This is where we,  here at Baymount Farm,  can help you with trail and obstacle training.  Periodically throughout the year we will be having Obstacle Training Clinics.  Our first is January 28, 2012.   Following is a quick run-down of what we are offering and will be teaching.

1. 9 am    Introduction and explanation of the days activities.
2. 10 am  Demonstration on safely leading and moving your horse around an obstacle and how to calm them down to keep from being trampled.
3. 10:20 am – 12:30 pm  Demonstration on the obstacles.  We will take this one obstacle at a time and answer any questions you may have.  There are no more than 10 obstacles.   Each person will have the opportunity to practice these with help from the staff if needed.
4. 12:30 – 1:30 pm  Lunch!   Grilled hamburgers, chili, slaw, southern potatoes, dessert, drinks.
5. 1:30 – until dark thirty pm.  Demonstration on obstacles, practice trail, practice obstacles and afternoon snacks.
6. 7:30 pm  Seminar by the bonfire on Bach Flower Remedies for horses health given by local pharmacist.  This will wow you on how simple homeopathics can change your horses demeanor and calm them down.   A brief demonstration will accompany talk.
7. Sunday  Saying good-bye and heading out to ride or for home.  Take your time on this, no scheduled time to be out.  I will be up and around by 6:30 to feed our crew, so just let me know if you need anything that morning.
8. For information on cost and directions visit Baymount Acres Training.

   This is one of my students learning to cross a bridge safely.  This is also one of the obstacles we will be practicing crossing.

Here is Jake taking a student over poles.  These are moveable by the horses so they learn to walk through limbs on the trail and not spook if they should shift.

Here is Jake taking a student through simulated vines.  This little girl was a trooper learning to do this.

We will also be opening and closing gates, crossing creeks safely, going through tunnels, going over catwalks, trotting poles and much more.  You will leave feeling like you have accomplished a lot and be more confident on the trail.    Please register by emailing me at Sherry@BaymountAcres.com  or calling 704-902-7345.

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I went to my first NATRC clinic to learn about some of the obstacles and what the judges were looking for as far as vet checks, etc.  I have to tell you that this has me entirely intriqued.  I cannot wait for my first NATRC trail ride where not only will my horse and I be judged on how well we do on the obstacles, but the vet will check my horse to see how well he does overall.  Now I am thinking that I need to use this to prepare me for endurance riding!

Here are some of the obstacles we were trained on:

                                                                         The trick to teaching this is to teach it on the ground FIRST before you saddle up your horse and ride.  There were tons more obstacles than I have here and we were each put into groups with an instructor to learn how to teach the horse to approach and accomodate the obstacles.  All in all it was a very good clinic.  Check out NATRC.org for more information on these trail rides, what to expect and where they are.    Baymount Farm is in the process of preparing some of these obstacles for training and will have a course open by mid summer for those interested in renting the facilities for training.   More information on this at www.baymountacres.com.

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It always amazes me how being with a horse opens up a person’s awareness of who they are and what they can do.  I have found a new niche in life after changing careers and re-opening Baymount Farm to the public again for lessons and training.  I have also found a new direction in riding that earlier I did not know existed to strongly in our society.  That is using horses for therapy for people with disabilities.   I volunteered last year with a NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association) Center in Concord, NC called Wings of Eagles.  That was a life changing experience for me literally.  Since then I have been working on getting certified as a registered riding instructor for NARHA.  

I will be leaving soon for a four day on-site workshop and certification program for NARHA.    I am a little nervous and have been studying a lot for this OSWC program.  I have two and half days of workshop with role playing, then a riding test (which should be a peice of cake?), then actually teach a 20 minute class to people with disabilities.  That I am really looking forward to doing.  Hopefully, after all this is over, I will be able to volunteer more time to NARHA centers in our area when I am not busy teaching my own lessons.   The great thing about NARHA certification is that is does not limit an instructor to people with physical disabilities.   We are trained to teach people of all levels; mental, emotional and physical disabilities and people without disabilites.   It has really opened my eyes in learning how to communitcate my instructions about riding to my students. 

There are many certification programs out there for riding instructors and I have looked into quite a few of them.  But the NARHA training is the only one that I have found that offers me what I wanted in training.   I have had to hone up on my horsemanship skills, riding skills, people skills, communication skills, barn management skills, training skills, and get CPR and First Aid certified before I could go to the  OSWC program.  I also had to take tests about NARHA standards and accredidations, learn about many disabilities, get 25 hours of teaching people with disabilities and learn to look at teaching in a whole new light.  In preparation for this I started taking more riding lessons myself in different disciplines just to make sure I was well rounded in my teaching practices.  There has been a lot of preparation for this as I said, but it has been well worth the process and I am excited to be going to the workshop finally.  Hopefully, my next blog will be about my actuall certification.  Wish me luck.

