KMR Equestrian

06/29/2024

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.

📝 Kimberley Reynolds

📸 Max & Maxwell: Equestrian Photography

06/01/2024

A freshly dragged arena and a beautiful evening on the farm. 👌❤️🐎

05/27/2024

05/21/2024

Join our summer horseback riding program now! We offer 1 or 1/2 hour private lessons for beginner to intermediate riders. Located in Blairstown NJ. Please call or text Kaitlin at 610-844-3308 to schedule your lesson.

04/19/2024

Get ready to ride! We're accepting new riders for horseback riding lessons. Choose from 30 or 60 minute private sessions. We are located in Blairstown, NJ. Call or text 610-844-3308 to join!

03/19/2024

🌸🌸🌸 Spring is here! Sign up before the end of March for your first 30 or 60 minute private horseback riding lesson and recieve a discount! 🐎🐎🐎

01/21/2024

FUN FACT FRIDAY! Are you familiar with the many adaptations that help your horse stay warm during the cold winter months?

🌾 Hindgut digestion of hay produces the most heat, acting as a small furnace inside of the horse. This is why free choice, good quality hay is so important in the winter.

💪 Horses have a huge muscle mass and muscle activity produces heat. This includes running and playing and even shivering if their body temperature starts to drop. It is important to remember that these activities also will result in a bigger caloric demand so free choice hay and in some cases, grain, is often needed.

🧥 To blanket or not to blanket is a constant debate but either way, as it starts to get cold your horse will grow a thicker coat. If you decide to leave your horse unblanketed you may notice that they look “fluffy”. This is due to a phenomenon called piloerection where the hair stands up to better trap air within. Two layers of the coat also help with warmth. The inner layer is softer and has air pockets to create an insulating layer. The outer layer is coarse and has oils that keep moisture from penetrating the insulating layer and keep the horse warm.

⚖️ Wild horses go into the winter heavier than ideal and the fat serves as an extra layer of insulation. However, if a horse is going to be kept heavily blanketed and in a barn during the cold weather months this is unnecessary and can lead to obesity related issues.

🦵Their distal limbs (below the knees and hocks) are made of mostly bones and tendons, tissues that are resistant to the cold temperatures.

🦶The hooves have an alternative route of blood circulation through larger vessels that can be used in low temperatures. This is why horses can stand in snow without detrimental effects.

👃A horse’s nose has a robust blood supply and is rounded so that it is less susceptible to frostbite than a human’s nose.
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Courtesy of the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

01/17/2024

Snow Ponies!

01/01/2024

Happy New Year!

12/25/2023

Merry Christmas from Saint Nick!

12/13/2023

Happy National Horse Day!

11/23/2023

Happy Thanksgiving!

11/03/2023

I would like to welcome Reggie to the farm!

10/31/2023

Happy Halloween 👻 🎃

10/28/2023

I would like to welcome Apollo to the farm!

09/24/2023

Rainy days on the farm. 🌧☔️

09/22/2023

We have 1 stall available for full care boarding in Blairstown NJ!
Horses are turned out 24/7 and each have access to their own stall. They are fed unlimited hay and grass with 2 grain feedings daily. We have a 70x130 sand riding arena.
Care is individualized to each horse and is best for retired or semi retired horses.
Call or text Kaitlin today to get more information. 610-844-3308.

09/01/2023

We have 2 stalls open for full care boarding in Blairstown NJ!
Horses are turned out 24/7 and each have access to their own stall. They are fed unlimited hay and grass with 2 grain feeding daily.
We have a 70x130 sand riding arena and are a 5 minute drive from local trails.
Care is individualized to each horse and is perfect for any age or discipline.
Call or text Kaitlin today to get more information. 610-844-3308.

08/20/2023

Our brand new equine facility is accepting new lesson students, and boarders!
Private lessons are $30 for half hour or $50 for 1 hour.
Boarding is 24/7 group turnout with feeding 2x a day.
Contact Kaitlin today for more information at 610-844-3308.
Located in Blairstown NJ.

08/15/2023

We have moved home to Blairstown!
We are accepting new lesson students for 1/2 hour or 1 hour private lessons!
Come September, we will also have two stalls available for full care boarding with 24/7 turnout and onsite lease opportunities on the lesson horses.
Contact us today for more information!

05/29/2023

05/15/2023

Happy Mother's Day!

03/20/2023

Happy first day of spring!

03/08/2023

Disobedience is a sign of intelligence.

Read that again.

An animal who will blindly obey you, no matter the circumstance, and never choose to advocate for themselves, is not an animal displaying intelligence.

They are displaying their ability to learn and follow instructions but if that always comes above their own innate needs, bodily discomfort and overall welfare, they are not making the more intelligent decision.

The act of saying no, while being aware of risk of punishment for it, is an act of self advocacy and is a sign of intelligence.

Having a mind of their own rather than becoming a vessel for their trainer to control is your animal showing you intelligence.

As trainers, we put way too much emphasis on obedience at any cost and this has resulted in a lot of normalized shutdown in horses.

It’s resulted in us applauding trainers for having robotically obedient horses who do their every bidding without question. Never having an opinion of their own.

If we want blind obedience without any regard for emotional, physical or mental well-being, I think what we are looking for is a bicycle, not a horse.

12/13/2022

!

12/02/2022

Such an important part of riding!

11/24/2022

The High Meadow horses wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving!

08/03/2022

We are approaching Penny's 1 year anniversary of having both eyes removed. Despite not having her sight, she still lives a normal and happy pony life. She still enjoys working on the lunge line and even under saddle! She is a one of a kind smart, happy, and trusting pony!

07/05/2022

Happy Independence day from all of us at High Meadow farm!

06/21/2022

It's officially SUMMER!
Contact us today to schedule your first lesson or get a tour of the facility and meet the horses! Call or text 610-844-3308