Abby is an Arab mare who came to Higher Trails
in summer of 2013 and her owners sold her to
Higher Trails in the spring of 2014. She has a
wonderful spirit, and loves being ridden by both
Young Riders and her new person at Higher
Trails.
Bunky is a Cydesdale mare. She and her sister
Minnie joined Higher Trails as a pulling team.
They give our members a chance to enjoy the
pasture while sitting in the comfort of a wagon.
Bunky isn’t under saddle but with the time and
patience she could be joining her sister on some
trail rides.
Ben is a Tennessee Walker who joined Higher
Trails in 2013. He has a mischievous personality
and loves attention. His owner purchased him
so he and his wife (who owns Dude) could ride
together through the acres of fields and hills at
the ranch. If there is building going on at the
ranch, Ben is right there giving advice to ensure
it is done correctly.
Caddie This Percheron weighs in at a hefty
1,450 lbs, but is one of the most gentle-hearted
horses at the ranch. In spite of his build, he is
an incredibly athletic animal and one of the
quickest on his feet. He'd rather spend his time
with humans than the herd when the
opportunity presents, “helping” with fencing,
barn cleaning, or round pen work. Caddie came
with a reputation of being un-rideable, but has
become an outstanding contributor to Higher
Trails – even being the core-horse to a novice
seven-year old boy for a time! Caddie is the
enforcer who always is “second in command” to
the lead gelding and alpha mare.
Colt is a registered Quarter horse that came to
Higher Trails when his owners had to move and
couldn’t take him with them. He is an older
fellow, who had been herd leader to a small
herd at his last home. He has become a favorite
among the younger riders at Higher Trails. He
loves to be one of the first in the barn for treats
in the morning and will stand for hours being
groomed. For an old fellow he moves great and
enjoys rides and working in the corral
.
Dakota joined Higher Trails in January 2014. His
owner brought him to the ranch when his
brother Jake, was purchased by a Higher Trails
member. As the new kids on the block these
young brothers are finding their way around the
ranch and also their place in the herd.
Dollar is a Standardbred who arrived at Higher
Trails as a colt. He arrived with his mother and
two brothers, all who had been part of the
Harness Racing circuit prior to coming to Higher
Trails. Dollar was a nibbler, a typical youngster
into everything. With a lot of training, he has
become a solid riding horse and a dominant
member of the herd. With no current lead
gelding, Dollar has his eye set on this role, but is
waiting for the stamp of approval from Caddie,
the enforcer.
Dude - is a registered Tennessee Walker who
was purchased by one of our Higher Trails
members and brought to the ranch. This
beautiful liver chestnut gelding is gradually
moving up in the herd as he adjusts to his new
home. Dude is a wonderful ride - he enjoys the
many acres of trails and bush, and also the
excitement of being part of a cattle drive, one
of his most recent experiences.
Free is a fun-loving Appaloosa gelding who goes
by the nickname “Donkey”. Free was
purchased by one of the owners of Higher Trails
– it was love at first sight. Already an excellent
reining horse, he has mastered being ridden “at
liberty” no saddle, bridle, reins – just woman
and horse. Free struggles with boundaries, he
wants to be “in” on everything. His addiction,
besides hugging his owner, is green apple lick!
Gypsy – Mama to Suede, Dollar and Gypsy
spends much of her time keeping her “children”
in check, but make no mistake – this mare has
the bloodlines to take any willing rider on a
heart-pumping ride... just be ready to reward
her with a scratch and some carrots when you
return. Gypsy has re-learning skills she never
knew she had. Watch her on the trail or
working cattle and you get an idea of why she is
one of the greatest Standardbreds in Canada.
Jazz - We call her our “Ferrari”. Jazz is a
dapple-grey Arabian mare whose pedigree is
outstanding, with long-distance racing lines
going back multi-generations. She incurred a
devastating injury to her off-forefoot, and the
owner wanted to rehab her but…he was forced
to give her up after city-expansion forced him to
dispose of his herd. She is excellent in working
with teenagers, bringing an enthusiasm and
energy that light up the entire corral.
King - A registered palomino paint, this gelding
draws the attention of everyone who comes to
the ranch. What stands out besides his color, is
the beauty of his eyes, a mixture of gold brown
and a hint of blue. His owner bought him as a
colt and joined Higher Trails soon after. We
have been told they have each taken turns
teaching the other the ins and outs of riding.
