Susy at White Winter LLC

09/05/2024

Horse farm help wanted:

Southeast Traverse City horse farm seeks morning and evening chore help, each shift takes 1-2 hours. More hours may be available for the right candidate.

Must have horse experience, be 18 years +, be able to lift 50 pounds, be a reliable, responsible, hard worker who is attentive to details and an excellent communicator.

Message me for more details, I may not get back to you quickly, but thank you for contacting me.

08/31/2024

Hey regular lesson students….
I have openings in my 10am lesson at Cedar Creek Crossings tomorrow! Sign up using the link if you’d like to join us!

Schedule your appointment online Susy White

08/30/2024

Happy Friday.

08/15/2024

Interested in showing at a jumping or dressage show? I would love to invite you to bring your horse to these upcoming opportunities at White Winter Farm, Traverse City, MI

1. Jump Schooling Days: arrive between 5-6pm, warm up on the flat and take turn jumping posted courses. Great Opportunity to practice traveling with your horse, jumping new courses and trying out "jumping shows." Available Friday, August 16th and 23rd. Sign up link: https://whitewinterfarm.as.me/?appointmentType=62208226

2. Jumping (Hunters and Equitation) Schooling Show at White Winter Farm, Saturday, August 24th. Pre-registration encouraged, but not required: https://whitewinterfarm.as.me/?appointmentType=63639617

3. Dressage Schooling Show at White Winter Farm, Sunday, August 25th. Pre-registration required by August 17th: https://whitewinterfarm.as.me/?appointmentType=63639726

4. Dressage Clinic with Dorothy Mueller at White Winter Farm Sunday, August 25th and Monday August 26th. $100 per ride, stay for two rides for just $175! Open to all levels! Pre-registration required: https://whitewinterfarm.as.me/dressageclinic

I love to promote horse jumping and dressage! All riders and horse lovers are welcome to come join us, ask questions, volunteer, show, watch, etc.

Questions? Text Susy at 231-633-9350

08/02/2024

Do you have someone in your life that always wants to be with horses, enjoys extra barn time, and wants to learn horsemanagement?

Then sign them up for Stable Management School at White Winter Farm! The next session starts Wednesday, August 7th!

This program is open to all ages. Participants will learn about feeding and caring for horses with each week providing opportunities to handle horses while learning about horse management. This is a non-riding program, but will include hands on activities. Wear solid footwear that covers the ankle (leather paddock, wellies, or muck boots) and gloves recommended. $60 per month/ per month and the sign up link is located in the comments. Text Susy at 231-633-9350 with questions.

08/02/2024

Be a participant: ride, volunteer, judge, cheer, and be thankful for the opportunity. Local opportunities to do horse activities are so important, let’s keep them alive!

07/29/2024

You know when you drag the arena and don’t want to leave footprints? Henry has a solution, lol.

07/24/2024

This clinic is worth it. If you ride horses, you will fall off.

SAVE THE DATE! 🗓️

is coming to DelVal Equine November 23rd-24th!

It’s true - the hardest part of riding is the ground, but you can learn skills through Landsafe’s program using their simulator to improve your landing technique and help prevent serious injury. This is an excellent opportunity for riders of all levels!

Contact [email protected] for more info and to register! 💚💛

07/22/2024

Join us for Farm Camp at White Winter Farm July 29th to August 1st, space is available.
Morning chores; evening chores; handling lambs, piglets, chickens, and horses; nature walks, arts and crafts; and riding horses too! Wear washable layers, farm chore boots, and bring your riding boots and helmet if you have one. Bring sunscreen, lunch and snacks. Get ready to learn about farming! Class meets Monday-Thursday from 9-3:00 pm at White Winter Farm. $425 for the week.

Sign up link in the comments or contact me to help with questions.

07/20/2024

Home from Championships! Tired, thirsty, and grateful.

07/19/2024

Thank you for sharing Katie Colfer-Reece, any opportunity for instruction is valuable, but developing a community of riders is invaluable.

