High Meadow Equine Center

09/02/2024

We had some VERY SPECIAL guests stay with us last night!! The Timber City Pro Rodeo, a PRCA sanctioned rodeo held here in Maquoketa Iowa, brought some celebrity faces to town. We were proud to host Fallon Taylor's 3 famous mounts for the evening. A few of her biggest fans got to get their pictures taken with her and get some things signed. Fallon Taylor & Babyflo was so gracious!
What an honor to have met her. Also got a tour of The Black Pearl! 😄

08/29/2024

There are so many people that could use a horse like this!
Meet Hannah. She's a 2 year old Standardbred filly. Just started under saddle. Previously in cart, trained in harness.
She is so quiet, easy to have around, zero drama!
She is very good at pacing 😀 She is a tall girl, and has no problem getting up to a gate or mounting block for you. Very accommodating.
She can be yours!
Located in Maquoketa Iowa

08/22/2024

“They’re just a trail horse”

It always pets my peeves just a little when you try to encourage someone to work with their horse more and gain more control and you get the “he’s just a trail horse. He doesn’t need all of that fancy stuff”. First off having full control of your horses body isn’t “fancy stuff” it’s the basics. Second off, trail horses need to be some of the most well equipped horses mentally and physically for the job. There are countless scenarios, environments and obstacles your horse needs to overcome. So being able to control where you put your horses feet is CRUCIAL for your safety and THEIRS. Even my well trained, been there done that ranch horses have encountered obstacles on the trail they are unsure of. I can rope a bull and drag it into a trailer, halter break 1,200 colts, ride down a highway on Reba, but the first time we encountered a bridge over water she was having second thoughts.

There’s a lot of rough country that I’ve ridden on my horses and there’s only been two times in my life while riding my finished horses that I felt the need to step off and lead my horse through an obstacle because I felt it was unsafe to do so. I don’t ever really ever have many scenarios or obstacles (even new ones) that I’ve encountered where I don’t trust my finished horses to carry me through safely. The reason why is because I have control of where my horses feet go. If I come across a big slick rock in the trail I can tell my horse to take their left front foot and step over the rock and not on it. If I come across a bridge with a giant hole in it I can tell my horses to step over not in it. If I come to a sketchy part of the trail I don’t have to question my horses footing because I can evaluate and tell my horse where their feet go to ensure our safety. I can move my horses ribs so my legs don’t get caught on tree limbs and so much more.

So you see all these “fancy things” aren’t fancy. It’s basic control so you can ensure safety. I’ve had so many people refuse to go to clinics, take lessons or just work and expand their horse’s knowledge and control because, well “it’s just a trail horse. All you need to do is point and shoot down the trail”. But when you have countless scenarios that can happen, unknown obstacles and more having true control of a horse is the only way to ensure your safety. It doesn’t matter how gentle a horse is, without control of their body and feet you can’t promise safety for your horse. Your horse may step on that slippery rock and fall (which is how I broke my leg on day 3 of a 10 pack trip in the back country). All the times I’ve been injured riding a horse (or a horse has been injured) is because of the lack of control I had and the horse has made a bad step, fall or decision.

Buck is 100% correct with saying “These folks who say, Nah, I don't need all that fancy riding stuff. I just want to trail ride.
That's like saying, I'm going to die out in the trees instead of in the arena.”

Most Injuries happen from lack of control.
Control = Safety

08/08/2024

Never assume anything about a horse's training, meaning when you first meet a horse, don’t just take someone’s word about how well trained (or not) the horse is. Assume that the horse knows nothing and start from the ground up. That way, he can tell you where his holes are and you can fix them accordingly.
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝗲𝗳𝗳 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘀
𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴 | 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 | 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 | 𝘍𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 | 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 | 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨
Farmington, Arkansas
https://ow.ly/SXyc50SSTVs

08/01/2024

Isn't today August 1st?

07/21/2024

07/12/2024

06/30/2024

We work hard! We do everything possible to ensure the best up bringing of our foals...to produce a quality product. We give it 100% every day. And I know we're not the only ones.

06/27/2024

New pictures of Hawkeye 🤩
He is in kind of an ugly shedding stage, but I think he's gorgeous under that baby fuzz...and so quiet!
If only he was a she 🤷‍♀️ but he's not, so he is available.

06/26/2024

To replace a good horse!
The best horses are built over years of hauling, hard work, tough times, good times, bad times, big spooks, little spooks, their mistakes, our mistakes and continual love and care.

No, your breaker can not turn your young prospect into your old faithful in 30, 60, 90, or even 365 days. It takes years.

I’m plagued with the problem of trying to impress on people how long it truly takes to build that dream partner. There’s not a smooth paved path. Your green horse will embarrass you, frustrate you, and maybe even hurt you. For some of you, buying a $20,000-$30,000 horse is going to be worth it and SAVE you money. Even that more finished horse will take a year or more to sync up with.

