Operating a Horse Farm ~ Are You Nuts

After more than 35 years operating a horse farm I can appreciate the reality of horse farm ownership with all its pros and cons. For the neophyte farm owner there can be a few surprises in store, the biggest of which I'd suggest is how much time it takes to maintain.

If you've previously had your horse at livery, simply turning up to ride or groom your horse is all that is required to enjoy your horse habit. The stalls are mucked out, the horse is fed and watered, turned out and brought in and out as required. Your free time is spent doing what you love most, quality time with your horse. 

When you buy a property and add horses to the equation you can expect some hefty expenses and much daily work. Even if the farm is already established, buildings may need to be repaired, cleaned, and set up for your particular operation. Supplies for bedding and feed must be constantly stacked and stored and replenished, the work doesn't end in the barn with mucking out and feeding either.

There is the great outside to contend with too. Fences require maintaining, fence lines need to be strimmed, pastures need to be mowed out at least twice a year. Just like housework, the work needs to be repeated over and over.

Things break. Horses can be very destructive. Fences and gates, stall doors and floors, all require constant attention.Tractors and equipment needs servicing and of course will only quit working when you use them. 

Good luck taking any time off from farm life! Farm sitters can be hard to find and it can be hard to 'let go' and trust others to take care of your animals and farm while you are away.  

When you move in to your horse farm you'll probably admire all the green grass and lawns. After a few years you'll find yourself tired of the constant grind mowing and extend the pastures to incorporate as much land as possible.

Over time you'll probably find your horses spend more and more time in the pasture as the necessity to bring them in and out of their stalls seems of less concern. Frankly, most horses do better with more turnout, so if this is true of your routine then you're doing your horse a favor.

Then there is the just 1 or 2 horse question. Herd animals need company so either a 2nd horse or a companion animal is a must. Then you have 2 horses and shortly thereafter they magically multiply. Perhaps a pony for the kids or nieces/nephews, a horse for your significant other so they can learn to ride and enjoy time together on the trails, or a horse that you just have to rescue. And then you might even contemplate opening up your barn to boarders or begin a horse breeding business. Aaghh! 

Ah yes, the trails. If you have enough property then they'll need maintaining too. Downed trees and tree limbs in storms will need removal. And if you don't have trails available there will be the expense of an arena. Indoor or outdoor the arena will be a drag your spare time as it also needs regular attention. Footing has an amazing ability to disappear over time. Where it goes nobody knows, but it will require hand raking at the edges of the arena to prevent a rutted track and new materials will be required to be added periodically. 

You rarely have enough buildings on a farm. A specialist building to house equipment or store hay might be added. A few more run-in sheds. A bigger and better barn. The list is endless.

SO why do we do it?  

Because we are plainly nuts. Nuts about horses. Nuts about how they should be cared for. Simply nuts. It's the only explanation. 

If you find yourself staring at the arena you just harrowed with pride, wake up to see your horses out the window contentedly grazing in the paddock and find yourself outside scantily clad in pj's having a cup of coffee while leaning over the fence, or sit down tired and dirty after stacking the winter hay supply with great satisfaction at your accomplishment, then you are one of us. The horse nuts brigade.

Would I change anything about my 35 plus years as a farm owner. Yes. 

I wish I'd made more effort to travel and visit family when I was younger and they were still alive to visit and not worry so much about leaving my horses to the care of others. I wish I'd spent more time riding and less time worrying over how long the grass was or how perfectly clean the barn was every day. I wish I'd resisted the temptation to add horses to my herd rather than work harder and smarter with the ones I already had in my care. There are horses I wish I'd never sold and ones I wish I'd never bought. I wish. I wish.

But there is no time for regrets. There are horses to be fed and water troughs to be filled. And it's snowing again so all those paddock gates need digging out! 

Liberal Arts Education For All Horses Is A Must

Over the course of my many years with horses (counting nearly 50. What!! That's hard to believe even for me), I've competed and trained many different breeds of horses.