The last year or so I have been thinking about some things, and writing them down for further consideration. I did not plan to share them, it's just me processing the stuff I think about, and I am not a writer that's my sisters thing (maybe I will get her to edit next time). Anyway today I started thinking about this again so here I am sharing-
Group lessons- I admit as a younger coach there was a long time where I didn’t appreciate them… I avoided them… I felt like I couldn’t give my best lesson... but we never stop learning, and thank goodness… Because group lessons are amazing.
I grew up largely in a private lesson paradigm. In the riding school where I began, riding lessons were mostly privates. It was a small school with limited horses, so anything more than a 2 person lesson really wasn’t an option. In the various small private farms where I subsequently kept my horse, I was lucky to get a lesson let alone have someone else to take one with. It wasn’t until college I experienced what a great group lesson could look like. After college I again lived in a horse world built around a private lesson paradigm. As I arrived at the beginning of my own journey as a coach/trainer/instructor I was firmly entrenched in the private lesson paradigm and let’s face it, I didn’t have enough horses or students to run great group lessons anyway 🤣. My shift has happened slowly over the past 20 odd years of teaching. Part of it was growing my business, a lot of it was learning from other trainers with more experience how to give a great group lesson. Part of it was stepping outside my comfort zone, and being willing to push my own limits, focus deeper, create new ideas, develop my own skills more, be willing to struggle and learn, adapt and grow… if you ride with me you know I preach about embracing the struggle being a huge part of growth as a rider... the concept is applicable throughout life. Anyway that’s HOW we got where we are in the lesson program, group centric and loving it, and here is WHY-
1) People learn differently. Some people learn by hearing, some doing, some watching, and once we understand something the best way to own it is to start to talk about and teach it. In a group lesson we can exercise all these learning muscles. When we use multiple forms of learning the outcome is improved.
2) Pressure affects people differently. For a new, nervous, timid rider watching others complete an exercise can give them confidence. You see that everyone makes mistakes and also how to navigate challenges successfully. For a rider that needs to experience pressure in a safe way going first is a great way to introduce the building of the confidence muscle. Anytime we reduce unnecessary pressure, and also find ways to expand ability to manage pressure we should be taking them, because it is definitely going to improve learning and performance outcomes.
3) Riding is a fairly individual sport. Of course there is always the partnership with the horse, but community- freindship, shared passion and experience and sense of purpose are a huge motivator, inspiration and progress generator especially when you have the inevitable bad day to commiserate over or the amazing day to celebrate.
4) Especially for riders interested in competition , but I would argue for any rider not riding on their own private farm or in a vacuum, riding in a group is an absolute must. Learning how to navigate traffic, anticipate other rider’s actions, situational awareness, pace control are all crucial pieces of a puzzle that can only be fit together with time and practice riding in a group. If you can only ride in the ring when you have it all to yourself it really reduces your practical enjoyment of your hobby.
5) Riding in a group allows us space to flex our observation muscles. Once you learn the basics of riding, a balanced position, the application and usage of your aids, the next piece of development as a rider is learning to put all of that together to not only influence but improve the horse. Observation of all the things going on is probably the most important factor in being able to evaluate and use the correct sets of aids to properly influence the horse. In a group lesson we have time to stop and observe what’s going on, when we aren’t actively riding ourselves. The more we practice the skill of observation the easier, and more natural it becomes.
6) Group lessons are great for horses too. Younger less experienced horses or those that are a little too eager, get to take breaks and let down between questions, they read the vibe from older more experienced horses and (I have no proof to back this up, but…) anecdotally I am confident they relax more and learn faster and better. Older horses who benefit from breaks also have time to let down. It reduces the pressure of managing the physical imbalance and clashing aids of an inexperienced rider.

This doesn’t mean private lessons are bad. They have their place. Sometimes you need to dig into a particular issue or new concept, that would involve more time or focus than a group lesson can afford. Sometimes you might just need your own space and time as a rider, and as in instructor it might just not be your thing. There is no shame in the private lesson game. I do think we need to debunk the idea that private is automatically better, or more, with the factual advantages a great group lesson can offer.

07/19/2024

It’s our final day in Kentucky at United Stares Pony Club (USPC) Championships! I’m starting in the dressage complex, where there are four standard competition rings, two practise rings, and lots of open grass areas. All the riders here have worked so hard to qualify, are prepared to be here, and competing to their best ability. I am so proud of everyone. 

