Road to Serenity Farm

06/02/2026

Proof the eyes, seat and legs steer the horse better than the reins! Thunder has learned to read people and discern who will make him work, the job of any lesson horse (in his mind).

Miracles happen when there is less dependence on the rider's hands that hold the reins. The horse is happier too and will probably listen better.

I got on Thunder to tune him up, but he still remembers how to steer, even without a bridle on.

05/28/2026

Don't say appaloosa, say knabstrupper. I didn't even know this breed existed until a year ago! It's not even about colour for me - a good horse is a good horse no matter the colour. Knabstruppers are known to be intelligent, athletic and trainable. They're also a very healthy breed.

05/26/2026

It's been a lot of anxiety getting Moonlight to Canada. I've had little luck communicating well with the agents and the transport companies involved - I barely knew when she would get here. The bank was also a nightmare - they even doubled a transfer by mistake. I didn't sleep last night knowing she was in a tiny space on a plane, and then a text this morning "so cute".

Like what?

TELL ME HOW SHE IS!

BUT she's here in one piece, headed for another long quarantine period.

She is the most significant addition to our breeding program.

05/25/2026

Running on sandy roads!

05/25/2026

Today's ride with perfect weather

05/24/2026

I've had some people want goat manure for their gardens. I'm going to be cleaning out the pens in the mornings this week before it gets hot. You're welcome to come get some before I pile it into into the berms. Bring a bucket or bag.

Google AI:

"Goat manure is an excellent, nutrient-dense organic fertilizer that enriches the soil with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) while improving texture. Its pellet form makes it easy to handle, virtually odorless, and less likely to burn plants than raw cow or horse manure."

05/23/2026

Well that was a fun morning! I woke up groggy from the train noises last night, and now I'm wide awake!

I've been training this 12 year old mare for a student. She had no training a few months ago. She was merely a pet because she never did catch as a broodmare, and basically had no concept of any demands on her life until recently.

After this horse arrived here, I quickly realized she was proving to be more challenging than others from this breeder (also not from the familiar bloodline I was initially told). At one time, I recommended to the owner to consider selling her and getting a different horse.

However, the horse came around as a relatively willing partner in the end, and has been acting like a safe broke school horse, especially lately - even though she is not that, because it takes years to get there.

I was getting her more used to the outdoor arena this week, and this morning, I was marvelling at her ease in new environments. She went on her first ride down the road on Tuesday with her owner and did amazing. How quickly I got overconfident!

She was a little worried about this chair at 9am this morning but not reacting much to it, but she was definitely keeping an eye on it. She walked and jogged around calm and quiet for almost an hour. Silly me, I had my phone in one hand, and she saw something from the corner of her eye. I think it might have been the chair in her blind spot, but she absolutely bolted and darted across the arena when I least expected it and as our ride was coming to a close.

Three times I remember thinking I was for sure coming off, but I stuck the ride and got her back under control somehow. The other lady with me wondered why I started laughing hysterically as I got the horse back to a halt. It was because I really had no idea how I was still on the horse! I didn't even have my reins, and I was ba****ck!

Then, I was telling my husband about it and discussing another family that decided to keep a green-broke horse and has struggled. The amount of training that goes into making a horse confident and safe is so much more than most people realize, and even then, there are no guarantees a horse will always respond the way you're expecting. I'm glad this family was willing to put the training into this horse, because a lot of people think 30, 60, 90... days is enough for a family safe horse, and it's just not. At least not with the vast majority of horses! And once a horse is back from the trainer, they need consistency and to still be set up for success.

I don't advertise training horses because the majority of owners have no way to conceptualize the years, trials and tribulations I have into my lesson horses, for me to trust them as much as I do. They think they can get to that in a few short months. Most have no idea of the skills and time into a good horse.

Anyways, I was just thinking how horses are just so humbling! They even catch me off guard some days and make me realize why we practice good habits and keep working on our skills for essentially the rest of our lives. A horse is only as good as you are.

So please, when I get grumpy that someone is on their phone whilst on the back of a horse, not wearing proper footwear, or not holding their reins properly, think of me and all the situations I've not yet told you about! I've experienced it all... so you don't necessarily have to! These horses are not teddy bears and sometimes I wish more people could occasionally have a mini heart attack, so they understand what to not take for granted.

05/23/2026

I read this and it's so profound as someone with lots of horses and someone constantly pursuing liberty horsemanship.

