Wyndover Farm

Wyndover Farm Artistry In Motion Wyndover Farm is a small, hobby farm with room to grow and room to share. I grew up on a farm in New Hampshire and am returning to my roots.

We rescue, rehab, and train horses. Dressage rider using Natural Horsemanship techniques.

Fiora update. It's been a few days since I've been able to work and film. We also had another rain/wind storm which mak...
12/20/2024

Fiora update. It's been a few days since I've been able to work and film. We also had another rain/wind storm which makes work difficult because she is very spooky in the wind.

I've regained the ground I lost, last week, and are progressing. I continue to work through her fear. I had the rope over her face, again, but her fear spiked so I removed it and we're continuing training, temporarily skipping the face restriction.

I'm working to teach her to walk and lunge on the line around her neck. She doesn't like to walk next to me, but will follow if I back up and ask her to follow.

I'm building on the sending/push exercise I taught her the first week. So I "lunge" by doing the same push exercise with the rope around her neck. I try not to put too much pressure on the rope, so if she panics I try to stay with her, and not yank on her.

She's finally allowing me on her right/offside, but only on the line. I still cannot touch her right side without it.

I continue to do lots and lots of approaches, both on the line and off. I try to approach her right/off shoulder but she always turns to face me head on. Even on the line, I have to move much more cautiously than the left side. She's more tense and twitchy.

I'm trying to teach her to drop her head so I can take the rope over her head. I've been somewhat successful with getting her to drop her head. I'm able to touch the top of her head and her near side ear. When I lift the rope, however, her head goes back up. I'll continue to work on this with her.

My current goals are to get the rope on and off over the top of her head, to touch her right side without a line, and teach her to walk with me.

Wow! What a difference 10 years makes! This is Reyna, my Andalusian/Arab. I got her as a 2 year old in 2014. She's ce...
12/19/2024

Wow! What a difference 10 years makes! This is Reyna, my Andalusian/Arab. I got her as a 2 year old in 2014. She's certainly lightened up! Wonder how long until she's totally white??

The top pic is Dec 2014, her first time wearing a harness. (Obviously too small, it was Toulouse's)

Bottom pic is this past summer. We've got a new harness ordered for her so expect to see more Reyna between the shafts!

Captain is "lawn pony". Basically, his pasture is everything that isn't a pasture. This allows him to visit his girlfr...
12/14/2024

Captain is "lawn pony". Basically, his pasture is everything that isn't a pasture. This allows him to visit his girlfriend, Fiora, at the Pony Palace (her barn and paddock).

It's crazy windy here today. This has Captain zooming all over the place! He's having a grand time! Keeps him exercised during his winter vacation.

But I just love to watch the wind blow through his fine, fluffy coat. You can see ripples, like you do when winds blow through wheat fields.

12/14/2024

This is follow-up to a sub thread conversation that I think is a valuable discussion. We were talking about the importance of teaching babies manners.

It drives me crazy when horse owners make excuses for their horse's bad behavior.

"She doesn't tie but it's ok, I just hold her while I groom and tack"
"He's pushy so we just use a chain (pain) over his nose to control him".
"She dances around when I'm on the ground but is fine once I'm in the saddle."
.... and don't get me started on loading issues. If you own your own trailer, work on it when you don't have to go somewhere. If you or your horse are nervous about loading, keep practicing until you're both bored.

Any time you handle your horse is a training opportunity. TRAIN YOUR HORSE! Take the time to work through these issues. If you have an issue and are not sure how to handle it, ask a trainer.

It's critical to teach your foals manners and constantly reinforce that training. Young horses, like kittens and puppies, are very playful. Unlike kittens and puppies, though, is that they will fast outweigh you. They learn to play with their friends by kicking, biting, mounting, wrestling, etc. each other. Horses don't realize that we are not as big and strong as they are. It's important for us to teach them what is allowed and what is not, as early as possible. Babies, with no manners, are very dangerous. A playful kick can mean permanent lights out.

With Brownie, every day we do mini manners lessons while we walk from 1 barn to the other. He walks, whoas, backs, moves over, all on a loose line. We practice everyday and each day he's lighter and easier to work with. It doesn't take much, just 10 minutes a day.

