For The Love Of Minis

28/08/2024

This girl has an incredibly special gift to read people and communicate clearly and in a way most anyone can understand. She has the confidence to try any challenge and so often make it look like she's done it a million times.

This summer she guided my son through his very first showmanship class and his first show in 5 years placing in the top 3 in each class. She tried a mountain horse trail challenge with me placing 1st her very first time in a competitive, tough class.

Our next adventure will be this Friday night at a local fair. We are entered into a night obstacle course challenge under the lights. I have gotten the pattern and feel we can make a good run. Tonight we practiced a few things we haven't done in awhile like ground tying but she didn't miss a beat! We also tried an obstacle we haven't tried together ever! From a certain spot I need to send her out around cones. The pattern isn't super clear about where she needs to be and doesn't outline what the distance will be so we played with a few different options and being able to adjust the distance. She absolutely nailed it. It felt as though she is a school master teaching me and letting me practice my feel and timing.

She is certainly living up to her name " Little Miss Wings Of An Angel" aka Lily. Thank you for being you sweet girl 💜

17/09/2023

I have reached 100 followers! Thank you for your continued support. I could not have done it without each of you. 🙏🤗🎉

12/07/2023

Figuring Out Yours and Your Horses Relationship

🌪 Do you know what yours and your horses "purpose" is together right now?

🌪 Do you know what your horse really, really loves?

🌪 Do you know what your horse really doesn't like?

We could go down A LOT of paths on this idea but we'll keep this short. My hope is to give you things to ponder because there are no right or wrong answers, we are each on our own journey. My challenge to you as you answer these questions for yourself is to ask yourself follow up questions and go deeper. Here are some examples......

🌪 Do you know what yours and your horses "purpose" is together right now?
⚡️ Do you have goals? What are they?
⚡️ Why did you choose these goals?
⚡️What draws you to these goals?

🌪 Do you know what your horse really, really loves?
💚 Think of 10 things
💚 For each thing they love keeping asking why and how. Get down to the fine details. For example: My horse Jewel loves to be groomed. I asked myself things like how does she like to be groomed? What are her favorite brushes? Which ones are her least favorite? Are there times of day she likes more than others? Where are her itchy spots? What do I notice when I groom her? Is she any different after?

🌪 Do you know what your horse really doesn't like?
👎 Think of 5-10 things. Go through the same process as above.

You may be surprised what you come up with and you may get some answers to questions you didn't even know you had. I have had some ah huh moments recently and I hope you do too!

I would LOVE to hear what your discovered and what deeper questions you asked yourself. Feel free to comment below or send me a message, I love to hear about people's journeys 💜

17/06/2023

Clipping transformation 😍 Where Lily is clipped its pretty hard to tell she is a palomino pinto 💃
As much as I love her golden coat she was due for a makeover 💜
Clipping her a few weeks before shows allows time for some of her color to come back.

13/05/2023

Competing is fun but moments like this makes my heart sing

15/04/2023

Spring Fling in North Carolina was so much fun! This picture is from 2012...I am determined to make it back there sometime soon :)

02/04/2023

I am so incredibly thankful for each and every one of you who has signed up for our very first virtual workshop/ clinic! Tomorrow is going to be incredible 💜

25/03/2023

🐴Virtual Clinic Tech Update 🐴
We are going to link zoom to the live. The only thing this means is people can access the clinic by a zoom link too!
So if you know someone not on here please let them know. They can email me and I can send them the zoom link. How cool is that?!?

22/03/2023

21/03/2023

I'll be going live within the hour :) Feel free to join me!

21/03/2023

Happy Happy first day of SPRING! Don't forget the VIRTUAL MINIATURE HORSE CLINIC with Koren and Corey Luchetta!!
📅 Sunday April 2nd 9:00am-3:00 pm EST.

💶 Less then the cost of 1 lesson!! $35 per person
Check out the link below and grab your spot!
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=175095225266881&id=100082992146103

14/03/2023

🎉Leap ahead of the competition without driving hours to a Minature Horse clinic! 🎉

Discover...

🏆Conditioning & Showing Your Halter Halter Horse

🏆Starting Your Driving Horse

🏆Perfecting Your Performance Courses

🏆Training Equipment Overview

🏆Grooming & Prepping Your Horse for The Show Ring

🏆And More!

Join us for a VIP Live Online Event...

⭐⭐Training The Minature Horse
with Champion Trainers & Corey & Koren Luchetta⭐⭐

📅 When: Sunday, April 2nd, 2023

⏰9:30am- 3:00pm EST (We will have a 1-hour lunch break. We want to make sure everyone's questions get answered)

🗺Where: Online Virtual Event

💸 Cost: $35 per person
Paypal (family and friends) to Ann Ruggles [email protected] After payment is received you will receive an invite to the private group.

💃🏼Costs less than one good riding lesson!

❓Got questions: Message your hostess Ann Ruggles [email protected]

Meet your clinicians:

🏆 Koren and Corey specialize in training AMHR and Shetlands however the training principles are really the same regardless. It is our goal that this clinic is for EVERYONE. Yes, there will be a high focus on showing but even if you don't show there is so much to learn. At the absolute very least you get to hang out and talk minis for the day.