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That’s when we get in trouble, when we (ass)u(me).   I learned quick and I learned well.  Not long after I started ‘riding’ I also started taking lessons.  I wanted more than just to hang on for the thrill of my life at the moment.  I wanted to know I was secure, well balanced and knew what to do with those reins when I was pulling, pulling and pulling and the horse still wasn’t stopping!  So needless to say, just because one stays on the horse does not make one a good rider.  Anybody who stays on a horse can ride.  Correct.  But not anyone who stays on a horse knows what they are doing.  What most beginners and occasional trail riders don’t remember or realize is that these horses are trained to respond to certain ques.  Therefore, it is our responsibility to take the time to learn what those ques are and how to use them correctly.  Otherwise, we are telling our horses to do something and they are saying “WHAT????”, because we don’t really know what we are telling them ourselves, we just ‘think’ we do. 

For instance, if you are riding along and talking to your buddy, looking here and there, moving your hands around and twisting this way and that in your saddle, did you notice that your horse may meander off the trail, walk into the horse next to you or do something else you don’t want it to do?  Do you realize that all that commotion you just made while talking was also communicated to your horse in many different ways and he is trying to figure out what you want?  Your horse feels and hears everything you are doing and trys to stay balanced himself while balancing a bobbing object and sometimes heavy object on his back. 

Think about it, next time you take a walk, hoist a small child up on your shoulders, give them something in their hands to play with and see how balanced you stay in your walk, especially if that child is giggling, moving or bouncing around. 

Take a few lessons, have a better ride, learn to communicate with your horse and be safer on the trail.  Spring is here and we will all be out riding longer hours wanting to have fun.  Make it more fun by becoming a better rider.

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Click on the enclosed file above and read a very special paper written by a young lady who came to me to improve her riding.  She had been taking group lessons at a neighboring barn, but felt individual lessons would benefit her best.  She has been with me for several months now and has improved her confidence tremendously.  She was already an excellent rider.   However, she wanted to have a more secure seat and be able to ride outside the ring without the fear. 

She has accomplished this being able to take local trail rides on the farm with me and other students.  We are having lots of fun inside and outside the ring.

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I am concentrating  my efforts on not just riding and riding well, but skill games for balance, games for confidence building, safety around horses, games for spatial awareness while mounted, riding patterns and accomodating trail obstacles.  All very important steps in learning to be a safe, confident rider.  This is also a wonderful opportunity to stress the importance of dressing appropriately for winter riding.  Layer, layer, layer in equestrian sports is just as important as location, location, location is in real estate. 

Lots to do, lots to eat, lots of fun to be had.  The barn is equipped with a heater in case of ‘really’ cold weather, which hasn’t be a deterent yet.  The tack room is nice and cozy and the aisle is plenty wide to hold quite a few children and their horses.  The lesson horses here have had plenty of exposure to all types of riders and styles of riding.  This will be a treat for them as well.  Here are a few of the horse staff working that week.

These are just a few of the horses we will be using in our camp.  We will be having fun playing games, learning better riding skills and bonding with each other for an entire week to continue the Christmas spirit and bringing in the New Year!

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Large beautiful oak trees, pecans, wild cherries, sassafras, persimmon, maples, and many other trees adorn our pastures, but the most beautiful ornament we have are our horses.   Currently we have a Percheron, an Arabian, a quarter horse, two appaloosas, a thoroughbred, a standardbred, minis and various tennessee walking horses.  My favorie of all are the three gaited, walk-trot horses.  They are very versatile, very well trained and lots of fun to ride.  Most of my riding horse cross creeks, rivers, logs, put up with barking dogs, four wheelers, bicycles, yappy small dogs, geese in the pastures, deer in the pastures, you name it, they have been exposed. 

That is also how I train our trail horses.   Baymount Farm is a  training and lesson facility training all breeds of trail pleasure horses.  The best trained horse is one you can get on and trust to take you through anything and go anywhere at a controlled and safe speed.

