Over the Fence

…the tough expand! At least, that’s what we are hoping to do. Those of you who are members of our barn know that we have good horses, a productive lesson program, and a dedication to continuing our education to pass our knowledge on to our students.
Right now, we are only limited by our current facility. Built in the 1800s as a dairy farm, our buildings are not set up for horses. We have done what we can to make them safe, airy, and suitable for our equine friends, but there is only so much we can do. Occasionally, we get remarks from people visiting our facility that are simply based on our looks, not our program. I suppose we invite those opinions since we are considered a business, but it’s hard to hear them when we work so hard to keep what we have going.
The upside is that once our students start spending time around the barn, they stay (sometimes too long, according to their parents!) We don’t just teach riding at our farm, we teach horse management, elements of training, and theory. So hopefully, if we can give our farm a “facelift”, we will have more opportunities to help people enjoy horses for years to come.
We are not lacking in space. Our farm is 35 acres, which gives us plenty of room to spread out our operation. We are looking at putting up a new indoor and a new barn, provided we can get the finances.
So I challenge all our friends to do some research and tell us what they’d like to see at our farm. We may not be able to use all your ideas, but everything helps as we start the initial planning process.
We are sincerely hoping that those of you already involved with our farm will be pleased with our upcoming changes. We also hope that this will give us the opportunity to meet new faces and incorporate them into our barn family as well.

Hello All!

    JJ’s computer is sick with a virus, so I’m hijacking the blog for the barn!! It’s so hard to be away, even if it’s only three hours and I miss everything and everyone. While I know this is supposed to be a professional website, I find it difficult to maintain formality. Please forgive me for crowing about our students, just this once!

   The competition season has begun and everyone at The Mounting Block has done us proud. They’ve been responsible, considerate, and fun to be around (and they’ve taken home some ribbons too!)

 Congratulations to the following combinations:

King Oak Horse Trials

Mary and Babie- 9th place Beginner Novice

Hitching Post Horse Trials

Mary and Babie- 2nd place Beginner Novice

Wheeler Green Horse Trials

Aphrodite and Nora- 3rd place Novice level

Mary and Babie- 6th place Novice level

Stoney Creek Stables Dressage Show

Sarah and Max- Two 6th places

Katie and Joey- 9th Training level dressage, 6th prix caprilli

  Things are really starting to come along for us. Our students are doing well, our horses are happy, and Joey loaded in the trailer to come home!!! (For those of you who don’t know this "lovable" paint, his non-loading antics have become legend.) I challenge everyone to continue working hard to improve their horsemanship, not just their riding. Take a moment to learn a new skill, like wrapping, basic first aid, and rules for feeding. We are so lucky to be involved in a sport that constantly asks us to give more, to learn more, to be more. Accept it, embrace it, and enjoy it!!

Until next time,

MJ

Our first competition with horses and riders from The Monting Block is over.  Four riders and four horses plus a friend from a neighboring barn went to Rolelu.  Everyone I spoke to said they had a good time.  I am proud to say there were ribbons won but I am even more proud of the way each rider prepped for the competition, asked me if equipment could be borrowed and returned it to its proper place when they came back.  However long the day is when horse and rider compete,the time it takes to get ready is ever so much longer.  The practicing, the clipping, the bathing, the packing and more important the loading and hauling make any ribbon extra special.  Some do all the work and come home with nothing but the opportunity to show everyone- this is who I am and what I can do at this moment.  It’s like a photogragh that ’s only good for a minute or two.  The hope is that the horse/rider combination is headed in the right direction with enough humility to take faults and criticism and enough time to make it better .  Showing is a process; you must build on what you did before.  I am thankful for the safe return of our riders.  I am proud of their ribbons but I have to say I am more thrilled by the experience each of them has come away with.  They are better horsepeople because of today.

JJ

Hello all!

Despite the frost on the ground this morning, Spring is on its way. The show season is right around the corner and while it seems like our horses will NEVER stop shedding, soon summer coats will be bright and shiny. The mud will be gone and so will sweatshirts, blankets, and thoughts of snow.

We’ll be listing a few three phase horse trials that are coming up on our forms page. We have no relationship with any of these organizations, other than being part of the same horsey community. If you need additional details on any of them, please contact the individuals listed on the information pages.

Now for barn news!!

Congratulations to Aphrodite on her purchase of Magic! This is a belated announcement, but better late than never.

Also, congrats go to Austin on his acquisition of Heffy. We know you guys will be a good match and wish you the best of luck together.

We want to recognize our Pony Club members as well: Aly, Katie, and Sarah. Although we are not a Pony Club organization, we believe wholeheartedly in its teachings and encourage all our students to get involved. We hope you have a lot of fun this year!

 Finally, we would like to personally thank each and every individual who’s stuck with us over the winter. Despite biting cold and freezing winds, it was a joy to see you all every lesson, smiling faces pink with cold. Your enthusiasm and dedication is infectious and makes it possible for us to continue doing what we love!

