Third Quarter Electives Week 2012

Greetings! Four lucky Oliverian students recently spent their mornings traveling to a horse farm in northern Vermont to learn more about riding and driving horses. A special thank you goes out to Greenbank Hollow Farm, and to Patty and Bruce, for their amazing hospitality and for the enriching experience they were able to provide our students.

Our first day we learned how to harness a horse and drive a single horse cart. We had the pleasure of driving a Morgan gelding named Bart, who came to Bruce and Patty all the way from an Amish community in Ohio. Bart seemed to enjoy the attention from the students and was very patient while we learned.

The next two days we learned the fundamentals of riding a western horse, specifically a reining horse. Stranger, the horse we rode, was once a World Champion in the Reined Cow Horse event in Texas and has since retired. Stranger demonstrated that age really IS only a number; even at 20 years old Stranger still had all of his bells and whistles!

[ Kate and Melissa receiving instruction from Bruce ]

[ Matt riding one-handed, like a true cowboy! ]

Thursday we worked with Bart once again – whom Bruce and Patty call ‘Uncle Bart’, or ‘Bart the Bully’. Apparently Bart has similar attributes similar to our Taco – he’s very bossy with other horses.  Bart is used regularly for english riding lessons for Patty’s students.

We closed our week on Friday with a beautiful horse-drawn sleigh ride through very pretty wooded trails across from the farm. Our horses were Sunny and Bart. Bart is Sunny’s Uncle, hence where the name ‘Uncle Bart’ came from. Sunny came from the same Amish family in Ohio. I was shocked to hear that Sunny is only 3 years old and already such a nice driving horse. He is a true testament to the amazing quality of driving horses the Amish can produce. I’ve driven many horses that were raised and trained by the Amish and I have always been impressed.

                                                                        

[ Tim and Matt try to duck out of the photo; Sunny and Bart ]

We had a wonderful time visiting Greenbank Hollow Farm and learned many things about different styles of riding and driving. Horses are pretty amazing in that they can offer so many possibilities to those who dabble in their world.

Winter is finally here!

Hello everyone! The last few weeks have finally felt like winter, and we are doing our best to stay warm. Horses stay warm from digesting their hay, but us humans aren’t so fortunate – so we’ve been doing a lot of indoor activities. When we do brave the cold, on the 30 degree and above days, we are often doing chores or beautifying our horses. Each horse received a well-deserved grooming and many were given fresh bridle paths, and Aries’ mane was roached. Roaching a mane simply means to shave it all off, and when it grows back in it sticks straight up into a mohawk style. This is Aries’ signature look, and he will definitely be sporting a nice ‘hawk this summer!

  
Every horse now has a braided tail, thanks to Allison!
Keeping a horses tail braided keeps their tail cleaner while also promoting the tail to grow longer.

 
The clippers were dusted off to help our horses look more polished.
We’re excited to see Aries’ mane go from non-existent to full-on-mohawk!

 
Students from the Mountain Valley Treatment Center tested their memorization skills when naming the parts
of the western saddle and bridle, and then were rewarded by being taught how to clean and condition the equipment. A significant lesson that horseback riding, and horse management, teaches us is to be responsible with our equipment.

We hope you are staying warm, too, wherever you may be!

Introducing…Scooter!

Everyone please give a warm, and belated, welcome to our newest horse – Scooter! Scooter came to us from his generous owner in Massachusetts. He is a 5 year old buckskin Quarter Horse. Scooter  loves trail riding and receiving treats from the students, especially peppermints. Scooter and Dolly are the best of friends, or so he believes, and can often be found grazing or munching on hay together.

 

Finally! An update!

Hello everyone! I apologize for the lengthy absence on the UVSC equine blog, but I can explain.  I am Ashley, the new Director of Equine Services, and I am still (yes, STILL!) learning the ropes around the UVSC. The last six weeks have been a whirlwind of learning a new environment, learning new trail routes, meeting a lot of wonderful people, and, of course, meeting and learning about our amazing horses. Sadly, one of our furry friends has left our facility and headed back to his owners. Thunder will be greatly missed by our students. We wish him a happy retirement. The rest of the herd is healthy, happy, and hoping for a short winter.

