able to do that will make her happy. She has been such a good horse and not always had an easy life, so I want to give her the world. She is very happy at Joder’s and I feel that she is ready to participate in Equi-Rhythm programs where the kids just groom and take care of the horse. We’ll see what happens.”

CISCO

Born in 1984, Cisco is a registered buckskin quarter horse gelding, whom Jenni Tierney bought from a family in Golden. She has owned him since 2003 and says he is a friend for her whole family (which includes twin girls). Cisco is a sweet, gentle horse who lived at home with Jenni’s family on their ranch while waiting for an opening at Joder Ranch. Jenni says she had heard such wonderful things about JAR that she jumped at the chance when there was finally space available. Jenni grew up on a cow ranch and spent a lot of time in the saddle, working cattle, but she has also done some jumping. Currently she is trying to find more time to take Cisco on the trail, her favorite kind of riding. She especially enjoys Centered Riding and Natural Horsemanship clinics to improve her riding and her relationship with Cisco. And because Cisco is such a reliable gentleman who loves the attention of children, she generously donates his time to the Equi-Rhythm program. He lives in Pen 9 with his best friend, Cinnamon, also owned by the Tierney family.

DOC

“Doc – the most wonderful horse alive (in my opinion anyway)!” says Doc’s owner Nina Lewis, Caroline Roy’s daughter. “Doc is one of those ‘once in a lifetime horses’ that has a giant heart of gold. He came to us young, sassy, and a fun challenge for my mother to start to train. Doc became my family’s pleasure horse and soon my 4-H horse. He has lived at Joder Arabian Ranch with the same herd since he was 5 years old. I showed him in the spring and summer and trail rode and continued to learn the rest of the year. He was a quarter horse but never took to western much, although he tried it, but we generally were the ones racing around the show ring twice as fast as the other western horses! Even though he was a bit of a wild man, he always took good care of me and we always seemed to do all right in the show ring together as well. As time went on I decided dressage was going to be my forte and that Doc would be my noble steed, and noble he was. He was ‘just a quarter horse,’ as so many people said, but he had the talent and passion to excel as if he were an expensive warmblood. In 1994 we became reserve grand champions in the state of Colorado, and were ranked 4th in the region at training level dressage. And throughout those years in the show ring we had such a blast. We both grew older and backed off on the competition side of things a bit, but we still enjoy a good ride in the dressage ring or a gallop up the mountain from time to time. Most of the time now, when he is not helping out Equi-Rhythm, he is loved and enjoyed by my mother as a trail horse. Although I hate to admit it he is now in his 20s, but I guess time just keeps marching on…and besides he is going to live to be a hundred anyway, so it doesn’t matter!”

PRINCETON

Princeton is a palomino quarter horse with a large white blaze and four white socks, owned by Connie and Mark Hopkins, who allow him to be used in the Rocky Mountain Equi-Rhythm program. According to Connie, “Princeton arrived at JAR in 1987 when he was 7 years old. As a youngster he was trained to be a barrel racer but he didn’t have the necessary speed. Luckily for me my husband purchased him and he has been part of our family and Joder Ranch ever since! Princeton’s given name is Princeton Blue, because of his blue eyes. Grazing is his number one favorite thing to do and if there is no grass, then he is on the lookout for a horse cookie or other handout. He can be a bit mouthy which has been a trait from day one, although this behavior has mellowed as he has aged. Another of his favorite things is ‘horsing around’ with his many four legged buddies! As Princeton has gotten older he has become more finicky about eating grain and therefore from time to time has difficulty maintaining a good weight. He is currently getting custom mixture of grains and supplements twice a day plus cubes in the evening. Depending on the taste of his taste buds, he may not eat his entire ration of food – the saying ‘eating like a horse’ no longer applies to him. Princeton is a very gentle and enjoyable riding horse who is comfortable on a solo trail ride or with a group. He is a very willing horse, always wanting to please, whether he is wearing western or English tack. Just as he helped me learn the importance of good horsemanship skills as well as being a thoughtful, conscientious horse owner, he now helps Equi-Rhythm and 4-H participants learn those same lessons.”

SCOTTY

Scotty (Scotts Gray Bee) is a purebred quarter horse, born in 1985, who was bred from world renowned stock. He spent four years on the eventing circuit where he won several championships and was featured in several equestrian magazines. He sustained a serious injury to his right hind leg while eventing and underwent surgery to place rods and pins in his leg. After the surgery he was unable to return to his life as an eventer and was donated to the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center as a therapy horse. He lived and worked at CTRC for seven years and was able to assist many riders during his tenure there. As is common with therapy horses, he started to show signs of stress with that job and a decision was made to retire him from service at CTRC. According to his current owner, MMHEC boarder Sandi Rosewell, “I had been Scotty’s barn buddy during most of his stay at CTRC, so I told the barn manager that I would love to adopt him. I adopted him in January of 2005 and brought him to Joder Ranch where he has served on occasion as a therapy lesson horse for Bob Joder (as well as other fortunate riders). You can easily recognize him as one of the only horses at Joder with a visible brand (a capital R with a crest on top of it) on his flank. He is a true gentleman and sweetheart.” Sandi generously shares Scotty for use in Equi-Rhythm programs, so he lives in Pen 10.

TOMMY JOE

Tommy Joe, AKA “Ida’s Rebel Joe,” is an AQHA quarter horse, born in 1989. Robin Maras purchased the big red horse in 1999 from High Prairie Farm. Tommy had spent the previous years as a hunter jumper school horse, taking many children around a jump course on his big, strong back. At his new home at Joder Arabian Ranch, Robin rides western pleasure and uses him for trail riding. Tommy Joe loves the trail and has spent many hours on the foothills above the ranch with the several different riders who have leased him over the years. Tommy Joe is a gregarious, people-loving horse. He loves being involved in ranch activities, especially the MMHEC holiday festival and the Halloween Show. Tommy likes to have a good time but he also has an excellent work ethic in lessons and is always willing to try something new. Six years ago Tommy Joe suffered a severe infection of the right eye that called for surgery at the CSU Veterinary Hospital in Fort Collins. Since then he needs to wear an eye mask (when not being ridden) to protect his eye. This is why one usually sees him standing by the gate in his pen, sporting some type of fashionable eye mask, where he’s always whinnying for someone to stop by and say “Hi.”