Longacres Riding Camp
Meet the Horses !
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This page was most recently updated during December, 2011. Except for some of the private horses, most of the horses on this page will be back for 2012!
You will look a long time to find a riding camp or show stable anyplace in America with a string of "school horses" the quality of those in our herd at Longacres. Why? Because what we at Longacres call our "school horses" would be privately owned show horses nearly everyplace else. It's an economic fact of life. Most stables try, like we do, to buy the best quality horses they can for their lesson programs. But the best of them, the ones that show real talent, are nearly always taken out of the "school" string and sold to private owners who will become more profitable show customers for the stable. That's just the way it is.
Longacres is different. We exist to provide a very special riding and showing experience to our summer customers. We do NOT sell our horses. Once a horse is in our string, the horse stays with us year after year, gaining experience and getting better and better. We do bring in a few young horses every summer specifically as sale horses, but once a horse becomes a "Longacres horse", it stays a Longacres horse until the end of its career,
But don't just take our word for the quality of horse flesh at Longacres. Scroll down this page. Read the descriptions and look at all the pictures. Seeing is believing! And email some of the fine people on our penpals page. Longacres people love to talk about Longacres horses!
Enjoy!
Jazz
Jazz is one of our most powerful horses. She is just seven years old and we just bought her in the spring of 2010. We've jumped her 4'3" so far, and we think she has a bright career ahead of her as a show jumper. She is a thoroughbred – Clydesdale cross. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Jazz!
Ginger
Ginger is an extremely talented hunter/jumper/equitation horse. Also a bit temperamental! Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Ginger!
Whitley
Whitley is one of our most versatile horses, in the prime of his career. More often, we buy young horses and train them for several years before they become really experienced show horses at Longacres. Whitley was already an experienced show horse when we bought him at the beginning of the 2010 season. He was the most expensive horse we've purchased. He has proven to be well worth the price! Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Whitley.
Star
Star is one of those rare horses (large pony, actually), that can be ridden by anyone, beginner to the most advanced rider. She is always sought after at horse show time! Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Star!
Merlin
Merlin is arguably our most popular horse (large pony) – he has his very own fan club, the ILMFC – I Love Merlin Fan Club! Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Merlin!
Horatio
Horatio is one of our very promising young horses. He has a BIG jump and lots of heart! He won the prestigious Longacres Jumper Derby in 2010! Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Horatio.
Brody
Brody is another Longacres horse with endless potential as a hunter/ eq. horse or as a jumper! He is in the prime of his life. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Brody.
Piper
Piper is a fine older mare – great all around school horse. She was purchased in the spring of 2011. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Piper!
Rocky
Rocky has been around the western New York show circuit winning ribbons for quite a few years. We got tired of sometimes getting beat by him, so we bought him for Longacres in 2007! He is now an older horse, but very talented and forgiving for riders of all levels. He is one of our elder statesmen, and we give him a lighter work load. But when we need a reliable, safe show horse, he always comes through. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Rocky.
Ebony
Ebony, as you can see in this picture, has a great jump and athleticism. Fine pony. She sometimes has a mind of her own and needs solid support from her rider. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Ebony! She had one of her best show seasons in the summer of 2010!
Brownie
Brownie is THE "elder statesman" of Longacres school horses. He taught many hundreds of Longacres students to ride over the many years of his long career! And he was still doing it in 2009 - 2010! Brownie was retired after our 2011 camp season to live out the rest of his life with Alex Millar, now an adult, but one of Brownie's best friends when she was a young student with us! Long live Brownie! Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Brownie! Video of Brownie taken three years ago. The girl in the above picture is Peyton, who learned to ride and show on Brownie.
Zanzibar
Zanzibar (Zanee) is a fine, versatile hunter and equitation horse. She is suitable for a wide variety of riders and her jumping just gets better each year. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Zanzibar! Here's a very nice video of Natasha taking Zanee over a number of our jumps doing interesting exercises in 2009. Zanee had a terrific show season in the summer of 2011, though a little temperamental in her stall.
Peppermint Patty – 1982 - 2008
We owned Peppermint Patti for 23 of the 26 years of her extraordinary life. She came to us from a friend when she was a green broke three year old. She gained experience over her years at Longacres and became one of the best known Show Jumpers in western New York history. After a sudden decline in her condition due to old age, she was humanely put down in the fall of 2008 and buried with highest honor here at Longacres on "Jumper Hill", along with three other greats from Longacres past, "China Heart", "York Springs", and "Tip-off". She was one of the most famous show jumpers in western New York State and has won nearly every championship and special jumping event ever held in our part of the country at one time or another in her long career. Old? Yes; but nonetheless, we prepared her at the end of the 2007 season for the "A" rated Erie County Fair show and she was Champion in the Beginner Jumper division!!!! Be sure to click HERE for more pictures and to read the heart warming "Miracle of Peppermint Patti" story along with comments about Patti from some of her friends and riders. We traditionally leave pictures of some of our most memorable horses here on the "Meet the Horses" page for a year after they are retired or die out of respect for their fine careers. Patti's picture will remain here permanently.
