Our Program for Developing Horses

Our goal is to use the principles of natural horsemanship to develop confident versatile equine partners. This starts, well....., at the beginning! As Jack Brainard says, ' a good start is half the finish'. Whether we raise the foal or it comes to us later in life we go to work laying a foundation that will stand strong.

We use the analogy of 'brick laying' when we talk about foundations. Every experience a horse has either adds or takes away bricks, where a brick is positioned also makes a difference. For example, when we are developing a horse from the ground, out in a playground with obstacles, trail riding, arena work, crossing rivers and bridges, handling cattle, roping calves, precision riding for dressage, jumping logs, etc. we are laying bricks side by side. If a horse is developed only in the arena bricks are laid one on top of another. Which foundation would you want to build on?

The process we focus on is less about what 'buttons' they have learned, and more about how they are set up to learn in the future. Confidence trumps pretty much everything else. When a horse has confidence he becomes a 'Super Learner' The Parelli Natural Horsemanship Program shares these same goals and has given us many of the strategies to achieve our goals with the horse.

Our number one goal is to prepare our horses to be 'SAFE' partners (by the way, there is no such thing as 'bomb proof'!) After safety, a close second is FUN! These things are accomplished because we give our horses what they need in terms of the relationship. We stack up the experiences for the horse so they are set up to be outstanding 'PARTNERS, not projects'.

Horses are developed by Buddy, Devanee Cardinal as wel as a team of 'Horse Development Specialists who are other Parelli students that are studying at Cardinal Ranch. Instruction by Canada’s Top Parelli Professional, Don Halladay, keeps the students and horses in and out of clinics all season long. Natural horsemanship is not a training method but just the way we do things with horses at Cardinal Ranch.

Our different tastes in horses makes for an eclectic herd of Cow-bred QH's, Thoroughbred or Arab crosses, Andalusian crosses, and everything in between. Buddy and Devanee can agree on the ranch-bred Quarter Horses that make up much of the Cardinal Ranch herds. We are especially fond of these horses. Devanee’s Grandfather brought his own horses North on the train from California over 40 years ago. These same bloodlines are in our herd today. Devanee’s working on Level 5 with 'Cooper', and he, as well as others on the website are 5th generation of the family ranch horses. It is not just nostalgia though. These are well bred, good minded, versatile horses that have proven themselves over and over again. Check out the video archives.

The best thing we do for our horses is finding them outstanding humans. We are doing more than just selling horses. We are match making. There is no joy in selling a horse to the wrong person. ( It is not good for business either) So we do everything we can to set it up for success.

As someone who is horse shopping, sifting through the many horses out there for sale is no easy task. Generally, the horses are on the market are not wanted for some reason. Can you take people at their word? Is the horse represented honestly? Does this horse have issues that, even the seller doesn’t know about?

We recognize that our clients are looking for their next partner for life, not a project. Fun and safety are more important than bells and whistles. We understand this and don’t take our job lightly.

At Cardinal Ranch we take some of the guess work out of buying horses. We are selling the ‘cream of the crop’ and have a long list of references who can testify to this. We (Buddy and Devanee) often sell even our personal horses that we have been developing for years. We are often asked how we can do such a thing but it is really not that difficult when the right people come along.

Our advice to every client is the following. . . “Buy the best horse you can afford. Buy a great match for you, not a project or a charity case.” However, after this, keeping the relationship going great is up to you. It is our belief that we have to take responsibility for the relationship and put everything we can into it. Understanding what makes a horse tick psychologically is just as important as meeting his physical needs.
This is one of the reasons why we have the ‘CLINIC CREDIT’ as part of our horse sales. Every purchase price includes 10% going towards future instruction with Parelli Instructor. It does make our horses appear to be more expensive but it is important to the partnership down the road so we make it a priority

Buddy and Devanee can agree on the ranch-bred Quarter Horses that make up much of the Cardinal Ranch herds. We are especially fond of these horses. Devanee’s Grandfather brought his own horses North on the train from California over 40 years ago. These same bloodlines are in our herd today. Devanee’s Level 3 horse, Cooper, and many others on the website are 5th generation of the family ranch horses.
It is not just nostalgia though. These are well bred, good minded, versatile horses that have proven themselves over and over again.