Top ten (or 11) things I love about a blizzard . . .

I know this isn't what you expect to read from someone on a farm during a blizzard, but there are some amazing things I really appreciate about a good snowstorm. . .

1.  Snow days for the kiddos - duh.  Any day my kids don't have to go to school or to any of their multitude of practices, social engagements, or other activites is a great day!  The snow slows things down, muffles the noisiness that comes with the busyness of life with a teenager and almost teenager, and this mom treasures those days.  When they were babies, the days went by slow, but the weeks went by fast.  Now it just all goes by fast, and I'm trying to savor every minute of it.

2.  That Bruce and I can focus on the basics - taking care of our family and the 200+ creatures that depend on us.  Life gets simple during a storm, and it's pretty great.

3.  That the forecast shows above freezing temps by Sunday and 40+ degrees on Monday.  Short blizzards are the best blizzards!

4.  That the horses have the cleanest feet ever when they come in from playing in the snow!  Several inches of snow beats 38 degrees with rain and mud every day of the week when you have horses who need their play time outside.  No fungus, no thrush - just beautifully clean hooves.  This goes for the cows, too.  Mud or hard frozen ground is rough on our girls, but a foot of snow is soft and clean!

5.  Rambo blankets. Yes, they are expensive, but when your husband says, "those Rambo blankets are just the best," you know they are worth it.  The snaps at the chest, the strong velcro, the buckles that work, the lack of need for leg straps, that I don't have to take my gloves off to get them on and off, and the horses are always dry underneath - perfection in a blanket!

6.  In conjunction with #5, my brilliantly simple blanket rack in the barn that lets me hang each snow covered blanket to dry so they are always ready to go again the next morning.  It is the little things that make life so much easier, and I appreciate my blanket hanging rack every time it rains or snows!

7.  Good forecasting so that we have plenty of time to prepare.  And giant, 4-wheel drive, cab tractors, so that we aren't really ever stuck.  (touching some wood right now)

8.  Frost free hydrants and generators = peace of mind.

9.  That the horses practically purr with appreciation for their warm mashes when they come in for dinner.

10.  That Fizzie, at nearly 30 years old, has the best winter coat, best feet, and healthiest weight he's had in the 8 years he's lived at Sally Run.  Other than worrying that his tongue might get frost bite because his front teeth are no longer long enough to keep it in his mouth, I don't walk into the barn scared he's had his last days with us like I did a year ago.

11.  That Glory bug doesn't have to wear her muzzle when the ground is covered in snow. (She asked me to put that one in here because it's a really big deal for her.)  With our warm, wet fall, she has spent an unusual 10 months wearing her muzzle (and she miraculously still lets me get near her to put it on each morning and doesn't even try to bite me).  Not only can she now eat hay like a normal pony, but she can also up her bossiness by using her teeth to terrorize her adoring geldings.  All good things according to her.

So that's my immediate list - oh, and that I can drink as much tea as I want without feeling like I have an addiction because it is really, really cold out there!  Stay warm and safe everyone!!

A long overdue update . . .

Life moves fast at Sally Run!!  With one of my babies finishing up her first year of high school and the other one heading to middle school in the fall, we feel like time is truly flying by!  On the horse front, things are only mildly less crazy.  As most know, I lost my precious Barney last summer to complications from EPM.  It was so heartbreaking, but I was relieved to not see him suffer anymore.  We were able to bury him under his favorite tree, and I am grateful to have been able to give him a comfortable life for his last years.  On the more positive side, I am sharing my red head, Dutchie (Three Times) with the uber-talented and super adorable junior rider Kristin Counterman. Having just missed competing for Region 1 at the NAJYRC last summer, she started riding Dutchie in the fall with hopes of making the team this year.  They are off to a fantastic start, scoring nearly 70% at their first outing this past weekend!  I am very hopeful that I will be making the trip to Kentucky to cheer on a super kid and a super horse!  Since Kristin is based in NoVA with Lauren Sprieser, Dutchie is staying there, and I am commuting Wednesday-Thursday a couple of times a month to ride and also visit my dear college friend and god-babies in The Plains.  So, poor Glory is really missing Dutchie since she is the only thing I have to ride at home these days!  After about three days of dressage, she gives me a good head shake to let me know she needs a hacking or jumping day (and then proceeds to give me a few cheerful bucks to say thank you).

