VanOrman Performance Horses

I apologize for being out of touch lately. Things have been a bit hectic... but here is a video of Radar to brighten your day! Get ready to see more posts from us!

SICAB was amazing! This was my favorite part of the Espectacular show https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1909757369037717&id=100000104161635

*FOR SALE- PRE (Andalusian) COLT- $7000 obo* Ocioso MA is beautiful Sandokan IV son offered for sale. His ANCCE carta are in hand. This boy is super easy and ca...n be a great youth horse with future training. He is not studdish in the slightest and stands quietly around other horses. Easy to trim, clip, bath, brush, etc. Plenty of handling since birth. He will be 2 in June and he will be grey. Asking a mere $7000 obo. Can ship if need be. Awesome chance to own a piece of Carthusian history at a steal of a price. His dam is Distinguida MA who is an Ocioso VIII daughter. Price reflects leg injury at a year old but he is now sound and checked by a vet. I have all info from his recent vet visit. Located in Riverside, CA. #mariosandalusians #andalusian #andaluz #ancce #ialha #pre #purespanishhorse #purarazaespanola #spanishhorse #cartujano #carthusian #stallion #colt #coltforsale #stallionforsale #andalusianforsale #greyhorse #dressage #workingequitation See more

It's official! VPH is going to SICAB Salón Internacional del Caballo PRE! WATCH out Spain! Here I come!

Nothing better than this view the view is always better from the back of a horse

It has been a while since I have put a post up. It's been the off season for us here. I have openings available for full and partial training slots. PM or message me for more info.

Great day today. Worked with rowdy, he did great and is progressing. There is a mare I'm rehalter breaking after she went feral and she is making wonderful progress after only her 4th session today. King got ridden and rode out on the property for the 3rd time today. And Buddy the explosive got ridden today. He is a chronic bucker. He didn't offer but a small hop and a baby rear today, but we had good forward motion and got walk, trot, canter and some lateral work. Found out he does not like backing up much. But I need to find his trigger so I can fix his bucking issue. I am proud of the horses I worked with today. Onward and upward

Lots of ponies ridden today. All of them are progressing amazingly well. Such proud moments. Now if only I had a a personal photographer to document it all

Excited to be home from Spain on wednesday evening. I can officially mark off on my bucket list riding im Spain more pics to come.

What a beautiful day for working horses today. Horses are doing great and moving along well in training

This is always something I encourage

Back home and kicking my feet up after a very long but wonderful week in Vegas for Andalusian World Cup 2017. All the horses are back to work as of tomorrow I went out after I arrived back home and did a quick check on everyone. Sure did miss all the kiddos while I was gone

Lots of things to do. Morning barn chores done. Lesson in banning, then over to help pack the truck for Andalusian World Cup, then finish getting my ponies stuff packed and ready for their babysitters , then pack the rest of my stuff to go. And probably a few other things I'm forgetting at the moment #tryingtostaymotivated #itshappening #AWC2017

So far today, I've had one extreme to the next. the first horse decides he's gonna bolt multiple times under saddle and gets himself in trouble. And the next horse is calm as a cucumber for his very first time trotting a little under saddle. Way to go Remy!

Man this is a nice horse! Michaela you have yourself a keeper! I'm falling more in love everytime I take him out and hop on him. He just keeps getting better and better! Next time I will try to get a video of me riding. But for now here is a pic from the best view in the house p.s. don't mind his rubbed out mane. He's an itchy little stinker

This boy here Remy got layed over for the first time today! He did awesome! Got a little forward motion while just laying over him. I am so proud of him!

After a heat wave of close to 8 days. The horses and I are back to work today and doing makeup lessons. It was a brutally long week with the triple digits. But all the horses handled it well. Thankfully no colics or dehydration. But no horses got worked either. They got daily soaked beet pulp and electrolytes. It was simply too dangerous to work for myself and the horses too. The horses are my first concern and I would rather do makeup lessons than put the horses in my care at risk for colic or heat exhaustion. Hope everyone stayed safe and hydrated well!

