Articles 2

· You purchase a broke well-trained horse that they already have in their inventory. Your purchase price will include a 30 (option 1A) or 60 (option 1B) day training program with full board. You will take either 4 or 8 1 hour lessons on your new horse, at their facility. They will evaluate your riding skills and direct you to the horse they feel will be your best match. You will take your lessons on your horse, getting to know him and him getting to know you as well. After you have completed your program, they will deliver the horse to wherever you are planning on keeping him, or you can arrange to continue boarding here at their facility. (They have very reasonable rates, and a covered arena!) Price for this option is $1200 for the 30 day plan or $1500 for the 60 day plan.

OPTION #2: A or B

· You come to them and tell them what you are looking for in a horse. You can specify gender, age range, height, but generally not color. (A good horse is never a bad color!!) They go out and actively search for your perfect horse. They will “test-drive” and “tire kick” a lot of horses looking for the perfect horse for YOU. This can sometimes take a few weeks, but they WILL find your match. Your new horse comes to our facility, and before you ever get up on him, they put up to 30 days of refresher training on him to make sure he is going to be safe for you. You are more than welcome, and actively encouraged to come and visit your new baby. Bring lots of love and cookies!! After that, you have a 30 (2A) or 60 (2B) day option of lessons and full board, same as above. Also either delivery or continued boarding are both available. This is a more expensive option, but keep in mind; it’s a personalized and custom service. They do all the work so you don’t have to. Besides, you’ve already searched forever and waited this long to own a horse, what’s a few more weeks going to matter? Price for this option starts at $1200 and will be determined by the actual sale price of the horse we find for you. This option also requires a non-refundable deposit of $500.

Whatever option you choose, please remember 2 things…

1) That you will always have someone at Passion Horse ready and willing to answer whatever questions you have, even after you and your horse leave our premises. They won’t cut you off, will never steer you wrong, will never give you bad advice. They want you to enjoy your horse as much as they enjoy theirs, and hopefully, you’ll become family. After all the reputation of Passion Horse ranch is at stake.

2) You may continue to take lessons at their place or at another location of your choice. They actively encourage you to continue learning horsemanship either with someone. Following the path to good horsemanship never ends but the journey is amazing…

TACK PACKAGES:

· They also know how confusing tack can be, especially in some of the larger tack shops. It seems that everyone has an opinion about what will work, and what won’t, and it’s ALL DIFFERENT!! What’s a rookie to do? Well, they have a solution to that problem as well. Starting at around $400 for a very basic (but safe) synthetic saddle package, they will completely outfit your horse for you. They will put together everything you could possibly need for your new horse in one transaction. Now of course, upgrades are available, and they will show you a lot of different options, but will NOT sell you something that you don’t need or something that is useless.

Packages will include:

1. 1 rope halter and lead

2. 1 basic grooming kit (body brush, mane comb, and hoof pick)

3. 1 leather headstall with a handmade bridle charm.

4. 1 bit specifically picked out for your horse for best response.

5. 1 set of reins, split or roper, your choice

6. 1 under saddle pad

7. 1 saddle (your choice of color) with 1 set of stirrups and complete rigging (tie strap, girth, and off-billet)

8. 1 breast collar (if the saddle you pick out comes with one, otherwise it’s an upgrade)

Wool saddle blankets are NOT included in the package, but can be purchased separately in a variety of styles and colors, starting at $80.

They have a very good “Equine Tack and Fashion Coordinator” available if you need help putting together a fashionable, yet functional tack package. She knows how overwhelming the options are!!

The Trials of Horse Buying
There is a solution
Jan 4, 2010 David Rodgers

If you have ever bought a horse or are about to you need to learn how to avoid the headaches of horse buying.

Are you tired of being given the runaround by shady horse dealers? How about driving an hour or more to go see a promising “beginners” horse only to be presented a horse that has been completely misrepresented and is potentially dangerous? Well, if you are a horse owner, you’ve been there, and you know how frustrating and discouraging the mere thought of going out for another “look and see” can be. You also know how hard it is to decipher all the advice you can get from well meaning friends and people in the horse industry about tack, training and riding techniques, and care. How do you tell good advice from bad or just plain dangerous advice? It’s a daunting prospect, but unfortunately there aren’t a lot of other options available to first time horse buyers, until now that is…

Passion Horse Ranch and Rescue have developed a program called “My New Passion”, A Horse Ownership Program, and it is geared to you… the beginner, who is attempting to step into the amazingly rewarding life of horses, but without all the negatives.

They are a highly reputable draft and PMU horse rescue in Joshua, Texas, and are affiliated with The Humane Society of North Texas, the ASPCA, and many others. Most of their focus is on rescuing horses, but in order to supplement the financial running of the ranch, and to offset the costs of feed and rescues, they also have a very successful lesson and training program in place, and have for several years.

