Meraki Equestrian

11/02/2022

Pre-workout pampering for Halley 🤩 -workout

09/24/2022

I had to just stop and admire how good Miss Talize is looking at 4.5 months pregnant! 🤩 She has been bred to Passion for Action and we are expecting a little bundle of speed in the spring! 🤗 Thank you to for the Equibody Glo oil that keeps her shiny and dappled even through pregnancy, hopefully her baby comes out with dapples too! 🤩

04/30/2022

Stella (Standing Ovation) is a young rising 3 year old mare in for training to be backed and started under saddle. This is her second time trotting under saddle on the lunge and I have to say she is a lovely ride so far and smart as a whip! 🤩 This one right here is a superstar in the making!!

04/30/2022

2022 TB Makeover hopeful, Striking Red, thoroughly enjoyed her treatment! 🥰

Striking Red, (Ruby), falling asleep during her bodywork session. 💤 Meraki Equestrian
https://www.dressagewurks.com/
®

04/07/2022

Denny den-den!😍 2022 TB Makeover prospect Denmark is coming along nicely with only a handful of retraining rides under his belt! Sometimes he looks like a Llama 🤣, but he tries really hard to get it right! 💖 Now that the move to the new farm is over, it's time to get cracking! Looking forward to seeing how Denny develops this summer! 🤩
Omega Alpha - Equine
BUTET Ontario

12/25/2021

🎄Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!🎄

The team at Meraki would like to take a moment to thank everyone for such a successful and wonderful year! Despite all that 2021 threw at us, our team supported each other through ups and downs and I think we've all made it to the end of the year tougher and stronger!

I'd like to also take a moment to thank our incredible sponsors who kept our horses performing at their top form all year round! Without your support it would be difficult to provide our horses with all of the supplements and products that allow them to keep training hard! It takes a village and we are so grateful for those who stand behind us!

BUTET Ontario made sure our horses had saddles that fit to keep them comfortable even as their shapes changed through training. The balance and comfort of these saddles is bar none and I encourage anyone who is interested in sitting in one to see if it can improve their riding to reach out!

Omega Alpha - Equine and Patti Hanco made sure our horses had the best blend of supplements unique to their individual needs. I was especially impressed with how well my two Makeover horses handled the stress of travel and a lengthy competition. They returned home ready for more and that speaks volumes!! Not to mention I love that my horses wait at their stall doors every morning for their tasty syringes! 🥰

If you're still reading along, I have saved the best news for last (and for our die hard supporters! Lol) You might notice that our beautiful new dry erase board pictured, courtesy of our incredible Super Groom/Manager, Alexa, has 12 spots instead of 10... this is because we are relocating in the spring! 😆

We will be moving to the beautiful Thomas Ridge Stables in Guelph/Eramosa where we are looking forward to expanding our team and being able to offer our horses so much more in terms of training and conditioning! 💪

2022 - We are ready for you!!

Lots of love,
Team Meraki 💗

11/24/2021

***SOLD***

2014 16.1 OTTB gelding, KY bred, TB Makeover Graduate.

Dundee is a fun horse that loves to work. He has his own engine, but also has good brakes riding in a snaffle at home and shows. He likes a rider with a soft hand and independent seat. He is an adjustable, sensitive ride that any experienced rider will be sure to love!

He knows basic dressage such as leg yield, shoulder in, lengthen and has show experience at the TB Makeover in Kentucky showing Training Level bringing home good scores. He loves to jump and is very brave to the fences, he will always get you to the other side. He is green but has experience with courses and gymnastics up to 0.80m and has jumped some 0.90/1.0m singles with ease. He has free jumped over 4 feet and looked like he had more room to go! He has show experience in the 0.60s at the Silver Series shows where he came home with ribbons everytime in classes of 60-80+. This horse will be a 1.0-1.10m winning machine in the future!

He hacks out on the buckle around the property or at shows alone or with a friend. You can also ride him around in a halter and leadrope at home! He loves to play in our pond and I think would take well to Eventing!

He is great for vet and farrier. Excellent for clipping, loading, and day to day handling. UTD on vaccines and teeth. Wears 4 shoes at the moment, but could probably transition back to bare foot if desired as he was before and living outside without issue. Recent full hind xrays are available and findings can be discussed with serious buyers.

