SEPTEMBER2024

So many birthday parties, picnics, trail rides and riding lessons made for a busy August! Spare moments are dedicated to working with the horses not graduated into the Cornerstone Ranch dependable riding horse program. Some of the horses are youngsters requiring years of quality time and training to create dependable, trustworthy mounts.

One of the youngsters residing at the Ranch receiving years of positive attention and good training is “Jazz”, a  two-year-old Haflinger stallion. We have been working on longeing with a long rope called a “longeline.” Jazz has learnt to stop when he hears “whoa” and responds well to other voice commands. In the last week, Jazz has been adapting to wearing a driving harness during training sessions.

Jazz, 2 year-old Haflinger during a training session at the Ranch

Once Jazz is feeling 100% settled into this arrangement, he will be exposed to hearing things dragged behind him and having PVC poles attached to the sides of his harness. These methods are practiced so young horses at the Ranch won’t be afraid of being attached to a cart when the time is right. Pulling a cart is great training for young horses and help make the transition to a saddle and rider easy, once they are big and strong enough for riding.

Rain, 3 year-old Haflinger/Arab sporting a harness at the Ranch

Rain, a three year old Haflinger/Arabian is also being trained for pulling a cart. Jazz and Rain are each a joy to work with, responding well with positive attention and making me proud and extra happy to be a horse-trainer!  Since Jazz is a stallion, we hope to have two foals on the way by next year after breeding him to Faye and Malarky.

Jazz, Rocky, and Rain: Youngsters at the Ranch

An interesting fact about young horses is they have high pitched voices, sporting a deeper neigh as they mature. Each horse possesses a unique tone and pitch to their voice similar to how people’s voices are distinguishable. The neigh of each of the 27 horses, 2 mules and one donkey at the Ranch are distinguishable to any of the Rancheros at Cornerstone Ranch because we ❤️ our horses and know them so well 🤠

Guests visiting for trail rides are treated to seeing the young horses while they are embarking on a trail ride 🐴