New Leaf Farm-Horses

06/15/2025

I have no words, thank you Betsy Oda for these gorgeous pictures, and also thank you to Alison Manger for all of your help!

If you are looking for a photographer, Betsy is the perfect person! She does people, pets, horses and more! Betsy was flexible with my schedule and took very nice photos with no hassle. Don’t be shy and reach out to Betsy! She is amazing and is so excited for more shoots this summer!!

Check out her website https://stillsoulsphoto.wixsite.com/home/equine

Or contact Betsy at mailto:[email protected]

05/29/2024

I have been putting off making this post… but it needs to happen. I’m so sorry to announce that we are closing our barn on June 20th, I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported our business. Thank you so much to everyone who attended lessons, showed up at events and camps! I hope everyone is able to find new instructors and boarding barns! I already miss everyone! Best of wishes.

-Sylvia

04/28/2024

I have people ask me all the time if I will guarantee a forever home. No matter how much I like the horse my answer is always No. I don’t want to keep a horse that is miserable doing their job when I could find them a job they love. I don’t want to keep a horse who hates figuring out a new rider every day when I could find them their very own person. I don’t want to keep a horse that could thrive in an environment different than mine but is barely scraping by here simply because I said I would.

On top of all of those things what if something happened to me and I wasn’t here? Then what? Is my husband then forced to live out his life caring for 18 horses just because I said I would? Things happen. LIFE happens. Even with the best of intentions most homes are not forever homes.

By giving my horses strong foundations I am hopefully ensuring that if they ever leave here for whatever reason they can be successful.

Do your horses a favor. Give them something that no one can take away. Give them a solid foundation. Give them something that any decent horseman can recognize. Teach them to be soft and responsive. Teach them how to handle fear. Teach them to stand quietly for the vet and farrier. Teach them things that you’ve appreciated in your past horses. Teach them how to exist without you. Teach them to thrive even if you can’t be with them.

Out of all of my spring projects 2 geldings really stand out. Going to meet them I knew they were going to need some time and work to get back into riding. Neither of the boys had been ridden in 6 years. They are only 11 so they had been hanging out for more than half their lives. They have both gone through their ground work with flying colors and are now being ridden. One has already started picking up a few lessons.

There is one BIG difference between these guys and many of the projects I’ve had in the past. In their younger years someone cared enough to put time and effort into them. Although we had to knock some dust and a few cobwebs off they have a solid base of knowledge that we can build from. They stood quietly for the vet and farrier. They had to think about it a little but they loaded and unloaded well. They need some work but they know how to conduct themselves SAFELY.

I’m glad these boy are with us but I can confidently say that no matter where they could have ended up they would have landed on their feet. All because someone cared enough to put in the time and work to make them solid citizens.

There are people like me all over the world pulling horses from the loose pens at sales. They are looking for any clues they can find that a horse may have had someone in their past that cared enough to put time into them. I look to see if a horse is easy to catch. I see if they can pick up their feet. I ask them to yield to pressure. Even those seemingly insignificant things can lead to a good home if they end up in a bad situation.

Even 5 minutes a day could mean the difference between life and death for them years down the road. Do better by your horses. Be better for them.

02/18/2024

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but if you need permission, you have mine.
Put them down.

That old horse that can’t always get up on their own, or keep weight on despite your best effort, you may put them down.

The horse that was diagnosed with all the aweful acronyms, and will never be comfortable- it’s okay to put them down.

You’ve spent thousands of dollars trying to get that horse sound. It’s young, “well bred”, and you thought you would be working on straightness in the flying changes by now, not yet more imaging. You can’t afford another horse, and you can’t sell a lame one. You can maybe sorta keep them pasture sound and comfortable with $300 shoes and another $300/month in supplements and add complimentary therapies on top…. It’s financially destroying you. Just stop.

If anyone disagrees with me, or you can put a post on their own darn page, and stay out of my comment section, but I do not believe it is some moral obligation to absolutely destroy yourself, financially and emotionally, too keep a broken horse alive and comfortable.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of aging horses on my farm and they are all healthy and happy and my plans are for them to be here until the end. But horses don’t just die peacefully in their sleep one night. Not usually. All too often their deaths are traumatic and awful.  Sure I would love if my old heart horse out there beat the odds and is one of the few horses to just lay down and peacefully cross over, but I am absolutely not counting on that… so he has  it to count on me to not wait too long.
For those of you who can’t bring yourself to make that decision without some kind of permission, I grant you mine. If you love that horse, but think it might be the end, I trust that you did not come to that decision lightly. If in your heart, you know, it’s time, please let them go.

12/17/2023

Unfortunately we don’t have enough sign ups to host the decorating party, I’m sorry to everyone who was looking forward to coming!

12/15/2023

Do we have anyone else who would like to sign up for the decorating contest? I need 10 signups to host it! I only have 6 so far!

12/13/2023

Hey everyone! I have 3 people right now signed up for the decorating contest, I need to have 10 signups to put it on. Please let me know if you are wanting to be signed up, thank you! I will cancel it by the 17th if we don’t have enough!
-Sylvia

12/05/2023

Who’s getting in the Christmas spirit? I have not posted on here in so long! I hope you have all had a fantastic summer/fall! I have had so many people asking for lessons while I’m home to visit, unfortunately I won’t be home long enough this time to get everyone lessons, so I had this idea! Every year since I started teaching we have had a Christmas barn party, but since I’m not there to plan a huge party this year… we are going to do a horse decorating contest- if anyone is interested in participating?

You don’t have to have your own horse we have horses here, it would be from 9-11am on December 24. We would ask 10$ per person so we can get prizes for everyone! Also if you are participating we would ask that everyone brings their own decorations. Let me know if you would participate in the comments please!! I can’t wait to see everyone!!

11/15/2023

Please keep an eye out!!!

SHE HAS BEEN FOUND!! SHE IS HOME WITH HER FAMILY

Hello friends in the area. Tonight Pippa and her dad were in an accident and she got out of the vehicle and very very scared! If any one sees this girl please let us know.

06/27/2023

Snapshots from the last couple days/the week.
Learning new things every day!!