Little Bird Farm

10/04/2023

Do you need eggs? Our littles have been busy girls. Free range and farm fresh. $5/doz - unwashed/counter stored all from this week. PM me to reserve your dozen for pick up at your lesson this week. While supplies last.

09/30/2023

Today is Chris’ and my 6 year wedding anniversary. Since year 1 we have been talking about checking out the Oregon Air Show (which always falls this weekend). We finally made it and are excited to watch it from a local winery in McMinnville.

Happy Anniversary to my amazing partner. Little Bird Farm would not be without him. I wouldn’t eat proper meals, we wouldn’t have our fun goats and chickens (I’m notorious for prioritizing horse chores), and his unending support has managed to get me through the highs and lows of small business ownership - the inception, growth, and expansion of our little farm. I’m lucky to be walking through this life with him.

09/20/2023

Lovely way to think of learning to ride. Here at LBF I use dressage fundamentals, meaning that my riders learn how to use all three aids early on. My riders often get to a point where the pieces come together and they know the why, how, and what but the timing and feel is a bit off. This is a very normal part of the learning process. We find those fleeting moments and celebrate them and continue to strive for holding them (and supporting our horse) for longer increments of time as we grow in our abilities. I also insist that my riders be able to ride very different types of horses as they grow, enabling us to ensure those skills are transferable across my lesson horse string and beyond. Riding horses makes us lifelong learners and so wouldn’t want it any other way. While our riding is a partnership with the horse and should be treated with the trust and respect that maintains the integrity of the partnership, we are the pilots within that and it is our job as riders to strive to grow in this way for ourselves and for our horses. If you get a pocket of frustration, don’t fret. It’s part of the learning process. It means you’re growing and you have the why and how but maybe not quite the what (timing / exact ask / strength / etc.). We’ll get there together :)

Having a level of awareness higher than the level of your ability kinda sucks, but you need awareness first.
It can be so frustrating!!! Back when you didn’t know your horse was blowing through the shoulder, or not bending, or not maintaining tempo, or didn’t bother you. Once you barely learn it, it becomes the bare minimum standard, yet you are not actually capable of doing it consistently!

I’ve written before about subconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, subconscious competence…. (I’ll put a chart in the comments in case you’re not familiar with this idea, but it runs across all sports and all skill sets so you can easily Google it.)
When you get to where you are consciously competent (meaning if you concentrate really hard, you can effectively do something) for a few fleeting moments, but for the most part reside in conscious incompetence (meaning you are aware of the fact that you are incompetent at something) that is a seriously frustrating place to be!!!!

For example, you thought you knew how to bend a horse properly but then someone points out that you’ve been bending the horse’s neck at only the base of the neck, and the rib cage and the poll joint are not actually participating. Crap. Maybe you had a lesson where you achieved more correct bend for a few moments but it was with your trainer guiding you through it. Now you’re trying to ride on your own and you can’t get it to save your life!!!

Guess what, if you want to be good at anything, you are going to hit these types of moments a lot - and they don’t exactly give you the warm and fuzzy’s.  Some riders are excellent at recognizing that this is a great moment because they are about to dramatically increase their knowledge and skill set, but that doesn’t make it any easier to work through learning this new skill. It might, however, give you the patience to work through it, and stick with it, and give you the grace to know when to ask for help. Realize that you are about to make a huge improvement and it’s going to take a while! 

Pic of a student Learning just how much her OTTB requires of her!

09/20/2023

Did you know that we sell eggs to students/parents at Little Bird Farm, too? Our newest fluffy butts just started laying so there may be a few small ones in the bunch these days, but LBF has 16 chickens and sells farm-fresh free-range chicken eggs at $5/dozen. A nice addition to any lesson day, easy to take home (breakfast for dinner, anyone?) and delicious. Check on availability next time you’re out at the farm.

09/15/2023

😂 every day it feels like. Haven’t felt this strong in years 💪

09/11/2023

True story 😍
credits: Products

09/09/2023

09/07/2023

💕

09/06/2023

Really appreciate this perspective regarding buying and lessons - they do some helpful breakdowns on price points, too. If you’re on the fence about owning, I have 5 wonderful lesson horses with a wealth of teachings in them. I’ve absorbed the ownership costs so that you can learn and don’t have to 💕 but if you ever wonder why riding in a lesson program is so expensive - here’s some perspective, too 😉

Maybe DON’T buy the horse…. 🤔
I’m on a few groups for beginner riders, riders with fear issues, etc. I also have helped many people who have been “riding their whole lives” (aka, on and off, maybe rode four horses total since they hit double digit ages, maybe rode a lot as a teen but only rode on occasional weekends since), they lost/retired their oldie-but-goodie, they got a new horse that certainly seems solid enough, but things just seem to keep getting worse instead of better. Some of these people by horse after horse after a horse, and never seem to recognize that they are the common denominator. The people I see take lessons on my lesson horses and I have their horse in training for months, but even then it’s often times not enough for them to really get along with that horse and they end up selling and horse shopping… again.

