Black Magic Farms Friesian Horses

11/08/2024

Mette Rosencrantz clinic coming up Aug 17th and 18th, 8:30 - 3:00. Auditing is free. Don't miss out on learning from one of the best rider/trainers out there! PM for more details.

11/08/2024

I have had so many "disaster" tests in my life in dressage that I have come to learn that if you can't laugh and simply enjoy the fun of it all then you probably should quit showing. Driving your horse (and yourself) into the ground with excessive training to meet YOUR goal does nothing but damage the bond you have so carefully nurtured.

Send a message to learn more

03/08/2024

Steffen Peters is an amazing, kind, and talented rider/trainer. He loves Mopsie with all of his heart and the horse feels the same about him. I know, because I have had the honor of watching him in person during his daily training rides at Arroyo Del Mar. Their affection for each other was palpable and you would have to be completely blind not to see it. They would do anything for each other. Steffen is a true embassador of the sport of Dressage and is a shining example of how to do everything right. Sadly, since this unfortunate performance, there have been many horrible things said online, and Steffen has accepted them with grace, as that is the kind of person he is. I am not. To all those sideline critics who are unacquainted with this man or his horse I say this - shut your ignorant, unqualified, unenlightened, petty and just plain stupid mouths - your opinion is not of any value nor wanted. Steffen is, and will always be 10,000 times the horse person you could ever dream of being. Go crawl back under your bridge you trolls.

22/07/2024

We are looking for a part-time groom! Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00 pm until 2:00 pm. Pay is $75 per day. Duties are grooming, tacking up, untacking, wiping down tack afterward, icing horses legs, etc. Horse experience required, dressage experience a bonus, but not required. Must be dependable! PM for more info. Located in Heber, UT.

11/07/2024

Newer (Serial #3276) used dressage saddle for sale. Trilogy Verago Elite 18" MW. In really great condition. I paid $2800 for it used and only rode in it about two dozen times. Asking $2000 - comes with a brand new Trilogy leather girth (22").

21/06/2024

Super happy with these two at the show last weekend. Lucia and Wyberen both won their classes at Second Level with Wyberen winning high point the first day with a score of 75%! 🥇🎉⭐ It was really hot, 🥵 but the horses gave it their all. Thanks Cassie Benson for doing such a fantastic job with Wyberen.

21/06/2024

Most horses pass from one human to another - some horsemen and women are patient and forgiving, others are rigorous and demanding, others are cruel, others are ignorant.
Horses have to learn how, at the minimum, to stand quietly, walk, trot, canter, gallop, go on trails and maybe jump, to be treated by the vet, all with sense and good manners.
Some horses must learn how to win races, and if they can't do that, they must learn how to jump over strange obstacles without touching them, or do complicated dance like movements, or pull a buggy, or control cattle, or accommodate severely handicapped children and adults in therapy work.
Many horses learn all of these things in the course of a single lifetime. Besides this, they learn to understand and fit into the successive social systems of other horses they meet along the way.
A horse's life is rather like twenty years in foster care, or in and out of prison, while at the same time changing schools over and over and discovering that not only do the other students already have their own social groups, but that what you learned at the old school hasn't much application at the new one.
We do not require as much of any other species, including humans.
That horses frequently excel, and the fact that they exceed the expectations of their owners and trainers in such circumstances, is as much a testament to their intelligence and adaptability as to their relationship skills, their natural generosity and their inborn nature. That they sometimes manifest the same symptoms as abandoned orphans - distress, strange behaviors, anger, fear - is less surprising than that they usually don't.
No one expects a child, or even a dog to develop its intellectual capacities living in a box 23 hours a day and then doing controlled exercises the remaining one. Mammal minds develop through social interaction and stimulation, and when we deny them that, we do irreparable harm.
A horse that seems "stupid", "slow", "stubborn", etc. might just need patience, trust and the chance to learn.
Take care of your horses, treasure them, and for goodness sake let them have time to just BE horses. by Jane Smiley

30/05/2024

I have to admit that a certain man has been very good tolerating the stall rest for the last six weeks for his tendon strain. Ype enjoys wearing the hay from his hay ball. He has lots of toys to occupy his time and he loves talking to the ladies when they come by.
Today was his first day out in his turnout. He was on trazodone for sedation to make sure he wasn't a wild man. Such a light weight for a big guy... 🤣🤣🤣 He was pretty stoned on a very low dose.

