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Lewis is a 6 year old, 15 hh Grade gelding who joins us for training from Gerda’s Equine Rescue. He was rescued from a kill pen as an unhandled stallion, and the folks at Gerda’s spent a lot of time acclimating him to the very basics such as haltering and leading. He is nervous around people, but has made great progress with consistent handling. Lewis will spend the next few weeks in quarantine, and once we begin getting to know him we will be sure to post further updates.
August 2024 Update: This handsome chestnut is so much more outgoing than we expected! Lewis has quickly become easy to catch in the field (a handful of cookies doesn’t hurt, even if we don’t need them) and he is extremely interested in learning about his surroundings. Given a few moments to assess the situation, he becomes a willing partner. He is very playful with his herdmates and gets along easily with them. We are slowly introducing Lewis to new experiences while being careful to not overwhelm him— we’d rather let him acclimate at his own pace than set him back by asking too much too soon, but each day we are impressed by what he is ready to learn.
February 2025 update: Lewis has been packing a rider around at the walk and trot for about 4 days a week now in 20-40 minute sessions for the past 2 months, and he is doing a wonderful job! He has worn both English and western saddles (including a back cinch and a lariat) and has taken it all in stride. He prefers to stop and think about what is being asked of him rather than “act first, think later”, which will serve him very well in life.
Lewis has a laid-back personality that makes him more of a “woah” ride than “go” ride. Thanks to his gaitedness, he has a smooth flat-foot walk and a super comfy trot. That being said, Lewis is still very green, and will need a rider with training experience to help him continue to be his best self. We feel that Lewis will excel as a trail horse in the future, but he would appreciate some time learning to be confident with various obstacles, cues, and terrain. We are looking forward to getting him out on the trails with a confident friend soon to continue building his fitness!
Lewis’s ideal home will prefer trails over ringwork, have experience training green horses, and has friends for Lewis to play with in his downtime.
May 2025 update: Lewis has made great strides in his training! We can’t believe how far he’s come from the scared, underexposed, and hardly-handled horse that he was when we first met him a year ago. He’s turned into quite the confident and curious guy with a particular love for the trails— if he sees an opening in the trees, he wants to head that way to see if there’s a new trail to be explored!
Lewis is continuing to learn the basics of steering and aids from the seat and leg. We have recently started to introduce riding with some contact, and he’s taking to it like a champ.
Lewis has a super comfy sitting trot, and has been ridden in both English and Western tack (with a back cinch, lariat, and other accessories on the latter!). He is very sensible and smart, and would do well with someone who can help build upon the foundation he has gotten so far. An experienced home that has trained young and green horses would be ideal, but an intermediate home that works closely with a good trainer is not out of the question!
August 2025 update: Handsome Lewis has been adopted by a wonderful horsewoman who is thrilled to welcome him home as her new trail partner! We are so proud of how far Lewis came in our time with us, and we can’t wait to see him thriving in his new home. Good job buddy, and happy trails!