At a recent show that was the qualifying competition at a regional level in dressage I was thrilled to see a variety of horses competing under both Young Riders and amateur riders and professionals. The championship will be held in Kentucky in November and all riders were keen to guide their steeds to success to garner high enough scores to 'make it' to the big event.

 

From Paints to Fjords to horses whose breed I didn't even recognize, non traditional dressage breeds were apparent and their presence added a note of genuine horsemanship to the show. In fact the presence of Fjords competing at a dressage show in the USA had the Facebook group Norwegian Fjords members remarking that even in the country of their breed heritage the Fjord was rarely used for dressage. 

For myself I have seen Fjords be stellar jumpers showing great technique over fences, do clean tests at FEI PSG and be super driving horses and trail buddies too.

When did we forget that a horse can do more than one thing? In my youth horses were foxhunted, jumped and ridden on trails, entered dressage shows and gymkanas and did a bit of everything. "Variety is the spice of life" after all. 

Many horse breeders ( and that goes for ourselves at one point) are so busy breeding horses for a specific discipline they forget to give the horse a chance in its early riding career to experience anything else than the discipline that they have determined its genetics require and that their perhaps limited riding abilities discipline wise can market.

It is crucial that every horse is given a chance to figure out where it excels and to also receive a thorough all-around education so that is does not become sour mentally, and that physically it is developed as an athlete and one with a well developed mind and balance in all things.This of course should go for riders too.

Think of it as liberal arts college study for horses. Do a bit of everything and train the horse to enjoy it all. It is 'liberating' both for them and us!

2nd Cut? What 2nd Cut?

If you are a hay farmer you are not alone in starting to panic about whether or not you are going to get any 2nd cut in the barn!

Thankfully, our 1st cut is secured!

The late start to the 1st cutting season due to the wet and weird weather in the North East has meant that the 2nd cut is not at the height we would all like it to be. Add to that the unusually cool temperatures for August you might expect that as grasses generally like cooler weather the grass would be on a march skyward. Not so much. 

A recent sortie around our hay fields showcased some very slow growth, though admittedly we do not add chemical fertilizers after 1st cut is taken off the fields so our 2nd cut is not as robust as some other farmers might enjoy.

As we look forward to the 3rd week of August no haymaking weather is in sight for the next 10 days. Even then, temperatures are only in the mid to high 70's here, questionable usefulness for curing hay without preservatives. As an organic horse hay producer we rely on Mother Nature to provide all the curing factors for a great crop. So yes, we are beginning to get a little edgy at the prospect of a) a reduced crop b) will we be able to get in any 2nd crop at all?

As busy dressage clinicians hubbie and I have a host of scheduled appointments including some travel that involves booking international flights to our hosts in Portugal and Spain. We have horses to visit for clients that are currently available for sale, but judging by how long it is taking us to confirm our travel arrangements we may have to start over with a new review of prospects before we hop on a plane. Due to the haymaking issue that looks like it may stretch into early September and even mid September, all those plans are on hold. 

My hubbie Paul, trying out prospects at Stal Andre, Lisbon. Home of Antonio Monterio Borba.

Meantime our dressage colleagues in Portugal and Spain are desperate, as usual, for rain. Fire is a constant threat to property in these countries, and it is always worrisome when you own property there especially as fire insurance is restrictively expensive to purchase. 

Dry weather is a constant source of concern in Portugal and the Iberian peninsula in general

Of course on the plus side, and there is always one, the problems with petrol/gas supplies for motorists due to the striking oil/diesel/gas tank drivers in Portugal will hopefully be cleared up by the time we get there. Clinics involve a lot of driving about between venues and it is not unusual for Paul and I to drive many miles in our rental car, from Lisbon up to Santorem and North past Coimbra, before heading South all the way down to The Algarve and then across to Seville and down to Cadiz and Jerez. Lack of fuel supplies would make that impossible. 