20/05/2024

Happy 7th birthday to our little PITA (Princess in training already/ Pain in the ass)🤣 Easabelle! 🦄🌹💥🎉 She has recovered from her surgery and has started back into work. So far the velociraptor 🦖 behavior has disappeared and she seems much happier within her skin. 👏🥳

19/05/2024

This was going to be our year - Ype and I. My best boy in the whole world - ready to hit the dressage shows at PSG with confidence. Unfortunately, a hind tendon sprain while doing tempi's has dashed those dreams this year. 🥺😢 To top it off, I sprain a tendon myself. 😢 While we are two, we are so close that we might as well be one.

He will be 17 years old this year, and I know in my heart that once he heals, he will do whatever I ask of him because of our bond, but I don't know if I am prepared to risk him getting more hurt.

A horse is never just a horse. A horse is pure love. They are goals pursued and dreams shattered. Exhilarating cheers and tears shed. Your worst fears and your greatest joys. They are a mirror to your soul and, if you are very lucky, you become a herd of two - looking out for each other.

03/05/2024

💥🎉🎊💚Happy 16th birthday today to our one and only Braegho! (aka Bugs, Bugsy, Break-in' Braegho, Green Gremlin, Mom's Best Helper). You've been keeping me laughing since the moment you popped out of your momma. 😂😂😂
Stay off the roads everyone, he is legal to drive now! 😱

03/05/2024

The truth is that these two things just cannot ever coexist together: you either love the sport at any cost no matter what or you love the horse. Make your own choice.

04/03/2024

If I could add one more tip to preventing sleep deprivation - PLENTY OF BEDDING!! Too little shavings and/or straw may make it easier for you to do daily cleaning, but you are not doing your horse any favors by not providing a comfortable place to lay down.

18/02/2024

My sweet Xena Kismet, you've been gone for a week and we are all lost here in the barn. The energy is different, and all the other horses seemed confused as to what they are supposed to do, including myself. I never realized before that you were my leader too. How does a herd find their way when they have lost their alpha mare? 🥀💔

11/02/2024

The reason for the very existence of Black Magic Farms has left us.😭💔💔

It is with heart wrenching sadness that we announce the passing of our magnificent mare, Xena Kismet. She knew how to live, and she did it until she couldn’t anymore.

As the multitude of health issues and old age crept up on her, we knew this day was coming, but we had hoped that we could give her at least one more glorious summer with us. Yet while she valiantly tried to hide it, we could see just how badly she was hurting, and so we decided to take her pain into our own hearts and let her go peacefully.

Determined, courageous, opinionated, stubborn, classy, and smart, Xena was a unique, special and very refined Friesian mare. She was born to a surrogate thoroughbred dam who taught her early on that wherever you were going, you always needed to get there very fast. She held true to that teaching and thus earned the nickname, “The Hot Tamale” from those who knew her.

I purchased Xena when she was three weeks old. She was the first mare I had ever owned, and she set the gold standard by which all other mares to follow her were judged by. She epitomized the quote, “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.” And that she did…

Despite breaking her hip in a freak accident at a young age, she never hesitated to try for whatever I asked of her and so much more. She refused to give up and tried her heart out for me every day. While it took her awhile, she earned the title of Sport Elite for competing at the Prix St. George level in dressage - a rare distinction few Friesians, especially mares, ever achieve. In doing so, she also allowed me to earn my silver medal. She also gave me a beautiful c**t, who has himself done extremely well in the show ring, including earning his Sport designation.

Xena was particular about everything. Not only would she not eat until all humans were out of the barn, she wanted her food in a particular place. She was picky about what she ate, how she wanted to be groomed, how much affection she would tolerate, and who her pasture/turnout partners were. And if she was dissatisfied - boy you knew it. She was not the type of horse to show you a lot of affection, but those humans she loved knew it - whether it was to politely ask you for some mutual grooming or a head rub, or that low nicker that mares use with their foals when she saw you. She absolutely adored Tom to the point where you could actually see it in her eyes when she looked at him, especially when he sang her song to her. Xena had a very special girlfriend relationship with Cassie Benson, whose training and riding skills were so very instrumental in helping her achieve all the success that she did.

