Kami and Jackie do a demo of favorite tricks, liberty dancing and bridle less riding for the seniors from the Rogue Valley Manor. Music by Mary Ann Kennedy: “Language of Love, Heart in your Hands, & Mares” used with permission of the artist.

It was a hot day and Julia invited Kami to play with her at liberty in the pond. Her invitation was accepted and the fun began!  “Horses and Life” by Mary Ann Kennedy is used with permission of the artist.

I took Anne Frankowski and Julia Kauschke to the California coast for a magical trip with our horses, riding the redwoods, the dunes and the beach, playing in the waves and galloping down the beach on a loose rein. Mary Ann Kennedy’s Horsing Around, Trail Less Traveled, Mares and Born to Ride are the perfect accompaniment and are used with the permission of the artist. If you want to know more, like us on Facebook under Mystic Ranch.

This is a video of Anne Frankowski and Maia doing their Parelli Level 3 Freestyle Audition in September 2014. Parelli asked her to submit a short follow on video of her cantering Maia carrying a carrot stick and doing a simple lead change. Anne submitted that video in 2015 and passed her Freestyle with a Level 3+. Mary Ann Kennedy’s music is the perfect background for this video and included with the permission of the artist. Enjoy!

A video tribute to the magical relationship Anne Frankowski created with Maia. Watching the two play at liberty with obstacles in the trail course is a testament to their trust, understanding, shared joy and partnership. The clip in which Anne teaches Maia to swim is beautiful and inspiring.

Anne submitted this to Parelli as her Level 3 Liberty audition. Parelli asked her to submit a short follow on video of Maia doing a circling game and sideways. Anne submitted that video in 2015 and passed her Liberty with a 3+. Mary Ann Kennedy’s Language of Love, Trail Less Traveled and Mares is the perfect background for this video and included with the permission of the artist. Enjoy!

I met Sharon on Facebook. She had a bad horse accident and was torn between her deep love of horses and the pain from her injuries and fear of getting hurt again.  I fully understood because I was recovering from a bad fall off Kami myself.  We talked about our love of horses and fear and Sharon decided to come up and spend five days with me and Mystic.  Sharon divided her time between doing liberty with Tessa and riding Mystic.  Tessa taught Sharon a lot about reading horses, communicating with them using body language and being a leader that a pushy mare like Tessa can respect.  Mystic instilled confidence in Sharon. He absorbed her fear and told her she was safe. He let her know what her body language meant to him and rewarded her slightest improvement and clarity.  By the end of that five days, Sharon was riding Mystic in the woods, on the trail and around horses loose in the pasture with confidence.  Watching Sharon’s transformation was so very healing for me.  I am so grateful to her for this wonderful time together.

The Lindemuths came for a visit.  They were a God send at a time we needed support.  I was undergoing the last week of my daily radiation treatment for my breast cancer, Ron went into the hospital when his kidneys started to crash and Kami became very sick and needed to be driven to Eugene to be treated by the veterinary school there.  Val and Dave drove Kami up for us, held everything together at the ranch and picked Kami up the day that she and Ronald Glenn were both discharged from the hospital.  We truly could not have made it without their loving help. In between all that, Alyssa stepped up her horsemanship and started to ride Mystic son on the trail.  So proud of her.

We said goodbye to my gallant Prince charming last night.  His GI tract stopped working on Wednesday and despite all Dr. Timmons’ efforts, he couldn’t get it started again. We were with Prince at the end, stroking him and telling him of our love and gratitude for all the joy he brought into our lives.

Prince was born on April 21, 2005 at 11 pm.  Ron and I were there for his birth and I picked him up and imprinted him in his first hour of life.  He was a beautiful colt, quickly learning to lead with just a finger of pressure on the back of his neck, to stop to a touch on the front of his neck and to turn to a touch on the side of his neck.

He was enormously playful, dancing on his hind legs, boxing with Mystic in play, something he did so often when we had visiting geldings.  He loved to play follow the ball, a soft ball stuck on the end of the stick. He would follow it anywhere on the ground and I could ride him bridleless having him follow that ball on the end of the stick.  He was brave in a quiet sort of way.  He loved to lead on the trail, walked into the ocean surf and pawed in it and if a new gelding went after one of his sisters, Prince would leap to her defense. He loved doing tricks, playing at liberty and was a joy to ride.

This last year, Prince was the chosen companion of our German exchange student, Nadja. Prince taught Nadja so much. On her arrival, Nadja was inclined to tell horses to do something.  Prince taught her to relax and open herself up to the moment, to woo him, to ask and patiently wait for him to think things through.  She learned what magic a horse could offer you if you did. I told Nadja she could not corner Prince to catch him, nor could she halter Prince until Prince chose to follow her at liberty. When Prince walked away and stayed away from her, Nadja would drop to the ground, abandon her agenda and open herself up to Prince. Only then would Prince walk over to Nadja and drop his head down into her lap and happily follow her at liberty. But he did not just follow her or do as he was told. He would offer to pick up cones for her, do an obeisance or Spanish Walk, or decide to go jump the cavaletti when Nadja was riding him with just the neck string.  “Be my friend and partner and I will give you my soul” he said …. and he did.

We will never forget or stop loving this gallant little horse. Run free Prince. Dance with your friends. We will join you when it is our time to cross the rainbow bridge and we will play together again.

Take a moment to enjoy Nadja’s magical prom at Crater High School with best friends Hannah & Alexis, Logan, Bryan & Nate, followed by a ride in her prom dress on a real life Prince Charming, her Paso Fino gelding, Prince.

We had a tough April at Mystic Ranch. The afternoon of the Pear Blossom Parade, Kami tripped into a squirrel tunnel going down a hill and fell on top of me giving me a bad concussion and five broken ribs and injuring her left shoulder. I was air lifted to the hospital and she was led 3 legged lame back home. A week after I got out of the hospital, I had surgery for breast cancer. I can confidently state that breast cancer surgery hurts less than 5 broken ribs.  A couple of weeks later, Lacey got too close to a horse and got kicked in the head, nearly losing her right eye.  Enough already!