Horse Sense Stables

30/11/2022

Horse Sense Stables
Under New Management
Phone/WhatsApp
Francois
+27 83 450 6812
For Information

02/11/2022

02/11/2022

Horse Sense Stables have closed their doors from 1 November 2022 There are no lessons, no out rides, no liveries at this time
We look forward to a better, brighter future

12/10/2022

Wow wow wow!!!!

For my fellow barn owners out there!

Lessons learned long and hard in the horse business as a professional..

1. It's easy to fall in love with your customers. They become a family who you spend a lot of time with. However, in the end they will do what's best for themselves. And, for you and them, those paths may not be the same. Prepare to get your heart broken. Keep business and personal relationships separate.

2. People will not always trust in your experience and will second guess you. They will think they know better because they read it in a book, or saw it online. Don't try to be all things to all people. Do what you are good at. Run your barn in a way that you can sleep at night knowing that you did right in your mind by them and their horses. The clients opinion of that may be different than your beliefs, but you have to live with choices that leave you at peace. That may mean confrontation, hard conversations and even asking people to move on for your own peace.

3. Horses are easy 99% of the time. It's the people who come with them that make things complicated.

4. Remember that horses need to be horses.

5. People will always judge you, and have opinions. The better you are, the more haters will have opinions.

6. Success isn't measured by ribbons and show placings. It's measured in happy animals and the quality of their lives.

7. There is always an exception or quirk that doesn't " follow the rules" in horse care. Do what works, not what the books say works.

8. When you get annoyed by seeing somebody's car pull in to the barn, it's time to let that person move on. Your barn should be a happy place. It literally only takes one bad sour apple to ruin the whole atmosphere and dynamic in a barn.

9. Let it go.... if someone moves on don't be upset by it. Ignore what they say. Don't take it personally. Every barn is not a good fit for every person.

10. This is a business. If a person or horse isn't working for you, or the compensation isn't offsetting your cost, it's time for them to go. The exception to this is your retired horses, see #11.

11. Horses only have so many jumps, so many runs, so many rides. Don’t waste your horses. Teach your students they aren’t machines. You owe it to your retired horses to have a safe, comfortable and dignified end. Your schoolies worked for you. When the time comes they can no longer do that, either give them a pleasant retirement, or put them in the ground where you know they are safe. Do not dump them at auctions or onto other people where you are not 100% sure that they will be cared for.

12. There is no shame in euthanasia for a horse owner. Always better a week too early then a second too late. Do not judge anyone for their reasons for doing this.

13. Most clients fall Into two categories. Those who are "high maintenance", open in their opinions and will confront situations head on. The second is the quiet type who will not say a word and will not openly talk with you about their expectations or issues. You have no idea they have a problem until it's too late. The people in between these two are the clients you want. They will be long term and make life easy.

14. Know your worth. KNOW YOUR WORTH. Your time and experience has a monetary value. Don't do things for free, even if you like the person. Every bit of time or effort you give to clients has value. So when you don't value your effort, neither will a client. They will come to expect "freebies", which always leads to resentment from someone.

15. Be honest. It's not always easy. But in this business it takes forever to build reputation and seconds to destroy it.

16. Remember horses are dangerous. Always use your best judgment and air on the side of caution when working with horses and students. Their lives and your own life can change in an instant.

17. Get paid up front. Keep good records. People don't go to the grocery store and ask for food they will pay for next week. Good business practices keep everyone honest and sets boundaries for clients.

18. Normalize passing on price increases. Service industries, especially ones like ours always "feel guilty " when raising prices. You are not there to subsidize someone else's horse habit. Prices have been going up on costs, so should your fees.

19. The buck stops with you. Your employees mistakes fall back to your responsibility. Always verify and check on important care aspects of daily activities.

20. Make time for family and rest. Too many of us get burnt out from the stress of expectations in this industry. In the end, boarders and students come and go. Your family is who you will have left.

Thanks for reading my thoughts. I hope it can help support some of you feeling burnt out, and maybe help some people who are starting out in their journey into this industry.

