Who is that masked horse? :) Freya's protection from the flies Circle Game Squeeze Game Greetings Freya fans! There’s been a lot going on at White Sulphur Springs in May. Whew! We hosted: 1) many guest groups in the hotel 2) the Harrison house ribbon cutting ceremony 3) our WSS volunteer time. 4) another sold-out Horse Adventure Weekend (which was soooooo much fun!) Additionally, our summer senior staff (college-aged young adults) have arrived, and we’ve launched into training. To add to all that goodness, Katy Pistole and Richard Kurz came in and worked with Freya in May to help us understand the next steps with our big little horse. It’s been blessedly busy, and I’ve had less time with Freya than I would like. But the time we’ve had, has been good. Freya is beginning to build more stories. She’s got character! She’s connected deeply with Daisy, another mare in our herd. It’s been a beautiful process to watch because previously Daisy was very disconnected- she was obedient, but not connected to humans [...]

Wearing loose side reins connected to her halter What is the drive line? (video with Katy Pistole, Beautiful Brokenness Ministries) April 29, 2023 Training All the building blocks! - Freya is 13 months. As I think about her training, a few things become evident. First, the time is short. Once she is a fully trained horse, she (Lord willing) will be enjoyed and ridden for many years to come. Secondly, she has wonderful energy around her. She is soft and connective, She is curious and kind. I want to preserve all those characteristics in her as she grows up. Primarily she is still operating in mostly a naturalistic (instinctual) way to new stimuli. Her life is a series of moments, and she has the default horse wiring to tell her what her response should be- But what is being layered into her now -over, and over, and over again- is focus. Keeping her attention on me as I ask her to complete very accomplishable tasks. One little learning lego block after another. There are [...]

Enjoying the sweet spring grass What is a surcingle and why is Freya wearing one? Ladies and Gentlemen- we have a yearling! It’s going to be the year of firsts. Let me say, as a lay-horse-trainer, the learning is both challenging and relaxing. Here’s an example: Everywhere Freya goes, she first goes backwards. She walks backwards before she walks forwards. This is the “gold” standard of teaching according to Katy Pistole of Beautifully Broken Ministries. Any why? It has to do with the specific way that God built Freya’s brain. Freya is a left-brained (dominant or confident) extrovert (curious) horse. The positive side of this is that she is very engaging. She loves to be where the action is, where the people are- to be the center of it all. The negative side, if left unchecked, is that she could become pushy, dominating, and unaware of people in her presence. We desire to see her become all the beauty that God has built into her little horse spirit. And not just for her, but for all the [...]

Let's have a party She's looking a bit disproportionate. The legs have gotten longer, but the body hasn't kept up. We love the watching the changes in her. What does God’s word say about horses? March 22nd we are celebrating one year of Freya’s life. Lord willing she will give back to WSS for many years with her service. Just like you are, God designed her with a purpose. So what is the purpose of a horse? The Lord Jesus is a horse rider; He created them so He/we could ride. And He returns to earth on His white steed: Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. [...]

The bottom of Rio's hoof from a recent farrier visit. See the damage? Freya; learning how to learn Retraining a frightened horse to lift her feet Lift your feet-  Ephesians 4:31-32 states, ‘Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ, has forgiven you. What attracted me to this verse is the reference to wrangling. That is, in fact, the job title of those who work with horses. A job title that suggests that we will encounter some level of turbulence or unwillingness with the horse. At the minimum, there will be a conversation with the horse about how today’s program will roll out. But I think it would be short-sighted if wrangling is where we left it- with the expectation that horse and human cannot work in unity together. I’ve heard people say that the horse ‘really doesn’t want to be with you.’ And while I think that can be true [...]

