First Things First

Greeting from Northwest Montana. I share my life in one of the most beautiful parts of the country with my husband and best friend, Tom, 5 beloved horses, 3 wonderful dogs and the most recent addition to the family, a rescued cat from the shelter. My horse habit began at a very young age of about 5 years old, back in the foothills of Connecticut. By the time I was 8, I joined the local Pony Club and stayed with it through my C rating. At that time I went on to ride, train and successfully show with various trainers in the hunter/jumper circuit. I eventually ended up in Montana after deciding to attend college in the West and this is where I have stayed ever since.

Tom has his own history with horses, having had a successful Lippitt Morgan breeding program for several years. He also happens to be the farrier around Acer Farm and he has even been known to start a colt or two pretty darn nicely. He has an unending list of hobbies but his favorite is Horseback Archery whichh is fashioned after the traditions of the ancient Huns. This is the fastest growing sport in Europe and he trains throughout the year for the opportunity to compete 2-3 times a year. For more information about this sport, www.horsebackarchery.com and www.horsebackarcheryusa.com.


The horses at Acer Farm are a mixed bag of breeds. Barbs, etc will take you along with my experiences with horses , training, and everday life here with our remuda, but more specifically I hope to bring you along with my adventures of pursuing a long time dream of riding and competing in endurance with my barb stallion, known as El Gato Rojo JB, aka JB. We acquired this horse from Robert and Louise Painter of Quien Sabe Ranch in Midvale, Idaho. www.originalhorses.org . Someday I hope to have a couple more of these wonderful horses but at this this time, our little 5 acres is full and we just can't part with the others.

So after my background with thoroughbreds and Tom's background in Morgans, how in the world did we come to the Barb horse? Stay tuned for that story and the interesting history of the Barb horse.

Jonna