This is a testimonial from our dear friends and loyal boarders, Carol and Ken Everingham.
Almost a year ago, my husband gave me a gift for Christmas – my very own horse, Ike! We had done research on a place to board Ike, thinking it would be temporary while we made arrangements to bring him home. We found one close to home (Baese Acres/Fish Creek Farm), and it was the best decision we've ever made! The facilities are the best, always kept clean and the paddocks dragged often, so it always looks like a picture book farm. The acres and acres of trails that are available for riding are great, too. When the weather's not cooperating, there's a big arena to ride indoors. A farrier is brought to the farm approximately every 8 weeks who is very reasonable and extremely knowledgeable! There's no need to transport your horse anywhere for shoes or trimming.
This has all been a learning experience for us and in the capable hands of Ian and Don, we're coming right along. The knowledge that we've gained from them is invaluable. Even though we had both had experience riding horses when we were children, it was a long time ago and the decisions that had to be made sort of took us by surprise - what kind of bit, bridle, saddle, saddle size, etc. Ian and Don helped us every step of the way with everything. When Ian noticed one night that our horse was writhing in pain on the ground in the rain, unable to get up, Ian gave him some medication, got him up and moving around, and checked on him through the night. Don kept in touch with us to let us know how Ike was doing. It was a scary time for us but Ian and Don took care of everything for us.
When it became painfully apparent that I wasn't an experienced enough rider for Ike and it wasn't much fun riding alone, Ian and Don helped us find him a wonderful home (actually, the farrier bought him!). Thankfully, we found two new horses, Jake and Jessie, so that my husband and I could ride together. When we got them, both horses were very overweight which caused problems with their feet and caused them to limp. Ian planned their diet even before they arrived on the farm. Don measured them so that we could track their weight loss progress and the farrier worked to get their feet in shape. There were many phone calls back and forth between the farrier and Don, and things started getting better and better. Ian, the eternal optimist, kept our spirits up until finally things started looking up and we were able to ride. The horses need to get in shape and there are a few behavioral problems, but Ian, his friend Ashley, and Don are working with us on that. Since they have the large indoor arena (that actually has salt brine in the sand so it doesn't freeze in the winter), we will be able to work on ground work so that by next spring we'll have the dream horses we know they can be!
With the great care the horses get, the trails for riding, the indoor arena, and the piece of mind that comes with having Ian and Don taking care of our horses, there's no need to ever take the horses anywhere else! Our "temporary" boarding facility has become a permanent "home" for Jake and Jessie. Not only have we found a great place to board our horses and a fantastic place to ride them, we've been introduced into a new world with some great people through Don's 4-H club and Ian's many friends. Ian is now giving lessons to our granddaughter who is having the time of her life discovering horses. Ian and Don are so much more than the people who take care of our horses – they've become great friends.
Almost a year ago, my husband gave me a gift for Christmas – my very own horse, Ike! We had done research on a place to board Ike, thinking it would be temporary while we made arrangements to bring him home. We found one close to home (Baese Acres/Fish Creek Farm), and it was the best decision we've ever made! The facilities are the best, always kept clean and the paddocks dragged often, so it always looks like a picture book farm. The acres and acres of trails that are available for riding are great, too. When the weather's not cooperating, there's a big arena to ride indoors. A farrier is brought to the farm approximately every 8 weeks who is very reasonable and extremely knowledgeable! There's no need to transport your horse anywhere for shoes or trimming.
This has all been a learning experience for us and in the capable hands of Ian and Don, we're coming right along. The knowledge that we've gained from them is invaluable. Even though we had both had experience riding horses when we were children, it was a long time ago and the decisions that had to be made sort of took us by surprise - what kind of bit, bridle, saddle, saddle size, etc. Ian and Don helped us every step of the way with everything. When Ian noticed one night that our horse was writhing in pain on the ground in the rain, unable to get up, Ian gave him some medication, got him up and moving around, and checked on him through the night. Don kept in touch with us to let us know how Ike was doing. It was a scary time for us but Ian and Don took care of everything for us.
