Blackstone Equestrian

11/15/2023

BY DAPHNE THORNTON OF TWO BIT TRAINING When it comes to riding lessons, I understand that riding is the overwhelming desire, as well as the underlying principle, guiding most participants. However, sometimes riding is not possible, or even advisable. On those days, I am a fan of unmounted lessons.....

09/27/2023

Open fields and green pastures are one of the best things in life. It’s also one of the easiest places to get lost in your own thoughts, and just breathe. Who couldn’t love that?⁣

09/17/2023

Cooler temps will sooner than later bring sheet and blanket weather! Did you know that is more than just supplements? Each horse at Blackstone stays warm in the winter with their Deluxe Turnout sheets and blankets from SmartPak. What’s great is they even embroider in house! So you receive your items personalized and ready to go!
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09/15/2023

Game faces should always come with game walks. An over the shoulder bag, new Dover purchase, and awesome sunglasses are required. ⁣

09/14/2023

Authenticity: Knowing who you are and being brave enough to live it. ⁣

09/14/2023

Friends for life, that’s what ponies are…. and for sharing granola bars with…. in the house…. on Mom’s nice coffee table…. while watching tv. Friends for life. ⁣

09/12/2023

Take two seconds today and send someone good vibes for ! Who encourages you to keep going, even when you get frustrated or times get hard? ⁣

09/11/2023

We will never forget.

09/09/2023

Horses will never know how much they do for us just by being them. ⁣

09/08/2023

Walking into the weekend with our backs facing the judge, please! It’s a show weekend 🙌🏻⁣

09/07/2023

Find you a village that has the amount of support that is shown in this picture! We’re pretty biased, but we have the BEst village in the state 🖤⁣

09/06/2023

There are friends. There is family. And then there are friends that become family. Our clients know The Ainsworth’s have an open door policy because if you’re a part of our barn, you are automatically a part of our family. And we take this very seriously. ⁣

09/05/2023

Shall we play, “Caption this”? ⁣

09/04/2023

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart and in your mind. ⁣

09/02/2023

These double digit temperatures are something to celebrate now that the heat has died down just a bit! So who’s ready for show season to kick back up? We are!⁣

08/26/2023

Drop some 🖤 for our farm’s BEst dogs for
🐾 Boss
🐾 Lexi
🐾 Milo
🐾 Molly
🪽 Lavasco
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08/25/2023

Family [famli] noun: Life's greatest blessing. A group that dreams, laughs, plays and loves together. Those whom you can always count on. Always​​​​​​​​​. Both blood created and water chosen.

08/24/2023

Mrs. Kristen (Blackstone’s Owner and Trainer) only gives you two options when jumping: “Over it, or through it.” She learned from a young age while training under Olympian George Morris that no matter what, a decision is better than no decision. Even if you make the wrong decision, commit to going over the jump, or through the jump. ​​​​​​​​​

08/24/2023

Did you know that a horse’s bones in their front legs are equivalent to the human wrist, hand, and fingers? Each horse only has a limited number of jumps in them, predetermined at their birth according to God’s plan. The higher you ask your horse to jump, and the more you require them to jump, the faster you use said number of jumps in them. Next time you ask your trainer to put a pole higher, or when you say to someone, “I just want to jump bigger”, ask yourself if it’s a fair request on your horse’s part considering they’re jumping from what would be a human’s fingers and toes. If you are in this sport for the right reasons, and you understand how fundamentals work with hunter/jumpers, you’ll know and agree that the actual ‘jump’ is the easiest part in all that we do. And no matter what, ​​​​​​​​​

08/22/2023

“Professional is not a label you give yourself - it’s a description you hope others will apply to you.” -David Maister​​​​​​​​​

08/21/2023

Monday’s are for pony hugs… or naps. Actually, Monday’s are for both! ​​​​​​​​​

08/19/2023

Do you have a non-sweater? We do! Follow for amazing info on all things Equine health!

“Summer is one of the best time of the year to be a horse owner but let's not forget that heat, aggressive insects, and drought-hardened pastures can really impact the health and comfort of our equine friends. ​​​​​​​​​
One of the side effect of the heat for some horses is the inability to sweat properly. This condition, called anhidrosis, is potentially dangerous for horses because it compromises their ability to thermoregulate even in weather that doesn’t seem that hot, and therefore puts them at higher risk of heat stress.

Anhidrosis is not fully understood yet; it is widespread in the hot and humid regions of the southeastern United States and the Gulf states, but it is also widely reported elsewhere during the summer and particularly during heat waves. Studies have revealed no age, s*x, breed or color predisposition and this condition can affect any horse in varying degrees.

If your horse has a high respiratory rate and does not seem to tolerate turnout on hot days, be sure to discuss it with your veterinarian. Remember that administering unnecessary medications without consulting your horse doctor first could do more harm than good, as it puts your equine friend at risk of developing harmful side effects!”

08/18/2023

A half truth is a whole lie. Honesty is the best policy. ​​​​​​​​​

08/18/2023

Even if blame seems more than justified, as long as you blame others, you keep feeding the pain-body with your thoughts and remain trapped in your ego. -Eckhart Tolle ​​​​​​​​
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04/09/2023

What did you do today that made you stronger than yesterday? Some days, it’s just getting up out of bed. Other days, you’re able to push yourself harder and longer. But no matter what, keep putting one foot in front of the other. I broke my back twice… and I want to make sure that the next generations of riders here at Blackstone are stronger than I ever was. I want their core to be healthy, their back to have longevity. Most horse riders do not treat themselves as athletes. Why is that? It’s your body against a 1200 pound animal. Start treating yourself like an athlete, especially out of the arena. Winning doesn’t happen at the show. It happens every moment leading up to a show.

07/20/2022

Congratulations to on the new addition to her family; meet Governor! Be on the lookout for this new duo in the show ring 🤩 And thank you to for such a professional, seamless transaction!

03/30/2022

“Integrity: The choice between what’s convenient and what’s right.” - Tony Dungy​​​​​​​​
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Here at Blackstone, we will never sacrifice integrity. Doing the right thing, whether someone is watching or not, will always be a core value of ours. We promote and encourage this value to all of our riders and families, too.

03/29/2022

>> BE Owner and Trainer takes standing wraps (really, any wrap!) to another level! Some say she’s OCD and others say it’s the years of experience that make her wraps look effortlessly perfect. What does Kristen say? “It’s all of that, plus some. Wrapping can be so dangerous. It’s important you apply an even amount of pressure and distribute the wrap evenly so you do not end up damaging any soft tissue. I get asked a lot on why I prefer my wraps to go to the ground. For one, I’m old school but for two, they need to in order to properly work like they’re intended to. Compression should start from just below the coronet band, not above the fetlock like I see so many do. If you don’t go all the way down, you compromise the integrity of blood flow and/or inflammation in the hoof itself.”

03/28/2022

Monday’s are for pony hugs… or naps. Actually, Monday’s are for both!

03/25/2022