Saddle Sore Ranch

10/15/2024

10/04/2024

There's a new event coming to Florence this fall and you won't want to miss it! 👌

The Pickin' & Lickin' BBQ Festival will take place on October 5th from 4 PM to 9 PM. 👀

Purchase BBQ samples or full meals from our award winning BBQ trucks and satisfy that sweet tooth with some ice cream and kettle corn! 🍗🍨🍿

It's not only about the food though - Be prepared to be wowed by the entertainment that'll be sharing the main stage under the 100 ft. x 200 ft. covered patio for your comfort!

Lineup:
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM: House band
5:40 PM - 6:10 PM: Vicky Ray Jordan
6:15 PM - 7:00 PM: J David Sloan
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM: Waylon Jennings Tribute Show featuring August Manley 🎸

For more info and to purchase pre-sale tickets visit:
👉 five20events.com/events 👈

09/27/2024

🙌

“But they ONLY want to RIDE”: a pep talk for instructors. 🎶

We’ve noticed an uptick in these posts in recent weeks, with instructors venting that parents won’t pay if the kids don’t ride.

And the thing is - there are a lot of reasons why this happens, many of which we’ve discussed in THE BIG BOOK OF BARN LESSONS and a blog post titled “Why Unmounted Lessons Fail.” (Our most popular blog in 2023! We’ll drop a 🔗 in the comments.)

Maybe you’ve been accidentally sabotaging yourself by giving your students mixed messages about the importance of unmounted horse time. Maybe your marketing and web copy isn’t attracting the right clients, or maybe your barn lessons just need a little more zest.

BUT.

At the end of the day, this issue boils down to one question:

Do YOU believe that the general public should be able to ride your horses without caring enough to learn about their psychology, anatomy and care?

Note, your answer may be different than ours.

For example, a compromise that has gained popularity in recent years is to offer a recreational riding program, with lower expectations for advancement, that is strictly riding-focused. And while we think these programs are necessary and important for a number of reasons (a post for later!), we realized that we are no longer okay with offering exclusively-mounted lessons.

Because we no longer believe that anyone should be able to use a horse’s body for their own personal gain without caring about the ANIMAL. The living being, versus the sporting equipment.

If you find you have a similar belief, then the buck has to stop with you. It is reasonable for you to create requirements that honor and protect your horses and reflect what YOU know to be the truth of horsemanship, rather than meeting a demand.

If all lesson barns say, “Unmounted learning is non-negotiable, and here’s why,” then it becomes an expected norm. We’ll also fill our rosters ONLY with students who care about the horse as an animal, and the standard of horsemanship and equine welfare can only benefit from that.

Here’s a common analogy we use when discussing the importance of unmounted lessons with parents:

“If your child was learning to play an instrument, would you expect him to achieve mastery without learning how to care for and tune that instrument? What if you knew the instrument could suffer great pain and emotional distress from being played out of tune?”

This is usually pretty effective but you can take it to heart, too…

… because no music teacher worth his or her salt is going to tell students that caring for the instrument is unnecessary, and they aren’t even dealing with stoic, conflict-averse prey animals.

Let’s normalize making music with horses, not just noise. 🎶🎻🎶

09/24/2024

**🐍 Rattlesnake Reminder 🐍**

As we head into fall, remember that rattlesnakes are still out and about preparing for hibernation. 🏞️ While they may be less active in cooler weather, they're still around and can pose a threat if startled. Here are a few tips to stay safe:

1. Stay alert 🚸 on trails and around tall grass or rocks.
2. Keep pets on a leash 🐶 and close to you.
3. Watch where you step🚶‍♂️‍➡️– especially when walking through brush or near rocks.
4. Wear boots🥾and long pants when hiking.

If you see a rattlesnake, keep your distance and give it space to move away. Stay safe, everyone! 💚

09/16/2024

Did you know that horses can teach us valuable lessons across a wide range of subjects?

📚 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: Observing patterns and symmetry in horse movements, such as the rhythm of a trot or the balanced seat required for jumping, can help develop essential mathematic skills such as spatial reasoning and problem-solving. Measuring out grain, supplements, and hay frequently involves addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to ensure that each horse receives the correct portion of their diet.

📚 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Understanding a horse’s role in their environment, including their interactions with other species such as flies and birds, highlights the interconnectedness of ecosystems.

📚 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆: Learning about equine anatomy, such as the structure of a horse’s hoof or the mechanics of their skeletal system, helps us apply scientific principles and better understand both animal and human physiology. Furthermore, knowledge of how a horse’s muscles work can help inform biomechanics in sports and rehabilitation.

📚 𝗣𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆: Studying horse behavior, such as how they react to different stimuli or form social bonds, provides insights into motivation, stress responses, and emotional intelligence. Observing a horse’s reaction to training techniques can illustrate how different approaches affect learning and behavior.

📚 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Interpreting a horse’s body language, such as their ear positions or facial expressions, is similar to analyzing non-verbal cues in literature. It fosters empathy, patience, and a deeper understanding of communication, much like deciphering character emotions and intentions in a novel.

What other common school subjects can be learned in the presence of horses?

09/13/2024