Foxberry Farm

04/29/2025

Is your trailer ready to travel?
by Equestrisafe

Spring is definitely upon most of the US, so is your Horse Trailer ready for travel?
Some basic things you need to check before traveling are your tires, brakes, hitch, flooring and lights.

Let’s talk about tires. Below is an image on how to age your tires. If they are more than 5 years old, you should replace them. I know many are going to say, “they still look good”. Dry rot may not be visible to you, but this is one of the biggest reasons for replacing those “looking good” tires.

Making sure your brakes and braking system is working. I suggest you take your trailer for a spin empty and try the brakes and system that your wheels are not locking up when engaged or that your trailer slows and stops straight.

Inspect your hitch. Most of us don’t think about this area of your trailer, but if you have invasive rust, cracks in the welds or the hitch itself. If you can’t make the repairs yourself, then take it to a professional hitch installer.

At the same time, you are inspecting your hitch, you should check the welds and frame of your trailer beneath the flooring. And check your floor, making sure that the wood or aluminum is still in good form, without holes, weakness, moisture and can still hold your animals when traveling.

Lastly, your lights. Yes, all of them, interior, exterior, backup, brake lights and running lights.

So now that “shedding” season has begun it’s a good time to review these necessities.

I want to mention one other thing as well and that is the necessity to have reflective decals on the rear of your trailer. In the years that we traveled, I was able to take over 100 pictures of horse trailers all over the country that had -0- reflective materials on the back doors. Unfortunately, if you are traveling at night and if your lights were to fail, you would then become a black box. I’ve seen to many accidents, and I personally almost hit a horse trailer in VA that had lost its lights and had no reflective tape or decals on the back. I got within less than 10 feet before I saw the trailer.
DON’T be one of those people - PLEASE!!!!!

04/28/2025

04/28/2025

"Barn Cats" at Foxberry like to run the barn. Be careful they don't try to go for a road trip with you. They enjoy the spotlight! Dogs, not so much...

04/28/2025

Inside vs. Outside Aids 🏇
Inside aids refer to the rider's rein and leg closest to the center of the arena, while outside aids help support balance and straightness.

Inside aids guide, outside aids support. Together, they're the secret to balance and precision in the arena! 🏇✨

04/28/2025

⏰ The countdown is on! Don’t miss your chance to compete in one of Foxberry Farm’s 2025 Schooling Shows!

• May 10 – CT & Dressage with Noel Muehlbauer (Sally Crews)
• June 14 – 3Ph with Sally Crews (Noel Muehlbauer)
• Sept 13 – 3Ph with Marian Bickers (TBA)

Plus, remember to volunteer to earn hours for the Liz Faso Volunteer of the Year Program! Text Katharine Tate at 770-630-8321 to schedule your time.

04/27/2025

Try it!

🐴 A Simple Exercise to Help You to Relax and Reset the Position of Your Shoulders When Riding!

Horses tend to mirror their rider's posture. A horse is much more likely to carry himself in balance and self carriage if his rider is poised and balanced in the saddle. Tension in the rider creates and perpetuates tension in the horse. And tense riders are notorious for holding tension in their shoulders! Rounded and slumped shoulders are a big problem too.

Poor posture leads to muscle imbalances in our bodies. When you slump, your chest muscles shorten and tighten, making it more difficult for you to properly use your core and back muscles. You are also then much more likely to want to grip and "hang on" to try to stay in position (especially on the bigger moving horses!), often using your hands more than your seat to try to control your horse. All of these things effect the horse negatively - the imbalance, the tension, the gripping, and the overuse of the reins.

This should be an easy fix, right? Just square your shoulders! But here's the problem… I find that just telling riders to "keep their shoulders back" rarely solves the problem. Why? Because in trying to force the shoulders back while riding a horse (along with the 50 other things that you need to be thinking about at that moment), many times the *tension* in the shoulders remains. Which usually means that they will creep forward again as soon as you are focusing on something else! Here is a quick, simple fix that you can incorporate often into your riding, to help you find *relaxed* and square shoulders in the saddle.