Diesel
Diesel is a trip! He is Longacres favorite "Gentle Giant". And a giant he is at 18 hands plus and over 2000 pounds. He came to us as an experiment in the spring of 2008 and won our hearts. He drives, and we hope to have a harness and be working with him as a driving horse next season. AND, he jumps! Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Diesel. Video of Diesel. He is BIG!
Boo!
Boo is cute, as you can see. He is one of our most versatile and promising middle age horses. He's gentle and can be ridden by a variety of riders. He wins ribbons in jumpers and in pleasure. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Boo.
Lincoln
Lincoln is handsome, as you can see. He is a promising horse that joined us in 2009 and has gotten better each year after winter homes with some talented riders. He's gentle and can be ridden by a variety of riders. He is already winning some ribbons in shows and is with a fine rider over the 2010 – 2011 off season. He was a solid member of our show string in 2011. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Lincoln.
Tux
Tux (Tuxedo Junction) is cute, and is one of our youngest horses at not quite 7 years old. He is a willing jumper and can be ridden by many students. As a youngster, he does pull a few stunts now and then but likes people and mostly wants to please. We're having a lot of fun training him. We had him at Longacres training him for his former owners in 2008 and bought him permanently in the fall of 2009. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Tux.
Quantum Leap - 1992 to 2010
For nearly ten years, Quantum Leap was almost like our trade mark and an example of Longacres at our best. He broke a leg in a tragic horse show accident early in the summer of 2010. (The rider was OK.) All of western New York mourned. Quantum won Western New York Jumper Horse of the Year in 2009. He was at the peak of his career when he died. His picture will always remain on this page, along with that of Peppermint Patti, another great jumper in Longacres history. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Quantum! Video of Quantum, and more video of Quantum jumping big.
Neek-o
Neek-o is a seven year old large pony, just purchased by Longacres in 2010. He is extremely versatile and can be ridden by a variety of riders. He's gentle and eager to please! Click HERE for more pictures and information about Neek-o.
Bristol
Bristol is a big, strong warmblood mare. She is a classy jumper and good mover. She is predictable and not complicated to ride, though she can get strong jumping. She was actually considered as an Olympic eventing prospect before we bought her! Bristol was new to us in 2010 and returns for her third year in 2012. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Bristol.
Maggie
Maggie was sent to Longacres during the summer of 2011 as a consignment horse for us to show and train while she was offered for sale. Recently we decided to buy her ourselves as an additional Longacres school horse. She is willing, and has a nearly auto lead change. She is trustworthy and suitable for many of our students. click here for more pictures.
Private Horses
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We always have a few private horses at Longacres. A few of our students bring their own horses with them to camp, and our instructors often own their own horses. The following privately owned horses have been at Longacres recently.
Joc-A-Bee
Joc-A-Bee for many years was one of the most successful jumpers in western New York. He is owned by Bethany, who taught at Longacres for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He is semi-retired now. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Joc-A-Bee.
Holly Would
"Holly" is also owned by Bethany and did very well showing with us at Longacres in 2010, and won the Longacres Derby in 2011. Click HERE for more pictures and stories about Holly Would.
Training and For Sale Horses
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Every year we take in a couple of private horses to train and show for families interested in the Longacres program. The following are a couple of recent "Send Your Horse to Camp" projects!
Ladd
Ladd was a four year old pony sent to us for training and consignment for sale in the 2011 season. We quickly found a good buyer, and unfortunately, slightly after that discovered that he is a SENSATIONAL pony and that we should have bought him ourselves! This happens now and then, but Longacres has a sound "send your horse to camp" and "sale horse" program and we're pleased when we connect the right buyer to the right horse (even if sometimes we miss out on a great deal for ourselves).
click here for more pictures.
Mave
Mave was sent to us as one of the 2011 "send your horse to camp" horses. Her owner was too busy to ride her regularly and we were glad to have this sturdy horse in the barn. She is a bit headstrong when you are leading her around on the ground, but willing when being ridden.
click here for more pictures.
Kodak
Kodak was another useful consignment horse sent to Longacres in 2011 as a for sale horse. We were pleased that the owners found a good buyer while Kodak was at Longacres.
click here for more pictures.
Chexy
Chexy was another talented sale horse at Longacres during the summer of 2011. She had a background as a western game horse, but was also a willing jumper.
click here for more pictures.