Meadowsweet Ranch

02/08/2025

Horse can, and some do, form deep bonds.

Horse Lays His Head On Coffin In Grief As He Says Goodbye To His Best Friend

This is the moment a horse showed a remarkable sense of loss as it neighed at the funeral of its owner, shocking family and friends as it appeared to bid him an emotional goodbye.

The creature added to mourners’ amazement when, at one stage, it laid its head on the coffin of its cowboy owner, Wagner de Lima Figueiredo, 34, and sighed as if it was crying.

Sereno the horse was taken to the funeral by Wagner’s brother, Wando de Lima, on Tuesday in Paraiba, north east Brazil.

Mr de Lima said: “This horse was everything to [Wagner], it was as if the horse knew what was happening and wanted to say goodbye. All the way to the cemetery he was whimpering and stomping on the ground.”

Mr Figuiereda died in a motorcycle accident on New Year’s Day after losing control of his bike while riding along a beach front in the city. He was rushed to hospital and underwent two critical operations but died from his injuries.

Sereno was taken to the funeral by Wagner’s brother, Wando de Lima, as he knew the pair had a very close relationship. Wagner loved that horse, and so it was important to his family that Sereno was there to say goodbye.

Wando said: ‘This horse was everything to Wagner, it was as if the horse knew what was happening and wanted to say goodbye.

Wando said: ‘Wagner’s life was this horse.He had a passion and a great love for him. Sometimes he would even stop buying things for himself to make sure he could afford to buy horse feed.’

He added that many people had offered to buy the white stallion but Wagner ‘always refused to sell him.’

Amazingly, since the death of his brother, Wando has vowed to take on the responsibility of maintaining and caring for Sereno.

He said: ‘Wagner will stay with our family forever.’

02/08/2025

Food for thought.

I don’t think people realize just how many horses out there carry trauma with them.

With that, I don’t even mean severely abused horses that have been starved, or beaten heavily. There are plenty of those around, and those usually cause a lot of outrage (as they should).

What I am talking about though, is the horses whose trauma is never really recognized as such. The ones who tolerate humans and their requests, but never learned to trust them. Those who get extremely obsessive about food which are labelled as “bossy” or ”dominant”. Those who deal with severe Separation anxiety, which are said to be “dramatic”. Those who cannot self-regulate, or co-regulate and constantly carry tension. Those who try to express their pain, which get punished for it because “just a mare”.
Those who are “perfect” until they finally get a choice.

Between Unethical weaning practices, unsuitable welfare, constantly moving homes & and ownership, and aversive training/handling approaches, most horses at some point experience trauma. And this trauma can present itself in a variety of ways. Some are more subtle than others.
Trauma doesn’t have to be this huge explosive reaction. Just like people, horses can carry trauma and move on with their lives fairly normally. It can shape their personality just like it can shape ours.
However, that doesn’t mean doing so is healthy.

The horse that has been in 6+ homes before the age of 10, and thus can’t cope with changes. That is Trauma.
The horse that has never had consistent companionship and becomes obsessive with certain herd mates. That is Trauma
The horse that has only known corrections when they tried to express their confusion, fear, or dislike, and turns from “a perfect beginner’s horse” to “Don’t touch me” the moment you stop using corrections. That is Trauma.
The horse that never had a chance to learn from other horses or connect with people and thus can’t trust people to make good choices for them, can’t self-regulate or co-regulate, and can’t think their way through a situation. That is Trauma.
The horse who was only ever fed 2 times a day and was left without food for 6 hours each night, and has thus become food-aggressive. That is Trauma.
The horse who experienced highly aversive training techniques, and thus now gets frustrated, tense and severely stressed out anytime they are handled in a similar manner. That. Is. Trauma.

Sometimes, awareness of this can be a frustration and defeating realization. I think as equestrians we are often blind to this reality, because sadly, it’s just so common to see horses like that.
It’s not until you work with young, untraumatized horses, or rehabilitated horses, that you realize: “Oh! This is how it should be!”

