Storybrooke Farms

25/07/2024

Equestrian friends!!! Who has the perfect hony!? You can send me details, I’ll forward them along. This is an EXCEPTIONAL home.

21/07/2024

Available 8/15: work-exchange for board spot for 1 GELDING at quiet facility in Catlett, VA off 28 and Bristersburg.

Looking for reliable person to help with feeding, mucking, turn in/out 3 days per week in exchange for board. (Ideally Wednesday PM, Thursday AM & PM , Friday AM & PM) 10 acre farm, easy/tame gelding only herd, grass arena, metabolic friendly. Owners are mother/daughter duo with 20+ years experience as a vet tech and equine functional nutritionist, as well as a combined 50+ years of professional horse experience. Exceptional veterinary care, nutrition program, and facility farrier is the highly sought after Red Headed Farrier.

Spot available is in the shed row barns that open into a large pasture. Horses have the ability to come and go as they please but everyone gets closed into their stalls to eat at meal times. Hay available 24/7, high velocity fans, lights, and cameras in all stalls.

Please EMAIL with interest: storybrookefarms @ gmail . com

Pic for attention.

09/06/2024

Rehab: it conjures up thoughts of bodywork, supplements, red light, magnetic blankets, all the fixings.
It’s fun to get into the toys, and most of us go overboard on the little details.

Those things can be extremely helpful. There is an enormous amount of benefit in supportive treatments, nutrition and other details for helping the horse be healthy

But the horse cannot make true, lasting changes until the human commits to learning to handle and ride to STRAIGHTNESS.

All the therapies in the world won’t fix the problem if the horse is perpetually handled and ridden crooked, without engagement, and in the wrong movement patterns.

Rehab, to be successful, HAS to involve the human taking strides to be straighter, more aware, more fluid and knowing how to guide a horse well.

Don’t let yourself just get caught in the feel good trappings: it’s fun to watch bodywork make the horse feel nice. It’s fun to buy supplements. It’s fun to consult animal communicators and healers and it’s important to keep a broad perspective, BUT

Don’t forget horses body has to learn to have the postural tone to change the problem at the source. All the bodywork and supplements in the world won’t change a bad movement pattern if you keep riding the horse crooked - the only one who can fix that is you-

13/05/2024

Have a trip scheduled to leave from Culpeper, VA heading to Jacksonville, NC on 5/24 with room for one horse, and returning to Warrenton, VA on 5/26 or 5/27 with room for 2 or 3 horses. —F350 with 2+1 (straight load and a box) with rear and side ramps, as well as interior fans. Rest stops every 2-3 hours.

PM if anyone needs ride(s) for anything along the way. (Pic so the post doesn’t get lost.)

25/02/2024

Keep on learning . . .

20/02/2024

STILL ISO BARN HELP:

Small facility in Catlett, VA seeking someone(s) to clean and bed 9 stalls on Mondays - Thursday before 5pm. (Hours will change after daylight savings time.) Position open immediately.

Duties include:
Cleaning stalls
Replacing bedding
Sweeping aisle

Occasional tasks like cleaning feed tubs and cobwebbing may be needed.

Applicants must have previous experience, have a positive attitude, and be unwaveringly reliable. Additional days may be available periodically.

Preference given to proficient English speakers and those 18 years or older. 16 years and older is mandatory.

No smoking allowed on the property. Pay based on experienced.

Please send experience or resume to storybrookefarms at gmail.com

17/02/2024

“Who judges the judges?”

This question, from Carmel O’Callaghan, was one of the responses to a discussion of the power that judges have over the directions of entire breeds, and how the decisions that they make can help or harm the breed’s direction.

And it’s a good question, because in some breeds, some horse shows, there’s some pretty crazy stuff going on, bizarre conformational traits sneaking in, emphasis on ways of moving that may not have much relationship to long term soundness, unbalanced riders winning equitation classes, so many issues that a true, old fashioned horseman/horsewoman would avoid like the bubonic plague, yet here they come.

Who makes the decisions about which people are competent to judge? And what if those decision makers are themselves less than competent? Because bad stuff starts somewhere, and if left unchallenged, before long weird things are the new normal and correct practices are thrown out as “old fashioned.”