We usually fly to Lisbon and head out from there

We have a few clients in Estoi and this Pousada Palace is the perfect place to stay

In Loule, The Algarve heading out to Villamoura

It is frustrating for all involved to say the least. Our 2nd cut customers call us for updates and are also nervous that with the reduced amount of 1st cut available due to so much grass having gone to haylage and not dry baling due to the weather, and the lack of 2nd cut hitting the market, they may be caught short on supply options.

So please Mother Nature, thanks for all the rain and cool temperatures to help make the 2nd crop grow, but could you please dish us out about 9 days of 85 degree weather toward the end of August?

Hey There ~ What's The Scoop on Hay Supplies This Year?

We'd all like our horse hay costs to be less and the quality of our hay to be top quality. Unfortunately, for various reasons this doesn't always happen. The scoop in 2019 seems to be that due to all the wet weather 1st cut hay supplies in the North-East USA are late coming in, the quality overall is down. At least according to my conversations with several dealers.

We sell to both dealers and to end-users. The dealers always call us for 2nd cut and usually clear it all out in a matter of days during September. They often come back for 1st cut later in the year. Not this year. We've had several calls from dealers urgent for 1st cut and looking for good quality hay. Much of their usual supply has apparently either been rained on after cutting and then dried for baling, lessening the nutrient quality or has been cut as silage and not baled as the weather was not favorable for dry baling.

Has the sun set on top quality hay?

The key player in the haymaking scenario is always Mother Nature. She can be kind and gracious with her sunshine ~ the very best method for proper curing of hay. Dry down agents are becoming increasingly prevalent in hay supplies across the country and this 'preservative' fast drying method of haymaking may come with consequences to the health of your horse. Modern farm equipment comes fitted with reservoirs to receive these widely untested 'agents' and it is not truly known what adverse affect they may have on the health of their equine recipient. Some tests have shown respiratory inflammation in youngstock as a result of their use and their increased use is of concern.

For the farmer less drying time on the field for their hay crop means saving money on diesel and labor with a lesser chance of hay getting wet and less chance of it dusting when baled. Moisture levels in a bale of less than 14% reduce the chances of spontaneous combustion when stored, and mitigation of fire risk is certainly a valuable factor in the equation.

As many of you know small square bales are fast disappearing, and finding small squares that have been produced without dry-down agents or preservatives becomes increasingly difficult.  

The hands on nature of small squares comes with a myriad of advantages. Not only are the smaller bales easier to stack and to handle around the farm and barn, they also provide an opportunity for full investigation for any foreign matter within a bale (usually given away by a bad smell), and are easy to apportion for our equines. Moisture levels can be readily checked with the aid of a hay wand to help ensure they are safe to store inside.

What will barns that utilize malls for hay storage and properties with tight access to hay storage space do when the small squares disappear altogether?

Farming top quality hay is a lot of hard work and expensive to accomplish. Sometimes hay will be lost to wet weather, and all those diesel costs and machine time are for naught. The labor for stacking small squares is costly, and that is if you can find folks that are willing to do it. For larger bales both round and square, the equipment needed to move the bales from A to B is expensive.

The best way to save money on hay when feeding outside is to use a feeder. Studies show 30-40% savings on hay costs by the simple addition of a hayfeeder to the distribution process. That's pretty cool. 

Hayfeeders Come In All Shapes and Sizes

Think about how much work and worry goes into the crop. Most farmers truly care about the quality of the hay they put up, and do their very best to outwit Mother Nature and bring their clients healthy hay for their horses. Where some farmers shortcut others will step in and maintain their integrity so if you search hard you will always find good quality hay somewhere. Be persistent but expect to pay a reasonable sum for it.

When machines breakdown, and they do, they are expensive to fix. A rebuilt gear box on our discbine cost $3000 a few years back, and that is just one repair. A new tractor tire can easily cost another $3000. Twine, servicing equipment, new knives for cutters, oil/hydraulic oil, hose repairs etc. all cost money. 

Farming is also one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Death, amputations, minor and major injuries are common. 

 

Are Small Squares Going To Be Around In A Few Years Time?

