Rugar - “JB’s Blue Boy”
My first partner, forever teacher, and the original member of our herd.
Roog is a 2006 registered Paint gelding and the horse who started it all. I adopted him as my first horse for $500 from a local Northern California rescue just after graduating high school in 2015, and we’ve been together for more than a decade now. Sensitive, smart, introverted, and deeply expressive, Roog has taught me more about trust, patience, and connection than any clinic or course ever could.
He’s the reason I fell in love with training. Not to make horses do things, but to help them feel safe, confident, and seen. Everything I’ve built with Groundwork Collective traces back to him. We’ve grown up together in many ways, and I owe so much of my horsemanship philosophy to the lessons he’s taught me, again and again.
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Roog was my go-to trail partner for many years. We’ve logged countless miles together across the high desert, mountain trails, and winding forest roads in multiple states. While he can be spooky and quick to react, he’s also confident, watchful, and thoughtful in how he processes new environments.
He still enjoys a slow loop around the property, a good ride with friends, or simply being a steady babysitter out in the pasture. These days, he’s semi-retired and only goes out when he’s feeling up to it, but he still moves with the same steady rhythm and predictability that made him a solid partner for so many miles.
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Roog was the first horse I ever truly trained, which means he carries a few quirks that reflect the mistakes I made early on. Before I understood how to communicate clearly with him instead of just holding him back all the time, I rode in ways that created confusion, tension, and a lot of trial and error, for both of us. I used to fall off constantly. But Roog kept showing up, and so did I.
It wasn’t until 2019 that things really started to shift. That was the year we began working with a trainer, and my world opened. I met Mike Chappell of Chappell Equine Services, and for the first time, someone taught me groundwork, not just how to ride, but how to connect on the ground, build a language together, and slow down enough to truly listen.
Roog is naturally fast, with a ton of forward energy. Riding him has always been about slowing things down, helping him regulate, and helping myself stay calm and intentional in the process. He lives on the higher end of the energy spectrum, and learning to ride and handle that well has made me a better horsewoman.
These days, he doesn’t do much formal training, but he still steps in occasionally for groundwork demonstrations or to teach students about timing, energy, and feel. When he’s used in lessons, it’s only with riders who have solid balance and are at an intermediate or advanced level. He continues to be one of my most important teachers.
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Roog isn’t just a horse I trained, he’s the horse who changed the course of my life. We’ve been through so many chapters together, from those first shaky rides full of mistakes and stubbornness, to long trail miles, quiet conversations at the gate, and the moment I realized I wanted to build something bigger than myself.
He taught me to listen. To slow down. To train through relationship, not reaction. Every horse I’ve worked with since carries a piece of what Roog taught me, sometimes painfully, always honestly.
In 2022, I rode him down the aisle on my wedding day. I was so nervous I could barely breathe, but the second I swung a leg over him, my anxiety settled. I’ve spent years learning how to regulate my nervous system on him because we’re both a little anxious by nature. He knows. He always knows.
These days, his pace is slower, but his presence is just as important. He lives turned out with the herd, gets regular bodywork and gentle care, and is invited, not expected—to participate. When he chooses to show up, it’s always with something to say. He reminds me every day why I do this work, and who I learned it from first.
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Roog used to be the dominant gelding, and he carried that role with presence and confidence. These days, as he ages, he’s less concerned with being in charge, but he’s still the most watchful one in the group. He’s the first to spot a coyote on the ridgeline or something out of place in the treeline. If Roog is looking, I’ve learned to look too.
While he’s stepped back from being the boss, he still makes his opinions known. He always squeals at new geldings, just to lay the groundwork. But after that, he’s content to observe, set boundaries when needed, and let the others sort things out.
Roog has a soft spot for babies. Whether it’s a young horse or a new arrival figuring things out, he’s gentle and patient in a way that makes him the perfect pasture babysitter. He brings a quiet wisdom to the herd, clear, calm, and emotionally attuned. When I need a steady, trustworthy horse to help someone settle in with a new buddy, Roog is my first choice.
He may no longer run the pasture, but he sees everything, and the herd is better for it.