11/22/2024
Why Choose Windfall Acres?
Do we have big fancy arenas? Nope. Have an extensive show season? Nope. Big fancy, state of the art barn? Not even a little bit!
I wanted to make this post to shed some light on what goes on at our humble little property, as from the outside we honestly don’t look like much!
In fact, our property is an old sheep and cow barn, that we have been tirelessly making improvements on ourselves, doing the absolute best that we can with what we have. Owner of Windfall Acres, Jasper, came from an impoverished background and has no family or financial support with this venture. Everything that you see today grew out of relentless blood, sweat, and tears as he put the work in to make his dream happen.
The cool thing though- is that the horses don’t care about multimillion dollar barns, or state of the art arenas etc. Horses care about spacious turnout, herd socialization, unlimited quality hay and fresh water, as well as ethical and kind training, handling, and riding.
Jasper comes from a background of working at, managing, riding for, and teaching out of FEI/Gold level barns and this experience plays a large role in why he manages the horses and runs his business how he does today. To him, “success” in the horse industry is determined by the happiness and health of the horses, not by having designer horse stalls and going to shows every weekend. After experiencing first hand for many years the negative impact that those types of barns and management have on horses, he has majorly shifted his priorities with his own business, horses, and clients.
We have spacious stalls that we bed deeply, with unique shorter walls that allow the horses to be able to interact and groom each other while inside. Though- we do not and will not offer indoor board. We uniquely offer hybrid board which allows horses to be outside 24/7 year-round, except for severe weather when we do bring them inside. (We also offer standard outdoor board of course). Whether you do hybrid or outdoor board, both are still full care and your horse will still have hands-on daily from our staff when bringing them in for grain. We even have an oversized stall in the event that a horse needs to be on stall rest.
All horses on site enjoy spacious turnout year round, in mixed herds that allow for proper social structure and dynamics. This is essential for the mental well-being of these social animals, and they all thrive in this environment. Yes- even the fancy warmbloods!! We feed hay 24/7 with multiple netted roundbales, as we firmly embrace the necessity of constantly keeping horse’s stomachs full. Did you know that it only takes 15-20mins for a horse’s stomach to empty? This is why periods without hay (such as feeding small squares periodically) can be so dangerous on the horse’s digestive system. It’s even good practice to allow your horse to eat some hay (or hay cubes) while grooming/tacking to make sure that their sensitive stomachs are not empty while you ride.
We do not offer gender specific turnout, nor do we offer individual turnout. Horses THRIVE when they can engage in natural herd dynamics and relationships. Due to our spacious, not crowded, turnout in addition to our multiple roundbales and multiple water throughs in each field; resource guarding is not even remotely an issue. It is amazing to watch the herds behave like horses (crazy right!!) and be able to have as much freedom as possible.
Did you know- horses are more likely to injure themselves when they have restricted turnout? Despite this being one of the number one reasons why people do turnout restrictions! A horse that can freely move 24/7 is a horse that is going to be substantially healthier both physically and mentally, as well as be a lot more relaxed and prepared to handle a performance workload. Horses with turnout restrictions (whether that be limited hours, limited space, limited socializing etc.) statistically are much more likely to “explode” when they are turned out, self-mutilate (vices), have next to no emotional coping skills, be tense to handle/ride, require much more time to warm up (which typically riders do not allow for correctly), more susceptible to riding injuries/strains, and more susceptible to turnout injuries/strains. I could keep going on and on- but if you are reading this then I am confident that you have the capacity to use Google and do some of your own research 😊
I’d much rather “risk” my horses getting muddy and have some nicks and scratches (from being horses!!!) and have them sound, well-conditioned, relaxed, and happy to participate in activities. Vs bubble wrap them for my sake and at the deficit of their physical and mental health.
And yes- this includes my expensive warmbloods 😉 They are horses too! Their dollar value does not change the priority to put their needs ahead of my own wants.
Here at Windfall Acres, we focus primarily on foundational dressage and jumping with correct biomechanical influence, ethical horsemanship, and R+ practices. Green horses, horses with behavioural problems, soundness concerns etc. all also thrive under our methods. Horses are treated with respect and we always base our goals and methods with a “horse first” mindset. There are no gadgets, no short cuts, no big bits, no nosebands, no rushing or cutting corners. Doing things properly is slow work but it is so important for the wellbeing of the horse! Again- both physically and mentally. Our horses and our client horses WANT to participate and work with their riders because of the environment that we create and nurture.
Our horses have just as much fun as we do when riding and training!
When faced with challenges or horses with behavioural problems- we investigate why that is happening, and come up with a plan to help the horse- rather than using forceful methods to suppress the true underlying problem. On that note too, we coordinate with our amazing farrier on a 6 week schedule for all horses, as well as manage the annual vaccines, teeth, deworming etc. to ensure that the horse’s health is never compromised or compensating. Within our belief system, we also have a craniosacral body worker out monthly, and saddle fitter out every 3 months for our own horses; these services are also of course extended to all client horses to stay on a good rotation too!
We may not be upper level or trailering off to shows every weekend- but that is a conscious choice as that is not how we rank the priorities for our horses here.
Our fences may be a little old, arenas a little small, barn a little drafty- but the happiness of our horses speaks for itself!
If this sounds like the right fit for you and your horse(s), please do not hesitate to send us a message 😊 We currently have boarding availability, lesson space, as well as a couple of lovely horses available for partboard. Not looking to ride? We also have a wonderful EAL facilitator on site that can help you connect with horses from the ground.
I hope that this sheds some light on what we are all about here!
(Please note that this post is not intended to put down other facilities who do not share the same beliefs and priorities that we do. This post is purely to share and explain what we do and why we do it. If you are wondering about more information on any of these topics, please do your due diligence and indulge into some research- you would be amazed!)
