Happy Tails

On a crisp cool morning I drive my truck into the driveway of a serene setting. I see horses, well cared for and loved munching contently on their hay. Their large pastures well maintained and manicured. Bright curious eyes watch me drive by. I park near the big pond and for a moment the ducks that glide across the water catch my eye. I have arrived at Ride-to-Walk a therapeutic riding program for disabled children. This is the dream child of Kris Corn, founder, director and physical therapist.

This is the place where dreams indeed come true. Children’s dreams of being able to walk and maybe even run, when they were told that would never happen. The dreams of the children’s parents as their silent autistic child speaks for the first time.

This is also the home to a kind and honest Morgan mare named Apple Pi Satin Lady. Lady spotting me lifts her regal head as she waits patiently for her small reward of a sweet juicy apple. I am so proud of this mare my heart swells, she has given so much of her life to please people.

As the Ride-to-Walk arena is occupied with volunteers, parents and children, activity fills the air and Lady is led to the barn area to get ready for “program”. Her dark dappled chestnut coat glistens in the sunshine as she is groomed to perfection. Her kind, knowing eyes watch over the little people as they learn about grooming and tacking up. The children, these brave little warriors with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, autism, spina bifida to name a few, push forward bravely to improve and become the best that they can be.

Lady stands firm as she is mounted. Alert and happy she walks forward sharing her four legs with this little girl. Lady takes great care with her newest charge as the child is guided be the equine professional, supervised by a therapist and surrounded by volunteers. Lady moves forward willing and steady as the child does a series of exercises that promote postural control, balance and coordination. A bright pink ball is thrown back and forth between a smiling child and her therapist and Lady happily clips along. For this young girl moving around at a new heights and not being confined to her disability is exhilarating and today her hero is a bright chestnut Morgan mare named Lady.

Lady has gone through extensive preparation just for these moments. She is in training several days a week being exposed to many sensory items, since in “program” she must be calm and steady. There are bright colored hoops, balls, puppets and unbalanced riders she must get accommodate. Lady has passed all these tests with flying colors. Looking into her warm liquid brown eyes you see the wisdom, so this comes as no surprise.

As Lady’s small friend finishes “program” she is helped to dismount. The child helps lead Lady back through the sand covered arena to the barn area where she is brushed again. This girl with her pink boots reaches forward and pets Lady’s velvety soft nose and whispers a quite, “thank you”. Lady has served well today! She is led back to her pasture to enjoy the rest of the day in the cool shade of the surrounding oak trees.

Before I leave I say my own thanks to Lady for being the special kind of Morgan that is written about in children’s books. I give her strong neck a big hug and she scoops me up against her warm chest with her pretty head and nuzzles my back. There is a wonderful connection between humans and their Morgan companions that cannot be put into words.

As I drive away I know in my heart that Lady is truly a Morgan to be praised!

Ride-to-Walk is always happy to accept volunteers and donations, for more information call (916) 791-2055 or go to www.ridetowalk.com . To see and learn more about Lady you can go to www.nvsmorgans.com or call Lisa at (916) 521-3394

Barbra Madarang riding NVS Sampson (Killian) at the Police Officers Memorial in Sacramento California. We are proud of both Barbra and Killian for serving as police officers in Mendocino county

hello! how have ya'll been doing? i have been thinking about you guys lately. i just wanna know how you guys are doing. moses is doing VERY well and i want to see you guys again. maybe when the weather is better you guys can come up. maybe you can bring midas and you an i will ride on the trails! i can ride my horsie robin and maybe i can pony moses! i have been practicing halter classes with him! he does very well. i think he is defently ready for a show. my mom and i want to start racking up points for him asap! i think he will be a great horse. i think i am gonna 3-day event with him. he is a great jumper for show-jumping and X-country. and i think he will be obedint enough for dreesage.

i love him so much!

!! i have been working on lounging and ponying and he is doing very well.He is a very fast learner. i think he is going threw puberty though because he has been ttrying to breed with robby and gypsy. but most of the time i am still the "top mare" hehehe!!! well, hope to here from you soon and hope to see you soon too!

Alisha age 13 and NVS Moses age 2 1/2 showing at the Orangevale Morgan Pleasure Horse Show. Alisha has done all of Moses' training herself. Kevin and I are extremely proud of these two and are looking forward to future shows.

I've always been partial to Morgan horses. I have a 30-year-old mare who I purchased as a 5-year-old, and her now 20-year-old son, who I've cherished for all these years. It became evident that I was going to need a younger horse.

I started looking at horses, both Morgan and other breeds. One horse I looked at was a yearling Morgan colt. He didn't have natural heard "smarts" since he had been weaned early and kept in a separate paddock. He really connected to his current owner but was very shy about "new" people. This concerned me. After spending time on the Internet and asking around about horses for sale, I decided to see what Lisa currently had to offer. I knew "Billy" was around two and probably ready to start. I'd actually known Billy since he was a foal. I even have a picture of my then 2-year-old son, Brett standing next to him as a baby.

In early March I went over and she took me into the pasture to meet her herd. They all came up for attention and immediately made me feel welcome. They all had such sweet personalities and were respectful. Lisa and I talked about Billy and by April he had some time under saddle and had easily passed the vet-check. I purchased Billy right after the vet-check and was delighted to bring him home.

In October he turned three and we started taking lessons together from Samantha March in Newcastle, Ca. Billy is so easy under saddle it wasn't long before we were riding at Traylor Ranch and then at Granite Bay, CA. His wonderfully fast moving walk makes trail rides nearly effortless. His feet are so good he hasn't needed shoes. Even after riding on fairly rocky terrain, his feet are still round and smooth...no chips! He's such a sweet boy I keep him in with my aged mare. Being young he does try to help me in the pastures when I'm cleaning...some help! He's always taking my rake! His personality is so fun I'm always happy to give him a big hug when I feed him morning and night.

I plan to eventually do NATRC and Trail Trials with him along with maybe an occasional show (if I can handle it - he'd be fine). We have already done Sensory Training at Loomis Basin area with Loomis Basin Horsemen's Association where he did as well as the seasoned horses.

I've been absolutely delighted with Billy. He's got that wonderful Morgan conformation and personality that I've so loved in my other horses. Thanks Lisa!

Hi Lisa,

Here is a picture of Brian's first solo trail ride. Billy was the best of the three horses on our ride. I'm so proud of both boys.

Sarah

Contact: Lisa Horning at nvsmorgans@yahoo.com

(916) 521-3394

I've always been partial to Morgan horses. I have a 30-year-old mare who I purchased as a 5-year-old, and her now 20-year-old son, who I've cherished for all these years. It became evident that I was going to need a younger horse.

I plan to eventually do NATRC and Trail Trials with him along with maybe an occasional show (if I can handle it - he'd be fine). We have already done Sensory Training at Loomis Basin area with Loomis Basin Horsemen's Association where he did as well as the seasoned horses.

I've been absolutely delighted with Billy. He's got that wonderful Morgan conformation and personality that I've so loved in my other horses. Thanks Lisa!