Bella

​Bella is our newest horse to join Rising Stars. We purchased her in August 2023.  She is the perfect size for our hippotherapy riders, allowing some of our smaller volunteers to feel more comfortable to side walk. She was used as a pack horse, arena horse, and trail horse in previous homes, this experience has made her unreactive to many things. We are very excited for her future here.

Chester

Chester came to the Rising Stars program in 2013. He is our "Miracle Horse". After being a terrible accident shortly after we got him, he has overcome all the obstacles and surprised us all with an outstanding recovery. He has a sweet and easy-going personality that easily makes him one of the favorites among therapist, instructors, volunteers, and participants. He has had some pretty crazy things happen around and to him and he doesn't care about much of anything. Good lucky taking a photo without him sticking his tongue out once. We like to call him and Senator our "30 min horses". Most sessions are 30 min and somehow, they know when that time is up and remind you that rider is done. We are so happy and thankful to have him in our program with his good temperament and fun personality.

Chic

Chic is a quarter horse that started coming Summer of 2021. She comes one day a week with her buddy Blue. We reached out to friends of needing extra horses and Bri called and said I have 2 come try them. Chic has a background of ranch work and has a tiny human at home giving her the experience of anything happening and she took to being a therapy horse amazingly! She has been a great asset to our herd. 

Ethel Marie

​Ethel came to us as a donation in 2017. She has been a wonderful addition to our herd. Volunteers have appreciated having a short horse to side walk with. With her size we are able to give riders who need support and good solid horse to keep them safe. She is a favorite among riders who also love petting her mane and get that poky texture. It is also a great sensory tool for those needing assistance in that. She is more sensitive to the indoor arena and all of it’s sounds so she is one you will find in her “bat ears”, which are noise canceling ear muffs that help eliminate distractions so she can concentrate on her job. Some participants think this is cool and can relate to it. We are so happy to have her around.

Blaze

​Blaze has been with us since 2022. His small stature has been an amazing addition for kids to lead and groom him. As weather is unpredictable in Idaho, some days we have to do unmounted lessons. Blaze is a perfect candidate when the other horses are too nervous to be inside. He is strong and steady and follows all directions. He has been a busy horse this past summer as therapists utilized the many features of a working ranch and allowed kids to pick his feet, give him baths, go on walks, and help those with a little bit of a fear at first meet. He is great for our wheelchair participants as well since he has been driven in a cart for years he isn’t afraid to walk beside those in a wheelchair and keep them safe.

Gunner

​Gunner started in our program in 2019. He is available a few days a week and has quickly become a favorite around here. He has a very laid-back personality and goes with the flow, this is helpful for those wiggly, screaming riders. He enjoys his time at the ranch and waits every Wednesday for his owner to bring him. He is an all-around horse and we are very grateful we have the chance to use him. He never does miss his naps at the ranch. We can almost set our clock to his nap times.

Kayla

Kayla joined the program in 2017. She is a stout horse that is also shorter in heigh making her our go to for larger riders that need extra support while riding. She has a very sassy attitude that creates some fun rides for her participants. She is solid and loving. She tends to get some of the greatest pictures taken, maybe for her soft and loving face. One rider always talks about her eyes and eye lashes and how perfect they are. She is a quirky girl with a strong personality.

Lucky

​Lucky is our dream horse we won in 2017. She has been a perfect addition to our program. She has a fun personality and is very loving. If anyone just wants to groom a horse she is our go to. With all that hair, she needs all the extra grooming she can get too! She is a huge asset to our hippotherapy program. She has a broad back giving her riders a solid foundation to keep their balance. Her movement stimulates both mentally and physically. The one thing about Lucky is she has to make sure she gets her 4-5 naps a day!

Magnum

​Magnum was kindly donated to Rising Stars in 2022. His past life as a ranch horse was cut short due to an injury. This injury makes it so he can’t do that hard work anymore. He is still able to carry riders and do moderate work so his previous owners offered him to our program. He has been an amazing addition to our program. His size and calm demeanor has made him fit right into hippotherapy and quickly became a favorite of everyone. He came without need for many pets and scratches. He now has decided that they are pretty special and asks you for them.

