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Erin Sharp Horsemanship

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Eagle River, WI
Erin Sharp Horsemanship

The business page for Erin Sharp LLC. Horse training, riding lessons and horsemanship clinics.
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01/06/2024

It felt like Wisconsin finally remembered who it was today when we woke up and a fresh beautiful white carpet was on everything!

01/05/2024

The smallest equestrian in the home requested a rope halter and her own set of reins. How could I say no?!

01/03/2024

Finally got some time to really organize the tack house today! That tv really came in handy along with those sleigh ride blankets for a little nest for Grace.

12/27/2023

A common question I receive is what is the youngest age I’ll work with. Here is my response.
IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A STUDENT TO RIDE:
“If you’re looking for your child to ride I need them to be able to sit up and be walking unassisted.” Then I’ll ask, “are they able to put on or rather take off their own shoes?”

Being able to sit up and walk unassisted tells me the student most likely has the core strength and balance needed to follow the horses movement while they ride.

Being able to put on or take off their own shoes tells me they are able to connect a goal with an action that includes hand eye coordination as well as the attention span to carry out a task.

With that said. Horseback riding lessons isn’t just about riding a horse. In fact as a horse owner myself about 20% of owning a horse is riding it. The other 80% is all the work required for taking care of it. So for me as an instructor it’s not all about just riding.

At ANY age a potential student can begin to build a comfort and confidence working with and around horses. Knowing how to interact with them. Knowing how to care for them. Beginning to develop safe habits while interacting with them.

Those are the required ingredients for an excellent foundation in a horsemanship career.

I highly recommend the young students start with 30min lessons. This helps ensure that we don’t overwhelm their growing attention span.

Below is Noel (my daughter) at age 3 with her pony Delilah. As a young eager mom she taught me so much about what young riders actually need in horsemanship instruction.

For example here. We would get to the barn FIND AND CATCH her horse. GROOM AND SADDLE. All the while helping her have SAFE HABITS WORKING AROUND THE HORSE. As you can see from the picture she’s kneeling down around Delilah which isn’t an ideal habit so we would talk about how to behave to keep the horse and herself safe. Then we would head out sometimes MOUNTED and sometimes just LEADING her pony. Her mission was to bring her pony friend along while she hunted for the perfect rocks. Occasionally she would MOUNT UP and RIDE then she would ASK FOR WHOA, DISMOUNT and the rock hunt would begin again. Riding she would be on the lookout for that perfect rock and then STEAR her pony to the very spot that rock lived then again DISMOUNT and hand me that perfect rock. Then process would begin again. She was learning in fun environment that was developing safety practices and confidence. She would come home having developed her horsemanship skills and I would be loaded down with “perfect rocks”.

12/24/2023

We wish you a Merry Christmas! We wish you a Merry Christmas! We wish you a Merry Christmas and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thank you all for making us a part of your year! You are truly a gift to us! We hope your Christmas is full of joy surrounded by loved ones!

12/20/2023

It may be short lived but we did get a little snow on the farm. Randy, Maple and Oak warm color looks so stunning against the white backdrop.

12/16/2023

Michael not understanding why the nature made ice skating rink barn yard means no visitors for the day. He keeps looking down the driveway looking for everyone.

Don’t worry buddy they will be here before you know it…….. Wisconsin please send snow!

12/09/2023

The horses that built us. They fill our memories with the excitement of firsts. The base for our entire career. Looking back we can almost feel their soft muzzle in our hands or feel their warm coat where we used to rest our heads on their back as we shared all our secrets. Then the day we had to say goodbye. The thought still puts a lump in my throat every time. But it’s those horses that encourage me to keep learning, teaching and running a program where others can come and have the same opportunity.

Below is a little welsh cross mare named Delilah with little 4yr old Noel.

12/04/2023

SOLD - 15in Corriente Wade Ranch Saddle $1,000

- A fork front
- Half Breed Roughout
- Floral + Basket Tooling
- Running W Trim all around saddle
- Drop plate rigging with ring
- Brass hardware
- Hard Seat
- straight up cantle
- Round skirts

Built on a wooden rawhide covered tree with 7in gullet and 90° bar. Wooden brass covered stirrups with a 4” tread.

A good friend of mine purchased this saddle brand new a year ago. The saddle is in fantastic condition. Selling because owner decided to go a different route with style of saddl

11/30/2023

Driving lesson with the boys! Now we just need Wisconsin to get serious about the snow and we can break out the runners for everything!

11/30/2023

You never realize how much you love the machinery in your life until it’s broke down. The parts come in the mail tomorrow and my friend THE SKIDSTEER should be back to work by the weekend 🤞

11/29/2023

Now that the weather is cooler more work going into the inside of the tack house. Today recycling old fence posts from many years ago into where we will hang all our harnesses.

11/29/2023

Let me introduce Frank. A 1.5yr old gelding.

