Marsh Creek Meadows Equestrian

We've been hearing a lot about colic lately ... here are a few winter tips ... plus water ... make sure your horse is drinking. Dehydration is dangerous. Thank you Lollypop Farm for sharing this.

A recent study performed at the University of Tennessee proved that ground poles at the walk increase muscle activity in both the longissimus dorsi (major back ...muscle group running along the spine) and the abdominal muscles. Ground poles at the trot increase muscle activity of the abdominal muscles. This confirms what we have often recommended, that cavaletti poles will increase strength and stability of the topline and abdominal muscles. For those looking for cavalettis to add to their schooling regimen-https://premierequestrian.com/product/quick-cavaletti/ Photo by @premierequestrian

This morning was filled with everyone trying to stay warm for groundwork/in hand lessons. Note Triggers stylish toboggan!

This is why I cancel lessons 15 or below and caution anyone who rides while it's colder. It's important to still come to the barn and there's plenty to do without getting your horse's heart rate too high, stay warm today!

So excited to host some Jump 4 Joy simulated XC clinics this summer - May 22nd will be coached by.moi I have some pretty special guest clinicians coming int...o to teach also - can you guess who they might be?! July 24th - she basically saved the Kentucky 5* event. A multiple 5* rider with several Kentuckys, Badmintons and Burghleys to her name - this Pan American team coach specializes in Unicorns Sept 11th - Olympic and World Three Day Event medalist, this local 5* meastro is hard to pin down for coaching as he very busy nation wide.. Details soon on Strider

I'm considering auditing this clinic if any one is interested in joining me! Either Saturday or Sunday

The apparel store is open! Follow the link to see the items on the store. The store will close December 26th and items will be available for pick up at the barn the week of January 31st! https://shirts.signworkssportswear.com/marsh_creek_m//home

The riders alignment is as important as anything.

Good thing they practice no stirrup November!!

"No. 1. Get your tack and equipment just right, and then forget about it and concentrate on the horse. No. 2. The horse is bigger than you are, and it should ca...rry you. The quieter you sit, the easier this will be for the horse. No. 3. The horse's engine is in the rear. Thus, you must ride your horse from behind, and not focus on the forehand simply because you can see it. No. 4. It takes two to pull. Don't pull. Push. No. 5. For your horse to be keen but submissive, it must be calm, straight and forward. No. 6. When the horse isn`t straight, the hollow side is the difficult side. No. 7. The inside rein controls the bending, the outside rein controls the speed. No. 8. Never rest your hands on the horse's mouth. You make a contract with it: "You carry your head and I'll carry my hands." No. 9. If the horse can't learn to accept what you're doing, it isn't any good. No. 10. Once you've used an aid, put it back. No. 11. You can exaggerate every virtue into a defect. No. 12. Always carry a stick, then you will seldom need it. No. 13. If you`ve given something a fair trial, and it still doesn't work, try something elseeven the opposite. No. 14. Know when to start and when to stop. Know when to resist and when to reward. No. 15. If you're going to have a fight, you pick the time and place. No. 16. What you can't accomplish in an hour should usually be put off until tomorrow. No. 17. You can think your way out of many problems faster than you can ride your way out of them. No. 18. When the horse jumps, you go with it, not the other way around. No. 19. Don`t let over-jumping or dull routine erode the horse's desire to jump cleanly. It's hard to jump clear rounds if the horse isn't trying. No. 20. Never give up until the rail hits the ground. No. 21. Young horses are like childrengive them a lot of love, but don't let them get away with anything. No. 22. In practice, do things as perfectly as you can; in competition, do what you have to do. No. 23. Never fight the oats. No. 24. The harder you work, the luckier you get." ~Bill Steinkraus

We are looking forward to our upcoming 2022 summer camp season! Mark your calendars because registration will open up on December 1st and we want YOU to join u...s for another great year. Residential Camp Girls Week 1-June 19th-June 24th Residential Camp Girls Week 2-June 26th-July 1st Residential Camp Girls Week 3-July 3rd-July 8th Residential Camp Girls Week 4-July 10th-July 15th Day Camp Girls & Boys Week 5-July 18th-July 21st Residential Camp Girls Week 6- July 24th-July 29th Follow the link for more information . . . https://houghtonsummercamps.com/summer-equestrian-camp/ #hcequestriancamp #houghtoncollege

Rainer had his first few hacks this weekend! He's settling in well!

‘I want to just ride’ - Say this to any seasoned professional in the game and they will look at you like ‘Oh honey’ You have to learn to be a rider, groom, h...orseman/women, business owner, lead a team, handle clients and alongside all this you’ve still got to muck out and pick a broom up until you can earn enough money to have someone help you do this whilst you are doing something else to earn this said money. ‘I want to just ride’ doesn’t exist and if you see someone doing that you have no idea how hard they worked to get in that position. So get sweeping my friend #reality #horseworld #equestrianlife #horseriding #horserider #dressagerider #truth #equestrianstyle #equine #horsemanship

Welcome to the MCM family Rainer! It was time to add some color into our mix!

