Foxmerle Farm

08/08/2024

Finally a cooler, less humid day!! Ponies enjoyed it!

07/31/2024

Hello happy horse owners! Foxmerle will have an opening coming up for one lucky horse and owner! We offer trails, track system, free choice Canadian timothy hay, top quality grain, expert care (25 years boarding), semi-private, quiet, secluded modern facility with automatic waterers and indoor/outdoor. 24/7 turnout with horseports three seasons. Too much to list. Call for more info. Also looking for part time feeding only help, can be flexible days.

07/12/2024

Natural horsemanship is a true game changer!! Just ask Deja! If you want to be a better partner for your horse and a better horseman... check it out!
Avery Gauthier Happy Horse LLC clinic tomorrow 9 to 3:30. Auditors welcome..

06/17/2024

Up and coming rider!!

05/29/2024

Just loving the green in the spring...so much to explore..and eat of course!

05/18/2024

Dancing with the ponies!! So nice...

05/13/2024

Now that the 4-some is happily a herd.. we opened the track up for them and they can fly from paddock to track to adjoining paddock and back to track again!! Fields for grazing and track for fun and exercise!!

04/26/2024

The difference between a horseman (woman) and just a rider.....hummm..

04/24/2024

Teddy is so considerate...he lets Jazzy have his bed!!

03/17/2024

Great clinic with Patty Montana today!

03/15/2024

Beautiful day for a lovely trail ride in good company!! Ponies were great!

01/17/2024

Miss eventing..what a thrill ride! Nice to see the masters at work!

01/17/2024

Yup its winter for sure! One of my boarders came to me yesterday and thanked me for turning her horses out, knowing its extra work,...since most barns don't in weather (we have horse ports) Happy to say all our ponies at FF get outside all day, everyday ...and therefore know how to behave when conditions change with snow and ice! Calm and happy to be with their friends and in the sunshine!

01/14/2024

Avery Clinic rescheduled to Jan. 27th due to cold this weekend! RSVP please to attend. It will be 40s that day instead of 20s!!

12/19/2023

YES!!! Its not about the equipment!

The FEI has made a rule change to allow spurs fo be optional in the upper levels of dressage as of January 1.

This has been a long time coming, so finally! Yay!

But, the work has only just begun.

It’s time that the competition world does away with mandating use of equipment that is unnecessary and at its core, is a step up in harshness in comparison to use without them.

Before people collect their pitchforks and torches, yes, people with stable legs can use spurs in a way that doesn’t need to be super harsh.

But the fact that they create a more localized pressure point in the first place means they are a step up in harshness compared to a blunt boot heel, meaning that they shouldn’t have ever been compulsory because it’s not the best move for welfare to make tools with more potential to be misused mandatory.

The same applies to double bridles, another rule that should be changed to be optional.

People can go on about how both spurs and double bridles help to fine tune aids until they’re blue in the face but I fail to see why that serves as an argument for making them mandatory.

Why do we care if riders opt to “lack” refinement in not using such pieces of equipment if those who believe these aids are refining can still continue to use them if they so choose?

Making these rules optional means riders can select the equipment that is best for the horse.

I fail to see how anyone loses in that scenario and, yet, there are still people inexplicably upset by spurs being made optional, people who fought the discussion that led to this eventual ruling…

Why?

It is wild to me that there are so many arbitrary rules in the horse world mandating a certain level of harshness of equipment but then an equally prevalent number of rules outright banning use of softer equipment.

Bitless is still illegal in dressage, even at the low low levels where horses are still learning balance, are oftentimes quite young (and thereby losing baby teeth) and have a number of reasons as to why bitless may be a better choice for some…

But their riders still have to choose between making the best choice for their horse and being able to show.

Anyways, this ruling is proof that traditions can and will change with public pressure.

The fact that a rule exists, or existed, doesn’t mean it’s the most just or best way of doing things.

It just means that for however long, we had yet to change it.

So, here’s to continuing to make changes to allow ALL levels of horse sport to be accessible to people who would prefer to not use spurs, or a double bridle, or bit…

Here’s to developing an industry where the risk factor of misuse of equipment is taken more seriously than the risk factors of using “too soft” of equipment, where refinement is correlated with training, not specific types of equipment that must be used.

May we continue moving towards a future where the industry grows and changes with the times.

12/18/2023

Lovely, warm day for trail rides and ring work! Go Semper and Felix!!

12/14/2023

Horses look for leadership..become the best leader you can be. It's not about the object or the trailer...its about the relationship! Spend 1hour and watch this video to understand why Pat is a master horseman, AND to be enlightened, have fun and smile!! For the luv of horses...your horse will thank you!

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. NOT CRITICISM. There's always something to learn from anyone. Even if you don't like everything in the video, you can still ta...

11/01/2023

ARE YOU READY to have some fun? Halloween versatility challenge with NEW challenges rescheduled to Nov. 4th ..12noon to 5pm! If you dare!! RSVP to schedule your time. Trailer-ins welcome.

09/26/2023

Makes total sense! Don't graze your horse on short grass! Look for the taller grass..

Not a joke...

Have you ever wondered why you can have a 15 acre field and part of it is chewed down to nubs and the other part has grass a hand high, But your horse is constantly grazing in the chewed down part?

Grass 6 inches and taller has less sugars than grass under 6 inches.

For every inch drop below 6 inches, the fructan (sugar) content rises.

Grass under 6 inches is stressed like it's a Monday morning with a project deadline. It uses sugar to repair itself.

Stop mowing your fields short.

Stop grazing your chubbys on chewed down grass. (this is why grazing muzzles are so touted...they keep the horse from being able to get much short grass)

(We aren't saying let your fields be 3 feet tall, by the way. The optimal thing to do is keep them 6-8 inches tall and graze them in small areas there)

09/08/2023

Liberty work with horses..very valuable!

06/29/2023

Good Morning 😃

06/28/2023

Resident Bengal barn kitty, "Mingy" gets grooming too! The good life!

04/03/2023

Yields are the foundation of ground work..

02/08/2023

Flirting with death..was never suppose to be part of the "test" in the eventing world!!

01/30/2023

It's possible for your horse to be both with you and attentive to their world. If we get too strict about keeping our horse’s mind constantly with us we have just found another way to dominate them. If my horse’s heart is with me, they will be curious of their world but not necessarily want to leave me. This is the balance I desire and liberty work will tell the tale here. If you release your horse will they stay with you? Do they look at their world from a place of comfort that they are with you or do they look with the expectation of being pressured? Work at being a place they feel safe to be in. Use the intention of draw rather than making them stay. In the end, draw will develop more leadership than demand ever will. When the chips are down the horse will always be stronger and faster than you, so dominance ultimately doesn’t get us where we want to be. Develop a calm relationship, deepen your horse’s desire to be with you and they will take in their world with peace!

12/25/2022

Merry Christmas to All!!

12/20/2022

Foxmerle Farm is excited to welcome dressage instructor Patty Montana for a clinic on Jan. 15th! Please join us for this event.

12/12/2022

"Deck the Ponies" contest and fun event coming up.... get your costume ready! Sunday, 12/18 contest begins at 3pm...arrive early to dress your pony and have refreshments! Horses can't wait!