GaitWay Stables

10/13/2024

War Horse Recap (Oct 4-6) - Life is never dull!

-Stray Dog Adventures
-Stomach bug for 2 students, causing no schooling Saturday
-Playful dog agility
-ba****ck hacking
-1st time experiences for all 3 riders
-dealing with an accident at home (everything is ok now)

HOWEVER through all the ups and downs, my kiddos came out on top! I am so proud of their determination, team support, and of course, their riding!

Successes:
-1st HT for Charlotte and they ROCKED it (6th out of 12th)!
-1st XC Schooling for Maya/Roni and they ROCKED it!
-1st War Horse CT for Maya/Roni-2nd Place w/ a 32 in dressage!
-1st War Horse for Sadie (GAG CT) - 2nd place with a 31.3 in dressage!

Go Team GWS!

10/09/2024

GaitWay Stables (Hillsborough, NC) has 2 positions available

PT Barn staff. Feeding, turn in/out, blanketing, stalls, and other barn duties. Looking for the following shifts: Weds AM, Thurs AM, Thurs PM, possibility of other shifts available. Horses are all easy and well behaved. Must have reliable transportation. Ages 16+. Shifts are 1.5-2.5hrs, depending on what needs to be done. Competitive pay reflective of experience.

Position #2: PT Instructor for beginner-adv beginner lessons in our balanced seat, english riding program (eventually riders move to an eventing/dressage focus). I can be somewhat flexible with days, but ideal schedule would be Tues/Thurs afternoon/PM and one weekend day (weekend day is a must). Must be willing to pickup some feeding shifts on the days teaching. Competitive pay. Room for growth for a motivated candidate.

Send PM with your experience and availability.

https://gaitwaystables.com/

09/04/2024

Come on eventers!

🐴 Calling all eventers! We know you have been busy with AECs and getting ready for Five Points, so we have pushed out the deadline for the Tim Bourke Clinic registrations until 9/15.

Auditors - sign ups are open! This is going to be a great clinic; get a discount signing up early to audit rather than waiting til the day of. 👍🏼

https://www.eventcreate.com/e/timbourkeeventing

08/21/2024

Two beautiful horses left the physical world today. Vesta, my sweet, fiery girl that taught me so many lessons. She taught me how to slow down, to listen, to watch with soft eyes, and patience. She led me to my new path of training and to one of my best friends in the world, Helen Marie Ingersoll. I watched this mare go from fiery and emotionally bothered, to soft as butter with children, especially Miss Sadie Turner. I watched Mariah Waters fall in love with Vesta and Vesta love her right back. The bond these two formed was something very special.

Now onto our other angel that passed today, Sullivan. Sullivan has been in my life since 2011 and has been Journey's best friend since then. Sullivan brought Suzan Seaman Hamilton into my life and she eventually became Sully's owner. Sullivan was a part of my lesson program at 3 different barns. He always struggled with his lameness in his body and at the end we just couldn't keep him pain free. My memories of Sully are of him eating whole clementines, donuts, and even a hamburger! Of braids in his beautiful mane and his love for being pampered. Thank you to Gabriella Hulsey for loving him over the last year and for understanding what his body needed.

It was beautiful to see so many people show up to say goodbye to Vesta and Sullivan over the last several days. GaitWay Stables is so lucky to have these beautiful horses, but our horses are also lucky to have our wonderful clients.

Rest in Peace sweet angels. May you spread your wings and fly high.

07/11/2024

I've been thinking a lot the last week after a colleague made a big announcement about a change she is making in her career and the financial future this industry is facing. I have been thinking a lot about what people are looking for in their riding, meaning why do they do it and what they expect in return from their trainers, horses, and the industry in general.

Two years ago when I moved GWS to our current location, I decided it was time to have a mission and vision statement. With some coaching from my friend and colleague, Helen Ingersoll, I came up with what is written below. It goes beyond riding a horse for just the riders satisfaction, or for a ribbon, or for a score. It is about relationships with your horse, your community, your trainer. While I hope that I am constantly pushing my students to be better in their riding and horsemanship, I really hope I am pushing them to be better people. To think critically, to have compassion, to put others before themselves within boundaries, to follow through with their commitments, and to know when to realize something isn't working and needs a change.

This past weekend I took two students to War Horse. The temperatures were awful, I mean really awful. I was concerned about the horses, the riders, my dog, the parents, and myself. I didn't have to worry. My mission and vision statements came through. The students showed great horsemanship, always putting their horses first to make sure they were comfortable. They showed how having positive intentions that are focused on the horse vs scores/placings, had a positive impact on their scores. Through the judges comments is was clear that she could see the work that we've been doing and of course the work that needs to continue.

𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩: 𝘛𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦: 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴.