Part of being a responsible horse owner is to make sure your horses have manners. At the very least they should stand patiently, lead on a loose line, tie without fussing. You should be able to send them (like out on a lunge line). You should be able to blanket them and wrap their legs. You need to be able to touch their ears and look in their mouth. They need to load on a trailer without issue. (For many this is a work in progress, and that's ok, but don't leave it to the last minute. Before a show is not the time to teach your horse how to load.)

If you find you don't have the time or ability to teach your horses these basics, perhaps horse ownership isn't for you.

12/13/2024

We're experiencing a bit of a backslide with Fiora. Since her experience with the bush halter she's been much more nervous. I gave her a day off then she had her field trip to the arena. Yesterday, when we got back to work she was resistant to go into the barn, once I brought the rope out.

I'm able to approach and touch her, in and out of the barn, as I have been, without the rope. But bringing the rope out increases her anxiety.

This makes sense. The last time I used it she panicked. And though we worked through it and I didn't remove it after she was well calm and had yielded her head, both directions, with just a light bump. Panic is a strong emotion. And it'll take a lot of light, positive touches to reverse the damage done by the panic.

Horses remember things emotionally. For example, a horse who is in a trailer accident and is later difficult to load. It's not that they remember the accident itself. Rather, they associate the trailer with the panic and fear they felt during the accident.

So this is where we find ourselves again. I took a step back to her new comfort zone border and will slowly retrace my steps. You'll notice I pause a lot, I'm taking the time for her to relax, I'm looking for her eye to soften, head to drop, and/or her to lick and chew. That's a sign to me that she's on board with what I'm doing. When I see a harder gaze, worry in her eyes, a tense neck, or really any tension or fear, I stop. I back up until I see her relax then reapproach, ad nauseum.

She's moving at a speed she's comfortable with. It's my job to read the signs and not push too hard.

Fiora's field trip, the conclusion! Other than ripping up my exercise field, a bit, things went great! She was easy to m...
12/11/2024

Fiora's field trip, the conclusion!

Other than ripping up my exercise field, a bit, things went great! She was easy to move and really enjoyed herself, as you'll see.

While she was out I cleaned up the bit of mud I had. I dug a bit of a channel on the outside of the fence, with hopes any water will pool on the outside of the fence. A couple of pics of my handiwork.

12/10/2024

Miss Fiora goes on a field trip!

After doing a couple weeks of rope work, I'm relatively sure she'll respect single lines I set up to direct her to the arena.

I wanted to give her a chance to stretch her legs, roll, and have some fun. She needs to relax, we've been doing the same things for weeks and she's fried. So I'm changing things up for her. We'll get back to rope work but her whole world can't be about me constantly expanding her comfort zone .

I had a friend lead Brownie and I followed, in case I needed to push.

I'll post a video, later, of the returns. Cross your fingers.

12/10/2024

After a day off, getting back to work with Fiora.

I'm definitely noticing heightening concern with Fiora. She was backing away more from the rope work, today, and requiring more time to soften. I've been pushing her pretty hard so I took her increase in nerves as a hint I should take a step back and let her catch her breath, as it were.

So today we want back to the basics where she feels comfortable. There's a video here showing her continued worry over my approaches. I did a push exercise to get her some exercise and you'll notice her tail is a bit elevated. This is good. You can see she relaxed a bit once she was stretching her legs. I wanted to get her out of her own head by making her move her feet. I want her to stop worrying and find a bit of fun, so I asked her to move out a bit.

I did make sure I was able to reapproach her, after chasing her around. I'll see how she's doing tomorrow. It's been a while since I just sat with her while she eats so I'll try to carve some time away for that, as well.

I also took video of her nostrils when she breathes hard. It looks like the nose is squeezed a bit, above the nostrils??? 🤷. Horse friends, what do you think of this??

12/09/2024

Brownie is a lesson horse! We had a young lady visit, today, and she got to practice her lunging skills. Brownie was patient and willing. What a good boy!

I got a makeshift halter on Fiora!We did lots more work with the line. She's still very nervous with my approach and it...
12/07/2024

I got a makeshift halter on Fiora!

We did lots more work with the line. She's still very nervous with my approach and it takes patience to be able to reach under her neck to grab the far side of the rope.

