We would like to wish the warmest of birthdays (10!) to Barbie’s personal horse, Ash. Ash retired off the track in 2019 (video of her coming off the trailer from the track to us!) and has been a Schouten ever since. She has smashed her way into all of our hearts at Infinity Equine. Cheers to the little mare with the biggest heart.
What is the common denominator in a LOT of childhoods of strong, independent, compassionate adult women? PONIES.
How come? Well, for starters, letting a little girl build a connection with a horse or pony builds confidence, empathy, tenacity (in a good sense) and grit. Allowing that little girl to grow up and become a ”teenage barn rat” fosters life long connections and unbreakable bonds and friendships between the animals AND humans that call the barn their home. Barn-rat-edness encourages hard work, dedication and mental and physical toughness. Interestingly enough, all of those characteristics are important in adult life.
Our student, Nora, atop our pony, Monty is a prime example of what we all were when we were little.
Infinity Equine: proudly helping mold the next generation of little girls into strong, bold and empowered women since 2018.
Old video - but fun topic!
Why do horses roll? Many reasons! We’ll discuss the non-medical reasons today.
Some roll out of happiness! Check out El every morning during turnout and you will see evidence of pure bliss.
Others roll to deposit their scent on the terrain. A horse can understand a lot about other horses through the way they smell, including gender, how old they are and some personality traits even!
Others roll to relieve stress and tension after a ride- like a big long stretch after a gym session.
They also roll if they’re itchy!
Last but not least, they roll because you spent hours and lots of money buying grooming supplies and getting their coats glistening!
Apollo typically takes kids over cross rail courses and the more advanced adults he excels in the 2’6-3’ range. Today however, Apollo was feeling fresh and had big hops hopes and set his eyes on Puissance height....he makes 6’ look easy!
What do you get when you combine one scrappy teen rider who is light enough to pony squish and a small Welsh pony who needed to get out and stretch his little legs during the hurricane?! A couple of funny bucks followed by amazing flying lead changes!
Cuteness overload!
Teenage “catch” riders are in hot demand when it comes to ponies. They can “set up” a pony for a young beginner and help get the “zoomies” out while still being light enough for a pony to carry them comfortably.
Luckily, we have our resident teen, Clare, who was more than happy to put some pony squishing time in for our snack size pony, Monty. Monty enjoyed hacking with the big horses during yesterday’s storm and even though Clare has legs as long as Kendall Jenner, she still got Monty moving!
Horses are a lot like people. They have different tastes in food, clothing, politics; some prefer the morning, others are assuredly night owls. You don’t know what they like, until you just straight up ask them. Example being, don’t expect Apollo to want to go on a road trip with Claudia, Bridget and Devin if they’re going to play Lil’ Jon the entire time. He seems to prefer country. No window to the wall for him!
What kind of music does your horse like?
Does your horse have a best friend? These two have been inseparable since early 2017. Does your horse’s best friend balance them out? These two do. Ali, the matriarch of the herd always tells El to simmer down - not everything has to be theatrics. El, in all her glory, keeps Ali young at heart. They may be more than a decade apart in age, but kindred spirits for all eternity. In fact, they already are discussing their Galentine’s Day plans!
Steering and planning ahead. Two skills that every tween should master before driving anything with more than 1hp. Want to enroll your kid in some equine driver’s ed? Apollo is a great set of wheels. Contact us today for booking a lesson! Packages available!
‘Twas a cold day in January,
Felt barely above ten.
Chill in the air could freeze many men.
The horses were a bit wild,
The air very brisk.
The wind was whipping,
Without the help of a whisk.
The kids still came and mounted their steeds,
Sometimes a horse and some fresh air
Is all that one needs.
A poem, by Katherine
Music intellectual property rights: DJ jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.
Much like the Jamaican bobsled team who debuted at the 1988 Winter Olympics (have we all seen the Disney movie, Cool Runnings or nah?!), Nic (atop Brady), Bridget (navigating on Professor) and Devin (aboard Apollo) are underdogs when it comes to making the cut for a serious drill team. However, they, like everyone else here at the farm, are gold medalists when it comes to having fun. Fun is the entire reason Infinity Equine was established, so come on down and laugh with us- or try out for our drill team!
Great form, ladies!
Talk about Sunday Funday for one of our newest boarders, Taylor! She and her adorable mare, Rou, went to their first dressage show and scored an amazing 62.250%!!! The entire family at Infinity Equine is so proud of the both of you!!! If you see Taylor around the barn (which you will because she’s one of the most dedicated young women around), give her a congrats (& Rou too!). Way to go!!!!
Infinity Equine is a Hunter / Jumper facility located within Indian Meadow Farm in West Newbury.
