05/15/2008

"I would not hesitate to have any horse or rider under the supervision of Vixen Radford. Vixen has done training on more than one animal(horses and mules) for me, and works to your specifications with a no-nonsense approach that I completely appreciate. No time is wasted, and the focus is on what is important. I have seen her take other problem horses, and repair issues that were more than a hand-full. I have been totally confident lending my horse to kids in her care, as I know that they could not be in better hands for safety and learning. I recommend Vixen on all levels as a trainer/judge/clinician/breeder... anything equine!" Carrie Hoofnagle, Cove, Oregon

12/07/2011

I have known Vixen Radford since 2003 when she sold a horse to a good friend of mine. I managed a local boarding facility at that time and invited her to come hold a clinic for our 4H kids in the community. What a hit she was, and still is! Vixen puts so much energy and effort into all she is involved with, and it really shows. From her careful breeding program, that produces many fine horses, to the 4H kids she comes into contact with, she sets high standards and goals and holds herself to those same standards. Vixen is a warm and kind person whom I greatly enjoy being with and knowing. You will not be disappointed when you place yourself, your child or your horse in Vixen's capable hands~ I know I'm not. Terri Canaga, Dallas OR (proud owner of "Tanner")

06/27/2005

Dear Vixen- I would like to thank you for the wonderful job you did teaching myself and my 3 children at Horse Camp. We all enjoyed you tremendously and learned many new skills. Natalie became confident enough to canter (no easy feat for her as she is SUCH a timid rider) and I even began to canter as well. Your knowledge of horses and horsemanship as well as your ability to transfer that knowledge to others is a rare gift. We look forward to studying with you again soon. Sincerely, Darcy Birdsall Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

12/28/2011

To Whom It May Concern: This letter is my personal recommendation for Vixen Radford. I have known Vixen since 2006, where we met at a judges training seminar. Her confident, independent attitude is what drew me to her. She is not only one of the hardest working ladies I know, but also the biggest hearted one. I have been very fortunate to judge, teach, and train with Vixen. As a judge she always comes prepared, is never tardy, is consistent, and fair. Her confidence and expertise with horses translates through her teaching. She is amazing with all age groups and will turn down no challenge. No one surpasses her horse training abilities. I am most fortunate to be her friend. She is incredibly as a friend, as a mom, and as a person. She is honest and generous, never self centered. She takes pride in everything she does, and never leaves a task unfinished. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions I can help you with. Thank you for you time and consideration. Cassandra Soule Weathering Springs PO Box 707 Sutherlin, OR 97479 541-817-7277 weatheringsprings.com

12/30/2011

I would recommend Vixen Radford-Wecks because when I have troubles with my horse she is always there for help and I lose my fear of doing things and she makes it fun. Kyler Joseph Oregon age 11

01/08/2012

I have known Vixen since 2001 when she came to my daughter's 4-H horse camp in North Idaho. Vixen spent the next eight summers at the camp teaching kids and sharing her knowledge and passion for horses. It was a testament to her abilities that the kids requested she return every year. My daughter and I have formed a lasting friendship with Vixen and her family over the years. She was my daughter's mentor for her high school senior project which, of course, involved horses and devoted many hours to the project as her mentor. She has trained horses for us and I have also attended one of the women's retreats at her ranch. It's quite obvious if you spend any time at all with Vixen that she has a true gift in her ability to share her knowledge and passion for horses with people, be it kids, parents, adults, family or friends. I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone. Jeanne DuPont Hayden, Idaho

01/25/2012

I have had so many different experiences with Vixen. Our first encounter was with a horse I had named Duke. Duke had been to 2 other trainers who said that he was untrainable. Vixen took a long look at him and suggested a session with Emily Sharrat (who does body work). I admit I was skeptical of her suggestion, but I loved this horse and was willing to try anything. After 1.5 hours with Emily, Duke was a different horse. Duke then moved in with Vixen for the summer and she trained my untrainable horse! Duke and I parted ways after a year because he was a horse that needed a daily job and I am a novice rider. I felt good about our departure because Vixen had given him a solid background and I knew he would move onto his next phase of life with a purpose. My next encounter with Vixen came when she started giving my daughter lessons for 4H. Vixen has a way of explaining things to my daughter that just make sense to her. Often times, it is as if they have developed their own language and understand each other completely. Vixen took the "I have to be perfect" out of my daughter and has given the love of the ride back to her. My current encounter with Vixen is a Chex baby named Zoey which I received as a Christmas present from my husband. I never would have dreamed of owning another young horse, but with Vixen's help and guidance, I know that Zoey and I will make a great team. (Zoey is from Chex/Fancy). I look forward to many training sessions and trail rides with Zoey, me, and Vixen. I know that I will become the rider and leader that I need to be because she will be there to guide me along the way. Cindi Aschenbrenner, Enterprise, Oregon.

