Barn name: Soozee | Sooz
Registered Name: Wild Irish Soozee
Breed: American Saddlebred
Age: 18

While Soozee was born on the farm and is by all rights my mother-in-law’s horse, she won my heart a long time ago.  She did receive some training to become a riding horse, but for various reasons, she never filled that role. Over the past 5 years or more, Sooz has had increasing health challenges that require additional care, so she hangs out with two of our geldings, Thunder and Frodo. Between tick-borne diseases, laminitis, and other unknown factors, she has fought hard for her mobility some days.  While there was a time we were not sure if she would pull through, she’s made a good recovery, and we are so happy to have her here in our herd.

Despite her bouts of physical pain, she’s also one of the most sensitive, discerning horses I know. She is slow to trust but bonds deeply once she does. She struggles with change in her routine and environments and greatly dislikes shots. She is sweet and kind and strong and fierce. She is a quiet force and will facilitate awareness and healing.

Barn name: Sadie | Sadie Lou | Lulu
Breed: Grade/Quarter Horse type
Age: 14ish

Like many of the horses in our herd, Sadie joined us through a little bit of luck and a whole lot of grace.  About the time Fleet and Clyde joined us, my mother-in-law was searching for her next riding partner and soon brought Sadie home to the farm.  The story was that she was purchased for a teenage girl from a sale where she had been with horses that had come from a trail riding business in Wisconsin Dells. As this girl went off to college, Sadie was looking for a new home and came to us. Over time, it became apparent that Sadie was not the steady, ‘bomb-proof’ horse that my mother-in-law needed.  She was temperamental, ‘mare-ish,’ and quite grumpy about having a rider.  Given the marks on her withers from past ill-fitting saddles, we started with chiropractic treatments to deal with any underlying pain.  While this helped her attitude greatly, she was still unhappy about riding.  As she was not a good fit for my mother-in-law, Sadie came into my care and into our hearts.

While Sadie still has her temperamental moments, we have been working on slow and steady progress riding bareback in the arena, and she knows that she is home, no matter what. The truth is that she is a very sensitive, gentle horse who also stands very deeply in her strength.  She is a force to be reckoned with. She forms incredibly strong bonds, and her herd (both equine and human) is essential to her. With her big, round stature, she is also the most huggable horse in our herd and is known to snuggle while she eats her dinner.  She is sweet, strong, and wise, and I have no doubt she has a lot share with us in our EGCM® sessions.

Barn name: Clyde
Breed: Grade/Quarter Horse type
Age: aged/unknown

Even after three years, there is so much we do not know about Clyde.  We had a new vet out this year, and she thought he was quite an elderly gentleman, even older than we had guessed.  There’s no way to know for sure, of course, though there is a bit of wisdom about him.

Clyde at his former home on the day we first met.

Clyde and Fleet came from the same home and have been pasture buddies for quite some time. When we brought Fleet home, Clyde refused to get in the trailer. Change is not his thing. He joined us a few weeks later when his then owners graciously trailered him to our farm.  Other than the years he spent at his former home, we know very little about him.  The one story they shared was that he was running loose in the area, and they were told by a neighboring farmer that they could have him if they caught him.  That’s the extent of his history as we know it.

What we have learned is that he has an enormously kind and loving heart.  When he arrived at our house and for quite some time after, he was quite insecure and pushy.  His right eye had been physically damaged at some point, and he is completely blind on that side. Over time as his trust in us has grown, he is no longer hindered by his limited eyesight and has lost nearly all of that insecurity. While he is at the bottom of the herd hierarchy, he has forever earned a spot in our hearts as a soft and gentle boy with a huge, caring heart.  I cannot wait to see what gifts he brings to our EGCM sessions.

Visit us on Instagram @artemisequus to see more photos of Clyde and the rest of our herd.