Happy Thanksgiving! At Canter Haven, we have many thanks to share. We built a new barn, updated the runs attached to stalls, attended clinics with the best clinicians, and competed in events (with one of our youngest OTTBs doing his first XC course and loving every minute of it!) Being able to do what we do for horses brings us so much positivity and joy, but it also comes with some angst. We cannot offer rehab, sanctuary and a pretty great long term home to all OTTBs, but will sure do our best!  

There are limitations, the biggest of which is space.  Land is a premium here in Utah and we are thankful for our little farm which is truly a great place for horses, humans, corgis, and of course, the 10+ year old chickens (I did not know chickens could live that long AND still lay eggs. They must be the happiest chickens on the planet.)  We are always looking to grow the Canter Haven program  and keeping a look out for more acreage as it's not just about the horses but also the humans that connect with them.  One day we will get much more acreage, build more barns, arenas and a XC/Trail course.  This is our ultimate goal! It may not happen here in Utah, as WOW, this state has become very popular and now very expensive, so keeping an eye on nearby states, or some place tucked away in areas that are still rural here locally.  

As far as the horse/human connection that we would like to foster, the current equestrian climate appears to be pricing out many people who want to get into riding or participate in events.  I wont get into that here, as this is a whole post in itself, but just do a search of horse show expense and you may be blown away by the recent cost. I grew up with horses and know that horses make better humans. Canter Haven would love to have a place where riding a horse is fun without the worry of the extreme cost, have affordable shows, events and of course, be a home to more horses. It is good to have goals!

Now a few shout outs: CARMA (California Management Account) – Canter Haven had a visit by CARMA, a non-profit organization that has supported us for several years, and Executive Director, Lucinda Lovitt. We were honored to show off our farm and all the OTTBs got to say" HI"! Lucinda, I loved meeting your friend  Latisha Longoria, who is the most friendly, cheerful and beautiful person.  Thank you both for visiting! After the CARMA visit, we had an impressive storm come through the following weekend which everyone says was a 100 year storm.  As we are not strangers to weird weather, we were prepared and diverted the river that was coming down the driveway, through the pasture and out to field (thankful for tractors!) Nancy Tripp, who visited the farm 2 years ago, reached out to make sure all was well.  Thanks for checking in! It means a lot!

3 weeks ago, a new adventure began.  We are starting to gentle untouched wild horses.  I am a foster trainer for a beautiful 3 yr old mare who we named Rey (aka Boston as she was named by the advocacy groups that monitor the herds in Colorado).  Thank you Sand Wash Basin Wild Horse Advocate Team for helping me become a foster and introducing me to everything you and the other groups do for the mustangs.  I have  been drawn to mustangs, particularly after an encounter about 20 years ago. The BLM had a holding facility for wild horses in Butterfield Canyon.  There is trail that went by this facility that was my favorite when going for a trail ride. I took a friend out for a ride one Sunday morning and we went over to the BLM facility to see the mustangs. I had an experience that was a bit life changing.  My friend Cindy (Bo) can probably share it better as it was something that is hard to for me to explain! If anyone wants to hear it, I may post about it here at some point, maybe, it was a very personal experience. Anyhow, that day connected me to mustangs and now we have welcomed Rey.  

I learned that she and her band were captured just this last July. She has only been in captivity for a few months thus she is going through an extreme transition and showing me a new way of communicating with horses. I have been around equines for 50+ years and my perspective has been altered in the last 3 weeks, for the better. Even the OTTBs can feel it. I rode Chewy in a clinic just last weekend with the amazing Sharon White and my vision of what I wanted to get out the clinic was completely different from my usual clinic goals. It is about listening to the horse and sharing our intentions with them openly. They are talking to us all the time but are we really listening, or are we just focused on the next goal, the next event, the next show? Something to think about and something that a little wild horse is teaching me.

As we transition into the last month of 2025, the horses are happy to announce that 2026 is the year of the Fire Horse!  2025 was the year of the Snake so now we shed that skin, reflected on our inner growth and transform. The Fire Horse is known in Eastern traditions for its untamed vitality, fierce independence, and unstoppable momentum. Fire Horse energy is bold, dynamic, sometimes rebellious, always determined to break free from constraints. As all of us that share our lives with equines, we already know that the Horse teaches through momentum. The year of the horse is scared wildness and will represent speed, courage, and the ignition of new pathways. Canter Haven welcomes the Fire Horse and the direction that our fiery equines take us!   Happy Thanksgiving!

Developing trust takes time.  Working with Rey is teaching me a lot about myself.  I know that I am one of those annoying, extremely competitive types! Fully admit that.  I do think I have mellowed a bit though over the years though.  It is now more about the journey with horses.  My OTTB Awfully Lucky taught me that. Once I decided that it was just about the joy of being with him, our connection improved. In fact, our show record improved. We even started competing in stakes class and won cash! (see, I am still competitive!) I miss him terribly as he was taken too soon by a watermelon size tumor in his intestine, but what he taught me is now filtering over to how I work with all the horses, including Rey. Trust is key and Rey is showing me that my ego needs to be left at the barn door.  She tells me when she is ready to engage with the weird human.  

I have started following Eicher Ranch and trainer Nate.  I came across his videos while searching for 'How to get the first touch with untouched mustang'. For over 30 years, I have followed various horsemanship gurus, 'natural horsemanship' trainers, and clinicians.  I always get a little tidbit of info I like but the marketing gimmicks drive me nuts. 'Buy my training stick'.... :-/   This Eicher Ranch is different and really resonates with me.  After watching and rewatching some videos as work is done with an untouched mustang, I was all in.  And it works beautifully.  Step one is to get positioning and little Rey was responding to me just like the mustang in the Eicher Ranch video.  Next day, the touch.  In fact, she started the touch. She reached out to me.  Day 5, after I reminded her about the position, she let me touch her.  I do admit, I want to get that rope/tag off her ASAP as it’s driving me nuts, but we need to go through the steps. It will happen!