Written by Rhea Destefano

05/10/2022

05/10/2022

That concludes Sanesa 2022 Core League National Championship and Newcomers challenge!

Thank you to each and everyone that attended. Riders, Parents, Officials, Supporters - we are a big Sanesa Family and our main aim is to - LET THE CHILDREN RIDE.

To our Sponsors, Westernshoppe and Toyota - we value you, your support help us to make dreams come true !

All photos available at Denford studios.
www.denfordstudios.co.za

04/10/2022

When you work with horses – no matter what discipline or expertise, as far as I am concerned it is about BALANCE in everything you do.

It is not just being a balanced rider, it is also about providing balanced feeding, a balanced training programme, a balanced competing schedule, balanced care and attention to the horse’s changing needs.

Once the balance becomes lopsided – too much or too little, then a series of problems start and a vicious cycle takes place. Only YOU (not the horse) can change this and put the BALANCE back to where things start going right.

The delicate part is maintaining the balance. You have to be aware of outside factors beyond your control e.g. if the weather is too hot, too cold, too wet alter your exercise programme. If the horse is showing stress at a particular exercise alter the exercise until the horse learns to cope with what you are asking.

Horses are not machines – they are alive and the fact they are willing to participate in our sport makes it our responsibility to ensure that we keep their lives balanced to improve their quality of life.

03/10/2022

A Very True Story from a horse/pony
by Georgie Roberts..

"Dear Parents

I’m sorry.

Right off the bat, you should know that this is a lie.
I’m going to mash your children’s toes, break their hearts, make them cry, and will act oblivious to all of this. I’m sorry in an amused way, because they will never blame ME, and when you – in interest of their longevity – threaten to sell me, they will hate YOU.

I’m sorry because gone are weekends at shopping malls, or holidays away.
Your child will need sunblock instead of mascara, and the fun of the xbox will fade in comparison to my sound-barrier-breaking gallop that makes you bite your fist as you watch us disappear in the country.
In the wrong direction.
Your car will be forever dusty on the outside, and downright revolting on the inside after a show day. And when they ARE excited to go to the coast, I’ll lay down three carrots that the next statement will be ‘Can Buttercup come, Dad?’

Your child will however grow up with many attributes.
For example, they will never do drugs, because they will be too poor to afford them. Except for Myprodol, which I will prescribe for them at least biannually. Your child will learn resilience, that if you aren’t going to hospital, you are getting back on. And I will personally teach your child that life isn’t fair; that if you want to have even a chance of finishing first, you need to train your ass off, but even then, and even though it’s not your fault, sometimes manure happens. Like in the middle of a showjumping round where I will stop dead, and be unmoved by her kicks until I have done my business. I’m sorry because you won’t be able to stop laughing, and this will again be your fault.

In the day of over-indulgence, you may as well go ahead and buy me a nun’s habit, because I will drum sacrifice and sharing into my little humans. They will learn pretty soon that you can’t have it all – you can have a pretty pony OR a fast pony OR a healthy pony. You can have the pink numnah OR the blue halter.
I'm genuinely sorry my clothes are so expensive.
It doesn’t make any sense to me either.

Your kids will grow up with huge empathy. I’m sorry about this because you will be perpetually housing strays – two and four legged. You will have to console your weeping child over the loss of living things they have poured their love into. They will learn how to rehabilitate pigeons, and argue with the Spar about dolphin friendly tuna. You will be donating all your spare change (and then some) to the Highveld Horse Care Unit.
I’m not sure why I should be sorry about this. I can think of worse ways for your child to grow up.

I won’t even pretend to be sorry for disciplining your children. If they tease me, I WILL bite them. If they are slow, I WILL run away from them. If they smack me and it’s not my fault, I WILL deposit them on the ground. If you do your job better, I won't have to.

I’m sorry, because no one will ever quite match up to me.
I will always own your little girl’s heart, I will always be your little boy’s partner in crime. They may grow up and get married, but their spouses will always have to be patient with them pulling out the old snapshots for guests, exaggerating their feats shamelessly to your grandchildren, and smiling wistfully as they recall the first delicious taste of freedom I shared with them on morning outrides, or the secrets I kept from afternoons whispering into my hairy neck.