This is a really fun horse looking for his next partner! 💖

Located in Alton, ON. Has a current coggins. Shipping can be arranged easily. Please PM for more information. Asking 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ CAD

Video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RkL6hCotzbkCCdfF8

11/03/2021

😍 A shot from our veterinary exam and jog prior to being accepted for the 2020 Finale at the TB Makeover! I don't know who looks more focused on the task at hand, me or Halley.

10/24/2021

😍 Smooth Don B also attended the Thoroughbred Makeover in Kentucky as a class of 2021 competitor! Unfortunately he had an incident in his stall the day he arrived and was unable to compete in Show Jumping. (Huge thank you to our stall neighbors who jumped to action to rescue him!) After a few days off to rest, this horse absolutely brought his A game into the Rolex Stadium for his first time ever in a Dressage ring! (UNLESS you count me walking into the stadium and dismounting with my air vest on.. AGAIN. Seriously, this horse has a great brain and sense of humor! 🤣) The Rolex Stadium has been known to make even seasoned horses come unglued, and he just put his game face on and went to work! He received a score of 66.207% on his Training Level Test 2, and a score of 68% on his demo ride! First time in a Dressage ring! 🤩 Smooth Don B has all the pieces to be a very classy horse in almost any ring! Show Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, Field Hunting, take your pick! He is for sale, priced low 5s. Xrays available. Please PM for more information! 😊

10/12/2021

Sneak peak from Canton Comet's Show Jumping round at the TB Makeover this morning! Will post videos later, she put in an absolutely phenomenal round and received an excellent score!! 🤩😍🥰
Thank you to
For the supplements that are keeping her in top form during a demanding week of travel and competition! She had a tube of Equisel BCAA right after this round to help her recovery! 💪

09/27/2021

Only 18 days until the Makeover!! 🤠 2020 entry Canton Comet is heading down along with 2021 entry, Smooth Don B. Special thank you to our supporter, ! Thanks to your products, both of my horses are heading down to Kentucky looking and feeling their best! 🤩🥰

09/27/2021

Tiktok seemed to like this throwback of Tucker doing his signature move, so here it is for your viewing pleasure! 😂 Fun fact, this was actually my FIRST ride in a Butet flat seat saddle in early 2018- I've been hooked ever since 😍 I sure do miss jumping Tucker, shenanigans and all. 💖

09/03/2021

2021 TB Makeover Prospect, Smooth Don B, went to his first show last week! It was also his first time schooling off property, and his first time jumping courses! 🤩 He improved every single trip and was so keen to jump! He had only one rail in his three classes all weekend and came home with ribbons!

He will be available for sale at the Makeover in Kentucky in October, please send a PM for more information! 😊

08/09/2021

Whew! It was a long two weeks of back to back horse showing at Angelstone Tournaments for Silver Series Weeks 3 and 4, but Team Meraki perservered through the ups and downs of horse shows and had some great results and a ton of fun! Some highlights include:

Samantha and Bumblebee were Week 4 Champion of the 0.60 Jumpers in his second week of jumpers (only his 4th horse show ever!) With a 1st in the Classic and a 2nd in Table A. Bee also got a 7th and 8th in his 2'6 Hunter O/F, and a 10th place in the 2'0 Hunter Derby. He is an excellent example of how versatile a Thoroughbred can be! 🤩

Kayla and Rosehills California Playgirl were Reserve Champions Week 3 placing 2nd, 2nd, and 5th. They stepped it up Week 4 with a clean sweep winning all three of their classes to be 0.60 Champion as well! 🤩

Evan and It Takes Two were Reserve Champions of the 0.90 Jumpers Week 3 with a 2nd and 5th place in very competitive divisions! 🤩 It Takes Two also took care of his precious cargo, Addie in the Leadline class! I think it's important to note, Evan also takes home Best Dad Ever award for showing with his horse covered in glitter to make his daughter happy! 😍

Alex and Puffin placed 3rd in the 0.60 Table A and 4th in the 0.80 Classic Week 3. They also took home 2nd place in the 0.60 Speed Class Week 4! 🤩

Cait and All Dressed In Lace also took home Champion in the Hack Division Week 4 placing 1st, 1st and 2nd! They have also put down some nice rounds in the 2'6 Open Hunters scoring 6th, 7th, and 8th! 🤩

Last and certainly not least, a huge Thank You must go out to our Super Groom Alexa! You work hard to make sure everyone gets to the ring on time with everything they need and you also come prepared with refreshments for the riders and refreshMINTS for the horses before and after their rounds!🥰 Our horses enjoy going to the show rings and you're a big part of the reason why! 💓

I am so proud of our team and how hard everyone has worked through their difficulties and challenges, staying positive and always thankful to their horses. Wins come with losses and upsets, and that is a reality in any sport. Horses are humbling. But it's all worth it at the end of the day! 💖

Thank you to BUTET Ontario for making sure our saddles fit our horses great so they can continue to put in their best performances!

