We call ourselves the "crook crew"
We call ourselves the "Crook Crew", and no, that doesn't mean we're a ragtag band of bank robbers, Crook is our last name, and the "Crew" is our little family of five. I'm Amanda, my husband is John, our oldest daughter (pictured above) is Evelyn, and our twins are Grayson and Lydia.
We haven't been a horse family for long. This is a new venture for us starting only in 2019. Up until now, we've been known as the "dog people". This is because we're the owners of Pawtropolis. I started Pawtropolis straight out of college in 2001. Since then, not only has my family grown, but so has Pawtropolis. We now have two Athens locations, and land purchased in the Bethlehem Exchange to build our third. Thanks to the most amazing management team, I have the freedom to pursue my other interest in horses.
Keep reading below for how it all got started.
We haven't been a horse family for long. This is a new venture for us starting only in 2019. Up until now, we've been known as the "dog people". This is because we're the owners of Pawtropolis. I started Pawtropolis straight out of college in 2001. Since then, not only has my family grown, but so has Pawtropolis. We now have two Athens locations, and land purchased in the Bethlehem Exchange to build our third. Thanks to the most amazing management team, I have the freedom to pursue my other interest in horses.
Keep reading below for how it all got started.
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How it all started
This picture was taken at Cloud 9 Ranch, where horsemanship is valued higher than just being a good rider.
It started during my daughter's first horse camp in 2017. I saw an ad in a magazine for a camp at a local barn. My little girl self would have loved to go to horse camp. As soon as I told Evelyn, she was onboard. What was supposed to be a quick drop-off in the morning, turned into me standing in the middle of a group of campers, learning right along with them. Each morning, I waited until it became awkward being the oldest one in camp by 30 years before leaving. I had typical kid dreams of owning a horse. In my “All About Me” book from when I was 7, I listed that I wanted to be a “horse trainer” when I grew up. Having a horse hobby wasn’t in the budget for our family, so when that dreamed passed, and I moved on to my next hobby...dog training (we all know how that story ends...Pawtropolis).
After another summer, and another horse camp for Evelyn, I decided to take lessons myself. I was to “catch” my horse from the paddock, bring straight in to groom and saddle, then head to the arena for a 45 minute lesson. Next, un-tack, brush, and then walk the horse back to the paddock. I definitely needed to learn how to ride, but I wanted more. I wanted to spend time with the horse. I wanted to teach it, to have it excited when I came to the paddock; I wanted to build a relationship. This was a novel idea at a barn whose focus was on competitive horseback riding and jumping. As I watched my daughter take lessons, and as I took lessons, I realized that I didn’t want us to become horse “riders”, I wanted us to become “horsemen”, and I knew that couldn’t be done in a 1-hour riding lesson. Don't get me wrong, the place was amazing and the people were talented and kind, it just wasn't what I was looking for.
Finally having the time and the financial resources to own a horse, we went on the search. Everyone kept asking me, "What discipline do you want to do?" I kind of felt naïve saying my answer. "Um, we just want a horse that we can build a relationship with and add to our family for the rest of his or her life." Did people even do that? I found myself fumbling over my words as I explained what I wanted. Needless to say, it all worked out in the end. We found an amazing horse that was being looked over. People were looking for competitive horses and since Athena didn't have a strong drive, nor the potential for high jumps, they would move on, however, to us, she was perfect. That's how Athena joined our family on September 10, 2019.
After another summer, and another horse camp for Evelyn, I decided to take lessons myself. I was to “catch” my horse from the paddock, bring straight in to groom and saddle, then head to the arena for a 45 minute lesson. Next, un-tack, brush, and then walk the horse back to the paddock. I definitely needed to learn how to ride, but I wanted more. I wanted to spend time with the horse. I wanted to teach it, to have it excited when I came to the paddock; I wanted to build a relationship. This was a novel idea at a barn whose focus was on competitive horseback riding and jumping. As I watched my daughter take lessons, and as I took lessons, I realized that I didn’t want us to become horse “riders”, I wanted us to become “horsemen”, and I knew that couldn’t be done in a 1-hour riding lesson. Don't get me wrong, the place was amazing and the people were talented and kind, it just wasn't what I was looking for.
