Metcalfe Equine LLC

08/08/2024

THIS.

25/07/2024

Happy birthday Ella!! Ella is our working student and she has been so helpful around the farm and is always up for going along with my crazy antics. I’m still not allowed to ride per doctors orders so today I put Ella on 3 horses with known behavioral issues that we have been working through and Ella stayed calm and confident on all of them and they all did so great! Ella’s hard work and dedication and bright attitude are hard to find these days and we feel honored that we get to be a part of her journey. I’m so proud of how far she has progressed in both her riding and her overall horsemanship. I’m excited to see how you continue to grow and thrive!

08/07/2024

Coach Re*****on has claimed his place for lessons today

27/06/2024

Tanker is looking for his next pasture! Jockey club name: Spirit Hawk (‘16)

Tanker has developed great ground manners and could excel in liberty work. He loves learning new concepts on the ground. Unfortunately he can get uncomfortable under saddle so an experienced riding/training home will be needed for him. He would make a great pasture companion or groundwork partner with occasional riding interspersed. For experienced training homes- he could make a great project if you’re willing to put in the time to sort out what is causing his discomfort.

He is a sweet horse and will stand great for grooming and blacksmith work. He is currently barefoot and he’s a relatively easy keeper for a thoroughbred. He does enjoy some extra rations in the winter months but he’s currently on 1qt of balancer a day. Can’t beat that!

Tankers owner is looking to move him to a great home soon and his price reflects this. DM for more info!

25/06/2024

Little training update:

Kusama is learning how to be more thoughtful and less spooky. She’s really stepping up lately and showing lots of progress.

Renata is moving along nicely also. She leans towards being less reactive but this also means she isn’t as responsive to aids. She’s been learning how to have quicker and softer responses to flexion and aids.

Finley is green and he’s having to go back and relearn some basics in order to sort out some less than ideal behaviors that he developed in the past. He can be sweet and I think he wants to please but he’s not sure of how to do that at the moment. We are sure to make a big deal out of all his little improvements to help boost his confidence.

All can be adopted through feel free to reach out for information on the adoption process.

19/06/2024

12/06/2024

Renata has no major updates but we are continuing to build confidence with saddling and all the normal daily tasks. She’s a sweet gal and wants to please and do well. She should make someone a lovely little trail partner in due time!

Kentucky Humane Society Equine CARE

11/06/2024

Kusama update:

She has been coming along nicely. She is much more willing to be caught and be around people. She’s learning basic things like how to be groomed and have her feet picked up. She’s also starting to learn more advanced skills Iike taking a saddle. She was a bit confused by the noise the saddle made when she started moving but once she realized it wasn’t a mountain lion trying to eat her alive she calmed right down into a distinguished lady. As I sit here in the round pen with her she is walking up to me and sniffing me and nuzzling my hat. She sure has come a long way from the terrified little mare that showed up!

Kentucky Humane Society Equine CARE

06/06/2024

“Soft” vs “Light”
One of the most important facets in any interaction with your horse is “will you be soft?” People confuse the word “light” with “soft” and these terms are not synonymous! Soft means the horse is willingly responsive, doing what you ask with no resistance or tension- which is what we are after. Lightness means that you don’t have to use a lot of pressure to get a response, but it does not necessarily imply willingness. Some horses learn to avoid a rider by never taking a contact with the bit, so that the reins always feel dangly and light. The horse is simply shutting you out to defend himself from unsteady or insensitive hands by holding an artificial posture. This pose fools people because the horse looks pretty, but there is no actual communication or control.
When your horse is yielding to your aid, he will not resist. When using a rein, it may feel as if you are pulling a watermelon on a string. There may be some "heaviness," but there is no opposition. He yields easily to your request. If a horse is "light," it may feel more like pulling a marshmallow. However, if your horse resists, his head/neck will feel more like a watermelon skewered onto a rigid pole, or a dog on a leash chasing a squirrel in the opposite direction. The horse may even attempt to wrench the reins from your grasp, dislodging your seat from the saddle.
Soft is the Goal
The goal is for a horse to be steady and straight on the outside rein and softly yielding on the inside rein, willingly performing any maneuver that you ask, at any time. The simplest iteration of this is to go either straight or in a circle in any gait, while being flexed in one direction or the other. The horse should yield his jaw/poll, following the slightest touch of the inside rein, responding without resistance, exactly as much as you signal the rein. The outside rein keeps the horse straight through the body, preventing the horse overbending the neck to the inside, and is used for half-halt and communication. The inside rein keeps the horse soft, reminding him not to look to the outside when the outside rein is used. Really, riding is nothing but this! If you can maintain a soft horse, anything you do is merely a test to see if you can maintain the horse's softness and straightness while performing various tasks. If he remains obedient, harmonious, and unconfused, you're golden.
Softness Comes from Correct Contact To be willing and soft, the horse must have faith in the hand holding the reins. To earn this trust, the rider must demonstrate unwavering steadiness and predictability to the horse. This places the "burden of proof" squarely on the rider.
artwork by Taylor Sterry Art

