“SuzAnne really leads by example with her horse, Power. She told me at one point that she felt that Power was her soul mate, and it made me realize that we weren’t just riding horses, we were part of a team with them.”
Katrina Flower, Madison, Wisconsin
Nothing compares to sailing through the mountains and forests aboard a sure- footed, smooth-gaited horse in peak athletic condition!
Dunrovin’s Tennessee Walking Horses –
- Superb athletes
- Veteran trail mounts
- Trained by professionals between guest visits to condition body and mind and ensure responsiveness
- More than able to meet any challenge presented by the most experienced of riders
- Yet gentle and well trained enough to accommodate beginners.
Dunrovin stresses hands-on horsemanship. You will be paired with the same horse for your entire stay, so you’ll get to know each other and become a team. You don’t need riding experience. You do need to be fairly athletic and have a sense of adventure. If you are a rider, we’ll help you become better.
Here are some of Dunrovin's horses...
Mickey really does remind you of that famous mouse by the name “Mickey.” Our Mickey is the “class clown” with lots of energy and a chipper disposition. Mickey and Francine Betat, Vallée d'Ossau, France, relax after a day’s ride.
Monty (Montana’s Strolling Joe Genius) is the golden retriever of the horse world – ever ready to please, always looking for an adventure, would curl up in your lap if he weren’t so big – and handsome to boot! Here is Monty showing off his comfortable Fred Hook saddle.
Power lives up to his name. He is Dunrovin’s lead horse both on the trail and in the pastures. He and SuzAnne have covered thousands of miles together, including endurance races. Power never objects to SuzAnne hanging things off his saddle – like this deer skull she wanted for the garden!
Annie is unable to carry a rider because of a knee injury, but she carries wonderful foals! She is a terrific mom, tolerant of human intrusions like imprinting, but vigilant with all four-legged creatures. She is the typecast dominant mare. Here she guards a foal, only hours old in this picture.
Lady Lonza is simply a stunningly beautiful horse. She was born on SuzAnne’s dad’s birthday and named in his honor – his middle name was Lonzo. With a Champaign colored coat and a big, strong body Lady Lonza draws all eyes to her. She is the queen and demands respect and obedience from all the boys who share her pasture. She takes no prisoners! Her gentle side emerges when she has a foal at her side - which is right now!
Flash is the “ladies man” of Dunrovin – a smooth operator and a total flirt who has captured the hearts of a number of local riders who compete to fill his dance card. He’ll win your heart with his quick feet, good manners, and loving eyes.
Charger’s registered name is Bud’s Whitewashed Charger. His whitewashed markings defy description – some call him a blue roan, while others call him a paint. Whatever his color, he is a fantastic mountain horse with lots of go and lots of experience – including field trials with hunting dogs.
Chief considers himself just that – chief of all he surveys! He lets the other boys in the pasture know of his presence; but halter him up for a ride and he is all yours. He adores people! Chief is a great partner for any rider. He is responsive, athletic, kind, and unafraid. Once you know him, you too are ready to follow Chief.
While Whiskey is a great name for a western horse, this guy belongs more in a gentlemen’s club than a western saloon. Perhaps Dubonet might have been a better name to capture his beautiful red coat and his kind, refined, and gentlemanly manners. While having lots of energy and desire to go, Whiskey has a soft, calm nature that puts his rider immediately at ease.
Cool Dude is exactly that – one cool dude for youngsters just getting their first taste of horses. He has received the loving attention of many of child and taught them the joy of horsemanship. Dude and our donkey are the only non Tennessee Walking Horse equines on the ranch. Dude demonstrates his endless patience with young riders.
Smokey Smoke will definitely get in your eyes when they land on our BIG boy, Smokey. What a handsome, kind, and gentle giant! He came to Dunrovin via a friend who shared many happy trails with SuzAnne and Power. Smokey loves an adventure; he eagerly carries his rider down the trail, through the forests, up the mountains, and across the rivers.
Martine’s Latin name betrays the fact that he is not a Tennessee Walking Horse but a Peruvian Paso. Martine is Dunrovin Ranch’s rescue horse. Early in his live, Martine developed ring bone which made him unsuitable for long, strenuous rides. He was on his way to the stockyard sales when he was rescued and eventually found his way to Dunrovin.
