Equinace Equestrian

27/02/2022

Photo by Allan Grant - 1955.

03/10/2021

A thought-provoking read.
By Jane Smiley
Most horses pass from one human to another - some horsemen and women are patient and forgiving, others are rigorous and demanding, others are cruel, others are ignorant.
Horses have to learn how to, at the minimum, walk, trot, canter, gallop, go on trails and maybe jump, to be treated by the vet, all with sense and good manners.
Talented Thoroughbreds must learn how to win races, and if they can't do that, they must learn how to negotiate courses and jump over strange obstacles without touching them, or do complicated dance
like movements or control cattle or accommodate severely handicapped children and adults in therapy work.
Many horses learn all of these things in the course of a single lifetime. Besides this, they learn to understand and fit into the successive social systems of other horses they meet along the way.
A horse's life is rather like twenty years in foster care, or in and out of prison, while at the same time changing schools over and over and discovering that not only do the other students already have their own social groups, but that what you learned at the old school hasn't much application at the new one.
We do not require as much of any other species, including humans.
That horses frequently excel, that they exceed the expectations of their owners and trainers in such circumstances, is as much a testament to their intelligence and adaptability as to their relationship skills or their natural generosity or their inborn nature. That they sometimes manifest the same symptoms as abandoned orphans - distress, strange behaviors, anger, fear - is less surprising than that they usually don't.
No one expects a child, or even a dog to develop its intellectual capacities living in a box 23 hours a day and then doing controlled exercises the remaining one.
Mammal minds develop through social interaction and stimulation.
A horse that seems "stupid", "slow", "stubborn", etc. might just have not gotten the chance to learn!
Take care of your horses and treasure them.

08/08/2021

Yep!! Sounds about right… perfectly sensible if you ask me. 🤪

25/07/2021

It’s taken awhile, but finally Grace got a Gretta hug!!☺️❤️

13/07/2021

12/07/2021

Kyle Carter is a CCI4* event rider who has represented Canada at the Pan American Games, World Equestrian Games and Olympic Games. Together with his wife, Jennifer, Kyle runs Carter Eventing out of Citra, Fla. An innocuous comment made by a fellow rider several years ago has been on my mind recently...

16/06/2021

… and then one day we discovered that somehow we had collected a half dozen ponies…🤔🤣

12/06/2021

We are not sure what training Raven, who turned six on May 2nd, had before she came to us.
We are almost certain that she hasn’t been handled at all in the last few years.
Grace lunged and rode her for the first time today, and while her lack of experience and ‘baby’ brain certainly was apparent, so was her her intelligence and willingness to please. ❤️

12/06/2021

❤️🐴❤️ FLIGH ❤️🐴❤️

🐴 Three Months Old
🐴 Had her first trimming one week ago, and was very good for Nevin!
🐴 Stands for her halter to be taken On and Off
🐴 Is getting better at Leading. 😊
🐴 Still suckles from mama occasionally
🐴 Is very Independent and Likes time away from Mom, as long as she can still keep an eye on her.
🐴 Is very affectionate with her people.
🐴 Loves to Race the Golf Cart 😂
🐴 Gets Frisky in the Evening and likes to Buck and Kick and Race Around. Connected with Gracie’s butt last week in the moment, so we have stepped up our disciplinary game.

11/06/2021

🐴❤️🐴 Before and After 🐴❤️🐴

Raven arrived less then a month ago, on May 16th, and already she’s starting to look so much better!!❤️

04/06/2021

02/06/2021

So what does it take to become a competent rider? In this post you’ll find a sample road map to riding competency. It will help students be more aware of their progress and to develop realistic expectations for how much time and effort it will take to reach their riding goals.

31/05/2021

Little Gretta is coming along nicely in her training... and oh my word is she ever a cutey!☺️❤️

19/05/2021

Oops... She did it Again!😂

Meet Raven. Grace brought her home on Sunday. She is yet another unwanted destined for the truck.
We were told she’s around 10, we are just waiting on her papers to confirm. She’s thin, but the vet said nothing a good dewormer and more groceries won’t fix. Otherwise she’s healthy.
She’s also quite sweet, she’s still missing the friends she left behind but is fitting in with our herd very nicely.
She seems to prefer men and snuggles with Rod. 😊
Once she gets a bit of weight on Grace will ride her and see what she can do, and then find her a good home.

10/05/2021

❤️🐴Gotta Fligh is 2 months old today!🐴❤️

08/05/2021

This makes complete sense... 🤔❤️

Unlike humans, horses are designed to run on a full stomach. Feeding your horse 2-3L of chaff or a biscuit of hay prior to exercise has two benefits :
1️⃣ The chaff will form a ball of feed in the stomach, which will help prevent acid from splashing up from the lower part of the stomach to cause gastric ulcers.
2️⃣ Blood is normally diverted away from the stomach during exercise, which reduces some of its normal protective mechanisms. Research has shown that feeding your horse before exercise actually reduces the amount of blood that is shunted away from the stomach and also increases the amount of blood delivered to the skeletal muscles and muscles of the chest. So not only are you helping to protect the stomach, you also might be improving your horse’s performance.
For more information : http://ow.ly/CfYy50Dmwnh

06/05/2021

Grace Dollimont... 😂

06/05/2021

🐴 Pepper and Dixon 🐴

05/05/2021

Drama...

03/05/2021

Dale Hailstones, traveling groom to show jumper Laura Kraut, is a big believer in repetition to train horses to expect routine.

03/05/2021

Linda Allen discusses the factors that go into determining what height a young horse should jump.

28/04/2021

Caring for one horse can be difficult, but multiple horses… that is when life can become insane. Here are some tips to help manage.

25/04/2021

🐴🐴Sunday Morning Snapshots🐴🐴

24/04/2021

Leo meeting mares cont...

24/04/2021

Leo meets the new mares for the first time... what a stud muffin!!😂❤️

24/04/2021

So cool...🐴

15/04/2021

Meg, Fligh, and Peppers first morning together! Fligh is sleeping between them and can’t be seen in the photo. 😊🤗❤️

15/04/2021

Thought it was time for Fligh to be introduced to another horse, so we put Pepper in the Paddock with Meg and Fligh last night.
Hoping Pepper teaches the little one some horse manners... as Meg is not the disciplinary type. 😊

14/04/2021

Here is day 2 with wild mustang Luna a 3 year old mare. This is the first haltering. I show how to approach the horse and break the process down to a series ...

13/04/2021

Do you tend to overthink? Here are some tips on how to remind yourself to let go and just enjoy the ride instead.