Trick Riding at BreyerFest

Happy Friday! Today’s BreyerFest demo group is sure to get you sitting on the edge of your seat with their fast-paced and exciting act. Meet Marissa Rathbun, the head of Making Magic Trick Riding. She’ll be coming with her two Paint Horses to perform trick riding, hippodrome riding, liberty horsemanship, bridleless riding, and trick roping!

Marissa has trained her horses Sir William and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in trick riding, liberty, and bridleless all by herself. She developed a completely bitless training program for them to allow for freedom of communication. She thinks it's very important to let the horse choose the job they want to do, because she wants them to love it as much as she does! 

Sir William, the horse that started it all for Marissa, was a rescue and a failed lesson horse.  One day her barn manager told her to take him out of the pasture because nobody wanted to work with him, and that day changed her life forever. She could never have imagined how far this unwanted gelding would end up taking her! That manager, now a close friend of Marissa’s, will be one of her main helpers this year at BreyerFest. When she first bought William he was skittish and often and shut down, but after years of trust building, he now carries her into the arena with confidence, giving Marissa the wings to fly.

Shortly after, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz became the next edition to Marissa's team. This feisty trail horse needed something more in his life. He picked up on trick riding incredibly fast and now loves to zoom around the arena! He has big thoughts and an even bigger personality, and Marissa loves to see his passion and speed when he hits the first turn of the arena.

Marissa and her two extraordinary Paint Horses are excited for their BreyerFest debut. They can't wait to see everyone there! Make sure to catch their high-action demonstration daily in the Covered Arena or stop by the Event Stables to learn more about trick riding.