Dandy found not only a new home, but a new name at Dunrovin. SuzAnne’s father always used the term dandy to describe just about everything he liked – dandy weather, dandy friends, dandy place. SuzAnne knew her dad would have liked this horse, so she named him Dandy. He got just about everything you could want in a horse: a terrific, smooth gait and a friendly disposition. Truly a dandy horse!
Rocket I’m not the man they think I am – Oh, No, I’m the Rocket Man! Only in this horse’s dreams is he the rocket man! This gentle, beautiful, young horse could better wear the name Goofy – he’s loves to play with fellow equines, humans, or the ranch dog, Jewel. He has an infectious happiness about him as well as being a wonderful, smooth, and fast ride.
Romeo Who couldn’t love this Romeo all dressed up for the Christmas party? This handsome guy arrived at the ranch with a different name – one we didn’t particularly like. Juliette, one of our Equestrian Club members was here to greet the new horse and immediately feel in love with him – hence the name Romeo. He wears his new name like a badge of honor – all who come in contact with him do, indeed, fall in love!
Senor Kona is a Sicilian (miniature) donkey with a big honk and an even bigger ego. He’s well known in Lolo for accompanying SuzAnne to the post office and appearing in holiday costume at the Lolo School. Senor Kona recently distinguished himself by winning first place in the commercial division in the 2007 University of Montana Homecoming parade. He lead a group of less than distinguished Dunrovin Dudettes in a less then precise drill team of "Pooper Scoopers."
Jewel is indeed the Jewel of Dunrovin. She came to us from the Western Montana Humane Society. Jewel is every ready to fetch a stick from the river, sweep the trails of grouse so the horses don’t spook, or play with visitors – both human and canine. She’s simply irresistible!
“SuzAnne’s ability to work with her horses is a gift that is a pleasure to observe.”
Teri Palmer, Helena, Montana
While many Europeans have family crests and shields, many Montana families have brands. Montana author Ivan Doig said, "Brands are the classical language of the American West.”
Brands are issued to livestock owners by the Montana Department of Livestock. They are specific to species and location on the animal. Dunrovin’s brand is an equine, right shoulder brand consisting of a “lazy D” with a “hanging R.”
We freeze-brand our horses. This involves shaving a patch of hair from the right shoulder, giving the horse a local anesthetic, and applying a branding iron that has been frozen in liquid nitrogen. The iron kills the color in the hair follicles so the hair is made permanently white.
Why do we brand our horses?
• To reduce the risk of a horse being stolen and resold -- branded horses cannot be sold without a brand inspection.
• To identify our horses so if a horse breaks free from its rider in the backcountry and becomes lost, someone who finds it can trace the brand back to Dunrovin.
“Talk about riding on air!”
Sue Brooks, Helena, Montana
They say that “to ride a Tennessee Walker is to own a Tennessee Walker.” That’s how exceptional the breed is.
Tennessee Walking Horses are internationally known for their fast, smooth gaits and pleasing, people-loving dispositions. Western trail riders know that it almost impossible to mix Tennessee Walking Horses with other “non-gaited” horses on the trail – Walkers simply leave other breeds in the dust.
Tennessee Walkers perform three distinct gaits –
The flat walk is a brisk, four-beat, long-reaching walk that can cover from 4 to 8 miles per hour. The horse glides over the track left by the front foot with his hind foot: right rear over right front, left rear over left front. The action of the back foot slipping over the front track is known as “overstride,” and is unique to the Tennessee Walking Horse. You experience “riding the glide.”
The running walk is an extra-smooth, gliding gait that is basically the same as the flat walk but faster: 10 to 20 miles per hour. This gait is an inherited, natural gait unique to Tennessee Walkers, the gait for which the breed is most famous. As the speed is increased, the horse over-steps the front track with the back foot by a distance of 6 to 18 inches, creating a motion that gives the rider a feeling of gliding through the air. Tennessee Walking Horses nod their heads while performing the running walk. Many Tennessee Walking Horses are also able to perform the rack, stepping pace, fox-trot, single-foot, and other variations of the famous running walk.
The canter is a collected gallop, like the canter or lope of other breeds except that Tennessee Walking Horses seem to have a more relaxed way of performing the canter. They lift the front end, giving an easy rise and fall motion much like a rocking chair. Often called the "rocking-chair" gait.