07/26/2021

Stormy Revenge is starting to get a bit more jumping fit! 🤩 Looking forward to another 2 weeks at Silver Series! Thanks to my beautiful flat seat saddle, I can actually stay with this power house in the air! 💪

07/19/2021

LONG POST AHEAD...😅 Black Pearl (JC: Canton Comet) and I made our debut in the Gold Training level classes this weekend at , which was also Halley's first horse show! This 5 year old acted mature beyond her years and experience in the warm up rings and show rings. She had her baby moments, and her mare moments 😅, but all in all she surpassed all of my expectations! 🤩⭐🌠 Even though today's scores were a bit tougher, she was much more focused in the ring today and I think put in a better test than yesterday! 🥰 I am really looking forward to developing a strong partnership with this mare, she is all business and I love her for that! 😍 (She knows what she's worth though, that P> stands for Princess!😂)
Thank you for your endless effort in making sure the horses are well kept, happy, and able to perform their best. We couldn't do it without you! 🥰
Thank you for the amazing coaching and guidance this weekend! 🥰
Thank you for my brand new custom saddle, it's so comfortable that I was able to ride in it for only the 2nd time in the show ring! Thank you Max for making sure it fit Halley virtually before I even rode in it! 😄
And last but not least, thank you to .saik for all of your work and support behind the scenes at home. 🥰

07/01/2021

All set up for our week at ! 😍 Looking forward to spending some quality time with our fantastic team! 💓The horses and riders all schooled great today and made me very proud! Big thank you to everyone on the team who helped make sure today ran smoothly! .beechstonefarm Cait, PJ, Cindy, Brenley, and of course .saik !

06/25/2021

*SQUEALS WITH GLEE* My beauties finally arrived and are simply stunning! 😍 I am so excited to be back as part of the Butet team and am looking forward to what this new partnership will bring!

06/24/2021

Somebody come and buy this horse from us before I am forced to enter him as my 2021 horse for the Mega Makeover! 😅 Smooth Don B's first time jumping 1.0m... or was it 1.50m? 🤪

06/19/2021

***Swipe right for the after photo!!***
Just over 5 weeks ago, my beautiful 4 year old stallion, Muskoka Storm, suffered a skull fracture and traumatic brain injury. While in the hospital, he also came down with an infection in his brain (meningitis) which happened because the fracture was open to his brain. Against all odds, he fought like a true champion and made his way back home to me. 💓

His poor body suffered tremendously through his ordeal, and he lost about 300-350 lbs of muscle and fat. His coat was lackluster, he had dermatitis, his body looked like it had simply depleted everything in the fight for his life. I was so thankful to have him back home, but I have to admit I was thankful it was chilly so I could keep a stable sheet on him to keep his bones hidden away.

I got him started on his EquiBody Glo from Omega Alpha before he even left OVC as I wanted him to have the health benefits of Vitamin D (neuroprotective) combined with MCT, Camelina, Flax, and Rice Bran oil! I also put him on Biotic 8 PLUS as soon as he got home as he was on very heavy antibiotics and I knew his gut would need all the help it could get!

It's been 3 weeks since he has been home, and I had to step back yesterday and just say WOW. Kobe does not look like a horse who came very close to death just over 5 weeks ago! There is no filter, no sprays used, just a quick curry and soft brush! 😍🤩

I am so grateful for everyone who has been involved in his recovery so far. Against all odds, his future looks bright!🥰

Thank you for putting me onto EquiBody Glo! 🙏

05/31/2021

Despite all that's happening around the farm, 2020 TB Makeover prospect Canton Comet has been working hard and giving her all! 💪 Halley is incredibly smart with a superb work ethic - typical TB traits! 😍 Halley will be aiming towards Dressage and Show Jumping at the Makeover in the fall. Thank you to Cindy Ishoy for all your help and guidance! 🤩

04/29/2021

Sadly accurate, especially in the spring. 😅😂 Anyone else feel this way?

