4th of July Parade

Linda, Karrie, Jacki, Jenna and I met yesterday to discuss the upcoming week's summer programming.  We decided to combine it with our decision to participate in the Williamstown 4th of July parade.  We have thought about getting involved in one of the local parades as many of the local farms do it and feel like we have a lot of help this week and should be able to pull it off.

Any riders or friends of Cobble Hill should shoot us an email (chuck@cobblehillfarm.com) if they want to participate.  We will probably bring 4 or 5 horses (Blue, Dixie, Hercules, Zeus, Mr. Tee) and have a leader and a rider on each horse.  But we are also going to fire up the tractor and pull the wagon so that we can have other Friends of the Farm riding and (of course!) tossing candy.

Chuck actually ordered something a while ago that we hope arrives in time .... meanwhile, the summer riders this week will be working on tye dye t-shirts for the riders to wear and 'jingle' bells for the horses.  We want to make those anyway after the bear cub sighting by Sandy over at Oak Hollow a few weeks back.

Should be a fun week here at the barn with lots going on with this first full week with all schools out.  I hope to get home by Wednesday late afternoon to at least observe some of the fun.

One down, one to go!

Our riders -- young and old(er) -- all had a great time at the Gymkhana event.  We are looking forward to this Sunday and the Spring Show.  Linda is finalizing horse assignments and it looks like we will have a big group of riders. If you want to ride and haven't let Linda know, please do before Wednesday. 

Zeus was fabulous for his first show.  Really did stay chill.  Buck gets rarin' to go at the site of the barrels but had an experienced rider (see pic ... ) who was able to control him and it sure looked like fun.  Made me realize I have to do quite a few more lessons though before I can ride Buck in an event!!  Reno was the most out of character -- seemed very distracted by all the activity.  His rider, although a beginner in his first event, did a tremendous job of staying focused and brought home quite a few ribbons.  And, Hercules was his dependable and wonderful self.  Really did a great job.

Thanks to all the parents, riders (those who rode and those who helped and cheered us on!) and fans -- and thanks to everyone who prayed for the rain to stay away.  Unlike most of the area, we never had a drop.  Now we have to start hoping for good weather and good humor for Sunday.

Gymkhanna tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the annual Gymkhanna event at Oak Hollow farm sponsored by Equus.  With the spring horse show next week, we only have 5 riders and four horses entered tomorrow.  Lizzie will be entering with Zeus -- his first show as a Cobble Hill horse.  She practiced the barrels, poles and flag events today and Zeus is doing great for a young horse.  His overall demeanor is pretty chill, so we are hoping all goes well tomorrow.  Also, it will be the first official event for Jacki's kids so we are hoping the rain holds off and a fun day is had by all.

The 3 day riding program this week was a smashing success.  Besides the smiles on the riders who jumped or cantered for the first time, the next best outcome was how great (and groomed!) our horses look.  Dixie looks about 10 years younger and quite svelte with the loss of all her winter coat and the nice trimming.  I am told that Jay was groomed for almost 2 hours straight ... not sure if that is totally true but he is looking shiny!

The only odd-man out is Buck.  I am in deep doo-doo around here for chopping his tail a wee bit too short.  I had an inspired idea of making braiding 'boards' so that the younger riders could practice their mane and tale braiding on a piece of board before working on a real horse.  Buck happened to be in the runway last weekend when I appeared with scissors and the rest is, as they say, history.  I am sure Krissy will capture a picture of it for posting soon.  I still think it was a great idea even if the execution was a bit flawed.

Pics and results tomorrow!

New blankets

Three new horse blankets this week. Patty has a great purple one that will keep her warm and dry. She didn't seem to be bothered by this cold and her warm, winter coat is thick and soft. But the wind really does whip up here. Vixen has an equally attractive blue very warm new jacket. She has been getting cold -- she is one of the few horses in the barn who doesn't grow a warm, fuzzy coat. Her new blanket even has a 'hood' that is on in this warm weather tonight. And last, but certainly not least, Lizzy spent her birthday gift certificates at Country Tack for a very fashionable new blanket for Zeus. Chuck claims the dots are reflective! I just hope the other horses don't make fun of him for being dressed so fancy. :)

I have taken to mimicking the Chuck Uniform. With Krissy off for the week, I am spending a LOT more time in the barn cleaning stalls, turning horses out, etc.... I must admit those flannel lined overalls do keep you warm.

Despite the holidays and the cold, the barn still has quite a few riders coming for their weekly lesson.

Here is a pic that looks almost as cold as it feels outside. Now, back outside for Bradley's 8 pm feeding, cleaning the stalls of the horses spending the night inside so there is less work tomorrow morning.

Excuses, excuses

I haven't blogged at all in more than 2 weeks. In that time we've continued to welcome new riders, new boarders and new horses. Almost too much to catch up on. We are running programs every day of the week now and in addition to Linda's full time instruction, Karrie and Jeannie are each offering lessons several days a week. Chuck has two outdoor run-in sheds built in the two main paddocks as we have more horses than stalls.

Ginger has been doing so well at Jeannie's that she is coming back to see if she can get back in the school horse rotation! Her many fans will love that.

Prime is going to take her 'job' as a pasture pet/companion at Jeannie's. Kind of bittersweet for the Hunt family as Prime was the first horse we welcomed as ours on the farm almost 10 years ago. Mr. Tee is also getting a break with a sore back. Luckily, Reno and Ben have arrived and Boo is doing great in lessons. Also, Zeus is coming along really well and even though he is still only ridden by Lizzie in lessons, I am told that Annie took him on a trail ride and he was quite good.

For all of you who are Cobble Hill-ers you know that alot of my distraction has been my mom's bi-lateral knee replacements last week. I am happy to report that she will be released early next week from rehab and will be coming to the farm for a while to continue her recovery. One of her goals with those 'shiny new knees' is to be able to start riding .... with her remarkable recovery so far, that is probably not too far off. Thanks to everyone for their good wishes and for helping Chuck around the farm during my many absences of late. (And this picture of Ginger was taken by my mom who was a huge help this summer)

Comment! Zeus and Sammee

Not sure if I have ever done a shout out to John Albano who is the tech friend/wizard who has helped me set up the website, do our on line marketing, google adwords, etc.... And as of NOW you can comment on the blog!

You have to have a google account but it is pretty easy to achieve. Also, I will moderate all comments. So, content will continue to be appropriate for the multiple ages that visit our site. And, there may be a delay when I am traveling for your posts to go up.

We have welcomed a new horse to the barn! Zeus is an almost five year old gelding half quarter horse, half paint. He is Elizabeth's birthday present -- she turns 11 this week. He is certainly a little green, but really friendly and good natured. Karrie did his first ever jumping today. He was good -- not a natural, but went over everything she pointed him at. His worst habit is backing up so Elizabeth needs to be really firm with him and not let him do that at all. He also can't canter from a walk, so she will have to work him into a canter from a trot. He won't be a school horse for a while and only Karrie will jump him for now ... but hopefully he will develop like Jay and Hercules into a solid horse for the intermediate riders. Here he is making friends with Buck in the pasture. He has the white spot on his neck. Cute, huh?

Sammee (the cat) is obviously the perfect Halloween cat!

Going to post some new programs coming up .... stay tuned!