Greenhawk Vancouver Island

This past Sunday Bonita Stables hosted their Wild and Wooly Dressage Schooling Show. The event was a great success, with lots of horses and riders entered, eager to get their some practice in before the summer show season begins! Glynis, Sarah, Devon and I–all from Greenhawk–entered with our horses. Glynis introduced Q to his first ever show and he was incredibly willing and obedient in the Training Level test. Glynis also debuted her other horse, Nelson, in his first Fourth Level test and he looked amazing! Devon rode her first Second Level test with Ngaphui and Sarah and I both rode the First Level test.

Sharon Martinez had snacks and hot beverages (even a pot of chili!) and with each rider’s test scores they received a rose and a Valentine’s candy package. It was a really nice, relaxed environment but it was so great to have the opportunity to ride in front of a judge and practice the tests straight through without stopping to school a movement, which is what most often happens to me when I’m practicing a test on my own.

We all really hope they’ll host another such schooling show soon!

–Cassidy

Well Q has settled in nicely to his new home at Bonita Stables and is proving to be unbelievably quiet and sensible for a freshly off-the-track Thoroughbred.  He appears to have left the track solidly behind him, and feels no competitive instincts when massive dressage horses thunder by him on the long-side practicing their medium canters.

He has gone on his first trail rides….one with his mommy Leigh walking beside him, and the other all alone.  He loved getting off the farm to explore and marched along the road at a brisk pace, not even minding vehicle traffic including a hay semi-truck passing him.

As he is so laid-back about life, we’ve had an on-going joke that Mr. Q probably failed miserably on the race track, likely even breaking to trot in the homestretch!  However, we have since discovered photo evidence making us eat our words and look at our little race horse in a whole new light. He was a winner!

Q Wins!! (Track Name - Guilded in Silver)

This Sunday Q begins his horse show career, competing in Training Level at the Bonita Farm Wild and Wooly Dressage Schooling Show.  I’m sure we will have squiggly center lines and square circles but I’m also sure he will try his hardest!

~Glynis

Winters can be a little too long and boring….which can lead some people to go on holiday and others to buy horses??  With no holiday plans in the near future, Glynis decided on the latter, and managed to convince her friend Leigh Lindstrom that sharing in a new horse would be more fun than a trip to Hawaii.  Quite funny how little convincing Leigh took!

This past Sunday afternoon Glynis and Leigh brought their new horse, “On Cue” over to the island from the mainland. “Q” as he’ll be known around the barn, is a 4-year-old ex-racehorse who is beyond cute. He’s a dark grey with a petite head and a startlingly white tail (which likely won’t stay white for very long!) So far, he’s settled in nicely at his new home and he’s been a superstar under saddle. Stay tuned to hear more of his progress and Glynis and Leigh bring him along. Hopefully one day he’ll be out on the cross country course with Glynis and in the Hunter ring with Leigh!

Q was adopted from the  New Stride Thoroughbred Adoption Society, which helps to re-home Thoroughbreds from off the track. If you’re considering welcoming a new horse to your family, it’s definitely worth checking out New Stride’s website to see if one of their rescue Thoroughbreds might be the perfect fit. The link to their website is: http://newstride.com/our-thoroughbreds/adopt-a-horse/

On Cue, before his island arrival

–Cassidy

Well it sure feels like winter now! The recent dump of snow caused a bit of chaos in Victoria, and as a horse owner, the snow means heaps more work.

Hauling water is always a fun task, especially when you’re slipping and sliding your way to the barn, trying not to douse yourself with the frigid stuff. Trying to push wheelbarrows through the snow is a great way to work your upper body out, especially if your wheelbarrow has a perpetually flat tire like mine. And the horses often are cooped up inside, deprived of normal turnout. Ours stay in their walk-out paddocks, which means to rid themselves of boredom, they like to play the catch-me-if-you-can-blanket-ripping-game, which my horse seems to be quite talented at. He’s now shredded three blankets (brand spanking new blankets I might add) in the span of three days.

The mounds of snow also mean that unless your horse is stabled somewhere with an indoor ring, there’s definitely little opportunity to ride. I’ve seen a few people brave the trails with their sure-footed mounts. The driveway at our barn is too much of a skating rink to attempt any such outings.

BUT the snow makes everything look so beautiful, at last till it turns to slush or becomes churned up into squelchy mud. I took the opportunity yesterday afternoon to snap some shots of my roomates horse and mine out in the field, without their blanekts. It’s pretty special to see the horses going nuts in the snow, snorting and stamping, digging and rolling, trotting with tails held high.

What other snowy activities have you all been up to with your horses? We’d love to hear.

