Blue Skies Riding Academy, Inc.

08/14/2024

🌟 Looking for Loving Homes! 🌟

We have 3 wonderful companion horses ready to bring joy to their new families. These friendly beauties are perfect for anyone looking to add some extra love and companionship to their herd. They are easy keepers who get along great with other horses and people and have hearts as big as their hooves!

🏠 Rehoming to a good home(s) only.

If you're ready to welcome a new friend (or three!) into your life, text Allison at 770-826-2776! Let's find them the loving homes they deserve. 🐴💖

08/08/2024

We are so grateful to everyone who has donated to help us repair our well pump at Blue Skies. This unexpected $8,000 repair hit us hard, but with your help, we’ve already raised $3,000! We still need $5,000 to cover the full cost, and any amount you can give will be a blessing to our horses. If you can’t donate, sharing our fundraiser with your friends and family is just as valuable.

Our rescue horses are counting on us, and we’re counting on you. Thank you for standing with us! God bless, and let's keep Blue Skies running strong!

OUR HORSES NEED WATER!!! Blue Skies has faced significant water issues this year. Recent seismic activity in Georgia disrupted our well, requiring costly repairs to ensure safe and clean water for our rescue horses. Just after completing these fixes, our well pump, which is essential for drawing wat...

08/06/2024

UPDATE: Great news! Our well pump has been replaced and we have clean fresh water again at Blue Skies! Thank you so much to everybody who contributed, from the bottom of our hearts. We have raised nearly $3000 in the first 24 hours of our fundraiser.

We still need to raise a full $8000 to get this bill paid, so please continue to share the fundraiser far and wide, and thank you again for any amount you can donate. If you have any connections to any grants, or other forms of sponsorship, please contact us as we would love to apply.

Thank you again for rallying around us in our time of need! 🙏❤️


OUR HORSES NEED WATER!!! Blue Skies has faced significant water issues this year. Recent seismic activity in Georgia disrupted our well, requiring costly repairs to ensure safe and clean water for our rescue horses. Just after completing these fixes, our well pump, which is essential for drawing wat...

08/05/2024

OUR HORSES NEED WATER!!! Blue Skies has faced significant water issues this year. Recent seismic activity in Georgia disrupted our well, requiring costly repairs to ensure safe and clean water for our rescue horses. Just after completing these fixes, our well pump, which is essential for drawing water from the well, failed. We now urgently need $8,000 to replace it. Your tax-deductible donation, no matter the amount, would greatly help us cover this unexpected expense and ensure our horses have the water they need. Thank you for your support!

Please donate and spread the word! 🙏❤️

OUR HORSES NEED WATER!!! Blue Skies has faced significant water issues this year. Recent seismic activity in Georgia disrupted our well, requiring costly repairs to ensure safe and clean water for our rescue horses. Just after completing these fixes, our well pump, which is essential for drawing wat...

07/21/2024

Come and join our IEA team! Grades 6-12. Affordable, fun, and great for college applications (and a great way to prepare to ride at the collegiate level)! No need to lease or own and no prior riding experience necessary! Info below.

07/20/2024

Happy Saturday from Ella and Anjo!

07/02/2024

🌻It was a successful weekend at the June Cheryl & Co! The girls and horses put in some fantastic rides and lots of fun was had!🌻

🏆Highlights include:🏆

-Allyssa Kraker and “DGS Millie Rock’n” rode to a 6th place finish in the $1000 Hunter Derby on Friday night.

-Molly Keen and “Zoom Zoom MF” finished Reserve Champion in the .85 and .90 Jumpers.

-Willow Black and “Home Alone” had great placings in the Groundrails and Beginner Crossrails. This was Willow’s first ever show!

- “Mr. President” finished Champion and Reserve Champion in the Opens with our trainer Allison Davalos as well as good placings in the Equitation Challenge with Mary Angeli.

- Mary Angeli and “DGS Millie Rock’n” had top placings in the pre children’s.

-Brielle Kruetz and “Glamour Kills” finished Reserve Champion both days in the Groundrails and Beginner Crossrails. This was also Brielle’s first show!

🎉Congratulations girls on a fantastic show and thank you for another wonderful weekend! 💛💛💛💛

06/27/2024

So true! They deserve the best!!

They are never just RIDING SCHOOL PONIES❤️🐴

One day you may move onto bigger, fancier horses, but never forget the school horse who made you, as without them, you wouldn’t be able to ride anything at all.

The patient soul that tolerated your bouncing while you figured out how to sit the trot.