Click on the link below to continue reading 👇👇👇

https://www.myvirtualeventingcoach.com/articles/A-simple-exercise-relax-reset-shoulder-position-riding

04/27/2025

Engagement 🔥
Engagement happens when your horse activates their hindquarters, carrying more weight behind for better balance and impulsion. It’s the foundation of upper-level movements!

Engagement is the powerhouse of dressage. Activate those hindquarters, and you're on the path to brilliance! 🔥🐴

04/26/2025

Leg Yield vs. Shoulder-In 🤔
Leg yielding moves your horse sideways with minimal bend, while shoulder-in asks for more flexion to improve suppleness and connection.

Leg yield: a gentle nudge to the side.
Shoulder-in: the ultimate flex for suppleness and connection.
Which will you master today? 🤔🐎

04/25/2025

Free Walk 🚶‍♂️
A relaxed walk where the horse stretches forward and downward with long, loose strides—a moment to breathe and show relaxation in a test!

Free walk: the art of relaxation. Let your horse stretch, breathe, and shine in the arena! 🚶‍♂️✨

https://bit.ly/4ikhF0H

A step by step guide to a good free walk, with Dressage Rider Rachael Clarke. Sponsored by Equetech. www.equetech.comhttp://www.elmtreedressage.co.uk

04/24/2025

BASICS
The basics include pure rhythm with suitable tempo; relaxation/suppleness/elasticity/looseness;
correct contact/connection; impulsion, straightness, and longitudinal balance suitable to the level
and exercise - in other words, all the criteria of the Pyramid of Training/Training Scale. The basics
form a correct foundation from progressive training independent of the ex*****on of test
movements.

Correctness of the basics is indicated by the preservation and/or improvement in: -
the purity, quality, and variation of gaits - -
the gymnastic ability and physique of the horse
the horse’s confidence and rideability

04/23/2025

BEND
The laterally curved position in which the horse’s body, as would be viewed from above, appears to
form a uniform arc from poll to tail. Components of bending include lateral flexion at the poll,
stretching of the outer side of the body, lowering of the inner hip, and adduction of the inner hind
and outer fore legs (see Flexion for more in-depth discussion of the elements of bending).
Examples of faulty bend are bending only in the neck, bending only at the base of the neck, or bent
toward the wrong direction.

https://bit.ly/3XXDr2R

Are you struggling with getting your horse to bend correctly? Is your horse over bending their neck or drifting out with their shoulder? Ideally, we want our...

04/22/2025

CONTACT
Refers to the consistent connection the rider has on the horse’s mouth through the reins and which the horse should accept at all times. There should be no resistance, no open mouth and no grinding of the teeth. It’s the rider’s job to make sure that the contact remains consistent and ‘elastic’, which is achieved through the rider having an independent seat and the horse accepting the rider’s leg aids to go forward. As the horse becomes ‘submissive’ in his mouth to provide that soft, elastic contact, the rider should then feel a ‘yielding’ to pressure of the bit. And this is achieved by a squeeze-and-release action of the rider’s fingers on the reins. By achieving the correct contact, the horse should be able to find his balance under the rider, together with a steady rhythm in walk, trot and canter.

https://bit.ly/3G4uoHp

Teaching a rider the beginning stages of correct contact

04/22/2025

🏆✨ Show at Foxberry Farm and compete for the coveted Lisa Seger AA Medal Class (Training Level, Test 3)! This special class will be featured at our May 10th show, and we can't wait to see you shine!

Check out our full schedule:
• May 10 (CT & Dressage Only – Deadline April 30)
• June 14 (3Ph – Deadline June 4)
• Sept 13 (3Ph – Deadline Sept 3)

Register now and don’t miss your chance for glory at Foxberry Farm! 🏅