Available Horses
Merlin's Magic
"Merlin"
Merlin's Magic is a 4yo TB gelding by Fusaichi Pegasus out of a Creative Cause mare, currently standing 16.2.
4.27.25
Merlin arrived a few weeks ago, and he has been nothing but "magical" ever since his arrival :) After giving him a few days to settle in, I took him on his first field trip to La Dena, where he was able to show off his movement in the round pen. As expected, his movement was just stunning. All three of his gaits have such quality to them, but his walk and canter are what caught my eye first. He is just naturally very engaged with his hind end and has a nice uphill way of going. You'll notice in his videos that in the walk, he easily oversteps the placement of his front feet by at least one hoof print, and when he has a really good walk he oversteps by two foot prints. He's also got a really nice shoulder on him that just screams "scope for days."
After watching him go in the round pen, I was so excited for my first ride on him. The same day he had his first ride, he also got his feet done and his conformation pics taken. It was a big day for him, and he handled it all so well! He had a little anxiety when I first got on him, which just stemmed from the uncertainty of what was expected of him. I let him play follow the leader with the other pony in the arena, stepping over some poles on the ground and mixing things up a bit. This helped him relax almost immediately and become more engaged mentally. Once he realized he was not on the track and could relax, he was almost a bit too relaxed, and I realized very quickly that this guy needed a lot of encouragement to get out in front of my leg. I actually had to get a dressage whip to help get him out in front of me in the trot work. Once we established the forwardness though, I was able to finish his ride with some canter work both directions, which did not disappoint. His canter is just lovely, and even his trot work felt very nice once he was in front of my leg. The quality of movement this horse has can be hard to find in thoroughbreds sometimes. While I think Merlin will take to jumping well, his movement is nice enough that I could see someone wanting him for a dressage horse. He was a very honest and good boy for his first ride, but you can tell in his videos how athletic he is and how much of a baby he still is mentally. Do to both of these factors, he would do best with someone who has experience bringing along young/athletic horses. After his ride, he basically fell asleep while he stood to get his feet done. My farrier said this was the best behaved thoroughbred he's ever shod straight from the track.
Merlin stands in cross ties patiently, loves to be groomed/doted on, and is great for baths and trailering. This horse was bred/raced all under the same owner, and you can just tell how loved he was by all who have handled him over the last four years. Merlin raced six times under his connections, but it was clear he was not going to be a successful race horse and they decided to move him on to his next career. He has no previous injuries and no vices. While this big boy is currently standing 16.2, he still has some filling out to do and height left to grow. I expect he'll finish out around 16.3 or 17 hands.
Pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/197147542@N03/albums/72177720325554976/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY8FxK4RARI&list=PL-fuvG4RtrCjy_0GwkvjVAm0TfN8R4kU8
Price: $6500
Lord Shaftsbury
"Lordy"
Lord Shaftsbury- 16.1 hand 5yo TB gelding by Street Sense out of a Scat Daddy mare.
10.13.24
Lordy had a great ride off property last weekend after having time off due to an abscess. I think the vacay honestly did some good for him, as he seemed much looser in his body and more relaxed physically and mentally. His flat work is really coming along, and he’s learned to soften in the contact and stay between the reins and leg. He still likes to drop the right shoulder at times, but for a few months off the track, I’m quite happy with his progress.
Lordy had 18 career starts and retired sound with no past injuries or vices. He’s adjusted well to post track life and currently lives outside 24/7. While he’s happy to be out, he’s also just as content to come in and stay in a stall when the weather is less than ideal. He’s super easy to handle on the ground and nothing really seems to phase him. He’s a very level headed and easy going guy. Although still green, I see him doing great things with a confident amateur who has a trainer who can help bring him to his full potential. He has so much athleticism and could go in any direction. He’s my favorite kind of ride in that he has his own motor but still allows you to add leg without being hot. He’s confidently walking and trotting over poles (honestly never even blinked an eye at them when first introduced). I feel he’s going to take to jumping really well and be quite confident at it. Lordy stands well for grooming, bathes, and the farrier. Currently doing great in just front shoes. Loads and hauls like a perfect gentleman and does great for rides off property.
Pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/197147542@N03/albums/72177720319665975/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-fuvG4RtrCi4RJuqAobOYSyTagte8eqb
Price: $5000 (open to reasonable offers)
Lord Shaftsbury
"Lordy"
Lord Shaftsbury- 16.2+ hand 6yo TB gelding by Street Sense out of a Scat Daddy mare.
3.22.25
I'm overloaded with horses at the moment, so this weekend when my long time friend asked to come ride, I knew immediately that I could rely on Lordy to give her a great and positive ride. Mind you, this friend has not been riding regularly (maybe once every few months), and she hasn't jumped a fence in over two years. By the end of the ride, I had her cantering Lordy over a course of cross rails, and it was so fun to watch him take care of her. No, she didn't find the perfect distance every time, but Lordy was all business, completely unoffended, and just kept on trucking along, never losing an ounce of confidence. I can't express enough how forgiving and amateur friendly this horse is. It's one thing to see how they are with a professional, but I've seen him take care of multiple amateur riders now (4 to be exact) ranging from the age of 14 up to mid 30s and he has been a saint with them all. I can't say enough good things about this horse.
2.1.25
Had a super great jump school on Lordy yesterday! It was overcasted and 45 degrees, so that plus the fact that this horse hasn’t seen a jump in a few weeks definitely contributed to a bit of an exuberant ride. He over jumped these cross rails a few times due to excitement, but I can honestly say that when he’s in a steady program where he’s jumping a few times a week, he tends to be way more nonchalant about it all. Unfortunately I just haven’t had the time to be super consistent with him over the last month. He is definitely a horse that thrives in a program vs just being ridden a few times a week. He loves having a job to do and his work ethic is second to none.