I have learned not to trust “those in power” to make good decisions, because so often those that ARE in power got into power because they LIKE power, whether or not they have much of a clue how to use it wisely.

SO---Who judges the judges?

13/02/2024

Why do the basics take so long?

The basics actually don’t take much time at all. Teaching a horse and rider the building blocks of balance and relaxation is not that difficult or complicated, as long as both are a blank slate.

What takes so much time is undoing poor basics, undoing poor movement patterns, and letting go of the wrong muscle memories and building the right muscle groups.

I’ve been riding with my teacher for almost a decade now. The first few years I barely made any progress, not because the work wasn’t good, but because I didn’t understand what she was even talking about. It went right over my head, and every lesson I had we sort of repeated the work of the last. My poor teacher repeated herself over and over, but I rode with others who’s work undid what she was trying to do, and I just wasn’t ready to understand it yet.

Then, when it clicked for me, I was all in- but my muscle memories, habits and understanding was counter productive. It took a long time (and I’m still working on it) to let go of the habits I had that stood in the way of progress. Same for my horses - they had habits that weren’t helpful either, especially the habit of coming behind the bit: some of it wasn’t my fault, some of it was. This was a very lengthy, uncomfortable and downright yucky phase. There didn’t feel like there was a lot of winning. This is where most people quit - they find a new instructor because they aren’t getting anywhere, or bounce around to different “methods.”

Then the break through: I finally understood where she was coming from, what the benefits were, and my horses were starting to buy into it too. We were finding harmony, beautiful moments sprinkled in, and getting successes to keep us motivated. This phase required lots of vigilance from my teacher and myself to not revert to old habits when we were tired, distracted or learning something new.

After these new, more productive habits were better cemented, upward progress was possible. It took so long. Not because the learning itself is fated to be arduous, but because I was in my own way for much of the time.

So why does it take so long? It doesn’t. But we make it so- and there’s nothing wrong with that process, because as Ray Hunt said, “you’re not working on your horse, you’re working on yourself.”

03/02/2024

28/01/2024

10/01/2024

Did you know that we are able to test your horse's blood for antibodies against Rabies, Eastern Encephilitis, Western Encephilitis, and West Nile Virus?

Did you know that if they have enough of these antibodies it may be in the best interest of the horse not to be vaccinated annually?

How well do you understand how your horse's immune system works and how annual or semi-annual vaccines can effect their long term health?

Join us Sunday, January 21st as Dr. Hancock clarifies the risk versus reward of both vaccination and vaccine titers, and how you can optimize your horse's long term health.

*Recording of the presentation will be available if you are unable to attend in person.

01/01/2024

ISO BARN HELP:

Small Equine Rehab in Catlett, VA seeking someone(s) to clean and set 9 stalls on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays before 4:30pm. Position open immediately.

Duties include:
Cleaning stalls
Replacing bedding
Sweeping aisle
Monitor water troughs and fill as needed
Occasional tasks like cleaning feed tubs and cobwebbing

Applicants must have previous experience, have a positive attitude, and be unwaveringly reliable. Additional days may be available periodically.

Preference given to fluent English speakers and those 18 years or older.

Background check required. No smoking allowed on the property.

Please send experience or resume to storybrookefarms at gmail.com

Pay is $15/hour.

03/11/2023

Join us for our next educational seminar to meet with Krystin Dennis, practicing equine dentist for nearly 20 years, to discuss about why you should have your horses teeth floated, common problems affecting horses teeth, and how imbalances in the mouth can affect performance. Come with lots of questions!!

Date: Saturday, November 18th
Time: 11:00 - 1:00pm
Location: True North Equine Office
6666 Carters Run Rd.
Marshall, VA 20115
$10 to attend in person or to purchase recording after seminar
Please RSVP by Friday 11/17- 20 slots available

Call or Email our office to RSVP at 540-364-9111 or [email protected]

18/10/2023

08/07/2023

17.5” CWD SE02 TR 3C

Exceptional condition with very few rides because it was never quite the right fit for my guy. Essentially brand new but well oiled so you don’t have the hassle of breaking it in! Grippy Buffalo leather with a slightly deeper seat. Rides like a Cadillac. Not a blemish on it, just a couple white hairs from my horse.

