ThornHill Farm

09/07/2025

Every birthday candle I blew out…
Every Christmas wish I whispered…
Every Easter morning I dreamed…
Every shooting star I silently begged —
It was always the same wish.

Horses. A barn full of love. Quiet mornings with hooves on frozen ground. Long days filled with dirt and sunshine and purpose. I used to dream about this life so hard it hurt.

And now… I’m living it.

This isn’t just a chapter in my story — it’s the wish my little self made, over and over again, and somehow… it came true.
And it’s even better than I imagined.

There’s something magical about living the life your childhood heart prayed for. It makes every tough day worth it. Every sunrise more golden. Every nuzzle from a horse more sacred.

I don’t take a second of it for granted. This life? It’s the dream I never let go of. 💫🐴

03/07/2025

🌟 Zeraphinia – 6 Weeks Old 🌟
One month and two weeks into life, and this filly is stepping boldly into her next stage of growth.

At six weeks, Zeraphinia is entering what developmental biologists call a “transitional phase”—a critical window where both her physiology and her behavior are evolving quickly in preparation for future learning, growth, and herd integration.

🧠 Cognitive & Emotional Growth
By six weeks, the foal’s hippocampus (the part of the brain responsible for memory and spatial awareness) is significantly more developed than at birth. Zeraphinia is now capable of short-term memory retention, emotional imprinting, and basic problem-solving. Her interactions aren’t just reactions anymore—they’re the beginning of understanding. She now recognizes familiar people and can distinguish between tones of voice, body language, and facial expressions.

She’s also beginning to mirror adult behavior more deliberately—watching how Yasinia interacts with her environment, other horses, and humans, then attempting to copy it. This is the foundation of social learning.

🦴 Skeletal & Joint Development
At 6 weeks, Zeraphinia’s cartilage is actively undergoing ossification, the process of converting soft cartilage into bone via mineral deposition (primarily calcium and phosphorus). However, her growth plates remain open, and her limbs are still vulnerable to strain. At this stage, researchers estimate that a foal’s legs are around 80% of their adult length, but still lack the density and structural support needed for heavy stress.

For this reason, even short, hard gallops or improper footing can cause microtraumas that may not show up until much later. Controlled turnout on safe footing is crucial.

🧬 Immune & Digestive Transitions
Foals are born with passive immunity from colostrum, but by 6 weeks, those maternal antibodies are wearing off. Zeraphinia’s own immune system is now taking over—but it’s still immature. This is why parasite management, vaccination timing, and avoiding unnecessary stress are so important during this phase. It’s a vulnerable window.

Her hindgut is also maturing, which means she’s becoming more efficient at fermenting fiber from hay, grass, and even her mother’s feed. You may see her nibbling manure (coprophagy)—this is completely normal and important for seeding her gut microbiome with beneficial bacteria.

🦷 Dental Development
By now, her incisors are starting to come in fully, and her first premolars may be visible. While she’s not ready for solid food yet, the chewing motion and mouthing behavior help prepare her jaw and facial muscles for eventual weaning.

🐴 Movement & Coordination
Her balance and proprioception (the sense of where her body is in space) have improved dramatically. She can now manage quick turns, mini bucks, and early lead changes during play. These aren’t just cute—they’re essential exercises for joint development and neuromuscular control.

Every day she’s refining her instincts, absorbing her environment, and building the physical and mental foundation she’ll carry for life. There’s something deeply humbling about watching that unfold, one brave step at a time. 💫

01/07/2025

Come on a Canada Day horseback riding experience with us?

28/06/2025

🌾 The air was still this afternoon — just the soft shuffle of hooves, the hum of birds, and the quiet calm only horses bring.

They don’t need words to speak to your soul. A nuzzle on your shoulder or the gentle swing of a tail says enough. Out here, that’s how we start our days — grounded, grateful, and always learning.

Some days are for hard work. Some are for breakthroughs. And some, like today, are just for being present.

We’re proud of what we’re building at ThornHill Farm — not just better riders, but better horse people. The kind who listen, learn, and lead with kindness.

Come see what it’s all about. The barn doors are open 🐴

26/06/2025

🧬 Zeraphinia – 1 Month & 1 Week Old
This week, Zeraphinia hits 1 month and 1 week old—a crucial stage in her early development. She may still be small, but her body and brain are undergoing some of the most rapid and foundational changes of her entire life.

🦴 Skeletal Development

At this age, her bones are growing rapidly—but they’re not yet fully ossified. Much of her skeleton still contains a high percentage of cartilage, particularly at the growth plates (physes) located near the ends of her long bones. These plates are responsible for elongation and will remain active until she’s around 2–3 years old, depending on the specific bone.