What are some things a 1.5yr can learn? Routine and a good one. Our goal as handlers is to support and encourage curiosity and shape it into great habits. Training youngsters is the art of breaking down a skill into the smallest little crumbs and supporting a happy learning environment so they want to participate in the learning process.

11/25/2023

I’m always just so delighted with this team of Belgians. Oak and Maple what a privilege to share a work day with the two of you!

11/23/2023

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the Farm! If anyone wants a fun way to bring in the holidays come to three lakes, WI tomorrow and Saturday! Oak and Maple will be giving wagon rides around town courtesy of the town of three lakes!

11/19/2023

Beginning to settle all the tack into its “spot” around the Tack House. These smart cinches were too bulky when hung just from the D Ring making it so there was no more room for any other cinches so I grabbed some scrap leather and whipped up a little leather hanging strap that keeps things neat and orderly.

11/13/2023

Exciting news on the farm! Today we welcomed an adorable pony named Jack to the Haven Pines. As per the farms rules he will be in a 14 day quarentine. Following his quarentine we will slowly work him up to joining the rest of the horses! Welcome home Jack! We sure are glad your here!!!

11/13/2023

I needed to turn off the arena lights tonight to see THE LIGHTS dancing across the top of the trees!

11/12/2023

Got a nice covering of some slow release rain last night 😉

11/10/2023

Evening chores with this crew is always a fun time!

11/03/2023

Let’s play a little what is that? Can anyone name what we are looking at in this picture? Or more specifically who we are looking at and what part of tack is there?

11/01/2023

Time to break out that snow gear! Snow pants, coat, hat mittens and boots! Riders can keep their winter layers on with the exception of their shoes. I have students tack up in their winter boots then change to their riding boots just before they mount up. You also can wear hats under helmets as long as there is no decorative things on top of it such as a p**f ball. I HIGHLY recommend getting a wild rag or neck gater. they make a world of difference!

10/26/2023

Some really exciting things happening in the Tack House today!!

10/20/2023

It was a wet Wisconsin October day today on the farm. Puddles and raindrops everywhere you look!

10/17/2023

Mr Nugget getting used to doing his job around saddle horses.

10/16/2023

HOT TOPIC ALERT!
There are many trigger (meaning people like to argue over them) topics within the horse world.
One of those topics is HAND FEEDING and closely related is HAND FEEDING TREATS.
Excellent horsemen and women land on both sides of the fence on this topic. There isn’t an easily clear blanket right/wrong answer that can be applied to every horse every time.

It’s ALWAYS good Horsemanship to check with owner of animal before assuming you are ok to feed an animal ANYTHING. And I’m talking ANYTHING. Just like it should be a given that if your going to offer a child something to eat you check with their parent and if they say “No” that answer needs to be respected.

Here at Haven Pines we have a no hand feeding rule unless under my direct supervision. Sounds stingy doesn’t it? “What could a hand full of grass hurt?” Or “it’s the hay they are already eating so why would it be bad to offer some to them in my hand?” …….. “they did such a good job today while I was riding can’t I just give them a treat?!” “I know how to hand feed I’ve done it before.”

In the case of our horsemanship program the rule was made to protect the horse.
1) horses are creatures of habit. If they learn that hands hold treats their strong drive to seek and forage will lead them to frisk unsuspecting people for possible treats. This could sound like a funny situation but it’s not. It can be quite frightening for an unsuspecting person that maybe is working hard to become comfortable around horses.
2) If not properly positioned to offer a treat a finger can easily be mistaken as a treat. Owch! Additionally did you know that when a horse is startled they lock their jaw…… so let’s say a finger gets mistaken as a treat a horse goes to take a bite …. the person shrieks out of pain frightens the horse and now the finger is locked tightly between the teeth….
3) A whole industry and millions of dollars have been invested in proper diet and nutrition of horses. Yes, a horses diet can be quite fragile. Some horses have high sensitivities to very common things such as grass or sugar and could become very ill if given something they shouldn’t have.

The very sweet intentions that back one’s desire to hand feed a horse can result in some very sad things for the horse.

Please always ask before just assuming you can feed a horse anything (in your hand or not) with any horse anywhere. Please respect the answer given.

Know that here at Haven Pines we design our program and safety standards with both horse and people as the priority.

10/14/2023

So proud of the riders who have met the cool wet fall Wisconsin weather with a can do mindset!
Also a friendly reminder to start bringing your winter jacket to riding lessons. It’s cold!

10/13/2023

A well rounded horseback riding education will take a rider on a journey that is both in the English and western saddle and sometimes without any saddle at all. Each style of riding offer some exceptional lessons. Balance, position, timing……. One style does not ultimately trump the other BUT each have their areas of expertise and proficiency.

10/12/2023

Winter has begun sending its “I’m coming soon!” reminders.

10/06/2023

These beauties. Just love them!

