Two Hats Ranch Horse Lessons, Boarding and Training

10/30/2026

Today's birthday girl asked that we not discuss numbers because she doesn't believe people should be put in a box based on age.

After watching her ride, I'd have to agree.

The way she sat in the saddle, pushed her heels down, picked up her reins, and got to work told me everything I needed to know: horses were part of her life long before today's lesson.

Our sweet Mya (Perfect Zippen Covergirl) was the perfect partner and took great care of her rider, but it was obvious this wasn't someone's first trip around the arena.

Days like today are a good reminder that you're never too old, too late, or too anything to do something that brings you joy.

Happy Birthday to one remarkable lady. I want to be just like you when I grow up. ❤️

10/29/2026

Of course, I finally get a picture from Michael T. Photography and Streak N Wild aka "Phoenix" looks like a supermodel while I look exactly like the 66-year-old rider I am. 😂

That said, I couldn't be more thankful for the last few weeks. From bringing home around $950 and prizes at the BIF Showcase in Salkum, WA to running back in the 14's at Legacy S, Phoenix and I are finally starting to find our groove.

He's gone through another growth spurt, we've both had to make adjustments, and we're learning to read each other better every run. The results are exciting, but the partnership we're building means even more.

Feeling very blessed and looking forward to what this horse and I can accomplish together.

10/12/2026

09/27/2026

UPDATE!
A huge thank‑you to everyone who reached out with interest in Mya over the past few weeks. We truly appreciated every message, question, and kind word. After a lot of thought, Mya will be staying right here at Two Hats Ranch, and we are absolutely thrilled to own her again.

She’ll continue in her role as a lesson horse and will also be available for lease through the program. She’s been such an important part of our barn family, and we’re grateful she’ll remain right where she’s happiest.

We are now on the lookout for a new horse for the family who previously owned Mya. The girls are two very handy 13‑year‑olds who will be boarding at Two Hats Ranch and working closely with me. We’re searching for something in the long yearling to 3‑year‑old range, around the $6,500 mark. Registered Quarter Horses with papers are preferred, but we’re open to others. Color is always fun, but soundness and the ability to stay sound are far more important — these girls ride and they work.

They’re interested in barrels, but they understand the importance of keeping a young horse sane, balanced, and broke enough for performance down the road.

If you know of anything that might be a good fit, feel free to reach out.

For your consideration:
Two Hats Ranch is offering, on behalf of her owners, PERFECT ZIPPEN COVERGIRL “Mya,” a 14‑hand, 2015 tentatively registered POA mare.

Mya has been part of the Two Hats Ranch family since 2019. She was started here, trained here, and has spent nearly her entire life helping young riders grow. She’s the kind of mare who quietly shows up, does her job, and gives her kids the confidence to believe they can do anything.

She’s taken multiple young riders from nervous beginners to accomplished competitors — completing a 3‑Step Dad Potter and consistently qualifying for the Oregon State Fair. Along the way, she earned multiple championships in Showmanship, English and Western Equitation, and Trail. She has tried a few fun speed events but is not being marketed as a gymkhana horse.

Mya then moved to her current family and stepped right back into the same role — giving their riders confidence, consistency, and success. Like the previous owners, this family is now ready to move on, and it speaks highly of Mya’s ability that she has helped multiple new riders learn, grow, and achieve their goals. She’s happiest with a kid or small adult who wants a partner to learn with, grow with, and love.

Mya is wonderful on the trails, an easy keeper, and truly shines when she has “her person.”

Perfect home is absolutely a must. Mya has given so much to her riders, and we are committed to finding a family who will appreciate her, maintain her properly, and give her the same level of care and respect she’s always had.

Soundness note: Mya has some changes in her right front fetlock. We are happy to share her full history, what keeps her comfortable, and how she’s maintained. PPEs welcome.

Located in Tillamook, OR. 5️⃣5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣
Questions? Please PM Zoe Behrens‑Martens.

09/26/2026

I’m a few weeks late getting this posted, but good news doesn’t spoil — and this one deserves its moment.

Cheri Baker and THR Tequila Lil Time, aka Wickham, brought home the 1D Futurity Average win at the Best In The West race. Cheri has absolutely put the time in with this good‑looking roan, and while it’s not their first big win together, it is their first 1D average win — and it feels like a milestone they earned the hard way.

I kept digging for a photo of the two of them together, but finally decided:
Cheri gets her own spotlight on this one.
She’s the engine behind this horse’s success, and Wickham is the proof of what time, feel, and consistency can build.

They’re an amazing team that just keeps getting better and better.
Late post or not — this one was worth sitting on until I could do it right.

09/22/2026

The horse world is losing its backbone, and nobody wants to talk about it.
Farriers? Fading.
Large‑animal vets in small towns? Retiring faster than they’re replaced.
Leather repair, saddle makers, harness makers? Almost extinct.
Actual horsemanship? Rare.
Small lesson barns that teach kids from “never touched a horse” to competent riders? Endangered species.