Haymaking is not for the faint of heart. Next time you look at a bale of hay, think about all the effort that has gone in to making it and don't complain about the price. Hay is still woefully underpriced in the North East market when you consider the true expenses of the haymaking process!

This Retiring From Horse Breeding Thing

When you produced the horse in the first place and have kept it for the past 8-9 years and taught it all it knows it is hard to sell it. 
 

The first hours of Gambol's Middernacht's life

As the two mares we have still to disperse due to our retirement stand quietly munching hay in their stalls out of the hot midday sun, it is so tempting to give in to the notion of breeding them and forgetting about the need to retire from so much horsey activity.

This Spring I did miss the anticipation and thrill of new foals hitting the ground. Imprint training is rote to us at this point, and being there for mares that you aided giving birth to years before, is fabulous because you know each other so well. 

I confess to having a lackadaisical attitude to the whole marketing process. I have only advertised them on Facebook pages, Catskill Horse, Equine Now and just gave myself a much needed kick in the pants and added a guaranteed ad to Equine.com. I though the guaranteed ad was a good one, as I am hopeless and remembering to renew ads and so the horses are probably off the market more than they are on. Pretty ironic when my other job is in PRMarketing and I have a long history in the horse world with much experience in selling international calibre horses.

If I'm being honest, I suppose my poor management of the mares' marketing comes down to not really wanting to sell them at all. But I must shake off that nonsensical idea. As I approach a 'big' birthday in the Fall I realize that hubbie and I are not as young and energetic as we used to be. Our lifestyle has evolved over the years and presently involves more coaching and clinic giving than competing. Having pregnant mares at home, scheduling the vet visits for AI and checks, waiting anxiously for foals to arrive is not practical for us anymore.

When I factor in my parents living far away across the pond, and the necessity and wish to travel as frequently as possible to England to visit them, the time to just do as you please with horses at home is even more limited. Asking folks to farm sit babies is a much harder thing to handle than asking them to watch over adult horses.
 

Extravaganza WVH ( Lusitano Briosso x DWB Gambol's Georgy Girl)

So as I resist the temptation to take up the offer of another breeding to the beautiful Briossi Lusitano from my good friend in Jerez via frozen semen, and watch our young colt struggle to control himself in the barn around the seasoning mares, I'll give myself a pat on the back and a good talking to about getting on this marketing machine.

Of course next up is finding a med/wide saddle to fit one of the mares that is ready for saddling..always something!
 

A goofy photo of Gambol's Middernacht aka Midi after her 4th longe lesson of 2019

Patience is Key

It is often hard to be patient when training a horse from scratch. In your earnest desire to get busy in the saddle, it seems easiest to just go at it and do it all in one day. While clinicians abound in 'horsemanship' that showcase a horse going from green to broke in a matter of hours in front of an audience of enthusiastic onlookers, the reality is horses deserve our patience when starting them out. Every horse goes at its own individual pace and no one method or routine of training is going to work on every horse.

My husband was fortunate to be trained by James Belman ( who also trained UK team rider Dane Rawlins), and Belman was mentored by the iconic Director of the Spanish Riding School at Vienna, Austria, Alois Podhajsky. One of Podhajsky's many writings included this:

"A ruthlessly condensed training only leads to a general superficiality, to travesties of the movements, and to a premature unsoundness of the horse. Nature cannot be violated."

After 25+ years of breeding and starting horses, hubbie and I both know this to be true. All our horses are started slowly, allowing them time to digest each new task and fully understand their part in the process. We also sincerely believe that a horse should be strong in its topline, and ready to take the additional weight that a rider presents to the equation. Longe work elevates a horse's front end (when done correctly), strengthens the horse through work on cadence within gaits and transitions and helps the horse develop pushing power and balance. Not too mention confidence in doing their job. 

Focus is an important part of the equation and relaxation is key to the learning process. A tense horse will neither learn well or be able to maintain focus on the task at hand. Difficulties are usually caused by lack of understanding or physical or mental inability to complete the training job presented to the horse. Patience is indeed key to successful training.