07/13/2024

We did it. Another horse show at White Winter Farm. Thank you to the exhibitors for coming to fill the classes, families and friends for supporting our riders, horses for working hard all day long, my family for all helping, our photographer, Michelle, for taking lovely photos and bringing prize cookies, the trainers for choosing our show to support, our judge, my volunteers, and all the people and animals that make it fun to spend all day in the heat and dust and then walk away saying “that was fun, I learned something about horses and myself.” This sport takes grit, perseverance, athleticism, and an appreciation of the victories, both big and small.

I don’t give my supportive family enough credit, so this is a picture of us enjoying the extra horse show prize cookies!

07/10/2024

Another session of Stable Magagement School starts today!
This program runs Wednesdays from 4-6pm at White Winter Farm located at 2295 Whitetail Drive, Traverse City. All ages and experience invited, join us to learn about horse management. We promise you will handle horses and pet kittens every session!

Registration link:

Schedule your appointment online Susy White

07/10/2024

The best way to end the ride, a hack on a loose rein.

07/09/2024

It is horse show time again! All White Winter Farm Students who are showing, should sign up for volunteer position instead of paying coaching fees! Volunteer positions are open to competitors before or after they show, family members, and friends of White Winter Farm. Please reach out if you have questions before the event or have another way to help that isn't listed here. We are grateful to host these events and for the all the help.

Please use the sign up page:

SignUp.com makes it easy to coordinate school events & classroom activities, fundraisers, snack schedules, potlucks & more!

07/09/2024

Message me with questions, stabling available and included, registration link in the flyer or I can text it to you!

07/06/2024

“Horses and children, I often think, have a lot of the good sense there is in the world.”
~ Josephine Demott Robinson

07/06/2024

07/03/2024

Veterinary visits at White Winter Farm, the learning and maintenance never ends. I’m grateful to have clients who support their horses and veterinarians who can improve the comfort of our horses. Thank you Classic Equine!

07/02/2024

Barn cat life….volume on if you need to hear some purring!

07/01/2024

Just a reminder there are no riding lessons this week. We start back Sunday with Unmounted Pony Club at Cedar Creek Crossings Sunday, July 7th. Have a great week!

06/29/2024

Welcome Miss Red and Udelia to White Winter Farm. We are so grateful to share in this journey. Red is a terrific mom and the filly is FANCY!

06/24/2024

We are home from our Pony Club dressage and show jumping rally. The members earned ribbons that they worked hard to earn long before this weekend. But more importantly they worked as a team, put their horses first, cheered each other on (and other riders too), laughed a lot, told funny stories, learned new things, pushed themselves to do hard things, worked really hard all weekend long, and made us all proud. Great job Traverse Bay Pony Clubbers and Great Lakes Region.

06/21/2024

"…sportsmanship, stewardship, leadership through horsemanship".

06/21/2024

It’s Pony Club Rally weekend! White Winter Farm is so pleased to sponsor the new competition pinnies for the Great Lakes Region. 

Do you love horses? Learn more about what the United States Pony Clubs is. Learn horse care, riding, and life skills, while making friends. Discover USPC.

06/16/2024

A watched water trough never fills, is the equivalent of a watched pot, never boils for horse people.

06/15/2024

What a wonderful musical freestyle night! Thank you riders, spectators, music DJ Leah, and everyone who makes White Winter Farm so special. By popular request we will offer another opportunity later this summer.

06/14/2024

Musical freestyle tonight at White Winter Farm (262 Four Mile Rd N, Traverse City, MI) starting at 6pm, bring a chair and snacks to watch.

06/06/2024

Local horse friends:
It takes a village to run a horse show. Are you available and interested in helping this weekend at Cedar Creek Crossings (5307 Hodge Rd., Kingsley, MI)? I hope (expect) that all my students showing will sign up to help before or after they show (or have a parent volunteer) and invite any horse friends to jump in and help.

Please use this link to sign up:

SignUp.com makes it easy to coordinate school events & classroom activities, fundraisers, snack schedules, potlucks & more!