Funderburg Farm

04/16/2025

Here we go again! Pick up is April 30! As always, taking one of these horses and making it through the summer and to the competition just isn't possible without all the help from generous and lovely sponsors. I will post more about this later on, but if you are able and willing to donate towards my horse's general care, feed, supplements, farrier work, and costs of the event it just means the world , and helps make it possible for a horse to find their way home. 💞

2025 Appalachian Trainer Face Off Diamond Trainer Announcements 🎺

Thank you for the overwhelming number of applications this year.

This year, mentors will be involved during the whole process, from start to finish, to help you show up for your selected horse and get them further more fairly than ever before!

It has been a record year in terms of number of applications and quality of applicants.

While we cannot accept all of those who apply, we so encourage you to work hard on your horsemanship this next year and apply again! Improve and seek out opportunities to learn. Increase your husbandry and ground work and fine tuning undersaddle.

We want to see you announced next year because you've worked hard this year to be in the top portion of all of our applicants.

If you are announced here, be sure to PM the page to be added to our trainers only group where all announcements and information you need will be shared from here

Diamond Trainers are selecting from horses with limited handling and unstarted horses.

Diamond Division

1. Adam Black
2. Colby O'Connor
3. Laura Funderburg
4. Hannah Fowler
5. Vania Carr
6. Grace McCall
7. Trinity Wood
8. Tyler DeLange
9. Hillary Holman
10. Shelbe Cochran
11. Alison Mattis

Up next, Rider Wars Division!

Please Share

03/09/2025

It's almost time for Shelby Hume at Funderburg Farm! Fri and Sat next week she will be teaching all day and auditors are welcome at $30/day. This is guaranteed to be 2 days of super learning from a wonderful human 💞 Let Laura know if you plan to attend, and to see schedule!

02/20/2025

We have nearly made it through February! There's lots to look forward to at FF when this weather breaks...👀

I love bringing my mentors to the farm to do my own continuing education, but also to share them with my students and local friends!

⭐️First, coming right up in March we have the lovely Shelby Hume coming to do 2 days of lessons. She is scheduled for March 14 and 15 as long as we don't get any extreme weather (think warm thoughts!) She will be teaching from about 9 (930 on 14th) until about 5 both days. Rider spots are full, but auditors are welcome at $30/day. Let Laura know if you plan to come!

⭐️June...David Lichman is coming! He will be teaching lessons June 2, 3, and 4. It looks as though the spots are filled but you can reach out to be on a wait list (we did have someone on the wait list get a spot last time!) and auditors will be welcomed. Fee not yet determined.

⭐️ Shawna Karrasch and Jessie Hillegas are coming back October 4 and 5 for more clicker fun.

Other exciting things will include this year's Appalachian Trainer Face Off, and Laura working towards taking the ground and Squire tests in the Academic Art of Riding program.
Who knows what else we will get in to, but it will all be advertised here on the page, so keep an eye on it!

01/13/2025

Hey friends!! We have some things in the works for 2025, including getting David Lichman here again for lessons! We are tentatively looking at June 1 and through part of that week. I am trying to gauge interest and people's availability....who's in?! 😁

01/12/2025

Ok the Figure 8s were too easy! Excellent job everyone that sent a video!
Next challenge.... spin! Now, if spin is just too easy then you can show me multiple spins, spins with multiple horses, OR you can raise the bar and show me an "off center circle" or "volte" around an object. If your horse knows Spin well it may help you with that 😉
I'm going to post some older video I have of 2 horses spinning and Axle and Tupelo each trying a Volte in the comments.

Show me yours! Have fun! 😁

01/04/2025

Happy New Year everyone! (better late than never...😏😄)

Winter is definitely here, and I think we all need a little extra motivation and fun to keep us going! There are lots of winter challenges out there involving counting rides and logging hours. Here on the Funderburg Farm page I want to have our own challenge! Anyone is welcome to become inspired and participate, and I hope to see lots of my students playing along and joining in!
Here's how it works.... I'm going to post an exercise or challenge every so often over the next few months, and I want to see lots of people trying it and doing it their own way. These challenges can be on line or at liberty...on the ground or riding..Ridden challenges can be with or without any tack. Get creative! If you can, post about your results, or even post a video or picture if you can of you and your horse playing.

Here's our first challenge.... Figure 8! Here's Axle demonstrating a Figure 8 with a jump.

What can you and your horse come up with? Post in the comments! 💞🥶😁

09/06/2024

📣 Big Announcement!

Shawna Karrasch is coming to FF for a 2 day clinic October 19 and 20!

✨️Auditor spots for 2 days is $145. You must register by messaging Laura or the this page.
️
✨️A $75 Auditor deposit will be collected when you register

✨️Rider/Liberty spots are currently filled at $435/spot but I am taking a few names for a wait list.

