RockMeadow Equestrian Center

10/28/2023

Join us for some horsey Halloween fun tomorrow at 10am-12pm! Hope to see you there!!

06/20/2023

ISO Head Trainer for RockMeadow’s “Step-up” Training Program

Our Mission here at the Farm
RockMeadow Equestrian Center is a Co-operative style environment focused on providing the equestrian community an amazing place for riders of all ages and levels (beginners to best) to learn, bond and grow together with their horses and trainers. RockMeadow is home to a thriving community that includes summer camps, a lesson program and three professional training/show programs.

RockMeadow is excited to announce the expansion of our programs to include a “Step-up” program that sits between the Riding School and the Show/Training programs here at the farm. The “Step-up” program will be focused on continuing to build a strong foundation in safety, horsemanship, english riding skills (flatting and Jumping), as well as the fundamental elements of horse care and well being. (Note: This program will not be focused on traveling/showing, but will have clinics and other events on property in which students can participate.)

ISO Head Trainer

RockMeadow Equestrian Center is looking to hire a Head Trainer for our new “Step-up” training program. (Currently 10-12 students strong). As Head Trainer you will be responsible for developing, implementing and growing a program for students with varying skills and capabilities. You will be responsible for all aspects of the program… training horses and riders, purchasing and or leasing horses for the program, providing oversight of horse care and wellbeing, coordinating events for the program participants. (As Head Trainer of the “Step-up” Training Program You will work directly for and with the owner of the facility.)

Job Qualifications/Requirements
-Must have Experience working as a head or assistant trainer of or for a training program
-Experience building and teaching a training program
-Strong communication skills
-Strong organizational skills
-Instructor Certification is encouraged
-Basic First Aid Training and CPR preferred

Great pay and benefits available. Salary, paid vacation, healthcare insurance, commissions.

For more information please contact…
Stephen deRham
RockMeadow Equestrian Center
425-503-4167 or email [email protected]

Send a message to learn more

05/31/2023

Learn vaulting! It will greatly improve your confidence in the saddle for every discipline!

Summer recreational vaulting classes in Carnation, WA! Equestrian vaulting is the sport of the acrobatics and dance on horseback. No prior experience with horses or gymnastics is needed! Vaulters learn basic skills on the ground and stationary barrel before moving to the horse.
Two youth sessions (ages 8-17) and one adult session (18+) available.
Visit https://www.apexvaulters.org/recreational-vaulting/ for more information, or sign-up here: https://form.jotform.com/230785423855160

05/28/2023

Speaking of new horses, who is this handsome new fella in the barn?

Welcome *WILLIAM* to Rockmeadow! This handsome gentlemen joined the Stewart family last week and is happily settling in to his new digs!

Congratulations to Capri and William on your new journey!

Thank you Eva Eggert, Columbia Equine, Meg Dunne, and the Williams and Stewart families for supporting this opportunity and creating this partnership!

05/28/2023

Congratulations to Kelsey Keizer on her purchase of riding school celebrity Captain 🧑‍✈️ from Alexandra Kiema - we are beyond excited for you! Thank you Alex for bringing Captain into our program and for entrusting us with his care as one of our OG school masters! Captain has taught many a student the ropes and deserves the world!

Captain gets to enjoy life as a riding school horse and is graduating to his next level of training. This little Morgan cross has been a sneaky sleeper sport horse masquerading as a walk trotter, and he sure loves finding new challenges to conquer each day with a confident partner to show him the way! Kelsey and Captain, we are so happy you found one another 💗

First time horse ownership is a dream come true for the little horse kid inside us all, and it’s never too late to start dreaming bigger!

05/06/2023

🤩

05/05/2023

💯 never stop learning

That’s success.
💯👍💪👏🥳

04/22/2023

Control what you can control and roll with the rest of it.
⠀
There is no sense worrying about the things we can not change. Worry is just negative energy.
⠀
Take action towards things we can change. Be positive.
⠀
Know there will never be more than you can handle. You are strong, you can handle being knocked down.
⠀
Get up fighting.

www.betweenthereins.us



📸: Bee Silva Photography

04/22/2023

Our volunteer squad are showing the mighty values of showing up, working hard and getting the practice however they can. Opportunity is often hiding in the hard work!

Instead of questioning your trainer why your kid is not excelling as quickly as others in their riding, maybe look at how much your kid practices. If you’re only willing to commit to two lessons a month for example, that’s 2 hours per every 30 days on average. 2 hours out of 720 hours a month. Now let’s look at a year. 24 hours total. On average your kid then practices 1 day out of 365 days per year... let that sink in.

Our sport is much harder than most and takes a lot of practice and skill, but for some reason people do not look at it this way.

For example when I ran track, we practiced minimum 5 days a week for 2 hours a day. I put the sweat and time in to improve. Chorus - practice daily. Cheerleading - daily. Football - daily.

Now, I also understand our sport is expensive. However, I find it imperative that as a parent you look at these numbers... and before you come complaining “my kid isn’t improving fast enough,” truly look at how much she practices. I am good at what I do, but I can’t work miracles.