There's a dark video of me getting her to yield to pressure of the rope on her neck. I've been doing a lot of this. The first time I put even a little pressure she resisted. So each session I do a little more. I'm now able to get her to move her entire body with light pressure on her neck. I was not able to convince her to follow me from the barn to the paddock. I pushed her out, leaving the rope on her back, and had her move around me, like lunging. We made a few circles before I tried to video and the rope slid off.

We went back into the barn and put the rope back around her neck, again, and did more yielding exercises. I am also doing lots of approaches up the rope, taking up the slack as I go. I'm able to run my hand up her neck, up to her near ear and bridle path. I can stroke her check. I carefully rested my hand on the front of her face and she relaxed after a few minutes and dropped her head and licked and chewed. She only flinched in fear once, but I move very carefully in her triggering areas near her head.

After a bit of work, I took the rope over her nose and made a bush halter. If we had doubts about her being previously handled, I don't anymore. When she first leaned into the strap she looked much like the wild horse caught by the cowboy's lasso. Eyes rolled back in her head, tongue hanging out. But unlike the cowboy, I didn't fight her. I went with her. I let her get used to the feeling of the strap with no pressure. She panicked a bit and backed herself into the wall, fast. I stayed safe but stayed with her and talked her down.

Once she got used to the idea of the halter on her face, I started doing more yielding work. And just like with foals, we suggest with the line on the face but put pressure on the rope behind their butt, or in Fiora's case, the rope around her neck. She's already used to yielding to that pressure, so now I give 2 slight bumps on her nose then a longer one on the neck. By the end I could put pressure only on the halter and she'd yield each direction. I tried to get her to drop her head, and she did after a bit of time and effort.

I also got the rope back around her back legs with no attempts to kick at it.

12/06/2024

Does your pony come running when you call? Mine does!

12/06/2024

More rope work. Took this video real quick as I needed to focus and stay safe.

I did more 2 hand work and coupled that with the rope work. I kept 1 hand on her back and moved the line up her neck with the other. I was able to get it about halfway up her neck. I flipped it up behind her ears from there. She tenses up when I flip and slap the line against her but there's no fear, just worry. I was able to reach under and grab the other end, on 2 occasions, with great patience and effort.

After this I was able to get her to yield to the light tug/release pressure a few times, both directions. I moved her out of the barn, on the line. I tried to move her around the paddock a bit with the line, using a combination of a light tug/release on the line and driving pressure with glance to the hind quarters and a gentle swing of the line behind her (not at her). For friends who have ever taught a newborn foal to lead..... It was much like that! 😳😜🤣😎. I definitely did NOT get the feeling that she's ever been led.

I finished this session with doing approaches up the line to her head and back out. I was able to touch under her neck to her throatlatch. I petted her check and down the side of her face. On several approaches she flinched hard away. She really behaves as if she has been hit. I wish she could speak to me and tell me what happened.

Continuing my rope work with Fiora. I was finally able to reach under and grab the other end. I did work moving the rop...
12/05/2024

Continuing my rope work with Fiora. I was finally able to reach under and grab the other end. I did work moving the rope up and down her neck. When I got it up behind her ears, she didn't show any head shyness with the line (only to my hands). She didn't immediately yield to pressure, though that wasn't my goal so when she didn't yield I moved on. I worked to approach, collecting the line and backing away. I moved her around with the rope on but not by the rope. I gently wiggled and slapped it against her barrel and rump and tapped her back legs, with no negative reaction.

I'm also still working on having both hands on her. She is still very tense and flinches and backs away from the 2nd hand. I'm working on her in the paddock and in the barn. She did not swing on me, today. Though she did have 2 violent cringes. Both times she threw her head away from me, like she was avoiding being hit. Both times it was the movement of the second hand that caused the flinch.

I was able to touch her chest and front leg down to her knee without her pulling her leg away. I reached down her girth and back to mid barrel. No negative or pain expressions. Just a worried look, not tense.

So far she only allows me to approach on her left side. That's very common for unhandled, though, as they spend their entire lives favoring one side, they won't offer their off/weak side to a predator.

Now offered for sale, on consignment, to the perfect home!Located in Ferndale, WA BROWNIE is a coming 3yo Yakama Mustang...
12/05/2024

Now offered for sale, on consignment, to the perfect home!

Located in Ferndale, WA

BROWNIE is a coming 3yo Yakama Mustang gelding. Raised in a herd environment, he's a bottom of the totem kinda guy. He's friendly and easy going and gets along with everyone.