They make great progress when they are with me because we can address tiny issues before they become big. I, or one of my more experience students, can hop on their horse and put in good things, and if the owner gets into a tricky spot, I can put them on one of my lesson horses to work on themselves. But these people do t have that support at home. With a support system, they can make it work, but not when they keep their horses in their own backyard, or at a boarding facility that has a bunch of casual riders, none of whom can ride through some squirly behaviors or have experience with these situations to be able to off good advice.

All the time I see these people wondering if they should just give it all up. Maybe they shouldn’t ride at all. They spend and lose thousands of dollars with little to show for it, and the emotional toll of failing over and over again, is palpable and debilitating. 

GIVE UP HORSE OWNERSHIP- NOT HORSES!!
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing!! 
Find a barn with a good lesson string and take one, two, or even three lessons a week!!! You’ll spend less, ride more, learn more, get experience with multiple horses, be able to set goals, and if at any point you decide you hate it, you can quit without the emotional turmoil of deciding what to do with your horse that you love but are scared of, or don’t enjoy anymore.
Horse ownership over 5 years…
5k horse
2500k in tack
100/mo farrier
500/yr vet
$450/mo board
$500 incidentals (fly spray, ointments, grooming supplies)
= $43,500

Two lessons per week over five years
$250/month for one lesson a week x 2
$500 helmet, boots, half chaps
= $30,500

And anyone reading this probably knows darn well those horse costs could double fast!!! Especially since this breakdown does not include ANY lesson or trainer fees for horse ownership. If you have a horse you’re having problems with you’ll probably still be paying for two lessons a week- and those lessons might be for someone else to ride your horse! Not you. Throw in training fees, a big vet emergency, or paying for a more expensive horse and you could get FOUR lessons a week on lesson horses for less cost. And if you get injured, you can take a break and not have all those costs.

We have many lesson horses here that work great in our program, but most of our regular students could probably not own any of them and it go as well as it does here.  And the ones that could, it’s because they’ve been with us long enough to understand why sometimes we quickly swap game plans. They see how we use patterns to get a distracted or scared horse back under control. They have put in the time to learn some of the groundwork we do.  We do a ton to keep our horses, happy, emotionally, balanced, physically, balanced, and therefore safe. It’s taken us decades to learn those skills….. we’re talking decades of being submersed in horse life over 8 hours a day.  We get more horse hours in in 6 months than most horse owners will in 5 1/2 years. No offense, but you are never going to catch up to me an experience… so lean on me and borrow my hard earned wisdom! That’s what I (and others like me) are here for! Ride our well prepped, well maintained horses. Utilize our knowledge EVERY ride. Life is short, riding well is hard, making mistakes is easy and costly (physically, emotionally, and financially) and if this is not your career, it only makes sense to lean on the knowledge and experience of someone who did make it their career and can keep you pointed in the right direction.

Just ride the lesson horses. If you want to hang at the barn, believe me, we can put you to work. We all have some extra horses that would love a grooming sesh, hand walking, whatever. We have a whole community here. You can get the whole package without ownership. Don’t give up riding- it’s not all or nothing.

09/06/2023

Today marks 1 year since I opened up the lesson program here at Little Bird Farm, and wow what a year it has been! Our community has provided such tremendous support from lessons to summer camps; giving me the opportunity to do what I love most - teach fellow horse lovers all I can about horses and riding. I feel incredibly blessed. Thank YOU for making this dream a reality 💕 Here’s to many, many more years on the farm. Hugs and Love, Kristin, Dawn, Cedar, Colton, Boo and Honey (Honey’s between the ears not pictured)

08/27/2023

Cedar and Dawn breaking in the new pasture expansion this morning 💕 Happy horses.