The kind mare that didn’t walk off when you stumbled up the mounting block, trying to get your foot in the stirrup.

The sweet gelding that picked up the trot even though your body was telling him to do the exact opposite.

The saintly angel that never spooked, which was a dam good thing because your balance was precarious at best.

Too often we forget where we came from. We move on to the next chapter in our lives and say, “Oh my gosh, I’m learning so much! I’m going so far! I could never do this kind of thing on that old school horse!”

But infact you could, you were just not ready to do all these things back then.

But that school horse gave you the confidence to move forward. That school horse took care of you in all respects and allowed you to take the time you needed to find your way. You couldn’t have become the rider you are today without that riding school horse, always remember to love them unconditionally for our riding school horses are what help start your dream, make dreams come true and get you ready for those bigger dreams 🐴

06/25/2024

Dr. David Marlin
Thank you for saying it loud enough for those who would prefer to listen to stupids. HORSES, HEAT, SWEATING, COLD-WATER, COOLING, SCRAPING

"At the risk of preaching to the converted, as a few people are still sending me articles, often written by lay people, sometimes from vets, and telling me how wrong I am, I thought I'd try a pictorial approach 🙂

Per litre, Ice-Cold water (0-5°C) removes heat faster than evaporation of 1 litre of water or sweat.

Per litre, the complete evaporation of 1 litre of sweat or water removes 13x more heat than 1 litre of ice-water BUT evaporation takes 10-15x longer to remove the heat.

So....

COLD WATER = QUICK COOLING, BUT WASTEFUL OF WATER (INEFFICIENT) - USE FOR RAPID COOLING

EVAPORATION OF WATER OR SWEAT = SLOW, BUT DOESNT WASTE WATER (EFFICIENT) - USE FOR KEEPING HORSES COOL

MYTHS

Myth 1 - “You should never put cold water on a hot horse"
Explanation - Ice-cold water(0-5°C) on hot horses does not cause shock, laminitis, kidney damage, muscle damage, tying-up or heart attacks!

Myth 2 - “Water left on a horse will heat up and insulate and make the horse hotter."
Explanation - Flawed physics! Water is a better conductor of heat than air. A wet horse will actually cool faster than a dry one, even if humidity is 100%.

Myth 3 - “Scraping is essential." Explanation - Scraping just wastes time that could be better used putting more water on to cool by conduction. Scraping also wastes water when water is in short supply. Water which could evaporate on the horse. Water evaporating on the ground doesn't cool horses down.

Myth 4 “Concentrate on large veins, arteries inside the back legs, large muscle groups"
Explanation - NO. Cooling by evaporation or conduction works by cooling the blood flowing through the small blood vessels in the skin. The more skin you cool, the quicker you cool the horse. Apply water all over.

(How does he know all this? 25 years working on equine thermoregulation. 20 plus scientific papers on equine thermoregulation. Working with endurance horses in the Gulf. Advising the racing industry on prevention and management of heat-stroke. Working with Governments on heat legislation. Working with charities on thermal stress. Working on the 1996 Atlanta, 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. 2018 Tryon World Equestrian Games and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Author of the FEI Guidelines for National Federations on the management of horses in thermally challenging conditions. )
https://inside.fei.org/sites/default/files/Session_6_Optimising_performance_in_a_challenging_climate_SUPPORTING_DOC.pdf

06/22/2024

Our beautiful Tippi is in the news!

HHC member Blue Skies Riding Academy, Inc., shared the story of off-the-track thoroughbred Tippi and highlighted Blue Skies’ unique lesson program.

Meet Tippi, a remarkable OTTB mare with a storied past, better known as “A Sea Trippi” in her racing days. Despite once boasting a prestigious career as a multiple-stakes winning racehorse and broodmare to several champions, Tippi found herself in dire straits last summer, severely underweight and with a pitifully short tail. Tippi was rescued and welcomed into the sanctuary at Blue Skies Riding Academy, where she now thrives among a new herd of fellow rescues basking in the love and care she so rightfully deserves. Under the care of Blue Skies, Tippi is now flourishing. Whether she chooses to have a job in our lesson program or enjoy a well-deserved retirement is entirely up to her, but we can't imagine life on the farm without her sweet and gentle spirit.

