March Break???? Already??

Well that snuck up on me.  I wasn't thinking of anything other than how it feels so much like winter!

I don't have anything specific planned for the March Break week, mostly because there isn't much room for riding or even for the horses to move around much with all the snow in the corral.  However, if you are looking for something to do, feel free to contact me, even on short notice!

We can do indoor lessons (see "winter group topics") or if we can get a group together we can do a half day, involving chores, cats, goats, horses, and hay.  I'm still thinking it through but I'm sure if you're looking for something fun to do I can help you out with that.

I'm so much looking forward to seeing all my riders again, even if we wait a few more months.  It's been the most difficult winter I can ever remember, but I know it will end... because of science.  The horses have started shedding!  It's the longer hours of daylight that signal the shedding of the winter hair.  This is how I know that even if it feels like the cold will never end, it has to!

Not quite business as usual yet...

Well, I hope everybody is surviving the deep freeze we've been having!  I had lessons planned this week, but I have my limits: if it's not safe to drive, or dangerously cold, all lessons will be cancelled.

I'll let you know if that happens, but if you have a time booked and you're not sure if you we're going ahead, you can reach me by phone or text or email, whatever is convenient for you.

At this point, there won't be much riding until we can get into the corral with the snowblower, or we get a thaw, whichever comes first!  The snow is now higher than the red windowsills on the east side of the barn and I've spent a lot of time shovelling around the gate. The path to the manure pile is completely drifted over, which means I now have a new manure pile just outside the barn door.  But the good news is, the water tap thawed out today and we have running water again!

The horses are fine but do appear to be getting bored! There's not much for them to do, other than eat, which is just as well because in weather this cold they need to eat more.

Usually in winter I don't ride much.  Moving snow and manure takes up a lot of time! But despite all my complaining... I'm still thankful for this job.

Ready for Winter?

You'll notice a few changes here recently: We've started putting up snow fence, the water trough has been moved into the shed, and the hay feeder is set up in the corner.  Be prepared to deal with some mud for the next few weeks.  Believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to the ground freezing solid and being covered with a few inches of soft lovely snow.  Well, except that snow never stays soft and lovely for long, especially in my barn yard!

I'm working on organizing a winter program for groups, so we have things to do over winter when the weather is too bad to ride.  I haven't decided on dates yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Stay warm!

WINTER CLOTHES LESSONS

Join me this week in my Halloween decorated barn, to figure out the best way to not freeze this winter!

*will regular winter boots keep your feet warm, but still fit safely into your stirrups?
*what kind of hat fits under a riding helmet?  Or over it?
*are snow pants ok?

*probably not, let's try them on to find out, and depends how slippery they are.



I've got a couple lessons set up specifically to learn about what to wear for winter riding.

DAYS AND TIMES - Wednesday October 23  at   4:00 pm

                                   - Thursday October 24  at  6:00 pm

COST - special price of $20 each.  Parents are free!!!

FOR WHO - all ages, boys and girls.

Bring your warm outdoor clothing, everything you've got - gloves, boots, undershirts and long johns, hats.  If you've got actual riding clothes bring them.  If you've got something that isn't meant for riding, bring it and let's see if it's suitable.  Maybe you've got hockey gear that might work.  We'll take a look at what I have and recommend.  We'll see what works and what doesn't, and be ready for the cold when it hits!


Please contact me so I know I can find a place for everybody to sit.  Hope to see you there!

Looking forward to Spring, the good and the bad.

Although the calendar says it's Spring, it very much looks and feels like Winter!  I can tell the season is changing though, because there's more daylight and the horses have been shedding for a few weeks. Apparently it's the lengthening of daylight that signals the winter coats to shed.  This would explain why they're losing hair despite the cold temperatures hanging on.  I've also noticed that they're not consuming quite as much hay as they were in the coldest months this winter, so there's proof that it has been a couple degrees warmer, despite me whining and complaining about being cold!

So here are a few things to keep in mind when you come out to ride with me:

- warm means thaw and that means MUD.  Only it's not just mud.  I strive to keep the corral clear of manure all summer, but over winter when the horses are confined to the corral, the manure does build up.  Until I can get in there with a tractor to do a big clean out, we'll have to step carefully and just accept that, well... manure happens.

- I've got a "boot brush" nailed to the fence post just beside the gate.  Give your boots a little scrub on your way out.

- Continue to wear layers - it's still cold, but you can always take off the outer layer if it gets warmer.

- HORSE HAIR.  This is going to be a thing for the next month at least!  Wear fabrics that hair slides off of, such as windbreaker jackets.  Anything made of polar fleece will be coated with hair in seconds and it does not come off easily!

- I'm encouraging young riders to learn how to use a washing machine.  Being a horse person means doing laundry.  This time of year really proves that!

- Hanging around in the barnyard can be hard on your car -- consider some newspapers on the floor mats and old sheets on the seats to keep your car from getting too dirty.

- Remember that rain doesn't have to mean cancelled lessons; you always have the option of indoor unmounted topics.  If you figure you've covered most of that and really want to get riding, we can reschedule.  My calendar still allows for plenty of flexibility.

I'm really proud of you hardy little souls who've stuck with it all winter!  This has been a harsh winter and honestly, I haven't ridden much.  By the time I've spent a few hours cleaning the barn, putting out hay and taking care of the horses, I don't feel like braving the cold wind to go ride. You guys are good stuff.  Thanks for not laughing at me in my layers of thermal coveralls and barn coats and hats and hoods!

I'm also looking forward to seeing all of you who've taken the winter off!  I can't wait to show off all the work we've done in the barn to make it a nicer place to work.

Here's hoping Spring 2013 is pleasant and until then, stay warm!

Winter Group Classes

I'd like to think that winter doesn't have to put a stop to our horse activities.  It can be difficult to brave the cold and snow and keep on riding, but for those of us who loooooove horses, it's still worth it!

But what do we do when the weather is just too harsh to saddle up?  I've given this a lot of thought over the last few months, because I really do want to keep this thing going all winter.  

I'll be trying something new as of this week.  

Wednesday at 5:00 pm will be a group class.  If you book this time, you'll have something to do regardless of what it's like outside.  If it's not riding weather, we will have a chosen topic to learn about inside the barn, because there's more to riding than just riding!  I'm getting creative about what we can do to keep these classes interesting and fun. If we luck out and get a nice day, we saddle up.

So you might be wondering how the riding part will go if I get more riders showing up than what I have horses.  I'm working on some horseback games that can be done with teams, such as relay races. We might be pleasantly surprised at what kind of horsemanship skills we can learn while having fun!  

Of course, if you've booked the lesson and decide you're not interested in doing the unmounted class, you can opt out.  Just let me know, and we can reschedule.  

I'm keeping the Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 5:00 pm time slot available for lessons all throughout winter, and if you want to book a lesson on those days, please contact me.  As always, I try to stay flexible, especially this time of year.  If it's a beautiful winter day and you want a lesson on short notice, just contact me in the afternoon and if the time's open, you are in.  You can book lessons as often or infrequently as you wish.  

Remember to dress warmly, whether we ride or not! 

The cost of these lessons is the same  -- $25 for a group lesson.  

I'll be posting each week's topic here and plan to set up a tab where you can see all the upcoming classes.  

And of course if you have any questions, feel free to contact me!