Freedom Reigns

10/14/2024

I’ve attended luckette’s markets for years and years and years. The first one I went to was at the old luckettes store more than 10 years ago now (I think). I always admired the vendors and their beautiful work. It created in me this small piece that dreamed of maybe one day doing it too. I just never really knew what I could offer. Then I grew up, got married, had kids, and started this small non-profit. But in the midst of all of that, this small voice would pop in my head every year when I went to the markets… “maybe you could still do this too”.

Well… we did it. With a massive amount of help from our volunteers and family and friends, we did it. Our little non-profit showed up ready to roll and roll we did!! Wow and we are all (humans and animals) exhausted from such an awesome weekend! Our ponies gave so many kids their first horse experience. They were so kind, so full of grace, and so incredibly gentle. Our bunny was a trooper and let so many people love on him too! They were all amazing. I’m so proud!

My volunteers showed up and poured their hearts out to the kids and adults alike! They cleaned p**p, brushed ponies, got up early, stayed late, and man they were angels!!

Thank you to for having us! We had the best time and are so thankful you allowed us to be part of this amazing event!

Thank you so much to everyone that came out and met our animals! We are so so blessed by your support, it means the world to us

07/20/2024

Sometimes equine therapy looks like this… a horse choosing to step into your moment of hurt. Their face pressed up against yours, their soft breath on your face helping to regulate your own breathing, and their presence simply holding space for your emotions to be fully felt. These moments are sacred. You leave feeling a little more healed and whole.

Send us a message for more information on how you or your loved one could benefit from these sessions. We would love to talk with you.

06/07/2024

The horse world is a beautiful and tough one. It’s full of incredibly hard days, pushing yourself to the limit, loss, heart breaks, financial struggle, but it is also full of so much joy, fulfillment, and incredible blessings. Freedom Reigns has been such a wonderful challenge. I have seen God provide in the most miraculous ways over and over again… and it’s almost always when I least expect it. As I write this I am sitting here thinking… and here He is doing it again.

Over a year ago we purchased a little filly from Utah. RTD Golden Nugget. Now known on our farm as “Nugget, Nuggies, Nuggie Nugs”. Anyone who has been on our farm has had the absolute sheer joy of being loved on and snuggled by her. She is honestly the best therapy horse we have. Everyone who comes out here falls in love with her.

Now, just a little while ago I got a message from Nuggets Breeder. She shared with me how she’s decided to retire from horses and breeding. One of her favorite mares is non other than Nuggets mom, Poderosa Easter Lilly. She asked if we would be interested in purchasing her so that Lilly can live out her days with our perfect little Nugget.

We prayed hard over this because Lord knows we don’t necessarily need an another horse of our own. But the doors have opened for us in a way we could never have planned ourselves. So we said yes.

I don’t have words for how honored I am that Donna would consider us to take, not only such a wonderful mare, but a mare one that holds such a special place at Rocking Tear Drop. Donna Anderson, I’m thankful that you trust me with such an important piece of your heart and program.

We are beyond excited to have her here!!! She was confirmed in foal to Donna’s Friesian Stallion Maarten. And we are even more excited to see what this foal will look like come April 2025! This little Moriesian foal could be Black, Bay, Silver Bay, or Silver Dapple!

Unfortunately, She arrived on Tuesday evening very dehydrated and gave us a big colic scare. We monitored her round the clock for two days and ended up need vet intervention. We had her tubed with fluids and I am happy to say she getting back to her bright perky self!! Thank you Dr. Megan at Hartland Equine Veterinary Services, PLLC for being such an amazing vet and taking exceptional care of all our horses!!

05/22/2024

When we dropped off Rinez, we expected to come home with an empty trailer. Instead, we stopped at Colby’s Crew Rescue and picked up this perfect little pony. Welcome to the Freedom Reigns Family Bri!!

This pony is an absolute saint and we are all madly in love with her!

This pony hopped off the trailer and was so calm! She settled in so easily! Her first full day here she got a bath and was a saint to be clipped. I’m so impressed (and maybe obsessed) with her!

Bri and Buttons are going to be excellent little therapy horses for our smallest clients!

05/15/2024

Anyone that has been around our program knows Rinez. He has been loved on by many in his two years with us! We have some exciting news about this super special boy!!