✳️ For example, the lower limb growth plates begin closing between 3–12 months, while those higher up in the leg can remain open for up to 2.5 years.

Because of this, while her playful sprints and bucks help strengthen muscle, tendon, and coordination, care is taken to avoid overexertion or repetitive concussion, which can cause joint inflammation or developmental orthopedic disorders (DOD).

🧠 Neurological & Behavioral Development

Her central nervous system is maturing rapidly. A foal’s brain is approximately 75% the size of an adult’s at birth, but it’s now developing new neural connections daily through observation, interaction, and play.
• She’s becoming more alert to subtle social cues from her dam and herd mates—starting to read body language and learn appropriate responses.
• She’s also learning from her environment. Every new sound, movement, or surface she encounters helps strengthen sensory integration.
• Object permanence begins forming at this stage—meaning she’s starting to remember and look for things that disappear from sight, like mom walking behind a fence.

👁️ Sensory Development – Eyes & Ears

Although vision is functional at birth, depth perception and visual tracking are still maturing. By 5–6 weeks, she is developing better binocular vision, allowing her to judge distances more accurately—a key skill for navigating obstacles and understanding space.

Her ears are fully functional, and she is learning to differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar sounds. You’ll see her prick her ears at voices she knows, or move away from sounds she’s not sure of—part of her developing auditory processing.

🦷 Dental Milestones

Zeraphinia now has a full set of deciduous (baby) incisors, and the first premolars are either erupted or close behind. This is why you may notice her starting to chew or mouth hay, grain, or even fencing—this teething stage helps her jaw muscles develop and prepares her for solid feed.

🍼 Digestive Changes

While she’s still primarily nursing, she’s beginning to experiment with solid food. Her digestive system is adapting by developing a population of microflora in the hindgut, which are essential for fermenting fiber and supporting forage digestion later in life. Her interest in the dam’s feed and grass is a natural and necessary step in this transition.

💡 Milestones & Behavior

At 1 month and 1 week, she typically:
• Nurses several times per hour
• Plays in short energetic bursts, improving her balance, proprioception, and muscle tone
• Begins responding to voice, touch, and halter work if handled gently
• Establishes social rank with other foals or submissive adults through mutual grooming or playful “sparring”

We’re constantly in awe of the tiny, invisible transformations happening daily beneath those gangly legs and wide eyes. Her mind is sharp, her stride is lengthening, and her sense of self is emerging. This is a beautiful stage where nature lays the groundwork for everything that’s still to come.

25/06/2025

🎶 Harmonica + Horses = Heartmelting Moments 🎶

Who knew Foster had this kind of talent? He pulled out his harmonica out in the paddocks, and the horses were instantly enchanted. As the music floated through the summer air, they slowly lowered their heads, ears tuned in, completely captivated by the sound.

It was like a front-row concert in the pasture, and Foster had them hanging on every note. We always say horses respond to energy — and today, they responded to rhythm, too.

Might be time to add “equine entertainer” to his resume… 🎵🐴💛

23/06/2025

☀️ Heat + Humidity = Danger Zone for Horses 🧪🐴

High temperatures are hard enough—but when you add humidity, it changes how horses regulate body heat, and that can quickly become dangerous.

🔬 How Horses Cool Themselves:
Horses rely primarily on evaporative cooling through sweat. But in humid weather, sweat can’t evaporate efficiently. This limits heat loss and causes their core body temperature to rise, even at rest.

When the heat index (temperature + humidity) exceeds 28°C (82°F) with 75%+ humidity, a horse’s thermoregulation becomes compromised—especially during work. If their internal temperature rises above 40°C (104°F), you’re entering the territory of heat stress and even heat stroke, which is a veterinary emergency.

💧 Sweat Science:
• Horses sweat more than any other domestic animal, losing up to 15–20L/hour during exercise.
• Sweat contains electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium). Loss of these leads to dehydration, poor muscle function, delayed recovery, and even colic.
• A horse’s sweat contains latherin, a protein that helps sweat spread across the coat for cooling—but it also causes foaming, especially in humid weather.

🧊 What We Do at ThornHill Farm:
• We hose off our horses throughout the day with cool water to assist with temperature regulation.
• Horses are offered free-choice salt and electrolyte top-ups, especially those in work.
• We adjust ride times to early morning or evening and reduce workload in extreme heat.
• Water buckets are checked and refilled often—we aim for at least 40–60L of water intake per horse per day in hot weather.

