MisFit Farm

11/02/2024

Happy to be the care team for these fabulous horses.

4 horses that came to the Cavallis program over the years. A is the BEFORE picture and B is the AFTER picture (3-12months of training) of the same horse. We LOVE making a positive difference in how our equine friends are prepped to do their jobs better.

09/07/2024

11/21/2023

Congratulations Vanessa and Wes! Thank you for letting us be on your care team!

Vanessa and Wes have come a long way since joining Cavallis three years ago. Wes is a high caliber athlete and runs pretty high octane. Vanessa is learning how to harness that power and use it for good instead of mid-test combustion. 😇 They had a very successful season showing 3rd level freestyle and finished the season as AA Champions with scores in the mid to high 60s. Congratulations!!! and we can't wait what this team will do next season. FEI is sooooooo.... close 🤩

10/27/2023

We are honored to have been his care team for a number of years. Happy retirement Frenchi!!

10/22/2023

Congratulations to Team Hudson and Cavallis. We are honored to be his care team!

08/26/2023

Gypsy+Clydesdale=Bromance

07/23/2023

Congratulations to these ladies, Vanessa and Siggi on excellent rides. Congratulations from your MFF care team.

06/16/2023

MisFit Farm bred Sensational Synergy aka Chance taking third at his first jumping show. WTG!!

04/28/2023

Congratulations to Sandra on her new purchase of Simon. Just arriving from SoCal. We look forward to being his care team!

07/25/2022

Congratulations to team Cavallis!!

07/16/2022

FYI

Please be advised of the following.

09/11/2021

After a forest fire all that remains is a barren landscape of soot and ash. Rubble and charcoal as dark as night covers the once thriving forest floor. Life is extinguished and only lonely desolation exists. But, in its desolation emerges fireweed, the forests first sign of renewal and the promise of a new life and regeneration. Coveted by apiasts for its purity, its sweetness and its golden honey. Fireweed emerges through the charred earth to release its fragrance and blankets the landscape in vibrant green and purple. The release of millions of seeds ensures that life shall begin anew. It seemed fitting then to see it emerge here at MisFit Farm around our old girl who we gave new meaning and purpose to. A symbol of new life and the promise that She will always have a home here at MisFit Farm.

07/29/2021

04/02/2021

Careful at the shows ladies....no more patting necks!😂

IS PATTING REWARDING TO THE HORSE?

We often see riders slapping their horse on the neck enthusiastically at the end of a showjumping round or dressage test. Patting is considered by many to be a way of telling the horse that they have performed well – but is this the reward we think it is, or could it cause them discomfort?

Horses are extremely sensitive to touch and many riders use different pressures ranging from a light pat to a slap. To find out more about how horses feel about this, a team of equine scientists at Nottingham Trent University set out to investigate the effects of patting and wither scratching horses when ridden or being handled.

For the first part of the study, footage of 16 competitors in the dressage Grand Prix at the 2012 London Olympics was analysed to see how and when the riders patted their horses, and how they reacted.

Fifteen riders patted their horses, with 12 continuing to do so for over a minute. A significant percentage of these pats resulted in the horse reacting. Most commonly, the horses accelerated – sometimes they changed gait from walk to trot. This could indicate that the horses found the patting unpleasant, or that they took the opportunity to accelerate because the rider dropped the rein contact and/or leant forward.

In a second part to the study, a group of five well-handled riding school ponies and five relatively un-touched rescue horses were patted or scratched four times, for 30 seconds at a time. The study was filmed and the horses’ behavioural responses were noted.

Patting resulted in little behavioural reaction. However, wither scratching seemed to be much more effective as a reward to the horse. Some lowered their heads, moved their upper lips and tried to mutually groom the handler – all responses similar to those seen in positive horse-to-horse interaction.

The researchers concluded that riders and handlers should be encouraged to scratch rather than pat their horse as a reward.

Previous research has shown that scratching the withers consistently lowers the horse's heart rate and can therefore be a useful aid to calm them in anxious situations. Wither scratching may also improve the horse/human relationship as mutual grooming does between horses.

Research team: Emily Hancock, Sarah Redgate and Carol Hall of Nottingham Trent University. 2014.

Image by lhourahane 2012 Olympics - Team Dressage Final, CC by 2.0.

03/20/2021

Had to double check 🤣 buttons just sunbathing .

03/09/2021

They say spring is coming early....by the look of the girls production I would have to agree🤣cartons of rainbow 🌈 eggs available for sale. # happyhens
Pm for orders

02/12/2021

MisFit Farm is home to some of the top dressage horses in the PNW.