I moved from a small town of oh, about 4,000 people located about two hours outside of Phoenix, to the grand, sun-filled city of Phoenix, Arizona, with my two horses. The small town in the middle of the desert no-where had limited horse-facilities. Horse board consisted of shade covers that were small and holey, dirt had washed away from monsoon rains to reveal clumps of concrete and hard rock, and the heavy metal bars had long-since eroded and had begun to come un-welded, hanging precariously from their posts. Continue reading “How I Negotiated Lower Horse Board Rates”
Category: Equestrian
Should Riders Earn Their Stirrups?
Are You Serious?
“Leg first, hands, second!”
I can still hear my riding instructor yelling across the arena as I battled with my pony Snoopy to control his flinging head. As a young and inexperienced rider, I had no idea what that meant. Applying leg means my pony will go faster, right? I did not want Snoopy to go any faster – we were already lapping the other students in our group session. The understanding of hands and leg when riding was a hard one to grasp and can still be a challenge even today, even with many years of riding experience under my belt.
As I matured, I outgrew Snoopy and moved on to much larger (and challenging) creatures. My instructor decided to try a new concept she had read about and incorporated some no stirrups exercises into our lessons. The first time I rode without stirrups I slid sideways off the lesson horse, landing feet first on the ground in disbelief and embarrassment. Why was this so hard? I had been riding for several years at that point and hadn’t fallen off in forever! My instructor then asked if I was alright, and then we spent the rest of the lesson -to my horror- without stirrups. Continue reading “Should Riders Earn Their Stirrups?”
Homemade Horse Treats with 4 Ingredients
I’m always looking for ways to save money, especially when it comes to my expensive hobby (aka horses).
Horses are wonderful. As a young girl horses kept me out of trouble and busy after school and on weekends. They need care, love, direction, and instruction, all things I was eager to give as these 4-legged creatures held the center stage in my life.
The problem with anything equine, is that it costs money. Horse board, veterinarian bills, lessons, the riding and showing attire, the grooming tools, feed, etc. all add up, and quickly. Big animals cost big bucks, and over the years I have found ways to save a few bucks here and there. Continue reading “Homemade Horse Treats with 4 Ingredients”