Testimonials

I purchased my Westfalen German Riding Pony filly, Moonstruck PVF (Moe), as a weanling from Pura Vida Farms in 2021.  I was in the market for a talented, young pony/small horse prospect and Pura Vida had a number of options. Speaking with Ellen on the phone, I knew immediately this was a person who 1) knew horses, 2) wanted to find the best horse for the client, and 3) could be trusted. She very quickly pointed me in Moe’s direction, and before you knew it, I had Moe vet checked (clean bill of health and clean x-rays) and purchased.  Ellen allowed me to keep Moe at Pura Vida until she was a bit older, and the weather was better.  When it was time for Moe to get on the transport truck, Ellen sent her with Ulcerguard!  This is a breeder who cares about her horses, before she sells them, and after.  If I were looking for another horse, I’d first check with Ellen to see if she had any that fit the bill!  I have since recommended Pura Vida to friends. Moonstruck is a gorgeous filly with lovely movement and came to me in her yearling year with plenty of handling.  Now at 3 years old, she’s just been started under saddle, and has exceeded all my expectations in terms of being level-headed and game for new things.

I first met Ellen at a show where I handled a few of her homebreds. I immediately noticed the quality of her horses and was intrigued by her program. Shortly after I visited her farm and learned that her broodmares have a mix of dressage and jumping lines. This made sense since I look for horses that are good movers that can also jump, and her horses fit the bill. 

Since that first visit we've had the pleasure of training and selling a few of her horses, and I ended up purchasing two of her horses, Ruben and Lad, for myself. It's been an exciting partnership so far, and I can't wait to see where we go from here.

I recently purchased Lincoln as an unbacked three year old from Pura vida Farms. I had been looking locally for almost 2 years for a young all around sport horse, one who could do some eventing and had nice enough gaits to potentially work on my silver medal. This as it turned out, proved to be difficult. So based on a dear friend’s recommendation I contacted PuraVida, she had purchased her upper level dressage horse from Ellen as a weanling over 20 years ago and had a great experience. If I ever do this again, I will start at Pura Vida. Ellen and Jerry were so knowledgeable about the bloodlines and were so welcoming, they treated us like family. There were many high quality, thoughtfully bred horses that fit my description and my price range. The most amazing thing was all of the horses from foals to adults were friendly and sought out people. It was obvious that they had been bred for their temperament as well as their performance and had been handled regularly and properly.  Being veterinarians, Ellen and Jerry gave me confidence that Lincoln would have no surprises on the PPE and and he passed with flying colors. Ellen and Jerry are passionate about their program and helpful in the entire process.  A few days after the pre-purchase exam, Lincoln was on the trailer to me and the shipper said that he loaded like a 13-year-old. He has been the sweetest, most confident and easiest young horse over the past two months. I look forward to seeing what his future brings,  Thank you so much Pura Vida, you helped me make the perfect match!