Delta Equestrian

10/25/2024

A good life for sports horses requires that they are trained and competed without discomfort and pain from ill-fitting equipment or inappropriate training. However, many sports horses have oral lesions, which is a source of pain and a welfare concern. This study found that dressage horses with oral....

10/05/2024

We’re looking for a very PT groom to help on weekends (mostly Sundays), and perhaps an evening during the week. Delta is a little boutique dressage barn in Sorrento, FL.

So, one 4-5 hour shift on Sunday, occasionally Saturday, and perhaps one other afternoon/ evening. 2:30-7:30 PM-ish. We have some flex.

Feeding, bathing, stalls, water, turnout. The normal stuff.

Lovely horses, good team, relaxing environment. And a pack of crazy little dogs!! 🤣

PM with interest!

08/03/2024

Delta Equestrian is seeking one or two additional grooms for our boutique dressage stable. Could be part or full-time.

You must have very high personal standards for professionalism, be extremely reliable, and have an excellent work ethic.

Responsibilities are the usual… feeding, turnout, stalls, bathing, grooming, water, and so on.

The work is physical and takes place in all of Florida’s weather. You should be able to lift 35 lbs alone repeatedly, and lift up to 100 lbs occasionally with assistance.

You must have experience with horses, and experience with sporthorses in particular is preferred.

Compensation is competitive, ranging from $15-$22/ hr. No housing is available at present.

Delta is a completely to***co free and smoke-free environment. Additionally, we have a zero-tolerance policy against intoxication of any sort while in the workplace.

Sorrento, FL

If you have interest, please PM.

Thanks!!

01/06/2024

Happy Saturday.

We’ve seen this go around a bit, but still love it. A heartwarming read that really resonates.

There is an old pony in a big pen by the barn. He has no real purpose. No kids ride him, he is not a companion to another old horse.
We have no history together. He came into my life by happenstance. There are no fond, warm fuzzy memories. I owe him nothing. But he’s polite and kind, and nickers to me as I come out the door in the morning.
He eats a princely sum of special food, and has a premium round bale of irrigated grass that the other horses can only dream of. His water is fresh, and warmed in the winter. I’ve gone out there late at night to make sure he has food, and he’s the first thing I attend to after morning coffee.
Why? Why not send him to the sale where ‘someone’ will want him? At 40 cents a pound, he’d be worth a nice steak dinner and drinks in town. They’ll load him on a truck with 30 other old ponies and horses, and somewhere down that line, if he doesn’t fall from his bad knee and get trampled in the transport, he will become dog food.
There’s a bum calf in our scale house on this cold frosty night. He’s little and scrawny, with p**p stuck to his butt, and a bit of a runny nose. There’s a heater in there keeping the temp above freezing. In the morning I’ll make him a bottle of warm milk replacer and try to convince him to eat some of the pony’s special food. Bob will clean his little house and put down fresh bedding. It would be easier to have left him in the field with the 500 bigger, stronger calves, to steal milk from the occasional tolerant cow, to eventually freeze to death and feed the coyotes that lurk about the herd for just such an opportunity.
There is a wild kitten in the barn who most likely jumped off a utility truck a while back. We’ve been leaving food just for him, and making sure the heated water bowl is full, so he doesn’t have to go outside and perch precariously on the horse waterer to drink.
I guess we sound like saps, the old cowboy and I. Sort of wimpy and un-ranch like.
I guess we are. But at our age, with certain infirmities starting to creep into our daily routines, and the realization that we are not perfect, we are thinking that kindness is a virtue and care is our purpose.
Care of not just the healthy robust animals that make money and pay the bills, but care of everything we are capable of caring for - those creatures that, like us, are in need of a bit more attention to get through the day.
We didn’t go about seeking these creatures- they came to us and landed here not of their own choosing, or ours. But here they are, and off I go to town to a business that provides enough to buy the expensive milk replacer, premium hay, and special pony food.
There may be some karma in all this, or maybe not, but in the end we’ll know we did the best we could for those that needed us.
Peace. Really, I mean it.

Credits goes to the respective owner ~
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12/25/2023

11/28/2023

Lest there be any question, my stable and I do not stand with those who suggest we show empathy over Helgstrand.

WE STAND WITH THE HORSES.

And no, this matter is not the same as the moments of tension we may see in tests in environments which naturally contribute to the same.

It is not the same as a horse who is temporarily BTV as his rider works to get him out to the contact as he strengthens. It’s not at all the same as many other things that armchair riders like to point to.

This is a very deliberate, premeditated system… a culture of inhumane treatment driven from the top down, and in fact rewarded when the ill-gotten results would become visible, for the sake of financial performance. It includes any professional rider who chose to play along or look away for the sake of career growth, organizational acceptance, social standing or financial gain. All these people know better and there is no excuse.

We need to be talking about a lot more than Helgstrand, and that’s not new. But other issues cannot fog clarity about the Helgstrand matter.

I deeply regret cancelling my plans to hike all the way to Omaha for the USDF Convention. I fear we don’t have enough people in our discipline, or in our national federation or in the FEI, with sufficient steel in the backbone and intestinal fortitude to get done what has to be done. I fear we lack enough strong and empowered leaders.

But I will do my part. If I see something that crosses the line, and is in my own well-developed opinion inhumane, I will appropriately address that rider. They may be an AA or a pro. It does not matter. It is my obligation as a professional in the field to step up to the plate and advocate for the horse. It’s my obligation as someone who has had a ton of equestrian education to help educate others.

