Wendy Bauwens

Wendy Bauwens was born and raised in the Treasure Valley of southern Idaho. As a child, she knew to appreciate the great outdoors and the gift of a good horse. Her parents were both educators and her father spent his summers working at the local race horse track… where Wendy was often found by his side. Wendy and her mother met their first Norwegian Fjord horses at the Small Farmer’s Journal sale in 1990. Shortly thereafter, they purchased their first pair of Fjords and never looked back!

Wendy attended college at the University of California of Santa Cruz where she studied Molecular Biology. Following college, her adventurous nature led her to Alaska where she eventually designed and built an equestrian facility for people with special needs. From one year to the next, Wendy would travel to the “States” to adopt the next Fjord and haul it up to Alaska to enrich the lives of those in rural Alaskan communities.

Wendy’s desire to return to the Rockies brought her to Livingston, Montana, where life was similar to that of her youth in southern Idaho. Wendy continued her work with Fjords in various locations until finally landing in Clyde Park, where she has been improving and renovating a small farm ever since. Deep in the breast of the Shields Valley and nestled amongst the banks of Cottonwood Creek, Wendy’s visions are endless. Currently Wendy owns and operates a warm, inviting, child friendly farm where the animals are gentle and the people are kind. This is a place where the experience makes you smile and great memories are created.

Throughout the year, Wendy continues her work with horses and people. Wendy teaches riding, driving, and horsemanship lessons; hosts Fjord Horse-related summer camps; trains both riding and driving Fjords; and most importantly, breeds Norwegian Fjord Horses.

Considering Wendy’s horse-centered youth and degree in Molecular Biology, she naturally has a gift for understanding genetics. This knowledge and her innate artistic abilities have been applied to understanding what it takes to produce exceptional horses. Each foal born at Sunnyside is created with careful contemplation and planning so as to enrich this wonderful breed in the best ways possible.

Wendy traveled to Norway in the spring of 2016 to attend the stallion show/inspection and meet with leaders in the Fjord Horse industry who have expressed concern about the condition of the Fjord Horse population. With declining foal numbers worldwide, we are faced with a dilemma: To preserve and protect this diminishing breed in all its historic splendor. Wendy feels a personal goal to see this through. Sunnyside Farms’s parallel mission, to provide behavioral health to people in our community through experiential therapy and wellness opportunities with the animals at the farm, pairs perfectly with the task of breeding Fjord horses for therapeutic use.  She sees a warm future of goodness ahead.