Savvy Dreams Farm LLC

07/20/2024

My therapist eats hay.

07/01/2024

Please remember our horses this 4th of July!

06/27/2024

06/27/2024

Baby birds in my ferns.

05/19/2024

From natural springs to flowing waterfalls to towering bluffs and more, here are 14 of the best nature places in Georgia to visit.

03/31/2024

03/29/2024

03/08/2024

5 Things Your Horse Will Always Remember!

Horses have an exceptional level of awareness, meaning that they can understand situations much more deeply than other animals. They are so attentive that they can pick on other people's
emotions through body language, voice, or just the general vibe you give off. This type of awareness can lead to much more intense experiences for horses. Here are some experiences your horse will remember forever!

1. Places
Horses have quasi photographic memory.
meaning that they can remember places very clearly. It can be positive or negative, depending on the experience they had in a particular place. Imagine your horse witnessed a very traumatic event. Most likely he will never forget the place
or event and move away from that area. If your horse seems hesitating to go somewhere, listen to him, comfort him and trust him, he knows what he's doing!

2. People
As horses have an almost photographic
memory, it's no surprise that they remember people by their faces. Show them the picture of someone they know and they will probably react. Horses can even recognize people after years of being apart! But their memory goes far
beyond our general appearance. Horses can read our facial expressions and remember them for later, too.

As part of the study, horses were shown
pictures of people with happy or sad
expressions. After meeting these people in person (with neutral expressions), the horses reacted based on the original expression they had memorized in the photos. if you meet a horse for the first time, then you have to make a very good impression on him!

3. Emotions
Besides places and people, horses have an innate ability to recognize human emotions. Horses have a tendency to perceive body language, even the most subtle, which helps them determine a person's feelings. If we are feeling stressed, sad or angry, our physical
appearance tends to reflect this. Same goes when we feel happy or excited! Horses don't just read emotions, they also remember a person based on the last emotion they felt from their last interaction. This is a useful strategy for
horses to avoid any possible aggressive
encounters.

4. The other horses
Humans aren't the only ones who can leave an indelible imprint on a horsel Horses can remember and recognize other horses from their social network. Whether it takes a few years or
decades, one horse will never forget its
relationship with another. This doesn't mean as much they will pair up with each other if they ever get together. One horse will only react to another if the bond they had was particularly strong. If he knows a horse from a previous encounter, he may treat it differently than others.

Other important bonds between horses, like the one that unites a mare and her foal, are known to last a lifetime. As horses also remember smells, this can help a mare recognize her baby, even years after separation.

5. The words
Horses are able to understand words much deeper than we thought, but not in the traditional sense we give words. They
understand the words by tone, height and length of the voice. Words with fewer syllables tend to stick better to horses. They can tell when someone is insulting them and when someone is complimenting them. Don't underestimate
their intelligence, because there's a good chance they're listening very attentively to every word you utter.

Horses are incredibly gifted animals, and should be treated as as such! Having an idea of the memories horses hold with them forever will allow you to understand and communicate with them even more deeply. Whatever the experience, good or bad, you can be sure your horse has felt it fully. Do your best to give them a good memory, and they will surely do the same.

03/01/2024

Interesting

Interesting read.

👀🧠🐴 Here are 15 interesting facts about a horse's brain:

