P2F equine services

10/26/2022

I am a lesson horse.
I am a horse that isn’t as recognized as the top hunter jumpers, the best western pleasure horse, or the 1D barrel horse, I am a lesson horse. I am the backbone of the foundation to do all of those things. I am a lesson horse.
I am not loved by one person. I am loved by several people. I don’t have my person, I have my people. I am a lesson horse.
I will teach your child and yourself more than just to ride. I will bring your child out of their shell. I will teach your child about life. I will be yours and their shoulder to cry on. I am a lesson horse.
I will bring my family the joy of teaching kids. I will bring my families business growth. I am so loved by my family, even if they don’t express it everyday. My family allows others to show me love and enjoy me. I am a lesson horse.
At the end of your childs’ journey on a lesson horse, they will out grow me. They will find one that jumps higher, a horse that is show quality, a horse much faster than me. But, I will never outgrow being a lesson horse. I will be the one that loved your child and helped your child grow into the rider and person they are. I am a lesson horse.
At the end of my time as a lesson horse; I will be covered in grey hair. Each grey hair came from each hour I spent as a lesson horse. I will be in a field of green grass, I will be taken care of as I was when I was a lesson horse. I will watch your child from across the pasture love her new horse. But, I will love your child more than any horse can. I will be the backbone of the business, the family, and your child. Don’t forget about me, I am a lesson horse.
I am a lesson horse.

10/30/2021

Butter and the cow 🤪happy Halloween 🎃

10/30/2021

“We don’t find good horses 🐎 they find us” one of my favourite quotes

10/19/2021

There’s some horses that u don’t own but just are a pleasure and a joy to work with . Her owner corrected me today … this is only 120 days of owning her! Sometimes u just click with a horse and it’s so easy.

10/17/2021

5 months under tack . First ride at the new property. This young lady has turned into quite a gem .

10/16/2021

10/14/2021

Check out our photos of every fence on the Maryland 5 Star cross-country course – find out what challenges riders face at the world’s newest five-star

10/13/2021

10/07/2021

Vida Mary

10/06/2021

09/12/2021

So sweet ❤️ coming over to visit mama

09/12/2021

Eventing lines . Angles angles angles

09/12/2021

Did the double steps on the big side mom ! Carole Parke

09/10/2021

Talking about anxious horses and how often management plays a role in their success.

09/10/2021

“Why can’t I ride a Thoroughbred straight off the racetrack to try it before purchase? This is unfair!”

We get comments along the lines of this every single year when we are helping to rehome retiring racehorses. So, it’s time for another conversation about this.

First and foremost, a track broke horse is broke w/t/c but they will be racing fit, meaning unless you’re riding 5* event horses, they’re likely fitter than anything you’ve sat on. They’re also trained to run into the bridle, ridden with a “cross” or a “bridge” in the reins whilst on the racetrack. This is different from how most riders ride and there is a reason why exercise riders and jockeys are some of the fittest riders. It’s not an easy job.

When we are selling them directly from the racetrack, they can only be jogged on the concrete outside of the barns to assess soundness. The only place to ride is the racetrack. You need have a license to ride as an exercise rider to ride on the racetrack. Allowing inexperienced riders who haven’t learned how to safely ride racehorses out onto a busy track with lots of other horses — some of which will be working past at fast speeds — dangerous. Unnecessary. Doesn’t give you any real clue of how the horse will be at their new job or once you start training. Want the best chance to trial ride OTTBs? Go work hard and get your gallop license.

Now, when they’re not at the racetrack but haven’t been restarted, the same still applies. You’re buying a green horse and getting a greatly reduced price because of it. If you want the bells and whistles of being able to try the horses and decide if it is suitable for you based on how it feels, then pay more and get something that has been restarted. It is not fair to the horse to have their first introduction to a new career to be several random riders, many of which will over sell their skill, getting on them and putting them through their paces, sometimes having unreasonable expectations. This is how you very quickly ruin and sour horses. It is also high risk to the owners because they could be letting people on their horses who will create new issues.

You can get a very good idea of soundness and overall health from watching the horse move and from a vet check. You can get an idea of how the horse goes through its paces by watching a qualified track rider or trainer ride it, if they’re willing to do this for you (I do this for the videos of a lot of mine). In fact, that will give you a better idea of what the horse is like than someone without the experience of knowing what a horse straight off the racetrack feels like getting on and trying to figure out what buttons the horse has.

It isn’t rude. It isn’t sneaky or hiding anything. It’s called making decisions for the well-being of the horse and overall safety of everyone involved. With started horses with more experience, we still have people lie about ability, come out and try the horse and create dangerous situations. With a race fit horse, this could be catastrophic. It also, bottom line, isn’t fair to any super green horse to make their intro to their new job by essentially making them a carousel and playing musical riders, with no real idea of experience level until the person is on the horse.

