Joes Brook Stables

08/09/2024

Fun with some of my students last night 😊

06/16/2024

It was the boss's birthday today. One of our fab kiddos baked her a cake with special candles. Here's to another trip around the sun Jilly bean. Jillian Dargie

03/27/2024

Spring Break Kids Camp at Joes Brook Stables!

Come join us at Joes Brook Stables for a fun filled, hands on learning experience! Painting ponies, riding lessons, horse grooming and care, safety, games and lasting memories!

Joes Brook Stables is hosting a 5 day kids camp for ages 8+ from April 22nd-25th, 9am-3pm. If you’re looking for a wonderful way to have your child or a child you love spend this upcoming Spring Break please reach out to reserve their spot! 10 spots available per day.

*Please send your child with a packed lunch and water bottle. Light snacks will be provided. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately (jeans and boots). No prior horse riding experience is necessary.

03/03/2024

The barn is like stepping into a portal.

For awhile, time doesn’t exist.

To do lists don’t exist.

Neither do medical bills, interest rates, insurance, taxes, or inflation.

At the barn, we can dream, and anything is possible.

On the back of a horse, my soul is set free.

And I’m still trying to figure out how to hold on to that feeling in the darker areas of my life.

When I walk back into reality and everything comes flooding back in unsympathetically.

I don’t think most people realize how important horses actually are.

How deeply it’s written into my being.

A horse is not a luxury item.

A horse is a bridge to healing and truth.

📸: 5MW Photography

03/01/2024

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!

02/24/2024

Thank you Cooper, Bentley, Chance, Spanky ❤️ you guys are rock stars

One of my biggest frustrations in this industry is the lack of understanding and consideration for the role that lesson horses play. So often, I see riders complaining about lesson horses for a huge variety of reasons: for their perceived lack of quality or value, for having to ride one they don’t like, for not getting to ride the one they do like, for their trainer not having enough lesson horses, or for the lesson horses not being available at their convenience when their personal horse is out of commission. I’ve dealt with all of the above and I know I’ll continue to do so, but I think it’s important that people understand the reality of lesson horses, and that’s that they aren’t here for your kid to ride forever and climb the levels with your one or two lesson a week commitment. They’re here to get you started, safely and productively, while you decide just how far you want to take this.

Lesson horses are incredibly special creatures. They have to be easily caught by beginners who don’t know how to properly approach a prey animal. They have to stand like statues on the crossties while tiny kids take the better part of an hour to get them clean. They have to hold their head still while beginners jam the bit into their teeth for the fiftieth time in a row to put the bridle on. They have to stand still at the mounting block while someone stands for too long with all their weight in the left stirrup and then slams down on their back with no consideration for their comfort. They tolerantly teach riders who are unbalanced, uncoordinated, and unclear, who catch their mouths and bounce on their backs and kick at their sides, and every single time, they are expected to just come again without so much as a swish of their tail or pinning of their ears. And any time one of these horses has a moment where they act like a regular horse or force the rider to really ride, they’re labeled annoying or rude or bad or lazy or whatever.

Lesson horses are not intended to take you up the levels and jump big jumps and win all the classes. If these horses were this beginner-friendly and this tolerant AND the hack winner with an auto lead change, you couldn’t afford them! That’s not to say these horses can’t be winners if you ride them well and pull your weight, but their ability to win in the show ring is not where their real value lies. Lesson horses exist to bring new riders into the sport. To teach them the ropes and get them started, lay a foundation and prepare them to make a bigger commitment to the sport by leasing or purchasing the next step horse. Lesson horses are not responsible for chasing your Olympic dreams for you. They’re responsible for getting them started in the first place. For riders to act like a lesson horse isn’t valuable because he isn’t the winner in any company is ignorant and unfair.

Every horse you ride has something to teach you. Whether it’s the crotchety old school pony who likes to root when you’re not paying attention, or the younger lesson horse who will only pick up the right lead if you ask *just right*, or the ultra reliable skip-change king, they all will add to your toolkit that you can one day apply to the fancier model you get to take you to the next level. Don’t forget about all the lessons you learn along the way and remember that without lesson horses, you wouldn’t be riding at all!

**Thank you so much for all of the shares!! The fact that this took off the way it did shows that people love and appreciate their lesson horses, as they should!! If you wish to share my words with your own photo, I would really appreciate being given author credit. Thank you!**

02/06/2024

My girls are so brave ❤️

“Be brave enough to suck at something new”

01/16/2024

Counting down the days...

01/15/2024

We are so proud of our 4H kids. Can't wait to see what they accomplish this year. 2024 is going to a fun year.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=685140837068915&id=100067190149149&mibextid=CDWPTG

11/10/2023

One thing I can say about my girls who ride with me ❤️ I’m so very lucky

I like kind horse girls.

Girls who say “have a good ride” as you pass them entering the ring.

Girls who share a girth when you forget yours.

Girls who help you back your trailer.

Girls who catch your horse when you fall off.

Girls who help you braid the night before.

Girls who compliment your saddle pad.

Girls who love the horse first, and the sport second.