08/14/2023

Well, we got a bit of a scare this afternoon in the form of a vegetation fire two houses up from Little Bird Farm. Our neighbors and the fire department were rockstars and got it out quickly but we evacuated the horses for the night to be safe in light of the high heat and erratic wind. This process informed us of a few pieces of the process we need to tighten up. Shout out to my friend Wanda for simply showing up and helping me with horses unprompted, my step-son Noah for hooking up the rig while I managed animals, my student’s mom Rosie, who originally spotted the fire and ran down to tell me so I could get moving and blocked traffic at our driveway, and to my dear friends Bob and Donna Patterson who hauled out my last two babies and graciously offered them all a home at their barn in Molalla. I will sleep more peacefully tonight knowing they are settled in safe 💕 Also thank you to the countless parents and fellow community members who reached out asking how they could offer a hand. I could not do this without our community and am thankful every day for where we landed.

08/13/2023

💕 my senior schoolmasters (Colton, Cedar, Dawn, and Boo)

Whether you've worked with an old schoolmaster or have a pasture full of retirees at home, old horses find a way to weave themselves into our hearts forever. I've been lucky in my horse life to have worked with the full range of equine experiences: I've helped halter-break babies; I've started young...

07/29/2023

Meet Honey, the newest member of the Little Bird Farm family 💕 This lovely little mustang hails from South Steens.

07/29/2023

Welcome to Little Bird Farm, South Steens Mustang, Honey. We are so excited that you are home 💕

07/25/2023

Exciting News: Books are opening for new lessons starting August 7th! Sign up now!

07/18/2023

Meet Colton, the newest member of the Little Bird Farm lesson program. Colton is a VERY cool little 15 y/o bay Mustang gelding out of Eastern Oregon (I think). He’s been settling in here on the farm since yesterday and everyone around here has quickly fallen in love with him (people and animals alike). Huge shout out and thank you to Lisa Sink of StormyRanch Mustangs for bringing this sweet boy into our lives. We’re letting Colton settle in for now but hope to start using him for lessons in the next week or so.

07/16/2023

I am blown away by the amazing turnout of our little community today. You all really showed up to give our sweet Chewy girl the send off she deserves 💕 thank you for making her day so special. I know I didn’t even come close to capturing everyone who turned out, but here are a few highlights from the day.

07/15/2023

Bittersweet day today here at Little Bird Farm. Miss Chewy is retiring. Come give her some love and say goodbye to her between 1-4 today if you would like. It’s open house style.

07/07/2023

Serenity.

07/07/2023

💕 Cedar will call you out on this in a heartbeat 😂

07/05/2023

Happy 4th of July everyone. Here at the farm I documented my first time in about 6 years (and her first in at least 3) looking between these ears - my mom’s 24 year old chocolate palomino Quarter Horse mare, Boo, who came to live with us on the farm this past winter. So happy to get a saddle back on this girl.

07/01/2023

ISO horse to lease or lease to buy - Little Bird Farm (beginner horseback riding program) is looking at unexpectedly retiring one of our sweet lesson horses in the next month. Do you or someone you know have a kid (beginner) safe horse? I am looking for a care lease, trial/buy or lease-to-buy type option. If so, please PM me or share my contact info with them. I am happy to provide references. Thank you!

06/28/2023

Summer Horse Camp week 1 is in full swing here at Little Bird Farm and we’re having a blast. Check out these handmade ribbons the kids have a chance to earn throughout the week 💕🎖️. Swipe right to see what each one signifies.

06/22/2023

Edit: Summer Camp is now full. Thank you so much for the support!
Considering signing your kid up for Horse Camp this summer?
Little Bird Farm only has 1 spot left.
Get it now!
August 7-11

06/21/2023

Thinking about signing up for summer riding lessons? Don’t miss out! I only have 1 spot left

Tuesdays at 2pm

PM me today to snag it!

06/19/2023

I’m lucky to have two amazing and supportive fathers in my life. Happy Father’s Day to my other half, whom I’ve had the pleasure of watching interact with my awesome step-son these past eight years and whom helps support this farm, our fur and feathered babies, and these dreams every day by my side.

06/19/2023

Happy Father’s Day to my amazing Dad whom, despite being allergic to horses 🙈, has always supported my hobbies and dreams. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.

06/17/2023

Anyone else getting DAWN vibes from this great tote made by ? 😍 Love it and can’t wait to start using it around the barn and community!

06/12/2023

Horse, chicken, and goats, oh my 💕

06/10/2023

Beautiful morning on the farm despite Dawn and I both being sick. Our beautiful girl decided to go and colic again yesterday 🙄 but our wonderful vet was here in a jig ensuring she was on the right track. I managed to catch the local cold that’s been going around, too, so between the two of us we’re quite the pair.
Not to fret, she’s doing much better today (I know because she’s giving me that trademark big mare personality), though we’re still on watch and not totally out of the woods yet.
Love this beautiful girl and, on vet recommendation, she will have a few minor tweaks to her diet in warmer weather to keep her healthy, strong, and feeling her best 💕

05/14/2023

🤣😊

Fun Friday

"Every horse deserves at least once in its life to be loved by a little girl." ~Unknown

www.HorseTeacher.com

05/13/2023

The good, the bad and the ugly of having horses. The birthday girl gave us quite a fright. Don’t worry, she’s doing really well and recovering now. Miss Dawn colicked Thursday afternoon/evening. For those who don’t know, colic is one of the leading causes death of horses in all age groups, so quite terrifying when it does happen.