When it became painfully apparent that I wasn't an experienced enough rider for Ike and it wasn't much fun riding alone, Ian and Don helped us find him a wonderful home (actually, the farrier bought him!). Thankfully, we found two new horses, Jake and Jessie, so that my husband and I could ride together. When we got them, both horses were very overweight which caused problems with their feet and caused them to limp. Ian planned their diet even before they arrived on the farm. Don measured them so that we could track their weight loss progress and the farrier worked to get their feet in shape. There were many phone calls back and forth between the farrier and Don, and things started getting better and better. Ian, the eternal optimist, kept our spirits up until finally things started looking up and we were able to ride. The horses need to get in shape and there are a few behavioral problems, but Ian, his friend Ashley, and Don are working with us on that. Since they have the large indoor arena (that actually has salt brine in the sand so it doesn't freeze in the winter), we will be able to work on ground work so that by next spring we'll have the dream horses we know they can be!
With the great care the horses get, the trails for riding, the indoor arena, and the piece of mind that comes with having Ian and Don taking care of our horses, there's no need to ever take the horses anywhere else! Our "temporary" boarding facility has become a permanent "home" for Jake and Jessie. Not only have we found a great place to board our horses and a fantastic place to ride them, we've been introduced into a new world with some great people through Don's 4-H club and Ian's many friends. Ian is now giving lessons to our granddaughter who is having the time of her life discovering horses. Ian and Don are so much more than the people who take care of our horses – they've become great friends.
Your Name = Kathy Reterstorf
Your Email:xxx
dress<- THIS GOES IN TESTIMONIALS PLEASE
I Bought a two-year old gelding from Fish Creek Farm at the beggining of the year in 2007. For a two year old, Prince was already quite and calm as can be! He was bomb-proof from pretty much everything. He was also started under saddle a little bit. Prince has turned out to be the sweetest horse I have ever known. I am very pleased with what they do with thier horses, and how they treat them. This is a good farm!
*** Update on Prince, he is now showing lower level dressage, jumping/eventing VERY succesfully. Congrats Kathy, we look forward to hearing more of your success with such a wonderful guy!***
Your Email:xxx
dress<- THIS GOES IN TESTIMONIALS PLEASE
I Bought a two-year old gelding from Fish Creek Farm at the beggining of the year in 2007. For a two year old, Prince was already quite and calm as can be! He was bomb-proof from pretty much everything. He was also started under saddle a little bit. Prince has turned out to be the sweetest horse I have ever known. I am very pleased with what they do with thier horses, and how they treat them. This is a good farm!
*** Update on Prince, he is now showing lower level dressage, jumping/eventing VERY succesfully. Congrats Kathy, we look forward to hearing more of your success with such a wonderful guy!***
Linda&Apple
I met Don and his son, Ian, in the early fall of 2009 when I began taking Dressage lessons with Ian and his horse Baron. As I learned more about Baron and how he was before Ian and his dad worked with him, I knew I needed to learn more about this Natural Horsemanship method of training, as the horse I was on was a perfect gentleman, willing and yet forgiving. Before long, Don was demonstrating these methods with different horses for me after my lessons. I was so impressed, as he made it look so easy and the horses were always calm and responsive! So far, I've had Don work with my 5 yr old Rocky Mountain mare, as well as my 2 yr old Friesian filly. I took my RM mare to him for a 1 hour lesson. She was struggling with backing up and flexing. Within minutes, she was responsive and I learned for the first time myself how valuable and easy these methods really are! I just brought my Friesian Filly, Apple, home from 30 days at Don's farm. Unless you were there to see what I went through with delivering her to his farm, you wouldn't be able to appreciate how PLEASED I am with her outcome!!! Let's just say it was a traveling nightmare that left my trailer in the repair shop and me a nervous wreck! Apple is a wonderful filly, loving and willing to please, but she didn't understand "my space". She was also impatient and didn't like being alone and would expressed it with banging her front feet! Apple is now calm and patient when traveling and now has a great foundation upon which we can build from here! Don is very calm, patient, and yet, he has the firmness to make it known their misbehavior won't be tolerated. Not only was my horse's progress important to him, but my learning experience was important as well, which is key to making it work between horse and owner...few trainers care about this! Don's farm is clean, organized, and his horses are well taken care of with the proper care/attention and nutrition they deserve. I would HIGHLY recommend Don Baese to work with anyone's horse, whether it be a pony or a highly valuable performance horse. Before long, I will be sending him my other Friesian Filly and look forward to her progress as well. Through Don's training, I've learned that everything can be a lesson and that it's an ongoing learning process for both horse and owner that doesn't stop after 30 days at his farm! Don is extremely knowledgeable of horses and increases his knowledge in training continuously. His presence/demeanor is perfect for working with animals and people.
Linda Snyder, Windy Hill Acres, Greenville MI
Linda Snyder, Windy Hill Acres, Greenville MI