Long- Spot Equestrian

12/21/2024

Lighter days are coming my friends💕💖❤️

Thank you for this reminder Annie F. Downs ❤

12/01/2024

Our duck friends don’t seem to mind the change of season💕 As long as someone breaks some ice so they can keep playing they’re all still happy quackin and splashin🥰

11/30/2024

Is there a cuter face out there than Flip’s ? Call me biased but I don’t think so. That said hers is not the only cute face looking for more students to love her, compliment her, ride her and give her cookies💕 We have a variety of equine friends looking for more lesson, trail, groundwork, lease and show students. Please pm to get started!

11/29/2024

We might currently have a trench through the barnyard for more electrical options (🤩) but we also have twinkle lights galore💖 thankful for Mel Hilmi feeding my obsession😍💕🥰 what better way to lift some spirits as we move into dark all the time season known as winter😅

11/29/2024

Construction season💕 Mel Hilmi

08/24/2024

Anyone who’s free today should come check out a pretty cool event on the beautiful property we call home! 💕 we’ve done so much work we are eager to share💕

08/18/2024

08/11/2024

I’m away for the weekend on a long- awaited vacation but I’m missing this with my favourite group of kiddos💕 I am so lucky to have such a lovely, supportive, uplifting and loving team to call my very own💖 From those who just joined the team to those who’ve been there from the start; from leadline all the way up the levels. I feel so honoured to be able to help you grow into riders, horsepeople and the next generation of coaches and trainers💕

07/22/2024

Last minute camp opportunities, this Tuesday the 23rd and Thursday the 25th! Hours can be flexible as we know everyone has different schedules and budgets. Will include a group riding lesson and a groundwork session. Ideal hours would be between 8-4 but again I can accommodate as needed. Please pm to book a spot or for more information💕

07/02/2024

Team side by side ride❤️ we are so excited to share our new projects but I wanted to take a moment to share this farm fam picture first💕

06/27/2024

Coming soon; two new/improved fields! With Mel Hilmi 🤩😍🤩

06/13/2024

Everything comes with a price

A sensitive horse is going to be sensitive to both light aids AND your accidental aids and mistakes

A quiet school horse is going to give you room to fumble with your hands and legs, and they are also likely to ignore them when you mean to use them.

It isn’t fair to want the reward without the price. It isn’t fair to take from a horse without giving- and it all comes down to working on ourselves: our expectations, riding abilities, mindset, and awareness. You can’t have a perfectly performing horse without putting in your own work. A horse is not a computer or a robot- they rise to, or fall to, the level of the horseman.

Photo by Melinda Yelvington

06/12/2024

06/12/2024

We had a blast at lemon dal’s shows this past weekend! Myself and several students went Saturday for the hunter day and a few of us returned for the jumper day on Sunday. We love showing and are so happy to support lemon dal and their photographers Canter Craft Photography and CC Photography

This picture of Flip and myself is definitely a favourite, but there are so many good ones I am still sorting through to pick which ones to purchase!💕 Show photos are the best photos💕

Evening show folks!

What a phenomenal day we had at Lemon Dal Stables today, I think we can all agree that was the best one yet in so many ways! Photos will be available for purchase as soon as my fellow photographer has hers ready to go so keep an eye on our socials.

While we wait let's enjoy Flip (Love it or List it) and Long- Spot Equestrian doing what they do best 🐎🪽

05/28/2024

We are very fortunate to have both easy keeping horses and tons of pasture to rotate. That said at least two of our ponies wear grazing muzzles in attempts to keep them at a healthier weight. We love that they are able to graze a mix of grass, w**d and brush; foraging all day as horses should🥰 And because we love them we don’t want to see them overweight and at risk for a variety of health issues; grazing muzzles are our friends! 💕

Studies have shown that about half the equine population is overweight; here's what the research says about grazing muzzles.

05/15/2024

It's a simple question, how much do you know? What's in those supplements and why do you buy them? First, I will say that equine nutrition has made great strides in the past twenty years. At the same time riders and horse owners have become less educated horsemen and women. Before the supplement craze with everyone now feeding supplements people solved problems by feeding specific ingredients and a program of work and exercise.

Take the aging horse, for example. Older horses get a little gimpy from old injuries and soft tissue losing flexibility taking a toll. Back in the day, the solution was to keep the horse moving. I retired a polo horse at 16. With a program of exercise, that included leasing the horse to young beginner Pony Club riders that weighed under 100 pounds every year, glucosamine and occasional Bute, that horse was comfortable and useful until he died at 34. Today, most aging horses get turned out and given supplements, end of story. Instead of a program, the solution is simply purchased in tidy little packs.

One manufacturer offers a "Senior" supplement package as well as packages for "Joint & Cartilage Health", "Comfort, Tendon & Ligament, Multi-Purpose with Joint, Maintenance", "Rehabilitation Support", "Workload Level". All they say about their Joint package is it's a "joint supplement that can support the health of your senior’s joints and help manage the stiffness and discomfort associated with aging." "That can" is interesting wording. It sounds a lot like "it might".

There are few if any oversight standards for animal supplements. Almost anything can be sold as a supplement concoction "that can" help. With this solution there is no requirement that horse owners need to do anything but feed their product. Is a simple purchase the complete solution? Are they selling a useful product or are they selling peace of mind in a tiny pack with no obligation to do more?

I am not here to bash the supplement industry. I am here to educate horse owners that most often it's not as simple as a quick convenient purchase. Older horses age better with regular light work and the timely use of specific interventions that include regular or occasional medications and treatments in a cohesive program. The prepackaged mixes "that can support the health of your senior’s joints" most likely do no harm, but there is usually more to do than feed a little package to keep an aging horse happy and healthy.