–Cassidy

A few of us from Greenhawk went to see War Horse when it first came out a few weeks ago. After the film we got to talking about what our all time favourite horse movies were and as we each began to list our top picks, we realized just how many horsey inspired films there are out there!

Glynis’ favourite horse movie is Phar Lap, an Australian film based on the true story of the famous racehorse of the same name who raced in the late 1920s through to the 1930s. The film was made in 1983 and starred Tom Burlinson (who you might remember from one of our other top horse movie picks–The Man from Snowy River!) We made it our mission to find this film after searches at the Greater Victoria Library surfaced with n0 results. Amazon offers the film as a VHS for close to $60! Glynis eventually found a copy at Pic A Flic in the Cook Street Village. The only trouble….it was also a VHS! With the vidoe on hold, we set about trying to find a VHS player–a task that proved surprisingly difficult considering this technology isn’t THAT old. One turned up, but didn’t work. A second one had to be resurrected out of Gillian’s parents’ basement and with the help from an extension cord, we were in business! The film was well worth the efforts; if you haven’t seen Phar Lap, put it on your list! The storyline is excellent, the characters far from cheesy and the horse who plays Phar Lap is stunning. An interesting side note, Phar Lap died suddenly while in the United States and his death was always considered slightly suspicious, but no one could prove that he’d been poisoned. However in 2007, through the use of DNA technology, scientists were finally able to conclude that there were extremely high levels of arsenic in Phar Lap’s system, so its safe to say he had been poisoned. Another interesting fact about the racehorse–he had an enormously large heart which is on display at the National Museum of Australia.

We also recently watched The Man from Snowy River, which I was able to find at the library on DVD. This movie’s a little more dated with a few cheesy scenes, but still, a solid horse movie worth a watch. There is also the sequel, The Man from Snowy River II, which isn’t as good as the original (are sequels ever as good as the original? I can’t think of one…) but still, worth a watch.

Another horsey film I watched this past weekend is a classic: National Velvet. It’s hard to believe how young Elizabeth Taylor was (age 11!) when she played the role of Velvet Brown, the spunky, horse crazy 12-year-old who trains her horse, the Pi, with the help of ex-jockey Mi Taylor (played by a young Mickey Rooney) for the famous Grand National race in England. The script is fabulous–very funny and witty, and the main characters (Velvet’s three siblings, her parents who constantly refer to each other as Mr. and Mrs. Brown, as well as Mi) are so well developed, something that seems to be missing in a lot of Hollywood films these days…

A sequel to this movie has also been made: International Velvet, which I have yet to see, but also seems to only be available in the Greater Victoria region at Pic A Flick on VHS… so that’s this weekend’s mission!

My other top fav horse movies include:

The Black Stallion

The Black Stallion Returns

Black Beauty

The Horse Whisperer

Buck

Seabiscuit

Secretariat

We’d love to hear your thoughts about any other favourite horse movies! Any recommendations? What’s your favourite horse film of all time?

–Cassidy

Its great to find another use for horsey gear, especially during the winter months when we may not be out riding as much as we would like.  Who knew your horse’s shipping boots (probably stored away in a tack trunk somewhere waiting for the spring show season) could elevate you to the height of fashion and double as leg warmers during this chilly winter weather we are experiencing. 

And now a shameless plug…..if you don’t have this trendy accessory in your closet already (or the one’s you have are a little too manure stained to pull off this fabulous look : ) we have shipping boots on sale right now starting at $19.95 for a pair with lots of options and styles!  You can even colour coordinate!  Next we are going to suggest using a trailering head bumper as a fascinator……

~ Glynis

Out with the old to make room for the new!  

We are busily clearing out discontinued items, apparel, blankets, tack and boots to make room for new spring arrivals, and found that with so many great deals and sale items, we needed to literally “corral” them together to keep somewhat organized.  So yesterday we built a paddock to house all these great deals and have aptly named it “The Clearance Corral.” Come rummage around….we can promise some amazing finds!

The Clearance Corral!

I’m so excited about this upcoming Yoga for Riders workshop because my cousin and best friend, Brianna Sloan, is going to be leading it!

As riders, I think most of us are guilty of not stretching before our ride because somehow, it doesn’t fit into our routine. We’re overly aware of ensuring our horses are properly warmed up and cooled down, but rarely do we take the time to think about the work our own bodies are doing while we’re riding. In this yoga workshop, Brianna will help us stretch out those tight muscles and take part in some new exercises to strengthen and stretch important muscle groups used both on and off the horse.

We’ve divided up the workshop into two separate yoga classes, so feel free to sign up for one or both, depending on what you think your stretching/strengthening needs are. Following this workshop, Brianna will continue to teach evening yoga classes at the store once a week. More information to come on her continuing classes.