I’m sorry that your child will grow up with a wild heart, already filled with things other children can only imagine. Adventures and, well, misadventures. That they will always glow, that they will always be slightly untouchable, that they will be a little misunderstood, and they will never ever mind. I’m sorry, because it must be hard to live with a little person who has already conquered personal mountains. The wooden spoon is just not an effective threat any more!

Your kid is gonna be TOUGH. Outside and in. I’m sorry not to you, but to life. Because they are going to learn pretty soon on that you cannot be ambivalent about anything, that lines are made to be crossed, chances have to be grabbed, hearts are made for loving and breaking and loving again. I’ll teach them this by running away from them in the paddock, bucking them off, standing on them, getting sick, getting better, and bucking them off again. Horses are simply not a hobby for sissies or mediocrity.

I’m sorry that you will need to (quickly) become adept at a wide range of skills you never dreamed of... many a parent has picked up p**p bare-handed, driven across country at ungodly hours with a horsebox, or learned how to read a dressage test. But would you really rather be waiting outside the mall, dragging them away from parties instead of stables, or finding photos of Justin Bieber instead of Valegro on their phones?

Mostly, however, I’m sorry because I’m sure you never realised the journey that I would be taking YOU on.
That all these lessons would be yours, that you would have trusted your child to my wide back and relearned to be patient, loving, humble and young.
That you will catch yourself scratching my chin one day with begrudging affection, even though I’ll be twenty nine and you will still be paying for me, feigning annoyance with phrases like ‘The ones you hate live forever’.

Because when they outgrow me, and time comes for me to move on, you will find that it is your eyes that get a ‘bug’ stuck in them, and that it’s you who starts saying ‘But what if we just LEASE him?’ or ‘He’s one of the family dear, we wouldn't sell YOU, but we might if you sell HIM.’

Because every time you look at me, you will see the gifts that my fat little frame brought into your lives, and you will be eternally grateful for the child that I raised for you.

Sincerely,
He Who Shall Not Be Tamed, ‘WHOAOHGODWHOA’, Hell Pony."

(original by Georgie Roberts)

Situated in the beautiful natural surrounds of the Mount Ridge Conservancy in Vereeniging, we offer

28/09/2022

#1. Horse riding is for the rich.

18/09/2022

The rescue horse...

We all know them.

The ones we were never meant to have...

The abandoned...

The broken...

The unrideable.

The one that no longer ticks all the boxes.

They come into your world when you least expect it and they change every inch of your being from that moment on.

You will sit with them...

You will watch them...

You will show them love...compassion and patience...

You will build trust.

You will show them that you want nothing more from them other than to just be in their presence..

Then...

Ever so slowly...

You will see the light return to their eyes as their soul becomes alive again...

You will stand in awe as their majestic presence grows.

The sheer joy of watching the wind thru their mane will take your breath away...

Every.

Single.

Time.

And then one day..

You will just realise...

Your rescue horse is now your companion horse.

They know all your secrets...

See all your tears...

They are your strength when you cant be theirs.

Some will still say that you rescued them...

But the reality is...

They rescued you💜

Elenore Bowden Bird

18/09/2022

BY JACKY FRIEDMAN Why don’t more people seek out an older horse for the inexperienced rider? Learning to ride is a challenge, so working with a young horse often just makes it harder. When my daughter started riding, I didn’t want her to go through the “growing pains” with a young horse like...

16/09/2022

Line up, line up! It's time to scrub up! 🛁 ✨

Day One of the FEI Eventing World Championship is OFF and our glistening, glorious ponies are ready to dazzle us with their Dressage moves at Pratoni 2022! 💃

Wanna boogie? Then head over to FEI.tv! 👉 https://tv.fei.org/Eventing-WorldChampionship

📸©FEI/ Liz Gregg

16/09/2022

Hadley Zeavin on Why Her 27-Year-Old Horse Griffin Is Still Thriving BY HADLEY ZEAVIN The eighteen months before I got Griffin in 2013 were the hardest of my life due to a bad riding accident and my dad’s unexpected death. When my trainer Mark Watring found me Griffin, I felt the tiniest sliver of...

