Red Sky Farm Hunter/Jumpers

02/09/2025

Not sure what Poppy's pointing at... but the horses are seeing it too. Sammy had the ride on Indy, and Poppy is on her own Teddy.

02/07/2025

At Red Sky, grooming, tacking up and taking care of your horse (which includes cleaning up after yourself) is a mandatory part of the lesson. In addition to riding, our students work hard before and after. Grooming can and should be rigorous, and tacking up takes focus and accuracy. Marydell gets down on the ground to do a good job with Pippin on the cross ties, and Claire has to move around Dunkin with smooth speed and athletic ability.

02/06/2025

When the weather is unpredictable, (or any weather on any day in New Mexico!) we sometimes have to be creative to keep our horses comfortable. After a lesson on Tuesday afternoon, Indy was still a little sweaty on the saddle mark, and we didn't want to turn him out into his stall for the evening, knowing it will be cold overnight. So to dry him off, Sammy pulled out the blow dryer. It was his first time so we took it very slowly and introduced it casually. Pic number 1 is Sammy grooming the wet area first. Pic number 2 is when she first turned the blow dryer on (only ever on low setting!!!): his eye and body stance show that he's confused and uncertain. Picture number 3 shows him starting to relax and Sammy responding with a laugh, which is also a sound that calms and reassures him. Picture number 4 shows him calm and focussed on Lauren instead of the blow dryer. This all took about 45-60 seconds.

02/03/2025

Had a wonderful time at Peggy Lenz's *0th surprise birthday party in El Paso, Illinois. Expertly created and managed by Peg's daughter Jodi Upchurch (with assistance from Bob and Allen): beautiful venue, great food and drink, tasteful decorations, excited guests and kept it a TOTAL surprise from Peggy. Such a treat to see all my friends in a happy environment! My favorite gift she received is this one!

01/30/2025

More cuteness from Cisco. I can't really tell if he has his ears up or not, but I'm going to say he does because he LOVES it!

01/29/2025

I love it when a horse and rider "click." There's always trepidation when we put a rider on a horse they've never ridden; we expect the best, but you never know. Shirley had the ride on Teddy at her last lesson and these two really meshed. Nice riding, Shirley (in a pinch, she can always refer back to her days of riding race babies).

01/25/2025

Oh Dunkin! You're a serious guy and you don't love hugs and kisses, so when you do something adorable, we post it! Dunkin snuck out of his stall while I was checking his water and walked himself to the turnout to start his day. We love you, Dunkin!

01/22/2025

Annie and Cisco are discovering jumpers! This gelding has been such a pleasant surprise: so far he is thriving as a true 3-Ring horse. If you don't know what that means, it's a holdover from the 70s and 80s when a horse did hunters, jumpers and equitation classes at the same show. It became specialized in the late 80s and riders were choosing one ring and doing just that one discipline. If a horse is a hunter, he's not a jumper. If he's an eq horse, he's not a hunter, etc. etc. But the trend is swinging back and now riders want something that can do all the classes. I think this is a great shift! We may even see the return of the "All Around" award or prize, which rewards horses and riders who do a little of everything. This picture is really fun because of all the stuff going on: mountains, horse jumping, Susie in a winter beanie with a pom pom, AnneE rocking the oxer, the trees in the background...

01/21/2025

So, when it's cold...

01/20/2025

A very special banner day in the life of every hunter/jumper rider: your first jump! Here is Lily riding Pippin over her first jump. Nice job, Lily. And nice job to Lauren, too: another budding equitation rider. We love you Pippin!

01/18/2025

More shenanigans! I firmly believe that if you expose your horse to all kinds of experiences, he/she will be a much better partner and will be better broke. These girls...! KK and Sammy show their love for Cisco in an unorthodox way. But he puts up with it and now we know he'll stand quietly if someone climbs all over him. Great selling point down the road...

01/17/2025

Welcome new student Marydell. It's always rewarding to teach a rider who is fit and athletic. I can push them a little harder and they thrive. Looking forward to seeing how far she'll go! Thanks to Pippin for another awesome lesson.

01/16/2025

01/11/2025

We love our families at Red Sky Farm. Having a horse or taking lessons necessarily becomes a family affair because of the drive time combined with the grooming and riding time so it's nice to have moms, dads, grandparents, sisters and brothers all involved. This picture is of our sweet Claire, who leases Dunkin, giving her sister, Charlotte, a ride. Very cool.