🚫 What to Avoid:
• Never leave horses in trailers or unventilated stalls—heat inside can exceed 50°C (122°F).
• Avoid exercise during peak heat (11 a.m.–4 p.m.).
• Don’t assume a quiet horse is comfortable—lethargy is often the first sign of overheating.

🧠 Signs of Heat Stress:
• Elevated heart/respiratory rate
• Weakness or uncoordinated movement
• Profuse or absent sweating
• Dark urine (indicating dehydration)
• Re**al temperature over 40°C (104°F)

Horses can’t tell us they’re overheating—we have to stay a step ahead. At ThornHill, we take heat seriously and adapt our care routines to keep our horses safe, healthy, and thriving through the summer.

22/06/2025

Spent a rewarding day at the CTHSOntario Yearling Preparation Seminar at Ballycroy Bloodstock, and we’re coming home inspired and informed! 🐴✨

From prepping for yearling sales to understanding the finer points of conformation and pedigrees, this clinic covered it all. Sergio de Souza shared invaluable insight into sale prep from a professional’s lens, and Marette Farrell gave us a clearer picture of what buyers are really looking for when it comes to conformation and bloodlines.

Nutrition was another hot topic—thanks to Alison McDougall from Purina for breaking down young horse supplements, forage quality, and the critical role of early nutrition.

We wrapped up the day with Dr. Natalie Coté from King Equine Hospital, who walked us through the importance of X-rays and scopes in evaluating yearlings for future soundness and success.

Grateful for the opportunity to keep learning, growing, and staying ahead for the horses in our care. Big thanks to CTHS Ontario for putting together such a well-rounded and educational event! 📚🐎

19/06/2025

🩷 Zeraphinia is 1 Month Old! 🩷

Zeraphinia turns one month old today, and it’s amazing to see how much she’s changed already. In just four weeks, she’s gone from a wobbly newborn glued to her dam’s side to a bold little explorer who’s growing more curious and confident by the day. She’s beginning to approach me with intention, investigating brushes, lead ropes, and anything that dares enter her stall or paddock. Her spark is undeniable—and her sass is holding strong.

Physically, this is a period of rapid development. Though she was born with about 80% of her mature height, only 17% of her total bone density was present at birth. Over the coming months, minerals like calcium and phosphorus will continue to strengthen her skeleton, especially in the limbs, joints, and vertebrae. Her growth plates are still open, which is why turnout and careful handling are so important—we’re giving her body the chance to develop safely and soundly.

One lesser-known but important part of early development is dental. By one month, foals typically have a full set of temporary incisors—those tiny front teeth that help them start to nibble, chew, and explore. Zeraphinia is already showing interest in hay, grain, and even mom’s feed, though her main nutrition still comes from Yasinia’s milk. These milk teeth (also called “deciduous teeth”) will eventually fall out to make room for her permanent set, but they’re already helping her experiment with the world and laying the groundwork for future feeding behavior.

Neurologically, her brain is building new pathways every day. Her cerebellum (which controls balance and coordination) is maturing, helping her move with more grace and purpose. The hippocampus is firing too—storing memories and processing new information. Every interaction we have, from haltering to grooming, is shaping how she perceives humans and how she’ll respond to training later in life.

This first month is what behaviorists call a critical learning window. The experiences she has now—good or bad—leave lasting impressions. That’s why we’re taking our time with the basics: leading, standing, yielding, being touched all over, and getting used to the rhythm of the barn. Small lessons now create a solid, confident horse later.

Watching her grow is a gift. One month in, and she’s already showing us she’s got the brains, bravery, and brilliance to become something truly special.

16/06/2025

We still have a couple spots left! Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. You won’t be disappointed!

📣 Join Us for an Unforgettable Weekend with Susan Craig! 🐴✨
📍 ThornHill Farm, Emsdale, Ontario
📅 Saturday, July 12 – Sunday, July 13, 2025
💲 $200 per person for the full weekend
📞 Register: 705-644-3398 or private message us

We’re excited to host Susan Craig for a two-day clinic packed with expert coaching, valuable insights, and hands-on experience. With decades of success as a rider, judge, and coach, Susan brings unmatched knowledge to riders at all levels.

🔹 Riders must be comfortable walk/trot/canter and have experience with cross rails.
🔹 Focus on skill-building, confidence, and sportsmanship.
🔹 Space is limited – don’t miss your chance to ride with one of the best!

Let’s level up together at ThornHill Farm.
📩 Message us or call for more details.