Breezeway Farm and Stables

10/24/2024

We still have various tack, dressage saddle, eventing vest NWT, English boots, helmets. English and western and performance show clothes available. GREAT LOW PRICES.

12/03/2022

RIP, Ellie Mae. Ellie came to us 7 yrs ago as a five year old ,previously twice returned to the animal shelter, adoption. Rachels pick as a birthday present. She was a companion, livestock babysitter, and best friend. She had to be right by the horses side when they were being ridden, she corralled them to the barn, scolded the sheep and goats, loved on the cats, and gently guided wandering chickens back to the coop. She was a 4-H Champion and Reserve Champion and she was Jethro's only remaining dog buddy, he will also miss her greatly. Our hearts are broken.

09/30/2022

Lol!!!!

07/28/2022

Putnam county fair week is over for horse and pony......well sort of. Weather was out of control which resulted in some classes being canceled completely and a whole day being canceled. Thankfully, the canceled day has been rescheduled for august 6th. All Breezeway horses and students have been great! Missing a pic of Nova, the "baby"of the mustangs..if you have one please add to the comments!!♥️♥️♥️

07/03/2022

Six horses from Breezeway were troopers yesterday, Friday july 1 and today, Saturday july 2 at the putnam county 4h open horseshow!! All behaved and performed beautifully. Congrats to their human partners!! I was bad at the photo Op....only pic I took was a class pattern for riders to study!!! Lol.

06/14/2022

Ellie, the farm animals mother!!,horses to chickens Always a watchful eye and keeping them in line

06/12/2022

Back home. Great week at Carova Beach, Corolla NC. Wild horses roam the island freely, very low key, less than 300 residents,.. .sun, surf, sand, family....all "roads" are sand, only way on island is with 4x4. drove nine miles up beach, have to time trips in/out with tides so you can get through. AWESOME!!
Thanks Elliot family for taking care of the farm for us!!!

05/17/2022

Nina!!! Our wonderful, amazing student and volunteer putting her skills to use!!!!

04/07/2022

Sweet!

03/27/2022

Cute.

🔆

02/26/2022

Getting closer to the time for these two, Tuke and MaLady, to come home!!!! Yay!!

02/19/2022

This is Leah showing Estalla a few years ago.

02/04/2022

Very well said!

A reader writes: “Where do I find a safe, trustworthy kid’s horse in an industry so filled with deceit?”

**

Whoa. I could write an entire book about this subject but in this instance, I am going to be uncharacteristically short. When I’m evaluating kid’s horses—or those meant for to build confidence in riders of any age—I am looking to that horse’s current owners. They, alone, will tell me almost everything I need to know, without anyone saying a single word.

I am looking for the horse or pony who has confident, achieving young riders to its credit. This is usually the older, aged animal. Its resume is filled with happy kids, no matter the discipline. That’s all. This particular animal has made keen horse(wo)men who love everything about the life. They have not been scared, or hurt, or turned off in any way.

While most families who are fortunate enough to have such a saint in their barns are in no way willing to sell them, life can demand some hard choices. Many times, in order for the kids to keep riding—without doing harm to older/low energy/less athletic horses, or those needing evermore maintenance—they will have to move on to the younger, larger, more athletic—more expensive—horse. Sheer economics can mean that they have to find the old standby a loving and worthy home before they can go shopping.

This is where you step in. You are offering—with generous payment, by the way, for this horse is in no way a cheap giveaway—a caring home to the family who is regretfully, tearfully selling their kids’ horse. It might be for sale because the young rider needs funds for university. Your job is not to judge, as so many people do these days. Your job is to somehow prove your home worthy.

There are many excellent, proven kids’ or adult beginner-safe horses out in the world! Where we run into trouble is saying they don’t exist when in reality, we are not looking to the right sellers… and when we are not willing to pay fairly for all the ‘been there, done that’ these horses so willingly offer.

Trolling the buy ‘n’ sell sites online can be entertaining but it isn’t the safest place to shop.

When we are looking for proven, reliable horses—without all the mind games and deceit—we are wise to find proven, reputable people. They exist, in all parts of the world and in all disciplines! Ask around and the same names will come up, good folks who are quietly proud of making and riding good horses.

📷 Mike McLean.

01/17/2022

Good read for thought, even comments had some great insight.

01/15/2022

Summer. May 9th, 2000 to Jan 15th, 2022. RIP.
We lost one of our familys best friends today. She touched many lives young and old. She was a lifesaver and life changer!! Summer , a Pony of America, was a true champion!.... She loved and cared for her humans greatly. She did everything asked of her...learning english equitation, jumping, trail, wp, ranch, contesting and sooooo much more. She shined in the show ring and shined bright surrounded by kids being silly with her and calming their fears/anxieties. We owe so much to this dear companion. Love ya Summer.

01/07/2022

SUMMER UPDATE.....
NOT bone cancer as vets thought possible!!!!! Yay!!! Thank you Jesus!
She has a broken jaw, bone infection(previous antibiotics weren't strong enough) and a cut in mouth. There's a broken off piece of dead bone too. She's being sent home on strong meds, must return in 2 weeks to x-ray break, check if dead bone piece and infection cleared. If not, surgery then is next step.
Seems she may have been kicked in jaw, reacted and got her chin caught on something which created a puncture wound which is the injury we first noticed. HORSES... gotta love them!!!!

01/07/2022

Our precious SUMMER is headed to Purdue hospital this morning. Prayers for family safe travel and wisdom for docs in treatnent/diagnosis and peace for Leah.

12/19/2021

What a wonderful performance of the Nutcracker! Elliott family not only rocks breezeway horse world but the ballet world too!! Rachel and Leah posing for a photo with the celebs! Thanks for a wonderful evening.