01/27/2012

In preparing for the Miss Rodeo Oregon and Miss Rodeo America pageants, Vixen was VERY instrumental in helping me with horsemanship. She taught me how to assess strange, new horses very quickly and to just "go for it!" Her help led me to not only win Miss Rodeo Oregon 2011 and Miss Rodeo America 2012, but to also come away with the coveted horsemanship titles at each contest. Thank you Vixen! You rock! Mackenzie Carr Vernonia, Oregon

02/19/2012

Hello Vixen, We would love to have Sonnys Bar Chex as one of our Incentive Stallions. I would nominate Mister Mister in a heart beat. Mister has turned out to be a fantastic horse. I rope on him (either end) as well as barrel race. He has won thousands of dollars and awards over the last few years. ... He is an odd fellow, he is a little insecure and it makes him really bond to me. When I'm dismounted on the ground at a roping he wraps his neck around me and just wants to be cuddled like a dog. He has incredible energy, I swear you could lope from here to Montana and he would still be ready to rope all day. He gives 100% at everything he tries, and is the most sensitive horse I have ever had. He responds to leg pressure when I just think about applying it, he really is sensitive. He is a puppy dog on the ground and atheletic as a cat when you put him to work. We are best of buddys. Give me a call anytime, Mike Gammelgard BRN4D

02/03/2013

Everyone enjoyed the lesson a lot. You really are a teacher (I was one for a number of years and so recognize a good teacher when I see one) who know how to win the trust of her students. Thanks so much for your encouragement and kind words—it took us a while to find you but I’m so glad we have. We are pleased and proud of the association with you Best, Bill

02/05/2013

My 16 year old daughter went to a clinic last spring with her gelding because she was having some issues under saddle. I told the clinicians exactly what the problem was not only in my 5 page form I filled out but also reinforced it when they said how good her groundwork was. Long story short, they did not give her the direction and she ended up getting bucked off, ambulance ride, and no confidence in herself or her horse. I sent her to Vixen off of a referral which was difficult for me because I live in Idaho and I was entrusting my daughter and her horse to Vixen to "fix" what had happened. Vixen worked with her on a well broke horse on her riding and confidence and worked with the horse herself. By the time my daughter came back to me, she was loping her horse with no worries, she had him out on the trails, pushing cows (which neither of them had experience with) and she had her confidence back. While I definitely did not have the funds to do this, neither could I risk my daughter losing the horse she had raised from a foal over one very bad experience. I also sent one of my very spooky 4 year olds to Vixen to be started under saddle and while I only paid for the 30 days so I wasn't expecting a dead broke horse back, I got a horse that is respectful while maintaining her sweet disposition and she has a nice start under saddle. The same daughter that went to Vixen is finishing her training under saddle. I would highly recommend Vixen because she doesn't just work a horse one way. She finds out what the horse needs and trains it the proper way for the horse. There are not many trainers out there like that. AND she spends the time (as much time as you want) with you so you feel comfortable with your horse. After wasting thousands of dollars on other trainers, I know that I will spend the extra to send my horse to one that knows what they are doing. I'm not wealthy and I cut corners where I can but when it comes to a horses training and to the safety of my animals and my children I will do what I can to come up with the money necessary. If you have reservations, pay for a lesson with Vixen on one of her horses to see if you think the match is right for you and to see how she handles her horses. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me. Kate Woempner

