Stoney Gate Farm

05/12/2024

Our deepest sympathies to Alex and Kaitlynn, who treasured their Astro every day. Astro left us suddenly, on his own terms, and safe at home under the spectacular northern light sky. He was a clever horse - he tried his hardest in everything he did and was always keen to learn. Being part of his training was a privilege, as it was really more like guiding him in the right direction and letting him fly. I thank Kaitlynn and Alex for allowing me to be part of their journey.
They both always did right by him. Alex relentlessly worked her tail off, legging him up, educating him, sticking with him through ups and downs, and climbing back on when she got unstuck. Her loyalty didn't waiver and Astro worked hard for her every single ride without question. He always answered her with, "yes, I will give it my best shot!"
He was a War Horse, having raced into his 8 yo year with a total of 67 starts, and looked no worse for the wear - a true testament to the dedicated and tedious horsemanship Kaitlynn provided him over the last 9 years. I secretly fell in love with him the night he arrived at SGF. It was not long after my beloved Spar had died and I recognized the same look in his eye that Spar had: a genuine kindness, steadiness and heart of gold. He generously let me hug him that night and he felt familiar, like I'd known him a long time. He proved himself again and again to be exactly as he presented that very first night.
Sincere thanks to Katie Crossan and Barn Angels, who did their best for Astro, too, and were so sensitive to those who loved him.

05/09/2024

03/15/2024

LOVE these supplements! Just went through a nutrition analysis and my horses are low in some vitamins/minerals from a poor summer for hay last year. Turns out the Essential Hoof & Coat is EXACTLY what they need to balance them out, so they can stay strong doing what we all love!

DENVER! Come visit us Booth 1116! We’ll be here until Sunday the 17th to chat about all your equine nutrition needs ❤️🐎

01/19/2024

“Farm work doesn’t make you stronger. It doesn’t make you anything. It reveals you.

There’s gym strong and then there’s farm strong. They’re mutually exclusive.

The toughest women you’ll ever meet spend their days on a farm.

There are more uses for twine than you can possibly imagine. You can tie up a hole in a slow feeder, fashion a tail strap for a horse’s blanket, mend a broken fence and use it as a belt.

“Well that certainly didn’t go as planned,” is one thing you’ll say quite a bit.

Control is a mere illusion. The thought that you have any, at any given time, is utterly false.

Sometimes sleep is a luxury. So are lunch and dinner. And brushing your hair.

If you’ve never felt your obliques contract, then you’ve never tried stopping an overly full wheelbarrow of horse manure from tipping over sideways. Trust me, you’ll find muscles that you never knew existed on the human skeleton to prevent this from happening.

When one of the animals is ill, you’ll go to heroic lengths to minimize their discomfort.
When you lose one of them, even though you know that day is inevitable, you still feel sadness, angst and emotional pain from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. And it’s a heaviness that lingers even though you must regroup and press on.

You’ll cry a lot. But you’ll never live more fully. You’ll remain present no matter what because you must. There is no other option.

You’ll ask for so many miracles and hold out hope until the very last.

You will, at least once, face-plant in the manure pile.

You’ll find yourself saying things like, “we have maybe twenty minutes of daylight left to git ‘er done” whilst gazing up at a nonspecific place in the sky.

You’ll become weirdly obsessive about the weather.

You’ll go out in public wearing filthy clothes and smelling of dirt, sweat and p**p. People will look at you sideways and krinkle their noses but you won’t care.

Your entire day can derail within ten seconds of the rising sun.

You can wash your coveralls. They won’t look any cleaner, but they will smell much nicer.

Farm work is difficult in its simplicity.

You’ll always notice just how beautiful sunrises and sunsets really are.

Should you ever have the opportunity to work on a farm, take the chance! You will never do anything more satisfying in your entire life.

Well, that about sums it up, folks!” - unknown author

Rene Tiffin Barb Joy

01/01/2024

Happy birthday to all those wonderful TBs! ❤️

11/02/2023

Beautiful

10/28/2023

These two 💕

10/24/2023

It's a beauty day for a birthday hack! Or for a hack on a day that you thought was your birthday, because your man thought it was your birthday and you didn't check. We spent the day as my birthday, but guess what? It's not. It's Friday. So I get 2 birthdays!!! Let's do this every year!! This is my favourite non birthday to date. 😆

10/13/2023

Which one is the result of turning with inside rein and which is the result of turning with outside rein? Can you spot the differences and see how they effect the entire body?

