Our motto is : "Dedicated to the holistic training and care for horse and rider"

and we often get asked what that actually means. 

 

As far our horses go, we believe there are a number of factors that go into creating and maintaining happy, healthy, high performing horses. 

 

1. Good health - we believe that majority of behavioral issues stem from pain or discomfort somewhere in the horse’s body. These issues need to be addressed before we can expect them to perform as we wish them to - to this end we work with top veterinary and body work professionals as well as farriers and barefoot trimmers to ensure our horses are as comfortable as possible. 

 

2. Good nutrition - you would not expect a child to be focused and calm if they were fed only a diet of high starch and sugar. Similarly we can’t expect horses to be focused and calm on a diet high in processed ingredients, sugar and starch. To this end we feed a highly forage based, whole food diet. 

 

3. Adequate turnout. Horses bodies are designed to be in almost constant slow, gentle motion while munching on forage. Lots of turnout not only helps keep horse’s joints moving and supple, it helps strengthen their feet, aids digestion and stomach health and improves their mental health. In good weather we keep our horses out all day and night, in the hottest days of summer we keeps our horses out overnight and inside during the hottest parts of the day and in winter we keep our horses out during the warmest parts of the day and in at night. 

 

4. Training - we believe every horse has an important job to do, whether that’s as a trail horse, lesson horse or high performing jumper or dressage mount. We believe patient, steady, correct training is the best way to ensure our horse do their jobs well and for the longest amount of time possible. 

 

5. Equipment and facilities - a marathon runner can’t run in shoes that are too small and an NBA game wouldn't go so well on a rocky mountain - similarly horses can’t perform their best in saddles and equipment that don’t fit or are painful and they can’t safely do a series of dressage movements or jumps on bad surfaces. To this end we strive to maintain our facilities and only use proper fitting, gentle equipment for the benefit of our equine partners. 

 

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As far as the rider goes - we believe stress and fear should never be a part of one’s riding experience. A fearful, stressed out rider leads to a fearful, stressed out horse and that is a recipe for disaster. Yes, challenge and progress are important but riders and horses should only be pushed when they are ready. Our trainers have years of experience and know when to push and when to nurture. 

 

We believe horse back riding has something to offer everyone and we encourage everyone’s equine aspirations - if you want to show - great! If you are serious about training but not interested in competing - also great! If you just like to get on and ride around a few times a week- that’s great too! 

 

We tailor our training program to meet every rider’s unique desires and goals. We work hard to pair riders with horses who are appropriate for their level of ability and goals. 

 

We also try to provide experiences out of the saddle, such as yoga, to help riders improve their all around well being, body control and strength to make them more effective riders in the saddle. 

 

In addition we will be bringing in visiting clinicians who will help our riders broaden their horizons and expand their knowledge.