02/06/2025

This little cutie, Bear, joined our Wednesday morning Riding Club yesterday. Donato was not a fan, but eventually calmed down and made it through some groundwork successfully. So fun to have Bear and Emily join us.

02/05/2025

Discover why horseback riding is one of the best ways to teach kids responsibility, patience , and perseverance. Learn how riding teaches kids a strong work ethic.

02/01/2025

Ariana has one of the best on-line membership resources available. Her videos are done in short segments with absolutely wonderful detail. The coaching calls that are part of the membership are invaluable. The membership is worth every single penny.

Thank you to everyone that attended the Lay Down Webinar last night! 🎉 I hope you got so much value, clarity, and new tools from the free training.

If you would like full access to my Lay Down method (50 new training videos that include all my new updates to the method) - you can get it inside my membership 🥰

The doors to my membership are closing in 7 days so I can fully focus on the members inside my program. Once doors close, the Lay Down method will only be available as a single course (for a higher price).

We have a monthly & yearly membership plan - send me a message if you are interested in joining before doors close and getting access to the Lay Down method along with the video library and Coaching calls twice a month ! 💕

01/29/2025

01/28/2025

Some food for thought if you pay for any sort of riding lesson on a horse owned by the person or barn you are taking the lesson at.

Why $50 to $80 for a Riding Lesson is the Bargain of a Lifetime! 🐴

At first glance, $50 to $80 might seem like a lot for a riding lesson. After all, it’s just 30 minutes or an hour on a horse, right? But here’s the kicker: that price doesn’t even begin to cover the full value of what you’re getting.

Let me break it down for you:

When you pay for a riding lesson, you’re not just paying for the time spent in the saddle. You’re paying for decades of knowledge, years of training, and an entire operation dedicated to creating a safe, fun, and rewarding experience.

You’re paying for an incredible partnership between horse and human—something most people only dream of experiencing.

You’re paying for the *generations of knowledge and skill* that went into breeding or selecting a safe, reliable horse—a horse that can teach a beginner to steer or build confidence in an intermediate rider.

You’re paying for the *thousands of hours* that trainers and instructors spent educating that horse, putting on the miles, and teaching it to be patient, forgiving, and downright saintly.

You’re paying for the tack: saddles, bridles, bits, saddle pads, girths, and all the fittings—carefully selected for comfort, fit, and durability. You’re also paying for the endless supply of grooming tools, from curry combs to hoof picks to detangling spray.

You’re paying for feed: hay, grain, supplements, and the occasional treat. You’re paying for veterinary care, including vaccines, deworming, dental work, and emergency visits. Don’t forget the farrier—someone has to keep those hooves in tip-top shape.

You’re paying for the blankets: rain sheets, winter rugs, coolers—whatever is needed to keep the horses happy and healthy in every season. You’re paying for the halters, lead ropes, and fly masks that keep them comfortable and safe.

You’re paying for the facilities: the arena footing, jumps, fences, barn, and tack room. You’re also paying for the equipment that maintains it all—tractors, ring drags, hoses, water buckets, muck rakes, shovels, and the never-ending repair bills that come with running a stable.

You’re paying for the labor: the early mornings and late nights, the endless stall mucking, the feeding, and the hauling of hay bales. You’re paying for the nights someone walks a colicky horse until the vet arrives.

You’re also paying for the *risk*: every time a lesson horse takes a rider, there’s a chance they could end up hurt or permanently lame. These horses are worth their weight in gold, and it’s my job to keep them safe, healthy, and happy. That’s why they’re only worked a certain amount, jump sparingly, and have strict limits on their workload.

So when you hear, “$50 to $80 for a lesson,” what you’re really getting is the result of years of dedication, hard work, and care. You’re getting a piece of a much larger puzzle—the kind of puzzle that most people don’t see but that makes those 30 or 60 minutes possible.

