3D Ranch and Training

11/17/2024

It started with 2 random draw tickets and a $1000 mare. 😍🥰😍🥰

Luci with his dam tonight out for a ride.

10/30/2024

Rainy season has arrived and while it was a beautiful day today, we still hauled out to work in “New” places. Steele got to go on a field trip off the property, which I think he appreciated (lots of love and fancy cookies to be had with his friend Nickole), Luci had to work in an arena he’s struggled in in the past and Buttercup, in for training, got to continue his training work.

10/14/2024

I want to let everyone in on a little secret. When you first start out in horses, you should have one goal. Learn to ride. Not learn to barrel race or do gaming or do Grand Prix jumping... you need to learn to ride. Before any discipline work is done, you need to have control at a walk, jog, trot, lope, hand gallop.... you need to know what haunch turns, side passing, rudimentary two-tracking, CORRECT AND CONSISTENT circles, correct stops, and backing are and actually be able to perform all of those things. LEARN TO RIDE FIRST. The mere ability to not fall off the top of a horse is NOT knowing how to ride.

I have had this conversation so many times over the past 18 months and people say they are committed to learning to ride first... but most aren't. They want to run, they want to prove people wrong, they want to, well, do what they want. Which is fine. But let's not be wasting both of our precious minutes in a day discussing how to achieve your goals if you aren't committed to learning to ride first.

The second big key to success? Get strong. Go to the gym. Go on Pinterest and find at home workouts. I can give you at home workouts that don't require equipment to get strong. You cannot ride your best and be weak at the same time. Don't shortchange your goals and success by being weak. There is also so much research that by being strong you will be so much healthier and happier in your old age.

So, fun recap. Commit to excellence by learning to truly ride first. Get strong.

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10/13/2024

“But those barrel racers just run the pattern all the time!”

Yup, just out here running our horses into the ground! 🤣

Given Rosa’s reaction today I think she would have rather run the pattern.

Thanks so much hubby for the great gift!

08/27/2024

It’s National Dog Day! Let’s see some pics of your furry friends!!

07/31/2024

Due to our County Fair next week there will be no lessons August 5-13.

Caveat - current lesson riders (regular lesson riders, ie more than 2x a month) needing a lesson before haul-in can message to be scheduled on Monday or Tuesday only.

Good luck to all in all projects!!

06/30/2024

Luci and I are at “sleep away camp” this weekend. Considering he hasn’t been hauled away from home nearly as much as he should by this point, he is being a rock star. One more day of working with Brenda and Lynne Mays and then home to keep hustling and bringing new ideas for lessons! I’m so excited!

06/14/2024

Arena will be closed from 6-8 pm on June 18, July 9, and July 16 to boarders and approved haul-ins. Please plan accordingly.

06/07/2024

Things said to Luci today…. Did you grow AGAIN!?!…. Try and bite my foot again you’re getting kicked in the teeth…. No, just because we’re standing by grass you don’t need to eat….. Luci. LUCI!! Quit eating your rein!…. Luci, no reins…. Don’t bite me…. Could you just not be difficult for one minute?!…..

But also plenty of great boy things said as well. He’s doing so good lately.

06/04/2024

Luci was hoping for a snacky snack before his ride at Midnight Mountain Stables last week.

05/01/2024

"I can't ride, the arena is too wet." Now, I have said this myself. And at times, you just need to haul out. But the down pours stopped about 24 hours ago and yet, the arena is still wet. BUT. You CAN make do, wherever you are. Maybe you still have to haul out for a few days, I don't know each situation, but if you want to, you will find a way.

Luckily, as well, you can ride in my arena even when it is super wet. It doesn't get slick, but I would still not recommend fast turns. Plenty of what we do doesn't involve daily speed, so we are good.

Today I took Classy out and found the dryer of the wet spots. You can see we did trot circles each direction in the center, some circles in the corner and some counter arcs and then weaved the ground poles that are out (at walk, jog, trot and lope). We worked on gait transitions. We worked on haunch turns. We would lope the long side, go up the center, do the ground pole weaves, and then lope a circle in the corner and reverse and do it all over again. She worked on feeling the ground and knowing if she should shorten her stride a bit or be fine how she was.

We were both tired enough to call it quits and count it as a productive day. We cooled out in the driveway, as we often do.

Don't make excuses. Do the hard things.

04/11/2024

Conversations with Luci, the 3 year old c**t.

"Luci. We have to ride today. We, ME, may be tired, but we have to do the hard things. So we are going to ride and we are going to behave and things will be chill. Let's just work on our gaits on a loose rein."

