Valkyrie Ranch

12/16/2024

Sadly the time had come to help Fortnite cross over peacefully. Those of you who have been frequenting the ranch already knew that our overly friendly barn cat/ welcome committee/barn mascot had been going down hill recently; but he really took a turn for the worse last week and we knew it was time to help him escape his discomfort & pain. He has been a permanently underfoot fixture here for over 5 years, at least since we've been open for business here in Virginia.
I started back at the very beginning of my phone camera reel hoping to find just a couple pictures of him but was pleasantly surprised to find so many. It shows just how much he was intertwined in all the activities here at the ranch.
Feel free to share any other pictures or stories if you like. I am planning on having a little memorial plaque made to put out by the barn or tack room.

12/04/2024

https://mailchi.mp/2cf47c74103b/horses-for-sale-lease-upcoming-events
Horses for Sale & Lease, Upcoming Events....

12/03/2024

"Hickory" 2023 Arabian X Welsh Pony C**t
Black base turning grey. Go with the flow personality makes him a pleasure to work with. Has had plenty of handling & ground work for his age- goes through an obstacle course, ponies on trail, ties, loads in a trailer, etc.
Sire is 14.3 and is competitive in endurance, western dressage & sport horse. Dam is 13.2 and work in our lesson program as a kids hunter/jumper pony. We expect Hickory to stay small, closer to his moms size.
We are expecting our first human baby in a couple months so are looking to downsize the herd and lighten my load going into winter.
Located in central Virginia
https://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?horse_id=2251935

12/03/2024

BY DAPHNE THORNTON OF TWO BIT TRAINING When it comes to riding lessons, I understand that riding is the overwhelming desire, as well as the underlying principle, guiding most participants. However, sometimes riding is not possible, or even advisable. On those days, I am a fan of unmounted lessons.....

11/26/2024

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🤷‍♀️ 💯 🎯

11/26/2024

⭐️Stella⭐️ 2 1/2 year old Arabian X Welsh Pony. Expected to mature at 14hands, jumping, eventing, endurance, hunter, all around sport prospect! Located in Central Virginia.
https://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?horse_id=2235185

11/26/2024

No lessons this week for Thanksgiving Break!
December 14th we'll be having our annual Reindeer Games fun day! Prior experience not necessary. Register at www.vagaro.com/valkyrieranchllc

11/19/2024

11/17/2024

Come check out the Bit & Bridle Club booth at the Silver Star Farm LLC tack sale today! 11/17 10am-2pm. We have a little bit of everything and there's plenty more booths here to look through.

11/14/2024

❄️ For some, it is rug season again! ❄️

Whilst there may be differing opinions on if/when is the right time to rug horses, there is one thing that we can all agree on, the importance of SAFETY and fastening rugs correctly. Here are some key guidelines that are all to often overlooked. Using the correct way to fasten rugs should help avoid accidents such as getting attached to hay nets and getting legs stuck in straps. 🐴💙

👉 Face hooks inward. Always position clips towards your horse’s body to prevent them from getting snagged on fences, hay nets, or anything else. Outward-facing clips can get caught or come undone, risking injury if your horse panics.

👉 Cross those straps! Belly straps should always be crossed (some rugs do have a different arrangement now, i.e. 3 straight straps, follow the manufactures intentions) to prevent twisting. A twisted rug can cause rubbing, discomfort, injury, or even panic if your horse feels trapped or gets a leg caught in poorly fitted straps.
Leg straps must also be crossed in a loop, this prevents rubbing on the inside of the hind legs and keeps the rug level, it also stops the straps hanging to low and risking a leg getting caught as the horse gets up or down.

The image shows visual examples of correct and incorrect strap and fastening placements.

11/10/2024

One of the consequences of today's discipline isolation has been that many disciplines now have their specific "correct" horse. For example, dressage judges no longer score horses performance on their movements in the context of an individual horse's breed. Judges now measure and score every horse against the "ideal" movement of the Warmblood type. Dressage used to mean "training" for all breeds. There was no single "correct" horse based on one breed type's supposed "ideal" movement.

Dressage competitions, not long ago, included a diverse range of breeds. But now a dressage horse has to be a Warmblood because that breed type is thought to have the exclusive ability to demonstrate "correct" movement above every other breed. I think this concept is absurd. This idea of a "correct horse" for each discipline undermines the idea of the versatile, all-around horse. This has produced many unintended consequences.

It means that every human body type, if they wish to compete in modern dressage, must ride a Warmblood, the only "correct" horse. Whether it be for dressage, reining, or other equestrian pursuits, horse-rider mismatches are now inevitable. If you are a large heavy reining person you must ride a small QH and if you are a tiny dressage person you must ride a large Warmblood.

Before this narrow idea of the "correct horse", riders rode horses that related to how their individual body type fit with a horse's body type to make an effective unified team. Yes, there are breeds that are generally better at a discipline. Thoroughbreds have the speed required in racing, for example, but most equestrian pursuits are not based on only one trait as racing is.

The "correct breed" concept has resulted in changes to equipment and training regimes. These changes are intended to overcome rider-horse body type mismatches. In reining, oversized riders on small horses, doing 30 foot plus slides, means that those small horses begin receiving hock injections as early as 3 or 4 years old. In dressage, small riders must now use very different dressage saddles that allow them to leverage their low body weight to achieve the required hyperflexed bend in the neck for competition. See link below.

The tail is wagging the dog today when it comes to matching horses and riders. Riders now must adapt to a prescribed horse type for a discipline instead of finding a more rational horse-rider match. This ridiculous artificial concept of single correct horse must change if authentic horsemanship is to be reestablished and if reason is to prevail.

*link to post about how and why dressage saddles have changed to overcome rider-horse mismatches -

www.facebook.com/BobWoodHorsesForLife/posts/pfbid029ziRUXRMJtPUTxu8kvPmoWkygycfoek6j1KGTKfNXejdp7BE8S1N95d87vZFjrqkl

11/06/2024

Come check out the 4H Bit & Bridle Horse Club this Friday for our first meeting of the 2024-'25 year! We have a guest speaker doing our educational program.