𝙑𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩: 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴. 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘞𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.

06/12/2024

I am going to highlight my lesson horses over the next several months. We are going to start with the horse that has been with me the longest -

Journeyman's Houdini

Journey is my first homebred. He was born on May 27th, 2003, which also happened to be my 24th birthday! Yes, this very special horse and I share a birthday. Journey has been apart of every lesson program I have taught for. He has evented with me and a TON of students. He has competed up to 1st level dressage and has been an intro level packer for so many riders. He has done hunters, jumpers, hunter paces, parades, and drill team.

In 2019 he gave Ellie Balakrishnan her first horse trials. It was a very hot day in July, and while I was concerned about the heat, Journey proved to all of us that his sporty little self wasn't going to be held back by some silly heat index. He flew through the course (a little too fast - shush, don't tell Journey that😜). He and Ellie had such a wonderful partnership. We were all looking forward to their future. About a month after we came home from War Horse, Journey has a health crisis. After many months of very weird symptoms, lots of tests and theories, we finally ended up on neck arthritis. Such a "simple" diagnosis, but he wasn't present in any of the classic ways. After seeing the xrays and ultrasound, we decided that Journey would be retired from competitive jumping. This broke my heart, as the joy Journey had for jumping was infectious. We continue to allow him some jump schools, but never over 2'.

Thus began our dressage journey (no pun intended!). I decided to use quality dressage to rehab his neck. To help make his whole body feel better. I was able to show Journey successfully at training/first level, and then I put him back in the lesson program slowly.

Journey is now our Intro/training level packer. He is amazing. He tries to hard for his riders. Over the last year, Journey has had the pleasure of having three lessors, all riding various level, but all who truly respect and love my boy. He has given confidence to all three of these riders at competitions, clinics, and just schooling at home.

It has been such a pleasure watching Journey gracefully enter his senior years. He looks amazing. He is a joy to be around and holds everyone accountable to his status of a stately professor!

This horse has been with me through so much of my adult life. I owe him everything. He owes me nothing, but yet, he continues to give himself everyday to me and my students.

Thank you Journey for being your amazing self. We all love you very much!

06/04/2024

Congratulations to Lea Dardess on winning High Score Junior Rider AND High Score Training Level Rider at Capital Dressage Classic!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/VkFNxPsqsYwHTmwS/?mibextid=xfxF2i

05/28/2024

Happiest of birthdays to our head trainer and her horse Journey. Amy was out of town today but we made sure Journey got his very own cake and ample love🥳💜💙

05/16/2024

GaitWay Stables (Hillsborough, NC) is hiring for 2 positions.

Position #1 - Barn Help (16+, must have their own transportation)
I have multiple evening feed shifts that need to be covered (Monday PM or Tuesday PM, Thursday PM, Sat PM, and Sun PM). PM shifts are 2-2.5hrs and usually start at 5, but I am flexible on the start time. Pay is by the shift and depends on skill/experience, ranging from $35-$40 per shift.

Position #2: Instructor
We are looking for a part-time instructor to teach beginner through adv beginner English riding lessons in our expanding lesson program. We need someone to teach Mondays or Tuesdays, Friday, and 1 weekend day. Individuals must have teaching experience, have significant English riding experience (preference given to dressage or eventing) and must have a desire to learn and teach our philosophy. Pay is hourly and depends on experience and how much responsibility is taken on within the lesson program. This is an area that could grow into something more.

Please send PM or email [email protected] if you are interested.

05/02/2024

ISO lesson horses!

05/02/2024

ISO two horses for our lesson program and show teams. We focus on dressage and eventing. This is a wonderful opportunity to get your green horse/pony out showing with kid mileage or for our older horse that still needs a job, but is maybe past his prime. Please see details below.

#1 - 12.0-14.2h suitable for beginners through adv beginners. Would be wonderful to find a pony that is solid w/t/c started over fences. Age does not matter. I love the idea of an older pony. Reasonable maintenance is fine. Lease only - budget $350 per month.

#2 - 15.2-16.3 suitable for adv beginners through intermediate riders. W/T/C, started over small fences. Would really love to find something with eventing experience, but also ok with greenies with good brains. Reasonable maintenance is fine. Open to any breed, but love the QHs, ISH, Connemaras, or TB crosses. Not opposed to a full TB with a good brain. Lease only - budget up to $400/month.

A+ home with references available. Please contact me through messenger or email ([email protected])

04/27/2024

Today I got to help give one of my boarders horses the gift of euthanasia. You might ask how euthanasia is a gift? Well, it is merciful to end suffering or to prevent it from happening. While this is a sad part of my job as a barn manager, trainer, owner, friend, I am honored to be able to help both human and horse through this process.

Let me tell you a true story. . .