On the cow front, we also lost our oldest mama cow, Mousey, who we know was at least 16 years old.  Thankfully, she passed very peacefully and is also now buried at Sally Run.  But back to the positive, we have had a good calving season so far, and the kids are loving raising a little heifer calf who was a twin.  

Spring has certainly arrived, with warmer temperatures, lush green grass and trees budding.  Glory was less than cheerful to receive her annual gift of a new muzzle, but her girlish figure (and good health) become immediately endangered at the first signs of new grass!  Caruso had the huge honor of giving our friend, Alexia, from Italy her first ride on a horse EVER!  It was a lifelong dream of hers to ride a horse, and after her first visit to the farm, we agreed on a day for her to ride.  After a full week of upper 60s, the temps dropped well below freezing on the appointed day and the wind started gusting at 30 mph.  Those who know my Caruso from years' past might remember that high wind is not really his thing.  However, rising to the occasion and, at 19 years old, acting like a super sane, grown up horse, he proved once again what a star he truly is.  His coat was still quite velvety (he's always had the best hair), and I had bathed him earlier in the week, so he looked quite handsome and let Alexia play cowgirl to her heart's content.  Among many funny comments and questions, my favorite was, "Is he a little bit bigger than normal horse?"  She wanted to ride Glory when she first came out, so the jump from a pony to 17 hands was a big one!  But Caruso has quite the history of being the most photogenic in the barn, and Alexia now has several great pictures to take home to her husband in Italy to convince him she needs a horse!   

So, we're heading into the home stretch of the school year, and I've finally realized that life never slows down.  Summer is already jam-packed, but it is all fun, and I wouldn't trade these precious years with our kiddos for anything!  I hope our horse and farm friends are all doing great and that everyone's families and animals are all healthy and happy!  Come see us on the farm!    

Clinic Schedule for this weekend!!

Here is the clinic schedule for this weekend.  See you soon!

Friday, October 11

3:30  Caroline Stephens

4:15  Barbara Nelson

5:00  Janet Flory

5:45  Valerie Monroe

6:30  Michaela Bethard

 

Saturday, October 12

8:00  Michaela Bethard

8:45  Caroline Stephens

9:30  Valerie Monroe

10:15  Erica Jones

11:00 Kim Huffman

Lauren Sprieser Clinic Schedule - October 11-12

Here is the first attempt at a schedule for next week’s clinic:

Friday, October 11

3:30  Caroline Stephens

4:15  Barbara Nelson

5:00  Erica Jones

5:45  Valerie Monroe

6:30  Michaela Bethard

Saturday, October 12

8:00  Michaela Bethard

8:45  Caroline Stephens

9:30  Valerie Monroe

10:15  Sydney Stephens

11:00 Kim Huffman

 

If you need a different time, please let me know ASAP.  To those who have already sent their payment, thank you.  If you have not sent your clinic fees, please put those in the mail this week:

Sally Run

PO Box 541

Wytheville, VA 24382

October Clinic Announcement

We have added an October clinic to the schedule!  Lauren Sprieser will be here Friday, October 11 - Saturday, October 12.  Please email me asap at caroline@sallyrun.com if you are interested in riding or auditing. 

Clinic Friday - Saturday (Sept 6 - 7)

Sorry for the delay in getting a clinic schedule out to you – we’ve had a few changes in the last 24 hours! 

