EquiSpirit Started With Riley

Our Horses Needed A Play Ball

EquiSpirit Toys & Tools was founded in 2000 because we strongly believe in the importance of play in a horse’s emotional and physical well-being. Our first product was created shortly after Lisa and Kenny rescued an orphaned 2-week-old foal from an auction. After nursing him back to health, Riley showed the highest play drive they had ever seen in a horse BUT he would literally destroy every toy given to him, often within 10 minutes. When Elvis, a Percheron/Paint colt rescued in 2001, was added to the family, Lisa and Kenny were spending a lot of money to keep their horses entertained and enriched.

The EquiSpirit soccer ball in a gigantic size was inspired by Riley’s love for destroying soccer balls given to him in his corral. Realizing there were no durable horse play balls on the market, Lisa and Kenny went on the hunt to find fabricators in the USA to help them manufacture the most durable soccer ball that could withstand Riley’s supreme product-testing skills.

In 2022, Lisa and Kenny chose entrepreneur Spring Faussett to continue carrying the torch of what Lisa and Kenny had created. Since then we have added CowBalls to our line, specially designed for dogs and smaller animals just not capable of pushing around the 40″ model due to weight and size. 

We continue to fabricate and manufacture our horse and dog play balls using the same Made in USA fabricator and original design standards approved throughout the original product testing process. We sell our toys all over the world and we run our operations out of Kent, Washington. 

Riley when he arrived as an orphan foal in 2000

Riley The Product Tester

Lisa Ross-Williams (1967-2023)

Lisa Ross-Williams was a natural horse care consultant and host of the “If Your Horse Could Talk” webcast available at www.naturalhorsetalk.com. She was the author of Down-To-Earth Natural Horse Care-Keeping your horse as best suits his mind, body, and soul (www.down-to-earthnhc.com) and Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of Natural Horse Magazine as well as the creator of EquiSpirit™ Toys & Tools. Along with her husband, Kenny they shared their Talking Horse Ranch with their beloved animals.

Lisa dedicated herself to extensive research, as well as an exploration of hands-on experiences which included clinics, seminars, and courses covering natural horsemanship, hoof care, dentistry, bodywork, homeopathy, iridology, essential oils, and nutrition. She earned her degree in Environmental Plant Science, completed the Basic Homeopathy Veterinary course through the British Institute of Homeopathy, completed the Reiki 1/Equine Reiki course, and is working on her certification in Equine Iridology. She was involved with natural horsemanship since 1997.

Known to colleagues and friends as one who “walks her talk,” Lisa  positively influenced thousands of horse owners and grateful horses, sharing her knowledge of natural and holistic horse care since 1998.

Kenny Williams

Kenny Williams is a natural hoof care provider and educator, equine body worker, freelance writer and the co-host & technical producer of the If Your Horse Could Talk webcast.

Kenny started trimming hooves in 1998 out of necessity since the barefoot approach was still new and there wasn’t a trimmer in the area. He was a natural at not only understanding what the hoof was telling him but also had the ability to explain a natural hoof to everyday people. He utilizes natural horsemanship, essential oils and energy work to help balance horses in mind, body and spirit. Kenny is now offering hoof care consultations, private trimming instruction and clinics. He has completed the Reiki 1/Equine Reiki course and has been involved with natural horsemanship since 1997.

His best teachers have been the horses themselves and he’s happy to pass that knowledge around.