07/28/2024
Are you interested in coming to Narnia?
We have a joke here that once you end up in Narnia it’s hard to find your way back through the wardrobe. In other words, you don’t ever leave. We also say that once you start to see things differently, you can’t unsee. We don’t follow mainstream horse keeping or horse training practices here, although we believe they should be.
We are of a horses first mindset. Their diet, management and environment comes first and foremost. Last year we converted our traditional paddock set up to a track system. We continue to improve, enrich, and develop that. It’s not large or fancy, but it has been a game changer to provide our horses with more movement, choice, constant access to forage, a family and the ability to play and interact within their social groups. We have a mixed mare and gelding herd of 10 horses. All our horses are barefoot and this is a requirement. Many of them came to me with shoes and we have transitioned them to being barefoot. We do not feed grain here, but give 24/7 access to tested hay we grow here on the farm and some get additional forage pellets or supplements if needed. We are naturalists and believe that giving our horses a more natural environment is critical to both their mental and physical well-being.
We recognize that as humans we are half of the equation so we must also work to be our best selves. Our horses push us down this path to better physical and emotional heath, better self-awareness and better body awareness. We talk to our horses, understanding how horses communicate with each other and being able to read their language, respect what they are telling us and also incorporate it into our training practices. We see our horses as individuals and recognize, just like us they have physical strengths and weaknesss, they have suffered traumas as all living beings do, they have genetic presipositons to certain temperaments, conformations, and maybe disease, but whatever the case we work with that individual animal and respect their boundaries.
We want our horses to thrive in their work and be motivated so we study healthy movement. We also incorporate a lot of positive reinforcement into our training. Meg is a squire in the Academic Art of Riding by Bent Branderup, the only one here in the Americas, and gymnastic groundwork is an essential starting point. We want our horses to be in a position to carry a rider without detriment to their body before we get on their back. We don’t start out horses under saddle until they are 4-6 years old. We play at liberty in a way that develops connection and conversation, not seeking performance or tricks. We enjoy a quiet hack through the woods and also a good gallop through the hayfields. We support each other and help each other through challenges and triumphs. We laugh and sometimes cry together as a community. We do not compete. Competition is for human ego and rarely supports horse welfare so we don’t use our animals for sport.
Nobody is leaving Narnia, but I am expanding a little in how I manage my own herd of horses so that my 5 personal horses can be together as a herd. As a result I will have 2-3 stalls opening in the main barn next summer of 2025. If this community sounds like something you and your horse would like to be a part of, reach out to me for more details. I’m starting to put some feelers out.