2 years ago, we decided to take Rinez into our non-profit for an amazing lady who was fighting for her life battling breast cancer. Rinez was her dream horse and we didn’t want her to have to sell him due to this unfortunate circumstance. We said no matter what, he’ll be yours when you’re ready. About 9 months in, his owner decided it was in his best interest to sell him. During a PPE we found an injury that would prevent a sale. She decided she needed to focus on surviving and so she asked us if we’d take over his ownership. We said yes, no questions asked.

We have had the immense pleasure to love and have this boy for two beautiful years. I personally have come to love him so much more than what I have words for. He is the horse I hop on ba****ck in the fields, the one I trust most to carry my kids around the barn. He is just perfect. Beautiful inside and out.

Now after two years, he gets to go home! His original owner called and said she survived her treatment, and she was ready to bring him home.

Today, we did just that. We drove Rinez home. We all cried when I handed him over. I’m honored to get to have hand delivered him back to his true mom, and I cannot wait to see the adventures he and his momma will have in the years to come!

He will always have a special place in my heart. This beautiful boy is the sweetest and kindest gentle giant… truly one in a million.

05/06/2024

We need to give a huge thank you to our wonderful volunteers. We couldn’t do what we do without our amazing team of folks that show up every week, no matter the weather! They jump in and take care of the horses, clean the stalls, fill the hay bags, and everything in between! Man are we blessed!!

We also need to specifically thank our Volunteers Macie and Steph for being our go to girls for farm sitting!

And a big thank to Bob who so generously donated our team with hats and T-shirts! (Rinez so kindly decide to model the hats for us!)

Also… We have some really fun and exciting news coming up soon!! 😊😊 stay tuned!!

04/04/2024

Are you looking for a place to learn about horse care in a hands on way? Maybe you just love horses and want to spend more time around them? Freedom Reigns is a non-profit equine therapy program located in Leesburg, between 15 and Evergreene Mills. We are looking for volunteers to help with our daily tasks. We start around 9 in the morning and have another shift at 4/4:30 in the evenings. We have shift openings every day!

Our typical tasks include:
Feeding
Grooming
Filling hay bags
Mucking the stalls and dry lot
Cleaning and filling waters

Here at Freedom Reigns our horses are our pride and joy. They are the real therapists. We believe in taking exceptional care of every single horse that is at our barn. We love to teach people of all ages how to care for horses. There are times when we have pregnant mares and foals on the farm, so there are chances to watch and participate in bringing babies into the world too! We are happy to teach you as much as you’d like to learn and are happy to give your kiddos some age appropriate tasks also!

This is a great opportunity for students needing volunteer hours and for home school kids looking for PE activities.

Our morning crew specifically is a wonderful opportunity to build community, spend some fun time with horses while making new friends, all while helping a great non-profit!

Please feel free to send us a message if you’re interested.

01/05/2024

We have one spot available for full care board at our new facility in Leesburg off of Evergreene Mills. We have a brand new 5 stall barn with an attatched drylot and trail access.

We have a preference for mares here but would consider a non-study gelding. We do have experience with pregnant mares and foaling out mares and we have the facilities to handle that as well. So if you’re looking for a safe place for your mare to foal out with someone with breeding and foaling/foal handling experience, this is your spot!

Our horses have 24/7 access to 2nd cutting hay and horses are not stalled unless necessary. They have access to all the stalls 24/7 (fans in summer) and are typically closed in the barn/drylot area in the evenings and for bad weather. We also have heated waters for everyone in winter.

We are within walking distance to Evergreene Mills Equestrian and Hiking Trail, which is a 6.5 mile county maintained trail. So someone who wants to ride out and do trails but cant trailer out this is your spot!!

We run a ground based equine therapy program from our barn so any horses staying on our property must be extremely well behaved. No bite or kick as we have little kids around the farm. Your horse would not be used in sessions unless you want to have them participating.

Board includes:

Feed up to twice a day
24/7 hay access (no round bales) in slow feed nets -
*I do mean 24/7 we make sure that the horses have more than enough hay to last them through the night.*
Health checks 3 times a day
Basic medical care for minor issues
Basic daily grooming
Blanketing

Options for an additional cost:
Exercise riding
Additional feedings
Extra major medical care
Stalling if desired
Foal training/manners

10/08/2023

Non-profit equine therapy program looking for care lease (potential purchase after trial) on a special mini!

