Whimsy Brook Farm Ltd.

10/26/2023

Congratulations to our WBF Pony Club members on completing D1, D2 and D3 level Certifications this past weekend!

10/26/2023

Congratulations to our WBF Pony Club members on completing D1, D2 and D3 level Certifications this past weekend!

10/11/2023

This sweet boy loves to join up after a free lunge. He’ll even help supervise your trot pole placement. 😄 Rising Starr Horse Rescue

09/08/2023

More banana please! 🍌

06/10/2023

Part of our Horse Management lessons include learning how to safely lead and handle your pony on the ground - especially when there’s delicious grass nearby!

02/12/2023

We’re hiring! 🐴 Whimsy Brook Farm, Ltd. Located in Redding, CT, has full and part-time openings for Veterinary Assistants, a Vet-Tech/Barn manager, and an Assistant Trainer. Please visit our webpage www.whimsybrookfarm.com for more information or contact us at 203-938-3760.

11/07/2022

This week at Pony Club — a hairy situation

10/30/2022

Halloween fun and games! 🎃👻🐴

07/30/2022

Kirby sneaking in a quick nap while the kids learn parts of the horse. 😴

06/30/2022

06/15/2022

05/24/2022

We are continuously checking our riders helmet fit… did you know that helmets come in round and oval? Make sure you have the right shape for the best fit!

“Make sure your helmet fits. Your helmet fit can change from one rally to the next. The brim should rest 1” above your brow and should have even pressure all the way around. When the brim is lifted gently, the eyebrows should also lift. If your helmet has buttons, they should rest just below your ear. The chin strap should be snug, but not tight.”

https://blog.ponyclub.org/2022/05/23/uspc-rally-tips-from-horse-management-judge/?utm_source=social+media&utm_medium=image

Top 5 Rally Tips from a U.S. Pony Clubs Chief Horse Management Judge May 23, 2022 / By Melissa Dabadie, Chief Horse Management Judge (CHMJ) Chief Horse Management Judge (CHMJ) Melissa Dabadie offers five tips so you can avoid common mistakes when going to a U.S. Pony Clubs rally. 1. Make sure your h...

03/27/2022

Three cheers for our Pony Club teams that participated yesterday in the Metro Region Pony Club Quiz Rally! 🎉 The Junior Team took home first place in their division, the Novice team took second place and to top it all off, Junior team member Eleri won the Charlotte Mason award for “Best Individual Score”- at her first ever quiz rally! Way to go ladies! Congratulations on all your hard work and months of studying!! 🎉👏🐴

03/12/2022

When the weather doesn’t cooperate, the cozy environment of the round pen is a great opportunity to work without stirrups, focus on fundamentals and even try new things, without the distractions of a larger outdoor arena.

03/12/2022

When the weather doesn’t cooperate, the cozy environment of the round pen is a great opportunity to work without stirrups, focus on fundamentals, and even try new things without the distractions of a larger outdoor arena.

03/05/2022

Three cheers for longer days and after school lessons! 🎉

02/20/2022

Working on our sitting trot and an independent seat today - luckily we finished right before the snow squall rolled in! ❄️

02/19/2022

Fresh air and horses. The perfect after school activity!

02/06/2022

This week at Pony Club: Quiz rally is coming and we’re studying! Today we talked about the dressage discipline and rode some tests using our model arena.

02/03/2022

Big smiles for Cinnamon all the way around!

12/21/2021

Rainy days in the round pen are perfect for ba****ck lessons. Riding without a saddle helps us become more aware of our horse’s movements at each gait and develop the 'feeling' part of riding - the most important part! At the same time, we're building strength and balance, which will ultimately give us a more secure seat and harmonious connection with our horse.

11/24/2021

Post- lesson stroll

11/20/2021

When Dr. Candace hops on your horse to demonstrate

11/17/2021

If anyone deserves a little extra adornment it’s this sweetheart. 🖤✨

10/26/2021

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVgWJqyIHtR/?utm_medium=copy_link

10/24/2021

Lucy and Cleo 🖤

10/19/2021

Short answer: yes it does! Read more below

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🌟 Top Tip Tuesday 🌟⁣
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🙋‍♀️ Use your anatomy to help you, not hinder you. ⁣
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🤷‍♀️ Why does foot position in the stirrup matter?? .⁣
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➡️ Obviously there’s a safety issue - we don’t want our foot to slip through the stirrup if we fall off, and we don’t want to lose a stirrup and become vulnerable. ⁣
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❓But is there an anatomical reason for foot position in the stirrup? ⁣
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✅ Having the stirrup tread placed just behind the ball of our feet allows us to store and release elastic energy in our plantar fascia. This allows us to absorb the movement and keep our foot soft and allow our ankle to act like a spring. This keeps the rest of the leg relaxed against the saddle flap and allows our pelvis to absorb the movement of the horse. ⁣
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❌ Having the stirrup tread too far forward under our toes make us more likely to grip with the toes to keep the stirrup. This causes the calf to tighten, the thigh to brace and the pelvis to pop up out of the saddle. ⁣
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❌ Having our foot too far through the stirrup reduces the effectiveness of the plantar fascia and ankle to absorb the movement. ⁣
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❌ Having our foot diagonally across the stirrup tread also encourages us to grip with the toes, tighten the calf and brace with the thigh, and reduces the effectiveness of the ankle and plantar fascia to absorb the movement. ⁣
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🙋‍♀️ How do you place your foot in the stirrup? Do you use your anatomy to help you or to hinder you? ⁣
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💙 Breathe better, move better⁣, ride better⁣
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Maeve ⁣
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10/15/2021

Shadow in flight

09/26/2021

One of the best ways to improve your sitting trot? Drop your stirrups of course!

08/25/2021

Bailey supervising the polo wrap portion of the Horse Management lesson.