Fearless on the trail, she could trot as fast as most horses could canter and she loved the feel of competition. If you knew one thing about Xena, it was that you could NEVER tell her she couldn’t do something. Jumping? Bring it on, I can do it! Horse parades? Look at all my admirers! Costume classes? I am DEFINITELY the prettiest one here! She would not take any attitude from other mares, geldings or even stallions, and knew how to put them in their place with just a stern glance or a pinned ear. She took her job as alpha mare very seriously and I will so greatly miss seeing her vigilantly standing watch over everyone in the barn, gazing off at some unknown threat in the distance. Every time in life when I was faced with a challenge I thought I could not overcome, I would think to myself, “Xena could do it”, and I would press onward. She was my inspiration.

She was known to everyone as the Warrior Princess, and while the name aptly fit her, she was in reality a Warrior Queen. And for 25 years she ruled our herd and my heart.

Run free without pain my special girl. The most difficult thing in the world was to love you enough to let you go, and I will readily endure a lifetime of missing you for the honor and privilege I had of knowing you. I love you with everything I am, everything I’ve been, and with everything I have ever hoped to be.💔

09/02/2024

With all the videos of horrible training abuse coming from high end sales barns whose obvious goal is to make a sellable product and damn the consequences, I'd like to offer my motto to those who might need it:

The truth is that these two things just cannot ever coexist together; either you love the sport at any cost no matter what, or you love the horse. Make your choice.

19/01/2024

Got scratches? I've got the cure!
Winter scratches are the worst, especially if you have feathered horses. Have you ever wondered why some horses in your barn get scratches and others don't? Well new studies show that susceptibility to scratches can be caused by a weakened immune system. So here is my solution to treat them both inside and out.
Inside - Add to your horse's diet Vitamin E and Vitamin C. Ultracruz makes tasty pellets of both.
Outside - Gently clip the area around the scratches going in the direction of hair growth (do not clip against the the growth)!
Shampoo every other day (to start with - then move to 2x per week) with VetWell KetoWell Shampoo. Leave on for five minutes, then gently remove any loose scabs and then rinse. Towel dry as thoroughly as you can and then apply Desitin diaper rash cream.
In between shampoos, press a hot, wet cloth to the area and gently remove the Desitin and any loose scabs. Mix the product Rescue (accelerated hydrogen peroxide) in a spray bottle at the ratio of 1 part product to 16 parts water. DO NOT APPLY FULL STRENGTH! Lightly spray the area with diluted Rescue. Do NOT wrap or cover the horse's legs. The bacteria that causes scratches loves warm, dark moist areas to proliferate. You should see great results within two weeks. Do not stop treating them (even if they look great) until the weather improves and the ground dries up. I recommend starting this protocol every year BEFORE wet weather sets in and you will see either no scratches develop or drastically reduced scratches.

15/01/2024

Update - ACDF surgery on January 5th went well. 🎉🎉 I only had a mild issue during the middle of the following week, but that is all resolved now. Pain has been minimal and I haven't been on anything but Tylenol since day 3 post op. Swallowing issues have not been as much of a problem as some people experience, though I have choked on my own spit more times than I'd like to admit. 🤪 I've been a good patient and only snuck out to the barn a couple of times. Needed to smell horse smells...🐴 The kids all seemed to miss me and Ype especially. He found my neck brace fascinating. I felt good enough this last weekend to go out and help Tom in the barn. He's been swamped with trying to take care of all the snow we've received. It was tiring and I probably did too much, but honestly, while I feel sore, I also feel SO MUCH better. I don't know what it is about horse people, but we need to keep moving and have a purpose - we are kind of like sharks that way. 🤣🦈

15/01/2024

Yep! 🥶🥶🥶

27/12/2023

Sigh... more bionic parts. C5/6 and C6/7 fusion surgery scheduled for January 5th. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly. 🤞🍀

25/12/2023

15/12/2023

Happy National Day of the Horse! Enjoy an old photo of Ype showing off his hat...🤣🥹

07/11/2023

I'll probably get ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSE FROM US Equestrian but here it goes:

Hey US Equestrian, you've sent me a bunch of emails telling me it's time to re-do my Safe Sport training. While I agree that protecting people, especially the young, from bullying and abuse is important, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HORSES?
You've got a huge revenue source from members that you put into fancy shows, awards and various other crap that if you asked us whether we would rather have all that worthless glitter or have you use that money to legislate the end of the slaughter pipelines to Mexico and Canada as well as criminally prosecute equine abusers, neglecters and owners/trainers who actually HARM their horses, I bet hands down we would all vote for the latter.

