Former Horses

Reina

“Reina” is the Spanish word for Queen and our Reina is definitely the Queen-bee in the herd. In her calm manner she rules and all the other horses want to spend time with her. She is a chunky girl and it is obvious that some of her ancestors were draft horses (big work horses, that you would see pulling plows in the old days).

Due to her size and strength, she is best suited for teenage and adult students.

When Reina arrived at ELC she was still green, so she was not available for lessons right away. Over the Summer of 2021 she started to do some walk/trot lessons (at that time she still struggled with her balance at a canter in the arena). The students that have ridden her so far absolutely love her!

On the 21st of February 2024 Reina showed mild signs of colic. Despite our best efforts her colic worsened. Huddled in horse blankets I stayed by her side all night. In the early morning hours the vet returned and we had to let her cross the rainbow bridge.

Year of birth: April 2010
Weight: 1300lbs
Height: 15.1hh

Breed: Mustang
Color: Bay
Special markings: Blaze on her face; socks on her back legs; mustang freeze brand on her neck (left side, under her mane) & freeze brand “2587” on her hindquarters.

Arrived at ELC: June 2020
Died: 2-22-2024

Sultan

Sultan was very skinny when he first arrived at the ELC. A few months and a lot of groceries later he was finally able to start his new job.
He instantly got himself a fan-base, as he is a very loving and gentle horse.
Under the saddle he tends to be a bit lazy, so it does take some convincing to get him to work for you. He does not like the bit, so he is ridden with a hackamore (which works with pressure on his nose). He is a great horse for the beginner and novice student.

By the end of 2023 we needed to reduce our herd. Due to the difference in riding style with the hackamore the choice fell on Sultan. Sultan was sold to one of our students and remained at the ELC as a boarded horse.

Year of birth: Unknown, estimated 1999-2001
Weight: 1000lbs
Height: 14.3hh

Breed: Unknown, probably quarter horse
Color: Black, although he is a sun-worshipper, which bleaches him out and makes him look like a bay.
Special markings: A star on his face and a few white spots on either side of his withers (most likely caused by saddle sores)

Arrived at ELC: October 2021
Left the lesson program: December 2023

Tzarevna

The name Tzarevna (Za-ref-nah) is Russian and is means princess.

Tzarevna is an absolute sweetheart and loves to be groomed and loved on.
She is still relatively young and does not have as much experience. So eventhough she is fun size, she is not the easiest under the saddle. Due to her size it has been difficult to find volunteers who can work with her to get her to the next level. (The volunteers with the right skill set are usually too tall or too heavy to ride her.)
So far she has done a few lessons with students who can handle her difficulties.

During Summer camp we did some ground driving with her and it was great fun for the kids to work with her that way. Who knows, we may end up with a little wagon for her to pull.

We will continue to work with her, to get her to the point where students can enjoy her.

Due to her size it continued to be a problem to find suitable riders for her, which made her very limited in use. Her stubborn streak was just too much to handle for most of our smaller students.
So we ended up finding her a new home

Year of birth: Unknown, estimated 2014-2015
Weight: 600lbs
Height: 12hh

Breed: Unknown
Color: Dark bay
Special markings: Few white spots behind her withers from an old injury (horse bite)

Arrived at ELC: October 2021
Left ELC: November 2023