Warrior

Kids safe, lesson horse, mountain trail horse, husband horse, & pack horse extraordinaire

Warrior is a 14-year old grade paint gelding that has been there, done that. He stands at 15.1hh and has been a trail horse almost all of his life. Warrior came to us in March of 2024 after sitting in a pasture for a little over a year. In his previous life he was a Brasada Ranch trail horse. He needed some TLC and some time off after we became aware of an old injury to his left front leg (likely the result of getting kicked by a previous pasture mate). After getting a clean bill of health from Bend Equine, he got a training tuneup and has been used consistently for trail riding, kids and adults horseback riding lessons, horse camping, ponying (& being ponied!) and even wears the pack saddle!

• On the Trail

  Since Warrior has been here at GWC, it has been clear to me that he was given an incredible foundation by is previous owners. He loads & unloads from the trailer willingly and loves to hit the trail. Warrior is one of the most solid horses I have ever had the pleasure of riding. I have been consistently taking him anywhere from 5-16 mile trail rides since the end of May. He is more woah than go when heading out & typically is the most comfortable as the caboose (even though he will ride in any position, he just sets a pretty relaxed pace that most other horses aren’t used to!) On the way back he enjoys spending some time in the front, but easily rides in any position.

  One of his biggest perks is that he does incredibly well with beginners on the trail — I put my sister & father on him (both beginner level riders) during our first camping trip as a family back in June! On one ride, my Dad fell while attempting to dismount, got his foot stuck in the stirrup, and Warrior didn’t move a muscle. He stood still until I was able to dismount from my horse and help get his foot unstuck. His biggest vice when I started working with him was water crossings—but we have worked on that consistently over the past 2-3 months and he is now crossing and drinking willingly as long as he knows he won’t be allowed to refuse. He is not bothered by bikers or hikers, crosses bridges, and jumps logs (though not very gracefully lol).

• Training

  Another thing to note is that since Warrior was a nose-to-tail trail horse for a large portion of his life, he tests every new rider that gets on his back to see what he can get away with. He is not just a point/shoot kind of horse at first, but with trust and consistency in his rider, he has become that for me! If he has a more confident rider that sets the expectations early on, you’ll rarely have any issues with him. On trail with beginners he will sometimes try to veer off to the nearest grass patch, see if he can slowly convince you to let him head back to the barn, or trot up to the horse in front of him if he is lagging behind.

  He is ridden by kids regularly for lessons in the arena, but as soon as he gets on trail he will test to see if he can eat or go back to the barn. If you have a confident kiddo riding him with instruction, there’s usually no problem, but a more passive rider might get taken to the nearest patch of grass!! He walks, trots, and canters — but is pretty lazy and isn’t asked to canter very often. He is also currently being trained to use hobbles and I am working on opening/closing gates. He has also been horse camping multiple times with me this summer and (if he doesn’t sell) I have 2 more planned for this trail season.

  He has never offered to kick, bite, buck, or rear while being ridden or handled on the ground, but does get pushy with other horses in a herd setting.

• Vet and Ferrier

  Warrior has been seen by Bend Equine 2-3 times since March. He came to me with mild lameness that was found (after radiographs) to be the result of an bone fracture to his front left leg. After time off, an ultrasound, & more radiographs to ensure that it was fully healed and his suspensory ligament was not impacted, he has been sound and ridden per usual. My vet also acknowledged that he would likely benefit from some join injections in his hind end at some point in the next year or so. He also is regularly seen by my equine chiropractor once a month. He was just adjusted on 7/31/24 and the chiropractor said he seemed to be feeling really good! Also—-it is important to note that he NEEDS to wear a long fly mask with a nose and have sunscreen applied to his face at least once a week, he gets sunburned easily and ideally should have shade in his stall/turnout/pasture. If he gets sunburned, he gets really fussy when touching his face/applying sunscreen/bridling. Any pre-vet checks are the financial responsibility of the potential owner, but are welcome and encouraged. I am also happy to share all of the current/past vet records that I have for him.

  As a paint horse with white feet, he is happiest with a set of front shoes. I have yet to take them off, but would try likely more towards winter if he wasn’t too ouchy to still do lessons/minimal trail riding just to give his feet a break. He stands well for the farrier if the farrier has good horsemanship & is patient. After having his feet done, he can be a little tender for a couple days and not want to walk/ride on any rocks or gravel. This always goes away after a couple days in my experience.

• Herd

  Warrior goes out well with other horses in the pasture, but is dominant and will push other more submissive horses off of food. He has been out with both geldings and mares, but can become possessive over the mares and pick on other geldings if out in a large group. He is a pretty easy keeper and will get plump on pasture grass. As far as herd dynamics on the trail, he is typically happiest as the caboose and doesn’t mind ponying horses that he is familiar with. He also squeals like a mare whenever he meets new horses.

See Warrior in Action

Home desired: When I think about a perfect next home for Warrior, I ideally think of a home that will use him for what he is best at and that will love and accept him for what he is. Trail riding, packing/hiking, husband/kids horse, lesson horse, etc. Warrior could absolutely be taught to rope, trot the barrels, etc — but he is not known for his speed/agility. If he was going to be used in 4H or gymkhana I think he would handle it well (although I have not taken him to large indoor arena setting) it would likely be just as an introductory horse that would help a kid or adult build their confidence. Warrior would also be the perfect husband horse or second horse to put friends on when wanting to go for a leisurely trail ride. Warrior handles new situations/environments well, but my hope is that he goes to a home that will be less focused on training him for something new and be able to just enjoy him for the nice horse that he is.

Reason for Sale: I originally was not planning on selling this horse. He has been such an incredible addition to my string/lesson program and I really enjoy riding him. I love that I am confident in putting anyone on his back and know that he looks to me for support if he needs it. Financial reasons and downsizing my herd before winter are the biggest push to find him a new home. I am in my last year of graduate school and just started my part-time internship so I only have time for a few horses. He is so solid, I know that he will make his next owner(s) feel very safe, happy, and confident out on the trail.

Lessons w/sale: I include 4 free lessons with any sale to ensure the best chance of success for a new horse/rider partnership. I am also open to boarding him on property until September/November if his new owner is willing to let me continue to use him for lessons.

Priced at: $15,000

*Price always negotiable to the perfect home, especially if the next owner agrees to pursue getting his hind end injected.