I think one of the cooler things about having had this guy for 6 months now is that I’ve really gotten to see his confidence grow and watch him come into his own with his second career. He is proving to be a super brave horse and I can absolutely see this guy just eating up a cross country course. I feel he would do some pretty great things with a confident amateur who wants a partner they can grow with in eventing or jumpers.
1.1.25
Started off the new year with a fun outing to our second home down the road (La Dena Downs) and had a great jump school! Despite the high being 40 degrees and it being windy, Lordy was all class. This was his fourth ride over fences, and he's taken to it so well that he's now confidently cantering around small courses with cross rails and 2ft verticals. You can see in my video from our ride today that he is a bit quick, but I think that's just from lack of miles and the jumping still being very exciting for him, not to mention the windy and chilly day. With more experience, I expect he'll start to look a little more like a hunter around these courses. I'm blown away at how brave and confident he's become with the little experience he has with jumping. He's really taken to it like a fish in water and just loves it. There's even a moment on video where I got him to the cavaletti at a bit of a long spot, and he just took it in stride and was not even phased by it. This guy is just so forgiving and is as honest as they come aka everything you could ask for in a horse for an amateur.
11.3.24
We took Lordy off property again today to give him a chance to show us some of his movement without a rider, as well as give him the chance to learn how to free jump over some smaller jumps. Lordy definitely wowed us and once he figured out what we were doing, he really enjoyed it! Especially stopping and looking at himself in the mirror. I've had some horses in the past that get a bit insecure and frazzled with free jumping just because they lack the natural confidence in themselves that they really rely on with a rider, but not Lordy! You can see in his free lunge/jump video that he was a bit curious and cautious in the beginning, but then he figured things out quickly and started to learn how to use his body over a smaller (maybe 2'3) vertical. We had to make it bigger pretty quickly because Lordy made it very clear that he was not going to make much of an effort when it was set up as an x-rail. But that's what you want in a horse! One that has a great head that isn't going to be too dramatic over something new that you throw at them, and that's Lordy all the way. He also had a young 15 year old amateur come ride him last weekend, and he was foot perfect for her. It's always nice to see how the horse reacts to someone that isn't a professional/someone who restarts horses. Lordy has enough self confidence in himself that he wasn't at all worried with a less experienced rider. He really enjoyed her, and I know he'll make such a great partner for an amateur even though he is still learning the ropes too.
10.13.24
Lordy had a great ride off property last weekend after having time off due to an abscess. I think the vacay honestly did some good for him, as he seemed much looser in his body and more relaxed physically and mentally. His flat work is really coming along, and he’s learned to soften in the contact and stay between the reins and leg. He still likes to drop the right shoulder at times, but for a few months off the track, I’m quite happy with his progress.
Lordy had 18 career starts and retired sound with no past injuries or vices. He’s adjusted well to post track life and currently lives outside 24/7. While he’s happy to be out, he’s also just as content to come in and stay in a stall when the weather is less than ideal. He’s super easy to handle on the ground and nothing really seems to phase him. He’s a very level headed and easy going guy. Although still green, I see him doing great things with a confident amateur who has a trainer who can help bring him to his full potential. He has so much athleticism and could go in any direction. He’s my favorite kind of ride in that he has his own motor but still allows you to add leg without being hot. He’s confidently walking and trotting over poles (honestly never even blinked an eye at them when first introduced). I feel he’s going to take to jumping really well and be quite confident at it. Lordy stands well for grooming, bathes, and the farrier. Currently doing great in just front shoes. Loads and hauls like a perfect gentleman and does great for rides off property.
Pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/197147542@N03/albums/72177720319665975/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-fuvG4RtrCi4RJuqAobOYSyTagte8eqb
Price: $4500
Beyond Compare
"Parry"
Parry is a 16.3 hand 6 year old thoroughbred by Street Boss out of a Bluegrass Cat mare. He had just one start before his owners moved him on to a new career, as it was very evident he was not going to make it as a racehorse. You’ll know exactly why when you watch him go!
He has incredible suspension in his gaits, and he's a horse that is consistently going to be at the top of the leaderboard after dressage due to the quality of his movement. He's a stunning horse to watch on the flat, but he has incredible scope over fences and hates to touch anything. Most people watch him go and think he's a warmblood.
I bought him at the end of his two year old year when he retired sound with no previous injuries, with the hopes of him being my next upper level eventing partner. After a year of training in my program, he developed desmitis in his hind proximal suspensory which unfortunately did not improve with time off and supportive therapy. He underwent a fasciotomy in Feb of 2024 to make more space for the enlarged suspensory, and the surgery was a success.
He has been back in full work since June of 2024 and is currently schooling first level dressage and jumping around 2'6 courses. He competed at his first horse trial in April at BN level, and I'm planning to take him to more this spring/summer. He is a cross country machine and is as brave as they come. Given his past, I previously tried to sell him to a low risk home as a dressage horse, but he became sour on trial to the repetitive flatwork and made it clear that he wants a life where he gets to jump. He is a big horse with a lot of power, athleticism, and movement, but he is not naughty, doesn't spook, and is just an all around good guy. He can be playful and likes to show that he's having a good time under saddle, but he never bucks or does anything naughty. His only fault is that he is a chronic overachiever, something that was difficult to manage during his rehab under saddle lol
All vet records, including surgeon's notes and scans, are available to serious buyers. Loads of pictures and videos available upon request. Only available to the perfect home.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-fuvG4RtrCg8H7rlzLdl1uYaEfCMTlJV
Price: $35k