At only six years old, Janie ties Stormy for being the youngest NCEFT therapy horse. Bred in Atwater, California, Janie has the kind of bloodlines begging to be put to use in the cowhorse arena. Sold as a yearling to a woman looking to train her up as a cutting horse, it looked like Janie had a very bright future. Unfortunately, It wasn’t long before money ran short and Janie’s training was put on the backburner, leaving her to spend her days hanging out in the yard. That was when Sarah Warren came in to the picture. Seeing huge potential in her, Sarah decided to purchase Janie as a resale project.
Picking up where the old owner left off, Sarah was surprised by Janie’s gentle temperament. Despite having spent most of her life in a barbed wire pen, and being chased by a local pack of feral dogs, Janie was both trusting and willing. Sarah slowly worked through Janie’s fear of dogs, teaching her to faithfully follow her handler. When she realized how well Janie handled beginner riders and children, Sarah knew this was a therapy horse.
A former NCEFT volunteer, Sarah had seen firsthand the healing power of horses. She’d had a number of horses over the years, some of whom seemed like they might have the makings of a therapy horse, but Janie was the first one Sarah had complete faith in. With a busy work schedule, Sarah was finding it hard to devote enough time to all three of her horses. After getting in touch with NCEFT, it was no more than a week or two before Janie was settling in to her new stall.
Our equine staff immediately went to work evaluating her temperament. Riding, lunging, leading, toys, and a host of other things many young horses would find terrifying. Janie impressed everyone, easily adapting to the daily routine. Though most new horses need a month or two of training before they’re ready for sessions, Janie had her first Therapeutic Riding lessons before she hit her one month mark. She needs a bit more practice between the lines before she’s ready for hippotherapy, but expect to be seeing a lot more of her over the next few weeks!