We kicked off show season at the Orleans County Spring show with 8 riders! Congrats to Lauren for her reserve champion in the 13 and under division! Ella rode Danny very tactfully and brought home lots of ribbons! ... Sophia, Morgan, Jane and Haleigh all placed in multiple classes in their HUGE walk trot division. Mya passed her evaluation to show as a cloverbud at fair! Congrats to each of the riders and horses on a day well spent!

Kaitlin took Disoranno to his first horse show today! Bred by Karen Vick of Lakefront Farm LLC!

A very happy kid and a very happy Lopez Sophia has been helping to get lopez back in shape after having 6 months off this winter!

All our horses are such good sports!

Merry Christmas from some of our MCM horses, ponies and riders!

Horsemanship... What people see vs what they don't see. It's so easy to look at others' social media posts, or see them winning at a show and think 'they are so... perfect...' In reality what we are seeing is their highlight reel. The tip of the iceberg. As horsemen and women we all have challenges to face, no matter how successful we become. But don't we become much better people for it? See more

Keeping warm while cooling out their ponies!

A beautiful crispy morning!

Anyone interested in attending camp, this is the place to go! Larissa who came out during the spring is the manager here and they have great additional staff and counselors!

This cold weather has the horses feeling good!

Fall time @LakefrontFarmLLC

Everyone is enjoying this 50 day in December! @LakefrontFarmLLC

Winter breeches are on sale at Chewy! Your pet will love this TuffRider Children's Unifleece Pull-On Stretch Fleece Knee Patch Winter Breeches https://app.chewy.com/qTxKXdFTLab

Growing up so fast! Diso bred by Lakefront Farm LLC.

Update on Diso bred by Lakefront Farm LLC. He is being such a star with his under saddle work and additional ground work from free lunging to ground driving. We are excited for this boy to come home and get into the program! He will be available for lease in the coming months

Check out that grotty toilet! Thought I like the seatbelt analogy too.

I was scared today. I was scared to get on, scared to walk out the yard because I had a bad ride the day before. One bad ride, and it made me scared. I didn’t... know why. I’ve had 1000 bad rides. I’ve had 1000 falls. I’ve broken bones and bruised my pride on countless occasions, but today I was scared. Why? Because confidence is fragile. It takes months and years to build and seconds to lose and yet we are so careless with it. When we get on a horse, we wear a hat to protect our head. We wear body protectors, gloves, boots... We pay so much attention to protecting ourselves physically, we forget that our minds are not invincible, and our confidence certainly is not. Your bank of confidence needs regular deposits, not just from others... but from you. Self confidence is the most valuable currency in life. When you go to get on, and you hesitate, you falter and you start to ask yourself can I do this?, chances are, your account is almost empty. Every time you laugh and say oh no, I’m no good or so and so is 10x better than me, you make a withdrawal from that account, and before you know it, your account is empty and you’re scared to get on. But every time you say I’m really pleased with how that went or I think I rode that really well, your balance increases. We need to learn to give ourselves a break, pat ourselves on the back and allow ourselves to feel proud of where we are - after all, most of the time we’ve worked bloody hard to get there! Recognising your strengths is just as important as recognising your weaknesses. Never allow yourself or anyone else to empty that account. Confidence is valuable, don’t bankrupt yourself.

Diso and Dubo update! Both boys have had a rider on them! Diso is walk trot canter under saddle while Dubo is making progress with maturity and we are excited to see a rider on his back. We are so excited to see where the remainder of the semester takes them and getting them home to enjoy them and keep them going. Both boys are bred and owned by Lakefront Farm LLC.

There's no other words to describe our last horse show than proud and of course always grateful. I'm so proud of the students who worked their tails off. They moved up divisions with Lauren in the 2', Sophia in Crossrails and Mya in Walk trot. Kat had solid jumping patterns and was able to complete her division with Lilly (Owned by Lakefront Farm LLC). Each student faced challenges and took them head on and conquered them. I'm so proud of our lesson horses. Really though they... each have a special place in my heart and I think all the students hearts too. They are kind, gentle when needed, sassy when needed and love their jobs. Thank you Karen Vick for Lilly, Jann Davis for Jack, Kat Ferry/Forrestal Farm for Lopez and (not at the show) Connie Zimicki for Dixie and Linda Fuller for Staree. Each of these horses are pillars in the program and I'm so grateful to have them as part of my herd. I'm so proud of the parents! While most of my kids are new so are their parents and just as much learning has taken place for them as their kids. I was not worried about anyone needing assistance, they had it! I'm super grateful for Mom whose gone to every show with us this summer pulling out the years of expertise in being a horse show mom and helping as everyone's mom. And Mat who was our second hauler this weekend and stepped in (while there was a Bills game happening!) while we were missing our groom Haleigh! A big and final thank you to Karen and Shawn Vick, the owners of Lakefront Farm LLC! We are so lucky to operate out of this beautiful facility and share the love for this farm. And now we wait for Baby Clays arrival and looking forward to the places our team grows to this winter!

Check out the photos from this weekend!

Look at the progress the students at Houghton College are making with Diso and Dubo (bred by Lakefront Farm, LLC)! The headless rider catches us off guard every time

Everyone has a place at Lakefront Farm, LLC. Especially if it's to share some loving

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