👉 You won't want to miss this!

This isn't going to be your average virtual event. While the actual clinic will be 1 day, you are going to get so much more!

Every member will have an opportunity to post videos and questions for review in a private, safe, supportive group- before & after the VIP event...ANY questions are welcome! The only bad question is the one not asked 🙂

Go directly to the "For The Love of Minis" Fan page for more details
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=175095225266881&id=100082992146103

04/03/2023

👉: Sunday April 2nd 9:30am- 3:00pm EST at least. We will have a 1 hour lunch break. We want to make sure everyone's questions get answered.

👉 What: Koren and Corey specialize in training AMHR and Shetlands however the training principals are really the same regardless. It is our goal that this clinic is for EVERYONE. Yes, there will be a high focus on showing but even if you don't show there is so much to learn. At the absolute very least you get to hang out and talk minis for the day.

👉 Why: This isn't going to be your average virtual live. While the actual clinic will be 1 day, you are going to get so much more! Every member will have an opportunity to post videos and questions for review. This is a private, safe, supportive group...ANY questions are welcome! The only bad question is the one not asked 🙂

After the clinic every member gets unlimited access to the group content to review as many times as they want AND Koren and Corey will answer any follow up questions in group for 24 hours!!!!

👉 Cost: $35 per person
Paypal (family and friends) to Ann Ruggles [email protected]. After payment is received you will receive an invite to the private group.

This clinic is presentation style that will include slides, videos and pictures to teach each section of the clinic ie, halter, driving and performance.

Each attendee can post videos and/or pictures in the group before the clinic for feedback/help as well as questions.

The day of the clinic Koren, Corey and myself with go live in the group to present the presentation. People can ask questions then too and anything else that comes up after the clinic Corey and/or Koren will answer in the group for 24 hours. The group will stay up for people to review all content for as long as they wish.

20/02/2023

I am SUPER excited to announce that I will be hosting a virtual mini and pony clinic with Luchetta Farm and Training Center!!!

When? --Sunday April 2nd 9:30am- at least 3:00pm est

More info to come within the next few days

20/01/2023

For anyone on the fence about hardshipping a mini up to 34".....now is your time!

17/01/2023

Have you heard about the OHSA? It's the Open Horse Show Association.

One of my missions is to support people in ways to have fun with their minis and small ponies and to promote ways unregistered small equines can participate in larger shows.

OHSA was created a few years ago to help showcase open shows. The process is pretty straight forward. You purchase a membership for yourself and one for your horse and you report the open shows you have attend and your placings. They keep track of points for each recognized class.

They have a world show each year now that began in 2021 (I believe) so that people participating in open shows would have an opportunity to show at a national level.

I reviewed their recognized classes and world show class list from 2022 and there aren't any for minis. :( I emailed OHSA and was told their class lists for 2023 are closed but they choose what to add each year based on classes the membership participate in. While this makes sense for the world show and is how most shows operate I am confused how the classes they recognize are decided as people report their shows and placings based on the classes they recognize. I have asked this question and will post what the answer is once I've received it.

All of this is to say if you have interest in open shows or show in open shows I would encourage you to reach out to OHSA as well. Just in the New England area we have compiled a list of about 30 open shows for 2023 that have mini classes!!

Let's get minis and small ponies recognized!! 💜

09/01/2023

I just checked PtHA points for 2022 and Ceasar was 12th in national points for all of 2022 for Mini B halter with just 2 shows!
He will be reclassified as a pony for 2023 but his points roll over with him

30/11/2022

I posted this last summer but thought it was worth the share again as we close-out 2022 and begin planning for 2023 :)

***Our Goals vs. Horse Goals***

As horse people many of us have goals for and with our horses. Our goals may be broad or detailed. Some examples may be I want to drive my horse someday, I want to attend a clinic, I want to go to a show someday or more specific like I want to drive my horse this season by this date, I want to go to this many shows this season on these shows on specific dates or I want to attend this clinic this specific date. Goals are very useful in many, many ways. They help us stay on track and develop into better horse people. Without goals our dreams may not become a reality. Goals are often the way that we set the path for our dreams to happen.

The truth is, horses don't share the same goals as us. Horses want to have food, move around, be with with other horses most of the time and occasionally run and play. Horses live in the moment, they aren't worried about our human goals for them tomorrow, next week, next month or next year.

Now, all of this isn't to say our horses don't want to be with us and don't care about what we want to do with them, quite the opposite most of the time. Remember, minis were bred for many years to work with people in the mines. In my experience minis care more about being with people than most other breeds.

What I believe this means is the differences between our human goals and our horses goals need to be honored and considered while we are pressing forward towards our goals. How do we do this? Spend some time observing and being curious with our horses. Get to know their likes and dislikes (we can use this information later to reward or "pay" them for their work with us). Think about what's fair, reasonable and possible. How are they feeling today, what can they tolerate today?