I have horses that are easy to catch, and horses that are not so easy. I can do amazing liberty with Serenity, my personal horse, but if I haven't worked with her in a while or I get too caught up on my own goals, she can be hard to catch again. She has a lot of not so good experiences in her life and it took years for me to catch her consistently. I gave her the winter off and I've wanted to work her so badly, but she has gone back to being a bit "shy". She stops and looks at me but turns away when I get my halter and rope ready.

I would lie if I said my feelings aren't hurt when I have a hard time catching my own horse. I know the quick fix is a treat, but I rarely do bribes.

My other horse, Serendipity, practically stalks me to be caught, and Serenity looks at me and can't decide if she's good to be caught or wants to book it.

I see the same lesson horse get caught easily by someone, and run away from someone on the same day. I always marvel at how a horse can respond so differently to 2 different people on the same day.

It has less to do with whether the horse likes you or not. The horse feels your energy. Are you in a rush? Are you present? Can you read them? Can you notice what kind of day they're having? Are you carrying your problems and burdens into the pasture? Can you accept that they might be hesitant for whatever reason?

You can't fool a horse. Years ago, I had a horse so sensitive (more than Serenity) that even if I swore I was leaving my problems at the door, she could sense when I was off. She forced me to deal with stuff I didn't want to. I literally had to deal with my own sh*t to get her trained. She reflected what I was suppressing. I have never met a horse that perceptive in my life (Leida, half sister to Serenity).

A horse that's hard to catch can sometimes just be asking:

"What will you do with my honesty?"

They often want you to slow down, notice them, feel them, feel yourself. They want you to grow for them, face your fears, believe in yourself, be present...

I also realized with teaching horses to lie down (especially the slow method) that you almost have to let go of expectations for it to happen. You have to be willing for it not to happen..like the law of attraction 🧲 in the universe - if you fixate too intently, you lose the flow state where the magic happens.

This is why I swear the horse was made for us humans, to be better than we would otherwise be. Not everyone learns what the horse is really trying to teach us. I'm just figuring it out.

A horse who walks away from you is not always rejecting you.

Sometimes they are checking whether you will follow the old pattern:
pressure,
insistence,
capture.

Many horses have learned that humans often respond to distance by closing it.
By advancing.
Correcting.
Convincing.
Escalating.

So when a horse leaves, it is not always defiance.

Sometimes it is a question.

“What will you do with my honesty?”

Will you allow the conversation to stay honest?
Or will the moment their answer becomes inconvenient, the pressure begin?

I think this is where so many relationships quietly change.

Because there is a moment horses seem to recognize something rare:
the moment they realize they are still safe even after expressing discomfort, uncertainty, or preference.

The moment they realize:
“Oh…
you heard me.”

Not just physically.
Emotionally.

You heard the hesitation in their body.
The uncertainty in their eyes.
The tension in their nervous system.
The quiet request underneath the movement away.

And instead of overpowering the communication, you listened.

I think humans often underestimate how profound that can feel to another being.

Especially to one who has spent much of their life learning that resistance leads to more pressure.

That is why some of the deepest trust I have ever witnessed did not begin with a horse moving toward someone.

It began with a horse discovering they were allowed to move away without punishment.

Because sometimes what looks like “disconnection” is actually the first fragile attempt at honesty.

And sometimes the greatest transformation is not teaching the horse to stay.

Sometimes it is teaching them they no longer need to flee to feel heard.

Not obedience.
Not submission.

Relief.

05/22/2026

These will be my two Knabstruppers for the spotted Friesians. 3 year old Lyra has a 50% chance of a foal with spots, and 6 year old Moonlight has a 100% chance of a foal with spots (confirmed double leopard pattern - LP/LP).

I will also be starting both mares under saddle this summer. Moonlight has some rides already. Lyra seems super trainable and eager to do more. I hope to use them for riding and eventually some lessons. I'd love to embryo transfer so I could keep at least one mare as a serious jumper prospect, but I might be getting ahead of myself.

Moonlight is getting on a plane from Germany this weekend and will be in Calgary on Monday. She will then spend 30-35 days in quarantine before I can bring her home. I will probably pick her up around June 29th if she is ready to be released.

I'm considering also breeding Caesar to a very light coloured grade paint mare that needs a home. That way I'll have a more affordable coloured foal option with Friesian!

Rare sporthorses are our new endeavour!

Knabstruppers are not appaloosas but Danish warmbloods. Over the next few years, I want to acquire a couple more knabstruppers as they are one of the most amazing breeds I've come across (and nothing to do with colour, for me).

05/22/2026

Thanks to Vince, we are now a bit more wheelchair accessible!