Thank you to our amazing community, who stepped up to make sure we got Dawn what she needed early in the process and to our absolutely amazing local vet and her team for getting here quickly and giving her the highest chance of recovery. Love this little town and how we come together to support each other and so thankful our special girl is alright.

05/11/2023

Making sure all of my lesson horses ride in comfort and style with - I may have a tiny addiction 🫣 just got these set up in the tack and hay room and couldn’t be happier - with the display or the ease of access for myself or my students. Can you guess which saddle pad belongs to which horse?

05/10/2023

Happy, Happy Birthday, our beautiful and well-loved Dawn (AQHA Doc’s Driftn Dawn). This sweet girl is the big 2-0 today. If you’re out for a lesson this week I’m sure she won’t say no to an extra birthday treat 🎉

05/04/2023

Rides that we perceive as bad can make us feel hopeless and untalented.

They wreak havoc on our ego, because they show us that we are not nearly as advanced as we had imagined on our good days. They are reality checks that impress on us that we still have so much farther to go and so much more to learn.

For many years I really struggled and suffered when bad rides “happened to me” - until I realised that these bad rides were actually more valuable than the good ones in some ways because they were the ones that propelled me forward.

Often the value of a “bad” ride lies not so much in what I learn DURING that particular ride, but in what the analytical process teaches me that follows the bad ride.

These rides make us feel like failures for not being able to do something that we think we should be able to do. They bring us face to face with our inadequacies. They show us where we are too imprecise, too sloppy, too uncoordinated, to rough, too clumsy, too hasty, too late, you name it. The horse essentially lets us know us that what we thought was acceptable is not only NOT acceptable, it is actually quite poor...

You can read the rest of this article over on our artisticdressage.com blog [Link in Bio]

​P.S. We are planning on running our flagship What, Why, How course again in August 2022. This is the most comprehensive course we run to resource you with all the tools and knowledge you need to be able to find a way of working and developing with your horse that is both inspired and responsive, and perfect for both of you.

It’s all the answers to your riding questions that you have been asking instructors for clarification on plus 100’s more that you haven’t even thought of yet! Backed up by biomechanical know-how so you can athletically develop your horse in a progressive healthy way.

To be notified as soon as we open the doors for the 2022 course, sign up here What, Why, How Course Wait List https://courses.artisticdressage.com/wwh-waitlist

04/27/2023

Little Bird Farm is celebrating TWO (✌️) Birthdays this week!! 🎉🎉 Happy 24th Birthday to gorgeous miss Boo (a favorite to give treats to around here) and a Happy 6th Birthday (4th gotcha year) to farm dog R***r (my “little” shadow). Love having these two in our@lives@to brighten up our days on the farm.

04/24/2023

Lesson Openings Week of April 24
Wed (4/26) 5-6pm (Ad Hoc or Weekly)
Thurs (4/27) 3:30-4:30pm (Ad Hoc or Weekly)
Fri (4/28) 5-6pm (Ad Hoc only)

04/16/2023

To all my riders who may, like I did and still do occasionally, have people in their lives that tell them horseback riding isn’t a sport - I see you 💕 My riders learn to be partners with their horses, not passengers, and they get strong and work hard while doing it; they learn patience, focus, responsibility, and life skills pertaining to teamwork and leadership. Watching them grow and improve in this partnership, in this sport, is one of the greatest pleasures I have in my role as their coach/instructor.

For those who say horse riding isn't a real sport...

04/15/2023

Y’all I got the sweetest surprise from one of my riders this week. Hand picked daffodils and wildflowers 😍

What this student of mine doesn’t know is that one of the things I miss the most about our old home (pre farm life) is that we had daffodils and tulips that came up every spring along our driveway. That pop of brightness would energize me for spring and bring me such warmth and joy - and here she is bringing that same warmth and joy into my life today. We don’t have bulbs planted on the farm (yet) but day-by-day we continue to make it more our own. In the meantime, every time I walk by this lovely bunch of flowers I can’t help but smile, and I feel so blessed that my student thought of me when picking them 💕🌼