This is a great visual of why turning with outside rein is so important. The inside rein should only be asking for flexion, showing them the way to go, and softening when they do (love those little rewards!).

09/24/2023

He is sooo cute clipped! ❤️ This sweetie loved the attention and literally fell asleep while I clipped his face.

08/02/2023

Pennwoods Joint Plus (Joint+GI) has everything my horse needs to perform: prebiotic, probiotic, immune boosters, msm, glucosamine. It also saves time and is really well priced! -saver

Check out stoneygate's video.

06/08/2023

Some clarity on air quality for horses during these scary times of fires.

05/04/2023

😆

04/24/2023

Pennwoods is hosting a free event tonight! (You must register!!) to discuss the following topics:
-Spring Grass and Your Horse
-How to ease your horse back into shape after a winter off
-Peak conditioning for performance horses.

This will be followed up by a product overview as well as a Q&A.

Hope to see you there! (They are also giving away some prizes!!!!)

https://facebook.com/events/s/pennwoods-this-mustang-life-sp/652338103568705/?mibextid=Gg3lNB

04/04/2023

Grateful for the opportunity to ride such a lovely, safe girl and thoroughly enjoyed the views on the hack over to the arena on Maya at Tepla!

03/03/2023

OE sanctioned event schedule

CONTENTS

03/03/2023

Start planning!

2023 Dates are here!

02/25/2023

Sweet old Valiant takes care of all his riders!

02/21/2023

Long days make good dogs.

02/19/2023

Just a girl who loves her pony and pink.

02/03/2023

Jimmy will forever be a legend for the eventing community - he is perhaps one of the most well respected icons in the sport. What a huge hole this leaves. I always eagerly read any article he wrote, listened carefully to his course walks at Rolex, and took any of his wisdom to heart. My heart goes out to his family and close friends.

We’re deeply saddened to share the news that Jimmy Wofford, five-star winner, Olympian, leading equestrian intellect, and consummate horseman, has died at the age of 78 following a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. His extraordinary, forward-thinking

01/31/2023

Fabulous.

A week ago today I swung my saddle onto the back of a five-year-old quarter horse under the watchful eye of Tom Curtin.

The horse took a few concerned steps as my stirrup swung over his back. I looked up to see Tom’s grin under the brim of his hat and he said,

“You were thinking about saddling that horse, weren’t you?
You need to think about that horse while you saddle him.“

Last week I spent the week with Tom and his wife, Trina. I noticed a reoccurring lesson throughout the week.

The everyday activities I have done my whole life with horses took on a new meaning. “You were thinking about brushing that c**t, you need to think about that c**t while you brush him.” And, “you were thinking about bridling that mare, you need to think about that mare while you bridle her.”

Tom said, “No matter what you do, never forget that horse”.

So there I was, playing cowboy for a week, learning about c**t starting, riding young horses, checking cattle, but deep inside it all, learning how to be with a horse in a very intentional way.

It’s a sort of contract, you see. You’re not demanding that your horse give you their attention without an even exchange. Asking a horse to bring their attention to me now feels more like saying, “Remember I’m right here, thinking about you… In exchange can you think about me?”

The gift of Tom’s c**ts was that they already knew the feeling of being kept in mind, and they were good at telling me when I’d lost track of them. The calm that came over these horses when I thought of them as I went about my daily routines was just wonderful.

All it took was being mindful of their existence and attentive to their needs. We typically have some sort of goal with our horses that can provide a wonderful sense of purpose, but the goal is meaningless if we lose track of our partner in the process.

I hope in reading this you can be as inspired as I am. When you go out this week and do whatever you do with your horses, whether it be jumping fences, working cows, dancing in a dressage arena, chasing hounds, etc, see if you can go about your business with purpose, but never forget your horse.

~ Justin

📸 Erin Gilmore // Erin Gilmore Photography

01/21/2023

Booking February lesson packages! Our resident coach, Rene, has taught beginners through to international competitors. An emphasis is put on proper technique, safety, and connection with the horse. Horse care and ground work will be included in the lesson time.

Available time slots:
Sunday 1-2pm & 2-3pm
Monday 4-5
Tuesday 4-5pm
*Weekday daytime lessons also available

Lessons are purchased in packages of 4, to be taken weekly, for $240.
Riders must provide their own helmet.