Redtail Ranch Horses

12/10/2024

11/27/2024

Thank you for this pretty & fresh Western wreath Kristy Beasley!

11/27/2024

11/23/2024

They have a bad reputation. Watch out for those double whorls. Nothing but trouble. Said to have double personalities, wildly swinging mood changes. Jekyll and Hyde temperament. Avoid them when you can.

And yet.

There are a select few of us who love our double whorls.

What is a double whorl?

For this purpose it is two whorls stacked on top of each other or next to each other. There are other whorl patterns with two whorls but they aren’t usually included in this. Although they are welcome to join the club!

Yes, two whorls does show a horse that has a little extra. You can even quite rightly say that they will have double personalities. Twice the whorls mean twice the horse. They have so much to give, with the right person. Intelligent and sensitive they need a rider who is confident and willing to listen to them. Who will offer support and not get made at small, or large, meltdowns. One who enjoys the idiosyncrasies and a more exciting ride than quiet uncomplicated horses will give.

When given these things a double whorl horse will give all they have to offer.

There are differences in the horses depending on whorl placement of course. A stacked double is going to be different than a side by side double.

Stacked double whorls show a horse who can be quiet and excitable, spooky but trustworthy. They draw from both the introvert and extrovert sides of their temperament. The change from introvert to extrovert and back can come as a shock, leading to the double personality claims. The wider the space between the whorls the greater the differences in the temperament. When the whorls are touching, or nearly so, the swings will be small. When they are far apart the differences greater.

High double side by side whorls show a horse who is a left brain extrovert, with some right brain extrovert mixed in. They are sensitive, extremely quick learners. Bold, calm, curious, and confident, they can concentrate intently on a job but will get bored with repetition. You have to give them a reason to be interested. They can be a super power in the right hands. Without steady confident handling they can completely run over a person.

No, these horses aren’t for everyone. People who aren’t fans can take the whorl as a warning and find horses who suit them better. People who like them get to be members of the double whorls club. A select and rarefied group. Are you a member of the double whorl club?

11/02/2024

Congratulations to Mia Arambula, winning her first buckle on my lil Flo Checks at the 2024 Rendezvous and getting their photo in the Horsetrader! 👏🏻

10/25/2024

“There’s something different about the way a good mare connects with her rider. It’s special. Like an unspoken agreement. Once a mare chooses you as her person, it’s like she has an instinct to protect you, to fight for you. It’s almost as if she takes ownership of you.

I believe the good mares have a deep sense of intuition. They can read your mind. They know what you’re thinking even before you do. The good mares I know breathe fire in the face of challenge and then somehow, miraculously, know to quiet themselves when a timid child is plopped on their back for a pony ride.

They are clever, cunning and calculated, which can be your greatest enemy or your saving grace. The good mares I know do not tolerate egotistical riding. They do not tolerate force. They demand tact, finesse and emotional control. But once you have won a mare’s heart, you have won all of her. In exchange for your best—and nothing less—she will give you everything.”

Written by: Lindsay Paulsen

10/19/2024

Congratulations to our riders Mia Arambula and Flo Checks 3x Circuit Champions and Charlotte Cooper and this Wimpys Dun It 2x Circuit Champions 🎉

10/18/2024

Any barn kids missing a cute little ring?

10/17/2024

More Rendezvous fun! If you remember the little blonde in pigtails that rode Shaun Pony which I used to call my mini, that’s her in the red. She rode with the big dogs in the Open Discipline rail on This Wimpys Dunit and took second while I took third. I backed up and gave her a high five on the way out 🤗 go girl!

10/17/2024

I will never be able to describe the power of time spent cleaning stalls.

During this time I have made some of the biggest decisions in my life. I have silently thought my way, step by step, through some of the biggest disasters of my life. I have ugly cried my way through heartbreak all while cleaning stalls. I’ve thrown bags of sawdust in range as I thought about all of the sh*tty things going on in my life. Each stall has oddly given me a place of comfort as I stood, fork in hand, feeling empty during the times I’ve felt so alone. It has taught me to appreciate the serenity of the quiet. Realizing the ones in my life I can count on and the numerous fake people who are only present when convenient for themselves. I’ve enjoyed a free gym membership, as I’ve sculpted my back and shoulders into “he man”, just sifting away. I’ve stumbled my way, dry heaving, with sunglasses ....cleaning stalls through last night’s hangover, because god forbid my best friend be forced to stand in a dirty stall. Today I spend my morning, cleaning stalls and processing my life. I’m mentally making life changing decisions, as I write this post, knowing that whatever I decide, it will be the right one, as it was made in a stall.

I understand that there are those who think us horse people should get “real” jobs. And that all we do is spend our days “playing” around. I’m genuinely sorry that you have never been exposed to a lifestyle that teaches you discipline, how to love unconditionally, put something other then yourself first, bust your ass for the things you want and need, kept humble by a 1200 lb animal, the real meaning of “hard work”, early mornings and late nights spent caring for something other than YOU. Those are things a “real job” will never give you.

Some of you haven’t cleaned stalls .....and it shows.

Story and Photo Credit; Aubrey Burwell

10/14/2024