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We are pleased to announce two new opportunities for horse lovers who have limited time and funds, but would love the opportunity to become involved in riding and various equestrian activities.  Baymount Farm has created and is offering a new Intro to Horsemanship class at Mitchell Community College this fall.   This class starts September 9, 2010 on Thursdays from 6:30 – 8:30 pm for six weeks.  The class will cover briefly many aspects of the equestrian industry, including various disciplines; hunt seat, dressage, equitation, western and gaited riding.  Also covered will be the different equestrian businesses, equine contracts and laws, grooming and demonstrations at local barns.  More information can be found at http://www.mitchellcc.edu/cec/forms/MCC_CE_Schedule_Fall10.pdf    on page 14 of the Continuing Education Booklet online. 

Also beginning in September will be special classes just for Mom’s.  These will cover learning to care for, tack and ride horses with trail riding for groups of 4.  Classes will be scheduled Monday, Wednesday and Fridays in the mornings.   This gives Mom’s an opportunity to treat themselves special while their children are in school and take a break from the humdrum of cleaning, shopping, planning and all the daily activities of managing a family.  Visit the LESSON page on www.baymountacres.com for pricing and more information.

All in all, I am expecting this to be an exciting fall for 2010.  Hope to see you soon.

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We saddle up first thing after the kids get there and go to the ring.  Most of the children have no idea how to ride, some think they know and a few have had lessons from friends and family.  Their hands, arms and legs are everywhere.  Thank goodness I have a group of slow, forgiving horses who don’t mind all the pulling, yanking, kicking and thrashing around done by these kids.  By the end of the first day the kids are in love with the horse they have ridden.   They have tacked, groomed, washed, picked hooves, grazed and loved on their horse and want to stay for more.  

The rest of the week is spend working on using their hands, voice and legs to ride.  They learn through coloring pictures of horses and tack the different parts of the horse and the difference in english and western tack.  They learn the parts of the hoof and how to take care of it.  And they have cleaned and oiled tack, cleaned a stall, learned how to feed and what to feed, learned about wormers and parasite control as well as washed their horse.   I think the most fun they have on the ground with their horse is braiding manes and tails. 

At the end of the week, they have a horse show where they present their horse all braided and ride a pattern they have learned over the week.  They are so proud of themselves for riding their horse all alone and stand quite proudly for pictures taken by family and friends. 

I am glad I have done this for these children.  It has been fun for me and fun for them.  I think the parents appreciate their children getting to do something for an entire week they they would not normally have had the chance to do.  I so look forward to doing this next year.

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So, thanks to some clients of mine I have had the opportunity to hold a clinic with just such a thing in mind.  They requested that I come to their farm and teach them specifics in their area of riding for the entire family.  I did and it was great!  My daughter and I both held the two day clinic for my clients who were a family of four.  They provided their own horses and equipment.   I think that is the best way to learn.  I can easily use someone else’s horses and equipment when I am learning, but then I get back to my barn and horses, discover that my equipment is slightly different and my horses aren’t quite trained the same and that adds to the confusion of putting it all together.  With their own equipment, horses and on their trails we were able to progress with comfort and ease.  This added to the quickness in which the children were able to pick up important skills in riding and apply those skills without as much hesitation by being on their own territory. 

The first part of each morning consisted of learning to harness, hitch and drive a carriage horse.   This went very well, was lots of fun and the family members learned the basics of driving down their driveway and out onto the property.  They learned how to fit the harness for comfort and security, how to handle the reins properly and how to drive, turn, back and slow down their driving horse.   Most of this they were already doing properly, but just needed a little brush up on their skills and confirmation that they were doing it correctly. 

The second half of the day consisted of trail riding, a few lessons on jumping, two-point position, proper leg placement and usage in the saddle, the correct way to balance and the difference in hunt seat, western, and equitation.  Since we were using gaited horses, the hunt seat was a little challenge but the lessons were learned and the students were jumping by the time we left.   

Unfortunately, because of the weather, we were not able to do as much as I had planned.  We were facing wind gusts up to 25mph and temperatures in the low 30′s.  This made it quite cold, our fingers and toes were numb, our faces wind burned but our spirits were up and that hot chocolate sure was good!  Plus the cooks were magnificent, they provided the lunches and we dined like kings.

At any rate, I have a video of our clinic just for fun.   Baymount Farm Natural Horsemanship Clinic.   I hope you enjoy watching as much as we enjoyed filming and working.  I wish I had more to show you, but our battery went dead, must of been the extremely cold weather. 

Future clinics can be held for you, within a reasonable driving distance, no more than 2 hours away please.   Clinics run $110 per person daily, 8 hour days,  for 4 people, plus hotel.   More than 4 people the price can be adjusted.  Just email me for more information.

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