“We have found that a lot of people really want a horse, but just don’t know where to turn for advice or where to go if they have questions, or even where to go to buy their dream horse,” says Debra Naismith, owner of Passion Horse Ranch. That’s where they come in… They have two options available for new horse ownership…

OPTION #1 A or B:

May 23, 2010

Ranch of refuge
Ranch puts neglected horses on road to recovery
By Pete Kendall/reporter@trcle.com
JOSHUA — The horse rescue business is booming at Passion Horse Ranch ... unfortunately.
Because of the downturn in the economy and ever-increasing cost of equine feed and maintenance, down-on-their-luck horse owners are saying happy trails to their steeds. Many such are winding up at Debra and Jeff Naismith’s nonprofit haven for horses, between Godley and Joshua, alongside the occasional abused horse with one final home.
Debra, a kindly cowgirl, welcomes them all, regardless of pedigree or past. Even the majority of her dogs are rescued from somewhere, if not someone. They seem to know they’re special. Max, a bulky hound, spends as much time in Debra’s lap as he does at her feet. It’s his way of saying thank you. Debra doesn’t deny her partiality toward animals. “I mean no offense by this, but I like animals a lot better than I like humans,” she said.
Nonetheless, she occasionally rescues a human to match with a horse. It’s her way of ensuring the horse will be as happy as its new owner. “Many humans gravitate here because of the animals,” she said. “It’s a package.”
Naismith is part psychologist, part horsewoman. She makes an intense study of the would-be horse owner before approving an adoption. “If I’m looking at the human first, I’m looking specifically for his or her personality,” she said. “A really emotional human would be best with a quiet, calm horse. An athletic human could be put with an athletic horse. ”She may be able to identify the human’s personality just by watching the horse. “The animal is very perceptive,” Naismith said. “I know when I watch the animal interact with the human whether it’s going to be a good match. I will refuse to adopt if I think it’s not a good match. ”Horses exhibit their affinity for humans much as humans show their appreciation for each other. “Horses want to be touched,” Naismith said. “They’re interactive. They’ll walk away if they don’t particularly care for the human. They gravitate toward the humans they like the best. ”Because they’re intensely curious, they sometimes appear to be gravitating toward rocks and leaves. “If someone goes into their pasture,” Naismith said, “they’ll want to come up to smell. They’re food-motivated, like, ‘Do you have anything for me?’ From there, body movement is very important. Horses read our body movement because that’s partly how horses communicate with each other.”
Humans can be taught to communicate through body movement, Naismith said. She’s an advocate of natural horsemanship, a method that allows the human to interact with a horse like a horse. “It’s a very specific method that teaches humans not to act like predators because we are predators,” she said. “It’s gentle. People often think we’re wimps because we do natural horsemanship and let our horses run over us. That’s completely false. We just don’t do the old cowboy method, which is dominance. “I’ve rescued wild horses, horses that have never been touched by humans. It’s easy to gentle them if you use natural horsemanship. Horses are emotional. People think, ‘They’re just animals.’ No, they’re emotional, just like we are. ”Abused horses are brought back to life at a trot, not a gallop. “First, we evaluate the horse ... weight, hair, whether it needs vet care,” Naismith said. “We’ll call the vet out immediately. Sometimes, the vet is here when I’m bringing the horse in. We determine the horse’s special needs. We’ll start off with the horse being alone. What typically happens then is a volunteer will be assigned to the horse. We call those volunteers ‘angels.’ They do special care. They visit with the horse, touch and brush the horse. “That’s very important, because these animals have been through a lot. It’s a special course of recovery based on their needs. ”Sadly, some horses thrive only a little while under special care, then pass on. Doc is a depressing example. “He’s on my website,” Naismith said. “We found him in Cleburne in a field. He was an old cart horse for 12 years. The owner overused him and threw him out in a field to die. We brought him in. He collapsed on the trailer ride. We put him in a stall, and for two days he just leaned against the wall. We thought he was going to die. He was very malnourished. He had horrible allergies. His whole back end was so weak that sometimes when he walked, he buckled. At one time, he’d been in an accident, and his neck had been broken, though not badly enough to be fatal. “We did a lot of special vet care and put him on a special diet. He was never strong enough to live in the pasture with the other horses. He couldn’t defend himself. He lived in the barn area. He’d been abused and neglected, but he still trusted people. He was awesome. He was with us 10 months. We had to put him to sleep in October. It’s kind of hard for me to talk about that.”
Naismith presently has 30 rescued horses on the premises. Many are adoptable. Two, such as 26-year-old Pancho and 21-year-old Shiloh, are “sanctuary” types, meaning they’ll live out their days within eyesight of Naismith and her volunteer workers ... or in the case of Shiloh, earshot. Once abused and now treated with intense TLC, Shiloh is blind in one eye.
“A lot of my volunteers become my adopters,” Naismith said. “Nobody hear earns any money. Two ladies here today are working with horses to get them ready for their new owners. People come and go all day long to care for the animals. I try not to get over 40 horses because my quality of care is very high. We touch every horse every single day. When horses come here, we rehabilitate them and evaluate their needs, instead of just fattening them up and adopting them out. “We try to make the horses more useful because if they’re more useful, their chances of long survival are better. ”Naismith and her support staff are particularly challenged this year. Horse ownership is generally a white-collar hobby, and many white collars have faded to blue. “My numbers go up when there’s a need,” she said, “As long as it’s feasible for me to take in additional horses from ASPCA and Humane Society. I do a lot of community work. I get calls from people who can’t feed their horses anymore.”
The economy has impacted Passion Horse Ranch, just as it has impacted every other walk of life. “Horses are a luxury,” Naismith said. “A lot of people who could barely afford horses before, can’t afford them now. They can barely afford to feed their kids. "On a positive note, every “wild” young horse that’s rescued by the Naismiths will eventually wear a saddle. “I start slow,” Naismith said. “I use my natural horsemanship method. When we first bring them in, all we’re wanting is to have them exposed to a human. "Wild young horses are generally scared of humans. One was the exception. She was never scared, perhaps because there was nothing left for her to be scared of after months of abuse. “She was tied up for six or eight months at a time,” Naismith said. “She will never be ridden here because she’s done her time. She’s beautiful. She’s gentle. She’s eye-candy.”

For more information, go to passionranch.com.