Mr. T

"T" has been in the program almost since the start. He likes to keep his handlers, side walkers, and riders on their toes. He is a handful of a horse, but loves his riders. He is a solid horse for his independent riders to ride, not much bothers him or shakes him up. If his rider gets unbalanced or slips he stops and waits for someone to fix it. Our handlers have to be one step ahead of him because he likes to mess with them, but under the lift is calm and cool making him a great mount. His hundreds of miles as a trail horse prepared him to be a fantastic therapy horse!

Paisley

Paisley came to the program in 2014. She has a very special personality. She likes to break her handlers in and keeps them paying attention to her. She is a favorite among volunteers for riding. We like to call her the "Cadillac" because of how smooth and easy she is to ride. She loves attention and is the first to hang her head through fence for some loves. She is a great horse for our participants to go from beginner to advanced on. She has a special bond with all that ride her. She loves to have people around her and takes a lot of trust in those around her making her a wonderful therapy horse. 

Ranchero

​Ranchero joined our program in 2021. As a pack and trail horse his demeanor, stoutness, and good mind were just what we needed in a horse. He has excelled as a therapy horse and with his size it has helped with many larger riders be able to ride. He has been one of the most solid in our indoor arena during the winter when everything is closed up and a little scarier. He has proven himself over and over and has quickly become a go to horse for new riders. When he arrived he wasn’t sure what love was, he didn’t hate people; just felt his job as a horse was to work. He has learned that people are something else and now is the first to greet you in the pasture to demand pets.

Senator

Senator began his career as a therapy horse in 2009 when Rising Stars first began. He is one of the orgianl horses and is still going strong in his career. He is best known for always being hungry. If you are on the sensory course the handler has to be one step ahead or he will grab whatever is in the path. If you have a wrapper in your pocket and it crinkles he will come looking. He is a solid horse that doesn't get bothered by the excitement of our high energy riders. Being a gaited horse, that gives him a smooth steady gait for some of the more unbalanced riders that need less movement to stay sitting tall so they can build strength while balancing slowly. 

Solfin

Solfin comes to us just this year. We purchased him with minimal training. We will train him and get him ready to ride in a few years. He is an investment to the program to have some younger horses coming up. Having other fjords we knew wanted to expand our herd with more because of their willingness to work, calm nature, and sturdy frame. We are very excited to have him and be able to use him in many different areas as we train him. He is also a rare red dun with a yellow dilute gene, giving him the lighter mane and stripes.

Stormy

Stormy is owned by a long time Rising Stars volunteer. Due to some life circumstances with her owner, Stormy has moved officially to Rising Stars Ranch. Having her here full time with help take some of the work load off of the center horses during the busy summer months with hippotherapy and an opportunity for more during the winter. She is a smooth mover for some of the riders that need that most. Her calm and cool personality makers her a good fit for all of our participants and handlers. She has a great stature making it easy for side walkers to assist the participant fully. She is such a reliable horse it is nice having her around. 

Tink

Tink has been with Rising Stars since 2013 thanks to a generous donor. She was an endurance horse before coming to us. Her time there prepared her for all the activities we have at the Ranch. She is used for our independent riders. She is wonderful for the beginners and can also help challenge our advanced riders. She is willing to go to work everyday and loves to be ridden. She has a quirky personality that makes her riders laugh. She likes to keep her handlers doing their job and reminds them of that often. We love having her in our program.

Valentine

Valentine belongs to our Ranch manager. She belonged to Danika, Travis’ daughter, who sadly passed away in 2022.  After her passing we started working to have Valentine used in our program. She has come along wonderfully and started having riders the summer of 2023. She is very responsive and takes a soft hand, challenging some of our more advanced riders to become better at their skills. She is the perfect size and we will continue working with her in hopes of having her assist with hippotherapy in the future.

Vodka

Vodka came to enjoy retirement as a therapy horse. In his previous career he was a champion racehorse winning almost $430,000 on flat track. He has a heart of gold and with his exposure at the track not much flusters him. He has a quirky personality that creates a good guessing game with his handlers. He is living at the Ranch on a care lease agreement. With his training as a pony horse, he is very responsive giving his riders a challenge of being soft handed. We are thankful to his owners for trusting us with him to show the true champion heart he has.