Bent Pines Farm

03/05/2025

Most of the time, our resident barn cat would rather be outside enjoying his domain, but on cold or stormy nights, he's happy to be curled up on the couch with the lowly humans.

03/03/2025

The hardest part of all the life changes in the last two years has been not getting to spend time with Goose. He's truly the sweetest donkey I've ever met. He's still a little upset over having to wear a sheet to stay dry some this winter, but he loves getting brushed and getting his ears rubbed. He might forgive me before spring. 🤣

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02/27/2025

Bo wasn't thrilled with his first time tied as a big boy, but he did great. I teach all my horses to tie quietly. Even if your horses never leave your property, it's an important skill. In a barn fire, hurricanes, or natural disaster, basic skills like standing quietly when tied and loading on a trailer could save your horses life.

Before Bo was asked to stand quietly while tied, he learned to trust his handler, yield to halter pressure, and stand quietly without being tied. In other words, I broke the training down into smaller parts and trained those first. Tie training doesn't have to be difficult or dangerous!

02/24/2025

We had a blast at the Southern Equine Expo learning from TrailMeister, Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue, and , but it's good to be back home on the farm! Tank was glad to have us home too!

02/24/2025

A reminder as we start riding again that our horses need physical conditioning to be ready just like any other athlete. 😊

When a horse has had 3+ months off, it is considered completely de-trained from a conditioning standpoint. The re-conditioning process should follow a 1:1 ratio with the number of weeks spent progressively conditioning equal to the number of weeks taken off.

The challenge here is that, depending how we go about the conditioning, we sometimes create a turbo charged engine on a weak frame. If we over-prioritize metabolic gains over strength development, the fitness journey takes many detours. In this early season, each horse requires a unique balance of stability, strength, and cardio. If you're feeling a little lost and need help, my 10-Week Horse Fitness Schedule leads you through a day-by-day buildup.

Link to buy in the comments below.

02/06/2025

We are so grateful for our wonderful Vet Dr. Miller Iron Horse Veterinary Services. She extracted three teeth from poor Comanche this week, who has been having some recurring sinus issues this winter. He's already a much happier pony despite now being on a very wet diet from here on out!

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12/21/2024

Just 20 planners left! Let's get them sold!!! Proceeds go to send much needed supplies to animals affected by this year's hurricanes.

ONLY 20 Planners left!

$30 each + $8.50 to ship

PAYMENT OPTIONS:
Venmo Cheryl-Pliskin-1
Zelle 856-313-2384
PayPal.me/BeLikeHenry

PLEASE HELP US SELL OUT!

12/18/2024

Y'all are AMAZING!!! There are only 44 more Be Like Henry Planners available! Let's get them sold!!!

The current project is to ship 8000 lbs. of dog food to shelters devastated by the hurricanes in FL and the Carolinas. Your purchase helps get Be Like Henry to their final goal!

They're $30 each. If you buy 6, you get free shipping.

Venmo Cheryl-Pliskin-1
Zelle 856-313-2384
PayPal.me/BeLikeHenry

12/15/2024

2025 Be Like Henry Planners are on sale! Feb 28th features none other than my boy Tank!!!

Want to BE organized? Want to GET organized? Want to STAY organized? These 365 rescue/show dogs and cats are here for you!!

Our current project is to ship 8000 lbs. of dog food to shelters devastated by the hurricanes in FL and the Carolinas. Your purchase helps get us to our goal!

Please help us out and share with your friends and family. These are GREAT holiday gifts (give an IOU and we'll send the planners in a few weeks.)

Venmo Cheryl-Pliskin-1
Zelle 856-313-2384
PayPal.me/BeLikeHenry

12/15/2024

We have our first egg!

11/14/2024

FRIENDS!!! Be Like Henry needs 213 more sponsorships for it's 2025 calendar! Feature your business, your horse, your dog, your rat... It's just $25 to help an organization that donated over 283 tons of food to shelters and rescues last month.

We received a donation of $500 toward the 2025 Planner Project for a match challenge!

