Frederick
Equifest 2018, Hamburg NY
|
|
Freddie's mane is naturally amazing
|
Freddie is a 15 hh Palomino Quarter Horse who is handsome, calm, gentle and sweet. He was born and raised on Mangold Ranch in Lockport, New York, by Megan Mangold, and trained by her using Natural Horsemanship methods. He is the perfect trail buddy, and I look forward to many adventures with him.
Stanley
'Adorable Stanley, while still in quarantine at Happy Tails. He's not sure about the hug, but he didn't move away!
|
|
|
Stanley is a sweet black and white 10 hh pony, and he came to us from Happy Tails Farm & Rescue Center in Eden, New York. They purchased him from an auction in Ohio, most likely saving him from a trip to a place no horse wants to go. He and Freddie are buds, and Freddie is teaching him how to relax and enjoy life.
Tucker, The Roomie
|
|
|
Tucker belongs to my dear friend, and he came to live with us in August 2019. Tuck, a retired reigning horse, is a beautiful bay with a beautiful heart. He and Freddie were friends at the ranch for years, so having him move in was an easy adjustment for everyone.
My Horse Story
Caution: Sappy Rambling Ahead ...
My earliest memories of life include dreaming of horses and wishing for my own. I knew every horse on my elementary school bus route, I wondered around our old barn thinking about how a horse could easily live there, I read every horse book in our school library, and I consistently begged my parents for a horse. When I was 12 my parents got me a beautiful buckskin Quarter Horse/Arabian mare whom I named Morning Star (haha! such a little girl name) and I was in heaven. That was June 8th, 1980. Morgey was wild, unpredictable, skittish, green broke, and a general nervous wreck. I was a small 12 year old girl who previously took a handful of riding lessons (the kind where the horse is already saddled for you) and I was truly unprepared. BUT I was in love with this beautiful beast, and somehow we grew together and turned into a trail riding team. Morning Star might have been crazy, but she was not mean or aggressive, and we became deeply connected. I went to college and got married, all the while Morgey was cared for by my father who loved her probably as much as I did (my dad was one of the greatest humans to walk this earth, but that's a rambling story for another time). I was eventually able to board her at a nearby farm for several months where she was very very happy, and I was able to see her often before she suddenly but peacefully passed away on January 4th, 1994. I assumed I wouldn't have a horse again (I was living in the city of Buffalo) as my life was headed into other directions.
Life was indeed heading into other directions, and I eventually found myself happily remarried and living in rural Niagara County. I still felt the horse pull, but convinced myself it would be too much work given my schedule of work and family. That's when I found goats :) I was getting my animal "fix", and the time and infrastructure required was substantially less than that for horses. I thought "when I retire I will board a horse somewhere".
Then 1776 Coomer Road happened. We built our dream house and dream barn on our dream property, and I began to feel that when I retire a horse could live here on our farm. At that point retirement was ten years away. How exciting! Sadly some things happened that made me rethink my timing: I lost dear loved ones, and I was dealing with some of my own scary health issues. I moved my horse ownership goal up so that it would be in celebration of living on this beautiful planet for 50 years.
Life is short: eat the cake, take the vacation, buy the horse.
Facebook is ridiculous in many ways, but it is also wonderful for many reasons, and one of those reasons is that you can follow cool pages about things you like -- like goat farms and horse ranches. Well I happened to follow Mangold Ranch Versatility's page, and in the fall of 2016 a post popped up about some horses for lease. This happened on the very day my sweet niece received devastating news that her cancer was back, and my heart was breaking. I felt like I needed to at least inquire about this lease opportunity. I did call, and I went to the ranch and met Megan Mangold. She introduced me to Freddie, and explained the lease details, and I knew I was in the right place at the right time even though I was ahead of my horse goal schedule by a year.
Leasing prior to purchasing was one of the best moves I have ever made. At Mangold Ranch, I have grown as horse person in ways I didn't even know I could. I have learned more than I ever knew I needed to. I have found a community of like minded horse people that are supportive and fun, and I will forever be grateful to all of them. Megan is the kindest and most patient mentor I could ever have hoped for. I have also found the horse of my dreams in every single way, and I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to call him "my" horse. Do we ever really "own" a horse? I don't think so, and I feel he is just joining me on this wondrous journey of mine. I am deeply honored that Megan sees me as a fit caregiver to her special horse.
Life is short: eat the cake, take the vacation, buy two horses.
Freddie, having been born and raised on a ranch full of horse friends, would probably not appreciate having only goat friends. Enter Stanley. I won the pony lottery when I saw him online, once again on Facebook, this time on the page of a horse rescue. The photos of he and the others fresh from the Ohio auction didn't really speak to me, but I wanted to meet the folks at the rescue so that when the right pony became available I would be in a good position to adopt. Well, when I first saw Stanley (who was then called Raphael) in person, I felt an immediate pull in my heart. Although he stayed far away from the fence, the look in his eye was curious and bright, and I knew he really wanted to come over but was simply too timid. I just know he was meant to join Freddie and I on this journey. In the spring of 2016 Stanley came to spend some time at the ranch as I prepared my farm for their homecoming.
In the summer of 2017 I moved Fred and Stan from Mangold Ranch to my farm, and I don't regret a single thing. I love that my barn is now full, and so is my heart. It is a lot of work - I get up at 4:15 on work days - but I wouldn't trade it for the world. The hour I spend in the barn before work is my favorite hour of the day. I purchased a horse trailer so I can take Freddie back to the ranch to ride with my friends, and I can also haul him to various locations to trail ride with friends. I really have the best of both worlds: my horses live with me, but I can ride with my friends whenever I want to.
