Rumble Ridge Ranch

07/18/2026

Endeavour & Caroline LaBarre showing and winning at the Colorado Horse Park.
This home bred and raised youngster is making his mark with Caroline. We are so proud of them both!

07/15/2026

Rumble Ridge - 7/14/2026
DROUGHT!
Every day is hot (97 degrees average - Carbondale yesterday was 102) The relentless wind sucks the moisture out of everything. Our wildlife are suffering.

We are putting out water trays for the birds, the bunnies, the ermine, the squirrels, chipmunks, bull snakes, and even the awful Thompson Ground Squirrels that make leg breaking holes in my pastures.

We have a family of Flickers born here, and the Western Kingbirds have a nest that I fear the high winds will knock down. Barn swallows have found a hole to nest, and the Carbondale White Hill fire (as seen from my deck) started from a lightening-strike several days ago that smoldered in to flame on Monday the 13th.

Almost all the snow is gone from Mount Sopris.

07/14/2026

7/13/2026
Equestrian Trail Clearing on Basalt Mountain

Michelle Holland tended the horses, while Susan Cuseo and Holly McLain cleared parts of Bowers Trail for safe passage.
The high country has lush green grass, and the horses were happy to have this extra feed. The severe drought, lack of irrigation water, and high winds have made our pastures crispy.

Miner's Candlestick plants were budding to bloom shortly.

We stopped at the Cattle Creek beaver pond crossing for horses to drink.

Where are the Colorado afternoon monsoon rains?

07/14/2026

Rumble Ridge Reminder -
July 18th & 19th
Working Equitation Clinic - Auditors Free!
Afternoon movies/videos in the cool barn.

WindWalkers Working Equitation Fun Day WE Competition
July 25th at WindWalkers

07/13/2026

Black Beauty

Black Beauty is a classic piece of children’s literature, but also written for adults to influence animal welfare around the world. Translated into more than 50 different languages, it was available across nearly every continent, including countries spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Because the book is a universally recognized classic, it has influenced readers internationally to have compassion for our four legged friends.

Anna’s appreciation for horses was partly born out of her own reliance on them. She injured her ankle when she was just 14, and when it failed to properly heal, she was left largely immobile. She depended on horse-drawn carts to get around. Anna grew particularly fond of her family’s horse, Bess, who likely provided the inspiration for Black Beauty years later, when she wrote it at 51 years old. She said that the purpose of her book was “to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses.”

From Black Beauty, “We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.”

Anna Sewell’s 1877 novel portrayed horses as living beings rather than machines to be used and abused. During the Victorian period, before automobiles, horse power fueled almost everything. Wars, agriculture, transportation, construction and factory work required animals to keep daily life functioning. Often animals were worked past their breaking points.

From the book Black Beauty, “We have no right to distress any of God’s creatures without a very good reason; we call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.”

Placing the reader in Black Beauty’s mind allows them to walk a mile in his horseshoes and witness the suffering he endures. Ginger and Merrylegs were two of Beauty’s horse friends. Each horse represents a powerful narrative about how humans shape the lives of animals—for better or worse—and together they embody the heart of Anna Sewell’s enduring story.

Black Beauty gets a heartwarming happy ending. After surviving severe abuse, near-fatal exhaustion, and being sold to cruel London owners, Beauty is nursed back to health. He is then purchased by three kind ladies, only to discover their groom is Joe Green is his beloved caretaker from his youth!

After Black Beauty was published, London increased their Horse and Livestock watering troughs around the city. Some had engravings from donors saying:

“May this water bring comfort and refreshment to all who pass.”

“Presented in gratitude for the loyal and loving companions who walk beside us."

"To the thirsty soul, a cup of kindness."

We are responsible for our actions towards every soul we encounter on this earth.

Be they animal or human, flower, tree, flowing water or the air we breathe, we can make a difference in the small corner of our world. Every person’s good will causes a ripple effect across humanity!