16/09/2022

BY PONYMOMAMMY The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. So I give you some of my favorite pearls of wisdom, in no particular order. Some of these are from trainers of mine, both past and present, some are widely recognized from BNT, some have nothing to do with horses […]

15/09/2022

There is some confusion between involvement and commitment. To be involved typically means staying as long as you are happy. Commitment is entirely different. Commitment is not a promise, it is the point when the promise is kept. Commitment requires planning, perseverance, and sacrifice.

Nothing shows this up like sport and in particular Equestrian Sport you can be involved in horses or you can be committed to the horse.

There is nothing wrong with being involved in horses and enjoy riding for the fun of it. Being committed to the horse means you have a goal you want to achieve no matter what the cost is to you - emotionally, socially or financially.

Let us examine the differences between involvement and commitment *as a rider* . Remember nothing is wrong with either choice, but it will help you understand what is important to you and, of course, help you understand what are YOUR expectations in the equestrian sport

*BEING INVOLVED*

You ride when you feel like it or have time.

You ride what you feel like doing that day, out ride, jumping, etc

You tack up your horse, get on and ride.

You have instruction when you have a problem or get advice from spectators.

After exercising your horse, you remove your tack, and allow the horse to cool off in the paddock before putting the horse back in the stable

If you need professional assistance – vet, farrier, dentist, body worker, saddle fitter, etc it’s when your budget allows or an emergency.

*BEING COMMITTED*

You ride on a regular schedule but it is flexible

You have a plan to help you achieve your goal.

You check your tack fits correctly everytime you saddle up. You do some simple muscle stretches before mounting up. You include a 15 minute warm-up before you start your schooling or jumping session.

You have regular instruction from a professional and discuss any difficulties and how to overcome them with your Instructor.

After exercising your horse, you have a cooling off pattern that allows the muscles to stretch and relax. You untack your horse and check for any visible injury that may need treatment. You hose down your horse's legs to soothe and cool them off. Do some carrot stretches. Allow your horse to roll. You brush down your horse taking care to remove all sweat marks. If you have done a hard schooling or jumping session, place cooling gel or cooling clay on the legs and put horse in stable.

If you need professional assistance – vet, farrier, dentist, body worker, saddle fitter, etc you have regular scheduled visits or if you think it will help your horse call for their expert help as soon as necessary.

As you can see being committed takes a lot more time and expense than being involved. Professional riders have help from committed grooms but if you can't afford this, then it is up to you. You will have to make the time or find the money or swallow up your disappointment when a setback happens. No one is "just lucky or unlucky" failing to prepare is preparing to fail. It is up to the rider to choose to be involved or committed it is never the horse’s decision.

07/06/2022

04/06/2022

There's no greater feeling than being truly loved by a horse. But how do you know how your horse feels about you? You can't just walk up and ask them, which means you have to get a little more creative to understand their love language. As humans, we have the power to express our affection...

28/05/2022

As I walk in after another looong day I thought I should give some advice to horse riding parents. This will be your survival guide.

1. Be PATIENT. Your child will fall, cry, moan, struggle and suffer disappointment. YOU need to stay PATIENT, CALM and POSITIVE.

2 You are part of the training program and team, there is no room for negativity in any sport BUT more so in one that deals with TWO athletes.

3. Horse riding IS SCARY and often real fear or danger will come into play in your child's development.

4 Unless you have ridden and competed yourself successfully you will HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS LIKE.

5 Horse riding IS NOT LIKE RUGBY or NETBALL, so stop referring to it.

6 Horse riding is one of the toughest and at times most disappointing sport around AS THE RIDER is NOT always completely in control.

7 Your child is not always right and the horse wrong. 9 out of 10 mistakes are rider mistakes, once you come to terms with this, you are halfway there.

8 . If you want to perform like a professional you or your child need to train like a professional.

9 As a parent you need to be part of the solution not the problem. Don't feed the negativity, help your child to buck up and rise to challenge.

