Chisamba Farm

06/22/2024

Welcome Fishers Rocky, a young lad who has joined us at the barn, in training for Stephanie Ortega

06/18/2024

Reese and Grace

06/18/2024

When you forget your boots and Marion makes you ride no stirrups

05/07/2024

Honey Brook Beauty would like to announce that she had adopted a new person. And vise versa. Congratulations Jacky.

02/13/2024

The rider of the snowpocalypse

02/02/2024

I have a few horse loving friends who despise possums because they are an intermediate host for Equine Protozoal Meningitis. I found out that they are only the secondary intermediate host and that they carry it from oppotunistically scavenging on carcasses from the other carriers. So as an added precaution against EPM, disposing of road kill near your farm is possibly even more effective than trying to control opposums. The guilty carriers are cats, skunks. And raccoons. Article linked.

By William Saville, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, Ph.D; Stephen Reed, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM; and J.P. Dubey, MVSc, Ph.D

12/31/2023

Wishing all my friends a discard for all that saddened in 2023, and hope and optimism for all that is good continuing and improving in 2024. Happy New Year.

12/19/2023

A few more joined in the festive spirit. Still some to add

12/19/2023

Still waiting for the rest of my crew to get their festive photo to add to my collage.

11/06/2023

Spring valley hounds hunter pace.

10/12/2023

So. I admit I found the inclusion of safe sport training to be able to participate in usdf sports to be an irritant. However. As sad as it is that we need it, it's obvious that we do need it. https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/i-offer-no-excuses-rich-fellers-sentenced-to-50-months-in-federal-prison/?fbclid=IwAR3BRH5aelVYbZSisLqEEqPyj9U_1dUXEKuu1uW8JDY08RFFq40Acppy_g4

Outside the 13th floor of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse, overlooking the Portland, Oregon, skyline, laughter and nervous chatter echoed through the marble lobby. Rich Fellers, the Olympic show jumper who in July pleaded guilty to sexually abusing his underage student, greeted family and frien...

10/10/2023

A stray comment that I found insulting has had me thinking a lot. Coats were waived at a show where is was so very hot and I rode 4th level . A young woman told me. "you really need to see a professional bra fitter. Everyone knows that bounce is tension in the horse." Once I got over my instant indignation I started to think. Who tells young women these things?? Is it implied sexism? I've watched dressage for 5 decades and never particularly noticed breasts. Seat,yes, gaits yes, angle of moves and accuracy most definitely not breasts. Why are women looking at and judging other women's breast bounce? Why does anyone care? Of course riders want to be comfortable, but unsolicited criticism is a poor reflection of body image and acceptance of female riding skill, isn't it?

08/31/2023

The progress of Honey, a broodmare starting late in life under saddle.

01/27/2023

I have been thinking about half life of isotopes. The half-life is plotted as a red point. One funny property of exponential decay is that the total mass of radioactive isotopes never actually reaches zero. The mass just keeps getting closer and closer to zero as the amount of time for the isotope to decay gets larger and larger. So if you think about riding dressage. The closer you get to FEI, and Grand Prix, the amount of time to get half way there is greater and greater.

And they said I'd never use nuclear physics in dressage !!

01/14/2023

We would like to welcome Nathalie 's new KWPN to the barn. May you have years of wonderful partnership with him

11/23/2022

Lynne Rockstroh had a horrible tradgedy where she lost her talented young horse Lyndon after colic surgery. She was riding Caliburn for me while my hip replacement healed and had just being doing so well I sold him to her. Congratulations to Lynne on her new horse, Caliburn. He is such a favorite of mine there isn't anyone else I would have sold him too. Wishing Lynne and Cali the best future together.

11/09/2022

The retired gentlemen of Chisamba Farm enjoying a nap in the late autumn sun

10/31/2022

Ridinglessons=lifelessons.

I think perhaps the first and most significant lesson that we should really absorb is that if your instructor tells you the same thing repeatedly you need to understand a few things. First. You are not doing it. Second. You have to do it to evaluate its purpose and effect.

And finally and importantly. The creature who us patiently carrying you weight is the victim of your refusal to change.

Hey it can be something simple. Sit back. Bend your elbows. Keep your lower leg under your hip. Even if you have ridden your way for decades successfully if you do not at least attempt to change you just cannot tell why it is significant.

How does this apply in life. If your spouse or boss repeatedly asks you to do something. You are not doing it. If you do not at least try to do it you will not be able to evaluate the effect and what you refuse to change affects those closest to you the most.

10/23/2022

Dressage has something for everyone. At its best it is a training system that supports many kinds of riders and many kinds of horses. Correct basics can help any sound healthy horse improve its muscle balance and ability. The same is true of riders. In this form its a never ending journey of discovery learning and communication between horse and rider.
On the other side it is also a performance art or a competitive outlet. You can compete against others or simply measure your progress against itself. It is a sport that you can participate in from youth to aged and has goals for every level. I am inspired by the transformation dressage has supported on a horse bought from a dealer who buys at low end auctions for the meat market. I am excited to be part of a nervous riders journey to her first show, or a trail rider simply wanting a more confident balanced horse to rise out and the accomplished riders loftier goals and I'm inspired and amazed by the stunning riders at Devon with their international caliber horses and riders . And it's all dressage.

10/22/2022

Career Curio joined us for a lesson today with a goal to embark on her USDF bronze.