05/11/2015

Going the extra Mile We've all heard the adage about going the extra mile, both as a means of ensuring your friends, family, customers, etc. are well cared for because it's the right thing...but it is also a surefire way to have good deeds come back your way. When you are helped by someone going the extra mile, you almost always get that warm and fuzzy feeling of how appreciated you felt. And we all love to be treated well, don't we? Well I'd like to call special attention to someone who went that extra mile for my family, and has now become a friend for life! What's even more amazing is that we didn't even know Vixen (Vix for short) before all of this happens. That makes the story even better, a stranger helping strangers something we don't see as much of in the world these days. The story goes like this.... We live here just outside Portland Oregon in a suburb town called Sherwood. Back in late February I'd been thinking about taking my daughter (Rhen) somewhere to go horseback riding on her upcoming spring break in late March. We'd already had plans to visit family in western Idaho (Lewiston) area, so I thought I'd do a search and see where we might find a good ranch to visit & ride horses along the way. Google turned up a few in the Enterprise/Joseph area...and knowing how gorgeous the Wallowa Lake area is, I dug in further to see what might be open in the early spring. This is where we stumbled across Dun the Right Way Horses & Custom Horse Training and our new friend for life Vixen Radford (and her daughter Destiny). After finding their website, I emailed Vix and tried to outline what we were looking for (a multi hour trail ride and sometime visiting with the horses on the ranch). After a page long email trying to detail everything I could think of in terms of our timing, our hopes, our riding history, etc...Vix responded with one of the most warm and engaging welcoming emails I've ever received when inquiring about a trip somewhere! I could tell she is passionate about her operation, but also about trying to match the experience with our hopes or expectations...which I could tell already she was going to exceed. After a few emails back and forth we secured a date to go visit in late March, and as the trip got closer we both kept our eye on the weather knowing we'd not want to ride in the rain all day. As luck would have it, they had 3-4 days of very chilly and wet weather....but the days we arrived we caught 60 degree sunshine! We arrived on Thursday morning to meet Vix and her daughter Destiny (Des for short) who was also out of school for the week...and after introductions got to work preparing the horses, tack, and trailer for what was about to be a GREAT 1/2 day ride we took on the east moraine of Wallowa Lake! We explored the old forest service trails, and meandering through the woods overlooking the lake. Vix gave us some great history and perspectives about the area, ranching, growing up there, the tourism and homesteaders. I learned a lot about the region, it's people, and the down home feel of Joseph and Enterprise. Our two daughters hit it off and enjoyed their trail ride, snapping photos and grinning ear to ear as we walked, trotted and loped through the forest. What a great day! On the way back we stopped at a local favorite burger/ice-cream place to pick up some cones and milkshakes. Back at the ranch we unsaddled and turned out the horses, then the girls spent another couple of hours playing with the mini's, watching the 4H club do some practice, and generally just enjoying time around the barn. Vix & Des introduced us to more of their horses and let us pitch in with some of the more fun chores (my daughter can't get enough of hanging around the barn he-he). Vix is EXCELLENT at explaining why things happen on a ranch, or with horses, or with riding horses. We learned a ton about things we'd taken for granted and didn't understand the "Why" behind it. Invaluable! As we wrapped up our visit and prepared to heard north towards Lewiston for a few more days, we exchanged email, Facebook connection info, etc. and vowed to keep in touch. While visiting the family in Idaho we'd raved about the fun time we'd had and looked forward to visiting them again in the years ahead, including helping with some cattle work they do in the fall...and visiting them when they head over our way for rodeo's Des is riding in as part of the rodeo court! We'll be seeing them at the Mollala Buckaroo for example on July 3rd, looking forward to it! And par for the course, Vixen continued to go the extra mile as you'll see below. When we returned home to Sherwood, my daughter continued to express how much she was loving spending more time with horses (she was already in lessons), but wanted more. So, I emailed Vix asking if she knew of any good ranches/barns to visit in our area, and more about 4H. She reached out to her network of equestrian friends and after digging around she recommended a place in Newberg that one of her friends is a 4H club co-instructor AND that had a horse available for leasing. She'd recommended that as a good way to get into horse ownership before actually buying one since we're newer "horse folks" SO we paid a visit to the recommended barn in Newberg and sure enough hit it off. Vix had told us (via her friend Kari) that the barn had a great instructor, was very welcoming and not snooty to newcomers (as we've found some other barns to be). We hit it off right away with the owner (Lorina) and she along with Vixen's friend Kari invited my daughter Rhen to attend a 4H practice so she could see what it's like, meet some of the girls, and get to meet Indy. Indy is a horse for lease...a painted quarterhorse my daughter immediately fell in love with =) So here we are now in May, and are working into Lorina's lesson schedule and are about to start leasing Indy in June! We'd shared the great news with Vix a week or two ago, and she too had heard from her friend that they felt like it was a great match too and looked forward to my daughter joining them for the next 4H season. As Vixen said.. "all little girls deserve to chase their dreams via horseback!" and my daughter is about to do so! Vix not only met and exceeded our expectations for a random visit over spring break, welcoming us to their home, horses, ranch and introducing us to local friends. She then went the extra mile to connect us to friends here closer to home, including recommending a barn that felt like a perfect fit for us. We cant thank her enough for the time she put in to help make our visit an awesome one (I highly recommend riding with them if you're ever in the Wallowa Lake area!), but then she went on to help us back at home with the 4H connection & new horse! Vix- we owe You and definitely send you a hug from afar for all the help and new friendship for life! We look forward to riding with you guys again out your way, and looking forward to seeing you guys in a couple of months at the rodeo! To all of you considering visits there for some trail riding...you wont be disappointed. You'll find a skilled horsemen who goes that extra mile and I'll bet you too will make some new friends at Dun the Right Way Horses & Custom Horse Training! Thank you again Vix & Des! Warm Regards, Darrin & Rhen Tyacke

