Horses and Ponies

MAKING STRIDES EQUESTRIAN would not be possible without these truly amazing friends!

PRELUDE MAGNOLIA "Magnum"

Magnum is Tonia's first horse, he is a registered Quarter Horse, 15.2 hands. She bought him right after he turned 4 in April 1983. Today, he is 37 and is very spoiled!!!! He is wonderful and has accomplished too many things to mention in his career (Hunters, Jumpers, Equitation, Dressage, ). He is Tonia's #1 !!!!!

CANDLELIGHT'S FIREFLY "Fly"

Fly is a registered Welsh pony, 13.0 hands, whom has been in our family for many years. We found him through Margaux, to teach little Cathy the ropes. He started her successfully in crossrails and continued through short stirrup. They won many championships together and were an adorable pair! Once little Cathy grew up, she moved to a large pony and Fly moved to Charleston with Cyndi. Cyndi took great care of him and after years of teaching little ones, he came back to Athens to be with us. Since returning, he took Taylor successfully into short stirrup, and he took Samantha up to short stirrup. He continues to teach little ones and compete in horse shows. Fly turned 29 on May 3rd.

GOLDEN IMAGE "Immy"

Immy is a welsh/ Quarter Horse, 14.1 hands, whom has been in our family for the last 11 years. We gained her from a friend, Debbie, who had been using her for her 4 year old daughter. We needed Immy for the lesson program, she is outstanding at teaching beginners from 1 year old until they reach 90 lbs. She teaches walk/ trot/ canter with ease and still competes in horse shows. Before focusing on beginners, Immy was a successful 3' pony and even competed at the National Pony Finals. Immy turned 29 on May 5th.

BEN THERE "Ben"

Ben is a Hannoverian cross, 16.2 hands, and has been a Making Strides Equestrian client for the last 12 years. His first Making Strides Equestrian mom, Nancy, had ridden with Tonia for 16 years. Nancy came to Tonia after attending a summer camp riding program when she was only 10, and quickly progressed up the ranks. After owning 3 ponies, Ben came along to teach Nancy the 3'6" at USEF shows in Junior Hunters. Before this, Nancy competed at Pony Finals 3 years in a row on her large pony. Ben had an eventing background before she purchased him, which made him a great candidate for 3'6" hunters, jumpers, or equitation. Nancy is now enjoying life after college and has spent time traveling abroad, and is now working & living in Park City, Utah. Ben has been passed down to his next mom, long time Making Strides Equestrian student, Andrea. Andrea has been leasing/ owning him for the past 5 years. Ben will turn 25 in June.

EASY HIGH STRIDE "Copper"

Copper is a registered Quarter Horse, 15.2 hands, who has been part of the family for 13 years. He has done a little bit of everything. He will turn 23 on May 14th and he teaches lessons and is available to horse show. He is also a first pick for trail rides, a bareback ride, or a fox hunt. He is very easy going with a wonderful laid back attitude.

1/2/16
Copper passed away at the UGA vet school due to colic.

WENDY'S COMET "Wendy"

Wendy has been in our family for 12 years. She is a registered breeding stock paint, 15.2 hands, and we believe she did have a foal sometime before we purchased her. She turned 22 on May 16 and has done a little bit of everything. Wendy won 4th in AAHJA year-end awards 2'6" hunters with limited showing in 2011. She also won 7th in the AAHJA year-end awards in 2010.

SIMPLY SPENCER "Spencer"

Spencer was a Making Strides Equestrian client for 5 years before he joined our family for good. Originally Jillian brought him to Athens from California, but after a short stay she decided to return to California. Instead of having Spencer make the long haul across country again, Jillian's sister, Laurel, decided to keep Spencer. Now Laurel has moved back to California and we all knew that Spencer belonged with us. He is used in our lesson program to teach a range of riders, as well as competing at horse shows. Spencer turned 14 in January.

Elite

Elite joined our family as our first barn cat. She showed up as a kitten, outside Georgia Elite Gymnastics, in September of 2009. She was so tiny and both Tonia & Winnie knew that she needed some love and a wonderful new home. She settled right in at the farm, learning to walk on the rafters and sleep above the office. She is a great hunter and enjoys babysitting the horses as they graze, as well as watching the lessons in the arena.

November

November showed up at the farm in November of 2010. He is a fabulous hunter and enjoys getting love from everyone. He also enjoys babysitting the horses as they graze, as well as watching the lessons.

Sadly, November passed away on May 28, 2016. It's hard to believe that our 5 1/2 years together are no more. He was a wonderful guy and will be missed. A really great cat. He had beautiful eyes and a loving personality with such a strong purr. We all love you, November.

Bobby
Bobby joined our team in November of 2014. He is a super playful cat, very loving, very curious, and all around fun.

Hunter
Hunter joined our barn & personal family in October '15. He will turn 1 year old in July.