I constantly get parents comparing their kid to student “X.” However, student X is out at the barn working for extra ride time on anything I will give them and always ready to put in the work. As trainers we always have horses that need to be hacked. “But I want to jump,” I hear so often and the biggest thing is that these riders don’t realize jumping starts with flat work. Come work in exchange for ride time. Drop your stirrups and practice what we do in our lessons. Make yourself stronger and watch how much quicker you excel. All jumping is is flat work with sticks in the way.

I was a barn rat growing up. I worked my butt off just to get on any horse my trainer would let me. The bratty pony needs a schooling? Done. The wild TB needs a hack? Done. The true and seasoned lesson horse needs a light hack! Perfect! I can work on me.

We need to truly change these mindsets in our industry. Let’s be honest with your expectations.

24 hours - 1 day - out of 365 days. Let that sink in.

Now let’s just add once a week lessons. 4 hours a month - 48 hours a year - 2 days out of 365..

04/20/2023

Eventer Sharon White shows you how to build communication with your horse using simple, time-tested tools to figure out what he needs.

04/20/2023

Announcing our June 10th clinic with the fabulous Judge Sally Collins! This is the PERFECT clinic for anyone who is a bit nervous about starting the show season and/or wanting to get a green horse or rider out and about. Groups range from xbars to 2'3" and the entire clinic is designed to support you and build your confidence!

04/15/2023

Sunshine + spring break + horses = 🤩

03/27/2023

03/03/2023

Summer camp registration is live! Sign up quick - our schedule fills up early!

2023 Registration 2023 Registration Details Details and Costs Each weekly session costs $750. Campers will spend a half-day working with and riding the horses and a half-day working on horse-related activities and crafts. Each Camper will also receive a t-shirt, individually packaged snacks, and bot...

03/01/2023

02/07/2023

This is helpful to interpret what we’re looking for as a “good fit” rule of thumb, all the way up to the competition level.

As a riding school, a good test is if you were riding along and a really strong gust of wind blew your helmet hard enough to loosen your chinstrap, can you get organized enough to stop, tighten it quickly on the fly, stay under control and carry on?

Sports at all levels have helmet rules for what to do if a well fitting helmet suddenly doesn’t fit properly. Check your fit often, consider how you wear your hair and how it factors into your fit and visibility, and keep up to date on helmet safety and technology!

Our theme this month is Get Organized - part of this month includes checking our safety gear is in order, stirrup pads are firm, buckles are sewn, blankets are repaired, halters are replaced, helmet fit checks, and more.

Share your helmet fit tips and tricks with us!

We should not need a rule...but obviously we do.
Helmets only work if fitted well and worn correctly.

02/06/2023

Horses teach us so many “soft” skills like empathy, responsibility, leadership, compassion, determination and organization. That doesn’t even include riding-specific skills.

02/05/2023

“Certainly we need great movers and powerful jumpers, but above all we need a partner, not a slave. We need horses that are supremely courageous, fiercely independent and phenomenally agile. Find such a horse and treasure him. Teach him that you will trust him with your life. Give him the education he will need, and then sit quietly while he does the job that you very skillfully and patiently taught him. He won't let you down. We owe all this and more to our horses.“

RIP James Cunningham Wofford (November 3, 1944 – February 2, 2023)

Photo courtesy of Culver Academies: Jim Wofford as a 14-year-old Lance Corporal at the 1959 Round Barn Horse Show.

02/02/2023

This is fascinating!

01/30/2023

Your helmet is only as safe as the way you use it!

01/29/2023

01/28/2023

Those of us in hoofcare are always inherently aware of the fact that an injury could take us out of work anywhere from a few days to permanently. Our body is our biggest tool, and when it's not working properly, we can't complete our job.
We may prepare financially for unexpected time off work, but do we prepare emotionally? How do we strive to recover physically?

In this week's podcast episode, I chat with Heather Wu, a hoofcare provider in Kentucky, about her serious accident in the summer of 2022 that affected her ability to work for 6+ months. She talks about how she got through it physically, emotionally, and mentally, as well as some of the difficulties in each of those realms.

You can hear the entire conversation on any podcast app, or directly at this link: https://thehumblehoof.libsyn.com/back-to-horses-after-injury

A special thank you to Cavallo Hoof Boots for being a sponsor for this episode. Use the code "HRN" at checkout at cavallo-inc.com to receive 20% off a pair of Trek hoof boots!

01/26/2023

Our volunteer meeting this past weekend was a special one!
We got a visit from the fabulous Natalie Sullivan from who taught a fantastic clinic to our volunteer crew! We learned how to estimate and calculate weights accurately, how to measure our horses’ Henneke scores, and how to track their progress throughout training.
Becoming better riders is alot more than the time we spend in the saddle. It takes a lot of work to feed that machine underneath you to make it feel it’s best!

Thank you Natalie for your awesome presentation and for our volunteers and perfect model horses who let us talk unabashedly about their fat pads and rib lines!

Note: no mares were offended during the demo. In fact they were not invited. It’s a Supermoon 🤫and we want to live)

01/25/2023

I rode a Paso Fino once.