If I see the issue repeat, I will report it.

I invite every horseperson who has voiced any opinion at all on this subject to make the same committment. Let us not just gossip about others and lament the issues that exist.

Let us instead DO SOMETHING.

Let us help each other and our horses.

Let us commit to being bold and clear about our ethical expectations for our sport and each other, and let’s all commit to being brave enough to keep OUR house clean.

Let us be able to say in 90 days that we have all taken the oath and that we can say eith straight faces that US Dressage is KIND and CLEAN and HUMANE.

11/25/2023

Anyone interested in being a groom-for-a-day on Monday? I am taking two horses to lesson near Florida Horse Park, a gelding and a stallion, and I have one groom traveling with, but would like to have a second person.

About 10-3 if you meet us there, or 8:30-4:00 if you come to the farm and travel over with us. $25/ hour.

PFA. None of this behavior better be going on on Monday!! 😆

10/19/2023

With yesterday’s posted saddle sold, and many people still inquiring, here’s another that’s great for Iberians and others that really need shoulder clearance.

This one is a Pro-Trainer, made by Thornhill.

This saddle is nearly brand new. Lower price point, but truly surprisingly nice quality. We have another in our stable that is one of the most heavily-used saddles in our mix.

Supple, grippy calf leather, and reflocked with wool when I bought it. Our independent fitter said she’d love to have a dozen of these saddles for her clients.

18”, with quite a wide tree that is adjustable by a saddle fitter.

This saddle has a lovely U-shaped pommel/ head, and is perfect for most horses for this reason, but particularly broader-shouldered horses like Iberians, Fresians, etc.

Steal it with barely any evidence of ise for $1000.

09/11/2023

Assuming we have found favor with the importation gods, we are T-14 days from the arrival of this guy.

Three fabulous gaits, and a super hindleg that carries and follows the seat beautifully.

Textbook example of:

Well-tuned response to (correct) aids
+
Good canter quality
=
Great flying changes.

❤️🦄❤️🦄❤️🦄❤️🦄❤️🦄❤️🦄❤️🦄❤️

08/23/2023

For my friends trying to manage anhidrosis in their horses during this obscene weather…

GET ONE OF THESE!!! Total game changer!

You will need:
- $154.21 to buy from Amazon
- a power source and an extension cord
- a water supply and a hose
- bungee cords or other device to secure in stall.

It is keeping my really bad non-sweater a little damp and quite a lot cooler. Wayyyy better than fans.

Shavings are a bit damp, but most of the mist is on the horse!

Lasko Misto Outdoor Misting...

Refresh your life outdoors with the Misto® Outdoor Misting fan by Lasko. Ideal for keeping you cool during outdoor activities, the fan uses a hose hook-up to create a breezy fine mist of water that can reduce air temperature immediately. Built for outdoor use, this fan is weather, UV, and rust re.....

08/04/2023

Today we bid a sudden and unexpected goodbye and godspeed to our Notable CEN.

What a spectacular horse this guy was. Sensitive, tuned in, powerful, extravagant, and always carrying himself and the rider like he could not imagine it any other way. The FEI work was ridiculously easy for him, and paired with his amazing movement and heartbreaking beauty, he was going places.

Losing a horse is always so difficult, but some are harder than anything should ever be. This is one of those.

His stall will rest for 30 days, clean and with fresh hay and water, in case his spirit needs it as he sorts out his journey forward.

Delta would like to thank Dr. Heather Farmer and team, as well as Dr. Brent Barrett for their guidance and support.

I love you, Notable. You are a very, very good boy, and you are galloping on with a chunk of my heart.

07/25/2023

Horse hunting this week in Spain!

We are focused on fourth-level to GP types this trip, but will see a few others too.

I am hoping to find my own next personal horse on this trip. Could we find yours too?

PM, text or whatsapp if I can help you! I ride every horse we seriously consider, because there is no other way to know….

More to come!

07/16/2023

Fun throwback to watch. Very different from how it’s done today.

12/19/2022

Delta Equestrian in Sorrento, FL is seeking one more groom to round out our team. This can be very PT up to FT.

We run a boutique dressage stable focused on iberian horses, and our standards are very high. Yours should be as well.

The role includes feeding, stalls, turnout, bathing, grooming, tending to minor veterinary issues, and minor farm maintenance (e.g. replacing a down fence board, etc.).

You’ll need three years of experience around horses, a high level of professionalism, self-directedness and a sense of urgency in your actions, and a commitment to quality.

It goes without saying that you must be extremely reliable, drama-free and substance-free.

You must be available at least one weekend day. Shifts are generally 7-12 AM and 3-7 PM, but coverages can overlap.

Our expectations are probably higher than some other facilities in the area. We will compensate accordingly.

Please PM with interest.

10/30/2022

30 October 2022

Delta is excited to announce some bright, shiny new news about our team!

First, we are thrilled to welcome Vicki Shula into the position of Stable Manager. Vicki comes with several decades of experience running large-scale breeding and national-level competition stables. Her professionalism and standards are a great fit for us, and we know she’ll take our stable operation to an even higher level.

Additionally, we have promoted Ginny Harwood to the position of Head Groom. Ginny has been part of the Delta team for two years, and will work closely with stable leadership and staff to ensure correct ex*****on on the tasks that add up to a quality stable environment.

Please join me in welcoming Vicki, and in congratulating Ginny.

We look forward to seeing all of you during visits to our stable, or at shows and clinics this season.

CC O’Neal
Owner, Delta Equestrian