A Perfect Storm - Zephyrus

11/13/2026

Zephyr had his annual vet visit, and while he wasn’t exactly thrilled about the experience, I think he handled himself pretty well, all things considered! 🐴🤍

He’s had a few different veterinarians work with him for chiropractic care and exams, but until now, he’d only had one vet handle things like his dental work, vaccinations, and other routine procedures. So having someone new doing all of that was a pretty big change for him!

He wasn’t rude or naughty, just nervous, a little unsure, and admittedly a bit of a baby. 😂 He’s a sensitive boy who likes to understand what’s happening around him, and sometimes he needs a little extra reassurance when something is unfamiliar. Honestly, I can’t blame him!

We managed to get quite a bit checked off the list. His teeth were floated, vaccinations updated, and Coggins completed. No beans, but he was definitely due for a good sheath cleaning!

Unfortunately, we also discovered two cracked teeth, 108 and 208. 🦷 We have absolutely no idea how he managed to crack both of them. We’re still figuring out the best course of action, whether that’s repairing them, extracting them, or exploring another treatment option.

Definitely not the surprise I was hoping for during a routine appointment!

What I appreciate most about Zeph is that even when he’s nervous or uncomfortable, he doesn’t turn mean or aggressive. He might need some reassurance and a little patience, but he really does try.

Being a first-time horse owner has been a constant learning experience, and apparently Zeph has decided to make sure my equine dental education is especially thorough. 😂

Now we’re just hoping for a good outcome with those teeth! 🤍

11/07/2026

At the beginning of this year, I made some changes regarding Zephyr’s training, care, and the people (more than one) I allowed into his world. Looking back, I can confidently say it was one of the best decisions I could have made for him.

Since bringing Zephyr home, we’ve worked with several trainers, equine care professionals and different approaches to his education and care. I’ve learned something from each experience, but I’ve also learned that not everyone who calls themselves a trainer has the same understanding of horses, their behavior, or their well-being.

I’m not going to name names or get into specifics, but let’s just say that sometimes the things you begin to notice aren’t isolated incidents. And when you start seeing familiar patterns play out elsewhere, it really does reaffirm that you made the right decision.

Zephyr has always been an incredibly communicative horse. He has never been shy about telling me when something doesn’t feel right. Looking back, I realize he was communicating far more than I initially understood. I saw things that concerned me, but I allowed myself to be convinced that I was misinterpreting what I was seeing.

That is something I won’t allow to happen again.

Please be mindful of who you allow around your horses. They trust us to advocate for them, to recognize when something isn’t right, and to protect not only their physical well-being but also their confidence, trust, and sense of safety.

I’m incredibly grateful for where Zephyr is today, the people we have in his corner, and the positive changes I’ve seen in him.

Most importantly, I’m grateful I finally listened to both my gut and my horse. ❤️

They may not speak our language, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t telling us exactly what we need to hear.

11/06/2026

My playful boy 🥹

11/06/2026

🐴🤎

Zephyrus has a vet appointment coming up next week! We’ll be meeting a new veterinarian, getting his teeth floated, updating his vaccines, and making sure everything is looking good.

Once his teeth are taken care of, we’ll get back to working with the bit and continuing his education. Little by little, we’re putting all the pieces together.

He’s still going off for professional training, but life had other plans for our timeline. Making the decision to step away from work and prioritize my mental health meant shifting a few things around, including some of the plans I had for him.

And that’s okay. I’m learning that not everything has to happen on the timeline I originally imagined.

He’s still young, we have plenty of time, and there’s no finish line we’re racing toward. In the meantime, we get to keep building our relationship, working on the little things, and enjoying this stage of his life.

I waited so many years to have my first horse, and somehow ended up with a Gypsy Vanner stallion who has completely taken over my heart, my camera roll, and my bank account. 😂

He doesn’t care about timelines, career changes, or whether I’ve checked everything off my to-do list. He’s just happy when I show up, preferably with treats.

And maybe that’s one of the things I love most about him. 🤎

09/23/2026

Today’s adventure with Zephyr 🤎

I let him finish breakfast, then we played around with reintroducing his bridle and bit. He seemed less comfortable with the bit than he was last year, so we’re going to slow everything down and work through it carefully, likely with help from the trainer on the property. I want it to be a calm, positive experience for him.

Afterward, we took a beautiful walk off the property. He grazed near the orchards, explored, collected plenty of admirers, and handled the passing cars beautifully.

Then came the garbage truck. 😂

He sees it from his pen every week, but he hasn’t been that close to it in a long time. It was huge, loud, and understandably startled him. We were also in a tight spot without much room off the road.

He definitely tap danced, but even while he was scared, he stayed on the lead, maintained a couple feet of space around me, and was incredibly mindful of where he put his feet. He kept trying to listen to me, regulate himself, and believe me when I told him he was okay. I never felt like he was trying to run me over or that we were out of control.