Friday, September 6

3:45  Caroline Stephens

4:30  Janet Flory

5:15  Glory

6:00  Valerie Monroe

6:45  Michaela Bethard

Saturday, September 7

8:30  Caroline Stephens

9:15  Michaela Bethard

10:00  Valerie Monroe

10:45  Sydney Stephens

August 11-12 Clinic Schedule

This is the working schedule for the clinic with Lauren next weekend at Sally Run:

Sunday, August 11, 2013

3:00        Caroline Stephens

3:45        Kim Huffman

4:30        Val Monroe

5:15        Kim Huffman

6:00        Molly Watson

 

Monday, August 12, 2013

8:30        Caroline Stephens

9:15        Sydney Stephens

10:00     Erica Jones

10:45     Janet Flory

11:30     Molly Watson

August Clinic with Lauren Sprieser

Just a reminder that our August clinic with Lauren will be a two-day clinic: Sunday, August 11 - Monday, August 12.  Let me know if you would like to ride one or both days!  caroline@sallyrun.com

July 1st Lauren Sprieser Clinic

Here is the schedule for the clinic with Lauren on Monday, July 1:

 

8:30        Caroline Stephens

9:15        Sydney Stephens

10:00     Janet Flory

10:45     Erica Jones

11:30     Valerie Monroe

12:15     Kim Huffman

July 1st Clinic with Lauren

Hi all -

We are going to squeeze in a one day clinic with Lauren on Monday, July 1st.  If you are going to Dressage at Lexington, this will be a great time to put the polish on your tests.  The regulation arena is set up in the outdoor now, so we are ready to go!  Email me if you want to ride: caroline@sallyrun.com

Have a great week!

Caroline

Clinic this Friday-Saturday

Here is the clinic schedule for this coming weekend:

Friday, May 10

3:30 Caroline Stephens

4:15  Molly Watson

5:00  Sydney Stephens

5:45  Michaela Bethard

6:30  Kim Huffman

 

Saturday, May 11

7:30  Caroline Stephens

8:15  Michaela Bethard

9:00  Sydney Stephens

9:45  Barbara Nelson

10:30  Molly Watson

11:15  Barbara Nelson

 

I apologize for such early times on Saturday, but Rowdy’s soccer tournament starts this week, and I may be needed to yell like a crazy person at 10:00 that morning J!

We are looking at June 17^th or July 1^st for the next clinic.  We also have August 11-12 and Sept. 6-7 on the calendar right now, so pencil those in!   I will keep you posted as dates get set.  The next clinic may end up being just a one day, but we’ll see what we can do!

The weather this week looks rough, but hopefully the sun will be shining at Sally Run by Friday J!

A Farm Mom's Top Five Gifts

Of course the horsey girl in me loves the idea of some cute new breeches or something for Dutchy for my birthday, but you know you are a farm mom when this is what makes the top five wish list:

5.  Getting to ride in the outdoor on a sunny, 60 degree day with a slight breeze, no flies, and freshly groomed footing! (For those who snow ski, it's like being the first one on the slopes on a not completely freezing morning!)

4.  Not cleaning up any poop of any kind for an entire day (luckily I am only left with 4 legged poop these days as my two legged creatures all sufficiently wipe their own bottoms now :).

3.  Getting a hot shower before 10:00 pm without interruption or hearing the word, "MOM!"

2.  No rain so all horses can stay outside for the day, which translates into #4 and no crazies the next day.

1.  And the greatest gift you can give a farm mom . . . someone else to clean up/take care of the no-longer-easy-to-identify dead thing in the barn!!! 

Happy Birthday to me :)

Clinic Sunday and Monday

Just a reminder that our first clinic of 2013 is this Sunday and Monday with Lauren Sprieser.  Here is the final schedule with just a couple of small changes from the previous version!

