James 3:2
The story of Rianna
Rianna, a year and a half old filly, was brought into the welcoming Thompson family. Regardless of their enthusiasm and care for their newfound companion, Rianna was bitter towards them. She returned their positive attention with kicking, striking, charging, bitting, rearing, and pinning them to the fence when she had the chance. The root of this odd behavior was soon discovered- Rianna had been abused. Like anything that is hurt, she carried the mental scars of abuse around with her and had fallen into a pattern of believing that all humans were out to hurt her. Not only were humans her arch enemies, but dogs fell into that category as well. She madly charged any dog if it crossed her path, making things difficult for the Thompson's other pets. Jacklynn soon came to realize that Rianna was going to take some training, not only to make her ridable, but to cure her hampering fears. This was no easy feat. Rianna is a large, half draft horse who would buck if asked to go faster than she wanted to. It took three months just to accomplish the ground work and then came the actual training. Anything she didn't like doing, she made sure you didn't want to after a while either. It was another three months of training before her bucking subsided and she would go at the speed Jacklynn desired. After seven months of teaching Rianna that Jackylnn was seeking friendship and respect from her, Rianna was completely trained. Today Rianna enjoys the attention of her owners who she shares a deep relationship with. She now loves to go for rides and even allows the dog to stand on her when she's playing dead. Rianna took to tricks immediately and found enjoyment in the knowledge that she has her own talents. She even took winning Grand Champion Green Horse Western Equitation at the Idaho County Fair. She can also skillfully pull a sled and does so with zeal. Above all she has learned that humans are her friends and that they honestly care about her. She has come to understand the meaning of trust, respect, care, and genuine love. One can honestly say that she is a very happy horse.
The western tale of John Wayne, the horse
John came to Jacklynn for training. He had been stall-raised and thought he was the only one in charge. After ten days of ground working him, she decided to ride him. She regrettably only lasted a matter of five minutes before being thrown off by John's trick of bowing low and leaping into the air. She wasn't injured, but the minute she slipped her foot back into the stirrup, down he went again. After another week of work, he allowed her to stay on for at least five minutes. It wasn't until 26 days of hard work that she was able to truly go for a ride. It seemed that after her period of working John, he was a changed horse. It was as if he was finally content with being a horse and allowing a person to direct him. On the 29th day she was even able to go for a relaxing lope home without any trouble. After all her efforts, John Wayne became a true western gentleman.