This boy got his very first bath today with real soap and conditioner!!! He was pretty dang good! His owner and her step daughter (pictured with Remy) came out today. So proud of him! I think his owner was pretty happy too! don't mind the mane....he has pretty bad allergies and rubbed out almost half of it to the skin!

This boy Remy did awesome today! So proud of him! He is the newest addition to VPH. His owner was able to hose his front end off, but he would back up and not stand still for anything past his shoulders. Today we worked on that. Within about 10 minutes he calmed right down. We got back, bum, and some legs. Enjoy the video

Stay tuned for photos of the new BLM mustang Remington or "Remy" for short. He has been with us for 10 days now, just settling in and getting used to the facility. Today starts his boot camp. His owner brought him to us to get his first rides and the basics under saddle. His owner has already done the majority of the work teaching him his ground manners and teaching him to accept the saddle. He will be here for anywhere from 30-90 days, depending on how quickly he learns and absorbs, as each horse is their own and they all learn at their own pace. He is such a sweet boy, and I look forward to bonding and building his trust with a person on his back. Stay tuned!

Could I be any more proud of this boy? We had a little setback before. But he is doing stellar! We have forward motion! In just a halter. He is so smart! So proud of him!

Everyone please stay hydrated, make sure you drink, drink, drink, and if you have animals make sure you have clean cool water for them at all times! Have a safe hot day! What are some ways you keep your horses cool and hydrated during heat waves?

Back at it after a horrible cold! Got back from Andalusian World East in Raleigh, NC and got sick within 3 days and it knocked me down for a week and a half. But back at it as of yesterday! Lakota did amazing today! I should of taken pictures. He took the bit for the first time like a champ!!! So proud of that boy!

Start of another great day at Andalusian World East. Working equitation dressage phase first, then on to the rest of the classes

Having a great time in Raleigh, NC at Andalusian World East! Dressage day is done and was wonderful to watch.... a few pics I snapped today

Lakota did amazing today! Today was our first day with putting a leg over fully.... we took a few steps into a circle and not one reaction.... super good boy. His head went up a little bit, but relaxed nicely once he realized nothing was going to happen to him

Second video of Lakota from yesterday

I am so very proud of this boy yesterday. BLM mustang gelding Lakota....first time ever being introduced to a barrel and he was just the most awesome boy....he always tries to copy me....I enjoy working with him so much. Thank you Michael Fehlow and Jeannine Michelle for letting me be his trainer.... he also walked over poles for the first time today and took it like a champ I will load the second video after this post.

Jessica and King Photo credit Kevin Kidder

Rowdy and I Photo credit: Kevin Kidder

Radar Photo credit: Kevin Kidder

As promised, first is Radar a gentle minded Half Andalusian stallion. Gentle minded as they come. Photo credit: Kevin Kidder

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post.... the amazing Kevin Kidder came out and did some AMAZING shots of Radar, King, and Rowdy!

What a good boy! Aelos is remembering!!!!

Someone is enjoying their rinse after a good ride today....Aelos is remembering how to pick his canter up from a walk again and how to have consistency again....proud of this boy :-)

Aelos is doing well....he will test his rider, but will one day make someone one heck of a hunter/jumper. Please note, I am working on him not going behind the vertical. He has a tendency to go behind the verical, and I'm working on fixing it to where he is in the proper frame and tracking up properly from behind, and not a false frame and and hollowing his back out.

Well Monday was a scratch with the downpours...today wasn't much better because everything was too wet....but the large round pen should be good to go tomorrow....thank goodness for the good weather coming up....it's warming up again....yay!

Bitter sweet day on Saturday....my clients brought their boy Diego home to their own property. What a wonderful thing for them! I love when my clients get to bring their babies home, but sometimes it's like losing one of your own.....he's been here with us for 2 yrs, and I cared and loved him like one of my own. His owner will still take lessons, but on their property.....We will miss you diego!!!! Enjoy being at home with your family!

