Shadow, Standardbred mare, 28 years
Shadow was the lead mare of our herd and has handed this role and the responsibility over to 4Sure. Shadow, the "Queen" of our herd and a true black beauty has an outstanding personality and interesting history. Never raced, used as a broodmare once, being schooled in dressage and show jumping, she arrived here long time ago as a "Problem Horse": She could buck very well and had taught a lot of people, especially kids, to fly. Saddle marks on her back also tell a story from several non-fitting saddles before we got her. She has been at North River now for 18 years and nobody believes us when meeting her that she had such a history.
She is absolutely EVERYBODY's darling, our best teacher ever and one in a million. She has taught from absolute beginners to very experienced people a lot about communication and about themsleves over the years. She has patiently carried people, who have never been on a horse and or being very scared through the bush, even a blind lady. Experienced riders fall in love with her because she is so soft to ride (if you offer softness). Basic classical dressage or show jumping, she does it and all in a ropehalter. Our friend Matina from Germany would have loved to take her home with her;-). We could have sold her thousands of times (but we never will) and her fanclub is growing and goes as far as Germany. The last couple of years she has more been a "kids' pony" and teaching our beginner pony girls to ride. Dearly loved and groomed she often wins the first prize in the pony play weeks for most beautiful and best decorated horse. Due to a paddock accident in winter 2013 she only carries children now and his half retired.
She is absolutely EVERYBODY's darling, our best teacher ever and one in a million. She has taught from absolute beginners to very experienced people a lot about communication and about themsleves over the years. She has patiently carried people, who have never been on a horse and or being very scared through the bush, even a blind lady. Experienced riders fall in love with her because she is so soft to ride (if you offer softness). Basic classical dressage or show jumping, she does it and all in a ropehalter. Our friend Matina from Germany would have loved to take her home with her;-). We could have sold her thousands of times (but we never will) and her fanclub is growing and goes as far as Germany. The last couple of years she has more been a "kids' pony" and teaching our beginner pony girls to ride. Dearly loved and groomed she often wins the first prize in the pony play weeks for most beautiful and best decorated horse. Due to a paddock accident in winter 2013 she only carries children now and his half retired.
Robbie, Standardbred gelding, 25 years
Shadow's "husband" and a patient uncle for the foals in our herd.
Ian bought him off the race track, when Robbie (Robbie Hanover) was 4 years old and never made it there because of his attitude of: "I'll beat you tomorrow".
Ian started Robbie under saddle and he became his one and only competition horse for endurance riding. Robbie was at North River now for nearly 21 years, so there a lot of tales to tell from the endurances rides and all those years of trekking, on one ride he even safed Ian's life.
Robbie had carried many people and worked hard, being a very solid, very tall boy he has carried some weight over the years. After a paddock accident over ten years ago (a gallop down the hill to catch up to the herd which ended in a fall on his head and neck) Robbie was lucky to be alive and so were we. Robbie was our assertiveness trainer, if you were not doing anything or too much this horse could walk absolute slow motion. And he used to work that out in the first few metres of a ride if he can have his rider on or not (well, as most horses do...).Robbie was also an absolute confidence builder, if you wanted to fall off you had to run to the edge and jump;-). The last two years he was semi retired, he carries children out on the treks, taught quite a few children to ride and has given a few people the joy of their first canter on a horse ever, as he was an absolute armchair. He was dearly loved by his share rider Pearl who loved to fuss over him and canter up the hills even the last summer in 2013. When we came back in October 2013 he wasn't his usual self anymore and faded away despite all the food and TLC we could give him. One day he couldn't get up anymore and we made the hard decision to let him go. Robbie has left an enourmous gap in our hearts and in the herd, he burried here on the farm. In our hearts and through the tales he will live on forever as he truly was one in a million.
Ian bought him off the race track, when Robbie (Robbie Hanover) was 4 years old and never made it there because of his attitude of: "I'll beat you tomorrow".
Ian started Robbie under saddle and he became his one and only competition horse for endurance riding. Robbie was at North River now for nearly 21 years, so there a lot of tales to tell from the endurances rides and all those years of trekking, on one ride he even safed Ian's life.
Robbie had carried many people and worked hard, being a very solid, very tall boy he has carried some weight over the years. After a paddock accident over ten years ago (a gallop down the hill to catch up to the herd which ended in a fall on his head and neck) Robbie was lucky to be alive and so were we. Robbie was our assertiveness trainer, if you were not doing anything or too much this horse could walk absolute slow motion. And he used to work that out in the first few metres of a ride if he can have his rider on or not (well, as most horses do...).Robbie was also an absolute confidence builder, if you wanted to fall off you had to run to the edge and jump;-). The last two years he was semi retired, he carries children out on the treks, taught quite a few children to ride and has given a few people the joy of their first canter on a horse ever, as he was an absolute armchair. He was dearly loved by his share rider Pearl who loved to fuss over him and canter up the hills even the last summer in 2013. When we came back in October 2013 he wasn't his usual self anymore and faded away despite all the food and TLC we could give him. One day he couldn't get up anymore and we made the hard decision to let him go. Robbie has left an enourmous gap in our hearts and in the herd, he burried here on the farm. In our hearts and through the tales he will live on forever as he truly was one in a million.
