Smokey

Smokey is a 6-year-old blue roan gelding joining us for training from the MSSPA in August 2025. Smokey is very friendly and people oriented and while he will occasionally test the boundaries, he has an excellent foundation on the ground. We have been building on this over the winter, and Smokey is now quite solid for all groundwork, obstacles, and is well-started on liberty work as well. We have re-introduced a rider, and Smokey has thus far proven to be steady at the walk and trot. He is still green to steering, and so we have spent a lot of time ground driving and long lining as well, to help him understand the concept of following a feel on the rein. He has been ponied out on trails, and just recently took his first ride out of the arena with a buddy. We imagine that this will be his preferred activity in future, as he is curious and would rather explore then circle in the arena everyday.

Smokey does have heaves and will still experience occasional flare ups. We are working with our vets to try to determine the root cause, and to come up with the best management plan in future. This breathing issue can affect Smokey’s stamina for work especially under saddle, so we are slowly building up his strength and conditioning with a rider. It does not affect his enthusiasm for playing out in the field with his friends, and we’ve found he does well in a group with at least one dominant type gelding who can give him clear boundaries. Smokey presents as quite calm and confident much of the time, but he can have occasional anxiety about where his friends are, so in those moments he needs an experienced handler for guidance. We will continue to post updates on Smokey as they become available!