Freedom Reigns is looking for a care lease on a super friendly kid oriented mini! We run a non-profit ground based equine therapy program in Leesburg and are in need of a special mini that can work with some of our youngest clients. We are getting more children around the ages of 2-4yo and some special needs children that require a very special pony to work with. If anyone has one whose kids have out grown them or is plopping around in a field and would like a very fun loving job of helping kids heal please reach out!

This pony’s role would include:

- Being loved on by little kids
- Being allowed to interact with children on their terms
- Giving occasional riding lessons
- Being an ambassador for our non-profit at outings such as community events, parades, and program open houses.

This pony must be an absolute saint and really love kids! This is a non-negotiable.

We take pride in our exceptional care of our horses and have wonderful partners in our vet and farrier to keep our equine partners at their best.

We are potentially open to purchase but after a lease term as we need to be sure that this pony fits this role EXTREMELY WELL before we purchase.

09/25/2023

We made it.

We have officially moved 2 of our 5 horses home. Our permanent home.

After years of dreaming, praying, planning , and saving, we made it.

We cried tears of joy watching them run for the first time.

With that being said… we are planning to host an open house and we are accepting new clients!

*** We also have a few needs for those interested in helping us get fully functional!
Here are a few ways you can support us:

- Donate your time!! We could always use the extra hands around the farm. Anything from filling hay bags to helping us pick up the fields, to grooming horses!

- We are in big time need of a shed - so if anyone has one they aren’t using or has the ability to donate or build one we would be eternally thankful!
(All donations are tax deductible)

- Spread the word! We work with kids, teens, families, and we have a special program for postpartum moms. We want you to feel like this is a safe place where you can breathe, find rest, and begin to heal. If you think you cannot afford equine therapy… call us. We have a huge heart for making it work so we can care for those that need it.

We love our community and are beyond thrilled to connect with anyone interested!

Feel free to comment or PM to connect with us!

01/31/2023

If you are a mom… and you are struggling in any way. We are here for you.

Postpartum depression is real and it is serious. We can be a resource for you. We also have connections to licensed mental health professionals.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

We will get you in, please do not let the fear of cost dissuade you from reaching out. We have resources to help or even cover the costs of sessions.

We will even hold your kiddo while you work with our horses.

12/10/2022

Our youngsters in their (slightly muddy) winter woolies.

11/17/2022

It has taken a while to post this, and I apologize to those that do not follow my (Lauren) personal page.

Luna had an incredible filly in April. A black bay gangly, swirly coated image of perfection. She was the perfect mix of Luna and her sire Tjaarda 483. We named her Arabella’s Heavenly Solstice, Sol for short. She was sassy, and oh so incredibly sweet. She loved her people and we loved her so deeply. For five beautiful months we were foolish enough to think we had made it through the most dangerous times for a foal. She was healthy, active, and vibrant. After weaning her, she had a horrible accident in her paddock. The ct scan showed that she likely was running and tripped and did a rotational fall and broke her neck. We tried for 2 weeks to see if she could be saved. There would have been no quality of life for her if we had let her go on. She could hardly walk straight and was clearly in a lot of pain as we weaned her off medication. We took her to Marion DuPont and after seeing her scan, there was nothing to be done for her, not even surgery could fix the break. I had to let her go.

I sat with her and I wept. My girl. My girl that I pulled out of Her mom, that I dried off at birth. My girl that came running when she saw me. My girl that was so snuggly and so sweet and called out to me every time she saw me. My girl that stole my heart. I pet her sweet face, and I kissed her warm nose one last time. I told her I loved her and I thanked her for her heart and for teaching me so much in her short time. I told her I’d take care of her mom… and that I was so sorry. I rested my head on hers as she took her last breath. I felt her give one last exhale and I broke. I lovingly and carefully took her halter off, never to be used again, and I left completely shattered.

We lost our Sol. But we will never forget her.

I have her ashes here in our house for now and when we move to the new farm I will find the perfect spot to lay her to rest.