07/09/2026

From my friend Jay Merriam -
This is a common scene in Morocco and many other parts of the world. Donkeys and children bring water to their family house every day...
Over 100 million rely on working horses, donkeys and mules for family survival.
Equitarian Initiative - Sustainably improving the health and welfare of working horses, donkeys, mules, and their families around the world.
Donate to help them do their important work - https://equitarianinitiative.org/

07/09/2026

Rumble Ridge - 6/8/2026
Fun and Games
Cowgirls come in all shapes and sizes! English rider, cross over Lynn Harris roping the practice steer on Darlynn Fellman's "Buddy" (Oak).
Jagger Holland brings "Teddy" into the barn for a little spas treatment, grooming and TLC.
Then end of day at Rumble Ridge shows golden aura in afternoon light. Day lillies bloom in Carlo's garden.
Another great day with rain in our high country!

07/05/2026

Equestrians - We need a horse census head count for our valley.

We Need to Count Every Horse in the Valley

Right now, Pitkin, Eagle, and Garfield Counties have no accurate count of how many horses live in the Roaring Fork Valley.

That gap makes it hard to convince emergency agencies that horse owners here need specialized wildfire evacuation planning and First Responder training.

You can help close that gap in under 5 minutes.

Visit horsealert.org and register your horses, trailers, and property.

Every sign-up adds to a clear, valley-wide picture that we can put in front of decision-makers.

To learn more about the RFVHC go to https://wix.to/4SpzsaG

07/03/2026

HORSE ALERT

When wildfires start, there is only a short window of time to evacuate safely. We have found that Pitkin, Eagle, and Garfield Counties currently lack accurate data regarding the number of horses in the Roaring Fork Valley.

We need all Roaring Fork Valley horse owners to participate in our census to help us create a comprehensive list of horses, trailers, and owners who may require evacuation assistance during an emergency. Your participation will help demonstrate the significant number of horses in our valley.

By providing this information, we can also advocate for specialized training. Colorado Horse Rescue is prepared to host a "1st Responders Clinic" in our valley for law enforcement, EMTs, firefighters, and other emergency workers. However, we must first show governmental entities that there is a high density of horses and a clear need for this education.

Please visit https://www.horsealert.org/ to provide your information.

Thank you,

Holly McLain
Rumble Ridge
970 948 2151
[email protected]

Now serving horses in Colorado and California. We want to ensure every horse stays safe during natural disasters. We’re offering you a FREE and easy way to evacuate early and get your horses out of harm's way.

07/01/2026

MAN O'WAR 🇺🇲🐴 😁
They didn’t race him.
They unleashed him.

Man o’ War didn’t just run — he scorched the Earth beneath his hooves. A fire-blooded titan born in 1917, in the shadow of World War I, his name was no accident. He galloped like war itself — powerful, relentless, and unforgettable.

From his debut, he was a phenomenon. He won 20 of 21 starts, and in the one race he lost? He gave the field a 100-yard head start — and still nearly caught the winner.

They tried to contain him with heavy weights, with poor starts, with challengers thrown at him from every corner of the country. Nothing worked. He demolished records, stretched margins, and turned tracks into stages for his fury.

His most iconic moment?
The 1920 match race at Kenilworth Park against Triple Crown winner Sir Barton — the best of the best. But it wasn’t a duel. It was a coronation. Man o’ War galloped away like a crimson tempest, leaving Sir Barton trailing in awe.

And yet… they retired him early. Why?
Because there was no one left to beat.

In the decades that followed, he became a legend at Faraway Farm, greeting thousands of visitors. Veterans bowed to him. Children gasped at him. Even those who never saw him remembered the name like scripture.

He didn’t need the Triple Crown.
He didn’t need approval.
He was the standard.

To this day, Man o’ War remains the flame that lit American racing’s soul — and every time a great horse hits the track, his shadow gallops beside them🐎