Meet the lesson horses at Las Piedras Ranch!
Wildfire
Did you know that Wildfire was the first foal that was born on Las Piedras Ranch? She was born on April 28,1998 and named after Michael Martin Murphy’s song, ‘Wildfire’. She acts much younger than she is! Wildfire is a black mare who is the boss of the mare herd at the ranch. There aren’t many horses around who can tell Wildfire what to do! Carly started learning about training horses when Wildfire was 2 years old, and helped with some of Wildfire’s training. She was the beginning of Carly’s whole career! When she was older, Wildfire had a sorrel foal named Mariah that Carly took to CSU with her.
Wildfire is a self-confident lady who knows her job and does it well. She is a beginner lesson horse, one of those horses who knows what she’s supposed to do and gets right to it. Her favorite thing is when she gets to lope during a lesson! Her lope is slow and controlled, and a ton of fun to ride!
Seneca
Seneca is a sorrel mare who was born on May 27, 2003. Carly purchased her as a four-year-old while she was up in college at CSU, and did all of her training. There is a Seneca street in Fort Collins that she is named after because Carly liked how it sounded! Seneca went with Carly to Wyoming for part of the year that Carly worked for Ken McNabb, and has spent many years as a ranch horse and lesson horse.
Did you know that Seneca knows how to bow? Carly taught her that trick years ago, but she’s still good at it! Seneca is a long-time lesson horse who is a little on the lazy side, but only if you let her! She is a safe, well-trained horse who has carried hundreds of kids in her lifetime.
Badger
Badger is a bay over paint gelding born on May 13, 1999. He was originally owned by the Wingert family, who sold him to Carly after their daughters were finished with their Westernaire careers. Badger carried Claire Wingert all the way through Red Team, and enjoyed the thrill of running drill at speed!
Today, Badger is an older gentleman, sweet and a little bossy. He has plenty of life left in him, and is used as an intermediate lesson and camp horse.
Cowboy
Cowboy has passed every test Carly has put him through with flying colors! He originally came from Mexico and was brought to us by Dale Moore, one of Carly's clients out in Oklahoma.
He is a sweet sorrel gelding with a calm personality, who isn't phased by anything. He is very patient with all levels of riders, and is an easy, safe ride. Come on out to the ranch so you can try him out!
Wojtyla
Wojtyla is a pony cross gelding who stands at 14.1 hands and is fitting right in, although he is the newest addition to the ranch. He was named after Karol Wojtyla, the given name of the Polish pope, St. John Paul II. Wojtyla’s initial training was with an Amish family in Iowa. In a few years, Carly hopes that he will be Paizley’s main ride.
He likes to go in the arena, and he walks out nicely on the trail. Come out for a lesson and try him out!
Slate
Slate is the biggest horse on the ranch! This flea-bitten grey is a gentle giant at 16.2 hands. He is Zahkai’s horse when Zahkai isn’t too busy golfing to ride. He has packed in the mountains, done ranch work, and does well out on the trails.
Stetson
Stetson is a sorrel tobiano paint gelding, and Carly’s personal horse. He was born at Las Piedras on June 5, 2012, and Carly raised him from a foal! Carly did all of Stetson’s training, and taught him everything he knows. Stetson acts like a big puppy-dog most of the time—playful and mischievous. When he was younger he liked to get into all sorts of trouble: he would knock the barrels over in the arena and roll them around with his nose, chew through ropes to cut himself loose, and knock the manure buckets over while you tried to clean his pen.
Today, Stetson is a well-mannered young horse with a sweet, happy personality. He still loves to run around and play!
Rodeo
Hey there! My name’s Rodeo, and although I might be a miniature horse, I am the boss of Las Piedras Ranch. People say big hearts come in small packages, and I’m no exception. No one at the ranch can tell me where to go or what to do! When Carly lets me out of my pen to become a wild Mustang for the day, I make the most of every minute. I tip over grain bins, go under fences into all the pastures to chase the other horses, and make it as hard as possible for Carly to catch me at the end of the day.
I was born at Las Piedras Ranch on June 5, 2004 and have lived here ever since. Sometimes I get to participate in the parties, like getting dressed up for Halloween or pulling a cart at the camps. I love treats and being groomed, so come say hi the next time you’re out at the ranch!
In Memory of Jackson
Jackson was Carly’s horse for 25 years. She got him when she was 10 years old, and he passed away in 2021 at the ripe old age of 33. Jackson was loved by generations of kids at the ranch, and was the first ride for many of them in lessons. Carly rode him growing up, and he carried her through Westernaires. The ranch won’t be the same without him!
In Memory of Romeo
Romeo was a mainstay at the ranch for18 years, from 2001 to 2019. Romeo was a gentle giant—though his height was sometimes intimidating to little kids, he was absolutely safe to be ridden by anyone. He was definitely a favorite of anyone who came to Carly for lessons because he was always so smooth and willing!
Did you know how Romeo got his name? Carly named him Romeo because his whinny was so high-pitched and girly! The Davis family originally purchased him to use in Westernaires, and he did Red Team, Red Liberty, Red Dressage, and Red Romans. He always loved to perform and carried his head a little higher when he was in the show ring! The Davis’ lost Romeo to colic in July 2019, but he will never be forgotten!
