Natural Horsemanship, building relationships and trust, communciation and confidence.

Super Happy Combo was clearly a horse with some major people problems. So major, in fact, that his owners at the racetrack in Illinois were going to have him destroyed after he had seriously injured several people, including the owner's son, an excercise rider and a "cowboy" hired to straighten him out. Injuries ranged from broken backs to broken arms and collarbones. A concerned individual at the track contacted The Exceller Fund, who in turn contacted me, to see if I would agree to take in the rogue. I did, and "Sampson," as I now call him, headed east to Virginia, somehow managing in the process to scare the professional shippers enough that they called from the road to warn us of the beast they were delivering.

At Woodridge Farm we do what we do for the love of the horse. Horses are our passion and our life. We live with them, study them, learn from them and ultimately use what we learn to help others. It's incredibly rewarding to work with them and watch the changes.

It was recognized years ago by Thoroughbred Racehorse rescue and adoption groups such as ReRun and The Exceller Fund that we had remarkable results dealing with known "problem" or rogue horses, and as a result, we had become "the" place for the rogues and problem horses to come to. Our secret is really no secret at all - Think Like A Horse. Understand and Learn from them.  Develop ways to communicate with them that are natural to the horse. Give them freedom to be a horse, and also responsibilities they will be held accountable for. Become their partner, their Alpha. Give them choices, making the right choice easy and the wrong choice difficult. And NEVER use force or fear or punishment. In short, use Natural Horsemanship, a concept which has been around for thousands of years, but only recently seems to be gaining widespread acceptance.

Sampson was completely restarted using Natural Horsemanship methods. The results and changes were typical, meaning incredible. From a scared and very defensive horse to a loveable, curious and playful partner, the transition started immediately and will continue indefinitely. Today, after only a couple of months here, we enjoy bareback trail rides on Sampson and will never tire of his playfulness and intelligence.

It's for Sampson and others like him that we do what we do.

Super Happy Combo, aka "Sampson", with his trainer and friend, Paul Linn.

We actually do all kinds of fun things at Woodridge Farm!  PIctured:  Paul and Lexi