 

Sunday, April 14

3:00 Caroline Stephens and Caruso (longe lesson)

3:45  Sydney Stephens and Glory

4:30  Michaela Bethard and Boundary

5:15 Caroline Stephens and Three Times

6:00  Molly Watson and Chippy

 

Monday, April 15

7:00  Caroline Stephens and Glory

7:45  Molly Watson and Chippy

8:30  Caroline Stephens and Caruso (longe lesson)

9:15  Caroline Stephens and Three Times

 

I apologize in advance to the auditors for having to watch me ride so many times – I’m taking advantage of the light load and having a little boot camp session with Lauren.

 

 

Clinic and Saddle Fitting Update

Okay, so winter has returned, but only briefly, I hope!  Bruce dragged the paddocks yesterday while I put down more grass seed - I'm acting like it's spring no matter what!  And snow is good for grass seed, right?

Here is the latest update on the clinics and saddle fitting weekends coming up:

Lauren Sprieser April Clinic:
Sunday, April 14
Sydney Stephens & Glory
Michaela Bethard & Boundary
Caroline Stephens & Three Times
Molly Watson & Chippy

Monday, April 15
Caroline Stephens & Glory
Molly Watson & Chippy
Caroline Stephens & Three Times


Saddle Fitting with Colleen Meyer/Advanced Saddle Fit:
Sunday, April 28
Sydney Stephens & Glory
Michaela Bethard & Boundary
Barbara Nelson x 2 ponies
Caroline Stephens & Three Times
Molly Watson & Chippy

Lauren Sprieser May Clinic:
Friday, May 10
Caroline Stephens & Three Times
Molly Watson & Chippy
Sydney Stephens & Glory
Michaela Bethard & Boundary
Kim Huffman & Navina/?

Saturday, May 11
Molly Watson & Chippy
Caroline Stephens & Three Times
Michaela Bethard & Boundary
Barbara Nelson & pony #1
Sydney Stephens & Glory
Barbara Nelson & pony #2

Spring is coming, and so is a clinic schedule!

Spring is in the air - 60+degree air today - hallelujah!  Our first two clinics with Lauren Sprieser have been added to the farm calendar:

Sunday, April 14 - Monday, April 15
Friday, May 10 - Saturday, May 11

We are super excited to have everyone back on the farm and hope that everyone's horses have faired well over the winter and are ready to get back into training mode. 

We are also trying to nail down a saddle fitting visit from Colleen Meyer of Advanced Saddle Fit (www.advancedsaddlefit.com).  It looks like the last weekend of April (27-28ish) might be the date.  Several of our regulars have already expressed an interest in having saddles re-fitted or getting their ponies fitted for the first time, so hopefully this date will work for you.

Please let me know if you want to ride in either/both clinics with Lauren and which day works best.  I will post other clinic dates as we get them scheduled, so check back with us for more news!

Thanks,
Caroline
caroline@sallyrun.com

SNOW DAY!!

We had the most beautiful snow this past week - 14" of fresh snow followed by 3 gorgeous, sunny days!  We lost power almost immediately Thursday, but thanks to the generators, water kept flowing, the fridge and freezer stayed cold, and we even had an outlet for the coffee pot/pancake griddle!  We spent our days feeding animals and playing in the snow and our nights eating and playing games by candlelight - pretty awesome!  Here are a few highlights from the weekend of winter:

The cows heading toward the pond.

Bruce, Rowdy, and Bella pull the girls in the tube.
 

Around the farm . . .

With the warm temperatures this past weekend, it hardly felt like January.  In fact it was so warm that our Christmas tree and decorations started to look really ridiculous to me, so I finally took the last of it down.  Of course we won't complain about riding bikes and ponies outside, playing basketball in short sleeves, or being able to let Sally outside without her coat!  Our new chicks and ducklings also arrived, so we have some seriously cute little chirping in our house.  Rowdy was (and is) so excited and checked on them every hour, cleaning their water and making sure everyone was warm and snug.

