About Me

About Me

Chapter 1: Rose, the Oldenburg mare that started it all.
2013: One of my last rides on Rose, and JR's first ride on a horse.

Welcome to my blog, Adventures in Colt Starting. Over the years this blog has seen different characters, and different chapters in life and horse training. Chapter One started in 2009 with Rose, my ISR/Oldenburg mare whom I bought as an un-started 2.5year old and sadly sold four years later, after JR was born, and the realities and stress of motherhood (with no family help) became overwhelming.

Chapter 2: Gentry, was purchased to be a husband horse, turned lower level dressage horse
May 2015: All smiles after Gentry's first dressage show

Time passed, we bought horse property and Chapter Two began with Gentry and Pixel. They were sold in 2019 when once again being a Mom and having a career left me with no time for my horse passion. A global pandemic ensued and I instantly regretted staring at an empty pasture while trapped at home for a year. 

Don't' fret, I became a small flock chicken farmer during this time, so I had some company. They are great, and the eggs are most welcomed, but they aren't horses!

In winter 2020-2021, the death of several family members, the diagnosis of breast cancer in a couple friends and another that suffered from a stroke, all my age, made me realize just how short life was. One could say, 2021 brought me to my senses! I am now in a place where I begin Chapter Three, with the purchase of a yearling upper level dressage prospect, and this blog returns to its root regarding colt starting! Please visit the archives if you would like to read the story from the start, with the day I bought Rose.

I am "Renee", and "JR" is my son who has not interest in horses. These are our pen names in blog land. I live on a small five-acre hobby farm in Southwest Montana. Purchased in 2014, this is the first "farm" we've owned, which has lead to a lot of interesting "adventures". While the focus of the blog remains on training topics, I occasionally broach other equine topics ranging from farm keeping to renovation projects.

Off the farm, I have a fulfilling career running my own company that I insanely try to balance with being a mom. Regardless of how busy I get though, I continue to spend my spare time pursuing my love of riding, advancing my skills, and training my horses. A quest that I am loving and will no doubt spend the rest of my life achieving!