04/24/2021

We're only around ride #25 as I have been taking it slow and steady with TB Makeover prospect, Muskoka Storm, as he is only 4 and still growing. I am so impressed with how hard he tries and what a thinker he is. 😍 He easily transfers the ground work to under saddle work and gives it everything he's got! Thank you to Cindy for another amazing training session with this young stallion! 🤩

04/02/2021

And here is the goofball side of Canton Comet (Halley) that we love! 😂🥰

04/01/2021

Miss Canton Comet strutting her stuff today in our lesson. 🤩 It is so interesting how young horses can develop over time; it is a process I thoroughly enjoy.🥰 Had the 2020 TB Makeover gone along as planned, I had little intention of showing Halley in Dressage as I know how tough the competition is! But after just a few short months of regular lessons, she is becoming a whole new horse! We are definitely planning on competing in the Dressage ring at the 2021 Mega Makeover (and throughout the summer)! I am so excited to have a quality young mare with such a great work ethic.

03/29/2021

Interesting! I have always noticed different horses prefer different types of praise. Some of my more sensitive horses prefer verbal praise only or a very light scratch at the withers. Most of them do not enjoy a pat on the neck, actually!

IS PATTING REWARDING TO THE HORSE?

We often see riders slapping their horse on the neck enthusiastically at the end of a showjumping round or dressage test. Patting is considered by many to be a way of telling the horse that they have performed well – but is this the reward we think it is, or could it cause them discomfort?

Horses are extremely sensitive to touch and many riders use different pressures ranging from a light pat to a slap. To find out more about how horses feel about this, a team of equine scientists at Nottingham Trent University set out to investigate the effects of patting and wither scratching horses when ridden or being handled.

For the first part of the study, footage of 16 competitors in the dressage Grand Prix at the 2012 London Olympics was analysed to see how and when the riders patted their horses, and how they reacted.

Fifteen riders patted their horses, with 12 continuing to do so for over a minute. A significant percentage of these pats resulted in the horse reacting. Most commonly, the horses accelerated – sometimes they changed gait from walk to trot. This could indicate that the horses found the patting unpleasant, or that they took the opportunity to accelerate because the rider dropped the rein contact and/or leant forward.

In a second part to the study, a group of five well-handled riding school ponies and five relatively un-touched rescue horses were patted or scratched four times, for 30 seconds at a time. The study was filmed and the horses’ behavioural responses were noted.

Patting resulted in little behavioural reaction. However, wither scratching seemed to be much more effective as a reward to the horse. Some lowered their heads, moved their upper lips and tried to mutually groom the handler – all responses similar to those seen in positive horse-to-horse interaction.

The researchers concluded that riders and handlers should be encouraged to scratch rather than pat their horse as a reward.

Previous research has shown that scratching the withers consistently lowers the horse's heart rate and can therefore be a useful aid to calm them in anxious situations. Wither scratching may also improve the horse/human relationship as mutual grooming does between horses.

Research team: Emily Hancock, Sarah Redgate and Carol Hall of Nottingham Trent University. 2014.

Image by lhourahane 2012 Olympics - Team Dressage Final, CC by 2.0.

03/26/2021

Dreaming of warm weather, green grass, and summer horse shows on this rainy Friday! 🌻☀️This is a to 2017 with All Black Cadillac in the Derby. He always loved jumping on grass! 🥰 Fun fact, he threw both of his glue-on hind shoes in the warm up ring before this class, and jumped around no problem for 2nd place in our first derby together! 🤩

03/20/2021

Beautiful day for the 1st hack of Spring for these ladies and their lovely boys 😍 The horses were SO eager and happy to get out of the arena, finally!!

03/16/2021

Smooth Don B (aka Dundee) sure lived up to his name through his first gymnastic jump school today! 🤩 He never looked at anything, just sorted it out and had fun! He will be available for sale in the future, so keep an eye on our page if you're looking for a Jumper or Eventer! 😉

03/11/2021

Well, I was going to share these photos the other day - but even better now that I can maybe win a pair of my favourite breeches!🤞😂 *SECOND photo is THE best!* This was my most amazing save many years ago on my first horse, Rocky at a Twinholm Trillium Show. Sheer determination to not fall off into that slop in my show clothes was the only thing that kept me on that day! For photo evidence that I stayed on, swipe! 😆 .official The second picture is the best! Photo cred to !