Cherry Lane Equine

08/04/2024

I’ve shared this before, and it’s worth sharing again… and again…. MAKE THEM CARRY THEIR SADDLE….

Make Them Carry Their Saddle

A father of a darling girl and I were talking last week and he said that he wanted his daughter to ride more and not have to do the work part of the catching, grooming, and saddling. I smiled as I explained.

Riding horses is a combination of strength, timing, and balance. Kids in this country are physically weak (unless they are actively involved with weight training and physical conditioning 4+ times a week.)

When you walk out to the field, you are clearing your stress from being under fluorescent lights all day; feeling the sun soak into your bones. As your body moves on uneven surfaces, it strengthens your legs and core.

When you groom your horse (especially currying), you are toning your arms and stabilizing your core.

When you carry your saddle, your arms, chest, and back are doing isolated strengthening work.

Being near horses, calms and makes you tune into the splendor of these empathetic animals.

When you ride at a posting trot, it’s equivalent to a slow jog calorie burn wise.

After a lesson, the riders are physically tired and mentally quiet and balanced.

Horses feel your heart beat and mirror your emotions back.

Riding large and somewhat unpredictable animals makes you resilient and pushes your expectations.

Working with horses is so much more than learning how to ride.

So parents, make your children carry their saddles. Don’t do the hard parts for them, as long term it actually hurts them. To advance with their riding, they must get stronger. You can help by doing the high parts.

I love having you all at the farm, and am so grateful to get to share these fascinating animals with you.

Hannah Campbell Zapletal

07/13/2024

Another great article that speaks to so much more in life than just horsemanship. I especially like the last paragraph, and I’d like to think I am nearing that part of my journey… being free to learn without the constant turmoil….

“Confidence is nothing like arrogance because it is not focused on the self - it’s actually a freedom from obsession about the self - youre freed up to learn because you don’t have the constant turmoil of wondering if you’re good enough; or obsessing over every flaw you have. It is knowing the knowledge can pass through you given enough time and become part of you. It’s trusting the process and letting go of vanity, worry, insecurity, and anything else that doesn’t serve the learning process or your own well being.”

Confidence - I’ve written about this many times, but it’s a conversation dear to my heart.

Confidence comes from humility
Humility comes from experience

I have confidence that I can do it, through many experiences wherein I didn’t think I could, and hung on and made it

I don’t think I’m great, I don’t think I’m more skilled or better in any way than other people- I just know that for years, I’ve made steady progress and watched myself start over many times when I’ve failed. I believe in my ability to put forth effort and to regroup -

I like the rider and person I am when I’m really focused on doing what my teachers guide me to. I know that’s in there and some day I’ll be able to maintain it without the help, but for now I believe in my ability to listen and to try.

That’s my favorite part of confidence : you don’t have to wait til you’re excellent to have it. You just build it by many repetitions where you gain trust in your own efforts. You develop a relationship with learning and yourself wherein you aren’t let off the hook for mediocrity but you aren’t disappointed when you fail either, because you’ve proven many times you can start over.

Confidence is nothing like arrogance because it is not focused on the self - it’s actually a freedom from obsession about the self - youre freed up to learn because you don’t have the constant turmoil of wondering if you’re good enough; or obsessing over every flaw you have. It is knowing the knowledge can pass through you given enough time and become part of you. It’s trusting the process and letting go of vanity, worry, insecurity, and anything else that doesn’t serve the learning process or your own well being.

06/12/2024

This very much applies to horses, as well….. punishment may stop the behaviour but it doesn’t teach what to do INSTEAD….

05/31/2024

YAY! SUMMER is coming! SUMMER is coming! And there’s no better place to be than on the farm with a pony at Cherry Lane Equine.

Registration is open and we have lots of fun things planned!

Email is at [email protected] if you have any questions or would like to register.

02/21/2024

FANTASTIC snapshot of starting a young horse …..

If you bought yourself a nice, kind, well started 4 year old with 60 days of training, you basically bought yourself a horse sized lump of play-dough. 60 days is nothing. Your horse has no fitness, barely knows anything and has next to no experience. It will take years of steady, regular exercise to build up a good, solid core of strength, range of motion and fitness.

His training will also be unconfirmed. 60 days is nothing. The best thing to do here is focus on solidifying the correct reactions to your aids, especially to your leg and seat, while your horse gains the fitness and experience he needs to carry your weight and do his new job. When he’s fit and all your aids are in place, you’ll have everything ready to start working on fancier things.

If weather, footing and temperament allow, our work week might look something like this:
* A baby “dressage/flatwork” day where we practice turning, bending, stopping, starting, rest and relax in the middle of the ring and then calmly go practice for a few more minutes.
* A “conditioning” day - we have a 3 acre field with a good fence line, 2 gates and good footing. A few laps in walk each way, with a 2 or 4 footed friend is often enough to set a young horse up for a lap-lap and a half in trot around the outside, practicing straight lines supported by a wall and passing the gate. Then a rest and chill followed by a lap or so the other way. After another rest we might leave by a different gate than we entered through, walk around the outside, still supported by the fence line, and home.
* “Obstacle” day - this might be a cone course to practice steering, a few poles, and gentle terrain like small hills, easy ditches, and different surfaces. We’re fortunate to have an area where we can serpentine down a slope to a driveway, across the road and up another slope. Figuring out how to comfortably carry a rider through these types of exercises can be a real challenge for a young horse.
* Ground day - this could be practicing getting on and off the trailer for the day or it could be something like some a series of Dynamic Mobilization Exercises such as a few small circles in-hand, a few steps sideways each way, backing up a few steps and a nice bonding hand-walk over some terrain and around the neighborhood, as a precursor to trail rides.
* A short trail ride with a friend if there’s a suitable area and our horse feels safe and has developed enough confidence to go out.
* We also like to practice 2-3 hours in a stall most days but otherwise they live out with friends.

Each time you practice something, even something small, like walking past the gate to go home, or walking forward from halt, practices a skill, it etches a small dent into what will someday become a full picture of a well prepared sport horse.

Knowing how much you can do with a young horse is a bit of an art form. We try do enough that we’re contributing to fitness but not so much that the horse is surprised by it or uncomfortable from it the next day.

Click here for some more suggestions on developing your horses: https://koperequine.com/10-tips-to-improve-muscle-care-recovery/

And for some suggestions on how to ease the training development process:
https://koperequine.com/massage-can-help-your-horse-through-the-training-process/

01/17/2024

Spring is on the way…. I promise! Come join us for a super fun Spring Break Riding Camp! Space is available in both our Beginner Rider group and our Intermediate Rider group! Have fun with everything “horse”…. From learning or building your riding skills, playing on trail obstacles, trying out a drill team, to games on horseback…. Riding lessons, crafts and games every single day!