1. A horse's brain is relatively small compared to the size of its body, making up only about 0.1% of its total weight.
2. Despite their small size, horses have very complex brains, with a highly developed cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for conscious thought, decision making, and memory.
3. Horses can learn and remember complex tasks, such as navigating a jumping course or performing a dressage routine, through a process called associative learning.
4. Like humans, horses have a left and a right hemisphere in the brain, each with specialized functions. The left hemisphere is responsible for logical and analytical information processing, while the right hemisphere is more involved in emotional processing and creative thinking.
5. Horses have great memories and can remember specific people, places, and experiences for many years.
6. Horses can learn by observing and can often pick up new behaviors and skills simply by watching other horses or humans.
7. Horses have a very sensitive sense of touch and can detect even the slightest pressure or movement on the skin. This helps them respond to subtle cues from their rider or guide.
8. Horses can process visual information very quickly and accurately, allowing them to avoid potential danger and navigate their environment with ease.
9. Horses are social animals and rely on non-verbal communication to interact with other horses in their herd. This communication is facilitated by the horse's brain, which can interpret subtle changes in body language, facial expressions, and vocalizations.
10. Finally, like all animals, horses have unique personalities and individual characteristics that are shaped by their experiences, genetics, and environment, all of which are reflected in their brain function and behavior.
11. Horses have a very strong sense of smell and their olfactory bulb, which processes odors, is relatively large compared to other parts of their brain.
12. The cerebellum, which is responsible for coordinating movement and balance, is also relatively large in horses. This is because horses must be able to move quickly and efficiently to escape predators or navigate difficult terrain.
13. Horses have a very high pain threshold, which is thought to be related to the way their brains process pain signals. While this can be beneficial in some situations, it can also mean that horses may not show overt signs of pain, making it difficult for their keepers to detect and treat underlying health problems.
14. The hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning and memory, is particularly well developed in horses. This allows them to remember not only specific experiences, but also general concepts and patterns that they can apply to new situations.
15. Finally, studies have shown that horses, like other animals, are capable of experiencing emotions such as fear, happiness, and anger. These emotions are thought to be mediated by the limbic system, a group of interconnected brain structures that play a key role in regulating mood and behavior.

Info: Megan Bolentini Equine Bodywork

02/14/2024

In the horse world, it’s become a bit of a tradition to cut the tail hair of our best horses when we lose them.

We didn’t have Leo for long, just days. Truth be told, the plan was never to keep Leo. Our intention when we bought him at auction was simply to end the cycle of suffering for this big sweet horse. We knew that the end he would have faced without us was not a humane one. The gavel fell that day and he was ours, spared from the semi that was there loading others.

You see, we don’t know about Leo’s past, but his worn body told a story. Leo had two crude brands, clipped fresh for the auction in an attempt to squeeze every bit of money out of him. He had saddle sore scars across his back. He had deep lacerations across his body. His knee was large and painful, presumably from a very old injury. He could not stand without extreme pain. This horse paid his dues to his humans somewhere along the line, yet there he was at auction, failed.

So, we did what his owners before us should have done, the only humane thing for Leo. We brought him home and gave him a kind, dignified end here at the farm.

He deserved so much more, a fraction of the effort he gave the humans who failed him. While that saddens and angers us, we do feel better knowing that the buck stopped with us. That had to be good enough.

We stopped him from being bought and sold at another auction. We saved him from being loaded onto a semi.

If you take nothing else from Leo’s story, hear this:
If you have a horse, when the time comes, BUCK UP AND BURY THEM.
Have the courage and the respect for your horse to put them down in the comfort of their home with people they know.
It’s the only right and humane thing to do with our old horses at the end of their lives.
Full stop.

When your horses are old and infirm, unless you bury them, you are failing them.

Do not dump them on a rescue.
Do not take them to an auction.
Do not try to give them away for free online.
Do not send them with that guy that shows up with a cattle trailer and $100.

Give your horse the end they have earned. Bury them.

Leo is gone now, no longer in pain. While it is hard on our team, we are very grateful that we were able to do that for him, if nothing else. We see so many horses who need the same kindness and don’t get it.

Leo was a good horse for somebody, and we didn’t want him to be forgotten. Before he was buried we cut a piece of tail hair to keep, because everyone knows that all the good horses show up in horse heaven with chopped tails.

Leo was a good boy.
❤️

Bella Run Equine is a non-profit organization located in Athens Ohio.

02/02/2024

Carolyn Hunt:
A horse named Hondo made it necessary for Ray to change his ways.
Hondo made it clear that Ray could be broken, but he, the horse, could not.