Date: Tuesday, January 24th 

Location: Greenhawk Vancouver Island

 Time: 6:30-7:30 pm (Class #1—Gentle Yoga and Stretch) 7:45 – 8:45 pm (Class #2—Active Yoga and Core Strengthening)

 Price: $10.00 per person

Introductory Workshop –Enjoy this introductory workshop to find out if yoga is for you. 

Also great if you just want to learn some of the stretches and poses to do on your own to be incorporated into your own stretching routine pre-ride and/or your personal fitness regime. Following this workshop Greenhawk Vancouver Island will be offering weekly classes with Brianna in the same time slots.

 Brianna will introduce yoga based stretches and poses to improve flexibility in key areas for riders (hip openers, hamstring muscles, etc.) and core strengthening vitally important for riders to improve stability, posture, and to improve spinal function. Feel free to come to both classes if you like. The stretching class will be less intense and more focused on relaxation and gentle stretches. The active yoga class will involve more challenging exercises. 

Please sign up early if you’re interested as space will be limited! And remember to bring a mat, towel and water bottle.

For any further questions, feel free to give us a call at the store 250-652-1002

Well, it’s been a while since we had a chance to post anything on our blog! Christmas was quite a busy time for us–thank you, our fabulous customers,  for your continued support, we appreciate it!

Now that the Christmas rush is over, we are into January Clearance time. We have copious amounts of great deals on everything from clothes to tack to boots.

We’re working hard to organize some more workshops and fun store events in the new year. First up will be a Yoga for Riders workshop at the store starting on Tuesday, January 17th. After the workshop, yoga classes will continue every Tuesday night at the store! Stay tuned for more details.

After the wonderful talk by Jodine Carruthers, we’ve had lots of interest in bringing her back for another workshop, so stay hopefully we can organize another talk with her. We always welcome suggestions for workshops so feel free to send them our way, either by commenting on our blog or emailing us at: vancouverisland@greenhawk.com

We hope everyone had a great Christmas and happy new year!

–Cassidy

Okay, so that last post got a little long and I still have more to report on from last week’s fabulous talk with Equine Behaviourist, Jodine Carruthers.

To start where I left off…

Jodine spoke about how horses naturally move into pressure–in the wild, if they are attacked by an animal, they move into that animal, for example by falling onto an attacking cougar, the horse then has a better chance of throwing that animal off balance and then being able to bolt away from the predator. So, when we push onto our horses side to shove them over in the cross ties, you’ll notice a green horse will likely push right back into you. Humans teach horses to move away from pressure, and it is important for them to learn this behaviour. If you’ve ever had your foot stepped on by a horse (and really, who hasn’t had that happen to them at least once? I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been trod on!) you’ll want them to know that when you lean on them and push their side to have them step away, that they will do as instructed and not just lean right on back into you. I guess the message here that Jodine was trying to pass along is that we ask our horses to do a lot that is not natural to them, and they’ll do it, but we have to train and teach them many of these expectations, so if helps if we can understand where they are coming from and that often they are not trying to be “bad” or “naughty”, they just don’t understand what we are asking of them.

Another topic discussed was the horse’s method for survival. Most horse people know that they are flight animals. If threatened, they will as fast as they can away from the threat. If flight is not an option for the horse, then they will fight and become physically aggressive. And if fighting won’t work, then the horse will enter freeze mode.

FLIGHT—> FIGHT—-> FREEZE

In freeze mode, the horse has essentially shut down as a way to protect themselves. You’ll often see horses in this mental state who have been physically abused. If they aren’t aggressive, they’re likely in a state of freeze. It can be hard to work with horses like this, but the the goal is definitely to get the horse out of this state by allowing them the freedom to run away if necessary and allowing them to act like a normal horse.

My horse does not ground tie very well and it really annoys me. That said, I haven’t really spent the time working with him to get him to stand quietly without being clipped up in the cross ties. He doesn’t bolt anywhere, but he likes to wander around the aisle, see where he can lip up some fallen pieces of hay, maybe have a little tour of the tack room. I’d never really thought about how teaching a horse to stand still is completely unnatural to them. They are grazing animals, they are almost always moving out in the wild, and they are an easy target if they are standing still in one place for too long. Jodine spoke about how horses standing still is something they only have to do with a human and this is why it can be so difficult to teach a horse to ground tie, for example. The key is practice and to reinforce your expectations on a daily basis since the horse will likely continue to test you on this command.

Lastly, Jodine reminded us all that horses live in the present moment, unlike humans, and they offer a good reminder to enjoy our horses in the moment!

–Cassidy