Guess who got their first ride today? Yep, that's right Aelos. He was good for the most part, tested me, but that was expected. He has a wonderful walk, trot, and canter. Needs muscle, and a bit of groceries. Poor guy stressed the first 2 days he was here and paced all day and night. But honestly he did quite well for only being ridden 3 or so times in the last 1 1/2 yrs :-) Watch for more updates about this boy. And if your interested in purchasing him, send me a PM.

Just got a new boy in on consignment and training....keep an eye out for updates! He will make someone one heck of a horse! He needs a bit of muscle, but with time and work he'll get there :-) Meet Aelos! 16.2-16.3 hh APHA gelding

This is what Lakota thought of yesterday's training....It was windy, he was spooky and his brain just said "NOPE" Please don't mind the pen, we've had quite a bit of rain and it was a Sunday. Our stall cleaner has that day off. He layed down and just checked out after the session. *NO HORSES WERE HARMED, HIS LEG WAS NOT CAUGHT, AND HE DID NOT GET CAST IN HIS STALL, THIS WAS JUST A FUNNY PHOTO OP*

What a wonderful past couple weeks it's been since the rain stopped! Horses being worked, sun is shining! Look at well Lakota did for his first time being saddled! This horse is truly one of a kind! Only one small reaction and then boom he accepts it and goes about his business....this horse truly gives his all!

All this rain is definitely needed! But man oh man does it make it tough to work the ponies....although I have an indoor arena I can utilize, not all of the horses will work in them. The rain is beautiful to listen to, but it can slow down any time now ;-) I'd like to get back to my regular schedule if riding and selling horses :-) here's 2 of our boys sporting their sheets....1 is brand new, the other not so much....can you guess which one is brand new????

Well, we have gotten so much rain in the last 2 weeks there hasn't been much training or rising going on....it's just been too wet and dangerously slippery to ride or work any horses....my first priority is you and your horses safety! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Just been a tad muddy, as you can tell from the picture I uploaded of our Andalusian stallion.

Well Facebook has been very interesting lately. I've tried to post updates and pictures, but it has decided that it doesn't want me to post pictures.....the new Mustang Lakota is doing awesome! Rowdy is wonderful as usual, and all the other horses are doing fantastic. Once I am able to get pictures uploaded I will definitely be uploading them!

Oh Rowdy.....I had so much fun with you today....first we worked, then we did no stirrup work, then I decided to see how he'd do with slowly standing on his back, and then it was nap time.....handled everything like a champ and then looks at me like I'm weird....lol

Definitely been crazy busy here....thankfully this week was a bit quieter.....but we have a new addition that will be starting this week....meet Lakota! A gorgeous BLM Mustang! He finished his TIP training a couple weeks ago, and his owners brought him to me to start his under saddle training and his desensitization and to get him ready for being their lifelong Trail partner!

I am so proud of this horse today! His first "real" ride....I've only sat on him at a standstill before and my daughter has done leadline and a few round pen lessons getting him used to a person up there....I hopped on him bareback with just his halter and lead rope after I did his stifle workout today....and boy was he amazing! Great job King!!!!

Oh Rowdy, you know how to treat a girl right.....sorry about the bumpiness.. it wasn't the easiest to video and ride/steer at the same time