Meet Belle and her horse, Enzo. Belle, who is 18yrs old, has been one of my students for 4 years now. Enzo would have been 7yrs old tomorrow, April 27th. He was a beautiful thoroughbred that Belle bought when he was 4yrs old. For the first 1.5yrs Belle owned Enzo, he riding consisted of basic w/t/c and some light jumping. Belle was dedicated to the body work and the groundwork. She did all the things. He got chiropractic work, massage, saddle fit, adequan, all the things, but something was just not quite right. We couldn't constantly get the left lead canter and he started getting fresh on the landing after a jump. Then his feet started doing really weird things. He always had a strange lateral flare on the LF, but even with good hoof care, it got worse. It started to get to the point where I was worried about Belle's safety.

Then I heard about ECVM (Equine Complex Vertebral Malformation). A good friend of mine had a horse that had been recently diagnosed and aged much conversation and research, I suggested we get Enzo evaluated. The xrays confirmed bilateral malformation of C6/C7. Along with kissing spine, along with a malformation of the vertebrae behind the kissing spine. We did shockwave and rested, he was worse under saddle. We did more shockwave,, he still wasn't great. We'd had him evaluated at NC State for kissing some surgery, but he wasn't a candidate because of the malformation behind the kissing spine. Throughout this while time, he was getting restorative bodywork working on straightness and proprioception exercises on the ground. Nothing was working, he was getting worse.

Of course this was devastating for Belle. Enzo was her first horse. So many hopes and dreams. However, she put Enzo first and retired Enzo, at the too young age of 6yrs old. Then over the winter Enzo started showing neurological signs. Very slight, but they were there. He started tripping, less aware of his spacial surroundings. Then in early spring, he started being very aggressive at feeding time and grouchy towards his herd mates. Then the tripping got really bad. Then there was the day that he trotted up for grain and trotted right into me. He had no awareness of his body. He started having trouble with balancing for his trims. The list goes on.

Belle came to me and said she thought it was time to say goodbye. She didn't want Enzo to suffer and we both felt we were getting to that point. So today was the day. He went quickly and so peacefully with Belle right by his side. Stroking him, comforting him the whole time. Knowing that it was the right decision, feeling grateful and at peace, but also so, so sad.

I am so proud of Belle. Through this whole ECVM diagnosis, she has put Enzo first. She did the hard work. She showed up for Enzo even when it wasn't fun. I'm honored to have walked this path with Belle, as her mentor and trainer.

RIP Enzo
April 27, 2017-April 26, 2024

We love you Belle❤️

04/15/2024

What a weekend! We had an amazing stadium jumping clinic with Chris Moore on Saturday. The topic was how to course walk, observe the environment around you, and mentally prepare yourself for you round. I was so impressed with Chris' calm and supportive demeanor, as well as the focus and receptiveness my students showed. Each student was presented with their own challenges and made improvements from round 1 to round 2. Thank you Ashley Holland (riding Penny), Maya Dardess (riding Max), Charlotte Turner (riding Handsome) and Mariah Waters (riding Quinn) for participating in the clinic. I am proud of each of you!

Thank you to Chris Moore and his lovely wife, Rose Moore, for being flexible, supportive, and collaborative. I can't wait for future clinics!

Thank you Ellie Balakrishnan and Nikki DeLuca for the awesome photos!!

03/07/2024

We had an amazing clinic with Coach Daniel Stewart (Pressure Proof, Pressure Proof Coaching Academy) this past weekend! Riders were mentally challenged with fun, yet hard, riding games that made them think strategically under quite a bit of pressure.

The sports psychology seminar on Saturday gave all the riders so many tools and strategies to help them through not only riding challenges, but also life challenges. The Sunday fitness bootcamp was also very informative, fun, and challenging!

Thank you to our GWS riders, Maya Dardess, Sadie Turner, Gabriella Husley, Eloise Fiore, Ashley Holland, Belle Sousa, and Sarah Gonzalez for participating! And another thank you to Daisy Trull, Ella Trull, Miranda Levin, Jordan McKenzie-Solis, Amberly Lawson, and Faith McDonald for also participating. It was so much fun getting to know you all!

We hope to have Coach Stewart back in December 2024!

01/01/2024

🐴🌟 We're looking for part-time weekend help at the barn! 🌟🐴

Are you passionate about horses and looking to earn some extra cash on the weekends? We're hiring for the PM shift, with a commitment of 2-2.5 hours per shift, offering $35 per shift. The responsibilities include typical barn chores such as feeding, mucking stalls, distributing hay, ensuring water supply, and more.

We're seeking individuals with prior experience working with horses. If you love spending time with these majestic creatures and have the necessary skills, we'd love to hear from you!

If you're interested or know someone who might be, please send us a private message for more details. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of our barn team! 🌾🐎