01/07/2020

Jenn Catron recommends Dun the Right Way Horses-Custom Horse Training. November 13, 2019 · Vix and Dez were so great to work with! I was in search of a new trail riding partner and a horse that had the potential for my 6 year old daughter to ride as well. A good friend of mine referred me to Vix. Right away Vix had a horse she thought would be a good fit for us. I was over the moon excited and couldn't wait to try her out! Vix and Dez answered all my questions and were great about sending the videos I requested. I had let them know that my last horse had ruined a lot of my confidence and I needed a safe, no funny business kinda partner. Dez was wonderful to work with, she had let me try her out but also was willing to lope her for me as well, knowing I wasn't comfortable doing so quite yet. They were willing to work with my budget, which of course made the Hubby happy. This horse has a super chill attitude, doesn't spook over much, and is very willing on the trail to try anything I put her through. She is so respectful on the ground with my daughter who leads her everywhere. Has given my my kids and others rides and just follows me while they take the reins, and in a few weeks will be participating in our first Christmas parade, all things I could have never done with my last horse. Now 5 months later, I have done hundreds of trail miles and have fallen completely in love with this mare! Thank you Vix and Dez for helping me find my heart horse!

05/16/2023

We cannot say enough wonderful things about Dun the Right Way Ranch. Vixen was an absolute pleasure to work with. She is passionate about what she does, takes excellent care of all of the horses, and truly enjoys helping others make the most of their visit. From the moment we arrived, it felt like we were visiting family. Her and her son both were so kind and welcoming and did a great job explaining things as we are very inexperienced riders. The horses are absolutely beautiful and well cared for. Vixen has a great sense of humor and was a ton of fun to ride with too! Our visit with her was the best part of our vacation. We are excited to see them again! Dave and Sable Holm

05/01/2023

I have been pasture boarding my now 23-year-old mare at Dun the Right Way Horses for eight years now. Vixen helped transition an anxious and reactive horse who had lived in a stall for fifteen years into being a successful, happy, outdoor horse who prefers to be in a field 24/7 rather than be in a stall. I can't say enough about how happy I am with the way my Mocha girl is able to be part of a herd and safe outside. The extra winter care given to ensure that the horses have warm water, hay, and areas to walk safely when there is deep snow and ice is wonderful. It's easy to pasture board in the summer, but the winter is where you can really see the difference in care. -- Joyce Reynolds-Ward

05/17/2023

After seeing Vixen’s Facebook page post about her puppies for sale and viewing her photos and videos, we made a deposit on the one we liked. Vixen was very thorough in her communications, keeping us updated with photos and videos. When picked up the puppy, Vixen had the puppy’s vet records all in order. Vixen is friendly and informative, explaining her philosophy on raising dogs. Our puppy is smart and has picked up the potty training easily. Our puppy had no problems with the transition. We would recommend Vixen and her dogs to anyone looking for a blue/red heeler. John & Charlene Morris

05/18/2023

Loved working with Vixen to get our heeler puppy! At first I was nervous to send money online for a deposit, but she showed me her Facebook page where others had sung their praises about her so I felt comfortable. I made no mistake! She kept us updated regularly with pictures and videos of our puppy so we could watch her grow before getting her. She worked with us and another buyer to set up a meet closer to our house, and then ended up having a friend bring her even closer to our house! We appreciated the constant communication, honesty, and transparency throughout the whole process. Our heeler is so sweet, great temperament, and a perfect addition to our family! 10/10 recommend Vixen if you are looking for a puppy! Kelsey Cross Oregon