Meet the Equines

Registered name: Iza Jetten in Color

Alex is an Appaloosa mare and a well-rounded athlete! She is excellent at trails and was a great mount during Oregon High School Equestrian Team meets, but has recently let us know that she prefers to be ridden by her owner and people she knows and trusts. Alex is now a stellar part of our Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy program where she loves working in a mental health-focused setting.

Andre is an easy-going North American Spotted Draft/ Paint Cross who is just as kind as he looks! Before coming to Forward Stride he was a jack of all trades and dabbled in many different equestrian disciplines. He is calm and consistent in all settings!

Registered name: Teddy Bjørn

Bjorn is an adorable little Fjord pony who is a valued member of our herd. He enjoys being in lead line lessons for his smallest riders. He loves learning new skills and switching up his routine, making hima true jack of all trades!

Brodhy loves to roll in the mud, and will herd anything and anyone. He has had several injuries over the past few years, so is no longer used in programming. However, Brodhy is now enjoying his time in retirement with his owner, Pati Nelson, who also just recently retired from Forward Stride!

Chacco is a Pasofino/Arabian gelding who is in training at Forward Stride! He is a true Palomino horse and is sweet as can be!

Cici is a Norwegian Fjord mare who is in training at Forward Stride! Her playful and friendly demeanor makes her a favorite around horse care volunteers and she is always the first to greet you at her barn.

Dakota is a Morgan Cross gelding that jumped right into our riding program! Although he loves rough housing with his friends in the field, he is calm and collected in his lessons. Dakota meets all of his riders where they are at and is a great mount for all skill levels!

Registered name: Jester’s Toby

Dusty is an all-around horse who is a staple in our program. This handsome Appaloosa loves to roll and is known for taking every opportunity to sneak in a quick nap. He is a barn favorite and is owned by our Programs Director, Amanda Garrison. Dusty is also one of the oldest horses in the program at 27 years old!

Ellie is a Pony of America/ Quarter Horse cross mare and is a perfect mount for our advancing young riders! She has competed in Pony Club and takes her job as a lesson horse very seriously. When she’s not working, she can be found sharing hay with her bestie, Taffy!

Fleur is a sophisticated Hanoverian mare who loves working with advancing riders. Before coming to Forward Stride she was a hunter jumper and a beginner vaulting horse in a lesson program, so she is a great addition to the herd!

Registered name: King’s Elegant Jewel

Jewel, as she is known around the barn, is a charming Quarter Pony. Her coloring, Dark Dun, is unique at our barn. Jewel has spent time as an experienced Oregon High School Equestrian Team and 4H horse, though now she enjoys being exercised by her owner, Lynda. She loves participating in Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy sessions and being groomed!

Registered name: Kevyn Francis

Kevyn is a Clydesdale mare and as sweet as can be! She is a superstar in both our Riding and Vaulting Programs. At 17.1 hands, she and Tigo are tied for tallest horse in our programs. Don’t let her size intimidate you though, Kevyn is a gentle giant and well loved by all of her riders and vaulters!

Registered name: Majestic Kip Version

Kip is a Quarter Horse gelding that moved here from Kentucky with his owner Emily Dent, one of our Riding Instructors. He competed in barrel racing, pole bending, and some other speedy gaming events for about a decade. Now, he is learning that slow and steady wins the race!

Registered name: Kilimanjaro

KJ, as he is known around the barn, is a beautiful Andalusian gelding, who came to us with his brother Oso. KJ can usually be found covering his beautifully dappled coat in mud when he is not working! He is in the Riding Program and is becoming a well-rounded vaulting horse after competing in dressage before coming to Forward Stride.

Lizzy is a 22-year-old Quarter Horse mare. Prior to coming to Forward Stride she was used as a Civil War reenactment horse. We joke around the barn that Lizzy is literally bomb-proof! Besides being a reenactment horse, Lizzy was used for speedy gaming events and is now learning that slow and steady wins the Forward Stride race.

