This last Saturday was our first Horse Olympics and Chili Cookoff out at Hanaeleh! Our volunteers did an excellent job of working with the horses through four main events: On-ground Keyhole (where they would run from one side of the arena, turn around, then run back), moving through the cones (without knocking them over), walking over the poles (without touching them), and walking through the "car wash" (horses don't like things touching their faces, so this was more difficult than it may seem … [Read more...]
UPDATE: Sapphire’s New Home
Today we took Sapphire to her forever home in Encinitas, CA. It was both wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time; we are so very happy for Sapphire and her new family, and we have wanted her to have a special family to love her through the end of her years. At the same time, Sapphire is a very special horse, and we all grew to love her very much, and will miss her presence at Hanaeleh. We started out this morning taking Sapphire to the arena to say our own personal goodbyes (it doesn't … [Read more...]
Thank you Dave!
A huge thank you to Dave Seroski for making a tailor-made rope halter for Sapphire! She has such a petite nose that most rope halters are either too short (cob sized) or too wide (horse sized). Dave was kind enough to come out and make a custom-sized one just for her! In addition to the halters, he also makes hay bags (that fit an entire bale of hay- go figure!) and reflective gear for the horses. There are a lot of other cool things on there to watch and to buy. :) Dave also made … [Read more...]
Meeting of the Dark Horse Brigade
The Dark Horse Brigade met Tuesday afternoon. Among the topics discussed: Keeping the black from fading: How to retain that luster all year long (speaker: D'Artagnan) Leg extensions and training for success: (speaker: Sapphire) How to train humans into give you more carrots (speaker: Tamahome) Roommates or co-existing? How to share a paddock between a gelding and a mare (open discussion) Fly masks and how to remove them permanently (open discussion) The … [Read more...]