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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 7:30am - 5pm Thursday 7:30am - 5pm

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Whispering Ivy Stables

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United States
Reidsville, NC
Whispering Ivy Stables

Lesson, boarding and training in Reidsville specializing in H/J. Contact us through fb or email. Located in Reidsville, NC. Check out our tack consignment shop!
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Lessons: Our trainer/owner/manager, Nicole Tatum, teaches lessons for beginners of any age from first time riders up to small jump courses. We also offer training for green horses, specializing in safety, natural horsemanship, ground manners, basics and discipline specific skills. We have several used and new items available for sale. You can view all sales goods here https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/profile/100004290398446/?ref=permalink

11/12/2024

TTC 2025 Horse Show Schedule
Our 52nd year of offering horse shows that are
Fair, Affordable, and FUN. Hoping to see you😄
TTC...THE PLACE TO BE...SINCE 1973

11/09/2024

“It’s a slow process, but quitting won’t speed it up”

11/08/2024

AGREED!
www.justhorseriders.co.uk

11/04/2024

Ellen Fennie

11/02/2024

lol

10/21/2024

More Forage, Less Feed

Stop feeding your horse so much grain.

No, seriously. Stop.

The majority of horses need what Kathleen Beckham call “The 3Fs” - Freedom, Forage, and Friends.

The majority of horses could survive, and survive well on a forage rich diet of grass and hay and no grain. Forage consists of high fiber plants, such as grasses, legumes, and hays. Most feed, which is grain based, is higher in sugar and starch. Forage provides a steady, slow-release energy source that is more aligned with a horse’s digestion functions. Horses are made to forage, it’s the ideal thing to help with gastric issues, weight management, etc.

Providing a constant source of forage, whether that be grass and hay or slow feed hay nets, is the ideal approach for the majority of horses. Horses are evolutionary designed to forage 10-14 hours a day at minimum. 10-14 hours of access to grass or hay where they can consistently buffer the acid in the stomach, which in the long term can help prevent ulcers.
A horse produces 9-16 GALLONS of stomach acid a day regardless of a forage based diet or grain based diet. However, it’s scientifically proven that the constant intake of forage helps buffer this acid and allow for a proper pH.

While this method does not apply to all horses (yes, there are exceptions), in my experience a forage rich diet makes for a happier horse - mentally and physically.

A lot of horses DO NOT NEED grain. They don’t. It’s a human thing that we feel or think they need grain. I know folks who make themselves insane calculating every last nutritional value on a bag of feed, but scoff at buying decent quality hay.
Most horses should eat 2% of their body weight in hay a day. A 1,000lb horse would be 20lbs of hay a day. Yes, TWENTY POUNDS. On average I calculate the average horse (AVERAGE) needs half a bale of hay per day.

I do understand there are horses with metabolic issues that need little to no grass, slow feed hay nets, etc. As always, consult with your veterinarian first and foremost. I have a metabolic horse so I understand the struggles associated with those types of situations.

I also have known horses that eat wood and trees trying to get their source of fiber and forage. It’s heartbreaking.

So stop pumping pounds of senior grain into your young horse and then wondering why they’re explosive. You’re basically feeding them crack co***ne, and long term their stomach acid probably can’t handle the “feed dump” that happens 2-3x a day.

Find a good hay guy (I do know a guy…) who has a consistent source of good hay. If they have their hay tested that’s awesome as well. Chat with your vet about what might be a good fit for your horse’s dietary needs based on age, health, exercise levels, etc.

Put down the bags of grain, and pick up some bales of hay!

10/11/2024

George Morris, top left, became well known for saying "More hip angle" at his clinics. In his picture he demonstrates a perfect Balanced or Fort Riley Seat jumping position. His feet are on the girth and "home" in the stirrups, just like the right picture of a US Cavalryman.

That right picture was posted in the comments of this page by a woman who sadly, I do not remember her name. She said that this picture is "uncle Eddie". Morris learned his jumping position, that won him international competition acclaim, from Gordon Wright, a former Fort Riley riding instructor.

The top center image is of show jumping Hall of Fame rider Michael Matz. Note that he is on the balls of his feet in order to add the additional flexibility of the ankle joint. Additionally, his feet are somewhat behind the girth or "back on the pegs", as motorcycle riders say, to help absorb the power of large stadium jumps.

These two changes to the original Fort Riley Seat are civilian adaptations for stadium jumping where there are no terrain changes. Note that all the top images riders are not leaning on their horse's necks in a crest release, and thus can follow the movement of their horses' heads and necks over a jump.

