Horse Rehabilitation and Retraining

Too many stables are climbing on the 'rescue' bandwagon - without actually doing it. They buy or are given - fat, healthy, beginner safe horses - and claim they are rescued when, in reality, they aren't. Ask for 'before and after' photos. When these stables don't provide them, be aware that they are falsely advertising what they do. 

We find the horses that these other stables pass up - horses who were starved, untrained, were so afraid of people that they tremble when you approach them. These unfortunate souls, then enter our guide horse rehab and retraining program. 

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Bringing a horse back into true health can take many months. It requires time and patience, for even as you are merely attending to their veterinary needs and nutritional needs - you are also laying down the foundation of trust by the daily handling. 

One of our main management techniques to help ensure that each horse gets the nutrition that it needs, is that EVERY horse has its own stall to eat in. This keeps the dominate horses from beating down the submissive horses. This also ensures that if medications are needed, that only the horse its prescribed to will get it. In inclement weather, such as hail storms, every horse has a place of safety. 

We do not normally take in more horses than we have stalls for..  We also focus our efforts on the Tennessee Walking Horse.

 #horse rescue #horseback riding #horse rehabilitation #cookeville #lebanon #nashville 

Not only were most of our horses very neglected and thin when they came here - NONE of them were immediately suitable for beginner riders. This takes training, and often months or even years of it! They graduate through stages in our 'Guide Horse Program'. 

Stage I, the horse is solely ridden by our onsite trainer, until they've graduated to being calm and bitless (no metal in mouth). This stage may last anywhere from 1 month - to 6 months. However long it takes, we'll put that time into them!

In Stage II, they are ridden by our advanced rider volunteer as Guide Horse. This stage may also last for several months. Generally, they are also proven in Endurance/Competitive Trail competition during this Stage. Before they are ready to graduate to Stage III.

Stage III is for experienced riding clients. Again, this stage may last for several months as they develop 'auto pilot' 

Stage IV is when they've finally graduated for riders of all levels. 

The average time the project horses take to fully graduate from the Guide Horse Program is 1 YEAR!

 #horse rescue #horseback riding #horse rehabilitation #cookeville #lebanon #nashville