We used to have communities built around these skills — people who could fix a bridle, float teeth, shoe a draft horse, start a c**t with patience, or teach a kid how to wrap legs without Googling it. Now it feels like everything is shifting toward convenience, shortcuts, and aesthetics. Pretty pictures instead of real work. Clinics instead of mentorship. “Programs” instead of hands‑on learning.

Everyone wants the horse world to survive, but fewer and fewer people want to learn the trades that actually keep it alive. The ones that require sweat, time, and showing up even when it’s cold, muddy, or inconvenient. The ones that used to be passed down quietly from one generation to the next.

And maybe that’s why this picture hits me harder than most.
This c**t was born right here, purchased by Hailey Jones as a yearling, and even though she did the training, I was with her every step of the way — the kind of start‑to‑finish mentorship that used to be normal in small barns. The kind that built confident riders and good horses.

I’m not sure it will happen again. We’re not breeding anymore, and the few youngsters left will either be sold or kept for myself. That chapter is closing.

I’m frustrated because when my generation leaves this earth, I don’t know who’s stepping in.
These trades built the horse world.
These barns raised riders, not influencers.
Without them, it’s just costumes and photo ops.

If we want horses to have a future, we need people willing to learn — and carry forward — the dying arts that got us here.

09/20/2026

THR BEERS N SUNSHINE “Dolly” — Building Her Future One Run at a Time.
Ashley Kunis and THR Beers N Sunshine are really starting to click, and last weekend at the Best In The West Barrel Race in Battleground, WA proved just how far this young mare has come.

Ashley said it best:
“Guys… GUYS. This horse. This run. This weekend. I didn’t win a single penny, yet I crushed so many goals for myself and my horse. We placed 14th in the 1D against some salty riders and averaged in the 1D for the weekend.”

For a 2021 filly by Guys Canyon Moon and out of THR My Gata Fame (Proudest Effort X GATA FAME), this is exactly the kind of progress we love to see. Dolly is stepping up, gaining confidence, and showing the grit and ability her pedigree promised from day one.

She may not have brought home a check, but she brought home something better — proof that the partnership is growing, the work is paying off, and this mare is on the right track. Watching a THR horse go out into the world and make these kinds of strides is something we’re always proud of.

Here’s to more runs, more growth, and more sunshine for Dolly and Ashley.

09/11/2026

2021 gelding STREAK N WILD is somewhat interested in the belt buckle he won, first one, in the 3D average at the Sancuary Barrel Race in Powell Butte a few months ago.

Me?!
Over the MOON! So beautiful!

Huge THANK YOU to Rachelle D Mose of ThreeCans Barrel Horses and "friends" for making the reciept of this very pretty buckle to me possible.

09/09/2026

There comes a moment in every horsewoman’s life when love stops looking like leg wraps and warm mash and starts looking like a decision you never wanted to make. A moment when you realize that the kindest thing you can do is also the thing that will break your own heart.

To the person standing in that moment —
the one who halter‑broke these mares,
who taught them to give to pressure,
who swung a leg over them when they were young and fire‑bright,
who trusted them around barrels at speeds that made the world blur,
who bred them with intention and hope,
who held them for the farrier every six to eight weeks,
who cold‑hosed warm legs and whispered “easy, girl,”
who mixed warm mash every morning with supplements, salt, and anti‑inflammatories —
this letter is for you.

You didn’t fail them.
You didn’t quit on them.
You didn’t “give up early.”

You loved them all the way through.

You loved them in the way only someone who has raised a horse from birth can love — with responsibility, with stewardship, with the kind of devotion that doesn’t need applause because it shows up every single day in the quiet, unglamorous work.

And now you are loving them in the final way:
by choosing peace over suffering,
comfort over crisis,
dignity over dragging things out until the world forces your hand.

This decision isn’t made from convenience.
It’s made from knowing them — truly knowing them — their bodies, their minds, their thresholds, their history.
It’s made from decades of horsemanship, not a moment of weakness.

You are allowed to choose a gentle ending.
You are allowed to protect them from the fall mud, the cold, the pain that creeps in quietly and then suddenly.
You are allowed to say, “I will not let you suffer just so I can avoid my own grief.”

That isn’t selfish.
That is the purest form of responsibility.

And if anyone else needs permission to make the same choice — let them find it here. Let them know that mercy doesn’t always wait until the last possible second. Sometimes mercy is early. Sometimes mercy is proactive. Sometimes mercy is simply refusing to let a good horse hurt more than she has to.

In the end, this letter is for me.

I am the one who raised them.
I am the one who rode them.
I am the one who cared for them.
I am the one who knows when it’s time.

And I forgive myself.
Fully.
Completely.
Because love — real love — sometimes looks like letting go before the world forces you to.