This is quite the opportunity and we are very excited to be able offer this to our growing community of horse first learners!

We teach positive reinforcement horse training for everyone from the trail rider to the upper level competitor. Shawna Karrasch started as a marine mammal trainer at Sea World before making the switch to horses. Jessie Hillegas started hundreds of horses before switching to R+.

08/26/2024

Our last time entering the big arena together, and when we came back out she was adopted.

She went from a little horse at a sketchy auction, skinny, wormy and unwanted... to a horse that was saved, loved and wanted by many. I knew she would bloom!

🌸

08/22/2024

Ready for a fun few days!

08/20/2024

Siobhan had quite the team behind her this summer helping her feel her best and get on track to her life.
Big big shout out to Kent's Feed Barn for supplying all of her feed over the last 3 and a half months.
Shawn Ratliff went way out of her way to keep Siobhan's hooves balanced and trimmed...and Grace Keeton worked her magic doing a couple of cranio sacral sessions and getting Siobhan's body feeling good.

Many other people offered donations, products, offered tack to try on her, snapped pictures and videos for me, and shared our posts on social media.
It takes a village.
I know Siobhan is grateful, and so am I. 💗🌸

08/17/2024

7 days until Freestyle performances at ATFO!
👀

08/10/2024

Gorgeous weather in Ohio today. Siobhan and I went bitless and had a great session in the arena working on that canter depart, then we hit the trail. It was too nice not to go canter around the hayfield and then check the milkweed for monarch caterpillars. I thoroughly and consciously enjoyed every minute today, and felt pretty lucky to be here and now, and on the back of such a sweet horse.

08/10/2024

The countdown is really on... tomorrow is the last day for getting applications in, and 12 days until we leave for Winfield. As we try to polish up some skills and piece together our freestyle ideas over the next week or so, it's also important to look back on the journey, and appreciate how far this little horse has come.
It's really quite a thing to bring a horse along over 100 days. I always tell my students that it's amazing how things can improve or change when you spend some time and pay attention to those things. A lot of time and attention has gone into Siobhan over the last 100 days. In this time I have tried to make every interaction positive and make learning something she looks forward to. I've tried to prepare her for her next chapter in life and also for the event we are headed to. It's hard to simulate the crowd and the energy of the ATFO, and the "all eyes on you" feeling that the horses feel walking in that arena. It gets to me too!
No matter how this mare "performs" at the show, she has proven herself to me as a wonderful partner and trail mount over and over for the last 3 months. Going to the event and spending a few more days with her, having fun, camping, and spending time with some lovely people are just icing on the cake after a really enjoyable summer getting to know this girl.

08/07/2024

August 10th is the last day to get your application in with Heart of Phoenix! With an approved app you are under no obligation to adopt, but would have the ability to bid on and adopt any of the ATFO horses in your skill level, or even adopt a different HOP horse after the event. If you've been on the fence, go for it and apply!

08/05/2024

3rd Required Post...

Well, here we are with 17 days left until we head back to WV for the Appalachian Trainer Face Off. We have done a lot of things since pick up day on April 30th.

Trail partner extraordinaire for someone who enjoys a comfy ride cruising down the trail.

Siobhan has grown a lot in our time together, but most of the great things about her came already installed. She just has a good mind and a calm demeanor that made it easy to layer skills on top of. She really made me look like I know what I'm doing this summer, but really the credit goes to her. She has taken good care of me, and gone along with the program easier than I could have hoped for. She is the kind of horse that people dream of having, one that feels safe and will soak up your love and enjoy your company all day long.

I can't wait to see her happily ever after unfold later this month!

08/03/2024

🌸Siobhan
13.3 hand 4 year old MFT type gaited mare adoptable at the Appalachian Trainer Face Off auction on August 24th in Winfield WV. Available to people with approved applications through Heart of Phoenix equine rescue. Apply at
https://www.wvhorserescue.org/adopt

This mare has over 3 months of daily training and development under saddle. She has over 40 miles logged on the trail and has a 4 beat gait and a canter. She is on the trotty side and has never paced for me, so wouldn't have to gait if adopter preferred to trot.
She rides bitless or in a snaffle and is currently barefoot.

I can't speak highly enough about this little horse's mind. She is as quiet and kind as they come and will try her best to do whatever you ask. She is more whoa than go but will go as she is ridden and meet your expectations. She can slowly and carefully pack a beginner around, or be asked to pick up and do things by a more advanced rider. She rides with a pack of dogs, other horses, or out alone. She has been in the woods, the open, and the busy bike path. I've yet to find an obstacle at home that she doesn't like.

Someone out there needs this sweet and calm natured gal to be a fantastic trail partner for many years to come.