Silver was unexpectedly delivered to us in the fall of 2007 in very poor condition.  He was underweight and not cared for by his last owner.  Unsure of his story, we took him and with the financial assistance of his sponsor he has flourished into a great therapeutic riding horse.  He is around the age of twenty-five, is calm and steady on his feet.  We are sure he appreciates his new home as he works very hard to take care of our adolescent independent riders.

2007 Horse Sponsorships by Denise Bixler
2008 Horse Sponsorships by Denise Bixler
2009 Horse Sponsorships by Maggie Armstrong

Toby is a 14 year old part haflinger pinto horse. He moved to Jackson from Tucson, Arizona in the fall of 2007. We selected because he is short and calm.  Tobey has great manners in the arena and has become one of our most forgiving horses." It should say “We selected him because he is short and calm. Toby has great manners in the arena and has become one of our most favorite horses.

2008 Horse Sponsorships Julian Gee
2009 Horse Sponsorships Maureen Drackett

Midnight is a cute 22 year old black horse with a blaze on his face.  In 2007 Red Rock Ranch donated him as he is a terrific kids’ horse.  When you see Midnight in class you can tell that he loves his job. He is one of the instructors’ favorites because he is reliable while still having enough “go” to teach young riders steering, “walk-ons” and “woahs.” He is also great with our teenage independent riders, especially if they are nervous.

2008 Horse Sponsorships George and Helen Fry
2009 Horse Sponsorships NONE

Diego is a 23 year old brown horse with a white star on his face that came to us as a donation from Red Rock Ranch in 2007.  Small health problems kept him from excelling at his job in the summer of 2008. However, in the summer of 2009, he completely flourished. He is our “go-to” guy if there is a problem with any other horse. His versatility is extremely helpful; he is responsive and safe enough for our younger riders, and amazing with our teenage riders, even cantering safely for students first experience in riding the gait. He is JHTRA 2009 Horse of the Year.

2008 Horse Sponsorships Ronai and Dudley White
2009 Horse Sponsorships Ronai and Dudley White

Drey is a 17 year old Norwegian Fjord mare. She is the only female in the bunch. She won the NARHA horse of the year in 2002. She is our hardest working horse. She is a great teacher for the students; she is usually the first horse we allow students to ride independently. She is also very tolerant of riders who are unbalanced and she has no problem counteracting their weight. Drey also found a new job in the summer of 2009 in becoming a vaulting horse. She is extremely responsive to voice command and exceptionally tolerant of getting hit with balls, hoops, and stuffed animals.

2007 Horse Sponsorships by W.E. Weiss Foundation, Inc.
2008 Horse Sponsorships by W.E. Weiss Foundation, Inc.
2009 Horse Sponsorships by W.E. Weiss Foundation, Inc
2010 Horse Sponsorships by W.E. Weiss Foundation, Inc.

King is a 19 year old Norwegian Fjord. Before he moved here from Las Vegas in 2006 he was used for team roping, harness work, and even dressage. King is our main vaulting horse. He is responsive to voice command and tolerates people moving around on his back (sideways, backwards, etc.) and is tolerant of balls and hula hoops being tossed around him. He found a new calling in the summer of 2009--back riding. Back riding is when a student is sitting in the saddle and a staff member is riding behind the saddle. We are using this tool to have the students experience the rocking motion of the canter while having a staff member control the horse. King is amazing with this new job and really enjoys it!

2007 Horse Sponsorships by Tom and Anne Muller
2008 Horse Sponsorships by Tom and Anne Muller
2009 Horse Sponsorship by Tom and Anne Muller
2010 Horse Sponsorship by Tom and Anne Muller

Buck has had a unique past. He was a volunteer mounted police horse, and also was used in civil war reenactments. Buck is 25 years old and takes a lot of pride in his job. He is an amazing horse to have riders go independent on, and is very tolerant of unclear signals and students who are just learning. Because he is starting to get older we are careful not to over-use him. He has so much try that he wouldn’t tell us if he is tired! He loves being a main contestant in the Special Olympics, and loves carrying the flag at our Stomping the Divots event.

2007 Horse Sponsorships by W.E. Weiss Foundation, Inc.
2008 Horse Sponsorships by W.E. Weiss Foundation, Inc.
2009 Horse Sponsorships by W.E. Weiss Foundation, Inc.
2010 Horse Sponsorships by W.E. Weiss Foundation, Inc.

Star was a donation from Red Rock Ranch. He is a beautiful 27 year old red roan. Star has proven to be a valuable part of our program because he is so steady. He was part of a pack string on a dude ranch for so long that it took him a while to figure out his role here. However, Star has definitely come into his own and now loves his job at JHTRA. He is amazing for riders that cannot take any risks, as he is not easily excitable. He deals with the commotion of Special Olympics extremely well, maintaining his calm demeanor even when there is the hum of excitement in the air!

2007 Horse Sponsorships by Kayla Rockefeller
2008 Horse Sponsorships by Tom and Anne Muller
2009 Horse Sponsorships by NONE

Lemon is a 25 year old palomino pony that came to us from a horse rental company in 2008. Although he worked in Wyoming in the summers, he spent every winter in Arizona working on dude ranches in the Southwest. Lemon doesn’t like being coddled or fussed over. When a rider is on his back he loves his job and takes care of them. He is one of our main hippotherapy horses because he is small and has a nice, even pace.

2009 Horse Sponsorships by W.E. Weiss Foundation, Inc.
2010 Horse Sponsorships by W.E. Weiss Foundation, Inc.

Juan Dias is a 26 year old black pony that came from a horse rental company in 2008. Juan Dias is one of our main hippotherapy horses because of his size, disposition, and steady pace. It takes a lot to excite him; he is very calm and tolerates squirming and odd noises from our very young riders. He is perfect for the very young riders with tactile issues to feel his breath, pet his mane and body, because he does not expect treats and doesn’t make a move when a small child is right in front of him.

2009 Horse Sponsorships by W.E. Weiss Foundation, Inc.
2010 Horse Sponsorships by W.E. Weiss Foundation, Inc.

Cowboy is a 17 year old gorgeous paint. He came from a private owner in Soda Springs, Idaho in 2009 where the former owner’s grand children would lead him around and ride him bareback. Cowboy is one of our most bomb-proof horses even though he is new to therapeutic riding! He tolerates balls, rings on his ears, and hula hoops without flinching. He stands in the mounting block area patiently and loves to get pets and treats. Because he is a bigger horse he can carry our heavier and more unbalanced riders easily. He has adapted to his new job well and we are extremely excited for his future here.

2009 Horse Sponsorships by Ruth Artz

A special thank you to Kent and Pegi Bernard who, throughout the past several years, provided funds to purchase King, Toby, Boone and Cowboy.

Our horses are sponsored by generous individuals each year. If you are interested in horse sponsorship, please contact us at jhtra@bresnan.net or download the hourse sponsorship form.