Susie & Annie almost to the top of Kanaka Peak in Whiskeytown Recreation Area. This is one of our favorite training grounds for trail riding.
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Susie riding Marty and Kirsten riding Cricket along the Sacramento River inTehama County, CA. We rode 5 hours this day. Our horses were perfect! No spooking, no acting up. They enjoyed the ride as much as we did! This was an extremely windy day. We played in the water and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of our NorthState.
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This picture was taken up in the Marble Mountain Wilderness area out of Haypress Meadow in August, 2007. We survived an attack of angry yellow jackets and a pouring down rain storm! Other than that, we had a great time. We packed in and stayed three days. Some of the most beautiful scenery we have ever seen.
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Exposure to water as well as other horses & riders, are always good training practice. We do get the horses out on real trails but we use the round pen first. Round pen work and de-sensitizing is a large part of our training routine here at the Wishbone Corral. We spend many hours on each horse training them respect on the ground for handling safety. We are strong believers in that if they learn to respect you from the ground, you will be much safer in the saddle.
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Annual Halloween Horse Show at Shasta College in Shasta County, CA. Norman pretending to be "Dracula". Norman Newsmaker has a new home in Mendocino County, CA We like to expose our horses to many different kinds of events and experiences. As time allows, we take them to shows, trail trials, and other functions with lots of activity. It really builds their confidence level and helps make them a safer horse for you. Wishbone Corral ~ Important Information We try our best to choose horses that are calm, friendly, non-spooky, intelligent, willing, healthy, sound & good looking. We have a training routine here that covers control & respect, ground manners, trailer loading, de-sensitizing, water crossing, wooden bridge crossing, high-lining, hobbling & socialization with other horses & animals. We train our horses to trail ride. We subject them to lots of outside stimulation and circumstances to help make them a safer ride for you. We try to build their confidence. We believe that a good Equine ~ Human relationship is extremely important for the safety of both horse & rider. It is not transferrable. Although we do our best to make our horses safe, they still have their own minds, individual backgrounds & personality traits that affect how they think, react and relate. Horses are sensitive & intelligent living beings that are a reflection of their handlers, riders & environment. The more experience, confidence & knowledge the rider has will be reflected in the attitude, behavior & confidence of the horse; especially young horses. We sell horses in the age group of 4 to 7 years old. We have found this age group to be mature enough mentally & physically to train & ride without being too old to learn new things. They don't seem to have as much "baggage" from their past as older horses. They seem to have less soundness issues. We find this age group more willing, fresh, eager to learn & enthusiastic. We realize this is a generalization and that their are sound, good horses that are younger & older. We, for the most part, buy and sell geldings as oppossed to mares. We find that geldings are more consistant & stable in their temperments and make for a safer trail mount. Again, this is a generalization and we realize there are many good, stable and safe mares out there. We just prefer geldings! We consider most of the horses we offer for sale as "Green" because of their age group. We have given them a great start with our foundation training routine. They all have had at least 90 days of professional training with at least 20 hours of true trail riding, often much more depending on the horse. If you are not an experienced horse person or if you are puchasing one of our horses for a child, we encourage you to seek the help of an experienced trainer or horse person. They will teach you safety tips, proper horse handling & care, proper tack fitting, and help get you and your horse off to a rewarding, safe & fun relationship. We urge you to take the time to get to know your horse when you get him home. Please don't rush him. Some horses take longer than others to trust their new humans and feel secure in their new homes. We have had horses adapt within 2 days, others have taken 60, most take about 2 - 4 weeks. You will get out of your equine relationship what you put into it. We also suggest you longe your horse before every ride. There are many good reasons for this. Please ride regularly and love on your horse every day. They really do need your sweet voice, hugs & kisses. They will reward you if you reward them! Don't hesitate to seek the help and or advice of a trainer if you are new to the horse world. You and your horse will greatly benefit from it. There are often classes available at your local college, tons of books on training available plus DVD's, clinics & workshops. There is so much good information available today! Remember, horses are sensitive, loving, playful, sometimes humorous living beings with a mind, personality & character unique to them. No two are alike! Dive in, get educated, have fun, relax and RIDE !! HAPPY & SAFE TRAILS TO YOU! Susie
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Susie riding a nice Haffie gelding across a wooden bridge.
We like to get our Haffies out on the trail ASAP. Although we spend a lot of time in the round pen, we also feel it is good for their training and their frame of mind to balance arena work with actual trail experience. Even when we purchase a Haflinger that is already trained and ready to go, we keep them at least 30 days to make sure they stand up to our standards for a trail horse. We feel it takes at least a month to really evaluate the training level, athletic ability, trail & agility skills, personality traits, health & overall all attitude of the horses we buy. We sell most of our Haflingers between the months of April through November. If you are looking for a Haffie with specific skills, traits, aesthetics, etc., please email and let us know. We may be able to locate one for you! We have Haffie connections all over the US. OUR THOUGHTS ON HAFLINGERS Haffies are generally CALM. Haffies are extremely INTELLIGENT. Haffies know their weight & size and tend to be PUSHY. Haffies need a strong leader in their human handler and or rider. Haffies will control you if you don't control them! Haffies can spook like any other breed. Haffies come in many different, styles, colors, sizes, models and rider levels. Haffies can become your best friend if you will give them regular good care, food, love, attention and training. Haffies, as most horses, respond to YOUR confidence level, or lack thereof. Haffies are sensitive creatures, absorbing from you, every fear, movement or hesitation. If you are bold, fearless, and full of confidence, your horse will pick that up from you. So, hypothetically, a person that lacks confidence will need more training than a person that is naturally bold. Haffies are very affectionate and need your loving care, hugs & kisses on a daily basis. Haffies are generally easy keepers and can gain weight on grass hay. Haffies (most) do well barefoot. Haffies love to please, are compliant and willing to go to work. Haffies can get bored if they do not have enough to do. They like horse toys!
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