Maverick is a small but mighty Welsh/Arabian cross! The day before this guy came to Forward Stride he was competing in cross country and has since been working on maintaining a slower pace and relaxing during his lessons.

Registered name: Davidoso

Oso is a stunning Andalusian gelding like his brother KJ. He has high level dressage training and is currently a wonderful mount for intermediate to experienced riders. When he is not being ridden, Oso enjoys prancing along his pasture fence and showing off his moves to his friends in other fields.

Panache is a striking Gypsy Vanner/Kiger Mustang gelding who just finished training for Rehabilitation Services and is continuing to train as a mount for the Riding Program. He is the best of friends with Epic, his former pasture mate!

Pickles is a Gypsy Vanner gelding working in our riding program. He loves going on trail rides, and is currently training for our Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy program.

Registered name: Okjen’s Pippin

Pippin is the PATH Int’l Region 9 Equine of the Year for 2016! She is our Rehabilitation Services professional. Pippin takes her job very seriously and is very patient with her riders. When special events are scheduled, Pippin is the first on our list. She has even been featured in a Nike commercial!

Registered name: Cascade’s Royal

Royal is a Belgian Paint cross and an absolutely stellar vaulting horse! She is cool under pressure and always eager to please in every setting, making her also a crowd favorite for Forward Stride’s Riding Program.

Registered name: Goldcharm

Rune is a Hanoverian gelding with a “been there, done that” personality. He is a fantastic teacher and ensures all of his riders learn how to have a good seat. Rune is owned by our Executive Director, Amber Varner, and is a stellar Pony Club mount for her oldest daughter!

Registered name: Raintree’s Sindar

When we think of a steady horse in our herd, Sindar is one that immediately comes to mind. He is a rockstar in every single program day in and day out. At 27 years old, he is tied with Dusty as being the oldest horse in the barn!

Snickers, our resident mini horse, is a popular guy around the barn with his fuzzy coat and love of attention! His small size makes him a great horse for timid newcomers to learn equine care and groundwork basics. Rumor has it that this little guy even knows how to pull a cart!

Spirit, a BLM Mustang gelding, was adopted as a wild mustang off the BLM land and is trained in dressage. He is a great teacher for riders of all skill levels. Spirit is very sweet and super interested in everyone he meets, both humans and horses!

Registered name: Poco Playboy Whiz

Prior to coming to Forward Stride, Sterling was used for western riding and cow work. Since arriving he has become quite the professional within our Riding and Vaulting programs. Sterling can often be found sunbathing in the mud and loves a good grooming afterwards!

Storm is a striking Drum Horse mare with a super sweet personality. She is learning how to become a reliable Riding Program horse and is a sturdy mount for Rehabilitation Services. This sociable mare wants to be everyone’s friend! Storm is co-owned by our EFP Program Coordinator, Jessica Conwell and Riding Instructor & Equine Specialist, Micah Vaughn.

Registered name: Sunny Daze

Sunny  is a super sweet pony who loves teaching youngsters how to ride. She is a Haflinger mix and dazzles all with her bright palomino coat. She is a slow and steady mount for beginners!

Taffy is a very sweet palomino mare who came to Forward Stride from another lesson program, so she was immediately a great fit! Taffy is both confident and calm which makes her an exceptional amount for young riders learning to be independent on their horse.

Registered name: Evan’s Thistle Isle

We have many cute ponies at Forward Stride, and Thistle is certainly one of them! She is incredible in our Rehabilitation Services and Riding Programs. While she tolerates being handled by adults, her favorite thing is working with children.

Registered name: Santiago

Tigo, our resident Percheron/Thoroughbred cross, is tied for the tallest horse in our programs with Kevyn! He loves any and all attention he gets from his riders and volunteers. Tigo has been in our program for over 15 years and has taught many riders in that time!

Tiny is a bay Quarter Horse/Thoroughbred cross born in 1997. He has a lot of experience to offer his students, from working as a ranch horse to being a mount for 4H students and now a lesson horse in our Riding Program. Due to his gentle and reliable nature, Tiny was crowned the Forward Stride Horse Of The Year in 2021!