I am still that horse crazy little girl, and how blessed am I to have the opportunity to live my dream once again. GRATITUDE fills my heart every single day. Life has many dark days and long nights, but Life is also punctuated by light and glorious opportunities. We only need to embrace the people we love, and to savor the experiences that fill us with peace and joy. Thank you, God, for this gift of Life.
My earliest memories of life include dreaming of horses and wishing for my own. I knew every horse on my elementary school bus route, I wondered around our old barn thinking about how a horse could easily live there, I read every horse book in our school library, and I consistently begged my parents for a horse. When I was 12 my parents got me a beautiful buckskin Quarter Horse/Arabian mare whom I named Morning Star (haha! such a little girl name) and I was in heaven. That was June 8th, 1980. Morgey was wild, unpredictable, skittish, green broke, and a general nervous wreck. I was a small 12 year old girl who previously took a handful of riding lessons (the kind where the horse is already saddled for you) and I was truly unprepared. BUT I was in love with this beautiful beast, and somehow we grew together and turned into a trail riding team. Morning Star might have been crazy, but she was not mean or aggressive, and we became deeply connected. I went to college and got married, all the while Morgey was cared for by my father who loved her probably as much as I did (my dad was one of the greatest humans to walk this earth, but that's a rambling story for another time). I was eventually able to board her at a nearby farm for several months where she was very very happy, and I was able to see her often before she suddenly but peacefully passed away on January 4th, 1994. I assumed I wouldn't have a horse again (I was living in the city of Buffalo) as my life was headed into other directions.
Life was indeed heading into other directions, and I eventually found myself happily remarried and living in rural Niagara County. I still felt the horse pull, but convinced myself it would be too much work given my schedule of work and family. That's when I found goats :) I was getting my animal "fix", and the time and infrastructure required was substantially less than that for horses. I thought "when I retire I will board a horse somewhere".
Then 1776 Coomer Road happened. We built our dream house and dream barn on our dream property, and I began to feel that when I retire a horse could live here on our farm. At that point retirement was ten years away. How exciting! Sadly some things happened that made me rethink my timing: I lost dear loved ones, and I was dealing with some of my own scary health issues. I moved my horse ownership goal up so that it would be in celebration of living on this beautiful planet for 50 years.
Life is short: eat the cake, take the vacation, buy the horse.
Facebook is ridiculous in many ways, but it is also wonderful for many reasons, and one of those reasons is that you can follow cool pages about things you like -- like goat farms and horse ranches. Well I happened to follow Mangold Ranch Versatility's page, and in the fall of 2016 a post popped up about some horses for lease. This happened on the very day my sweet niece received devastating news that her cancer was back, and my heart was breaking. I felt like I needed to at least inquire about this lease opportunity. I did call, and I went to the ranch and met Megan Mangold. She introduced me to Freddie, and explained the lease details, and I knew I was in the right place at the right time even though I was ahead of my horse goal schedule by a year.
Leasing prior to purchasing was one of the best moves I have ever made. At Mangold Ranch, I have grown as horse person in ways I didn't even know I could. I have learned more than I ever knew I needed to. I have found a community of like minded horse people that are supportive and fun, and I will forever be grateful to all of them. Megan is the kindest and most patient mentor I could ever have hoped for. I have also found the horse of my dreams in every single way, and I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to call him "my" horse. Do we ever really "own" a horse? I don't think so, and I feel he is just joining me on this wondrous journey of mine. I am deeply honored that Megan sees me as a fit caregiver to her special horse.
Life is short: eat the cake, take the vacation, buy two horses.
Freddie, having been born and raised on a ranch full of horse friends, would probably not appreciate having only goat friends. Enter Stanley. I won the pony lottery when I saw him online, once again on Facebook, this time on the page of a horse rescue. The photos of he and the others fresh from the Ohio auction didn't really speak to me, but I wanted to meet the folks at the rescue so that when the right pony became available I would be in a good position to adopt. Well, when I first saw Stanley (who was then called Raphael) in person, I felt an immediate pull in my heart. Although he stayed far away from the fence, the look in his eye was curious and bright, and I knew he really wanted to come over but was simply too timid. I just know he was meant to join Freddie and I on this journey. In the spring of 2016 Stanley came to spend some time at the ranch as I prepared my farm for their homecoming.
In the summer of 2017 I moved Fred and Stan from Mangold Ranch to my farm, and I don't regret a single thing. I love that my barn is now full, and so is my heart. It is a lot of work - I get up at 4:15 on work days - but I wouldn't trade it for the world. The hour I spend in the barn before work is my favorite hour of the day. I purchased a horse trailer so I can take Freddie back to the ranch to ride with my friends, and I can also haul him to various locations to trail ride with friends. I really have the best of both worlds: my horses live with me, but I can ride with my friends whenever I want to.
I am still that horse crazy little girl, and how blessed am I to have the opportunity to live my dream once again. GRATITUDE fills my heart every single day. Life has many dark days and long nights, but Life is also punctuated by light and glorious opportunities. We only need to embrace the people we love, and to savor the experiences that fill us with peace and joy. Thank you, God, for this gift of Life.
At the end of all things, the blessed will say
"We never lived anywhere but in heaven."
C.S. Lewis
"We never lived anywhere but in heaven."
C.S. Lewis