Alibi

Alibi was born in 2004 and came to Centaur when he was six. Alibi is a great horse for learning on. In the barn, he teaches kids to be loving, gentle and to open up to what he is trying to communicate to you. This means listening to and respecting his body language.

Alibi is a kind horse when you get to know him, he loves his scratches behind the ears. In the ring, his bouncy and energetic trot helps for teaching a great sitting trot. He is always up for jumping and he is very good at it too. The people that listen to and respect Alibi tend to get the best out of him!

Belle

Belle is our second oldest school horse, but she doesn’t let her age hold her back. This sweet mare has taught hundreds of students throughout her career, and will continue to teach many. In her younger years, she won many, many competitions with different riders. She even placed 7th in Canada in her division at the Canadian Dressage Championships, ridden by a Centaur student.

She takes care of her riders and is very patient, especially with our youngest riders. Belle is gentle in the barn, and loves neck scratches. She is best friends with one of our other school horses, Onyx, and they often wait for each other at the gate. Belle is a forward moving horse, teaching our students the importance of a half-halt.

Braveheart

Braveheart is a spirited bay pony with lots of excitement. He has a bouncy trot and teaches riders to work on their sitting trot and to be steady in the saddle. He’s such an affectionate pony and is very easy to create a bond with.

Braveheart is amazing with join-up and will follow you around whenever he gets the chance. He is a talkative pony and loves to greet everyone. We love using him for learning in the barn mostly because of his kind nature and he is small enough for the kids. This energetic pony will steal your heart with no hesitation.

Champion

Champion, also known as Champ, is a beautiful Canadian bay gelding. Champ is Centaur’s oldest horse born in 1989. He has been at Centaur since the age of 5, bringing his joy to everyone. In his younger days, Champion was definitely a Champion. He competed in many shows for many years, coming in as Reserve Champion in Ontario one year in the Silver Dressage ring.

He loves kids and kids love Champ! He can be brushed for hours in the crossties because he falls asleep most of the time. He loves affection from anyone; this social horse is always up for interaction and grooming. For an older horse, he still does a great job teaching kids how to ride, he’s great with our mini equestrian riders, is still a great mover and loves to go for a trot around the arena. He is always ready to go.

Cocoa

Cocoa is a kind pony whose favourite pastime is playing with zippers. He is an affectionate little man, always nuzzling his riders and making sure the rider feels loved. Due to his gentle nature and his easy going personality, he often helps us teach in-barn lessons, such as how to tack up, and groom.

Not only is he friendly to people, but he is very kind towards other horses. He is often the first friend new horses make when they first arrive at Centaur. He loves carrying our youngest riders in the “Mini Lessons” and enjoys going on trail rides in our woods.

Grace

Grace is another one of our beautiful mares, a lovely grey pony born in 2005 who arrived at Centaur in 2011. She is a great teacher for riding, lunging, jumping and keeping everyone on their feet to keep her clean. She has taken many riders to shows, and some riders their first shows and has given them a great experience.

Grace is a favourite for most and it’s very obvious why, her cute little face could steal anyone’s heart and it normally does. We always love her in day camps and in lessons since she is amazing with kids.

Ranger

Ranger is one of Centaur’s best horses for learning. He teaches kids to stay focused, become stronger riders and never quit trying. Ranger has been at Centaur since 2006, continuing to teach beginner riders the basics of riding. This kind-hearted horse is always excited to see people, he loves scratches, especially because he always has an itchy spot.

Ranger is a very well behaved horse. It’s rare for him to ever spook making him a solid horse to work with. He is calm and patient when tacking up, is great for teaching leg yielding and is excellent around small children. Ranger came to Centaur in a roundabout way. He arrived with a large shipment of horses from Alberta, during their drought. They couldn’t feed their horses so many were shipped across the country. And we’re glad he found a home with us!

Onyx

Onyx is a beautiful black mare, she is the third oldest horse on the farm, born in 1991. Onyx is a caring horse and is great for teaching new riders to be gentle when riding and doing in-barn activities. Onyx was very spirited back in her day, she competed in many shows and won many titles as well.