Today, though, is a rainy, depressing kind of Monday.  My one New Year's Resolution was to enjoy my Mondays and not dread them like usual, so in honor of that, we moved the jumps inside, and the pony and I galloped around jumping two foot verticals like they were four feet tall!  No matter how many years I spend in a dressage saddle, my jump saddle still feels like home, and having a pony in the barn who loves jumping even more than I do makes it so much fun!  She can contain her excitement over a big crossrail, but as soon as you make it a vertical, she wants to launch a mile before the jump - she just can't hold it in for one more step!  After some serious dressage work on her connection last week, she was pretty pumped to go around in jumper frame - head in the air like she was trying to see over the Puissance Wall.  I love that little girl, and she is quite the cure for a gloomy Monday.

2013, onward and upward or over or around . . .

So, it's that time of year where I reflect on the past year and attempt to make plans for the next. . .

2012 in review -  On the horse front - after retiring Barney and Caruso for real in the spring, I dedicated my horse efforts to being a horseshow mom for 2012 - a role I completely loved.  Normally it is very hard for me to go to a horseshow without a horse to ride, but I have to say I relished the experience with Sydney and her Glory; I was actually thankful to not have the distraction of my own rides so I could focus on her experience, and our entire family enjoyed just being together and supporting our girls.  Even riding the pony at home with Sydney's rides in mind was a fun change in training focus, and there is nothing like a sassy pony to put a smile on my face each day.  I had feared I would never find a pony for my kids that could come close to my first pony, but we did, and as a coming nine year old, we hope she is with us for a long, long time.

Then and now . . .

Farnley Pirouette (aka "Pony") - 1981
 

Glory Be (aka Glory bug) - 2012 DAL

 

2012 also took our family on the trip of a lifetime - six days in Paris and 11 days in London for the Summer Olympics.  This was so huge that it would take a book to describe the experience, but we loved every minute and were a little sad to return to normal life after 17 days of just the four of us enjoying so many firsts with our family. 

Sadly, after we returned from that magnificent trip, we lost our Pee-Paw just a week later.  My step-father was a wonderful father, grandfather, and horseman, and he has been so missed, especially during this holiday season.  I am eternally thankful, though, that his last days were at home with my mom, relatively comfortable without major medication, and that he was still so clearly himself and able to communicate right up until the very end.  It was as peaceful as it could have been and divine in its timing.  We love and miss you, Pee-Paw, but I know you are having some great rides up there with Kelly, and I am grateful that the heartache is over for you. 

We ended the year with a lot of excitement as a community when our local high school football team won the Virginia State Championship.  It was so much fun to watch these young men (who were in kindergarten and first grade when we moved to Wytheville - yikes) win each week when most said they wouldn't and finish their high school football career on such a high note.  Our entire little town went crazy, and it has been one of those special times when I realize again how much I love living in a small town.  Congratulations again to the George Wythe High School Maroons! 




Shaking hands with the team from Honaker - a great group of young men!

 

Other 2012 notables - I cooked my first Thanksgiving feast on my own this year, and not only was it not terrible, it was actually quite tasty (I was more shocked than anyone at this positive outcome)! We also threw in a speedy trip to Disney World before Christmas as soon as the kids were out of school.  We had a blast with my mom and brother, and Bruce conquered some major roller coaster fears - nothing like the peer pressure of your nine year old son to push you out of your comfort zone!

So, what's in store for us in 2013?  Honestly, who knows?  Bruce has a very big birthday this year, while I am having my last!   In just a few months, I will be the mother of a teenager - how is that possible?  And Rowdy will hit double digits this summer - no way!!   As for the horses, Barney was bought with the expectation of being a three year horse for me, and while those three years didn't go exactly according to plan, the three years are up nonetheless.  The horse savings account has recovered enough to start thinking about the next one, so we'll see if anything comes along.  Thanks to things like the Dodd-Frank Act, presidential election, and fiscal cliff nightmare, 2012 was an absolutely insane year for business, so I am looking forward to a calmer 2013 on that front, which may give me a little more time in the barn and in the saddle - fingers crossed.  

