Our horse-keeping philosophy is simple: keep things as natural as possible. Our horses live in a herd together on large semi-forested pastures, with free choice access to shelter, water, and forage. They are all barefoot (no steel horse shoes) and wear hoof boots when needed for rough terrain. They are also all ridden in rope halters or bitless bridles.
Highlander
The golden boy, our namesake. Highlander started his life out as a malnourished rescue, and then went on to do a little bit of everything! Including show jumping, eventing, and trail guiding just to name a few. He is loving his relaxed country life now, and takes his job teaching kids very seriously.
Spencer
Spencer spent his life as a polo pony up until a couple years ago. He is the oldest of the boys, but don’t let that fool you, this guy still has an engine! He is a sensitive and loving horse, who especially appreciates people with a calm and confident energy. His BFF is Bueno.
Warrenton
Warrenton is the tallest guy in the herd, at over 16hh. He is 17 years old, and had a successful jumping career before an injury required him to stop jumping. While he is happy enough to do lessons in the arena, his real passion is out exploring the trails. We joke that he is a Quarter Horse trapped in a Warmblood body.
Rue
Moomin
Often called “Moo” for short, can you guess why? This little cow pony is the youngest of the crew at only 5 years old. He is curious about everything and loves to use his brain to figure out a new challenge. He will become best friends with you almost instantly! Due to his young age he doesn’t do many lessons yet, as he is still continuing his education.
Rue is our little princess pony. She is the only mare in the herd, and she is the ultimate kids pony. This tiny lady can do it all! Toddler pony rides, jumping lessons, trail rides, groundwork games, you name it she’ll do it! You may recognize her from another barn in Qualicum, she was a lesson pony for years at Natural Horse Styles before she came to us.
Bueno
Bueno is an ex-race horse, he retired from the track in the fall of 2021. He then came to us in 2023 from our good friends at Sunhills Riding in Osoyoos. He has a lot of trauma from his early life that we have been working through. He is a very special horse, however he is not ready to participate in lessons yet. You can usually find him glued to Spencer’s side.
Pirate
Pirate is our newest addition to the herd! He is another ultimate kids pony. He spent the past 10 years of his life in Southlands, at the same farm Ailsa grew up riding at. We feel very lucky to have him join us here. He has done it all, from horse shows to therapeutic riding and preschool camps. Oh and did we mention he can also pull a sled?!