"Ok mom. I really like to ride. I am glad we get to ride. ................................................ BIRD!!!! Oh my, I saved us from near death. ........................................................... Hey! MOM! LOOK WHAT I CAN DO!"

Needless to say, sometimes The Plan goes out the window when riding c**ts. We did get some loose rein work done but we also got some "Luci, there is not always going to be a bird there to fly up and scare you" work. And some, "I don't care how many directions your body parts can go at once, you will track straight and correct" work.

It's Luci's world. We are just all living here.

03/27/2024

He is beauty, he is grace, he is —— %*% #**%% STEELE!!!!! 🤬😩🤬😩🤬😩

03/15/2024

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine today! This little rider was content to mosey around the round pen and soak in the sun!

03/03/2024

Yesterday I feel like I failed one of my riders. I always want to keep the littles (and the bigs) safe no matter what. Yes, logically, I know s**t can happen. And that is exactly what happened. But first, let me tell you about M. About a year ago she took one lesson. She wasn't having it. It wasn't our time. Fast forward, I kept teasing her that barrels and poles are timed events and you have to go fast but she wanted everything a certain way. I can respect that. I go well I can help you learn the technique and the how and why so you can have it a certain way AND be faster. She agreed to give it another shot and we are about 8 lessons in I would guess.

Yesterday we were working on adding speed in her barrel runs. Nothing drastic, we aren't kicking and whipping, just asking for a bit more. Her mare went down on the third and when she went to get up, M tried to abandon ship but her foot got caught in the stirrup. Her mare is very kind, very solid minded, but she has never had a kid hanging off the side of her and she took off trotting. After a very long 15-20 seconds and failed attempts to get her to stop, M was able to roll to her stomach and get her foot out. I don't know if she fully was able to roll or if it was just luck at that point her foot popped out.

After some Hail Marys and Holy Sh*ts, we all got calmed down and eventually she got back on and walked and jogged a little.

Today there was a race. I figured she would just put it off (honestly, I probably would, she got beat to crap pretty good). Mom thought she might go and trot the pattern.

She went and got her best time ever.

M went and cowgirled the hell up and you know what? She did it quietly. She wasn't out yelling to anyone who could hear in the warm up arena, she isn't blasting it on facebook (I am doing that for her), she just dug deep, got back on... and killed it. Great Job M. We are all so proud of you!!!

03/02/2024

I haven't talked about this in a long time with riders but if you get hung in your stirrup, ROLL to your stomach. Here is a great explanation of why. As we unfortunately were reminded in lessons today, we can get in binds on very safe horses when s**t happens. (Yes, our little rider is ok, the adults, maybe not so much). I also suggest boots that are just a little loose. If you can't get your boot out, hopefully your foot comes out. All covered in this video.

02/26/2024

SPOT FILLED! Thank you!!

Due to no fault of its own, I have a board spot open immediately.

*Approx 150x150' pen with 4 strands New Zealand type fencing. Large three-sided shelter, bunk hay feeder.
*Grain and supplements fed each evening, can feed twice a day for additional.
*Locking personal tack locker.
*E WA Alfalfa and/or E WA Timothy hay
*Round Pen
*Very large outdoor sand arena. Rideable 350 days a year. Gets wet but remains safe.
*Free trailer parking.
*On-site lessons in horsemanship, barrels, poles and gaming.
*Small, drama-free, high-level of care.
*$400 a month

02/21/2024

Longer post but please bear with me and please read ALL of it if you are a lesson rider.....

* My son starts high school soccer next week. This always throws a wrench in things but with creative scheduling we can usually keep everyone going!

* The driveway.... please keep it to around 10-12 mph. If you are late, that's fine. My driveway is not the place to make up that 30 seconds. I have my young horse I might be on, my dogs are often out, and quite frankly, the faster you drive through the pot holes, the worst they get. Please don't go in the grass to avoid the potholes. It makes a mess and starts to take away where we can walk horses to the arena from the barn.

* Also the driveway... horses have priority. Please slow down. I don't care if YOUR horse is fine with vehicles buzzing by, pretend like whatever horse you encounter is going to spook. If a horse is in the narrow part of the driveway between the arena and the house, STOP. YOU need to wait until that horse is either to the arena side or to the round pen side. Do not pass horses in that stretch of driveway.

* Lessons at Midnight Mountain Stables... if you are not in a truck and trailer, you need to park in the gravel. Do not park in the grass. Pick up your manure upon departure. Please stay out of the private aisleway with Nickole's horses, tack rooms, etc. We are allowed entrance through the man door by the port a potty and the horse entrance gate on the side.

I am sure there is some reminder I missed, but this is it for today. Thanks for your attention to these and your flexibility in scheduling!