Why did you choose the sport?

I ask myself this often after I leave my home in the dark and come back in the dark and for me I keep coming back to this:

It is an absolute priviledge to be in the presence of a horse.
To breathe the same air as a horse and the absolute euphoria when you succeed.
When you become one.
When you have a partnership and a horse who WANTS to please you and then...only then can you begin to think of rosettes and trophies.

To all the parents - and I am one too, in the end it is absolutely worth it. The tenacity, confidence, steadfast discipline and dedication this sport requires will pay dividence in all aspects of life....

Belinda Martin

27/05/2022

25/05/2022

An Open Letter to Parents of Horse-Crazy Kids

The future of our industry will always be our youth. It’s a statement that has stood the test of time, and one that undoubtedly resonates with everyone who already has the horse bug. But what about the parents who find themselves suddenly catapulted into the world of riding lessons, horse keeping expenses, horse shows or competitions, and – drumroll – a possible lifestyle change?

Chances are you have encountered new friends at the barn who are wavering on the edge of whether to wholeheartedly embrace this exhilarating yet outrageously pricey passion of their child’s. Having teetered on the precipice myself as a one-time horse show mom, if I have a chance to talk to other parents who are new at the game, here’s what I might say:

An Engaged Child Makes for a Happier Household
Every parent has a dream of a child occupied with a healthy activity and of course, staying out of trouble. It’s no secret to us experienced horse parents that horses keep kids tremendously busy, and often horses are the object of obsession well before thoughts turn to boyfriends or girlfriends.
And the good news about Friday nights? They’re frequently spent packing for a horse show instead of attending a maybe not so desirable party. This was especially appealing when my daughter was a teenager, and the best part was her time online was often filled watching You Tube videos of horses for sale.

Responsibility – Horses Really Do Teach It
I’m sure it’s your goal to bring up a responsible youth adult into this world. From cleaning stalls to learning to place a living being’s needs about their own, horses teach a child responsibility automatically. Sometimes you’ll find your kiddo might have to forego a fun activity to sit with a sick horse, or get up at the crack of dawn to feed, or work harder than ever to overcome an obstacle, all in the name of the love of the horse.

Communication is a Side Benefit
The teenage years are incomparable to anything else, and sometimes communicating is an uphill battle. But with a horse-crazy teen, when you have nothing else to talk about, you can always talk “horse.” It’s like this beautiful little gift that you can pull out whenever your teen is sulky or when you all need to change the subject.
Plus, your child is exposed to other ways of communication and teamwork in this journey of riding; methods of using body language, or voice, or leg and hand cues to connect with an animal with a mind of its own is priceless. Sometimes those skills, and the topic of horses, are also avenues to connect to other like-minded kids. I was able to watch my daughter develop leadership and communication skills I had never expected.

Family Time is Automatic
Family time? It’s automatically part of the lifestyle of competing with horses. If your daughter or son has a horse show, the whole family is involved with roles as groom, picture taker, and emotional support team. Activities with horses are not solitary events, and when you’re able to invite extended family out to watch, or can plan a family trip around an out of town show, it’s icing on the cake.
Lifetime Friendships are Included
Other perks I didn’t expect when my daughter began showing at the age of six were the friendships that resulted, and many became lifelong relationships. In a world of unfriending and drama, more of those friendships stuck than any other into adulthood. Even though the horse industry has its own drama, somehow the horses become a type of glue that transcended the pettiness and outlasted everything.
That culture of connectedness formed some pretty awesome friendships for me as a parent, too.

A Worthwhile Investment
The scariest part of horses are the expense, and there’s no getting around it. My peers, when I was an educator, laughingly would tell me that paying for my daughter’s horse addiction was cheaper than rehab. While the statement perhaps was not politically correct, it rang true when I watched other kids with too much time on their hands get into some scary trouble, while mine was on the phone with her friends about the latest horse she had seen advertised on the internet.

So while it’s expensive, and at times out of reach, and you might find yourself in a position to need borrow money to buy a horse of all things, my advice to you is this: take the chance.