"Everything I know now started with that horse," Ray said. "Hondo was a sticking, biting, kicking, bucking tough c**t who might have killed me. Hondo would tell me, ‘Come on and try to break me, and I’ll break in YOU again.’ And he would have. But I had all winter to work on him. He was my only horse; without him, I was afoot. It was just him and me and I tried to put myself in his place. How did he get so afraid? What could I do to make him trust me? A horse that’s had trouble can’t believe a human will quit hurting them. I felt sorry for that horse who had to hold up his defence. You can’t blame him. I worked on him some and we got so I could get near him, then get on him. I’m not saying it was all love and kisses. You better believe it. Things could get pretty physical, pretty western. I’d go to bed at night and think about that horse, dream about him, then go back to work with him the next day."

In the middle of the winter of 1960-61, Ray took Hondo to Tom Dorrance.
"He’s a little old bow-legged cowboy; he’s the brain of it all. He can fix a horse so fast you never knew what happened. And who taught Tom? He says it was the horse. As soon as Tom came around me, Hondo would act like a lamb. And as soon as he left, I’d be riding a tiger again. I couldn’t understand. Something was going on but I couldn’t find it.

See, I was too forceful. The timing was good but the mental feel of how it could be wasn’t there. I couldn’t visualize it and the yielding wasn’t there. The horse was afraid of me. I thought I had to hurt him to get him rideable. I knew it wasn’t right. And pretty soon, I learned that to get respect, I had to give respect.

Sometimes it’s hard to figure out because a horse is so big and strong, but there’s a difference between firm and forceful. And there’s a spot in there, inside the horse, an opening where there is no fear or resistance, and that’s what I began looking for."

By the end of the year Hondo was gentle, smooth, athletic, and kind to be around, a horse the grandkids could ride.

Image is of Ray and Hondo accepting a first place award and is from an article which appeared in The Western Horseman, January 1995 'Ray Hunt; Western Horseman of the Year' - http://westernhorseman.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1166&Itemid=77

Ray's quote is from an article written by Gretel Ehrlich; the article was published in the 'Shambhala Sun' July 1998 - http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1991

Culture Ride On, CowgirlBy Jennifer Denison January 17, 2024 With vision and determination, Tammy Pate did more than establish Art of the Cowgirl. She created a movement and community that will continue to elevate women pursuing their dreams in Western arts and horsemanship. Keep Reading

11/29/2023

Recent studies conducted by the Institute of Heart-Math provide a clue to explain the two-way ′′healing′′ that occurs when we're close to horses.
According to researchers, the heart has an electromagnetic field larger than the brain: a magnetometer can measure the energy field of the heart that radiates from 2.4 meters to 3 meters around the human body.
While this is certainly significant, perhaps more impressive than the electromagnetic field projected by the heart of a horse is five times larger than that of a human being (imagine an electromagnetic sphere around the horse) and it can influence straight into our own heart rate.
Horses are also likely to have what science has identified as a "coherent′′ heart rate (heart rate pattern) that explains why we can feel better when we're close to them. Studies have found a coherent heart pattern or HRV to be a solid measure of well-being and consistent with emotional states of calm and joy-that is, we exhibit such patterns when we feel positive emotions.
A coherent heart pattern is indicative of a system that can recover and adapt to stressful situations very efficiently. Many times, we just need to be in the presence of horses to feel a sense of well-being and peace.
In fact, research shows that people experience many physiological benefits by interacting with horses, including lower blood pressure and heart rate, higher beta-endorphins (neurotransmitters acting as pain suppressors), decreased stress levels, decreased feelings of anger, hostility, tension and anxiety, better social working; and greater feelings of empowerment, confidence, patience and self-efficacy.

11/26/2023

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11/04/2023

Rider: Sometimes I wonder if I want to even ride anymore.

Mind: You should probably just quit.

Rider: But i've come so far.

Mind: This is a lot of heartache and emotional and financial stress.

Rider: But sometimes it's ok to not be ok. Sometimes if you want to ride the pendulum of success, you will hit some lows before swinging up even higher.