He's 14hh and 750lbs. He's best suited for a petite rider, est target 160-175 lbs for tack and rider, when he's fully developed. He's got amazing mustang hooves, hard and wonderfully barefoot.

He's an excellent trail prospect. He's more whoa than go. He's brave and curious and will make someone an amazing trail partner. He does not have the speed for gaming. I think he'll have a blast chasing cows. I can even see him as a hunter. There are videos on the Wyndover Farm page showing his natural movement.

He knows and does all the things you'd expect from a 3yo gentleman. He loads, ties, clips, stands for the farrier and vet, etc. He is light on the line. He's started lunging and picks up new things, easily. He's worn a saddle but had not been backed. He'll be easy to start. Much of the groundwork is under way.

He would be PERFECT for a 4H Senior looking to start a c**t.

I've personally owned 3 Yakama mustangs and I've found them to be smart, loyal, hardy pocket ponies with great feet and health. They have a big try and enough sass to keep it fun.

Brownie sells under contract requiring first right of refusal, should the buyer choose to train and sell. We require equine references (trainer, farrier, vet, etc) and will be doing a site visit prior to him going home. PRICE REDUCED
15🥕🥕, offers welcome.

12/03/2024

Fiora's feeling a bit overwhelmed today. This is my 3rd touch session of the day. I'm gonna keep it light and easy, today.

Fiora, 2 hands and more rope work. I'm now able to approach her anywhere in the paddock and touch her. As long as I do ...
12/03/2024

Fiora, 2 hands and more rope work.

I'm now able to approach her anywhere in the paddock and touch her. As long as I do it right, she won't move off and accepts my touch. If she does step away I stay with her and she accepts that.

Today, I attempted to add my second hand and she spun away. I don't know if she would let fly but I took no chances and leapt out of the way. I reapproached her, again, first 1 hand then attempted to add the second and again she spun away. I tried a few more times with no luck so I moved her into the barn, for my safety.

Once inside I worked to get both hands on her. Even inside she stepped towards me so I recreated the rope stall and reapproached. It took me 4 or 5 approaches before I got the 2nd hand on her. She flinched like crazy and she was very nervous and tense. She would step away when she hit her limit. After a few more successful 2nd hand placements I was able to back off before she did. In between working to add the second hand, I continued my rope exposure. I'm able to hang the rope off her far side and slide it over her neck and back. She's used to the rope work so when the 2nd hand was overwhelming her I switched to something easier and familiar.

I tried touching her chest and upper leg, again, and she pulled the leg away from me and dropped her head, fast. There were no teeth but I took this move as a warning.

Tomorrow I will continue work with the 2nd hand, the rope, and increasing real estate to include her chest. She does well if I add something new then stick with that for a couple days before I introduce something else. I've increased my visits to her, though some are just to approach, pet, retreat and have her follow me, then leave.

12/02/2024

Wait!?!? What did I just whisper???

12/02/2024

Touch work with Fiora, loose in the paddock. Before this video I was doing this same thing and I lifted my left hand for her to sniff but she flinched so hard. She threw her head away from me and ducked.

I've continued to work with the rope, I have it over her neck, above the withers, hanging down to her point of shoulder, on the far side. I'm not able to reach for it. Indeed, when I worked towards her chest, her near knee buckled and she tensed her chest muscles and pulled that leg away from my touch.

She is so fearful. She continually flinches, expecting me to hit her head/face. Even once we work through this fear, haltering (and bridling, should she ever be productive enough to bridle) will be a life-long challenge.

