Rudnik the Roan - New

24/12/2024

Rudnik the Reindeer - and family - is Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

May your 2025 be full of blessings & adventures! 🎄♥️🎊

10/11/2024

Even at 8 months pregnant we’re still going strong together ♥️

There is no horse that I trust more than this boy right here. He told me that he knew what was happening before I even learned I was pregnant, and since then, his entire demeanour has changed.

Every movement he makes under saddle now is so gentle and cautious, as if he knows he’s carrying the most precious load in the world.

Even his body language has changed - he used to be quite ‘clumsy’ in the sense that he didn’t know his own strength when he’d rub up against me. He now makes every movement with caution and has become so aware of his size around me.

I never imagined I’d be riding as far into this pregnancy as I am - but if I did not trust this boy as much as I do, I would have stopped long ago. Of course we keep our rides short, never faster than a trot and confined to the arena now with someone around at all times. They’ve also gone from every day to about once every 1-2 weeks just as the weather changes and my energy isn’t quite what it used to be.

But I am so proud of the growth this boy has shown in the last few months and I cannot wait for the day he gets to teach our little one how to ride, because I just know he will be the best and most gentle teacher ever ♥️

* and yes, my Dr and every health care provider involved in my pregnancy has not only approved but encouraged that I continue riding as long as I am SAFELY able to do so ♥️

08/11/2024

31/07/2024

Over the last few weeks I’ve been working on getting my Diploma in Equine Psychology.

It’s quite an extensive course but I’ve completed 6 of the 10 classes so far. Every module ends with a test and written essay so each one can definitely take a good bit of time to conplete.

I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my grades (I get very frustrated with myself when I receive a mark less than 100%) but I have to admit I’m not too disappointed with the marks so far.

6 down 4 to go!

08/06/2024

Today was a gorgeous day for some fun in the lake!
Rudniks never really been in the water, especially under saddle (unless you count crossing/jumping over the-tiny-horse eating streams) - so today we had some fun getting used to the feeling of water around the legs.

There were definitely a few time I thought he was going to lay down and roll but thankfully, no tack was harmed in todays adventure 😂

03/05/2024

My favourite kind of hugs ♥️

21/03/2024

Rudniks story - part 4

The tricky part with Rudnik was that he didn’t trust anyone enough to let them touch him - anywhere! So before I could even start desensitizing his feet, he had to be ok with me touching his legs. But that meant he had to get used to me touching his shoulders, bum and neck too.

A year later, we finally got his front feet trimmed. He was still flinchy & reactive but he no longer dropped onto his legs to get away.

His back legs were another story. Rudnik was growing quickly & with this behaviour becoming harder & harder to work with, I was really starting to worry that he was going to grow crooked in his hind quarters because of this.

But 2 years in, I could still barely touch his back legs. That’s when I had to reach out to someone for help.

When training, there is nothing wrong with admitting “I can’t do this alone”, - however you have to be so careful who you allow near your animals. Especially when they already have so much trauma to work through.

My first mistake was bringing in someone that I’d never personally met myself. I relied on ‘good words’ to be enough. My second mistake, was letting him decide how Rudnik should be ‘handled’ & leaving them alone together for even a minute.
He was a ferrier that was known to be patient with horses - but there was something about him that Rudnik just did not trust.

He was able to get Rudniks front hooves done, after about an hour and a half of circles & hissy fits.

After a couple of hours, he let me know that he would come back another time to finish Rudniks back feet. But for now- he locked Rudnik in a boxstall, TIED to the bars with no more than 1.5’ of rope left for him to move around on.

‘No food, no water. Tied. Give him a couple days & he’ll come around,”

Rudnik was losing his mind - he was screaming, yanking his head around & thrashing his feet against the walls. I was now faced with a dangerous situation - a horse that wasn’t fully halter broke - now completely worked up & I left to cleanup the mess .

That experience had a lasting mark & only made Rudniks mistrust of men so much deeper.

Part 5 tomorrow♥️

20/03/2024

Rudnik’s story, part 3 (a bit of backstory)

Teaching Rudnik the basics was far from easy. He wasn’t halter broke when I adopted him so we were literally starting from the ground up.

Rudnik isn’t my first horse & he’s not the first ‘wildie’ I’ve trained & raised. Although our journey was a long one. Rudnik had so much trauma & fear to work through & thought I didn’t realize it at the time, so did I.

A quick break away;

In the summer of 2016, I adopted Mina from a rescue, where she’d come in wild with a herd of untouched horses from AB - the herd was being shipped for slaughter when a rescue took in the whole herd - 150++ horses.

There was speculation Mina was pregnant because of how many stallions she was around but when the vet aged her at only 3, we weren’t actually sure.

Mina was 100% feral - as wild as wild gets. But within 1 week I was brushing her & by 1 month she was haltered. By 9 months, we were just starting to work on riding, she finally answered our question & had a little black filly, Lacey, who immediately won my heart.

Mina was special though. Shortly after I had gotten her - she was still very much wild at this point - I ended up in a situation where I was cornered at the gate by the barn where our gelding had swung his rump right at me - ready to kick.

Before I even realized what was happening, Mina came racing from the other side of the paddock & positioned herself between his kick & myself. She ended up being kicked in her ribs, which would have been my head had she not stepped in.