28/05/2024

Kusama took the ba****ck pad nicely today after a few snorts over the blue saddle pad. She’s able to conquer “scary” stimuli with so much more confidence and thought now. It’s great to see! We also worked on leading with all 4 legs and picking up and holding the front feet.

Renata got the saddle on for the first time since being back in training. She has had one on before but it’s been a little while. She started out with her best camel impersonation but soon settled into a nice easy walk and trot around the round pen. She should be able to get going pretty easily again!

Both mares are available for adoption through

17/05/2024

Thursdays are busy. Very busy. But the good kind of busy. The kind that leaves you exhausted but full of joy.

16/05/2024

Emma, Ella, and Paige had so much fun with their lessons on the equine simulator! Ride Like You Ought is an incredibly helpful tool for all aspects and disciplines of riding. You have the ability to work on YOU without a horse pulling their own shenanigans. It’s so much fun and motivating and also so rewarding. We all have lots of takeaways for things to work on and we look forward to implementing them on our live horses.

15/05/2024

Guess who is back?? 🧐

Renata! She was with us for a few months over winter to learn all about basic groundwork. Once she had a solid foundation she returned to for a little break and to see if there would be any adoption interest. She returned to training yesterday to start phase 2 of training. I had sat on her once or twice before she left the first time and I hope to get her going under saddle here shortly. We did some groundwork today to see what she remembered and she picked right back up where she left off! She often has a blank expression on her face, making it hard to tell what she’s thinking, but today she proved that she does retain information for the long haul. Can’t wait to really get started with her. She’s going to make a great horse for someone!

13/05/2024

Kusama ♥️ Kusama is slowly starting to put her guard down. She still needs daily reminders that people aren’t the enemy (at least these people aren’t, can’t promise her about others) and she still needs lots of reassurance when she does start to let people in. She’s a spooky little lady so we’ve been doing lots of desensitization. She’s starting to be more relaxed and at ease and as a result her body has filled out and her coat has shined up nicely. She has a long ways to go but she’s off to a decent start!

Kentucky Humane Society Equine CARE

10/05/2024

Demario and Clare had a great lesson today! And can we take a moment to admire that glimmer on his dapples 🤩

09/05/2024

Beautiful sunny afternoon for some lessons! I trailered Billy Bob over to another farm to give Kate a lesson. They were SO good together.
I Love these girls and all the hard work they put into bettering themselves and improving their horses. Can’t wait to see how they each improve over their shows this summer!

23/04/2024

Tanker (JC: Spirit Hawk) is looking for a new home address! Tanker is a love bug on the ground and would excel in a Liberty program. He can get anxious and tight under saddle and is best suited for an intermediate-advanced rider. I’m happy to talk in depth about his under saddle behavior. He has not gotten anyone off but will throw mini tantrums if he deems you’ve asked too much of him (like get your shoulder back under your body). His ground work is great and he will stand tied quietly, loves being groomed, and stands very good for the farrier. He’s currently barefoot but he’s about as flat soled as it gets so shoes will benefit him if you’re looking to do trails or heavy work. He’s sound in a soft arena.

Tanker needs someone that is patient and understanding and has experience working with fried OTTB brains. He really can be very sweet and kind on the ground. He puts his head in your arms for scratches and love. He really wants a new address though because he thinks I have far too many expectations for him.