I'll leave you now with one other thing to think about.....are your goals and timeliness reasonable for you and your horse? Give yourself and your horses some grace and press on friends! For the Love of Minis💙

27/11/2022

Hi Friends! I'm working on some dreaming and goal prep for 2023.... which word art do you like?

19/09/2022

CONGRATULATIONS Sheila!! Please PM me which wraps you want along with your mailing address :)

18/09/2022

Phew! Finally was able to get our video loaded!!
There isn't really anything to see, just audio in the dark :)
https://youtu.be/JgZGefeMAhQ

16/09/2022

11/09/2022

***GIVEAWAY ALERT***
Your choice of Supreme Equine Design mini leg wraps/boots pictured below.

🐴 How to enter:
* Like our page if you haven't already.
* Like this post
* Share this post
* Once you have completed the steps above. please comment on this post so I know you are done :)

🐴 Want bonus entries? Each bonus you complete is 1 extra entry.
* Share a picture of your mini on this post.
* Tag your friends in this post! For each friend you tag is 1 bonus entry!!

🐴 The winner will be selected by a random drawing on 9/18/22 no earlier than 5pm EST.
You MUST complete the requirements in the "home to enter" list above. Shipping is free....this is a completely no out of pocket expense giveaway :)

If you have any questions feel free to message the page! Good Luck 🍀 and have FUN!

10/09/2022

I am working on uploading a video to you tube that I will post. It was too large to post directly to facebook.

Also, coming tomorrow night is an announcement for a chance to win a prize!

24/08/2022

Check this out!!

23/08/2022

I had to make a hard decision yesterday. Not a serious, life altering kind of decision but just hard.

I made the decision last year that 2022 would be the year I stepped out of my comfort zone and stepped up to higher levels of competition.

Heres the short version. I had a plan to show AMHR rated shows. For the beginning of the season I had plans to attend one in May and then a few weeks later attend the Area 1 National show. Sadly, this plan crumbled. The first show was canceled so I felt like going to Area 1 was over facing myself and Ceasar and also Ceasar was too tall for AMHR as a 2 year old as he is required to be 37" or less. Sure, I could of shown him in ASPC but that isnt at all what I wanted to do. Not to mention gas prices were soaring and all of the shows he could show ASPC were 6+ hours each way.....yikes!

I went back to the drawing board and dug deep. I decided to go wayyyyy outside my comfort zone where I didn't know anyone and show Pinto. There were 3 shows 3 hours from me and I could get my feet wet at a breed show. I was sure nothing was going to get in my way of these 3 shows.

We went to the 1st two. I learned a lot from those experiences in so many ways. About a month ago it dawned on me this last show coming up was just a few days before the kids go back to school and the same weekend as our local county fair which we always go to as a family.

I have agonized over this show for a month. On one hand I really, really wanted to go to finish this series and follow through on my commitment to my goals. On the other hand Ceasar had shown some signs of some pretty intense stress, my kiddos are only little once and having Sunday with them to get ready for school is a non negotiable.

Ultimately, being a mom and having an emotionally sound horse is more important so I decided I won't go. I am so proud of Ceasar and what we accomplished at those 2 shows! He unofficially has his ROM (lifetime award) in halter and I believe only has 11 points to go for one in trail.

We are working hard on the emotional stuff for him. He internalizes stress but he will try his heart out for me when I ask. This type of horse is easy to push forward with until they melt down. I want our partnership to last many years and will not take shortcuts!

Instead we will go to an open show that's fairly close that's less demanding and we will work on releasing tension and relaxing.

Sometimes we just need to hit the pause button. Taking the time now will help us that much more in 2023!

20/08/2022

***Our Goals vs. Horse Goals***

As horse people many of us have goals for and with our horses. Our goals may be broad or detailed. Some examples may be I want to drive my horse someday, I want to attend a clinic, I want to go to a show someday or more specific like I want to drive my horse this season by this date, I want to go to this many shows this season on these shows on specific dates or I want to attend this clinic this specific date. Goals are very useful in many, many ways. They help us stay on track and develop into better horse people. Without goals our dreams may not become a reality. Goals are often the way that we set the path for our dreams to happen.

The truth is, horses don't share the same goals as us. Horses want to have food, move around, be with with other horses most of the time and occasionally run and play. Horses live in the moment, they aren't worried about our human goals for them tomorrow, next week, next month or next year.

Now, all of this isn't to say our horses don't want to be with us and don't care about what we want to do with them, quite the opposite most of the time. Remember, minis were bred for many years to work with people in the mines. In my experience minis care more about being with people than most other breeds.

What I believe this means is the differences between our human goals and our horses goals need to be honored and considered while we are pressing forward towards our goals. How do we do this? Spend some time observing and being curious with our horses. Get to know their likes and dislikes (we can use this information later to reward or "pay" them for their work with us). Think about what's fair, reasonable and possible. How are they feeling today, what can they tolerate today?

I'll leave you now with one other thing to think about.....are your goals and timeliness reasonable for you and your horse? Give yourself and your horses some grace and press on friends! For the Love of Minis💙