Alberta Mental Health Group Horses Around

On Monday we had a group of folks out to interact with the horses. Pam Lindley from Alberta Mental Health, organized the outing and she and her volunteer, Ginny, brought 9 participants. When they first contacted me, I really had no idea what to expect and nor did they. We couldn't even verify the number of folks who would come. So, as I often do, we just went with the flow and let things happen. Basically, I gave them an extremely condensed version of our program, with some hands-on interaction with the horse. We used Outback Jack (aka) Applejack because he is just so easy and really inspires confidence. Everyone seemed to have a good time and I was delighted to get the following feedback from Pam yesterday.

Hi Tovie:

Thank you so much for the wonderful experience with Jack. He was such a great horse. Everyone enjoyed the evening. I am going to tell all the groups I work with of the awsome opportunity for the clients. We will definetly be back for more. Thanks also for the pictures they are great and we can start a photo album for the clients.

Thanks
Pam Lindley

Thank you Pam and Ginny for organizing this. And of course a big thank you to Jack for his calm patience. It was also a wonderful experience for me.

I love to see folks smiling after their interaction with the horses and I love sharing our horses. I feel very fortunate to have horses that allow me to have these type of experiences.

With much gratitude,
Tovie

The "Boys" see the Dentist

Hello all,
Every year we have our "boys" teeth floated during their annual check-up from our vet. This year we decided to try out a Certified Equine Dentist, Grant MacKinnon. I had seen Grant at various conferences and was interested in what he had to say about overall balance of the mouth. We found Grant to be exceptionally knowlegeable and he had a talent for effectively explaining, in layman's terms, every aspect of what he was doing. We learned so much that day and were very impressed with what we saw. However, what impressed us more were the amazing results we felt when we test drove our "boys" over the next few days. They went straighter, held a frame better, and their lateral flexion was more even on both sides. Now, I realize some of you folks may not understand what some of that means, but trust me - if you have a horse and have an opportunity to use an equine dental specialist, the results are definitely worth it.

Aside from the tremendous job he did on the "boys" teeth, Grant is an avid barefooter and gave me a couple of tips about my own barefoot trimming that will undoubtedly improve my results.

Needless to say it was one of my more memorable horse days. Interestingly, memorable horse days typically occur when I am learning something extraordinary that I think will improve lifefor the "boys", or improve my interaction with them.

If you want to learn more about Grant's work, simply click on the title of this blogspot and you will be linked to Grant's web-site.

Thanks to Grant and Tamara MacKinnon for the fabulous work they do.

Tovie, Gord and the "Boys"

What Happened to June?

Hey folks,
My apologies for missing June - we were just having way too much fun Horsing Around. However, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to tell you about a wonderful ranch we visit on occassion - Sundance Guest Ranch. We had the pleasure again this June of joining some of our friends up there for some great riding, great food and lots of laughs. If you are considering a horsey vacation, I highly recommend a visit to the Ranch. They have horses to accommodate all riding levels from little-to-no experience to experienced riders. The trails are wonderful and the horses like to go fast - lots of galloping. Even though most of the friends we meet up there have their own horses and we are only an hour away from some of the best riding country in the world, we ladies like to go to the Ranch because we don't have to do any of the work. The horses are groomed and saddled and the meals are prepared. While I personally enjoy looking after my own horse, I sure don't mind being served my meals.
Chris Johnson is one of the wranglers, along with his lovely wife Uli who works in the office and we are lucky to call them our friends. You folks who have been out to our place and have met Magic, my hubby's horse - well he bought him from Chris during one of our visits to the Ranch. Magic was Chris' personal horse and we will be forever grateful that we were able to purchase Magic. So any of you who may be thinking of a wonderful horsey getaway - just click on the title of this blog and it will take you to the Sundance Guest Ranch website. You better plan ahead though because it is a popular vacation destination.

p.s. Say hello to Chris and Uli for us.

Stay cool and happy trails,
Tovie & Gord

Jonathan Field Clinic

This month I am writing about a marvellous clinician who recently conducted two back-to-back clinics in our local area. Clinics are a great way to expand your learning with your horses and get you motivated to get out and play with your horse.

Jonathan Field is a wonderful teacher - patient, observant and funny. He truly wants to help improve relationships between horses and their handlers. Click on the title above to learn more about Jonathan Field.

In early May I was introduced to Lisa. Lisa had signed up for Jonathan's Level 1 and Level 2 clinics and didn't have her own horse so I agreed to let her take Skeeter. When we dropped him off, it reminded me of sending my daughter off to summer camp. I was excited for the experience he would have but worried he would be lonely and homesick. As expected though, Lisa took very good care of him and they did well together, despite having only met. I was lucky enough to go over and watch a few of the sessions and the two of them did a terrific job. Now that Skeeter is home, it is obvious that he is definitely better off for the attention and time Lisa put into him. Luckily for Skeeter, Lisa wants to continue playing with him.

Due to our unusually harsh winter, none of our boys got much quality time over the past few months. I have always said it is unfair to play with our horses infrequently and then expect them to be perfect when we want to use them. Good horses are developed and maintained by spending quality time with them and Skeeter is a testament to this statement. Too bad, they couldn't have all participated in Jonathan's clinics.

Many thanks and a warm welcome to Lisa - our newest barn buddy!
Tovie

Horse Industry Association of Alberta liked what we are doing

The Horse Industry Association of Alberta invited us out to their "Getting Started With Horses Seminar" during the Acreage & Lifestyle show down at the Roundup Centre last weekend. It was great to see so many potential Newbies who are looking for more information about getting started with horses. Last month, a representative from the HIAA came out to see what we're doing and I was delighted that they thought our program worthwhile enough to promote at their booth throughout the weekend. As with their seminars, we want to attract city folks who may not have an agricultural contact person to help them get started in the wonderful world of horses.

We look forward to helping you get started.
Tovie & the "Boys"

Open House was a Success

We were pleasantly surprised by the turnout yesterday, despite the frosty temperatures. It was wonderful to meet some new faces and catch up with some familiar faces who stopped by to have a coffee with us. I think everyone enjoyed being with the "boys", especially 3 year old Rachael - they really are very charming.
A big thank you to everyone who braved the cold to spend the afternoon with us. I personally can't think of a better way to spend a bitterly cold afternoon, than hanging out in a cozy warm barn with friendly people and friendly horses. This will definitely be a must-do on a regular basis.












Stay warm,
Tovie and Gord

Open House January 24, 2008 1:00 - 4:00

There were several folks who contacted me in 2008 expressing a keen interest in learning about horses. I completely understand how the serious business of life can get in the way of doing fun things, especially when you don't know what the fun is all about. So, we decided to host an Open House next Saturday, January 24th and invite folks to come out and see what the program is all about and meet the horses. Initially, I only invited folks who haven't been out before, but then thought it would be a great opportunity to invite past participants to stop by and say hi to us, and the "boys" of course. Because our sessions are one-on-one, it is easy to form great relationships with our students and I miss them when they move on to the next phase of their adventure (some take riding lessons, others purchase a beloved first horse, and others are satisfied to have learned just for satisfaction of knowing more about what makes horses tick). I have sadly discovered there isn't enough time in a day to keep in touch with each and every student or I would be on the computer all the time instead of out in the barn "Horsing Around".

Hope to meet you or catch up with you next week!
Tovie, Gord and the "Boys"