King is an independent fellow, but does enjoy
when people stop to give him a quick scratch.
Levi - This Appaloosa gelding would make any
“entry man” proud. Put up a barrier (to the
barn, the hay yard, etc) and Levi will figure a
way past it. Levi came to Higher Trails when his
young riders grew up and no longer wanted to
ride. He is a stubborn old fellow who has won
the hearts of the youngsters at the ranch. He
has a personality that entertains everyone who
gets to know him.
Melani - Sired by “As Promised” out of “Howe
Street Malani”, Malani finished out her track
career just weeks before becoming part of the
Higher Trails herd. She immediately took to our
re-training program, and is now under saddle
and loving it. Her willingness and guide-ability in
every situation make her an outstanding ride.
Minnie – a sister to Bunky, is the other part of
the team that pulls the wagon or stone boat.
Minnie is also under saddle and loves going out
on rides. She is an amazing horse for
youngsters to ride and loves the attention. In
2012 Minnie developed a serious illness, but
with tender care, and her perseverance, she
recovered fully and is back to being an active
member of the Higher Trails herd.
Muffet is a dainty little paint mare who joined
Higher Trails in 2013. After the remainder of
her herd was sold, her owner contacted Higher
Trails to find her a loving home. This little
sweetheart has won the heart of her young
rider, as well as others who have to joy of riding
her on special occasions.
Nina After coming to Higher Trails, Nina needed
about 6 months of „pasture rest‟ due to a
suspensory injury she received in a sulkytraining accident. She required extensive work
de-spooking her due to the trauma of her
accident. Her owner, a Higher Trails member,
put in long, patient hours getting her past that
sticking point; she has progressed to a solid
riding horse. Her owner can call her by her
special name “Chickadee” and Nina will come
running to meet her.
Parr is a Quarterhorse gelding who came to
Higher Trails after a permanent injury that
ended his acting career. He joined the Higher
Trails herd the same day that Toto arrived. The
two of them still hang together in the pasture.
He has been purchased by one of our Higher
Trails members who understands the injury and
is able to ride him with the necessary
understanding. Parr loves kids, helping young
riders gain confidence in their riding ability.
Pita is a Thoroughbred Friesian who arrived at
Higher Trails after spending time running with
the mustangs on reserve land. Although his
previous owner would bring him back, he
always managed to escape and join the wild
herd. Hence his name PITA - Pain In The A** .
Since coming to Higher Trails, Pita has shown
his ability to learn and quickly became a demo
horse for “at liberty” riding, dressage, reining
and cattle drives. He has also become a solid
horse used by young riders and guest riders.
Pongo What a story this fellow has! At 3 years
old he was ravaged by a cougar and his former
owner elected to „put him down‟. We learned
of the plight of this Tobiano Paint and took him
on. He has fully recovered he is a solid riding
horse. Pongo loves to go out for long rides,
climbing hills, bush rides and cattle drives. He is
also learning “at liberty” riding and dressage.
Next on his list – learn to be a roping horse.
Rez After a career on the race track, this
thoroughbred joined Higher Trails when his
owner was moving. He has a sense of humor,
loves to nip another horse then looks away like
“it wasn’t me”. In an EAL situation, he will tip
over chairs, move obstacles, etc. if he no one is
paying attention to him. 2012 has been a tough
year for Rez, he had problems with lameness
when he arrived at Higher Trails and November
2012 had surgery, suffered an infection but now
is ready to join the herd. A success story.
Jake is a young Arab who joined Higher Trails in
January 2014, along with his brother Dakota.
Jake’s owner has been with Higher Trails for a
while and in December 2013 has to put down
her sweet Arab Caz. Jake is helping to fill a hole
in her owner’s heart. He is an Arab as well, and
he and his new owner have started a wonderful
relationship.
Shogun came to Higher Trails in November
2012. Shogun’s previous owner, a member of
the Canadian Forces, felt he would thrive when
he had a home where he would have consistent
training, which her deployments didn’t allow.
Shogun has developed the habit of bucking
before he came to the ranch. He is a quick
learner and a devoted fellow who is developing
into a well mannered young fellow. We can’t
wait to see him on the trail.
Suede - this young Standardbred was a
champion sulky racer until the age of 5, with
bloodlines you'd have to see to believe. When
his owner retired from the business, Higher
Trails was fortunate enough to have Suede and
several of his siblings and herd mates donated
to us. Suede loves to be ridden, saddle or
bareback, and his is also great if you harness
him up to the sleigh or bike. It is an adrenalin
ride like no other!