Address

3440 Mountain View Road
Ferndale, WA
98248

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

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+13603192348

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This is follow-up to a sub thread conversation that I think is a valuable discussion. We were talking about the importance of teaching babies manners. It drives me crazy when horse owners make excuses for their horse's bad behavior. "She doesn't tie but it's ok, I just hold her while I groom and tack" "He's pushy so we just use a chain (pain) over his nose to control him". "She dances around when I'm on the ground but is fine once I'm in the saddle." ..... and don't get me started on loading issues. If you own your own trailer, work on it when you don't have to go somewhere. If you or your horse are nervous about loading, keep practicing until you're both bored. Any time you handle your horse is a training opportunity. TRAIN YOUR HORSE! Take the time to work through these issues. If you have an issue and are not sure how to handle it, ask a trainer. It's critical to teach your foals manners and constantly reinforce that training. Young horses, like kittens and puppies, are very playful. Unlike kittens and puppies, though, is that they will fast outweigh you. They learn to play with their friends by kicking, biting, mounting, wrestling, etc. each other. Horses don't realize that we are not as big and strong as they are. It's important for us to teach them what is allowed and what is not, as early as possible. Babies, with no manners, are very dangerous. A playful kick can mean permanent lights out. With Brownie, every day we do mini manners lessons while we walk from 1 barn to the other. He walks, whoas, backs, moves over, all on a loose line. We practice everyday and each day he's lighter and easier to work with. It doesn't take much, just 10 minutes a day. Part of being a responsible horse owner is to make sure your horses have manners. At the very least they should stand patiently, lead on a loose line, tie without fussing. You should be able to send them (like out on a lunge line). You should be able to blanket them and wrap their legs. You

We're experiencing a bit of a backslide with Fiora. Since her experience with the bush halter she's been much more nervous. I gave her a day off then she had her field trip to the arena. Yesterday, when we got back to work she was resistant to go into the barn, once I brought the rope out. I'm able to approach and touch her, in and out of the barn, as I have been, without the rope. But bringing the rope out increases her anxiety. This makes sense. The last time I used it she panicked. And though we worked through it and I didn't remove it after she was well calm and had yielded her head, both directions, with just a light bump. Panic is a strong emotion. And it'll take a lot of light, positive touches to reverse the damage done by the panic. Horses remember things emotionally. For example, a horse who is in a trailer accident and is later difficult to load. It's not that they remember the accident itself. Rather, they associate the trailer with the panic and fear they felt during the accident. So this is where we find ourselves again. I took a step back to her new comfort zone border and will slowly retrace my steps. You'll notice I pause a lot, I'm taking the time for her to relax, I'm looking for her eye to soften, head to drop, and/or her to lick and chew. That's a sign to me that she's on board with what I'm doing. When I see a harder gaze, worry in her eyes, a tense neck, or really any tension or fear, I stop. I back up until I see her relax then reapproach, ad nauseum. She's moving at a speed she's comfortable with. It's my job to read the signs and not push too hard.

Miss Fiora goes on a field trip! After doing a couple weeks of rope work, I'm relatively sure she'll respect single lines I set up to direct her to the arena. I wanted to give her a chance to stretch her legs, roll, and have some fun. She needs to relax, we've been doing the same things for weeks and she's fried. So I'm changing things up for her. We'll get back to rope work but her whole world can't be about me constantly expanding her comfort zone . I had a friend lead Brownie and I followed, in case I needed to push. I'll post a video, later, of the returns. Cross your fingers.

Brownie is a lesson horse! We had a young lady visit, today, and she got to practice her lunging skills. Brownie was patient and willing. What a good boy!

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Our Story

Wyndover Farm is a small, private training and boarding facility in Ferndale, WA.

OUR FACILITY: The farm is located on 8 acres of fenced and cross-fenced pastures. Our main barn was renovated in 2016 and has 7 large (10X16) stalls with paddocks. Stalls are furnished with stall cams accessible from phone app (with logon info) allowing for 24/7 viewing. During winter/cold months, water buckets are heated. The main barn has a large ‘Tack Sanctuary’ with plenty of room for your tack. It is also furnished with a fireplace, sofa, utility table and entertainment center -- a great place to cool off, warm up, chill out, hide out, and relax before/after your ride. Our foaling barn also stores our hay for the farm. It is outfitted with a single, large foaling stall that can be divided into two stalls. The foaling barn is attached to it’s own grassy paddock. There are 8 hot-fenced pastures, our horses are kept together as a herd. Boarders have the option of pasturing with our herd or pasturing in a individual pasture.

WORK/PLAY AREA: We enjoy a 20m X 50m fenced arena, a 60 ft roundpen, and a 60X60 lighted ring. The property is set up to allow for property-wide riding/driving/jumping circuit during the dry months. From our property, we have access to 30+ acres of open fields, great for hacking. From these fields we also have access to Lake Terrell Wild life Area -- 1,500-acre area including a 500-acre man-made, shallow lake and features lots of trail riding/exploring options.