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    Sunny Acres Ranch
    Author: Shelly Richardson
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	<p class="ad">
	<br />
	<img src="shelly.jpg" class="horsepicture" alt="Shelly and a good friend" width="446" height="327" />
      	My name is Shelly Richardson, and I'm the owner and founder of Sunny Acres Ranch.
	From the time I could walk and talk as a small child, I was completely in love with 
	all things equine. I received my first pony as a 4-year-old, and in spite of his
	many naughty little behaviors, I was hooked. I had a Welsh mare later on, and she 
	was my best buddy until my family made a move across several states. After the move, 
	horses were not a part 	of my life for several years, but I always knew eventually I 
	would have another horse again.<br />
	<br />
	I purchased my first horse (as an adult) in 1998, and began pursuing natural 
	horsemanship techniques in 1999. I have studied several natural horsemanship 
	clinicians, and have learned a great deal from each of them. 
	</p>

	<p class="ad">
	<img src="coelho3.jpg" class="rightad" alt="Coelho - his name means rabbit in Portuguese. Do you see his rabbit?" width="503" height="410" />
	In 2003, one of my horses began to exhibit some behavioral problems like bucking 
	when being ridden, becoming cranky when groomed, hard to catch, and pacing the fence 
	line - even while he was eating! Needless to say, he was also losing weight as well.<br />
	<br />
	My research for answers as to why my horse’s personality had dramatically changed
	led me to Dynamite Nutritional Supplements. Through the guidance of some qualified professionals 
	who have now become my mentors and teachers, we discovered that my horse was suffering from an ulcer,
	some mineral and vitamin deficiencies, and had some ribs in spasm.  With a few body 
	adjustments and a change in nutrition, these &quot;behavioral&quot; problems went away.<br />
	<br />
	The change in Coelho was my main reason for becoming a Dynamite distributor in 2004.
	Coelho is back to being his spunky and friendly self again, and people are usually surprised 
	when they hear he is pushing 20 years old. Most people think he looks half his age!
	</p>

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	I have always been a hands-on horse owner, and need to know the how and why of things.
	I taught myself to trim my horse's feet using barefoot trimming methods, assisted a 
	Certified Equine Dentist with dozens of dental exams and dentistry, and have taken in more 
	than 100 horses for rehabilitation and boarding. I have dealt with such physical issues 
	as sore backs, Cushing's Disease, navicular disease, melanoma, horrible wounds, colic, and
	kidney failure.<br />
	<br />
	In June 2006, I attended a 3-day seminar on equine reflexology, nutrition, and energy balancing. The 
	class taught techniques to test horses for possible mineral/vitamin deficiencies, and exercises to 
	train the horse’s muscles to collect and strengthen more naturally. I completed the Apprentice program 
	in April, 2007, and became Level 1 Certified in Equine Bio-Energy Analysis Technique. During these 
	classes, I became very aware of how many times the behavioral issues are really caused by an underlying and 
	often undiagnosed physical issue.
	</p>

	<p class="ad">I live in the beautiful Yakima Valley of Eastern Washington where I'm currently pursuing a 
	Veterinary Technology degree, in addition to taking care of all the horses and working on 
	my horsemanship skills.</p>





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   <address>
      Sunny Acres Ranch &bull;
      Grandview, WA &bull;
      <a href="mailto:sunnyacresranch@yahoo.com">sunnyacresranch@yahoo.com</a>
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