Finally having the time and the financial resources to own a horse, we went on the search. Everyone kept asking me, "What discipline do you want to do?" I kind of felt naïve saying my answer. "Um, we just want a horse that we can build a relationship with and add to our family for the rest of his or her life." Did people even do that? I found myself fumbling over my words as I explained what I wanted. Needless to say, it all worked out in the end. We found an amazing horse that was being looked over. People were looking for competitive horses and since Athena didn't have a strong drive, nor the potential for high jumps, they would move on, however, to us, she was perfect. That's how Athena joined our family on September 10, 2019.
Athena Comes Home
Taken during Athena's first week with us.
The plan? To have Athena board at a local barn. There are so many wonderful options in and near Athens. We visited many, looked at web pages, got recommendations, etc. I decided to go with the barn that was the closest to our home. My relationship with Athena began.
As I did with dogs (hence Pawtropolis and my dog training philosophy), I began to learn as much as I could to help Athena become a “well-balanced” horse. The idea with dogs is that you have to address all areas of their lives in order for them to well-balanced: mental stimulation, physical activity, and emotional awareness (how to react in varying environments and with a variety of situations). This is true for all animals, including horses. These areas of life are naturally provided in a wild horse environment; I wondered, "Could we learn to better care for our domesticated horses by looking to the wild?"
Fortunately, there was someone already looking for that answer, Jaime Jackson. He studied wild horses for years, where they walk, how much they walk, what they eat, how much they eat, how healthy they are, what their hooves look like, etc. How could they travel miles over a variety of terrain without metal shoes? How can their hooves be so healthy without regular visits from a farrier? How can they meet their nutritional needs living in an arid mid-western environment? The biggest question of all? How could we replicate the positives of the wild horse environment while keeping our horses safe and close to us? The answer...using a track system. Jaime calls this method "Paddock Paradise".
One of the main behaviors a horse needs to be well-balanced is movement. Movement is probably the #1 behavior that gets the most limited in the domestic horse environment. The intro to Jaime Jackson’s book “Paddock Paradise” starts with this dedication, “To all horses everywhere who suffer the injustices of unnatural confinement...please enter Paddock Paradise.” Read the quote below from his book and join me as I create a paddock paradise for Athena and any horse lucky enough to be part of her herd.
As I did with dogs (hence Pawtropolis and my dog training philosophy), I began to learn as much as I could to help Athena become a “well-balanced” horse. The idea with dogs is that you have to address all areas of their lives in order for them to well-balanced: mental stimulation, physical activity, and emotional awareness (how to react in varying environments and with a variety of situations). This is true for all animals, including horses. These areas of life are naturally provided in a wild horse environment; I wondered, "Could we learn to better care for our domesticated horses by looking to the wild?"
Fortunately, there was someone already looking for that answer, Jaime Jackson. He studied wild horses for years, where they walk, how much they walk, what they eat, how much they eat, how healthy they are, what their hooves look like, etc. How could they travel miles over a variety of terrain without metal shoes? How can their hooves be so healthy without regular visits from a farrier? How can they meet their nutritional needs living in an arid mid-western environment? The biggest question of all? How could we replicate the positives of the wild horse environment while keeping our horses safe and close to us? The answer...using a track system. Jaime calls this method "Paddock Paradise".
One of the main behaviors a horse needs to be well-balanced is movement. Movement is probably the #1 behavior that gets the most limited in the domestic horse environment. The intro to Jaime Jackson’s book “Paddock Paradise” starts with this dedication, “To all horses everywhere who suffer the injustices of unnatural confinement...please enter Paddock Paradise.” Read the quote below from his book and join me as I create a paddock paradise for Athena and any horse lucky enough to be part of her herd.
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“Unnatural systems of boarding (e.g., close confinement, green pastures and diet)...undermine our efforts to shape and stimulate sound, naturally shaped hooves. (These) systems also are not conducive to healthy and sound bodies and minds. (Though being) animals of prey, we have in our ignorance created systems of confinement that are actually suitable for animals of predation....(these) living conditions imperil the horse, turning him into a lazy, neurotic, and weakened paradox of his natural self...He naturally must be free to move constantly, and everything depends on it for his mental and physical well-being and soundness.” -Jaime Jackson
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Click on the book image for purchasing options through Amazon.
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After learning about this method, my only choice was to start my search for land...and that's how Wild Meadows came into being.