Just like I wouldn’t want to let people try unbroke horses or horses who’ve only had a handful of rides, I don’t want people ruining our race fit prospects and this is how many trainers feel. A gallop license is the only real tangible proof of showing you’re qualified to get on, unless you have mutual connections to vouch for you. If you do not have one, you have no right to try to complain or pressure people into letting you onto a horse that is being sold as a prospect.

Extend your budget and get something restarted (or offer over asking to give an incentive for the horse to be restarted so you can try it) or learn how to look at prospects from the ground and assess their suitability for your discipline. I’m of the mind that most people who are qualified, prepared and ready to take on the training of an OTTB should be able to assess from the ground. If this isn’t what you want, all the power to you but instead of having the expectation that you’re entitled to a trial ride when it is a risk to the horse and the owner, be considerate and realize that you have unusual expectations that very well may not be met.

This is a normal practice for ex racehorses. I’ve sat on HUNDREDS, if not over a thousand at this point, of thoroughbreds on and off of the track. I can count on one hand the number I’ve actually tried before buying and all of those except for one I only “tried” because I galloped while working at the track. The horse you meet at the track when they’re race fit, on high grain diets and have minimal or no turnout is not the one you’ll meet in the new lifestyle anyways, so basing your entire impression of them off of what they’re like as a racehorse isn’t overly accurate.

If you want to buy an OTTB that is not restarted, respect the practice of how they are sold, the risks involved for horse and owner and the lowered price point you get because of this. If it isn’t for you, that’s fine but the entitlement of some people really needs to stop.

Pictured: my mare who was difficult at the track, difficult to restart initially and a total lamb now. I never sat on her until after she had an entire winter off of racing. We assessed her initially off of watching her jog and she’s now one of my nicest horses.

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See more of my posts & work here:

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09/07/2021

Corporate Exhibitors Boutique Booths Food Concessions 2021 VENDOR OPPORTUNITIES Promote Your Product or Service at Angelstone Tournaments & Caledon Equestrian Park. The ALL NEW 2021 vendor

09/05/2021

Enjoying the new facility ❤️🐴

09/05/2021

Taking a chance with soundness---

Over decades of competition, I have had any number of situations when a horse would be what is euphemistically called “slightly off.”

Not so lame that you can see it in all situations, but not 100% either, and in real life there are many useful horses that are not 100% sound but who can be used in low impact situations, like beginner walk-trot lessons, walking trail rides, those kinds of tasks, sometimes with a little bute, sort of the same way a human might get along OK with a couple of Advil.

Where the soundness thing gets trickier is when the horse is involved in some sort of competition, and the rider or driver is competitive, and the choice is whether or not to pull out or to keep going, especially if a veterinarian has given the green light, but with a cautionary warning.

Yesterday when Lilly jogged at the GMHA 25 mile vet inspection, she was 100% from what I could see on a straight line and on a circle to the left, but on the circle to the right, she took some off steps, The vet said to be aware, said she could go the next morning, but when we jogged her to the right after the vet check on hard ground, she was observably “not quite right.”

25 miles of hard Vermont hills is no way to make something already not right better, so the decision to pull from the ride was easy. It might be a stone bruise, a tight nail, or “whatever,” but rest is better than pounding, and in all the years that I have competed, I have become more and more and more sure that being careful of the horse is the way to go, even, or especially in the heat of battle, (which this was not.)

By “heat of battle,” I mean those times when you are well along on a ride or on a cross-country course, and you get that flashing warning signal that something isn’t right. Do you block it out or push on? Some would tell you that it depends on the situation, that in some big championships you go, especially when you are riding for a national team, or for a competitive owner. So it gets tricky, as I say, because those warning lights can flash over something rather inconsequential, or over something literally life threatening, as was the case a few years ago at a big 3-day event where a rider pressed a failing horse, who later had to be put down.

But here is where competitive drive and horsemanship are most on a collision course. The horseman says be safe while the driven competitor will drive, and only you are going to be in the place where you must decide.

The little situations, like the one yesterday with Lilly, is your training ground for bigger situations that may arise later, so how you decide those will start you on a path----.

08/29/2021

Transition time

08/29/2021

And away they go …..

08/28/2021

A few days ago I was talking with a great/ respected college and friend about horse abuse and lack of care . I’ve been in almost every possible horse industry . My love for the horses has always come first . My love trumps riding , it trumps money , it basically is why I work so hard to have these animals . Because I love them and care. In our conversation we both argeed that how can u look a horse in his eye and not see that this creature has feelings and emotions. How can u then disregard their well being and safety . We have taken these animals out of their habitat to work with and for us . How does their Well-fare come second to anything. It’s so disheartening when u see it so often in the industry .

08/28/2021

A team alert 🚨putting our changes into a course 🐴🐎💃🏻

08/28/2021

Happy Saturday

08/24/2021

Flying ✈️

08/24/2021

❤️🥳🎉🐴 3rd ride abd hes killin it !

08/22/2021

Dreams ☁️ ⭐️