Libby


Admiral

“California Sun (Libby)” – At only 16, Jill bought her first horse – a 16.3 hand high, Palomino gelding. The year before that, he was heading down a very unpleasant road… When he came into the barn where Jill was taking riding lessons, Libby was terrified of people. In fact, when anyone walked into his stall, he would pin himself quickly to the back of the stall, raise his head up in the air, and the whites of his eyes would be fearfully showing. He was 300 pounds underweight and looked like something you see in a Humane Society magazine. The obvious abuse Libby had endured made everyone else afraid of him…but Jill felt sorry for him and felt drawn to this pathetic horse. It took a year of incredible patience, training, building trust, setbacks and victories, but in the end, Libby lived a great life with Jill – for 21 years! Jill has always had a “way” with horses, and this was her first (of many) experiences with “problem” or “difficult” horses. Jill and Libby shared many hours of riding, and with intense, patient training, ending up in the show ring with him. They shared cross country eventing, stadium jumping (5’5” max), dressage, and gaming - to mention only a few. Libby ended up having a fantastic life – living to be a ripe age of 33, where he peacefully died at the farm where he was retired…amongst his herd of mares.

“Bailey” – Back in 2002, Jill’s friend had a 14 year old daughter that received her very first horse. The daughter had been taking riding lessons for about two years. Soon after the purchase, Jill was asked to come to see Bailey. The mother was terrified that her young daughter was going to get hurt. Bailey was a big horse – most likely Thoroughbred background and had the terrible habit of rearing or backing up at the most random times. Jill met with the horse first and spent some quiet time with her. Then she watched rider interact with Bailey. And finally, Jill mounted the chestnut mare and spent some one-on-one with her. In only one hour, Jill was able to surmise the problem. Bailey had a mind of her own; she could be a little stubborn; she needed a steady hand; had a history of abuse that was linked with her behaviour; and needed gentle “discipline” to eliminate this dangerous problem. With only a few sessions of working with horse and rider, Jill helped create success! Bailey would now be considered a “safer” horse and the young girl could now enjoy her. Mother was happy, too!

“Admiral” – In spring of 2009, Jill was called up to see a big, black, regal looking horse called “Admiral”. The word buzzing around the barn was that Admiral was dangerous, unpredictable and not very smart. The owner, Michelle, is a very patient young lady of 18. She told Jill that Admiral would back up randomly, rear occasionally, had broken cross ties on numerous occasions, and he would walk around in circles while the rider was trying to groom him and tack him up. He would never stand still while she was mounting him, and he would forever be tripping, no matter what speed he was moving. Although Michelle is incredibly patient, she was growing more and more frustrated. Her patience and love for him was obvious. Jill met with Michelle and asked about his history. She also told Jill that she had tried getting Admiral trained by another horse trainer who eventually gave up on him. (Apparently this particular horse trainer had a very aggressive and rough training technique.) The next step was for Jill to watch horse and rider interact while tacking up was taking place, then watch Michelle ride Admiral, and then Jill mounted Admiral and rode him, as well. It turned out that this horse was anything BUT dangerous, unpredictable and unintelligent. He actually was very sensitive and aware and responsive to Jill’s commands. He definitely has a mind of his own, but with patience and gentle coaxing he is doing fantastic! It should be also noted that this horse has a history of abuse and panics if treated roughly. Having a blacksmith trim his feet properly helped the tripping problem, significantly. Also, Admiral had to be taught a few appropriate manners about standing still while grooming, tacking up, and when Michelle is mounting. He has certainly come a long way very quickly. Jill still sees Michelle and Admiral to this day.