Welcome to our second edition of The Horse Connections Gazette! We are going to be bringing you up-to-date news about our farm, helpful articles and bright stories for a better future in 2009!
Chasco Fiesta Parade
Riding in the Summertime
Whether you are an adult riding or you have a child in our program, it is important to hydrate before and after riding. Gatorade is ideal (Powerade is another good drink), as well as good old-fashioned water. Believe it or not, room temperature water is much better for your body than ice cold water. Parents please send your children with their liquids and if needed, snack. We do not have a water cooler, and are not able to provide these items.
Sunblock is essential – please – even for your children! Sunglasses with UVA/UVB lenses are also helpful if you are in the sun a lot.
Horses are also sensitive to this time of year! We put sun block on light or white noses, and we make sure they are not worked in a lesson in the noon sun. If they are ridden during this time, it is very lightly. They even get Gatorade because it is true that you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. Gatorade, or some form of electrolyte replacement helps prevent dehydration.
Lessons will be scheduled a bit later in the day so we can avoid some rains and catch the cooler part of the day.
So help us help you and please adhere to summer rules for riding!
What Does It Cost To Own a Horse?
Many people wonder what it would be like to simply own their own horse and perhaps even put it in their backyard to save on boarding. To give everyone an idea of what is spent on a horse, consider the following:
Monthly Expenses:
Hay: $72.00
Grain: $70.00
De-wormer: $12.00
Hoof Trim: $30.00 (if shod, $75.00)
Shavings/stall filler: $20.00
Fly Spray: $12.00
Sand Clear: $10.00
Total Monthly Expense: $221.00
Associated Expenses:
Land cost: Varies, but not cheap!
To build a stall: $400.00
Fence repairs: Varies
Barn help: Varies
Water & electric for the barn: Varies depending on barn size
Arena/arena repairs: 300.00 a truckload for footing; maintenance minimum of three hours a week; watering – cost of water and electricity
Emergency Vet Call: Starts at 300.00
Obviously, owning a horse is a serious commitment. Imagine owning ten! We still have some horses available for half lease, so please consider this to see if you are committed to owning.
Riding Lessons
This summer we are only offering private and semi-private (2 riders) lessons. Because of our summer rains and many anticipated rainouts we will not be offering group lessons over the summer. Our group lessons will resume in October, with registration in September. Private lessons are $160 /mo. for 4 lessons, and semi-private is just $90/mo for 3 lessons, allowing us a week to fit in makeup lessons.
As we grow, we are really concentrating on enhancing our riding program through education both under saddle and in the barn. Please stay tuned for posted events such as horse shows and field trips.
Who Cleans the Barn Area?
There are many children and adults who come through our barn in a day! We have our lessons, both private and group, parents, children and volunteers sitting at the table in the common area, not to mention our horses! This all adds up to a sometimes messy ending to the day. Please remember this “common area” is home to our boarders and also is the front yard to the residents of the home next to the barn. It is the responsibility of the riders to bring all tack and grooming supplies back into the tack shed and placed back in the proper place. Tack should be wiped off and bits washed off before being put back. It is the responsibility of everyone to clean up and throw out their own garbage. If you are a parent, please make sure your child does this. If you are a rider or adult bringing food and drink, please clean up after yourself.
Summer Camp
Summer Camp dates, please check the website for details and registration information www.rockinhorsefarm.org.
Teen/ Counselor Camp: June 8th – 12th This year we will be hosting a week of counselor camp for kids 12 and up who want to volunteer to help with Kids Camp, this week is also open to all teens. The week will include counselor training, CPR and First Aid training, as well as riding and lots of fun!
Kids Camp: June 15th – 19th (this week is full), July 6th – 10th, July 13th – 17th, August 3rd – 7th, and August 10th – 14th 6 hours of fabulous fun per day. We will ride every day and we will cover things like; anatomy, parts of the saddle and tack, grooming tools, hoof care, horse nutrition, horse eyesight, breeds and color patterns, barn cleaning, riding disciplines, and lots more...like fun arts and crafts projects, nature walks, and water activities.
Horse Connections Camp: June 22nd – 26th and a NEW WEEK HAS BEEN ADDED July 27th - 31st A special week of camp for our special needs riders, both adults and kids are welcome. A shorter day, but still packed with lots of fun riding and projects too.
Proper Barn Conduct
Confident Horse Handling
Horses are majestic creatures, plain and simple. Who doesn’t admire them for their strength and beauty? Many people would love to spend time around horses, but they are intimidated by their size and power, and others do not have an understanding of a horse’s behavior, which keeps them from progressing with their horse handling and even their riding. Even those of us who do feel at home in the barn often don’t think about why we are comfortable around horses. The more time you spend around the barn the more you will notice that horses are very social animals who love attention, and we can learn a lot about how a horse will behave by observing a group of horses interacting with each other. Yes, each horse has its own personality and “issues”, just like us. However, there are some things that are universal to horses because of being a herd animal, and others due to the fact that horses are not predators, but actually are plant eating prey animals and instinctually prefer “flight” to “fight” when they feel they are in danger.
When horses are just socializing with each other there is an order to their group. One horse is in charge, and then every other horse has its place in line. A large part of how horses establish who is in charge has to do with how they perceive each other, and by the use of positive and negative reinforcement of behaviors. The horse that has the most confidence and bravado ends up in charge. How is this important when we are spending time with horses? Well, for starters, we have to be in charge when it comes to our relationship with a horse or a group of horses, because we don’t have size or strength on our side! In order for us to be safe and enjoy our interactions with equines we must demand respect and establish ourselves as the boss. Back in the olden days, people thought this meant that you had to break a horse’s spirit, and many abusive practices arose from this idea. Quite the opposite is true though, a horse wants to belong to a group, even if that group is just you and the horse. All it really takes is acting like you are the lead horse! Watch Cricket or Kashi over at Ms. Amy’s house and you will see what it takes. You will act proud and CONFIDENT, you will ask your horse to move over or get out of your way (lunging your horse accomplishes this very well), not to be mean, but to remind them regularly of your status. You will not accept any aggression or silly behavior that could be dangerous to you, by using negative reinforcement, just a poke, a prod or asking your horse to back up usually gets the message across. You will also spend lots of time using positive reinforcement to encourage the behaviors you do like and want from your horse (yes, this is when it’s okay to give treats as a reward). Once you have spent the time establishing your relationship with your horse, it takes very little effort to maintain and you will find that your relationship with your horse will move to a whole new level.
Horse Connections Update Big News
We received our non-profit 501 (c) 3 designation from the IRS!!! This is big, because we can now really do some fundraising and keep this program going! We are working on some grants already, but these will take a while. Once you write the grant and submit it there is usually a waiting period before the foundation or company even reviews all submitted grants and then they approve some, but not others. It can take up to a year only to find out you weren’t approved for the grant you are seeking. We are trying to choose only grants that fit the work we do very well as that will improve our chance of success. So, in the mean time please consider joining us as a supporting member, just visit the website to join http://horseconnection.org/membership.aspx and thanks so much!