10/26/2022

10/02/2022

We are so excited to announce that we are officially EAGALA certified providers!

Send us a pm if you’d like to learn more!

04/13/2022

Freedom Reigns has had a big winter and early spring so far! We have been so busy with moving farms, life changes, and keeping a close eye on our very pregnant Luna. With that being said, after Luna has her foal (which we think will be soon) we will be so thrilled to start taking clients again!

12/30/2021

12/30/2021

It’s been a bit since we posted! Lauren, lead mentor and president, had lots of family stuff going on so we’ve taken a bit of a break for the month of December.

We have had lots going on at the farm though, so here’s a quick update!

Aapelli, our youngster, is off at the incredible Flying W Ranch for some training. We are so excited to see the progress he has made there!

Piper is on a lease with a friend of ours so she can have a pony friend of her very own.

Luna is at home and is doing wonderful! She’s getting closer to her due date and we are all so excited!! She has a new friend that has been lent out to us while Aapelli is away. Her name is Love! How perfect!?!

We will be taking clients again in the new year!!
We will be accepting Postpartum Care clients, and EAL clients as well! Please send us a PM for more information! Scholarships are available!

12/07/2021

10/12/2021

Big momma found her way to some extra hay… she’s growing a baby so we can’t really blame her!

09/23/2021

Beautifully said.

Most days, I’ll zip my coat, whistle up the dogs and walk out to see the horses. Sometimes, it’s a short hike because they’ll be up near the corrals for some salt. Other times, it’s a long, windy trek around a big, hilly pasture filled with hidey holes. I have learned that they don’t always want to be found!

It's this last point that makes me get myself out there. I go, to say hello, to see that all is well and just to watch them. It’s good stockmanship, yes… but it’s something more.

When I go out to visit my horses, I am letting these friends of mine know that every single time they see me, they will not be put to work. Think about that for a minute. How many horses only see us for the one-hour lesson, or the long, hard day spent working cows? Instead, I go to them to show them that I value their friendship. I appreciate having these horses in my life.

There have been times when my show horse would be kept at a public barn, so that our training and conditioning would stay up to par through the never ending Canadian winters. These social visits became a very big deal. It was all-too-easy to only see my horse on days I was working him and worse, I was not the one throwing the feed. I was no longer the person he most wanted to see!

It was during these years that I learned of the price of friendship. I knew that if I wanted my horse to value having me in his life, I had to go out of my way to be that steady person.

Surprisingly, this has little to do with handing out treats.

Many horses do not know how to deal with a social visit, particularly in the herd. They’ll mill around me, getting nippy and jealous, kicking out at one another because they are sure that I’m packing nibblies. Others will see me and move away, not finding any pleasure in hearing my voice or basking under my gaze. These types are usually new here and do not understand our customs.

If I’m mindful about building friendship, before too long, they will be happy to stand quietly around me, without putting me in danger. They will wait, heads down and eyes half-closed, while I tell them they are all smart and good. I will lovingly straighten their forelocks and maybe pick through their tails.

We will chat about life for a while and then, they will let me leave first, before they do. This last point is a telling one in the human-horse relationship, I find.

A lot of people don’t worry too much about whether or not their horse likes and wants to be with them, when they no longer have any control over said horse. I worry about things like that, for if my horse doesn’t like to be around me, he probably won’t enjoy working with me, either.

While I was walking back, my phone rang. I glanced at the caller’s name and decided to ignore the call. Why? Well, this person only calls me when I can be of use to her… and it hasn’t taken me very long to be on my guard whenever she bothers to seek me out.

When we go to our horses only to work them, I figure they’ll soon feel the same way.

09/20/2021

There is so much more to horses than their ability to be ridden. Sometimes just allowing yourself to sit in their presence can bring an overwhelming wave of peace to your mind and heart. Their steadiness surrounds you and it settles you. These moments are gifts and we encourage our clients to fully soak them in.

09/10/2021

Equine assisted learning can seem a little odd sometimes… I always get the same look from my clients when I tell them to “build something that represents ______ “ yet as the process unfolds they start to understand why this works. There’s something significant about creating tangible expressions of our hurts and allowing the horses to be an unpredictable variable that brings about some pretty amazing revelations!