Because, before you know it, as my mom always said, they’ll be grown and gone to make their own way, and the responsible, caring and goal-driven young adult standing before you will have taken the place of that horse-crazy kid who had the opportunity to explore her dream”.

Author unknown.

24/05/2022

https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2022/05/23/ride-and-die-a-look-into-why-riders-struggle-with-body-image-distortion-and-eating-disorders/

BY ANNABELLE JONES One hundred thousand dollars. For many people, this is a significant portion of their home, multiple vehicles, or even a lifetime of groceries. But for an equestrian athlete, this can be the cost of a competitive horse. Even more surprising is the cost of a horse… for a teenager...

22/05/2022

Read , let it sink in, then read again :

“No. 1. Get your tack and equipment just right, and then forget about it and concentrate on the horse.

No. 2. The horse is bigger than you are, and it should carry you. The quieter you sit, the easier this will be for the horse.

No. 3. The horse's engine is in the rear. Thus, you must ride your horse from behind, and not focus on the forehand simply because you can see it.

No. 4. It takes two to pull. Don't pull. Push.

No. 5. For your horse to be keen but submissive, it must be calm, straight and forward.

No. 6. When the horse isn`t straight, the hollow side is the difficult side.

No. 7. The inside rein controls the bending, the outside rein controls the speed.

No. 8. Never rest your hands on the horse's mouth. You make a contract with it: "You carry your head and I'll carry my hands."

No. 10. Once you've used an aid, put it back.

No. 11. You can exaggerate every virtue into a defect.

No. 12. Always carry a stick, then you will seldom need it.

No. 13. If you`ve given something a fair trial, and it still doesn't work, try something else—even the opposite.

No. 14. Know when to start and when to stop. Know when to resist and when to reward.

No. 15. If you're going to have a fight, you pick the time and place.

No. 16. What you can't accomplish in an hour should usually be put off until tomorrow.

No. 17. You can think your way out of many problems faster than you can ride your way out of them.

No. 18. When the horse jumps, you go with it, not the other way around.

No. 19. Don`t let over-jumping or dull routine erode the horse's desire to jump cleanly. It's hard to jump clear rounds if the horse isn't trying.

No. 20. Never give up until the rail hits the ground.

No. 21. Young horses are like children—give them a lot of love, but don't let them get away with anything.

No. 22. In practice, do things as perfectly as you can; in competition, do what you have to do.

No. 23. Never fight the oats.

No. 24. The harder you work, the luckier you get."

~Bill Steinkraus

19/05/2022

So you get yourself a horse – the cheapest part was the purchase price! Now comes the reality of the costs. There are certain standards that obviously must be met- feed, water, care, health, but are there extra “frills” that may not be urgently required? I have seen horses live happily, healthily off grazing, natural water sources and occasional health checks.

Your first decision will have to be – is this a competitive horse, a working horse, a pleasure ride or a family pet. Each of these need a different approach to their care.

If looking after your own horse, do you have the knowledge and time required? Feeding, recognizing illness, recognizing and treatment of minor wounds. Plans in the case of emergencies or if you are away.

Then there is also offered full livery, part livery and D.I.Y. Again, do you have the time required to care and provide for your horse? With D.I.Y. you will have to make time in your schedule for daily checks and feeding. It may also require you to cancel plans if your horse gets sick.

What kind of horse owner are you? Hysterical because some hair is missing and the appearance is “ruined”. Horse has a wardrobe of blankets, tack, etc. for every possible occasion. More natural approach with a horses will be horses attitude? Something in-between?

Are you wanting lessons? Is the instructor knowledgeable and helpful? Are you wanting to compete at the local shows or try for something larger? Does the instructor know rules and regulations to help guide you? It’s very funny to hear an angry parent tell the Judge they don’t know what they are doing because their Instructor told them so! Be careful of the Instructor who is quick to blame everyone else for any problems.

“One size” does not fit all. There are options available to clients regarding keeping of horses. What is the client looking for, what is their budget, what is their expectations? Be honest with yourself and if you decide to move – be honest and polite to the yard owner – after all, you DID trust them with your horse!