Blue Skies Riding Academy is an educational organization that provides affordable riding and equine care lessons for children and adults, group programs for schools, and community outreach programs. We also provide sanctuary for unwanted and abandoned equines. Rideable horses are trained for mounted equestrian programs, while unrideable horses are used for equine care lessons and demonstrations. Blue Skies is uniquely positioned as one of the only equine facilities in the metro Atlanta area to offer horsemanship opportunities to schools, after-school programs, and community-based organizations. We are committed to providing all who participate in our programs experiences that will empower and inspire them now and in the future.

If you are interested in highlighting one of your rescued equines, send an email to [email protected].

06/19/2024

The cutest campers 🐴

06/18/2024

Bella is counting her blessings today: Grits took one for the team 🎨

06/18/2024

Camp Blue Skies Day 2!

Register for our July session and get in on the fun!

06/17/2024

It’s the first day of summer camp at Blue Skies! Campers had riding and horsemanship lessons this morning and are enjoying chalk art time with the ponies. Cloud is loving her new little friends!💗💗

There’s still room in our July day camp session so please DM us or text 770-925-5181 for info and to register! Campers of all riding levels ages 6+ are welcome/No prior riding experience needed.

06/11/2024

Our first camp session is next week! Call or text to enroll: 770-925-5181 ☺️

06/07/2024

We still have camp spots available!

06/06/2024

“Twin, where have you been?” Stella the dog meets Maggie!

06/05/2024

🌟 Saddle Up at Blue Skies Riding Academy!

Dreaming of riding lessons? We've got spots open Monday through Friday and on Sunday for all experience levels! 🐴✨

Located in Emerson, GA near Lakepoint Sports, we have indoor and outdoor jump rings, so you can ride every day of the year—rain or shine! 🌧️☀️ The majority of our horses are rescues, making your experience even more special.

Join our fun, laid-back, and family-friendly barn where you'll find:
- **Hunter, Jumper & Equitation Lessons**
- **Local Show Program**
- **On-site Lease Program**
- **IEA Team for Competitive Riding**
- **Summer Camp**

Riders 6+ are welcome, and adult riders are more than welcome too!

Come experience the joy of riding with us at Blue Skies Riding Academy! 🏇🎉

📍 Conveniently off exit 283 on I-75

Ready to ride? Let's get started! Text (770) 826-2776 📱

05/12/2024

Yet another fantastic weekend at Wills Park with Cheryl & Co Horse Shows, Inc.! Here's to many more unforgettable moments with the Blue Skies crew! Thanks to Allison Davalos for a weekend of ribbons and great memories and our wonderful families for your support! We’d especially like to wish all our barn moms (and grandmoms) a happy Mother’s Day and a special wedding anniversary shout out to the Angelis today! 🏇🌟

05/07/2024

Calling all local animal lovers!! Blue Skies is hosting our monthly volunteer workday! There are jobs for every level and physical ability. Let us know if you can make it on Saturday, May 18th from 9-12. Great opportunity for scouts, HS/college students seeking service hours, and families!

05/05/2024

What a fiesta! 🎉 Our Cinco De Derby bash yesterday was a blast! Huge shoutout to Alexis for winning the DIY hat contest! 🎩👏 And stay tuned, folks! The photo finish for our wheelbarrow derby winner is still with the judges! 📸🥇

05/01/2024

We are relocating the party to the Big Barn: please bring a lawn chair!

05/01/2024

While we curse the barn swallows this time of year as they return to their generational nests in the indoor arena, dive, swoop, and make a lot of noise, let’s try to remember that they too have a purpose in life that serves humans very well.

The swallows are coming back. They weigh about 20 grams, but they covered more than 5000 km during the flight. They passed through the Sahara desert. They flew over the Mediterranean without having a break. They fought the rain and wind, and the scorching sun. They are extraordinary little beings. . And now they will live under the roofs of our homes and bear the offspring. Embrace their presence. Be kind to them. Respect them. One swallow can eat up to 850 flies and mosquitoes a day. One pair can kill about 1,700 flies and mosquitoes a day. There is no more effective and ecological insecticide ... Make them feel welcome here

04/30/2024

Out with the old in with the new!! 12 hours later new water pipes are in! 🙏🤞it has no more bad spots! Thanks Mark Angeli for helping last night!

04/26/2024

Blue Skies Riding Academy has full board stalls available! 26 acre property with ample turnout located just minutes off I-75 at the 283 exit in Emerson, GA. Come join our laid back hunter/jumper/equitation barn! We have an indoor ring as well as an outdoor arena and trainers available to lesson 6 days/week! Barn manager lives on-site. Text 770-925-5181 for pricing and to schedule a tour