Mind: But this slump is taking forever. You'll never get out of it.

Rider: Just like when you are training horses, sometimes in order for the horse to learn, you just have to wait it out. Patience is powerful.

Mind: But this is too painful.

Rider: Pain means you have passion. That you care. And you should never give up on something that you care this deeply about.

Mind: Lets keep everything comfortable and stop pushing ourselves. Comfort is easy. Pushing is more pain.

Rider: I'm sorry.

Mind: No need to apologize, lets just ease off for a while.

Rider: No, I'm not apologizing. I'm telling you I'm sorry so you can prepare yourself for more pain. I'm going to keep on pushing harder than ever.

Mind: No, you can't!

Rider: Maybe I can't. But I would rather can't than won't.

Mind: Noooo!

Rider: Yes, so get ready to roll.

Mind: Alright then. Lets go for this.

Rider: Seriously? You gave up that easy?

Mind: Yes.

Rider: But all those years, all that self doubt, all those times you told me I couldn't. All the pity, the frustration when you said I'd never succeed. You are giving up just like that? All it took was one time to fight back?

Mind: We will do whatever you want to do. You do realize you've just been talking to yourself this whole time.

Sometimes the best dressage lessons have nothing to do with riding.

📷PC to Joseph Newcomb 💥

11/02/2023

I'll be in the barn.
When people have come to visit over the years
they commonly hear from me "I'll be in the barn."
When life gets hard I'll be in the barn.
When things are just right I'll be in the barn.
When the sun shines
The rain falls
Or snow covers the ground
I'll be in the barn.
If things seem to be falling apart or if I'm
celebrating the simple things, I'll be in the barn.
When I'm looking for answers or trying to clear my mind, I'll be in the barn.
When I'm looking for myself, I'll be in the barn.
If I'm working or trying to relax, I'll be in the barn.
Even when I'm not in the barn my mind drifts there, I find myself thinking about being in the barn...
It's where I keep my riches
All my wins and my failures
Every one of my hopes, dreams, hardships and
memories.
You can find them all in the barn, buried in the hay, hiding under a halter, spilling out of the feed bins,or glimmering with dust in the evening light.
I may be covered in dust, dirt, feed, hair, and hay, smell of sweat and manure, and sometimes there may be blood or tears but I'll be there. I'll be in the barn.
So if your wondering where to find me, I'll be in the barn. If I'm not there I promise I'm on my way.

Author Unknown

Photo by Jordan Blackstone

10/31/2023

Great visual!

10/30/2023

THE DREAM THAT MANY WILL NOT UNDERSTAND:
My horse is my personal dream.
One day when I am very old and when I can not walk anymore, it will be in my heart as a trophy of my memories.
I met people who taught me something and have the same spirit and I met others that I'm glad I forgot.
I got wet,
I felt cold,
And I felt warm,
I was afraid,
I fell,
And I stood up,
I even hurt myself, I have been broken,
But also, I laughed out loud inside .
I spoke a thousand times with myself.
I sang and shouted with joy like a madman,
And yes ... sometimes I cried.
I have seen wonderful places and lived unforgettable experiences.
I often made unplanned jumps that even Oliver Skeete would be proud of; other times I made jumps full of terror.
I stopped a thousand times to see a landscape.
I spoke with perfect strangers, and I forgot people I see every day.
I went out with my demons inside and returned home with a feeling of absolute peace in my heart.
I always thought how dangerous it is, knowing that the meaning of courage is to advance even feeling fear.
Every time I go up to my horse I think about how wonderful she is.
I stopped talking about it to those who do not understand, and I learned to communicate with other riders.
I have met some amazing people I now call friends because of my horse.
I spent money that I did not have, giving up many things, but all these things are not worth even one special moment with my horse.
He is not a means of transport or a piece of iron with wheels, it is the lost part of my soul and my spirit.
And when someone says to me: "You have to sell the horse and you have to be a more sensible", ... I do not answer. I just swing my head and smile,
A horse..... only the person who loves them understands it.
May God bless my friends and all their horses...
And the adventure continues. .

