Spartan Equine

08/01/2026

07/27/2026

When Courtney tragically had to say goodbye to her heart horse Gina last week, I offered her an escape from the pain of the grief she's experiencing that I unfortunately know all too well by letting her come out to take a spin on every Saddlebred in my barn on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. To be able to escape the heartache for just a little while and feel normal amidst a time when it feels like the grief is drowning you is sometimes the best support we can offer our friends who are experiencing loss & heartbreak ❤️‍🩹

07/24/2026

How I keep long, thick, healthy tails on show horses who have daily turnout & need to be able to swat flies....3 tube braid in lyrca tail bags.

What you'll need: shampoo, conditioner, show sheen, comb, hair dryer, elastics, vet wrap, electrical tape, hair clip, clean 3 tube lyrca tail bag

Wash & condition the tail, generously apply show sheen and gently comb pick/finger pick the strands to ensure no tangles, blow dry to ensure the hair is completely dry before braiding.

Section out the feathers and clip up to the top of the tail bone so they don't get pulled into the braids. Section the length of the tail into three equal sections, braid each portion starting looser at the top where the hair is close to the tailbone to avoid hair pulling on the skin of the tailbone & causing irritation. If the braided sections are long (as pictured below) loop them up so they fall about mid-cannon and secure at that height with a small portion of vet wrap (2nd photo) - this step will also help weight the braids down into the tubes of the tail bag making it easier to thread the braids into the bag. Thread the closure of the tail bag through the top sections of the braids (make sure it sits below the tailbone!!!) and securely tie it off at the top of the braid, tightly braid the lyrca bag, secure the base by looping one end of a tube around the other two to make a "knot," secure the top & bottom of the braided bag with a small section of electrical tape (this helps prevent the bag from coming undone with heavy tail swishing). Release feathers from hair clip and voilà!

Now your show horse can keep their long pretty tail but also be able to swat flies comfortably 🙂

07/20/2026

With the incident of a social media famous young horse breaking his leg & being put down last week bringing up the debate about the risks of turnout, particularly in regards to high dollar competition horses, here's my take on the turnout debate:

"You let your show horses have daily [pasture] turnout?"

Yes, yes I do because it's what's best for them physically & mentally.

"Aren't you worried they'll get hurt or pull their shoes?"

Not anymore so than they could while they're working. Especially because I take the extra precautions of bubbling wrapping them the best I can to reduce their risks of pulling shoes (two layers of bell boots +/- hind bell boots as well if necessary) and full fly gear (fly sheet +/- neck cover, fly boots on all 4 legs, fly mask with ears) to keep them comfortable & prevent unnecessary stomping & angry/panic running from bugs.

Solo or small group turnout is so beneficial for their mental & physical health and a horse who is used to a daily turnout routine is far less likely to go wild when turned loose in the paddock. Freak accidents can happen at any time....in the stall, in the field, in the arena, in the trailer, etc.....we can only do so much to prevent our horses from injuring themselves but we shouldn't be jeopardizing their mental & physical health in the name of trying to keep them bubble wrapped.

07/04/2026

❤️🤍💙🇺🇸🎆

07/03/2026

It's not luck.....it's persistence, determination, dedication, grit, passion, and a lot of hardwork.

"You're so lucky..."

It's something we often say when we only see the highlight reel.

The rosettes. The smiles. The happy photos. The moments where everything seems to have fallen into place.

But luck rarely tells the whole story.

Behind every "overnight success" are hundreds of ordinary days that nobody saw.

The early mornings when the alarm felt cruel. The late nights wondering if it was all worth it. The tears after things didn't go to plan. The setbacks. The criticism. The self-doubt. The sacrifices. The times they nearly gave up...
..and then chose to keep going anyway.

The truth is, most people aren't lucky.

They're resilient.

They've learned to get back up after life has knocked them sideways. They've invested in themselves, even when it felt uncomfortable. They've kept showing up, one small step at a time, even when progress felt painfully slow.

So next time you catch yourself thinking, "They're so lucky," perhaps pause and wonder...

What part of their story haven't I seen?

Because we never really know what someone has walked through to stand where they are today.

Keep cheering people on. Keep doing the work. And remember... the little steps you take today are quietly building the life that someone else might one day call "luck." 💚✨

07/01/2026

Safe to say King has matured (and grown!) over the past two years 👑 top photos - 2yo in June 2024; bottom photos - 4yo just this past weekend 😍

06/28/2026

A little progress update on Miss Beth 💕 she has been making exceptional strides to getting her confidence back, relearning how to wear a curb bit, and trusting her humans again. To see her & Nancy enjoying their rides together is best feeling because she arrived here with being brought back undersaddle as a questionable end goal since her confidence was so shaken and many of her behaviors that were being exhibited undersaddle prior to coming here were stemming from anxiety based fear. Allowing her to have a mental reset......12+ hours of turnout a day, having a turnout buddy, being in a training program with a lot more variety/cross training incorporated into it....has truly changed her life and made for a much happier horse 💗

06/17/2026

King doing some serious big kid stuff lately!

This past Sunday he went to a show and tried his hand at playing gymkhana games. Considering this idea was thrown at him just two days before, he & Liv went in the ring and accomplished what we set out to do which was have a positive experience in a show atmosphere with no pressure/stress of performance expectations. He came home with his first few ribbons (a second and two thirds) in barrel racing, keyhole, and ring toss!

On Monday he went for his maiden voyage as a trail horse undersaddle and was an exceptionally good boy 💓 many thanks to Megan & Joey for accompanying me in taking him out on this trip and helping to make it such an enjoyable & relaxing ride for both of us. He's going to be an incredible trail partner in the years to come if this ride was any indication of how he handles himself out in the big wide world!