Freya is still growing. And she grows more beautiful each day.

This is the other new animal in training. Meet Anuk, the 10 week old Siberian Husky from Bedford Humane Society.

Our horses are a community affair. Would you consider donating for hay, farrier care, repairs to tack, medication, or even sponsoring Freya or your favorite horse? Please join us on the the horse adventure!

Every time we try something new, there’s always a first time. Freya is my first horse to fully train. I’ve done bits and pieces with other horses on our string, but never the start to finish before. I believe I was my own biggest nay-sayer. And why not train? Well, if you listen to many horse trainers, the one thing you consistently hear is…its dangerous. :0

I’m also training a new puppy now, a white Siberian Husky named Anuk. I am often so thankful she doesn’t weight 1,000 lbs like Freya does. They are both animals, so there are some similarities in training. For example, setting a patterned response, rewards and corrections, progression, etc. But if the husky were 1,000 lbs, I would have been dragged off as her chew toy.

Freya is sensitive and responsive. When I put pressure on her, for example, the pressure of my eyes behind the drive-line, she’s going to move out. Knowing where, when and how to apply good pressure. But each time I teach, I become more aware of how much I fumble the ball. Ropes get twisted, my mind and body are communicating two different things to her, she decides that instead of holding still, she’s going to use me as her scratching post,…the list goes on. It could be really discouraging. One step forward, two steps back.

But by God’s providence, she’s really starting to shape up. She wants to learn, she wants to comply, she desires to spend time together. And for the first time, I can see, that when it comes time to climb on her back for riding, it’s going to be good. Very good.

In other news, I hope you caught the post about rehoming Koa, our beloved draft to Beautiful Brokenness ministries. That post went viral all around the world. It brings me so much joy to know how many people care. Thank you for your love and prayers.

Koa’s Facebook post

A word about Koa. Koa began to struggle with carrying riders summer 2022. After this past summer, we knew it was time to retire him. He had difficulty keeping weigh on and we did not want to take him into winter with a deficit. The vet came out after summer and suggested we humanely put him to sleep. We prayed and sought solutions.

Katy Pisole, of Beautiful Brokenness Ministries, reached out to me and suggested that maybe the milder climate of Virginia would be more comfortable for him and GOD OPENED THE DOOR. We rehomed Koa on the 14th of August with many happy tears and joy. We are so thankful for all the Lord has done through Koa. From being rescued out of a kill pen at an auction, to being the beloved gentle giant we adore. Thank you Lord!