The bottom row of images shows riders jumping with their hands on the neck in a crest release, a jumping position that Morris eventually promoted. These riders have far less hip angle. Their feet have slid well behind the girth resulting in a very unathletic position.

When you see a tennis player waiting for a serve, or a linebacker waiting for the play in crouched athletic positions, you see a very agile stance, ready for movement in any direction. This is the basic athletic position for all sports that we also see in the Balanced or Fort Riley position.

Riders stretched out over the horse neck, as in the bottom row, are not athletically ready for movement in any direction. Their jumping positions are vulnerable and unsafe due to their extended hip angles. Quick changes in direction from their horses could put them on the ground. Perhaps this is why Morris constantly can be seen in his clinic videos yelling "More hip angle". Leaning on the neck makes establishing a proper hip angle, and thus a balanced position, more difficult and more dangerous.

10/11/2024

I will never be able to describe the power of time spent cleaning stalls.

During this time I have made some of the biggest decisions in my life. I have silently thought my way, step by step, through some of the biggest disasters of my life. I have ugly cried my way through heartbreak all while cleaning stalls. I’ve thrown bags of sawdust in range as I thought about all of the sh*tty things going on in my life. Each stall has oddly given me a place of comfort as I stood, fork in hand, feeling empty during the times I’ve felt so alone. It has taught me to appreciate the serenity of the quiet. Realizing the ones in my life I can count on and the numerous fake people who are only present when convenient for themselves. I’ve enjoyed a free gym membership, as I’ve sculpted my back and shoulders into “he man”, just sifting away. I’ve stumbled my way, dry heaving, with sunglasses ....cleaning stalls through morning sickness, because god forbid my best friend be forced to stand in a dirty stall. Today I spend my morning cleaning stalls and processing my life. I’m mentally making life changing decisions, as I write this post, knowing that whatever I decide, it will be the right one, as it was made in a stall.

I understand that there are those who think us horse people should get “real” jobs. And that all we do is spend our days “playing” around. I’m genuinely sorry that you have never been exposed to a lifestyle that teaches you discipline, how to love unconditionally, put something other then yourself first, bust your ass for the things you want and need, kept humble by a 1200 lb animal, the real meaning of “hard work”, early mornings and late nights spent caring for something other than YOU. Those are things a “real job” will never give you.

Some of you haven’t cleaned stalls .....and it shows.

- Aubrey Burwell

10/07/2024

Farmers in Browns Summit, NC, teamed up to donate round bales and relief supplies for livestock to Western NC farmers in need.

This morning, a convoy departed from the Reidsville, NC Southern States branch, delivering much-needed feed.

The send-off included a tractor with American and NC flags, along with a 'WE 🤍 WNC' banner, showing support for the farming community.

10/05/2024

Our local Southern States is bringing regular tractor trailer loads of livestock supplies to WNC. Donations can be purchased over the phone to have supplies sent.

They are also looking for donations of local hay to be shipped. These displaced animals cannot survive without these supplies.

Please call +1 336-892-2774 to donate.

Alfalfa pellets/cubes, all livestock feed, senior grain, beet pulp shreds, and hay are the major needs currently. You can ask Jerry what they are low on in the shipment and his recommendation for donations.

10/03/2024

This is the way I think about matching horses and riding students. I have taught both types of riders pictured here and every combination in between. The top is a beginner with a green horse and a new rider. The graph indicates the low skill level of the horse (left side) and the level of the rider (right side). This combination is absolutely the worst possible that an instructor might face. The bottom is a highly trained rider with a top horse ready for high level competition. This is a challenging pair to teach, but in a very different way.

The balance of the skill and training levels between student riders and their horses should always be in the very front of a riding instructor's mind. Teachers should always be asking, is the horse helping or hurting the rider's progress, and is the rider diminishing the horse's training? Beginner riders must ride horses that are consistently above the level of the rider, but not too far above.

Yes, the necessary teaching combination of a horse better skilled than the rider will always result in some untraining of the horse. This means lesson horses must constantly be tuned up by a better rider or a horse trainer to keep them at the appropriate higher level for the student.

"For the student" is the key phrase here. I see lesson riders struggling with horses that are not helping them learn, but rather hurting their confidence and sometimes their bodies. I sometimes hear instructors say things about these situations like, "I can ride the horse, so she has to deal with the horse". That statement reveals an instructor ignoring the necessary skill balance contained in this graph method of analyzing the balance between lesson horses and students.

Teaching riding is always about the unique rider and horse in the lesson you are giving in the moment, not about some general idea of horses and student riders. Instructors must have a refined focus on each student and each horse, and how they relate in lessons. If you are an instructor struggling with this balance of skill and training levels and not a horse trainer, it's a good idea to team up with a horse trainer to accomplish the goal of maintaining consistently effective rider-horse matches in your lessons.

