Meet Tom Raney and Tessa Etzioni of Raney Horsemanship and C.A.R.E. for Horses Foundation in Queen Creek

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Raney and Tessa Etzioni.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Tom and Tessa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
There are two stories to tell here. The first belongs to Tom Raney whose story begins in the middle. Tom’s formal background is in music and science. He was not introduced to horses until his mid-40’s (although he feels like he’s known them for a lifetime). He knew in the first year of learning to ride that he wanted to work with and train these amazing animals. He started his training business, Raney Horsemanship, in 2016 with the specific desire to work with troubled and misunderstood horses to help them gain confidence and trust in humans. This is how Tom met Tessa.

Tessa’s story begins at the beginning, when she was riding horses before she could walk, and they have been an integral part of her life ever since. As a teenager, her passion for horses led to a successful show career in hunter/jumpers and cutting horses. As an adult, her compassion for horses led her to rescue horses from the slaughter pipeline. This is how Tom and Tessa’s stories converge.

After following her heart, Tessa found herself with 15 troubled and misunderstood rescue horses. In May of 2018 she reached out to Tom for help with training. With the shared goal to rehabilitate these “at risk” horses, Tom and Tessa began working together and two years later, formed C.A.R.E. for Horses Foundation. C.A.R.E. stands for Compassion, Allegiance, Rehabilitation and Education. Compassion for the sentient spirit of these beautiful animals, Allegiance to the cause of rescuing and protecting them, Rehabilitating them so they can reach their full potential and Educating people about kind and effective training methods so horses are kept and loved and don’t end up in bad situations.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Rescuing horses is not for the faint of heart, and neither is training them. The hours are long, the pay is little and the risk of loving with all your heart is having it shattered when things go wrong. We have lost horses we loved, broken our bones and our bank accounts, but we have met some wonderful people along the way and saved many horses who otherwise would have perished. We wake up every morning greeted by nickers and velvety muzzles and motivated by what good we can do that day. The journey has not been easy, but it has been worth it.

Raney Horsemanship and C.A.R.E. for Horses Foundation – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
It is C.A.R.E. for Horses Foundation’s mission to educate the horse community about the rehabilitation of abused, unhandled and “problem” horses because these horses are at highest risk for ending up at the slaughter house. This education takes the form of live training demonstrations which incorporate C.A.R.E. for Horses Foundation horses, as well as a collection of online educational materials. These clinics and educational materials promote the uniquely kind and incredibly effective training methods developed by Raney Horsemanship.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Our proudest moments are when horses are transformed from weak to strong, anxious to confident, skeptical to trusting. An example is a young palomino we rescued named Nala. The first time we stepped foot in a round pen with Nala, she was so anxious that she jumped over the 5-foot fence to escape. Now we use her for clinics and horsemanship sessions. One day, while doing a session with Nala and a 10-year-old girl, Nala was distracted and standing at one end of a large arena. The young girl walked into the center of the arena, called out Nala’s name, and Nala immediately turned to face her. As soon as she made eye contact, Nala trotted right up to the girl with enthusiasm, as if they had been long lost friends reuniting. Nala’s transformation from fearful to confident, from avoidant to playful, from rejected to adored…her ability to now help people learn new horsemanship skills, this perfectly embodies our mission.

Contact Info:

• Website: raneyhorsemanship.com and careforhorsesfoundation.org
• Phone: Tom (480)694-5845 ; Tessa (480)414-3731
• Email: raneyhorsemanship@gmail.com and careforhorsesfoundation@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Tessa Etzioni

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