Photo - Titan ( admins horse )

10/26/2023

Dr. Parks has been managing a group of horses who unfortunately munched on wilted red maple leaves from a down tree and wanted to remind everyone of the danger of red maple toxicity.

Eating the bark and leaves can cause severe damage to the red blood cells, resulting in life threatening anemia and kidney damage. We can give medications to reduce uptake from the GI tract if we see the horse early and IV fluids once horses are showing signs of toxicity.

Know what these leaves look like and contact your vet immediately if you think your horse has ingested any!

09/27/2023

Not a joke...

Have you ever wondered why you can have a 15 acre field and part of it is chewed down to nubs and the other part has grass a hand high, But your horse is constantly grazing in the chewed down part?

Grass 6 inches and taller has less sugars than grass under 6 inches.

For every inch drop below 6 inches, the fructan (sugar) content rises.

Grass under 6 inches is stressed like it's a Monday morning with a project deadline. It uses sugar to repair itself.

Stop mowing your fields short.

Stop grazing your chubbys on chewed down grass. (this is why grazing muzzles are so touted...they keep the horse from being able to get much short grass)

(We aren't saying let your fields be 3 feet tall, by the way. The optimal thing to do is keep them 6-8 inches tall and graze them in small areas there)

09/19/2023

09/05/2023

Somewhere along the line, I have come into possession of two ‘iffy’ mannered horses, when it comes to having their feet done. Yes, me. The person who constantly tells all of you to do better.

Now that this horrible admission is off my chest, what am I going to do about it? For some time, I have privately blamed these behaviours upon these horses’ shady pasts. Problem is, one of them, I have owned the majority of his young life. As for the other, he now belongs to me. So, their problems are squarely mine. Period.

They are not—and I’ll repeat this again, they are NOT—the responsibility of my farrier.

Now, what? I have seen that my calmly working with their feet, picking them out during their regular grooming, is not translating wholly into how to have the work done by someone else. Practically speaking, this means that I will have to accustom my horses to:

a) Gradually having their feet handled, for longer periods of time. This might mean building up their strength and balance, as we go.
b) Teaching them to pick up their feet, pronto, with a universal signal. Most farriers will use a squeeze on the leg, up by the chestnut, for example.
c) Teaching them that they are not to sn**ch their feet away; that they set them down when I am done.
d) No nipping the farrier’s back pockets. Ever.
e) Having their feet held in all manner of holds, between my knees and upon stands.
f) Having their feet trimmed, tapped upon and rasped.
g) Stretching their legs forward to the stand.
h) Minding the space of anyone working under, around or behind them.
i) Having full understanding and acceptance of the word, “Whoa!” when it comes to standing tied.

You may well have a different set of rules and regulations, when it comes to how your horses interact with your farrier. This is fine but I am writing this to remind every one of us that when it comes to farrier work, whether you seek barefoot trims or shoeing, our professionals are NOT hired to train our horses!

This includes those of us who have older or health-compromised horses. Some of these will need prior meds, massage or stretching, maybe even a little walk-trot time on the lunge, before allowing them to lift and hold their feet. Any older or unsound horse who struggles, requires you, your farrier and maybe even your vet, to discuss calmly what you can jointly do about this situation, going forward. Many older—and very young, or green—horses require more rest breaks, setting their feet down more often to regain their balance and confidence, than is usual.

Meanwhile, I’m sorry, Randy. I have put an old set of tools and a stand where I groom and tack up, to just chip away at improving a few of my horses’ manners. Every so often, I get more interested in lope departures and how my horses will stand for mounting. You know, all the ‘me’ stuff.

How they stand for the farrier is one of the key lifetime skills that any of our horses, ponies or mules will ever know. How they are going to manage it, is squarely up to us.

08/30/2023

What a great idea to help make drivers more mindful on the roads!