So many of these horses in the slaughter pipeline just need a chance and often can end up with a second career in a show arena. Many of them are weanling to 2 year olds!! So many just need a soft place to land for the remainder of their lives, while others deserve a humane ending. None of them deserve to be shoved into an overcrowded trailer and then killed with a shot to the head or a stun bolt.

Ignoring the issue does not make it go away!! If you put half the money and effort into protecting the most valuable member of our sport as you do protecting the other half, US Equestrian and its members could make a huge difference in the lives of thousands upon thousands of horses.

STEP UP US Equestrian! The time to end this needless suffering is NOW!

Photos are from Colby's Crew Rescue - an amazing group of dedicated people.

03/11/2023

This equestrian center was being built by a friend of mine and I am so sorry for her loss.🥺😢 Thankfully, no horses were in the barn yet, but this is a prime example of why my horses will never live in a wooden barn, nor will they ever be confined to a stall - they will always have runs attached to their living spaces so that they have the means of some escape if necessary.

A fire erupted at the Skyridge Equestrian Center in Wasatch County early Friday morning, fully engulfing a structure in a stunning scene.

22/10/2023

Couldn't be prouder of this young lady. Only her third trail ride and Easabelle is doing fantastic! 🤩💖 We took our level of trust with each other up a whole big notch. We were down on the lower trails that have lots of steep up and down inclines. She took them all in stride until we came across one that was really steep and crowded in with bushes. She had been so brave and willing when we did so many others that when she stopped at the top and hesitated a long time I knew she was feeling a bit overwhelmed, unsure and tired. So I patted her, told her she was very smart and brave and we turned around to take an easier route.

Now some horse people would assume (wrongly) that she was just being disobedient, seeing that she is young and this was only her third outing, and they would force her to go down the incline - big mistake and a huge trust breaker. 🥺😢 Know your horse! Take a moment to ponder situations where you think they are being disobedient and decide whether that is really the case. Horses know their limitations and will tell you if you are open to seeing it.

04/10/2023

Another great Mette Rosencrantz clinic is coming on Oct 13th and Oct 14th! 🌟🎉 Mette is a super fantastic clinician who makes sure that each of the participants, as well as those observing, understand what she is teaching and that we all have plenty of new tools to utilize on our journey through dressage! Rides start at 8:30 am on Friday and 7:30 am on Saturday with a wide variety of breeds and levels! Don't miss out on this great opportunity to learn from one of the best!!

22/09/2023

As someone who was recently trying to sell a horse that had a blemish on an x-ray that made everyone back out of the deal - EVEN THOUGH THE HORSE WAS SOUND - I completely understand where Dr. Ramey is coming from. Stop looking for perfection. If you love the horse and love riding them - stop nit-picking over x-rays!!!!

There are lots of good horses out there that might have a little flaw or imperfection but who will also be the best horse anyone could ever ask for.

27/08/2023

When I Am An Old Horsewoman...

I shall wear turquoise and diamonds,
and a straw hat that doesn’t suit me.
I shall spend my social security on
white wine and carrots,
And sit in the alleyway of my barn
to listen to my horses breathe.

I will sneak out in the middle of a summer night
to ride my old Friesian gelding
across the moonstruck meadow;
if my old bones will allow.
I will shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair
like jewels.
And when people come to call, I will smile and nod
as I walk past the flower gardens to the barn
and show them instead the gray flecked horses
resting inside stalls fresh-lined with shavings.

And I will be an embarrassment to all
who have never known the peace in being free
to have horses as best friends.
Friends who wait at all hours
with muzzle and nicker and patient eyes;
For the kind of woman I will be
when I am old.

Photo credit: Alison Weller