Horses at the Ranch

I miss working with Avalon, but here in Oregon I get to spend time with the herd every day. Here are a few of my favorites (they are all my favorite). 

What do you think this horse's name is? Jonas is a younger horse at the ranch. I enjoy his goofy attitude. 

This cutie is named Buckshot. He was the second horse I rode on the ranch. I was lucky enough to ride him in horse soccer during our drive-thru event. 

This lovely mare is named Elle. She was the very first horse that Crystal Peaks ever rescued . . . before the ranch even existed. The mare that started it all. Sadly, she passed away a few weeks ago. I'm forever thankful to have known her for as long as I did. 

Valor is another young horse on the ranch. He is a stunning Friesian gelding who loves to play with everything. 

Liberty Belle is a short, Arabian mare. She has a half brother on the ranch as well, but I don't have a picture of him. 

This is Hero, he has one eye and two bullets in his head. If you want to know more about Hero or any of these horses, I recommend reading Kim Meeder's books: Hope Rising, A Bridge Called Hope, Fierce Beauty, Encountering Our Wild God, and Revival Rising. 

This is Zephyr our resident fancy show horse (he's retired but shhh don't tell him). 

Zeke is a sweet, beautiful paint gelding I have had the pleasure of riding. He can't be ridden much because he is older and often sore, but he has a delightful personality. 

Left to right: Zeke, Buckshot, Eclipse (Valor's mom and one of our best session horses), and Valor.

This is Taylor, one of my veteran horses. She is older and retired from the session program, but I love her sweet, sensitive personality. You can find her in the herd by her huge right knee. I don't know what injury caused her right knee to double in size, but it doesn't stop her from galloping with the herd. She even walks faster than most of the horses.

I have been told that Halo was one of the wildest horses the ranch has ever rescued. You would never guess it now, as he is one of the sweetest, most well-behaved of the herd. 

Dakota isn't one of CPYR's horses, he belongs to my host family. My roommates and I have the pleasure of feeding and riding him on a regular basis, as well as his pasturemates: Luke and Zoey.

I don't have a good picture of Luke, but here is Zoey. I love to connect with her in the round pen. 

This is my other "veteran" assignment: Cassidy. Don't worry, she isn't as cranky as she looks. Cassidy is about 30 years old, but she loves trail rides. She runs literal circles around the other horses. 

She has the best "mare face" I have ever seen. Check out the wrinkles above her eyes and nostrils. I promise she is a sweet mare!

Sweet Robbie. I have never seen a horse as excited for food as this old man. He will nicker back and forth with you while you prepare his grain. 

Remnant survived hurricane Katrina and a life-threatening pelvis injury. He is a survivor! He is also one of the most kid safe, reliable session horses on the ranch. 

Nakia is another youngster. She hasn't been in training long, but her sweet, willing personality is going to be perfect for sessions. I'm excited to spend more time with her in the coming weeks. 

This is Bethlehem, Nakia's dam. I have been blessed to ride her on several occasions. What can I say? I love those grey Arabians! This is what Avalon will look like someday. 

This lovely lady is one of the newest herd members. Her name is Banner, and she has a wonderful personality. She loves to run. It will be awesome to see what she is like in sessions!

These are only a few of the horses on the ranch. It would take a much longer post to introduce them all. I chose these merely because I already had photographs to use. If you want to meet the rest, I highly recommend that you come tour Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch (post covid restrictions)!