RIBALTA “Riba” 2013

YAKAMA MUSTANG MARE REDUCED $1,500

Riba is a heart-horse in the making.

Riba’s been a member of the herd of schooling horses at my training and teaching facility, since she arrived as a feral horse in 2018. Each summer, since COVID, she’s bonded with an intern and really thrived on the love that developed from that bond. But interns move on and Riba is left without her own person. For this reason, I feel that keeping her here is doing her a disservice. Read on, after a collection of candid photos through the years.

Riba was rounded up July 1, 2018 off of the Yakama Reservation in Eastern WA. Adult horses are rounded up and sold into the slaughter pipeline. Legally, horses must be over 6 months old to ship so the foals are orphaned and the adults are shipped. At the time, she was extremely pregnant so when they loaded her onto the truck, she created enough drama for them to unload her with plans to ship her the following week. Before the next shipment day arrived, her filly did! I was in the process of adopting 2 orphaned foals and convinced the catcher to let me buy the mare, as well.

Since coming to Wyndover, she’s been the project horse for several interns. Here, interns learn to handle and train their own horses, focusing on groundwork. They also learn cart/carriage driving. Intern learn skills then practice those skills on several horses, of different training levels. They learn ground handling and training, like roundpenning, lunging, and in hand obstacles. Senior interns then learn to how train horses to drive . Riba isn’t a candidate for cart driving so she spends her life doing the boring basics. (I no longer start riding horses). She has the capacity for so much more!!! She just needs the right person to take her there. She’s worn a saddle and has had weight across her back but has not yet had a leg over, nor has she been bitted.

Riba is an incredibly healthy, hearty girl. She’s 14.1hh and 750#. She has amazingly hard mustang hooves so goes barefoot. She’s good for the farrier. She is a truly easy keeper…..meaning she manages her own weight when on pasture so doesn’t need a muzzle. She maintains her weight on local grass hay with Enrich Plus ration balancer and soaked beet pulp. She’s up to date on vacc (5way+WNV), worming, and feet. She last had her teeth done May 2023. She’s had no illness or injury since I’ve had her, Kulshan has her vet records.

In nature, Riba is a very alert, sensitive girl with a heighten sense of freeze first, then flight, with little sense or thought of fight. During her first 60 days here she tried to choose violence, we had a discussion. She learned very quickly that violence brings no good and has never tried anything since. She’s a very playful girl. She loves to get her fellow herd mates to run with her and likes to play with the young ones. She also is happy to chase her favorite intern around the big arena during a liberty session.

Riba is slow to warm up but once she does she is trusting. She’s had limited trailering experience but loads inside 10 minutes. She’s been in hand on trails and is curious and light on the line. I can see her excelling as a trail horse. She’s jumped over a couple fences, in the years she’s been here (wooden fence separating her from her buddies, years ago) and has cute form. She LOVES water. Loves to roll in the pond. Her right side is her off side and she is very resistant to work on that side. She’s easy to roundpen both directions, but on a lunge line she can be difficult going to the right.

She sells under contract that I will enforce. She is not available for breeding. She cannot be sold through auction, nor surrendered to a rescue or killpen. I get first right of first refusal, should you choose to sell her. And I will take her back, should life change so drastically that you can no longer care for her. She will always have a safe place to land here…..but I want to find her “HER PERSON”. She really wants to bond with someone. The more time someone spends with her, the more she’s willing to try new things.

She’s ideally suited for someone under 150 pounds, with tack (based on her weight). She’s not yet started but will not be a good fit for a ‘colt starter’. She’s a sensitive girl and force will not go over well. I teach using the least amount of pressure needed to accomplish your goal, but not a drop more. So she is very light to work with and very responsive.

I feel I accepted responsibility for her life when I bought her and kept her from the truck. So I want to make sure she continues to have a happy life. I require references, including 1 professional (vet, farrier, bodywork, etc). She sells with her blanket and halter & lead. I will support the new owner in any way I can for the rest of her life. I’m always available for questions and coaching.

Price is negotiable to the perfect home.

Sold

FC BLACK TIE AFFAIR “Brody” 2011 AMHR 38″ GELDING $5,000

CART PONY EXTRAORDINAIRE!

Brody is a 13 year old AMHR Miniature gelding who was born to drive! He LOVES IT! For that reason, he is only available to a home who plans to drive! A lot! Don’t get me wrong, he can sit for 2 months and be solid and steady, but he loves it too much to let him sit. We’ve developed him to be successful in Combined Driving (CDE), Driven Dressage, Recreational Driving, Distance Driving, Trail Driving, and the like. He’s AHMR and can certainly do breed shows, but that’s not my world. He can also be registered pinto and do color shows. A competition home is encouraged but not required.

Personality-wise, Brody has a typical pony’tude. He does well with large horses but can be a bully to some ponies/minis. He can get too food oriented so we don’t do treats. He can be pushy if you let him be, but is completely perfect for those who command attention….truly, a typical pony. He has a great work ethic. He LOVES to drive so is happy to go. He has 3 lovely trots, making him very adjustable. I think this would make him a good candidate as a pair. His working walk is nice but needs work on extending on a loose rein. We do lots of work on transitions, including the toughies trot-whoa-trot and walk-canter-walk. He needs work on bit contact. He’s 38″ and about 275lbs. He’s conditioned to pull 500lbs comfortably, on mixed surfaces and on hills. We’ve done over 100 road miles and dozens and dozens of drives in the past year.