It's been quite the busy month. We've had a lot of things going on, both good and bad.....back on August 29, King our 3 yr old Gypsy Vanner gelding came up with a severe locking stifle. Mind you we've been dealing with this issue off and on since October of 2015. We had tried conservative methods and this time he was locked bad. Thursday rolls around after I had already called out vet and got him his steroids, muscle relaxers, and Banamine. And they had not worked, so I calle...d San Luis Rey Equine Hospital and we scheduled an appointment for the next day, since he had been out since Monday basically, and his entire lower leg was swollen up. They were wonderful and fit us into their busy schedules.....we did xrays and found nothing strange, and we discussed the best option for king seeing as how he is only 3. We chose the scalding method to tighten his ligaments up that way. It's about a 50/50 chance that it will work with strengthening exercises also. If we were to of chosen the surgery and cut the tendon he would have a higher chance of getting early osteoarthritis. So for good reason we chose the scalding. We got home and all was well for the first 2 days, and our hand walking and exercising has gone beautifully. Then I get there Monday morning and his other stifle is locked and I can't get it back in. So I restart him on muscle relaxers and do the only thing I could do, wait till the next day and pray it was back in. And it was! So we continue our hand walking and working and stretching exercises. I gave him Saturday and Sunday off just to be a horse for a bit. Well NEVER again! I guess he's gonna have to just be turned out or handwalked or something on his days off, because I got there this morning and his stifle that we got scalded was out! My best friend had called last night and told me it was out, so she tried to put it back in to no avail and also gave him some bute. I got there and restarted muscle relaxers, and a few hours later I was able to get it to unlock and relax enough to do some trot work and hill work. We did go out intermittently during our walking forward sometimes....but we kept walking and boom it went back in after a few strides of it being out, then would stay in for about 10 strides, then out for a couple ...but it's progress! We are praying he doesn't need surgery, and we are praying that he doesn't need his left side scalded also. Please pray that we are able to get king back to good health for my daughter. She loves this horse so much. I will update everyone tomorrow on the progress of everyone else! There's been some new additions to the VPH family! See more

My heart is so full of joy. I love watching my clients enjoy their horses, whether it's while I'm riding and training their horses, or them on their horses and I'm giving them lessons. This past week has been great. Chris rode her beautiful boy Salvador. Rowdy went through some awesome dirt obstacles to get ready for trails that aren't on even ground. I took him through and let him navigate his way and he didn't miss a beat, even with miss stepping and tripping and sinking a ...bit, he kept his cool. His owner and I also decided to see how he would do with a riding lawnmower going around him.....well that went so well that he decided he needed to chase the darn thing! He thought it was a game. He doesn't care about much, she drove the lawnmower around in circles around him, then followed him, rose beside him, and then in front of him. It's such a great feeling to know I've helped get him to this point (not that he didn't start out with an amazing head on his shoulders), he's just one of the best stallions I've worked with. Then I met with a new client. Her horses name is Nor and he's an Icelandic pony. Nor is such an adorable little guy, but he has that stinky pony attitude sometimes. So I addressed that and we worked on some ground manners and moving forward. Then we saddled up and she rode him in the arena, and asked if I would get on him. She has never seen Nor canter and didn't know if he even knew how, since he is gaited. Well I asked him and he did it! The look on his owners face just made my day! She looked like she had just seen her horse do the impossible. She even sounded like she was choking up from being so happy. She's excited to start getting her and her pony to the next level. It's days like today, that make my heart so happy and I just love my clients. See more

Back to the grind today....had a great vacation back with family in Tomahawk, WI. Missed all my horses and my clients horses! If you would like to schedule a lesson give me a call at 951-836-6566 and we'll get that set up at your convenience.

Oh Rowdy! You were such a good boy today! I know it was hot, but you did what was asked of you! And you did it with me riding the majority of the time with no reins!

Rowdy did even better today! Sue and I rode together on the property again, and this time he was a perfect angel....not one time did he try to talk, not one time did he do any naughty stuff. I got on after just a couple times of trotting him around the round pen, and we just rode right off....we trotted around the arena with his buddy too! Here he is trying to be a majestic unicorn during our ride today! Lol....goofy boy your such a majestic silly boy with a wonderful personality!

