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Owner, Lori Skrip with approved Friesian stallion, Rampart. Lori is the creator of Sabir Springs Farm, and with decades of horse industry experience to her credit, she has made her passion for these creatures a career and business, but still enjoys it as if it were a hobby!.

“I feel truly spoiled, but take nothing for granted. I have been blessed with the opportunities I have had over the years, and sincerely love sharing my passion with others. Horses are very special creatures, and there isn’t a day that I don’t learn something from them. They are consistently honest, humbling, and genuine, and I try to carry my experiences with them onto other parts of my life, which I believe have all been enriched as a result!”

Lori’s introduction to horses began as a youngster learning the discipline of jumping. She competed well into adulthood when she then took a break, had a child, and pursued a career (outside of the horse world).

“I held onto my horse that I had shown all those years because I always wanted to keep a “foot in the door” so to speak in the horse world. My very hot blooded thoroughbred gelding became my trail horse for years, well into his retirement. But I always knew I wanted to get serious about riding again, and once my son was about two, that desire became strong enough that I bought my first warmblood mare with the goal of breeding my dream horse!

That dream became much more than an idea to simply breed and raise one horse! In fact, Lori ended up leaving her career, and launching Sabir Springs Farm which became a fully operational breeding business.

Along the way her riding interests took her to learn the very difficult discipline of dressage, which remains her passion today.

“Many times I am asked what dressage is. It is a way of riding that cannot be described adequately with few words because it is very difficult. In fact, I believe it is the most difficult equine discipline to learn, and anyone familiar with it will agree that it really is a life long journey to become a master or significant authority on the subject. I would define dressage as a manner of riding in which the goal is to achieve the utmost balance, communication, and connection between horse and rider. When I watch some of the masters of dressage performing, it is more than a sport, but an art, and a good performance is one that puts tears in my eyes”!

“While I don’t have the desire to show horses simply because I don’t feel I need a judge to tell me how good I am, or what I need to work on. But I do strive to be the best rider I can be, and continually enjoy obtaining further training and education on the sport of dressage. I have been very fortunate to have many truly outstanding horses to ride and learn on. In particular, I have enjoyed riding my stallion Argus before he passed away. Can there be a better schoolmaster??? Also I must mention my Friesian stallion Rampart. What a horse. I will surely never have another like him. He is the most kind, willing, hard working stallion/horse I have ever known, and will always have a special place in my heart. He is also, without a doubt, the most beautiful!”

“Five years ago, we moved here to Rock Creek, and that is when we really discovered trail riding. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we trail rode every day our first summer here. At the time I had no riding arena, and schooling horses in the grass on less than flat ground lost it’s appeal very quickly. However, I found that trail riding, apart from being immensely fun, had a very real, and practical application to training my horses. First, it does get them very fit. When we are out ourselves, or amongst other experienced riders, our rides are NOT for the faint of heart! They are long in duration, we cover difficult terrain, and usually at challenging speeds (where safe)! So, the horses get very fit. But, the horses also gain a kind of confidence that they don’t get in the arena. We are in the wide open spaces, with no arena walls or fences. There is a lot of unknowns such as wildlife, etc., that can and many times, does spook the horses. On the trails, the horses learn a true kind of trust in their rider and a confidence that allows us to ask them to do things and go places they probably would rather not. But, they do it, and do it willingly. This might be to cross a bridge that makes a funny (scary to them) noise when walked on, crossing rivers, confronting all kinds of wildlife, etc. All of these experiences lends itself to a confident horse that when taken to the arena or a show to work at whatever…dressage, jumping, etc., are far more willing, self-assured, and in fact, refreshed”.

Okay, aside from the horses, Lori has a large appreciation for living a healthy lifestyle. Having just lost her mother November 12, 2006 to a battle with cancer, she has adopted a new approach to health, which largely revolves around eating healthily, and being active. She loves to cook and entertain and when not working with the horses, you will usually find her in the kitchen preparing something!

Travis Brown on Oreo. Travis is Lori’s son and already a fine horseman! Though only rising 15 years old, he is already on his way to becoming an accomplished horse trainer. His resume already includes a client in California who has a number of horses competing in the highly competitive jumping scene. Travis has received a glowing letter of recommendation after training two of her young horses. He is also currently training a number of young horses for more local clients, and has been invited to travel to California this summer to train!

Travis is a very natural rider. He has excellent balance on a horse, and it is a common sight to find him cantering along on his horse with no tack at all! He is developing his own way of training with a huge emphasis on natural horsemanship taken from various authorities that he has taken interest in. While Travis has a talent for dressage, he also enjoys riding Western.

Travis is an A student, and his goals as aspirations for the future include becoming an equine veterinarian, and continuing to live here on the farm.