Cedar Ridge Farm, Inc.

07/28/2024

Always weigh your hay

Flakes of hay can vary in weight.

One flake of grass hay can weigh as little as 3lbs, and upwards of 5lbs, so occasionally weighing your hay may help with weight issues in some horses.

Here are a few examples of a grass hay testing at 800 calories per pound. (Per day)

4 flakes at 3lbs per flake = 12lbs and 9600 kcal.
4 flakes at 5lbs each = 20lbs and 16,000 kcals.
6 flakes at 5lbs each = 30lbs and 24,000 kcals.

Weighing hay can be key in managing both over and underweight horses who are “meal-fed” as they may be getting much more or much less than expected. Using a hay net or basket and fish scale is an easy way to get an idea of how much is being fed and should be done on a regular basis (at least with each new load).

(Borrowed this great photo from- Merriewold Morgan’s)

07/24/2024

07/24/2024

Every year I donate a saddle in memory of a very special lady who I had the privilege to know and call a true friend. I am not involved with the decision on who is chosen to receive the sportsmanship award but every year a very deserving young person is recognized for their willingness to help, above and beyond what is asked, with integrity and respect towards others, winning or losing. This year’s recipients is a special one for me- Livvie started her AQHA career with me and I was able to see her grow confidence, skills, determination and see her love for “Ice” Icy Rapper which was SO mutual!!! The big sloppy kisses he gave her were priceless !!! Livvie rides with Ricky and Jess now but always has a smile and takes a moment to talk to everyone at every show and that says so much about this sweet kind young lady. Enjoy your saddle Olivia Clough and never stop smiling 💕

06/22/2024

I will have some saddles, headstalls and a couple of Show halters set up at R6 I’m West Springfield MA. July 15-21. High quality leather, hand engraved Sterling overlay, with beautiful details!!

06/13/2024

2 Tone is the hot trend right now!!!!
Beautiful headstall

2 tone floral tooling with Sterling Overlay. $525.

06/13/2024

Gorgeous show halter in Sterling!!!

Full size show halter in rope edge Sterling Overlay trim. $1150.

06/13/2024

This one is STUNNING in person!!

Sterling overlay on black Ostrich 2 tone headstall! This one is GORGEOUS!!!! $1400.

06/13/2024

Who needs a headstall !!!

Introducing “ The Vintage ”
Sterling Overlay with stones, dots and buckle ends . THIS is STUNNING in person!!! $1650.

06/13/2024

Wow wow

2 tone floral tooling with Sterling Overlay. $525.

06/04/2024

Home from a fantastic YEDA - Youth Equestrian Development Association, Inc National Championship Show.
Our little Team from Vermont came and gave it their all- Every rider but 2 started in the Invitational and had to place at the top to move on to Individual- so after the first day we had this
💫Natalie Beliveau- 2nd Rail-moving to Individual, 5th in pattern

💫Ileana Harrness- 5th Rail, pattern National Qualifier

💫Lydia Lemieux- 4th Rail, pattern National Qualifier

💫Landin Harrness- pearl Rail Finalist in 3 splits- moving to Individual , ⚡️top 5 Finalist ⚡️💥💥National Champion pattern💥💥🔥🔥🔥Reserve Highpoint ( tied for Highpoint) Elementary Rider🔥🔥

💫Ava Christman - Pearl Rail Finalist in 3 splits- moving to Individual, finalist (from 3 splits ) again 💥💥3rd in Nationals 💥💥nationals Qualifier in pattern

💫Ashley Korrow- Emerald Finalist in 2 splits to move to Individual , ⚡️4th in Finals⚡️, National Qualifier in Pattern

💫Tessa Krause - National Champion in Opal Rail- moving to Individual , 💥💥8th in Nationals 💥💥, Pattern National Qualifier

💫Ava Lefevre- Sapphire Ranch tied for 8th, National Qualifier,Sapphire Horsemanship National Qualifier

💫Mercedez Vize Alumni 💥💥Ranch Riding 8th place 💥💥, Alumni Sapphire Horsemanship- National Qualifier
To say we had a great show is an understatement but the laughs, the memories, the pride and confidence, the new friends - those are the true Highpoints of Nationals!!!
Thank you is not enough for YEDA- Debbie Arnold, Laura Smith Rick Wiesel , Molly Niese, the staff, Stewards, Judges, paddock staff - it takes a Huge effort and as always Fantastic show!!!!See you next year in McDonald TN

05/31/2024

The East Coast Silver And Leather- Featuring Moran Saddlery- booth has been busy- couldn’t have done it without the help of our Team Moms and Dads!! SO love hearing the compliments from everyone on how beautiful these pieces are!!
Hope to sell it all while we are here!!!

05/25/2024

9 Facts About Perfectionism: A mindset that must be unlearned or will ultimately bring your riding down 🧠

1. Every rider makes mistakes, even the best of the best.
It’s an unavoidable, universal experience and all a part of the sport.

2. Mistakes are learning opportunities.
You can grow from them and become better because of them.

3. Hyper-focusing on mistakes helps them happen.
They both become a self-fulfilling prophecy and take your focus away from your ride.

4. Mistakes mean you’re on the right track.
You can’t improve, learn, overcome challenges, and level up without them.

5. It’s not what happened but how you move forward from it that matters the most.
Moving on from the mistake matters more than the mistake itself.