That moment made me so proud of him and of the bond we’ve built. Bravery isn’t never being afraid. Sometimes it’s being afraid and still trying your absolute hardest to stay connected.

I haven’t taken him on a roadside walk in a while. Summer was brutally hot, life got complicated, and toward the end of last year he wasn’t enjoying or connecting with me during these walks. Now that we’ve worked through so much and improved things in his life, today felt completely different. Apart from the garbage truck surprise, he was calm, willing, curious, and genuinely happy to be there with me.

I’m so proud of this dude. And apparently, I now know exactly what we’ll be practicing around 10 o’clock every Tuesday. 😂🤎

09/21/2026

🥰

09/14/2026

Big Zephyr day today 🤎

We did a full mane, tail, and feather bath, although we skipped the forelock this time because he had already been very patient with me 😂

He also did some training in his surcingle and pad and was such a good boy today. The pad is definitely a little bigger than I meant to order, so apparently I could’ve measured better 🙃 It works perfectly fine for what we’re doing right now, but it won’t be the one I use once we start adding a saddle.

After meeting his trainer and seeing the setup in person, I’m even more excited about sending him. There is SO much for him to learn and experience, and I really think it’s going to be such a good next chapter for him.

One of the things I was happiest to see was how the horses are managed and socialized there, including multiple stallions. I really wanted him somewhere that understands stallions as horses first and gives them appropriate opportunities to socialize, learn, and experience the world instead of keeping them completely isolated.

He’s still so young and has so much world left to see. There are going to be new horses, new people, new places, new expectations, and so many little life lessons along the way.

He might even get some new social time this week and make a new friend, which makes me ridiculously happy. 🥹

Clean mane, clean tail, clean feathers, a little schoolwork, and some very exciting things ahead for my boy. 🐴✨

09/08/2026

I still have not mastered getting decent videos of me actually working with Zephyr 😂 Something always happens, the angle is terrible, or the footage ends up basically useless.

Which is unfortunate, because I wish I could actually catch some of these moments.

Today he gets an A+ across the board. 🖤

We worked in the arena with his surcingle on and did circles on the line, and he was SO good. He had been introduced to this equipment briefly by his previous trainer, but they never really did much work with it. I finally bought our own setup so we can start practicing with it ourselves and build on that foundation before he heads off to his new trainer.

One of the things that amazes me most about Zephyr is the way he learns something and retains it. You can teach him something once, come back to it months later, and somehow it’s still in there. As soon as he understands what we’re doing, he is completely into it.

Today was such a good example of that.

We normally do our circles on the line in a different arena across the property, an open arena where we usually work. The arena we used today is normally where I let him loose to romp around, run, and get his silly burst of energy out.

Usually when we walk in there, he waits very politely for me to unclip him because he knows exactly what comes next.

Except today I switched the script.

I brought him in and basically said, nope, we’re going straight to work.

It took him maybe half a second to go, “Oh, THAT’S what we’re doing.”

And then he immediately started giving me his circles.

No argument. No confusion. No big production. Just, “Yes ma’am,” and into work mode.

It was honestly beautiful.

There was something really special about watching him recognize what I was asking, mentally switch gears, and just meet me there. I wish I were better at filming because those are the moments I want to keep forever.

We also worked in the round pen, and he gave me the most perfect walk and circles. He was listening to every cue, staying focused, and really paying attention to me.

And somewhere in all of that, I realized something that made me weirdly emotional.

So many of the little baby behaviors are starting to disappear. Trying to sneak grass. Mentally fading out. Getting distracted by every tiny thing happening around him.

Part of me is relieved because it makes working with him so much easier.

But the other part of me is sitting there thinking… you guys.

He’s not really a baby anymore. 😭

He’s damn near a whole man.

And when I think about how much progress he has made just this year alone, it’s actually crazy. Mentally, physically, in his education, in his ability to focus and understand what I’m asking of him. He has grown so much.

He also tried on his new bridle today, which may be a questionable fit and a little on the snug side, so we’ll see how that goes. I’ll try to get a good photo of him in it.

Tomorrow we’ll add the pad with his surcingle and keep building on what we worked on today.

I’m just so proud of this horse. He takes everything in stride, he is so willing, and once he understands the assignment, he genuinely seems to enjoy having a job.

There has not been a single day since I chose him that I have regretted it. Not one.

Every day just makes me more certain that I ended up with exactly the horse I was supposed to have.

I genuinely feel like the luckiest girl on the planet to call him mine. I cannot wait for him to head off to training, keep learning, and come back so the two of us can continue growing together.

My good boy. 🖤🐴

(this is him post workout, 💩, and water break.) Hims happy and sleepy.

09/06/2026