It’s not “just a lesson.” It’s a lifetime of expertise and a whole village behind it.

I am grateful to my team and the incredible horses for all they bring to people’s experiences. 💙💛

If you are looking for a riding facility here are some tips 📣

1. Do your due diligence before selecting just any facility for you or your child to ride at

2. If it doesn’t feel safe, trust your gut!

3. Any given day, someone wakes up and decides to become an instructor bc they have horses and want to make a buck. Unfortunately, most of them have a little to no prior experience.

4. Instructors/trainers should have references and insurance! This is a business at the end of the day and everyone should be protected.

5. Accept the word NO. Trainers have lesson horses and your best interest at heart. They are not trying to hold you or your horse back to be mean. The amount of students we have received from other programs that are riding or surviving beyond their capabilities is horrifying. What may take you one week may take another rider a month. Everyone needs to go at their own pace to do it properly and safely, This is not a race but something to enjoy at your own pace 🤠

01/28/2025

$10,000 REWARD for any information leading to the safe return of Cloud, a beloved 16-year-old gray and white mare draft cross.

📍 Last Seen: January 10th in Myakka City, Florida.

Cloud is more than just a horse—she’s family. Please help us bring her home by spreading the word. She belongs to Florida Beach Horses and they are praying for her safe return.

If you have any leads, contact:
📞 (941) 600-3002
📧 [email protected]

Every share matters! Let’s unite to find Cloud and bring her back where she belongs. 🐴❤️

01/28/2025

Zana speaking on Karl’s page:

Being of First Nations descent- my granddad was born on a reservation in Canada and ended up in the UK, I feel very comfortable and at home with native ways and practices

We were good horse people.

This quote says so much.

I teach this all the time, on every course - Hang out with your horses, your animals.

Get to know them, get to know each other - it’s takes time, so take that time, stop rushing.

Just jumping on a horse you don’t know is brave and potentially risky and unfair to both you and the horse.

You have no relationship and therefore trust.

This is always difficult if you ride at riding schools, maybe have a share horse or are buying a new horse and trying out horses to buy at a yard.

You don’t know each other, the quirks, the behaviours from both of you.

So when I buy a new horse I treat every horse as if it’s 3 years old, even if it’s 14 yrs old and has hunted, done cross country whatever, I start from the beginning as the horse hasn’t done this with me.
I’m a new person to that horse.

We don’t know each other.

The horse doesn’t know that I’ll look after him, that I’ll keep him safe, that I’ll train him to the best of of my abilities and help him out in the world to become a confident horse and eventually independent and self assured.

Why should he just trust me?

It’s not a given a horse should listen to you - you have to earn that right and prove yourself to the horse that you are worth listening too.

Enjoy the journey of training and learning about each other.

Take the time

Make the time

It’s not a race, it’s about creating the best relationship you can

01/27/2025

01/24/2025

Hope this gets you to smile.

01/24/2025

There is no one better you could learn this from that Ariana Sakaris Equestrian Development, IMO. She is soft, kind, and patient with the horse and is very detailed in her explanation for the human. This one is FREE, so it won't hurt your pocket book :)

01/23/2025

I'm going to be adding Dancing With Your Horse to our ranch calendar soon. Trailering in will be welcome. You make up the routine - ridden - ground-liberty - any combination.

01/22/2025

For our 2024 Photo Contest and Stall Decorating Contest - THE WINNERS ARE . . . (click on each picture to see the placing) - For the Photo Contest winners can place once, but can submit up to 4 pictures - 1st place in each division (Adult/Teen/Youth) receives a $75 MSR GC; 2nd place a $50 MSR GC and 3rd place - a $25 MSR GC. For the stall decorating contest for each division - 1st place receives a $30 MSR GC; 2nd place a $20 MSR GC & 3rd place a $10 MSR GC. Thank you to all of those that participated in these contests and thank you to every one that voted here on FB or via email.

01/21/2025

This sounds interesting and very reasonably priced.