Be a kind horse girl 🩷

11/09/2023

One of our 4H kids represented our club and our State at the Eastern National 4H Round Up this past weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. Way to go kid. We are all super proud of you. Tieghan!!
https://www.uvm.edu/news/extension/vermont-4-h-horse-members-compete-kentucky?fbclid=IwAR069H2ZnRYkAHUT1zQ1qk_sk9Dk32ZWIEQp9t4yI7Ay_hY7QwvI6m9Bv58

10/24/2023

Our kiddos love their horses so much they take them to school. This is one of 4H barn kids sharing her love of horses with her school ❤️ way to go Leighann.
https://www.wcax.com/2023/10/23/wolcott-5th-grader-brings-horse-school-show-tell/?fbclid=IwAR3oHSYfvVPSZZywVebZl8GddmHSyh1D-blsViBD64ngtScrP8k9zrS0hHs

A group of Lamoille County elementary students shared the playground with a special visitor on Monday.

09/25/2023

If you are in town on Sunday (🍀October 1st between 10am - 4pm) , please stop by the Craft Fair "Autumn on the Green" our 4H club will be there fundraising

Come visit our club at AUTUMN ON THE GREEN, Danville, VT
on October 1st from 10:00am-4:00pm.
THINK LOCAL!
We will be serving up an amazing assortment of food from the grill and baked goodies.
Hot Cider from Ron Craig of Peacham
Hand made and "fried on the spot" Donuts
Hot brewed coffee
Locally sourced (Christmas Stables)beef burgers
MacKenzie hot dogs
Grilled Corn from Slice of the Earth Farm
Warm apple crisp made with apples from Burtt's Apple Orchard
Cheese, butter & whipped cream from Cabot Creamery
Whoopie pies, Cookies & Brownies

We will also be running a 50/50 raffle & raffling off a $50.00 gift card to Libbey's Meat Market. While visiting our booth, come and check out our fun displays and learn what we have been doing this year!
Please come and support your local 4H'r's 🐴🍀🍁🍁
All proceeds will benefit the club and its members!

08/25/2023

It truly takes a village and I know Jill and her girls are very thankful for all the help these passed few weeks. We her barn family would like to share this as we would like to continue to help them in the coming weeks. ❤️🙏

As we write this, we struggle to find the words and like most o… Joes Brook Stables (Barn Family) needs your support for In Support of Jill, Sophia and Renee

08/03/2023

Our 4H Foundation for Caledonia County is hosting the State Dairy Show next week and they are looking for help. If you can help in any way please check out the sign up sheet in this posting below. Our 4H club and county thank you in advance!

This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.

07/22/2023

07/07/2023

This is so cool

Have you heard of human - horse heart coupling? ❤

You know the saying they're your heart horse. Well there is some research that shows there is theory to this 🙌👀.

Researchers have learned that horses and humans tend to align their physiological responses to emotional stimulation - giving way to the notion that our horses are so susceptible to picking up on our own emotions.

Studies conducted have shown rises in our heart rates due to anxiety / fear, reflect in our horses.
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
This is because in the wild when they are in herds , horses synchronize with eachothers heartbeat so they are more easily able to sense predators!

But !!

What's amazing is when a horse has a strong enough heart rhythm it can be enough to influence, like a magnet, the human's heart rhythm, therfore aiding in emotional regulation & calming. 🌱🌿🍀

www.equimotional.com

06/27/2023

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Who else feels like a staff member most of the time 😂

06/26/2023

Sounds about right haha 🤣

06/24/2023

Our barns kids are so freaking excited to be here doing what they love.

06/15/2023

Wishing our fearless leader a very happy birthday

05/06/2023

💞💞 fabulous quote and image by Charlie Mackesy

05/02/2023

🤦

Current situation.

04/27/2023

Dream big ❤️🐴

12/23/2022

We want to wish you all a very Merry 🎄 Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks for all your support this past year from the barn and our kids thank you 💖

12/18/2022

Introducing Bob our barn mascot and latest little helper...he is so helpful 😅 you should see him muck stalls and throw shavings. He is a beast 🤣.

11/24/2022

Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 We have some exciting things happening. We have two punch cards available for Black Friday. Buy 5 lessons get one free, buy ten and get two free. Ever wanted to go on a trail ride buy a ride for two get the third rider for free. We also will be having camps start very soon gift certificates available 😊

11/21/2022

❤️❤️

Don’t forget your why.

We unconditionally commit ourselves to this sport. We sacrifice enormous parts of our lives, and ourselves because we are so passionate about what we love.

But whilst we work, grind and graft to become the best riders and owners we believe our horses deserve, we sometimes forget the most important thing...we forget why.

Why we get up at 3am for a competitions, why we forgo new clothes so our horses can have special shoes, why we get up 2 hours earlier than “normal people” because stables don’t clean themselves, why we invest our hard earned money in saddles, entry fees, supplements and rugs.

We do it because once upon a time, a little kid fell in love with a horse and never looked back.

We do it because these animals bring us incomparable happiness.

They lift us up from the darkest of places and they give us a reason to get out of bed.

They push us, challenge us and shape us into better people by teaching us lessons we’d never learn anywhere else.

They unlock a whole part of us that we never knew existed. A stubborn, determined, strong willed part that refuses to give up.

They keep us grounded, reminding us that sometimes even though certain things may be out of our control, our own actions and emotions never are.

They make us laugh, when we don’t even feel like smiling. They are like warm soup for the soul, they fill our hearts without even trying.

So next time your in the saddle, just take a moment. Breathe, smile, laugh... and don’t forget why.

11/08/2022

Several Vermont 4-H horse club members qualified for the 2022 Eastern National 4-H Horse Roundup, held Nov. 4-6 in Louisville, Kentucky. The annual event took place at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, attracting 241 participants from 24 states. Vermont competed in hippology,...