$2750 includes shipping, cover, CWD leathers, and composite irons pictured

Local trial available with written agreement and payment in full. Warrenton, VA

05/06/2023

CHARLOTTE CANNON RELAXATION & CONFIDENCE BUILDING CLINIC: June 17th & 18th

Location with Indoor facility and stalls available:
Quail Run Farm
3165 Five Points Rd
Marshall, VA

Space is limited to 8 horses: $195/horse for one day, $375/horse for both
Auditors welcome: $25/day, $40 for both

Day 1: GROUND WORK and we welcome horses of all ages and stages of training
Day 2: Ground work or mounted per participants' request

Contact the office today to reserve your spot! DEADLINE FOR PARTICIPATION IS THURSDAY, JUNE 9th. 540-364-9111 or [email protected]

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE OF TRAINING

Need Relaxation?
Want more confidence?
Are you ready to skyrocket your understanding, skills, and performance to an entirely new level?

Learn the key to switching off the fear/survival reaction, and to turn on the confidence/joy response!

The Cannon Method: A 5 STEP SYSTEM TO RELAX, REWIRE, RELEASE, REBALANCE
- Teaches you the secret to relaxation, ultimate performance and connection.
- Teaches you the building blocks to a safe, predictable, fun, high performance horse so you can live your dreams.
- Demystify the science behind response vs reaction.
- Show how all reactions/responses are negative/fear based or positive/confidence driven. Every stress has the opportunity to feed fear or build confidence.
- Teaches a simple brain rewiring technique that changes the brain/body response to stress.
- Look at horses, humans, and training from a different point of view using science, to build ultimate partners and superior athletes and partnerships.
- Show this works on every breed and for every discipline.

31/05/2023

18” Tad Coffin A5GT

Extremely well balanced without a ton of saddle under your seat/leg. A traditional close contact with flatter seat. Could probably stand to be re-paneled, but perfectly useable as-is and has been well cared for. Purchased used very recently in the hopes it would be wide enough for my round little hippo, sadly it’s a titch too narrow.

$1500 includes shipping and Tad Coffin saddle cover pictured

31/05/2023

17.5” CWD SE02 TR 3C

Exceptional condition with very few rides because it was never quite the right fit for my guy. Essentially brand new but well oiled so you don’t have the hassle of breaking it in! Grippy Buffalo leather with a slightly deeper seat. Rides like a Cadillac.

$3300 includes shipping, cover, CWD leathers, and composite irons pictured

Local trial available with contract and payment in full. Warrenton, VA

11/05/2023

There is an overwhelming amount of horse owners who aren’t aware of the signs for sub-clinical Laminitis, and yet if left untreated without a change of diet or management, can easily turn into a full blown Laminitic attack.

Many owners associate Laminitis with the classic slipper toe, a huge EMS crest and the typical Laminitis stance. In reality, there is a huge amount of horses showing subtle signs of inflammation that continues to go un-noticed. Each owner is responsible for their horse’s overall wellbeing, which should include the ability to recognise the signs of Laminitis, particularly in the early stages when an acute attack can be prevented.

Some signs to look out for:

❌️ Footiness or soreness over various terrain.

This is one of the biggest reasons owners continue to shoe their horses. Once the shoes are removed, any footiness caused by inappropriate diet and management shows (sub-clinical Laminitis) which is typically interpreted as the horse cannot cope without shoes.

It’s super important that if your unshod horse is footy over stones, roads or anything but grass, that you re-assess their diet or management and make the necessary changes. Please do not shoe your horse to ‘fix’ this issue – your horse will still have Laminitis and it will worsen regardless of applying shoes.

❌️ Event lines on the outer hoof wall.

Event lines are lines that form on the outer hoof wall that represent an event in a horse's life that caused an inflammatory response. In an uncompromised horse and hoof, a singular event line doesn’t always necessarily mean any issues will arise from whatever caused the line but it is important to take notice and reflect on why this happened.

If your horse has numerous, reoccurring event lines, then there is something off with their diet or management that is consistently causing ongoing inflammation. An event line is one of the more readily observable symptoms of sub-clinical Laminitis but they do become more prominent in the later stages of Laminitis too. It’s crucial to your horses health that if they do have multiple event lines, that the trigger is identified and removed as soon as possible.