The green line second image is of the other extreme in teaching, a highly trained horse and a highly trained rider. To effectively teach these combinations an instructor must be very perceptive regarding both the horse's skill level and the rider skill level on a very detailed level.

When rider-horse combinations like this came to me for help, it was usually because the "meshing of the gears" between the horse and rider had begun to "grind" at certain points in competitions. Either the horse or the rider was interfering with the other. Determining which of the pair to address and change is a great and interesting challenge for an experienced teacher in these kinds of lessons.

Every horse and rider combination that an instructor encounters falls between the two pictured extremes. I hope every instructor thinks about how combinations of horses and riders relate, and how other types of horse-rider pairs might fall on the graph range. If instructors are not thinking seriously about how horse rider combinations work or don't work together, chances are they are falling into the entertainment business and not focusing on their riding instruction business.

09/28/2024

Praying for relief in WNC where numerous barns have faced destruction, flooding and severe injuries.

We have room for emergency trailer ins either overnight or temporarily for barn rebuilds. Pasture space with run-in shelters. Just PM us, and we can help.

09/25/2024

Phrases I'm saying a lot this week (second week back to lessons after summer break, students vary in abilites, ages, and from new riders to w/t/c)

"Turn your saddle first (not the horse's face)"

"Body & voice first, hands last"

"Reins are your emergency break and emergency steering.....if you start with them....then what do you have left?"

"Walk next to your horse while leading like you're walking next to a friend"

"Thumb print on your reins"

"How we say our words (walk, whoa, etc) are just as important as what we say"

"Make your 'whoa' longer and lazier"

"Start with a level 1 ask....then work your way up by adding different things or asking stronger with that same thing"

"So...good trying a (skill) that way... but that's something you see in movies....here's how real horseback riders would do that (skil)" 🤦‍♀️"

👉What phrases do you have on repeat this week?

09/21/2024

MY thoughts on children and riding...

When the child walks in the stable for their first riding lessons, it is the beginning of important life lessons. Unlike other sports in general, the equestrian must learn much more than technique in riding skills or team spirit. Horses are perhaps the ultimate teachers of compassion, patience and humility.

One of the very first rules in my barn is that if a horse drops a load before, during or after a lesson, it is the child who picks up the manure. Mom and dad are not allowed to, regardless how young the child is. Learning to take care of their mount is a lesson in responsibility and housekeeping. It might seem gross to have to pick up the p**p, but know there are worst things in life and this simple task is just as important as all of the other aspects of being in the presence of greatness (the horse.) A lesson is not necessarily measured in minutes, but in tasks completed and how well they are completed. This includes grooming before and after a lesson and tacking up and untacking.

I like to build a foundation of balance, strength, and most importantly, teaching my students to see what the horse sees, feel what it feels and better understand their mounts. Instill an appreciation of this living creature they are sharing a bond with. A horse will also humble you with that first fall off, or a toe tread on. Learning to gather courage and go forward are lessons learned here. We learn to never lay blame, where blame isn’t and be mindful and appreciate the power of this animal and fragile connection we have with horses.

A horse will teach your child many things about life in the real world. Your child will learn to listen, sometimes be fearful but know the importance to get back up, take hold and go forward. They will learn how to control emotion, accept losing without frustration and appreciate winning with renewed confidence. It will all come back to that first rule in my barn when your child walks into the stable for their first riding lesson. “If your horse p**ps, you must scoop” accountability and responsibility. (Just to clarify the picture. The student IS NOT standing on the saddle but on a no slip saddle pad and the purpose of this exercise is for balance, trust and confidence in his/her ability to challenge themselves. Not unlike the sport of vaulting, except the horse is standing still and not in motion.)

09/11/2024

😍😍

Address

602 Narrow Gauge Road
Reidsville, NC
27320

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	7:30am - 5pm
Thursday	7:30am - 5pm

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Videos

Sparky + Cloud rolling

Sparky + Cloud enjoying a roll after their bath on a warm day! 📽 Video cred to Nina S

Friday and L

Friday and L working together as a team to improve their coordination. L is learning to give Friday more cues, and be more independent ❤ We love it!

Puck trailer training

Trailer training with Puck has been a success! This mare previously would not load without her friend on board. However, with her friend on stall rest and Puck needing to be trailered to the hospital for minor surgery, we took the time to let her get over her fear of trailering alone and simply being comfortable in there. Still some work to go but we love progress!