She is such a loving and playful baby already. She's going to be a mess! #hansonfarmstn
Holly got to meet her baby!
The horses LOVE getting to go into the Spring pasture!
Slowly letting the horses back on the spring grass pasture a few hours each day. They definitely over ate their first day and didn't want their dinner.
The first gate opening excitement is always the best to capture on video.#hansonfarmsTN
If this isn't desensitizing, I don't know what is! Fire engines, sirens, crowds of people, kids running out for candy, jingle bells and decorations, white flag, etc.
I'm so proud of all of our horses and riders yesterday and thankful for the good weather and fun for everyone. #hansonfarmstn
Friday, Murphy Legg and I worked with Apollo in the arena after the ferrier left and he did very well. The goal is to get him in the lesson program eventually, but it was put on hold with my leg injury.
He is progressing well and just needs attention. He is the perfect pony size for our smaller clients, and those that may be intimidated by a larger horse. Apollo is coming 5 this spring and is a sweetheart. #hansonfarmstn
Client Emma Smith came to help out on the farm to get some volunteer hours for her Beta club this weekend and did a great job helping make some letters for our arena. We let her take a ride on our 2 year old Fresian stallion, Magnus, while she was waiting to get picked up.
Emma is our first client to get to ride him and they both did a great job. Emma will be riding with us in the South Pittsburg Christmas Parade this year on December 9th. Come out and see us! #hansonfarmstn
So we are proud to announce that we now have an "Official Cowgirl" in our clientele. Cloey Goldsmith in her lesson on Chazz got her first CANTER!!!
Tiny little Cloey has been asking to "run" for some time now and we have been holding her off to fine tune her skills so she would be ready. She is so tiny, we really wanted to make sure she had the body position and balance to do it. As soon as I asked, I already knew the answer, but she was so excited.
Cloey did fantastic! She was able to canter 3 times, the last time she got in her head and pulled her knees up and did a very graceful 1 ft plop to the ground in a pile of leaves, but after she caught her breath, she got right back on and was all smiles.
Her mom has texted me since she left and said that's ALL she will talk about and can't wait to come back and do it again π€£. This kid is fearless. We always say, if you haven't fallen off, you aren't doing it right. Get back on and try again. Look out world, Cloey is coming! #hansonfarmstn
Sunday brought us McKenna Perry for her lesson on Marrakesh and a totally different McKenna! She had much more confidence this time and Murphy Legg was right there with her doing what she does best.
McKenna took much less time to warm up and was able to have more riding time and independently ride. She even said she wants to trot next lesson because "she was getting tired of walking" π€£. These kids keep us on our toes for sure. #hansonfarmstn
Aubree Skiles came for her lesson on Saturday and we switched it up this time from Chazz to Marrakesh. Aubrey was in love with Marrakesh from the start and really liked how she moved.
When it came time to canter, I explained that it would feel a lot faster than Chazz because her legs are longer, but I don't think she fully grasped it until she started. She scared herself a bit at first, but was able to recover and take a breath, and then she wanted to try again!
I could not have been more proud of this girl at that moment. That win was so important for her and so confidence building. It was amazing to watch, and this video is only her second attempt! #hansonfarmstn
Miss Kinsley Sowder came for her lesson on Marrakesh and was the first client to get to use the arena with the solar lights with the time change.
Kinsley has done so well honing her skills with Marrakesh and really sharpening her seat and hands in all gaits. She is getting ready to take some trail rides on the property this winter and is super excited about it. #hansonfarmstn
Next up is new client Ember Walker on Penelope for her first lesson. Ember was a bit nervous at first, but Miss P is always great with the Littles and was very patient and easy with Ember in both grooming and tacking and while riding.
Ember got the feel for the way Penelope moved and we moved along to showing her how to hold the reins and how to steer in each direction and stop. Once she had the hang of it, we stepped back a little and she was able to do it all by herself. You could definitely tell the pride on her face once she realized she was controlling P all on her own. As soon as she was done, she was asking when she could come back again. I love seeing the infection of horses rub off on new clients π₯° #hansonfarmstn
Easton's lesson with Chazz was almost like a whole new client was there for the lesson! Easton finally broke through his mental wall and achieved the canter without anxiety.
As soon as he did, the switch flipped and that's all he wanted to do for the rest of the lesson! Farm hand Holly teared up, she was so proud of him. We were all cheering and smiling from ear to ear with pride knowing how hard he had struggled with this and how much fun he was having now. #hansonfarmstn
Next up is Patti Pomerleau on her horse Prelsey. Patti had been waiting on this moment for a long time. She was a bit nervous at first, but as soon as she relaxed, so did Presley and they were able to begin to bond.
This was Patti's first real ride on him, other than being led, and the smile on her face was evident. Presley came from a kill pen and has some PTSD and other things to work through but he was a very good boy. This was definitely a breakthrough for both of them and we are excited to see where it progresses from here! #hansonfarmstn
A day late on posting lessons this week because I had a haul yesterday and didn't get home until after 9 last night.
First up, resident cowgirl Cloey Goldsmith was having a hard time getting Chazz to trot for her lesson. She was giving it all she had, but her little legs weren't making an impact to tell Chazz to trot.
We gave her the crop.and showed her how to use it and she definitely made him pay attention! She was all confidence after that and got some great patterns and trotting in. She never ceases to amaze me! #hansonfarmstn
This week Joanna McCullough tried out Penelope, our TN Walking Horse, to see if she would like the gaited rack or Chazz's trot better.
She immediately fell in love with Miss P and was even more enamored once she got her into the rack and saw how smooth it was. She did so fantastic and we could see the confidence grow in her as soon as it clicked.
Joanna has already come so far, but we think this pairing will definitely help her in her riding and Miss P will always take all the love Joanna will give her. #hansonfarmstn
Emma's sister Heidi also had her first independent lesson and she rode Chazz. Heidi and Emma had been taking their lessons together up until now and Emma decided she wanted to ride separately because she was progressing and wanted more time to work on those skills.
Heidi showed she could do the same and surprised us all with just how well she did also. We were very impressed with Heidi and her showmanship during her lesson. She trotted better than she ever has and maneuvered through patterns and reining drills like a champ. She will catch up to Emma in no time! Way to go Heidi. #hansonfarmstn
Emma Smith had her first independent lesson on Marrakesh and really got to see how far she has come in her riding. This is only her second lesson on Marrakesh since we switched her from Chazz to give her a challenge and she is doing so well.
We were able to do some more advanced work with her and she was all smiles once she realized how well she was actually doing. She was even comfortable enough to ride with no stirrups in her canter and looked fantastic doing it! This girl has come so far in the last year. #hansonfarmstn
No one can say we don't have puppy dog horses at our farm π€£
McKenna Perry was excited about her lesson on Marrakesh, but was a bit apprehensive about getting started because it had been a few weeks since she had been to the farm for a lesson.
Farm hand Murphy Legg was so awesome helping her find her confidence in the round pen and talking her through her fear. Once she walked with her a few laps and I put McKenna in "airplane mode" the switch flipped and she found it again. After that she had a blast and remembered how much fun it was.
So thankful for my awesome staff that genuinely care for all of our clients and want them to succeed. #hansonfarmstn