18/04/2024

Spookie said my hat was scary so Spookie got to wear the hat. Fun lesson today with Kate and Spookie. They have learned so much together over the last few months and their progress is really showing!

08/04/2024

The picture I wanted ➡️ reality

03/04/2024

This weather lately has been crazy. In 2 hours today we had cold and grey sky, pouring rain, sunny and warm, grey and cold, rain, hail and sun again...

Renee had Tesha looking like a sparkling diamond today so I had to snap a pic of them doing some ground work. Grace jumped Caviar in her lesson today and they did great! Brielle and Billy Bob opted for a ba****ck lesson and worked on seat position and communication of aids. They got a lot of trot work done before it started hailing!

29/03/2024

This picture just makes my day! DeMario had some unfortunate learned behaviors when he first arrived and he couldn’t stand still or get out of your “bubble”. He came with the warning that he could not stand in cross ties. We spent some time and went back to basic groundwork and he took easily to it. Today his owner came and learned some groundwork and then we went into the barn and had a spa session. DeMario was so quiet and content that he started to fall asleep! I love helping owners create the best possible relationship with their horses.

11/03/2024

Fuego: “Sir you better be making my shoes look good and shiny!”

We are always thankful for our great farrier James Guthrie , who helps keep our horses happy and sound!

09/03/2024

Little update on some of our horses in training-

Tesha (1 &2)- this filly showed up a couple weeks ago from . She is a doll. She is from the same free roaming herd as Bellini, Seamus, and Renata. She is so kind and thoughtful and puts a lot of effort into learning. You may noticed her stubby ears, sadly she was attacked as a baby and something chewed on her ears and left scars all over her body. Thankfully now she is living her best life!

Danielle (3)- this pony mare has improved tremendously on the ground and we have started her under saddle. She does easily resort to flight so we put lots of emphasis on desensitization and taking it slow with her. She does hard tie so we have started working on standing in cross ties and she’s been doing great! Cross ties can be difficult for a lot of horses to learn because it’s easy for them to quickly feel trapped. Danielle is also from and further information about adoption can be gathered through them.

DeMario (4)- this handsome boy arrived earlier this week. He has some known boundary issues that we will be working through. He is very smart and has taken easily to his boot camp and has already shown lots of improvement.

08/02/2024

Offered for consideration:

8yr old 15.2hh TB gelding "Spirit Hawk". He has been ridden both English and Western. He is a forward mover so would be best suited for an intermediate rider or trainer looking for a fun project. A calm hand is helpful in guiding him through moments of insecurity. He could go multiple directions but he would really excel in liberty work. He seems to thoroughly enjoy ground work and learning basic liberty. Does not crib, weave, or stall walk. Easy keeper.

Interested parties can reach out to his owner via horseclicks or message me and I can help answers questions as well.

Check out his listing on Horse Clicks
https://www.horseclicks.com/8-y-o-chestnut-tb-gelding/horses/1554896

06/02/2024

We have loved having Renata with us. She has grown and matured so much and we are excited to see what adventures await her next!

Pretty girl Renata is being picked up from Metcalfe Equine LLC today by volunteers Heidi and Patrick. She is returning to the farm so that Tesha can go for some consistent handling for a while. Paige of Metcalfe Equine has done a wonderful job getting Renata comfortable with tack and basic maneuvers on the ground. Renata has now been sat on by Paige, a big step! She should now be more prepared to enter training with a qualified adopter while another horse takes her spot to gain more domestication experiences. These former feral horses sure do stay in our system a while but they usually make fantastic mounts in time as they learn what we are asking of them, they just need patient and experienced people to help get them to the end goal safely. Welcome back to the farm Renata and thanks to Heidi and Patrick for hauling for us today!

29/01/2024

Renata helped me give a lesson today while she learned about patience and wore the bit for the first time. She takes everything in stride and really processes things. She’s so classy!

Kentucky Humane Society Equine CARE

26/01/2024

Caviar would like to wish you a happy Friday!

20/01/2024

Snow day naps

17/01/2024

Renata is simply the cutest. She’s become so friendly and willing. I absolutely love watching these formerly free roaming horses start to flourish with understanding and knowledge.

15/01/2024

Snowy snouts are the cutest