If we can get the $500 match then we will have FORTY more pages sponsored and be that much closer to shipping 8000 lbs. of dog food to devastated shelters in the wake of hurricanes in FL.

All amounts are welcome!!!! Please donate whatever you can to:

VENMO: Cheryl-Pliskin-1
Zelle: 856-313-2384
PayPal.me/BeLikeHenry

PS If you donate $25 or more, then your pet will also be featured as below!

Please share to help us reach this goal. THANK YOU!

11/08/2024

One of my favorite trainers!!!

08/27/2024

A few things to consider if you ride ba****ck or ask your students to ride ba****ck!

08/16/2024

A wonderful explanation! What kind of relationship do you want with your horse?

“I’m teaching my horse to accept contact”

If I had a dollar for every time I heard this! Typically it is accompanied by a horse throwing their head up, diving behind the vertical, gaping at the mouth- essentially attempting to be anywhere BUT the contact.

Here is something I often say to people in my clinics.

Imagine you’re on a date. Your date grabs your hand and doesn’t let go. You squirm to get away, but he holds tighter. He says, some day you will have to hold my hand so you need to get used to it. I won’t release until you accept this contact. Maybe he’s brought up in the school of thought that your display of evasion should be countered with a strap of some kind to prevent you from moving away- a flash nose band of sorts for you.

It doesn’t matter how light or heavy he touches- it is contact that isn’t right for the moment. It’s greedy, and inappropriate.

Now imagine you’re on a date and the conversation has lead you to realize you really enjoy his company. Your relationship is developing, he brushes your hand, you reach out and hold it.

Those are two very different feelings, and they come from two very different places.

When the conditions are there, the contact is taken by the horse. Not the other way around.

Contact has meaning. It is not meaningless pressure on the horses mouth, it is a holding of hands while you dance- it is a connection between your body and the horse’s hind legs. It is the display of everything you believe and who you are- manifested through your hand and into the horse- and the horse’s response is a direct representation of their preparation and feelings about your body and hands.

08/15/2024

💯

583 likes, 11 comments. “ 💛💙”

08/15/2024

Over the last 5 years, I have drastically altered my training methods based on scientific evidence. The more I read the more I understand that our inability to listen to and understand them causes the majority of our training issues.

Team hopes findings will help improve equine welfare after showing cognitive abilities include being ‘goal-directed’

08/11/2024

A great explanation of why saddle width ia not the only thing you should be checking!

You know what’s wild?? These two saddles measure the same at the “gullet.” Both measure over 7.5” and are considered extra wide (the bottom saddle is a draft saddle). You know what else is wild?? They are COMPLETELY different angles, and when customers shop for saddles, they are only told the gullet width. WIDTH and ANGLE are TWO DIFFERENT MEASUREMENTS!

🐴 There is no industry standardization on widths. Semi-QH, Full QH, Draft trees…can all be completely different across brands and makers.

📐 If your saddle pinches your horse at the top of the tree, chances are it is TOO WIDE rather than too narrow. Going for a “wider tree” will only cause your saddle to pancake onto your horse’s withers. Note- it is the ANGLE that is too wide.

🦄 Your saddle needs to be wide enough at the top (gullet width) to allow your horse’s shoulders to have a free and full range of motion

🐎 The width at the bottom of the tree should allow a base of support matching the angle of your horse’s back.

🌲 Just because it’s wider, doesn’t mean it’s better. It’s important to know the gullet width AND the measurements at the bottom of the tree and tree angle. The saddle at the top is 14” across the bottom and was too wide for the horse at 110 degrees. The saddle on the bottom measures 12.5” at the bottom and has a 94-degree angle allowing a good range of motion while keeping clear of the withers and cartilage on the shoulderblades.

❤️ There’s no way to ensure a saddle fits without trying it on the horse, but measurements can help you find the best options! 😃 Simple tracings can save you time and money!

08/05/2024

A little inspiration from page 101 of my latest issue of the AQHA Journal. Never stop learning. Never stop seeking out people better and smarter than you. Never be afraid to do better.