Owls Ridge Farm

06/08/2024

Unwritten and his riders, Emily Tinker and Annabelle Collins - taking the tri colour in both Modified Child/Adult, and Low Modified Child/Adult Hunter divisions earlier this week!

06/08/2024

Great ribbons for .equestriann and Take Another Bow in the Large pony hunter this morning!

04/29/2024

Greenhawk has invited Owls Ridge Farm riders and friends to a shopping party on Wednesday, May 1st from 9am-7pm. 20% off storewide, and 50% off clearance items! Phone orders will also be accepted.

03/12/2024

Great opportunity for anyone attending spring clinics!

The NSHJA is proud to be offering clinic bursaries again in 2024.

These bursaries are part of our initiatives aimed to help support our members towards their riding and educational goals.

Please submit the form by the deadline of March 25th, 2024 to be considered for one of our bursaries.

Please email [email protected] with any questions.

https://forms.gle/kdGiNWsjbBN2KsZJ6

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02/15/2024

This is all so true!

The more we travel to shows the more overwhelmed I am by the amount of money required to play our sport. My daughter thrives in the jumper ring so I need to make this work. I asked around and came up with a list of things I wish I knew/did 10 years ago, so I figured I would share…

Volunteer for everything and do a great job, it opens doors and creates relationships.

Don’t be afraid to ask people for advice - most would love to chat and share their experience, be ok if they are too busy. Always ask, always be ok with the answer being no.

Read everything, or if you’re not a reader listen to podcasts, audiobooks, always learn

Learn German or Spanish, trust me.

Get a subscription to ClipMyHorse.tv for 149 Euro/year. Not only can you watch an awesome amount of international shows BUT they have an Academy that is included in the subscription. Tons of mini lessons from the best in the world.

Work the hardest (body clip, braid, muck stalls, etc) - it’s seen and appreciated by those that count

Become obsessive with your horse and its care. Obsess about their feed, their feet, their condition, make the horse you have the very best it can be.

This is silly but valid… make a note on your phone of what coffee order folks want. Nothing better than someone walking up during a long show day with your favorite drink. Relationships matter.

Be thankful to everyone. Thank the ingate, the jump crew, the course designer, the steward - their job is under appreciated and without them no one can be successful.

Help load/unload your shavings and hay deliveries. Please. I hate when folks sip lattes watching others sweat.

Find a side hustle in the horse business. We started Millbrook Leathers - there is a ton of customers out there, start small but start, every dollar counts.

Tell your fellow competitors good job, clap for them, become a friend and a supporter. It’s ok to have friends outside your own barn.

If you’re waiting for a jump, help the trainer on the jump adjust it - go up 2, go wider - you’re anyway just standing there waiting, be helpful.

No hoof, no horse. Ask questions, chat with your farrier.

When I was 16yo I braided enough manes to afford a flight to Switzerland. I worked my butt off for free, and it changed my life. People always say going to Europe is a dream, it can be a reality. 

Show up as the person you needed when you were growing up.

This is the hardest one… say hi to people when you pass. Lots of times I think they have no idea who I am, so I just look at my phone, look the other way. If you’ve met them or had some sort of interaction chances are they remember you. Make eye contact, say good morning, develop all the relationships.

Get a dog. That’s just general life advice, get a dog.

If you’re a woman, ask for opportunities, be ok with the answer being no. So many men are at the top of the sport and I swear it’s because they actively ask for opportunity while women tend to work hard and passively hope to be noticed. Ask. All they can say is yes or no, it may start a conversation and who knows where that will lead.

Dont get so busy chasing dreams that you forget the fun.

If you’re moving up a level or just need to work out kinks, do the blue ribbon rounds or school on Tuesdays/mornings if allowed. Division classes are $$ and if you’re not ready to be competitive why not do the same height in a no pressure/less cost situation? I feel like these options are too often overlooked.

If you’re a working student, be first in last out. What you lack in experience and talent make up for in work ethic. Talent is everywhere, dedicated horsemen are a rarity.

Someone is ALWAYS watching. The good and the bad.

