HORSES, THE MOST PRECIOUS ASSET AT CORNERSTONE RANCH
![A horse named “Rain” a horse standing on top of a grass covered field](https://cornerstoneranch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4309/2024/05/734D3701-1522-409B-8B25-EB18EDBC5E00_1_201_a-scaled.jpeg?w=1000&h=1000&zoom=2)
HORSES are the most precious asset you will find at Cornerstone Ranch. Calm, safe, well-mannered horses with good backgrounds for a fair price are hard to come by. When we get lucky enough to find a horse who may someday be suitable for the Ranch, the purchase is made, and a horse transportation service is hired to ship the new horse to the Ranch. Usually horses come from a few states away, so there is a lot of research involved and a bit of trust that there is nothing permanently wrong with the horse either physically or mentally.
Acquiring the horse could be considered the easiest part because most often after a purchase, we end up spending years caring for and working with each new horse in order to eventually incorporate them into our trail rides, horse-drawn rides and riding programs. Over the course of each day, myself and Julia combined work with around 10 horses for training sessions of various activities and lengths of time. The more bonding and short training sessions with properly timed rewards we can get in, the sooner we win them over as lifetime companions for many to enjoy at the Ranch, their forever home.
At the present time, there are twenty-nine horses, with seven of the horses at the Ranch being worked with by either myself or Julia on a daily basis. Three out of the seven are just two years old. These guys will need us to work with them for short daily sessions for at least another few years, too. With all the time spent, the horses we work with to build a solid foundation develop into wonderfully well-adjusted, balanced, calm mounts and driving horses.
Living together outdoors, in a natural environment eating hay to their heartsā content, is a good description of how the horses live at the Ranch. The workload for each horse is fairly easy and consistent. In fact, we are proud to share that the horses at the Ranch are always very healthy, and we believe it must be due to their lifestyle, balanced with a good amount of social interaction with one another to help them bond and learn to get along in a herd, an amount of exercise which is beneficial and not too demanding, and a great horse diet with rewards and a few beneficial vitamins added in.
The safe and content feeling the horses get from their tranquil, natural environment is displayed by the trustworthy, predictable, willing-to-please, obedient characteristics the horses at the Ranch acquire over time and traits they maintain over the course of their happy lives at the Ranch. Spend some time with us and take a riding lesson taught by Massachusetts licensed instructors who truly care about the welfare of both the horse and rider for the best, most successful horse adventures possible! Please help our horses by being open-minded and attentive for a brief instruction session before we hit the trails. Along the trails, our expert wranglers will not only guide you and help you, they will act as representatives from the Ranch looking out for each horseās best interest.
While taking a lesson or trail ride, you may find yourself being present and mindful in an entirely unique way. When you experience this, it is a truly awesome escape. We have horses to thank for so much! We love our Cornerstone Ranch horses and have committed our lives for them to have happy lives! Thank you for your contributions by visiting and loving our horses as we do.