She pinned her ears, took a chomp at our geldings rump & he was off. She didn’t stay around because she was still quite wild at the time, but it’s a moment I’ll never forget. I have no doubt she saved my life that day.

January 12, 2016 is the day that will forever stay with me as the day I lost my purpose - the day my world stopped. I was forced to give them up & they were off to their new home. I’d been promised by the new owners that I could visit anytime I wanted, but when an ‘incident’ resulted in them sending Mina & Lacey off to ‘live with his brother in AB,’ . I never saw or heard of them again 💔
More of Rudniks story tomorrow♥️

20/03/2024

Rudniks story, part 2

Rudnik was about 9 months old when he was run through auction. After the rescue won him, he would be transported there along with all the other horses saved.

Rudnik actually ended up being moved from that rescue to another rescue more local to me, and that’s where I found him at 11 months old. (Swipe for pic from that day ♥️)

His mane was filled with burs as he stood across the field, eating from the round bale. He was looking in my direction but being cautious to keep a good distance between us. I tried to get closer but he moved away as soon as I did.

And somehow, after that 30 second interaction, I knew I had to adopt him.

A couple weeks later, he was being transported to the farm where I would be keeping him to start. I couldn’t get anywhere near him the first few days. Even with food, he kept his distance.

The first couple weeks together was spent doing a lot of sitting. I would spend hours just sitting in the pasture while he grazed around me. Getting him used to my presence and just always having someone around him.

He started to learn that I wasn’t going to hurt him and slowly the first pet, led to our first walk and then our first lunging.

In the first few weeks our progress was slow and some days I was wondering what I’d gotten myself into. But there was something in the way Rudnik looked at me, his eyes told me he wanted to keep going, he was just scared. And so was I.

Rudnik was growing fast once he was on good grass - so trying to -for lack of better word - tame him before he got too big, was becoming a challenge.

There were times he would slam himself into the round pen panels, trying to jump over them just to get away. His hooves had never been trimmed and that can become very risky with young horses as it can cause their legs to grow wrong.

But if you even touched his front leg, he would drop his front end down onto the ground, as if he was bowing. But he was shaking the entire time. He was terrified and when he dropped down, he was curling his legs under himself - as if trying to shield them.

Rudniks story continues tomorrow for part 3

18/03/2024

5 years ago - Rudniks life nearly came to an end and over the next couple days I’ll be sharing his full story ♥️

For those new to our page or maybe you’ve follower forever but you’ve just never heard - this is Rudniks story.
At about 9 months old, Rudnik was dropped at a livestock auction by his breeder - his AQHA papers already pre-signed over to whoever should bid & win the little c**t.
The unfortunate fact with these auctions: most of those horses WILL go for slaughter. Rudnik was merely one of them.
When it was his turn to be run through, the little 9 month old c**t was so scared that no one wanted the ‘wild’ c**t. They didn’t see his potential. They didn’t see the desperation in his eyes - how badly he wanted someone to save him.
No one bid.
Except for A killbuyer.
Now, KB’s don’t care if it’s a retired horse who gave his best years to his rider, a young baby who’s life has barely begun, a little girls first pony or a wild mustang ripped from their herd. They don’t care how loving or affectionate or terrified the horses are. They just want their meat.
Now a 9 month old c**t won’t fetch much on the market. He was tiny. And there wasn’t much meat on him - but that’s what feedlots are for. They’d ship him to a feedlot, where he’d remain terrified & wild - & they’d feed him until he was big enough to get their money back (which was only a few hundred bucks - because they were the only bid)
This happens every single day to hundreds of horses. All across Canada.
Fortunately for Rudnik, he had a guardian angel watching out for him that day.
With only the killbuyers bid & seeing the danger the c**t was in, a well known local rescue stepped forward & threw in their bid.
That’s all it took - the KB not willing to spend more than a couple hundred bucks for the c**t stepped out.
Just like that, the rescue won his freedom.
Let me put it into perspective a bit - at the cost of about 50 bucks, Rudniks life was saved. That’s all it took. It’s not hundreds of thousands of dollars - these horses lives come down to the dollar.
Rudniks freedom was won, & along with all the other horses saved that day, his life was just beginning.

18/03/2024

Success without force
Partnership without domination
Teamwork without fear
Willingness without intimidation
Harmony without coercion

12/02/2024

Our latest feature with The Dodo🥰

05/02/2024

‘Horses remind us to live in the moment, for in their presence, worries fade & hearts find peace,’

30/01/2024

♥️♥️

26/01/2024

Here’s an optical illusion for ya - is Rudnik coming towards me or walking away?

24/01/2024

We had so much fun chatting for this interview!

24/01/2024

“Don’t forget to nuzzle your human today,” - Rudnik

22/01/2024

I’m a firm believer that if you work to maintain your horses health before you have health problems, there will be less of them.

For that reason, I’m so excited to start using the Ponease Ulcer Maintenance! Even if Rudnik doesn’t have ulcers - NOW - there’s no reason we can’t continue to keep his gut health at its best!

And did you know? When your horse has a healthy and comfortable gut/digestive system - it can lead to an improvement in coat condition and overall better health! Thank you !