Since eventrider showed JJ how to do  this you may as well know puns are going to be running rampant.  If you don’t know what a pun is, check the spelling of the word "whether" .  People who come here have to decide whether to  ride or not and alot of times the weather has a lot to  do with the decision.  We had a couple of good days where the footing allowed a ride on the creek trail to  be part of the lesson.  What a thrill to be on a horse that suddenly came alive at walk, trot and canter outside the ring!  You could just see the winter cobwebs blowing away.  I find it easier to  find and hold my position on a mount that is truly interested in going forward.  And there is so much to see this time of year.  The creek is roaring with energy,  animals are going about their business,  but the best is trying a turn on a narrow trail bordered with pricker bushes.  Really makes a horse and rider pay attention!

JJ

 It occurred to me that I don’t thank people enough so here goes:

Thanks go to Jamie for putting the grooming tools away.  I needed my gps to find them in the orange cupboard but they were not on the barn floor or in the hay. Yay!

To Emmitt for fixing Min’s gatelatch and teaching me about pilot holes;

To Kristy for finding Julia’s gloves and making our feed chart readable.

To Tom for fixing the gator—–again!

To Olivia and Hannah for recognizing a bad bale and keeping it in the wheelbarrow.

To me for washing all the grooming tools in my kitchen sink.  Yuck! Does anyone know how to unclog a drain full of horse hair?

Everybody’s shedding and there are large amounts of horse hair rolling around on the barn floor.  Most folk can’t wait for their horse’s winter coat to disappear and the sleek glossy summer one to appear, but this time of year birds are seeking nesting material and horse hair is ideal. 

 Walking past the freshly trimmed apple tree, I found a tiny nest wrapped round and round with strands of horse hair.  It probably blew down before it was finished but some little bird found a use for something we threw away.  Which brings me to a point; if you are finished with some piece of horse equipment and no longer need it, I suggest you donate it to the barn that burned recently.  I am sure they need lots of stuff.  I found two pony halters in the tack room which I intend to take over.  Let JJ know if you find anything they could use.

It seems that even our cozy little farm is affected by everything going on in the outside world (hard as that is to believe!) Over the past few months, we have lost several members of our barn family due to economic reasons. Since horseback riding is considered a luxury, it’s often one of the first things to be cut out of a budget when money gets tight. We are definately feeling the pinch at the farm, overtly due to the loss of income, but primarily in losing good friends and even better horseman.
The Mounting Block only exists because of the hardworking individuals who believe in it. The support these people have provided, our students, parents, boarders, and volunteers, have kept us going when things seemed the bleakest. So for those who have needed to cut back, to reestablish priorities during these tough times, you are not forgotten. Whether it be a few weeks or a few years, we hope in time you will return. Until then, know that we will always be grateful for the effort you put in to keeping our beloved farm going and making it possible for us to share our love for horses with others.
We are forever in your debt.

Welcome to our new posting format for our news page for The Mounting Block! Since our website manager is attempting to become more computer savvy, we are going to see if this format works better than our last. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for improving our site!

February 6th, 2009*
*We, at The Mounting Block, sincerely apologize for the delay in getting the website
updated. Our primary internet guru, MJ, has been whisked away to Mississippi with her
Army unit and has not been able to get the site updated until now..

Calling all creative types! The Mounting Block needs a new logo!
We are planning on ordering barn jackets this year and have decided that
we need something different. So…drum roll please…we are having a
contest! Please submit your ideas to JJ and Tom between now and February
28th. A winner will be chosen on March 1st and the winning design will be
featured on our new jackets!

To submit your entry, please create a logo using no more than two colors.
Remember, your design will be used on jackets and shirts, so avoid
excessive detail that will make it hard to print.
All entries become the property of The Mounting Block and will not be
returned.

Contact us for more details and have fun!

Now for updates:

We are sorry to see Jessica and Glory leave the barn, but know that their
move to a barn closer to Jessica’s home will allow them both to see more of
each other! We wish them the very best of luck in the future.

We will be offering our summer camp again this year. Information for camp
will be posted by March 1st. This year will be our best year ever! Join us on
your school break to get a taste of what camp at The Mounting Block is all
about! Visit our school break camp page for more details.

We are in the process of purchasing a new (to us) horse trailer. After
spending last summer making trip after trip to horse shows and Pony Club
riding lessons, we have decided to purchase a larger rig. Many thanks to
Michaele and her husband Ken for their patience and understanding
throughout this transaction! Since safety is our priority, we hunted for a
trailer that allowed us to reach each horse in case of emergency. This six
horse slant load trailer has separate loading doors for each horse, and
human size escape doors for each stall. No more ducking under dividers!
Check out our new rig!

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Lastly, although it’s only February and there’s still snow on the ground,
Spring is right around the corner. We plan to be out and about this year at
shows, schoolings, clinics, and events. Beginning March 1st, we will be
adding a calendar listing activities we will be participating in. If any of them
strike your fancy, let us know and we’ll give you more information.

Till next time, stay warm and keep riding!