❌️ Blood in the white line.

Catching signs of blood in the white line (they look like bruises) can be particularly difficult to identify if you’re not very familiar with the hoof or have a horse with dark feet. It’s really important to be able to trust your horse’s Hoof Care Practitioner or Farrier so you know with confidence that should they find signs of blood or widening, that you’ll be informed straight away.

Every single horse owner needs to know the signs of sub-clinical Laminitis so should your horse become symptomatic, you can do something about it before their health is further compromised.

Below is our own diagram of the different stages of Laminitis inspired by Jaime Jackson’s ‘Laminitis’ book.

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Please note that this is a generalisation of the most common symptoms at each stage and that different symptoms can appear for different horses at different stages.

20/04/2023

02/04/2023

9 stall equine rehab seeks experienced help 3 days per week. You pick which days as we have another employee who is flexible on scheduling. Applicants must be unwaveringly reliable, meticulous, and pass a background check. Proficiency in English is somewhat mandatory, as my Spanish is rusty.

Responsibilities include cleaning and setting stalls, monitoring and filling water troughs as needed. Easiest job you could ask for, takes less than 3 hours to complete unless you're slow as molasses in the Arctic. No feeding necessary. Pay is $45/day to start. Working interview and references will be required.

Please send resume or experience. Position is open immediately. Additional hours may be available to the right person.

30/03/2023

🔹The TICKS are Back!🔹

Question of the Day: What is Anaplasmosis?

Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis is a seasonal, tickborne bacterial disease of horses caused by an agent that can be transmitted to numerous other host species (via the tick), including people. The causative agent targets horse neutrophils, and infection can produce severe fever, ataxia, and thrombocytopenia.

If you are interested in trying ImmuBiome Spine and Nerve or any ImmuBiome Products use the code TRUENORTH for a discount!

17/02/2023

I think it’s essential to remember that all of us are making educated guesses. We all see the horse from the bias of our experience and skill set and education level. We can see what the horse is doing in front of our eyes, but three professionals will describe it completley differently, and most of us will have our own interpretation of why. But it’s all a guess- none of us can know exactly why until horses learn to talk in plain English.

All of us professionals would do well to not get enamored with our own ability and to remember to think outside the box. All amateurs should remember professionals are just making educated guesses. We are all learning, and the pool of what there is to know grows deeper every day.

Photo by Nicole Churilla

05/02/2023

“I don’t want much, I just want to groom once in a while and go for an easy trail ride here and there”-

This is a statement folks often make, which makes perfect sense from a human point of view. It doesn’t require much time, effort or skill gaining, and the expectation appears low- for the horse to just stand quietly, or happily trod along down the trail.

From a riders perspective, grooming requires relaxing and enjoying brushing their horse. Trail riding usually involves relaxing and leaving the horse mostly alone to enjoy the outdoors and company.

From a horses point of view, however, this is not so easy a task. To ”just be brushed,” the horse has to have enough confidence to leave the herd, the skills to lead well to the barn, the ability to stand tied quietly for a length of time in isolation away from friends, to stay focused enough to stand despite the distractions and movement around them in the barn.
That’s a lot!

To “just trail ride,” the horse has to have the afore mentioned skills, plus load in a trailer, ride in the trailer and unload (those are all separate skills), leave friends quietly and ride calmly past all kinds of input and stimulus- they have to know what rider input to tune into (legs and reins), and which to shut out (rustling around to get a granola bar out of saddle bags, yammering to friends). They have to manage terrain with balance, leave or join other horses, or ride past other people, dogs, bikes, etc. They often have little guidance from a rider who’s expectations and attention to the horse is low (who is relaxing and enjoying company or scenery, not giving attentive communications to the horse).

That’s a TALL order for a horse, and quite a drastic difference in expectation between horse and rider in terms of education, attention and workload.

Think from the horses point of view. Don’t skimp on the education, the awareness, and don’t leave your horse to their own devices for “simple tasks.” A horse is a horse, and not a human- and they see our world very differently. It’s on us to prepare and guide them.