Shea Equestrian

09/15/2014

Secrets to success in the horse industry:
DO NOT under any circumstances list the price of your magikal 2 year old jumper champion (AT EVERY SHOW LIKE EVER GUYZ!!), just keep telling people to message you. Every time anyone comments...
Make sure you post the blurriest, most awkward angled, poorly groomed, and worst set up confirmation and action shots of said magikal 2 year old jumper champion (DID I MENTION AT TOTALLY EVERY SHOW EVER IN THE HISTORY OF MAN?!?!?!)
Make sure you have no video available, if you happen to have accidentally taken a video, please make sure the worst rider in the barn is desperately clinging to the horse without a helmet, and please limit the video to only 10 seconds of the horse running hell bent for leather to a single jump set up with some concrete blocks.

Lastly, make sure you beg for people to fund your horse shows and lessons for you on gofundme.com, instead of you know, working and saving your own money. Cause you know, you and MagiKal 2yo jumper champion are totally a shoe in for the Olympics someday.

09/08/2014

4 great riders on 3 awesome horses today! It's days like to today I love my job :) With how rough the past month has been, I needed a good day!

07/19/2014

Short video from today's lesson! Fiona (riding less than a year, and only her third time cantering off the lunge!) practicing her canter in two point out in the field.
(please excuse all my squeeing, I get excited when my kids do stuff well :D)

07/19/2014

Currently we're working on galloping up and down hills and out in the fields. Getting that two-point nice and strong everyone! Hoping to make a field trip out to do some light cross country schooling sometime soon :)

06/26/2014

I work on this every ride and so do my students! I REFUSE to accept mediocre as an answer!

06/26/2014

Taught three great students today! I love seeing the progression from my riders. Everyone today was bold and assertive and I couldn't be prouder!

06/02/2014

Shea equestrian

05/31/2014

You know, a new bit is NEVER going to fix or replace proper training. But sometimes, a horse is simply uncomfortable in their current option, or may just be more comfortable in a different option.
Take Silas for example. I rode him in a copper mouth, loose ring, french link for the first year and a half that I had him. He was fine, but never really amazing. I switched him to a full cheek snaffle with keepers, so there would be less "white noise" between me and his mouth. He's now brilliantly consistent in the bridle, much softer, better connected, and is now working the bit in a positive manner.
Now take Tara. I rode her 6 months ago in a regular d-ring snaffle. She was perfectly fine. For the past three weeks, she's been tense, shaking her head constantly, rushing, and generally unpleasant to ride. So, I tried her in a hackamore. And a perfect pony walked, trotted, and cantered around the ring and popped over a couple cross rails like the best lesson horse ever. This tells me that she probably has issues with her teeth, and that any misbehavior she has had over the past 3 weeks was due to being uncomfortable in the traditional options.
The bit won't fix core issues, but it certainly helps to have something your horse likes in (or around!) his mouth!

05/18/2014

Some helpful tips to being a great barn manager!
1. Check fences regularly, fix any issues immediately!
2. Never assume your feeding program is fine just because that's how you've always done it. Critically evaluate each horses body condition on a regular basis to ensure everyone is healthy and being appropriately cared for.
3. Keep the barn clean and clear of debris, manure, spilled grain, ect. A clean barn is a healthy barn!
4. Take into consideration the opinions of those around you. Everyone has their own way of doing things, but every once in a while you'll learn something by hearing what other people have to say.
5. Be humble. Horses are the best at teaching humility. You just have to pay attention and listen. You'll make mistakes. As long as you actively try to correct them, you're leaps and bounds ahead of those who can't see the forest for the trees.

05/18/2014

Shea Equestrian is very fortunate to have such wonderful horses! Silas is always so on point and a wonderful schoolmaster, Tara is incredibly brave and so well behaved for a young horse just coming back into work after some considerable time off, and I cannot thank my friend Sophie enough for allowing me to use her two fabulous horses, Baron and Sabrina. Both are an incredible asset to my program and I couldn't do it without them!

05/12/2014

05/12/2014

Just as a note, Silas and Tara are available for weekly lease rides for anyone interested. Ride an extra day or two in addition to your regular lessons to help get ready for shows, or just to have some more barn time with your favorite horses! $15 a ride.