Get the VIP. Trust me, I was never this person. But now I budget that into my savings plan - scrimp elsewhere to splurge there. VIP is where folks are sitting and relaxing, some of the most influential conversations I’ve had have happened in VIP because people had the time to chat.

Be kind and grateful to the office staff. They get all sorts of rude behavior thrown at them. They want you to succeed and your paperwork to be easy. Appreciate them and if there are issues work through them with patience and kindness at the forefront. Also, bring them cookies or cake because they are locked at that desk – who doesn’t love snacks?

Always watch the warm up, listen and learn, the warm up is the best place to be.

Talk to the course designer, ask them what's hard in their course, what's easy in the course, why they did it, etc

Walk the small classes and the big classes, then see if they ride how you thought

If you see someone needing help, go help them - this should be obvious but…

Talk to the grooms in your aisle, bring them coffee, they have so much knowledge and are so undervalued.

Look outside the box when traveling to shows. Do you have to stable on grounds or is there a trailer in option? Our horses stay in a beautiful field in Wellington for $10/day, yes it means we drive back and forth a lot, but $10/day…

If you’re a USEF member you get 10% off at Dover

Even if you aren’t a hunter, watch the pro hunter ring. Just watch trips. Many of them. In the jumpers there are fairly obvious moves made to accomplish goals. In the hunters you start to see the tiny, minuscule adjustments that add to super consistent pace and get an incredible jump out of a horse. All of these adjustments are useful tools.

Your horse’s stomach health needs to be focused on more.

Unless you have uses for hauling other things, do not get a truck and trailer to save hauling money. If you are taking less than 3 horses to every show it will rarely even out.

Be grateful. Always.

If outside hay/shavings are allowed, bring them or go to local Murdoch’s/Tractor Supply avoid paying the mark up. Always go to the gas station for ice.

Clinics! There are so many clinics out there, if you can’t afford to ride in them then audit them.

USHJA offers Emerging Athletes Program, Gold Star Clinic, etc – try to join this pathway, it’s invaluable access to some of the industry’s top professionals.

And last but not least, always pet the pony.

What would you add?

12/29/2023

Honoured that Roxy was presented with Horse of the Year for 2023 by the NSHJA! We miss that face every day ❤️

The Nova Scotia Hunter Jumper Association recognizes Strike A Pose as the 2023 Horse of the Year.

Strike A Pose, known as Roxy in the barn, was born in 2000 at Oaklawn Zoo. Purchased by the Smith family as a yearling, she became a successful hunter pony with brains, beauty and an undeniable desire to compete. Throughout Roxy’s career, she earned many championship titles from local shows in Nova Scotia to the A circuit in Ontario. As Chelsea aged out of the pony ring, the thought of selling Roxy crossed their minds, but her teaching journey was just beginning. Roxy was leased out to several riders in Nova Scotia and Ontario and became a mentor to many junior riders, guiding them through the show ring with her confidence. When she came home to Owls Ridge Farm, she became the queen of the short stirrup ring, bringing many more young riders along. As she got older, she continued to teach riders the importance of caring for a senior horse.

Although the list of individual accomplishments are too great to list, Roxy’s legacy will live on through all of her riders. She leaves behind many memories and some big shoes for future unicorns to fill 🤍

10/29/2023

Mark your calendars on November 15th for our barn shopping party at Greenhawk Equestrian, from 9am-7pm. 20% off most items and lots of other deals to be had, get your Christmas shopping started early!

04/28/2023

A good read about the Canadian Pony Club!

https://www.horsejournals.com/riding-training/english/dressage/canadian-pony-club-then-and-now?fbclid=IwAR3NIVpGERBcCZ86drKUPtKgWX5P8xPCkInPDkzHOyLJ6QSEnhKf9RmuL2I

It’s common for riders to compete at high levels today without advanced horsemanship knowledge. A rider’s success in the show ring seems to have greater value than their horse management skills, but that wasn’t always the case. Many of Canada’s former top riders credit Canadian Pony Club (CP...

04/23/2023

Don’t forget about our pre show season shopping party at Greenhawk, this coming Wednesday, April 26th from 9am-7pm. They will be offering 20% store wide for Owls Ridge riders!