6. Mistakes are temporary.
Work to fix and put them in the past instead of dwelling and allowing them to stick around.

7. Mistakes don’t define you.
You may have had a bad ride, but that doesn’t mean you’re a bad rider.

8. Social media only shows highlights.
Everyone is struggling whether they post about it or not.

9. Perfect doesn’t exist.
It’s impossible to meet unattainable expectations.

A perfectionist mindset and a lack of an ability to accept mistakes will do much more harm than good for an athlete’s mental performance. Mistakes are a normal part of sport and life. Everyone makes mistakes no matter how talented of an athlete they may be. Since perfect doesn’t exist, holding yourself to an unrealistic standard will only set you up for disappointment every ride. Instead, give yourself permission to make mistakes, using them to your advantage by viewing them as valuable feedback and learning opportunities. Refer to this post whenever you begin to feel hard on yourself, and remember that you are not alone! 🏇🏽💭✨
www.mindalignperformance.com

05/07/2024

Our last day of the MassQHA Spring show was another great day for Team Cedar Ridge

🌷Ashley and Scooby were 1st and 2nd in Youth Performance Geldings and Reserve Grand champion Gelding under both judges.
Ashley was also 1st under both judges in
🌺L1 showmanship and 1,2 in youth showmanship, winning circuit champion in both divisions.
Tess and Jack were 3,4 in
🌺L1 Showmanship.
Mercedez and Becky were 3,4 in youth showmanship .

🌸 In L1 Hunter Under Saddle
Tess and Jack 1,2
Ashley and Scooby 3,3 -CIRCUIT Champion
Mercedez and Becky 4,4
🌸Youth HUS
Ashley and Scooby 3,3
Mercedez and Becky 4,4

🌼L1 Equitation
Tess and Jack 1,1 - Circuit Champion
Ashley and Scooby 2,2
🌼All breed Equitation
Tess and Jack 2,2
🌼L1 Amateur Equitation
Krystal and Scarlet 2,2 - Circuit Champion
Ashley Korrow and About To Flatline-
🏆Highpoint L1 Youth🏆
🏆Reserve Highpoint Youth 🏆

04/04/2024

Moran Saddlery will be awarding a Custom Work Saddle at YEDA Nationals in June.
All Individual winners will be eligible for the random drawing to win this awesome saddle made and donated by Ruben Moran of Moran Saddlery.

03/31/2024

03/12/2024

Are you paying to go to the gym??
Why not GET paid to exercise!! In fresh air around animals!!!
I am looking for part time barn help in the mornings, 3-4 hours per day. M-F, Competitive pay, experience around horses required. Applicants must be :Responsible, dependable and willing to do physical work. Job involves lots of walking, lifting water buckets and hay bales and pushing a wheelbarrow. But you will be in a beautiful setting, around beautiful and friendly animals. The care and welfare of the horses are top priority!

03/06/2024

You have all been asking and HERE IT IS.. THE CALCUTTA AUCTION FUNDRAISER IS BACK! March 29
Save the date!!!

03/01/2024

Members of the Cedar Ridge Equestrian Team traveled to Findlay University in Ohio last week to compete at the Oilers YEDA - Youth Equestrian Development Association, Inc Show. The team (two riders who have been accepted to Findlay ) were treated to tours, Q and A’s, dinner, barn tour and Ride The Pattern Clinic. Saturday riders competed in the show and all rode really well and had great results !
🌞Landin Harrness- 1st under both judges in pattern, 1st and 3rd in Rail, Highpoint Elementary Rider and Reserve Highpoint (tie)
🌞Ava Christman -2nd and 3rd Pattern, 2nd and 3rd in Rail. Ava made quite an impression on many Coaches and Riders!!
🌞Lydia Lemieux - 3rd, 3rd in Pattern, 3rd and 5th Rail
🌞Ileana Harrness - personal best rides in the largest classes of the show. 6th in Rail
🌞Kiera Newton-2nd in Rail
🌞Ava Lefevre- 3rd and 6th in Ranch Riding, 4th and 5th in Rail/pattern

02/27/2024

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

02/13/2024

Take advantage of these discounts !!!!

02/13/2024

Top quality at an affordable price !!! Act fast - this saddle is ready to ship

02/13/2024

Beautiful Reining saddle - ( my personal choice as work saddles!!!!)
Grab this one before it’s gone!!

02/13/2024

You will not see this quality at this price again!!! ONE in stock and ready to ship

02/08/2024

Perfectionism is a form of self sabotage. Perfectionism takes away from your confidence and resilience. Perfectionism inhibits you from being coachable. I’ll say it louder for the people in the back. I get it: we compete in a sport that is middle school us’ worst nightmare because it starts with “you’re now being judged.” A gorgeous hunter or eq round will see its score crippled by one drastic mistake. The winning jump off time is irrelevant when the last rail falls. We lose sight of the trees in the forest because of “one” mistake and deem the whole round a failure. Bonus points if you play that one mistake over and over in your head- what happened once has now happened a hundred hypothetical times… yay! Do yourself a favor and adopt a learning mindset. Your mistakes are not personal attacks on your ability or character; they’re opportunities to learn and improve. Whether it’s a mistake in one round or a learning curve season of life, embracing your challenges fosters your resilience. Resilience fuels confidence. And confidence realizes perfectionism is an unattainable standard. So next time you think about beating yourself up for being less than perfect, use what you did well to motivate you and what you left unfinished to set your next goal.

01/16/2024

01/09/2024

If you haven’t listened to this yet and show AQHA- do yourself a favor!! It’s got some GREAT points!!!!

APPLE PODCAST | SPOTIFY | GOOGLE PLAY | AMAZON MUSIC We have a thought-provoking conversation with renowned Western pleasure trainers, Katy Jo Zuidema and Aaron Moses. After rehashing thoughts about the recent HUS podcast with Lainie DeBoer, they dive deep into the intricacies of western pleasure tr...