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Videos

Posey enjoying her soaked feed. Why soaked feed you ask….. well horse feed manufacturers commonly put horse feed into pellets it’s a very convenient way to package and store the feed. Where the trouble exists is when the pellets encounter moisture or in the horses case saliva. The pellets expand. If the horses rate of intake and production of saliva aren’t just right the feed can get compacted in the horses, esophagus and cause a blockage. This blockage most often requires a vet to solve. A tube is often used to dislodge the blockage. It isn’t an enjoyable process for horse or owner so here at HavenPines we like to soak our pelleted feed before giving to the recipient to avoid the whole fiasco. But the soaked feed does create a mess. 😂

Tonight after drill team practice the girls made a fun game of standing cones back up to help make cool downs exciting.

We do riding lessons year around here on the farm! As the daylight hours start to get less we can just turn on the arena lights! During the school year we offer riding and driving (once there is good snow base we will be bringing out the sleighs) lessons Tuesday - Saturday 8am-6pm.

Introducing Haven Pines’ RICE CREEK RIDERS!

It’s a hot wet day. PERFECT conditions for some good leather care and management practices aka clean and oil leather day!!!

Something big is happening this week on the farm!!! I’m so excited! Any guesses hat this is?

“Do horses remember you?” Is a question I’ve been asked a hand full of times in my career. We will let this little mare answer this question for me. A little back story - I brought Miss Betty (poa mare in video) home to our farm August 2021 as a fun project. After working with her for a little over a year she headed to the beautiful mountains of Colorado to good friend in February. This week it was a great honor to walk into her dry lot and have her walk up to me and follow me around after not seeing her three months. What a gift it is to be remembered!

I call this trick “throwing caution to the wind”. 😂

Western apparel needs vs English apparel needs. Riders ALWAYS need to wear a riding boot with little to no tread and a minimum of 1/2in heel, long pants, weather appropriate top and a riding helmet. Watch the video below to learn western vs English boot and pants needs.

Riding boot rules 1) little to no tread 2) a minimum of 1/2in heel Watch video for the why behind the rules.

This week the kids spring break means some extra hands getting horses ready for summer.

The big girls feeling extra frisky as I dug their round bale out from under the tarp that was ice/snow covered. But look at those big long smooth strides! Effortlessly floating across the snow.

Michael and I got to walk the big girls fence line today. It’s critical to me that all my dogs know how to conduct themselves around horses and keep a keen listening ear for my direction. When Michael first arrived he was pretty anxious about the horses. Today he walked independently with me along their fence line and was able to keep his mind where I need it to stay…. On me. Good. Boy.

Hit the trails yesterday with Noel, the dogs, Buck (buckskin) and Halle (paint). Our aim was to work on the horses ability to ride away from each other without them becoming worried. We rode to a long stretch of fairly straight trail and began the exercise at a walk. Ride away from each other turn and walk towards each other pass left shoulder to left shoulder then walk away again. starting with a short distance then growing that distance gradually. The distance quickly grew to 300ft and then we began to add a jog/trot to the exercise. Why did I set this exercise up like this? Horses are herd animals. Their brain is geared to feel the most at ease when with other horses. Of course the goal is for the horse to feel at ease with the partership between horse and rider. I’ve found that it often unravels even the most level headed horse to have to leave another horse/a string of horses on the trail. So instead of just leaving we would turn go back and pass by again. repeating this exercise until the horse almost seemed board with it no longer worried about “where is my friend”.

Driving the Ranger with my head sticking out the side so I can see where the horses have situated themselves at chore time. The freezing rain really put a damper on visibility. 😂

But don’t let me fool you two weeks ago while putting harness away I caught my foot in the trace and totally fell down about 3ft away from the place I was headed to hang it up. Then I sat on the barn floor tangled in harness laughing at myself! 😂

2023 has kicked off with a LOT of rain on the farm. Being wet and cold is probably one of the hardest weather conditions for horses. One of the most effective ways for horses to stay warm is forage/hay! The process of digestion creates heat due to the breaking down of the forage as it processes through the horses digestive system. When I know the weather is going to be a wet/cold combination I make sure 1) water troughs are filled and trough heater is working. Water is critical for proper digestion. 2) forage available 3) shelter availability. As you can see from the video below. Providing a shelter doesn’t mean the horse is guaranteed going to use it. 4) watch for shivering or ”odd behavior” Old or sick horses have a harder time staying warm so keeping a close eye on them is wise. Horses who are healthy continue to surprise me with how hardy they are when given the resources listed above.

This team continues to amaze me! What a joy they are to work with! Here we are warming up our bells on our way to pick up our first group of the day!

Miss Betty and I got to dash through the snow today. Betty has been working hard building up to this moment where we are calmly heading down the trail. I was comfortably sitting on a hay bale in a sled taking in the beautiful day. My hope is she will be my go to firewood hauler this winter with the goal of her helping us haul sap out of the woods in the spring to make maple syrup.

Hey friends! As I’m gearing up to offer an in person course on making loop reins and slobber straps I couldn’t help but think there could be some far away interested in learning too! So I’m considering putting together a virtual course. Let me know if your interested! The video below is how to tie the double overhand knot but is an example of what the instruction would be like.