The equine center after our freak October snow storm.

I relocated to New Hampshire from Michigan and come to the UVSC with 16 years of horse experience and an Equine Science degree from the University of Findlay. When I’m not in the barn with the students and the horses I enjoy playing with my dog Oakley, knitting, writing, and reading.

 
A few photos of myself doing ‘horsey things’ – helping a judge at a Ranch Horse show, and with my first mare Molly.

More updates and photos soon to come. Stay tuned!

Brrrrrrrring on the Frost!

October has come blasting into the horse club and has brought many events with it!  Take a look at how we survived our first week of October 2011…

Bye Flicka!  This week the horse club said farewell to Flicka as she headed back to her home in Maine.  Thank you to her family for letting her be apart of the program!  This plucky pony will surely be missed!

Welcome to Dolly!  One equine leaves and another one arrives!  Dolly travels to the UVSC horse herd from Connecticut.  She is an 8 year old Quarter horse mare and a very solid trail horse.  She is the only mare in the herd but she is just the lady to fearlessly lead the geldings on many rides!  Stay tuned for more pictures and information on Dolly to appear on the UVSC Horses page.

Brrrrrrr…!  Yes, the frost has arrived.  You know what is coming next…

Chance with Skippy and Joe with Aries are all smiles as they head out on their first official fall ride.  It was the also the first ride of the season where we had to head back because riders were cold! 

What a shape!  Taco shows off his fall shadow.

What a view!  There is nothing nicer than getting to see all the herd out with riders enjoying the afternoon.  Horses and riders have had a fun week!

Full Monday

What a day for the UVSC horses!  Monday is our busiest day and this one was no different.  It is great to have the weather to be out on the horses so much because as you can see below the colors are changing which means soon we will be buried in snow!

Flicka gives a nice greeting through the early morning fog.

Does this look like a familiar scene?  Horses have been kicked out of their new barn for a cow auction and are down at the old set up.  Skippy seems to remember what is required of him!

Students stroll down the Smith path on a fall bareback ride.

Some of the horses have gotten into a weed which has left them especially…FROTHY!

Jane and Thunder give their best rock star pose!

Matteo enjoys his first ride with Equine Club.  In the background Jamie looks terrified at her experience!

Tyler and Aries enjoy a splash through Dead Moose Pond.  In the background Kevin tries to show Skippy how to go through the water.

Teeth to Ass!

Taco gets his teeth floated by Dr. Glass. 

Lily and Oliver get nice and close to the camera.  Those longears do not even fit in the frame!

Thunder and Kassi stop and enjoy the view for a moment during their morning ride. 

Reflections

Can you name the horse in the water tub?

August 29-September 2

No internet last week but that does not mean that horses were not up to their usual business!  Take a look a what when on…

Koty, Thunder, and Taco enjoy some time on the lawn after Hurricane Irene passed through.

Can you find Lily and Oliver?  The donkeys enjoy some time in the long grass after being kept inside during the rain.

Students watch a staff member picking out hind feet on Aries. 

Koty peeks out from the barn during the rain.  He had no intentions of muddy-ing up his nice grey coat!

Mmmmm!  Carrots fresh from the garden!

Jamie examines Thunders hoof before going on a ride.

Is there a better way to welcome the fall weather than to pick apples from horseback?

Butt break!  Jamie, Joe, and Chance enjoy a break at the lower cabin on their way up to the top of Iron Mountain.

Aries, Teddy, Koty, and Skippy relax in a lush field after putting in a good work week.  Have a nice weekend boys!

Damage from Irene

Where has the blog gone?  Due to the rains from Irene the internet is not working at UVSC.  Look for the blog to be updated next week but in the meantime enjoy this photo from when horses first arrived on the UVSC land back in September 2009!