Mostly I just hope 2013 continues to keep us healthy and brings us more time to enjoy our family and friends.  Time with our kids feels like it is slipping by too quickly, and I want to make the most of these amazing years with them filled with wonderful memories of an innocent and happy childhood - I pray it's not asking for too much.

We also continue to pray for the families in Newtown, Connecticut as they begin a new year and wish that community continued grace and peace in 2013.  As a mother this tragedy has brought me to tears and to my knees more than any other, and I hope those families continue to feel the love, support, and prayers of a nation that continues to grieve with them, remembers those who were lost, and commits to moving forward in a positive way.

We wish you a blessed 2013 and hope it is a year filled with joy for you and your loved ones (two and four legged)!!  Come see us at the farm!! 

 

The season of Thanksgiving

I realized I never published this one, so I'm doing it now because I am so thankful to be able to live this life on this farm with my family . . .

From November . . .
I'm sure you have all seen on Facebook the daily posts of Thanksgiving.  Personally, I think this is one of the best trends to come out of Facebook.  Anything positive in print is welcome on my computer, especially post-election.  While I haven't been posting daily online, I do believe strongly in daily thanksgiving.  My list begins with the up-close-and-personal relationships in my life, without which there is no meaning to the rest of it.  But since this is a "farm" blog, I thought I would share some of the things for which I am thankful that are related to this little piece of heaven. 

One of my favorite quotes from Oscar Wilde is, “There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.”  As a little girl, I dreamed of having a horse farm when I grew up.  Now, though, I cannot count the number of days I have questioned the insanity of getting back into horses and buying/building a farm.  Seven hores have come into my life in the past seven years (with 4 taking up permanent residence), and I don't seem to have made a lot of progress in the dressage department, except that I now have a pasture full of retired, very large black horses.  I certainly wouldn't go so far as to call it a tragedy, but where is the blessing and thanksgiving in this? 

First, I am thankful for my daughter's pony, Glory, who has single-handedly restored my faith in mares.  She has given our family such joy in the past year and a half, tries her little heart out for me, and packs Sydney around like the pony is 18 instead of 8.  I love that little girl and pray I'm still feeding her 25 years from now.  (My welsh pony mare lived to 32, so it's not too much to hope for.)

Second, I am thankful for the ability to care for three wonderful geldings who deserve a great retirement.  They are like my extra children, from the sensitive one who clings to his mother, to the "too cool" TB who marches to his own beat, and finally the gentle giant who literally licks my face each day like a black labrador.  I know part of my purpose has been to give them the gentlemen's life of leisure in their older years, and I smile at their sweet nickers when they see me coming.

But here is where I am beyond thankful and completely excited.  I have tried and tried to find that "horse of a lifetime," and I have failed. You know that horse -  the one that every horseman and woman talks about, the one that when they reminisce, they say, "there will never be another one like him." - yeah, I still haven't had that.  The reason I am so thankful is that I know that my "horse of a lifetime" is still in my future and not in my past.  I am thankful that the best is yet to come and that I'm not telling stories about the glory days, but still dreaming the big horse dreams of my future. And each of these "not it" horses has taught me so much about being a rider and a keeper of horses that I will be a better person for that horse of my lifetime when he or she does come to live at Sally Run.       

Thank you, Lauren!

We had another stellar clinic with Lauren Sprieser yesterday and today.  Big thank yous to everyone who traveled to Sally Run and made it such a good event.  Our next clinic is coming up very quickly - just two weeks away - on October 12th and 13th (or possibly Oct. 11th and 12th).  I am already working on the schedule, so if you are interested please let me know which day or days work best for you.  Lauren will need to leave Wytheville by 10 am on Saturday, so we are considering moving the clinic to Thursday and Friday.  I know a lot of work and school schedules won't allow people to come during the week, so Lauren is willing to start super early on Saturday if that still works best.  Just let me know, and I'll be in touch!  Thanks again,  - caroline  caroline@sallyrun.com