Willow Falls Farm

01/04/2025

12/27/2024

We lost a good one this week. Gus was one of the best. He gave riders the confidence to make the next step, a retired park horse turned school horse, he knew how to humble anyone. Those brave enough to take him on in a group ride found a special place in many horse lovers hearts.

He had that perfect saddlebred face, a little white around his eye to prove he was really keeping a good watch on anyone. And he taught so many riders to love a good, big trot. Until he was almost thirty, he had a bouncy perfect walk and he would park out anytime you would stop (whether you were in the pasture or the lineup).

Gus spent his later days in the pasture, happily grazing and rolling with the best of them. He committed to the horse he was with; was a loyal friend until the end.

He was deeply loved by his longtime owner, Sam - pictured in many of these photos by his side or on his back.

To our hearts content, we know he has a big wild-eyed, blazing red mane park trot up over the rainbow bridge. We love you, Gus. And we will miss you.

12/08/2024

It was so fun to see our barn friends at this weekend! Nora, Evelyn and Claire made an appearance with their minis (Katherine and Reya) to represent ’s “This Little Horse” program. We love seeing our barn family supporting local events and the .

A few important notes:
• Please peep the candy cane leg wraps (!!) on both of the ponies. They’re so fuzzy!
• Seeing Reya taking a nap in the fresh shavings will give you good luck for a year 😉
• Follow to see more of the minis!

Hope everyone got some Christmas shopping done! And had a lovely, warm weekend.

12/07/2024

We are so excited to welcome Elsa and Ana to the farm!

The freedom ride.

Elsa and Anna are on their way home to us from an insufferable situation in Louisiana.

Between them, they earned $200,000 and had six foals. They were born one day apart in 2010.

Beautiful, athletic, successful mares of every breed are often selected as broodmares. They pass along their incredible genetics and are their offspring's primary ‘caregivers.’

They are invaluable…until they aren’t.

When broodmares are no longer ‘productive,‘ they are often too old to attract much interest in retraining for a sport horse career.

What do you do when the old gray mare just ain’t what she used to be?

Care for her, respect her, and revere her contributions to the sport and the breed.

And love her. That’s what we’re going to do.

Welcome to our family, Anna and Elsa.

For the record, this photo was taken after they were loaded in the trailer before they left. The trailer was not moving at the time, and the windows were latched during the entire trip.

Thank you, RACE Fund, Inc. Brandon Day, and Willow Falls Farm, for helping us receive the blessed gift of these good girls.

Love is good.

11/01/2024

Never too late for a photo dump! Here’s one from the Minnesota State Championship in Winona!

We came, we laughed, we cheered our friends on, we love what we do. All of our horses and riders showed off what they’ve been working on all season and did it with pride.

💙💙💙

10/12/2024

Next up was Elizabeth and Oliver taking home the Reserve State Champion title in the Saddleseat equitation 17 & under division! Taking on a new division with style and grace, we couldn’t be more proud. Plus, that new formal looks SO good ☺️ 💙💛

10/11/2024

Starting off the Minnesota State Championship with back to back Victory Passes for Ro and Cowboy! Congratulations on both your horsemanship and equitation class. The hard work you have put in this year came through in every pass today! We are so proud. Can’t wait for the championships! 💙💛

09/20/2024

Academy Warmup BRAT style 😎

09/12/2024

We love these photos of Elizabeth and Oliver at the by 😍

09/11/2024

Congrats to our academy team on their impressive rides at a competitive ! This show is truly built on hard work and fun celebrating that work. And our riders, Nora and Ro, showcased that value with grace.

Both got to enjoy victory passes and those stunning blue and tricolor ribbons with their noble partners, Cowboy and Vinnie. More than that, they supported one another and cheered on their barn friends when they trotted into their classes.

That’s what this is all about! We are so grateful for this family of ours. And we are so proud of what we’re able to accomplish together.

Onto the next, championships in October! 💙