Cheap rate for horse training is $1,000 a month.
1 year of training: $12,000
2 years of training: $24,000

Many of you won’t believe this but your dream horse is on the other side of two years of training. In reality, it’s likely around two years of training and two years of seasoning (hauling them to town). Will that horse still make mistakes? Yes, they all make mistakes until the day they die. But that horses mistakes probably won’t put you in serious danger and that horse will probably pack your grandkids around.

If you’re trying to decide between a $3,500 prospect or a $15,000 proven horse. My advice is to do an internal inventory and figure out what you want. Buying that prospect is like the first roll on the Jumanji board. You’re entered up, get ready for a journey of ups and downs (possibly quite literally!) If you’re buying that finished horse decide what you really want, get ready for a lot of shopping and painfully overpriced sh💩tters. Take a friend or a trainer on this journey with you and try to double your budget (that’s right, 30k). Be smart and buy something OVER 8 years old. Don’t buy that pretty 5 year old they only want 20k for. He isn’t old enough to be proven for you. Lots of horse traders are trying to flip horses, anything under 8 is likely twice as green as he looks in the video. Maturity, both mental and physical will be key when looking for a safe horse.

If you want a project and a challenge I’m not hating, that’s what I want in a horse too, so I buy young ones. If you need a safe one, bring lots of money and quit thinking you need a 6 year old. You probably don’t have what it takes to mentally support that 6 year old through new situations.

The biggest reason I bring this up is because as folks retire their old faithful they are so far removed from when that horse was green and did dumb stuff. They forgot how tough those two years were back when he was 4-6. They only remember the amazing horse he was when he matured. The 3 year old they just bought is YEARS from filling that horses shoes when it comes to training level and safety level. I see people hate on trainers because the trainer couldn’t make their young horse, “finished” in 90 days. It’s honestly the biggest reason I like taking colts for 30 or 60 days. The expectation is shockingly lower than when I take one for 90 days. It’s weird what people expect from a 90 day start. Most people should commit to sending their young horse out for a full year. Two years would be even better.

Green horses do green horse things, don’t blame others for the challenge you bought yourself. Accept the challenge or pay the price for one further along. No matter which path you choose with horses, it’s going to cost you.

(I didn’t write this one I’m not sure who did, however every word of it rings true)

Edit, author Craig Moore

06/26/2024

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

📝 Kimberley Reynolds

📸 Max & Maxwell: Equestrian Photography

06/09/2024

You'd never know that they weren't mother and daughter. 🥰 Caitlin has a buddy. Envy has a baby.

06/08/2024

FOUNDATION! You can not achieve advanced maneuvers if your foundation has holes in it. Period.

Success lies in relentless ex*****on of the Basics
~Leonardo da Vinci

My mom, a retired computer programmer of a big bank in Chicago, now quilter extraordinaire😉, taught me this; In quilting, of you don't get your *basic* initial measurements correct and clean accurate cuts made... in the end you're not going to have a quilt, you're going to have a "blob" 🤔

Same with a frame of a house, or the foundational training of a HORSE.

If your horse's basic, fundamental skill set is skewed, you're going to have a hard time building advanced maneuvers or asking them for the critical thinking required to perform at their highest level.

Long story short, it seems to me that high quality basics are more important than anything else, which is why the ancient Pyramids were built like this "🔼" and not this "🔽"....😉😄

✌️Kalley

06/04/2024

I'm not a huge Clinton fan, but he is right about a lot of things...

05/30/2024

Success lies in relentless ex*****on of the Basics
~Leonardo da Vinci

My mom, a retired computer programmer of a big bank in Chicago, now quilter extraordinaire😉, taught me this; In quilting, of you don't get your *basic* initial measurements correct and clean accurate cuts made... in the end you're not going to have a quilt, you're going to have a "blob" 🤔

Same with a frame of a house, or the foundational training of a HORSE.

If your horse's basic, fundamental skill set is skewed, you're going to have a hard time building advanced maneuvers or asking them for the critical thinking required to perform at their highest level.

Long story short, it seems to me that high quality basics are more important than anything else, which is why the ancient Pyramids were built like this "🔼" and not this "🔽"....😉😄

✌️Kalley

05/13/2024

Caitlin does gets to go outside to play 😁

05/13/2024

Caitlin Update
Caitlin is 4 weeks old today. She continues to get better, stronger, and Sassy-er!
She has graduated off the ni**le bucket and is drinking her milk from a Big Girl bucket. She is eating some hay. Not really interested in the milk pellets.
Dr. Ashley was here Friday and gave her a 5th, and probably final oxytetracycline treatment. Her legs are looking pretty good. She still gets her splints on at night.
Socializing is now becoming important. Yesterday we moved her to a new stall. We removed the solid wall so she could start interacting with another horse. Envy shows interest in mothering her, but Caitlin isn't sure about that. We'll give her some time to warm up and hopefully they can be together so Sassy Miss Caitlin can get some schooling from an experienced Momma.
Thank you so much for everyone's help and support. It truly has taken a crew to get Caitlin where she is!

05/09/2024

Woke up to this, this morning! A filly!! She looks perfect 🥰
SST FESTUS X PUNXSUTAWNEY POCO (P***y)