Today was so good for Rowdy the 12 yr old Gypsy stallion! We decided that today would be the day we would see if he could handle a small trail....his owner saddled up one of her other horses while I warmed Rowdy up....I got on and once he saw the other horse he was a tad silly, so I got off and got his brain back (he was showing off to his neighbor). So once his brain and attention was on me again, I mounted up and he was quite good....I decided to stay in the round pen unti...l I was confident he wasn't going to do anything silly walking next to another horse (separated by the round pen). We ventured out of the round pen and walked all over the property with nothing separating us, and by the end of the ride Rowdy was walking next to and behind his neighbor on a loose rein and relaxed as can be.....such a proud trainer moment! He will make Sue a wonderful trial horse once he gets more confident out there....but for being a stallion he was amazing with another horse riding with him! Only 1 nicker, and he got corrected for that......GOOD BOY ROWDY!!!! Sue is the one pictured, while I got rowdy's head in the picture....lol See more

It's going to be a hot few days here in So Cal! Please everyone, remember water! Drink, drink, drink! And remember to keep your horses hydrated....when it's too hot to ride make sure you give your horse plenty of water....I always give electrolytes on hot days even if not riding....I would rather my horse pee a river than not drink enough and have a colic on our hands....and please remember, if your going to have anything on your horse....make sure it's a fly sheet and fly protection only.....have a great few days....I'll be back at it when it's not 110 or hotter! Happy Father's day to all the wonderful dad's out there too!!!! Stay cool everyone!

I still can't believe it's going on 11 years this year since I lost Serenity (Percheron/Thoroughbred) to choke....one of the worst weeks of my life. She taught me so much, and was gone way before her time....but I couldn't make her suffer any longer. I believe in humane euthanasia when the horse will no longer live a comfortable life even as a pasture puff....she was only 2 1/2 but had one of the soundest minds I'd worked with....RIP Serenity's Moonlight 2003-2005

It's been a bit since I've posted....I apologize for that...it's been so darn hot! I hope everyone else has stayed cool! We have here for the most part......when it is super hot like it has been, please take care of yourself and the horses! Don't ride when it's too hot, there's nothing wrong with taking the day off and resting yourself and your horses....

This is the package that is offered....good solid horses take time and patience.....if you push it to fast there will be holes in your foundation. Every horse needs a good foundation, just like your house. If your house has holes in the foundation, then it will fall apart, maybe not today, but one day it will.....the same goes for a horse. A good solid foundation will take you anywhere you want to go!

Today was great! Rowdy did amazing....had a little hiccup mid ride....I decided to work on working out of the arena since he will ultimately be a trail horse! So we did walk, trot, and some canter both ways....now he has 1 area that makes him a little nervous on one side of the property cause the boogeyman with a big Ole white hat comes out and tries to eat him (at least that's what he tells me)....we'll he did wonderful in walk/trot....and then I moved to canter, going on h...is right lead, he did superb!...switched it up and he started out great and then decided he needed a little bit of speed.....he stopped like a champ! I've never been worried about his woah at all....but outside of the arena, things change for some horses....there is so much distraction going on that they forget their partner is up there that will protect them....today rowdy proved himself a good boy....but to play it on the safe side, I decided to work more mental stuff after our little romp (i did make him walk and trot both ways though again before going to mental work) worked on side passing, yielding our hindquarters, backing up with no reins, and standing quietly while someone is talking... (I told his mom that it's important that he learns patience, because what happens when you want to sit and talk for a bit with your Trail buddies and he's pawing and moving and grumbling, it gets old quickly) he did so good today! Good boy Rowdy!!!!! See more

Very proud of Jessica and Kami today! Pics of Kami to come tomorrow, Jessica did her first leadline class today. She entered in that class due to King not being 100% broke yet....today was also the second time he had a bit and bridle on and the first time with reins and he responded like a seasoned horse! Jessica placed 2nd in her class. Kami placed with one 2nd, two 3rds, a fourth, and a reserve champion for her division! Great job today girls!!!!

All clean and ready for the show tomorrow!