She has always been an amazing horse with kids teaching many of them how to ride and for most of the kids she was the first horse they cantered on and that is a memorable experience for all riders. Nowadays Onyx spends her time in the oldies field alongside her best friend Belle as well as Champion and Cardinal.

Margo

Margo is our big beautiful Clydesdale/TB cross. Margo is a horse with spirit. When you get to know Margo you’ll begin to understand just how sweet this gorgeous mare really is. Just like all other horses you have to listen to her body language and understand what she is trying to tell you. She is a safe quiet horse for beginners, yet talented for the bigger shows (she represented Centaur twice at the Saugerties Dressage-4-Kids show, both times helping the Team achieve wonderful results, (our Teams placed 2nd in 2014 and 4th in 2018, out of 65+ teams).

One day she can be seen competing in the Silver Dressage ring or over fences with students, and the next day she carries little children, so gently, in daycamps.

Jewel

Jewell is a playful pony who is always looking for ways to make people smile. This cheeky pony has lived at Centaur since 2005, and has been a barn favourite ever since. With her loving personality and adorable looks, she has brought many riders to shows, often winning Champion.

Jewell is an easy horse to handle both on the ground and under saddle, always taking care of her rider, but still pushing them in just the right way. Jewell is a kind teacher, teaching important lessons, but in a very careful way. This sweetheart is a lovely pony to ride, many have had the luxury of learning to ride on her, and she looks forward to teaching many more.

Wisteria

Wisteria, also known as Wisty, is a beautiful tall grey mare. She’s a gentle giant. She loves any kind of attention that she can get from her rider. She loves to be brushed and is very patient in the crossties. Wisty loves to go on a hack in the woods. She always takes care of her rider, from the ground and up on the horse.

Wisty is a horse that can teach you a lot when you ride. You learn to be steady and calm, especially with her big stride at the trot. She teaches you to have a better connection with your hand and have a quiet seat.

Feyra

Feyra or “Pony” is one of Centaur’s younger school horses. She’s an adorable pony with fun and unique markings. Feyra has a silly personality in the barn. She adores naps and isn’t thrilled when woken up. Feyra is photogenic and poses when you point a camera at her. She’s patient when being brushed and adores face scratches. She’s clever and loves to do join up and free jump. Under saddle she’s a smart cookie and very willing to work and learn.

Feyra is incredibly nice to ride and has become quite forgiving for the younger riders. She’s a cute little dressage pony and also has a love for jumping. In 2019 she won reserve champion across Canada in the National Dressage Pony Cup at Introductory level. She’s a pleasure to be around as well as ride.

Lola

Lola is a newer addition to the Centaur family. She’s currently learning how to be a school horse. A Feyra look-alike, they often get confused from far away in the field, although Lola is much bigger than little Feyra. Lola is an underrated sweetheart with a soft, sweet personality. She can get nervous at times but tries her best for her rider.

She adores scratches behind her ears. Lola is a funny character under saddle, starting out very quick and energetic but by the end of a ride she tends to be quite lazy and slow. Lola is a true sweetheart who is lesser known among the school horses.

Sunora

Sunora is the smallest pony at Centaur. She’s recognizable with her funny colour and Mohawk mane. Sunora is a cheeky pony who tests her rider. She loves neck scratches and join up. Sunora is a friendly face in the barn with an easily recognizable nicker that she greets people with.

She’s the perfect size for the smaller riders with just the right amount of sass to keep riders on their toes and coaches entertained. Sunora is incredibly sweet and patient in the barn, and is a favourite to get dressed up for special occasions and has the perfect temperament for fun outings. Sunora is loved among Centaur’s students as her adorable face is impossible to resist.

Rocky Raccoon

Rocky is one of the ‘Fancies’. He was born at Centaur in 2002, sold as a 4 year-old, and bought back in the spring of 2018. In 2017 he was the Ontario Silver Champion at Fourth level. He is teaching many students the fancier dressage moves. In 2019 he brought an Ontario Championship award to a young Centaur rider, and he likely will continue teaching more advanced riders for many years, given his good genes. His dam (mother) is Onyx, who is still in the school teaching at 28 years of age.