Freya- first time in the round pen! A little more obedient? You decide... This is why you need to fix this problem early! Beginning Teaching  - The responsibility of accepting a beautiful baby untrained horse is quite intimidating. Because Freya is Belgian Draft cross, even as a 9-month-old foal, she is as big as many full-grown horses. More to the point, she has the good sense that God has given horses, but none of the learning that allows her to interact safely with her human trainers. Getting her started in the right direction takes a lot of know-how. To assist in getting her started, Katy Pistole, of Beautiful Brokenness Ministries came to start building the foundation of her learning. She consulted with our Barn and Wrangler staff in the dos and do-nots of teaching a weanling. Mostly, it’s about being safe and not letting Freya develop any bad habits while still young. Freya will not be ridden during her first couple years, but there are still many lessons to learn. One [...]

Aidan ready to roll Winter is cold and windy at WSS and our wranglers, like Aidan, work hard to care for our herd. Aidan Clack-  Hey everyone, My name is Aidan and I'm one of the three wrangler interns this year on the WSS EXSEL discipleship program. I am really passionate about music, criminal justice, and people. I am an extrovert and love to chat with the kids that come to ride horses. Being a military kid, I can't say where home is, but I have spent a lot of time time in Baltimore, MD, Washington DC, California, and South Korea. Before I came to WSS, I did not want to come to this place! I honestly felt like it would be a waste of time, and that I should go to college instead. But I couldn't shake the feeling that God wanted me here, so I reluctantly applied two months after the deadline. Thinking I wouldn't get accepted, I was surprised by the turn of events when my application was approved. It turns out I was supposed to [...]

Introducing Katy Pistole And her beloved Scooter Beautiful Brokenness Ministries Katy working with Freya Why are horses important? Believe me, I’ve asked myself this question many times. Now that we have cars, who really needs a 1,200+ lbs. pet? A big animal means big messes. Not just that, but how about owning a pet that could hurt you inadvertently? How smart is that? But even as we spit out the excuses as fast as they pop into our head, the flip side is well…..dull. And as the Bilbo-Baggins-inside-of-each-one-of-us says, “I think I am quite ready for another adventure.” Anyone who’s ever been in the company of a beautiful horse knows the longing to reach out and touch it, to talk with it, to move beyond admiration to interaction. But the attraction truly goes beyond admiration. There is a God built-in uniqueness to the design of the horse. People ask, “Is there anything to Equine Therapy?” The answer is a firm ‘yes.’ Horses help men. There is a saying that the “outside of a horse is [...]

Yes, this is pretty bad rain rot The other side too! I hope this post will help everyone who has had to deal with rain rot. Freya came with a small case of rain rot that quickly blossomed into a more serious infection. Rain rot is caused by a bacterium known as Dermatophilus congolensis. It's a bacteria that lives on their skin all the time, but given wet conditions, it can spread and cause lesions on the horse's back. Belgians are more prone to rain rot because of their thick coat. In talking with Renee Krider, Freya's previous owner, she may have picked up the rain rot while training. In preparation for training under saddle, Renee desensitized her to a saddle blanket, which may have passed on more of the bacteria to her. On the evening Freya came to live at WSS, she stood outside all night long in the rain. Within a week, she had broken out all over with sores. Because its winter, giving her a bath with medicated shampoo was not an option. But we had to [...]

Freya taking her first breaths Belle - heavy with her foal Freya- a horse arrives in the world (part 2) As written by Renee Krider- Freya’s dam- Belle, was a good mother, but I saw little grooming and licking- basic bonding behaviors. As a result, Freya learned to focus very quickly on her human caretakers and friends. For that reason, she was touched and loved on daily. Freya became the great curiousity of family, friends, and neighbors. Some people drove or walked past the pasture often to see her and interact with her. My mother lives on the farm and was 92 when Freya was born. 2022 was the first year my mother was living on the farm alone after my father had gone on to his reward. I saw how this big baby created something for her to focus on daily and talk about with people she met. I thanked the Lord often for the joy and excitement Freya gave my mother daily. Another horse in my pasture, Windsong, my elderly Appaloosa/Arabian mare, became a grandma to Freya. They all, [...]