12/03/2021

BELOVED DONKEYS.....
Donkeys are not horses and their care requirements actually differ greatly from traditional equines. If you are a small land owner and would really like an equid type friend, a donkey can be a great choice for you! Donkeys are smart, they are thinkers, and they don't like being alone. A donkey should never be expected to be the sole animal. They require some form of animal companionship. A donkey on its own will be very noisy and bray a lot. You almost never hear noise from one who is happy with a companion. Unfortunately, most new donkey owners are not aware of the special needs of this unique animal.

GOOD FEED IS NOT GOOD FOR DONKEYS.....

The desert bred donkey is not a grazing animal, it is a browser. Therefore, your average, grassy pasture is too much for an animal that was designed to eat sparse, poor quality forage. The genetic make up of a donkey makes them get maximum use from their feed. Consequently, it is very easy for them to tip over into laminitis or other serious health issues when fed like a horse. Unlike a horse, a donkey will not be symptomatic. It is difficult to tell when they are in crisis because of their stoic nature. Please do NOT feed your donkey like a horse. Barley straw is a good thing to feed your donkey. If that is not an option. very low quality hay that has been cut past its prime will do. (but not moldy) Donkeys also need free choice minerals available to them.

Donkeys do not have the water shedding aspect to their coat that horses do. Remember they were bred to live in the desert. Because of this, they need shelter from the rain or pneumonia can be an issue. Trees and shrubs really are not adequate for the donkey where they would be for a horse. A run in shed is an excellent choice for a donkey. Sometimes a waterproof blanket might be a necessity.

Like horses, donkeys need their feet trimmed every 6-8 weeks. What people fail to realize, is a donkey whose feet are overgrown is in a lot more pain than a horse with the same overgrowth. Also, a donkey's feet are not trimmed in quite the same way as a horse's. Some farriers are not educated in the fact that you must cut a donkey's sole away. The farrier tends to leave the feet too long, and the heels too high. A donkey was designed to be on rocky ground, and their soles to wear away. Because they are most often pasture kept nowadays, the sole does not wear down and a farrier must do it at trimming. Their heels need to be kept low. Also, there are shoes made specifically for donkeys, and it really isn't ideal for them to wear horse shoes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPONE_nE45o&ab_channel=BJRickard

Donkeys are very sociable and make good friends for lonely people. it is also a great animal for carriage driving, but not as good for riding. They do make good mounts for children, as they are quiet and reliable, but when the child becomes a serious rider, they need to move on to a pony or horse. They have straight shoulders compared to a horse, so the rider constantly feels like they are going to fall over the donkey's head.

Donkeys are super smart. People tend to look at donkeys as cute and fluffy, and don't understand what a big brain they have in those over-sized heads. They are very intelligent and tend to get bored during training sessions. A person has to be careful to train them with a lot of variety or the donkey just shuts down with disinterest.

The intelligence of the donkey is often misinterpreted by new owners as stubbornness, when the donkey is just doing what comes naturally to it. A donkey will stop and assess a new situation and think about its choices before making a decision on what action to take.

Donkeys have three different "danger" reactions while a horse only has two. A donkey will either flee, (but they will only go about 100 yards and then stop), or they will fight or they will just stand there and continue to assess the situation. The best thing an owner can do is to just let them work it out for themselves. This willingness to fight is what makes some of larger ones such excellent livestock guardians. They will stomp coyotes or feral dogs to death, thus saving the offspring of the livestock housed with them. (However this type of living arrangement often ruins them because the feed is not limited with them among a herd of livestock)

An endearing trait of donkeys is their dog-like personalities. They form very strong bonds with their owners and the animals that they are with constantly. New people (such as the farrier or the veterinarian) can be very stressful for the cautious donkey. Donkeys are extremely curious about what their humans are doing and are quite content to hang out with their owners or amble along behind them. Most donkeys love interacting with children. Children can walk among a herd of donkeys and they will just stand there. Donkeys make an excellent pet choice for children in wheelchairs because they tend to stay so calm and quiet. A donkey loves to go on walks with their owners. They really are excellent companion animals.

Donkeys are very long lived animals. It is not uncommon for them to live well into their 30's and often much longer. SInce they form such strong bonds, it is sad that they get shuffled around so much in their lifetimes. The biggest donkey issues are the lack of gelding within this species and the prevalent "flipping" of them from owner to owner.

Also donkey owners should be aware that they need to be monitored more closely in the days after being gelded. They are more prone to having excessive bleeding issues.

Most of this information and a 4 time a year publication on donkeys, can be found at http://www.donkey-mule.org.nz/

11/09/2021

Beautiful Smudge watching over the farm...

11/06/2021

Congrats goes out to Bekah!! She brought home her first horse. Yearling filly untouched mustang from Wyoming. Welcome NOVA!! A wonderful adventure begins!

10/24/2021

Fyi.......

09/19/2021

🔹 Save the date! 🔹

Join us next year at the C Bar C Expo Center in Cloverdale, IN for the 2022 NOHSA World Championship Show!

🔹 Qualify by showing in the same class at two or more open horse shows between September 1, 2021 and August 31, 2022!
🔹 Submit your show results online in just a few minutes
🔹 Horses of alls breed are welcome and only required to be registered with NOHSA

08/24/2021

Max and Smudge enjoying a nap on the front porch

07/04/2021

Ashiya, an Andalusian cross and Chamois, a rocky mountain, getting some loving and a workout. These boys have come so very far in their short time at Breezeway. They have gained weight, gained respect in groundwork, and undersaddle practice. Both are HEALTHY and happy. So glad they landed here.