Mountain Thyme Training

05/29/2026

Guess who is finally home after 12 days at Cornell? This dynamic duo! Mulligan has improved greatly over the last few days and all testing showed he was ready to go home. Bizzy was ready, too! Videos coming soon- he’s a wild boy!!

05/28/2026

Hi friends! Here is a long overdue update on our favorite duo- Today is day 10 at Cornell. Bizzy and Mulligan are out of isolation, awaiting further lung culture and cell test results tomorrow, then will decide next course of action with oral antibiotics. Ultrasound today showed inflammation improvement in right lung, not much change in left but no worse. His temp has been stable off of antibiotics for 48 hours. Keep sending that good juju his way, keep this positive trend going 🤞🤞

05/25/2026

Mulligan and Bizzy update- hopefully only a few more days at Cornell (today marks day 7) before I can break these two outta there. Mulligans white count was still pretty elevated yesterday and his team wanted a few more days of IV antibiotics before transitioning to oral antibiotics. Otherwise, they both are doing well. Please continue sending all the good juju their way 🤞🤞

05/23/2026

I am honored to share that this gorgeous mare, Savannah, is offered for your consideration. Located in central New York State, Savannah has been professionally trained and shown in multiple carriage driving combined tests in 2024 and 2025. She is also trained to ride and would excel in multiple disciplines.

For video and more information, visit her ad on dreamhorse at https://www.dreamhorse.com/ad/2293838/savannah-bl-mtn-shores-bov-chestnut-haflinger-mare-registered-haflinger-mare-rides-and-drives-new-york.html

05/23/2026

Hi everyone. Wanted to update on Mulligan. Im so excited to share that things are finally looking up and little man is improving. He’ll have bloodwork done in the morning and depending on the results, we can then come up with a ‘coming home’ plan. I am so excited at the possibility of seeing Mulligan and Bizzy soon. I also want to thank everyone who has liked, shared, donated, and purchased lesson packages. You guys have been so incredibly generous that I feel I can pay his bill without having to panic over how I’d pay for my everyday bills. I will continue to share updates on this little guy and his mom. Keep your fingers crossed for positive results tomorrow. Thank you all for your generosity, kindness and well wishes. I am so grateful, and so is my Mulligan ❤️❤️

05/21/2026

Mulligan, my 14 day old dartmoor c**t, has been at the Cornell Large Animal Hospital with his dam, Bizzy, since 12am on May 16. Mulligan was healthy and thriving until day 9, when he declined quickly and determined it was sepsis- I am grateful we caught it early. His medical team at Cornell believes in his recovery, and so do I. This tiny foal has already shown so much strength and determination. His medical care is life-saving and expensive- an expense I was not anticipating.

I have exhausted my savings for the growing deposit required by the hospital ($3000 currently) and I have already taken out a personal loan to contribute towards the balance. We are approaching the max end of their original estimate ($6000) and it is about $800 each day for his care. There is no current time line for when Mulligan and Bizzy can come home. The good news is he is stable, improving slowly with more energy each day.

I am offering discounted driving lesson packages and PEMF packages to help raise funds:

- Prepay for four or more carriage driving or long-lining lessons and each lesson is a discounted rate of $50/hour.

- PEMF packages start at 20 minute minimums for $2 a minute- large animal, small animal or human! Minutes do not need to be used in one session.

I am also humbly asking for donations to help cover his treatment. Your contribution, large or small, makes a real difference. If you cannot donate, I’d appreciate any shares of this post.

Any donations can be made to my Venmo (-gemmell), PayPal ([email protected]), or directly to Cornell’s large animal hospital (607-253-3100 during 8am-4pm weekdays towards Mulligan (Jillian) Gemmell’s bill).

05/20/2026

‘I have no interest in your popularity status, the amount of money you have or how loudly you can perform confidence. But if you want to speak honestly about life, fear, longing, loss, dreams? I’m listening.’

05/13/2026

JD was trained at Freshwind Farm by ‘the other Jillian’ (Jillian Sheehan) when I was out of commission for my spinal fusion. I rode in this exact cart with her a few times before he went home. He’d be a great horse for someone who wants to go on lots of pleasure drives!

We hope he ends up on good hands, he’s really a good boy.

02/20/2026

YES.

02/15/2026

Love this, it’s spot on.

🔥 CONTROVERSIAL OPINION INCOMING… 🔥

When life gives you lemons… apparently some people think you’re supposed to buy a better tree. 🍋

But let’s talk about horses for a second.

Not the flashy £50k mover.
Not the 70% regular.
Not the “made for it” combination everyone whispers about at the side of the arena.

I’m talking about the ordinary ones.
The ones people politely overlook.
The ones you get told are “limited.”

You might not be a world-beating rider.
You might not have the flashiest horse.
But you have a goal. So you graft.

Hours and hours.
Early mornings.
Late nights.
Different coaches.
Dents in your bank account.

Slowly… the scores creep up. 61%. 63%. 65%.
Not headline-worthy.
But progress.

Meanwhile, social media is screaming 70%+ like that’s the only thing that counts and the sidelines?
“Oh… that’s ambitious.”
“Is that horse really capable?”
“Interesting choice of test…”

Here’s the controversial bit:

🚨 Not everyone winning at 70% built it from scratch.
Some did and that’s incredible but some started ten steps ahead.

There is NOTHING more powerful than building something people said you couldn’t.

Then one day… you ride that test.
Not first place.
Not a sash.
But a solid score.
Qualification points.
Proof.

But to you and your village?
You’ve won. 🏆

Because you didn’t just beat other combinations.
You beat doubt.
You beat opinion.
You beat the narrative.

So here’s the takeaway:

✨ Stay true to yourself.
✨ Build your village carefully.
✨ Take constructive criticism, ignore the noise.
✨ And if you and your horse aren’t enjoying it… what’s the point?

Dressage (and life) isn’t about looking the part.
It’s about becoming it.

If you’re out there grinding with your “ordinary” horse trying to do extraordinary things… this is your sign to keep going.
Drop a 🐴 and picture in the comments if you’re building, not buying.
Tag your village.
Share this if you resonate with it and also with someone who needs to hear it today. 💛

Picture: This rider is Lauren Bennett and horse Luna and work their socks off to get where they have 😍😍😍