Baby Kittens - Warning it has a sad ending

On March 20th, our sweet kitten Gretel gave birth to 6 tiny baby kittens. Only 3 kittens made it through the first day. I am not sure what went wrong whether she was just to young to provide for all of them, if it was too cold, or if her milk just didn't come in but by the end of the first week they all went home to our sweet Aunt Tonia's Ranch in heaven. It was sad for all of us we were looking forward to little kittens causing trouble on the ranch. They were all so beautiful and different from each other. So lets hope that Gretel gets a little older before her next batch of cuties are born. I am so sorry to pass on this info. But we had a short glimpse of how cute those babies are.

Barn Rules Reminder!



With a new session starting I just wanted to go over some of the barn rules so there is no misunderstandings...

• All Riders must wear helmet and cowboy boots during riding lessons
• No Smoking, no alcohol and NO vulgar language
• No bullying of any kind!!! Always be polite and friendly to EVERYONE & don't talk about others
• Be nice to your horse
• Keep Outhouse door tighly closed
• No Visiting dogs or unattended children, umbrellas, bikes, balls this sort of thing that spooks horses
• Farm equipment is to be used only by Crazy Creek Family or Employees
• Riders must clean up manure from their horses while out of the corral
• Pick up all trash
• No double riding on horses
• Riding horses is only permitted in riding arenas
• Do not turn your horses loose
• Please respect our home and ranch to encourage continuing of lessons
• Do not run up to or walk closely behind a horse
• Don't feed the animals unless your asked to
• No whining and if you fall off, get back on
• Have fun and always be nice

Riding Reminders and Tips

• When riding always make sure you've got contact with your horses mouth and that your rein is tight (but not pulling) and not floppy.

If you trust the horse, it will trust you too and do what you command.

Accept that you'll fall off at some point. If you do, just mount again - treat falling off as something that is unpleasant, but not a reason to be afraid of riding.

Horses can actually tell what mood you are in when you are riding. If you are nervous, the horse will sense it and become nervous as well. That is why you should always stay relaxed and calm in the worst situations.

While trotting make sure to pull up with your legs, not the reins. If you pull up with the reins you will not be trotting for long.

Be gentle with the bit; don't yank. If your horse bolts, it is essential that you stay completely calm and you don't start getting rough with your horse. If you have a choice,start circling your horse and gradually make the circles smaller. As they get smaller, your horse will have no choice but to slow down. Do not simply yank your horse in one direction because you could (and most likely would) knock them off balance. See How to Handle Yourself on a Runaway Horse.

Remember to pick your horse's hooves, if you forget, your horse could go lame. Also stay away from the frog (a soft spot in the center of the bottom of the hoof) because if you pick at this your horse might kick, or in a bad case become permanently lame.

Make sure you're wearing the right garments and gear. They are there for safety and protection, things like proper pants, boots with heals, and a proper helmet (one made for horseback riding).

When riding you should always get on the left side. And you should never lean back the horse will think you want to run. Then it will bolt. You can fall off.

2014 Chickies have arrived!

So we hand picked 6 baby chicks (expecting a few not to make it) we got a Golden Laced Wyndotte, Blue Andalusian, White Leghorn, and 3 Araucanas (because they lay the bluish green eggs). They are so cute when we first get them but they sure grow fast so make sure you come see them quickly!

Horse riding becomes life when…

 

I came across this wonderful blog posting today when I was looking for ways that a horse improves our lives. I found it to be intriguing and thought I might share.

1. The patience you develop working with your horse becomes the patience you use with your friends and colleagues.
2. The body language you learn to communicate with becomes your source of confidence in group activities.
3. The coordination you learn on the back of the horse keeps you safe from unexpected physical mishaps.
4. Heavy lifting/pulling/pushing/hoof cleaning develops your strength enough to allow you to fluidly function under heavy loads when needed.
5. Facing your fears while on another’s four legs teaches you how to have courage in the face of life’s many difficulties.
6.You learn to temper your (often over-scheduled) daily routines by slowing down to meet the simplicity of horse life.
7. The leadership skills your horse teaches you carries into your work and relationship interactions.
8. The self-confidence you develop from knowing you can influence a powerful animal seeps into every interaction you have with people.
9. You learn from horses that it’s okay for things to get worse, because after things get worse, they always get better.
10. You discover that taking shortcuts might not be to your benefit in the long run; some things have to take the time they need to take.
11. When certain maneuvers get a little difficult (like riding through a corner), all you need is a little extra impulsion to smooth things out.
12. Sometimes, you just have to let go (especially when the horse bucks and bucks)!
13. In general, riding (life) isn’t about brute strength – it’s about gentle technique and strategy.
14. There is no such thing as a day off – you begin to value the rewards that hard work reaps.
15. The work has to get done whether you feel up to it or not – so it becomes easier to fulfill responsibilities because you know how to get the work done.
16. You understand completely how asking nicely is always better than demanding.
17. There is no such thing as instant gratification. There is only hard work and step-by-step development.
18. Perfection is always aspired to, but rarely reached!
19. The path is more important than the end result.
20. Although we all have our own “conformation faults” that might work against us, we can overcome almost anything with some time and effort.

Spring Lessons are here!

We are all so very excited to be starting our spring lessons! We will be teaching on Mondays and Wednesdays for 3 hours each night. Remember parents feedback is what makes this program better so if there is anything I can do or should know about lessons please talk to me so I can make adjustments where I can to continually keep getting better. For Spring lessons we will have Holly, Sally, Maximus and now Sweetie helping us out.

Sweetie formerly Athena

So this was the ad that got my attention...

"Athena" is a Grey mare 16 yr old and 15 hands.. she has been there done that... Trails, Rodeo, and Pulls a wagon.. this is a NICE mare.. she has done parades pulling a wagon, she has done hay rides pulling a wagon, she has been used for gathering cattle, sorting, and branding.. she has done Jr rodeo , Gymkhana , play days, she has done lessons... she has BEEN THERE DONE THAT!!! The little gal that owns her has stepped up into a faster horse.. so Athena is ready to find another family that she can teach... this is a Nice mare and just about anyone can ride her... Owners are asking $800 Come try her out you will LOVE her...

So we left Thursday night about 7:00pm and drove to Beaver to stay the night. It was me, my mom and dad and Treg. Then in the morning we drove to St. George and called... Well we still had to go 30 miles further south just on the other side of the gorge. We got there and I was not to impressed when I first looked at her. She was super skinny and kinda awkward looking. But she saddled great took the bit like a pro and stood so still for her rider to get on. Then we went to the racing arena and she was wanting to go and giving it her all. When we moved to the casual arena she was calm as could be and when I put Treg on she even took it down a notch. When I took her bridle off to halter her again she just stood so still and didn't move an inch. Same when I unsaddled her. So we brought her home! Yesterday she did fabulous in her first day of lessons at Crazy Creek!