12/06/2025
It’s the time of year where we often think back on all of the things we are thankful for, so I felt that this was a perfect time to look back on Journey’s time here at God Given Farm.
Some of you may know that she and I did not get along well, and I actually said no to purchasing her. If she hadn’t come with Fern, she would not have ended up here. She had a major charging and striking problem, she didn’t want anyone to touch her, ever, and she was not broke to ride even at 12 years old. She had been beaten, drugged, attacked by her previous owner’s dog, with her wound left untreated and festering with infection, and tossed around through several homes in the few months before she came here. She didn’t lead safely, she could barely be caught in a 60’ pen, was not safe for haltering, struck for cleaning her front hooves and would kick violently for the back hooves. Our first lunging session took over two hours before she quit bolting and trying to barrel me over for just half a second. It took about 6 months before she didn’t pin her ears and shrink back in her stall when people walked by.
She is now my personal favorite horse on the farm. With our Winter Apprenticeship Program, she was started under saddle last winter and has not once bucked, bolted, or reared under saddle. She is our brave new obstacle tester, a favorite amongst our lesson students, comes to meet me in any size field, and is the one I trust most.
Not only has Journey changed into a completely unrecognizable horse, but she has entirely changed the way I train horses. I am thankful for what she has taught me, and glad that God knew that she was a perfect horse, even when I couldn’t see it.
So if you’re struggling or feeling like things aren’t progressing fast enough, hopefully this can serve as inspiration that good things are worth waiting for. Journey has now been with us for 2 and a half years, and the patience and perseverance for the first year and a half truly show!
