Gratitude for a Very Busy 2023

by Mary Gallagher

A very full year. Somehow I feel like we started this year busy and never stopped! I am going to share some highlights…

Early spring cleanup. As I sat down to write this year’s notes of gratitude, I let my mind wander back
to late winter 2023. The extensive winter clean up from last year featured the expert pruning and cleaning of the flower beds by Gerardo Vidal and crew. I was so very grateful for Gerardo blessing our gardens and fruit trees—our spring and summer foliage and fruits reflected your expertise. Thank you Gerardo!

Many colts to start..! Jerry Schmidt connected us again this year with clinician Martin Black for

Jerry and Jackson, first saddling.

another fabulous clinic, which included a pretty amazing colt starting series, pushing us to acquire more skills again this spring. After the clinic Jerry was so generous with his time, helping me and training assistant Elise Dean with what seemed like a constant string of talented babies to start. Thank you Jerry and Elise! Also thanks to fellow trainer Brad Varner who joined us for some great early sessions. Most of all—speaking of the colts—special, deep thanks to their owners Amy Johnson, Wendy Comstock, and Melene Bourm for sending so many lovely, special horses this year. We honor and value your trust in our work.

Building Emotional Fitness in Yourself and Your Horse

Wendy Comstock on 3-year old Marcus for the first time.

by Mary Gallagher

It seems like this year we started more horses than ever. They just kept coming every month and we (Jerry Schmidt and I, with our special student Elise Dean) got into the flow of playing with young, promising horses every day. Pretty fun work, when you understand it! Anyway, with the days getting shorter, and knowing that soon the last of the babies will go home, I’ve been reflecting on what really stood out for me over this time with them. Overwhelmingly, the piece that means so much to me and connects our work with each of the horses is building their emotional fitness.

My Appreciations for 2021, and Prayers for 2022

By Mary Gallagher

Keeping Freedom Farm running takes the combined efforts of a lot of wonderful people—which many of you can appreciate after these last two weeks of below freezing weather. 

My Appreciations for 2021...

A One of a Kind Blessing Named Shorty (2010-2018)

by Mary Gallagher

Shorty came to us in 2014 from Joe Wolter’s Texas ranch. Joe thought this little horse would make a great children’s horse and I was glad to take him on at Freedom Farm. He was as promising as they get—smart, willing, and talented. But Shorty had something more, a sweetness of spirit that drew anyone that spent time around him, closer. I have always felt that the Universe planted a special seed here at the Farm, in the form of Shorty.

This handsome guy grew into the talented and all around great kid’s horse that Joe and I had expected, carrying my best students through many a jump course, out to play with the cows, and on the trail. He not only accepted hugs, but was okay with multiple kids hovering close, as he stood at the tie rail or reclined in his paddock.

He was a great horse and a love, and sadly, he was taken from us too soon. We will always remember Shorty as a one of a kind blessing to Freedom Farm. This is a brief photo (and video) remembrance of our friend and companion.

Handsome horse in a compact package!

A Visit to Freedom Farm

by Maya De Vogel
Woerden, Holland

Maya De Vogel has been visiting us since late August as part of a placement, or work experience, program at her university in Holland. A bachelors candidate in Animal Husbandry, Equine Sport & Business at Van Hall Larenstein University, she wrote the piece below as part of a longer report for her advisors. I thought it would be nice to share with our readers as a perspective on her time here. Maya has made herself a valued member of our little community over the past month or so, and we're not sure we are going to let her leave in November! -MG

Maya adds:
I contacted Freedom Farm because I was looking for something other than the ordinary, traditional stables, to learn about natural horsemanship and find out what it would mean for me. To summarize, it is not only a school placement, it is a personal adventure as well!

I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to come here to this amazing barn and to meet so many awesome people! It is my 6th week here already and I am absolutely not ready to leave.

Let’s Start with Gratitude

Hi folks!

Let me welcome you to our new blog! I guess it’s a little funny to say, having already posted 74 articles, but this is the first real, live post, so I’m excited to get going. We’ve been talking about the idea of a blog for several years, and its time has come.  I will be sharing my thoughts and vision for these Freedom Farm Notes in future posts, but first, some thanks are in order.

The authors of all the newsletter articles-turned-blog-posts have generously shared their time and expertise over the years, bringing us all many gems of insight into horsemanship and health. Thank you all! I am glad to see all of your (and my) good work accessible and searchable, and I look forward to more! Working in tandem with this blog is our website, home of lots of basic information about Freedom Farm and its mission, as well as our calendar, videos, and downloads. The website has grown and changed along with us, and  I’d  like to thank its previous builders, Grace Lambert (who was also our founding newsletter and Facebook editor) and Angus McCullough (who also created our very popular welcome video and many superb photos), for creating and shaping our early web presence! And a big thanks to Mary Tulin for channelling all of the above into our new website, newsletter (with assistance from Thomas Gallagher), and this blog, along with many more wonderful photos, many by her husband Kip, of Freedom Farm and its community of people and animals.

I am grateful to you all, and all the people and horses who make Freedom Farm the special place it is, just by being here with us: students showing up for lessons, classes, camps, our instructors and camp helpers, and all who come to support kids and grandkids, friends and relations both horse and human. Thanks for partaking in and helping share our message of natural horsemanship and health with the world!

With deepest thanks,

Mary

New Years Message - January 2015

This post was originally our January newsletter, Vol 5 issue 1 (just as the 70-plus posts preceding this one originated in the past years' newsletters). I include it here as the sentiments are still fresh, and this coming year's calendar still forming! -MG

Dear Friends,

Our first issue of 2015 is dedicated to gratitude, acknowledgements, and events to start the New Year.
We look forward to another great year of growth and learning for us all.

Fitness at Freedom Farm: The Purple Lump of Thanks

By Mary Gallagher
 
I am so happy to report that this week, once again, I thanked my personal trainer Kenny Hall (at Any Time Fitness) for my fitness health. Usually I thank him because I am performing something with my horse that I wasn't able to achieve in the past, but this week I owe him a big, purple lump of thanks.