Toto When this horse lost his pasture mate of
20 years, he hurt himself trying to jump fences
to join horses in another pasture. His owner felt
his sense of lost and sent him to Higher Trails to
be with other horses. He arrived with Parr and
the two spent and couple of days in the corral
before joining the rest of the herd. This formed
a close bond between these two. His wounds
have healed and he has adapted to life with the
bigger herd.
Taber a Quarterhorse gelding, Taber is a
wonderful addition to the Higher Trails herd.
He joined out herd in July 2012 after his owner
contacted us needing a home for this old guy.
He quickly adapted to Higher Trails and found
himself a “people” who loves to come out and
ride. He has proven a solid horse for kids as
well. We are glad we were able to give this
fellow a chance for new life at our ranch.
Whisper This little cutie is a Welsh x Pony mare
who joined Higher Trails the summer of 2012.
She belongs to the daughter/granddaughter of
the owners of Higher Trails. She is a selfconfident little filly, will walk in the man door at
the barn and help herself to feed. We’ve even
seen her try the stairs to the coffee room!
Willie This brown and white Paint joined
Higher Trails in 2009. He owned by one of the
Higher Trails members and has become a multiskilled horse through his owner’s training.
Willie has worked cattle, competed in Extreme
Cowboy, crossed bridges, stood on a podium,
and even bows on command which is a big
favorite with visitors to the ranch. Willie has
also learned to pull a cart, learned to count and
is just waiting to see what his new challenge is
going to be.
Zoe after being told that Zoe had very serious
“white line disease”, her owner was told to put
her down. A beautiful chestnut mare, we
agreed to take her on, and with the help of our
farrier and veterinarian, Zoe's hooves are
completely healed. Just as exciting – when she
arrived we had no idea that she was with foal!
Her foal – Majide – was born August 1, 2009
and he has found a home in the Yukon. Zoe is
an amazing ride and has skills that put other
horses to shame. Watching this horse doing “at
liberty” riding is a privilege.
Peanut is the youngster on the ranch, joining us
in January 2014. This little year old quarter
horse mustang cross and has made friends with
everyone in the herd. It is wonderful to see the
senior mares taking her under their wing and
teaching her the ways of the ranch. Her owner
is looking forward to starting her training this
summer.
Vaquero is a Trakehner whose owner joined
Higher Trails the spring of 2013. This beautiful
large gelding has found his place in the herd
and loves his rides through the coolies and
across the pastures. His background is in
dressage and when asked, can perform without
problem.
Tiberius – imagine our surprise when went to
pick up this young fellow and found out he was
the son of one of the horses already at our
ranch. Tiberius is Zoe’s son who will turn 6
spring 2014. He looks just like Mom. He love to
be around people, and best of all he loves to
open doors and gates. Already, he has won the
heart of many of the Higher Trails members,
and one in particular.
Heat joined Higher Trails in the spring of 2013.
He had been a therapy horse, but his
background as a race horse, then a Chuckwagon
outrider horse; he still had a little too much
energy in his Thoroughbred body. Now he has
won the heart of a rider at Higher Trails and is
feeling right at home with the herd.
Shady joined us at Higher Trails in
December 2013. She and her pasture mate
Savannah have been together all their lives
and the previous owner wanted to keep
them together. She is a great trail horse
and is finding her place in our large herd
after being in a smaller herd. Shady has
already won the hearts of many of our
Higher Trails members.
Savanah joined Higher Trails in December
2013. She arrived with her pasture mate Shady
and as an “older” horse, has taken a bit of time
to join in with the rest of the herd. Her
background is trail riding, and the younger
members of Higher Trails are looking forward to
riding her. She and Shady hang together – love
to see the bond they have.
Nugget is a Standardbred who has been part of
Higher Trails from the time he was a colt. His
nickname when he was little was “Nibbles” as
he liked to chew everything in sight. A quick
learner, through careful training he has become
a horse that is a pleasure to ride.
Big ABBY our newest acquisition at Higher
Trails, this Belgian/QH cross came onto the
ranch an immediately took on the role of Alpha
Mare. The herd is happy as they lost Shy two
years ago. Caddie seems please to be “2nd in
Command” again. Ron (our foreman) is the
proud owner of this big girl.