03/19/2023

Thank you to all of our riders, coaches, parents, volunteers and our judge for making our winter training show a great success yesterday! A great start to the 2023 season! 🏆 🥇 🐴

02/17/2023

I have a very tiny bit of sympathy now for those of you who have had to break in new field boots 😱 😂 Worth it since they’re so pretty though!

12/24/2022

Merry Christmas to all our friends of Owls Ridge! Hope you all get to enjoy some quality time with your loved ones, human and otherwise 🐴 So happy that this girl gets to spend another Christmas with us ❤️ Shes a special one and certainly on the nice list! 🎅🏻 🎄

11/20/2022

Check out the Nova Scotia Hunter Jumper Association’s silent auction, which is now live and open for bidding! Bidding ends November 26th at the awards banquet

Silent auction 'NSHJA Online Auction 2022' hosted online at 32auctions.

11/10/2022

Congratulations to Chloe on the lease of Route 66 for the 2023 season!

11/10/2022

Congratulations to Anna on the lease of Strike a Pose for the 2023 season!

11/06/2022

Congratulations to .a_eq and Coconut Kissimmee for their success in Toronto at this weekend! Hard work pays off 💪🏻

11/02/2022

Congratulations to Strike a Pose and Ella MacFarlane for their Championships in the short stirrup hunter, and short stirrup equitation divisions for the Becancour Horse Show series!

11/01/2022

The littlest pony made it to Toronto. Time to rest up and get ready for a big week!

11/01/2022

Wishing our Coconut Kissimmee and Lauren Archer-Shee the best of luck this week at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto! Watch for them in the Small Pony Hunter division 💕

10/27/2022

Mark your calendars, our annual pre-Christmas shopping party at Greenhawk is booked! November 17th, from 9am-7pm, most of the store will be 20% to Owls Ridge Farm family!

10/23/2022

Great reminder for putting blankets on. Also good to remember to face halter clips and bucket clips inwards as well!

👋 This is a very important memo! 👋 Please make sure you always buckle your blankets and tack into your horse. When they face out they have the risk of getting caught on fences, buckets, and anything else your horse might find.

09/22/2022

Lessons tomorrow (Sept 23rd) and Saturday (Sept 24th) will be cancelled, Sunday lessons TBD. Stay safe everyone, the horses will all be tucked in out of the rain and wind and will enjoy a few days off!

09/18/2022

A wonderful day yesterday at Restless Pines for our ponies and their riders.

Coconut Kissimmee & Lauren Archer-Shee Champion Small/ Medium Pony Hunter & Winners of the NSHJA pony Medal

Strike A Pose & Ella MacFarlane - Reserve Champion Short Stirrup

09/18/2022

Better late than never. The Owls Ridge Farm crew had a great time at the Coveside Classic a few weeks ago. No better way to end the summer! Thank you Jackie, Brad and the amazing team of people for running such a great series all summer. We are already counting down the days till next year!

Some highlights include:

Hurricane Bay & Charlea VanHorne - Champion Pre- Short Stirrup

Strike A Pose & Ella MacFarlane - Champion Short Stirrup

Coconut Kissimmee & Lauren Archer-Shee - Reserve Champion Small Pony Hunter

Unwritten & Emily Tinker- Reserve Champion Modified Hunter

Route 66 & Katie Oss- Reserve Champion JR/AM 3’3 Hunters and Winner of the NSHJA Medal

Lauren Archer-Shee- Sportsmanship Award

Bikini Bottom- Horse Hunt Team Winners’s

Hurricane Bay & Charlea VanHorne- Walk Trot Canter & Pre- Short Stirrup series Champion

Strike A Pose & Ella MacFarlane - Short Stirrup series Champion

Katie Oss- NSHJA Medal series Champion

Party For Two & Megan Atkinson- 0.6 jumper series Champion

09/16/2022

There will be a canteen bbq at our show tomorrow!

09/06/2022

A great day today at the hunt pace for a few of our horses and riders!

07/20/2022

Heavy hearts tonight as we send our deepest condolences to .equestrian and her family for the loss of their beautiful mare, Cosmo, today. We will miss seeing her sweet face and goofy personality around the farm. Rest easy big girl ❤️ 🕊