SADDLE FITTING CLINIC

Ten miracles happened today at Pine Dell farm in freezing weather. Why did 10 people venture out of their warm houses to attend a 3 hour clinic with the temperature around 15 degrees?  Because most of us are just nuts! Our 3 hour Savvy Day lesson was about saddle positioning with shims. First we rode our horses and evaluated how they were going. Then we trooped inside to the warm lounge. We looked at a couple of saddles inside the heated lounge sitting on a barrel. Jenny told us how…

Sage Brings Happiness

 In a soap opera story, Sage is now leased to a very nice woman at Pine Dell.  Sage's new mom has two twin 16 year old daughters with horses at Pine Dell.  They work very hard for their horse's cost.  They clean stalls, feed, water and now they have been promoted to riding instructors under supervision.  They take Monday night group lessons from Jenny and I ride in that lesson too. They are the best!  Mom has faithfully come to all their lessons.  She works at Pine Dell in the summer to…

Nova’s Notebook – Wretched Baby Horse!

 I guess it had to happen.  I've been very careful.  When amoung horses that are eating, I watch out.  When taking horses into or out of the pasture with lots of other horses, I've been very careful.  I've been careful riding with other riders too.  I've seen some people get kicked by other rider's horses.  I try and not get my leg in that position.  Careful, though I was, I got kicked today.   I was among my own herd.  They were all eating hay peacefully.  Everyone had their own…

JR’s Journal – 2005 Update of the Past and Present

  JR is out of Jack's Sensation and Bob Blackwoods demonstration mare...Yankee bloodlines.  I bought him when he was three days old.  I saw him fox trot. The Yankee side of him is very athletic and can do flying lead changes.  I needed a very athletic horse.  I doubted Velvet would make it through the lead change tasks of level 3 and JR was to be the backup L3 horse.   JR was supposed to be about a 15H horse, but he turned into a 15.3 hand horse.  Jenny started…

JR’s Journal – Wil E Coyote!

   September 18,  2004 JR and I are going to participate in our first Level 3 clinic with premier PNH 5 Star Instructor, Dave Ellis. I decided to practice a few things that Dave had us do last year. I was riding the immortal Velvet in that clinic.Here's what we had to do. In the 40 acre hay field, we had to do drop to a walk lead changes around the perimeter of the field. This is a flat field. When you are in the middle of this tract of…

Nova’s Notebook – Birth Event 2004!

Nova was born in 2004.  I was attached to her legs when she came out.  I've been attached to her ever since in many ways! I slept in the barn for two weeks.  I slept in the tack room hiding from Sage.  I had a camera and the TV was at my bed in the tack room.  It was cold at night. That's when God whispered to me these words, "electric blanket."  Oh how wonderful that was!  I was teaching a class at work.  I would come in shined up…