Tag Archives: horseback riding outfit Bradenton

A HUGE thank you to all of our volunteers!

  As we pass into the Fall season, grateful that the Florida summer heat is giving way to cooler evenings and mornings, we want to say a few words of appreciation to those dedicated people that have helped our horses and other animals through the summer. The horses have appreciated their cool baths, being brushed […]

Manatee County Equestrian Trails: Go Bit-less!

July is National Park and Recreation Month. We took another road trip  to one of the Bay Area’s many beautiful parks. As we were tacking up the horses, we decided to leave the bridles in the trailer…and go bit-less.    We clipped their reins to their halters, and away we went!     ‘Pache, our Clydesdale Paint, […]

Barns? No way! We like the modular system:”Tent City!”

Our horses roam around free on our property much of the time, but during business hours, when we could have customers coming for trail rides, they stay in tents!  We’re pretty proud of our modular housing for horses. It fits the Florida climate perfectly. The horses’ pens are made of horse fencing panels. They are expensive, […]

Paso Fino Valentino don’t rear no mo’…..

When we first got Valentino, he was still a stallion, and one of the fun things about him was ability to stand on his hind legs in an beautiful controlled fashion. …Perfectly balanced, like a pro…..….Paso Fino horses are just the coolest…! ……..it was a really fun thing to do with him……… But now that […]

Dairy Queen Commercial…

Relish, our little pet sow,  likes Dairy Queen Malts. If she happens to catch you drinking one…   …….She will make sure you share………….ALL of it!…… ……….every last drop………………..all gone……   …………YUM!….. …..How can you resist that face?…… I bet all pigs like Dairy Queen Malts….

Green Anoles – Florida’s little chameleons

I know that they are not true chameleons, but the green anole is the only native lizard in the southeastern United States that changes color. It is only from bright green to brown or gray, but it’s still really cool. The native green anole is slowly being displaced by its more aggressive cousin from Cuba, but […]

It’s hard work having a harem….

We have Nigerian Dwarf goats and Barbados black belly sheep. After trying our numerous varieties for our Petting Zoo, we settled on these two breeds. Barbados Black Belly sheep are perfect for warm climates like ours here in Florida, because they have no wool. We do have to shear some of our animals sometimes, but I […]

Puddle pics…

It has not rained all that much this summer, and compared with last year the trails are really dry. Hurricane season is far from being over, though….it lasts through the end of November, and anything could happen here in Florida. That being said, never miss an opportunity….. …. after the rain is over and the […]

Trail rides go better with Spanish Moss…

All of our horses like Spanish Moss. Normally when you are trail riding, don’t let your horse stop and eat. It is the horse’s way of gaining control over the ride….and they will want to do lots of stopping and grazing and very little walking…..if you start out letting them do this….rewarding them with a treat […]

The Willow – Montana toss…..

This is Montana… using Willow‘s head as a pillow… Awww…….so sweet….. This is Willow getting tired of it….. and tossing Montana…. LOL…We love Willow! She’s the best, sweet Belgian mare!  Here she is chowing down at the hay ring with her peeps: (Shelby, her bestie, and Gypsy & ‘Pache)  

Special effects photography…Danielle and Diamond….

It’s so much fun to play with a picture that’s already very pretty…. Like this picture of Danielle and Diamond…… Here it is in sepia…. Grainy….. With accented edges….. Watercolor….. And Embossed…. But maybe the original is still the prettiest of all….…….right?    

Dillenger, our Missouri Foxtrotter, and Mark….

Dillenger, our Missouri Foxtrotter, really took to off-site trail riding. He loaded easily and was relaxed and happy to be in a new environment. He even went saddle free. Bringing him along was a lot of fun. Here he is with Mark, taking  a break…. On the way back, Mark just rode him with a halter and a […]

Resurrection fern….

Resurrection Fern, or Pleopeltis polypodioides, is one of the pretty sights you might see on a trail ride now at Sun City Stables. You only get to see it when it has rained and there is moisture in the air. It is an epiphyte, which means it lives on top of other plants (think trees!) […]

What’s better than riding bareback….?

Riding bareback is great. It’s nice not to have to bother with a saddle and just hop on a horse….. What’s better than riding bareback?     Riding double bareback…. ….on a goofy Tennessee Walker. Riding with REALLY dirty feet and a soda in your hand…. ….like Montana and Mark…. (and, yes, Delight, our Walker, […]

Buddy Stirrups – a great invention !

Horseback riding can be a bouncy business…especially when the horse breaks into a trot and you are so little that your feet can’t reach the stirrups… Hence the invention of buddy stirrups: a set of small, kid-size stirrups that hooks right over the saddle horn….and voila…a small person’s ride on a big horse is suddenly […]