Charrington WVH was not always an easy horse to train. His apparent stoic nature hid a lack of confidence and it was easy to push him quickly to the next level without giving him the time to properly develop gymnastically to carry himself in self-carriage.

Unfortunately, this can mean that much time is needed to develop a young horse from start to finish. A 'dressed' horse such as our two statesman Tiberio Lafite and Charrington, have taken many years for us to develop from babies to Grand Prix. There have been bumps and plateaus along the road, and those moments have been the ones we have learned the most from and taken forward to other horses in training. 

Making the horse of a lifetime requires a lifetime of commitment ~

When I actively competed in Europe, working with my 'compadre' in all things dressage, FEI coach Greta Kemmer in Switzerland, the horses I rode were also started by her in the same principles. Transitioning between our horses and hers was thus easy, as the proper groundwork had been laid. 

A super mare I competed to St. Georg called Epernay, that my coach leased to me, was a case in point of where patience mattered. When competing at Luxemburg Dressage she arrived flustered from an arduous and frankly too fastly driven transport via a commercial carrier. The day was clearly not marked for success so we scratched. Two weeks later I returned to school her. After a few days Greta and I decided to head out to a quieter show in Lugano, for a go around the ring that was simply aimed at building confidence for the horse and develop better trust between the mare and myself. It was a great go and our scores were mid '70's. The horse was up for sale shortly thereafter and a buyer who had seen her at the Lugano show quickly snapped her up. The educated buyer was fully aware that the horse had overcome her difficulties and was ready to move up to the next stage of her career.

So as hubbie and I try to find time to get our two mares started under saddle, (for sale as part of our mareband dispersal due to our retirement), I am reminded that the patience we take now to develop the horses truly from back to front, with strong backs and carrying power and happiness in their job, will pay dividends later for new 'dancing partner' that steps up to purchase them.

Dutch Warmblood Midi has been sat on just a few times - now building her back to work on the longe in readiness for saddling.

It doesn't matter how old the horse or how far along the training program they are, all horses will learn eagerly with the right instruction and patience.

Why Are Young Racehorses Breaking Down At Tracks All Over The Country?

That is the multi-million dollar question. Why? Is it the track surface that has resulted in 22 horses being euthanized at Santa Anita, CA? Is it the use of a whip or medications such as Lasix? Was the summer of 2017 in Saratoga that much different in equine death toll numbers? How many is enough to say halt the racing season?

So many questions and it appears very few answers. I was doing some research for an article I was writing for one of my clients several months ago, and found some very concerning issues for horse health concerning the use of a certain drug called Osphos, a bisphosphonate

To say I found the comments from the scientific community on the risks and reports of long term damage from its use mind-blowing, would be an understatement.

A few months later a top surgeon came out in a report published in the Paulick report with this comment,

“I wish we'd never seen these drugs,” said renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage at the conclusion of a recent presentation about bisphosphonates. 

It is not a huge leap of faith to see that lasix, whips and poor riding surfaces are not likely the root cause of the recent rise in racehorse injuries. At let's keep it real, the new medications such as Osphos are not just used on racehorses. They are used across all riding disciplines. Yes, the FDA has approved their use. But is that enough? 

As a horse owner you most likely rely on the advice of your vet for treatment of injuries and lameness in your horse. And your vet, just like your doctor, is consistently courted by big pharma to purchase and promote their offerings.

In my humble opinion you should be an advocate for your horse by completing your own research as thoroughly as possible before following the sole advice of anyone as to treatment and long term effects of medications. It is not just about what is show legal or FDA approved, it is about the well-being of your horse long term not just when its under saddle competing for your financial and emotional edification. 

Check your own conscience. Are you doing enough due diligence?

Bring On The Dancing Horses - Finding Time

Happy 2019 everyone. Hope that your holiday season was spectacular and that your plans for the New Year include more quality time with your horse.

It's not easy finding time to ride when there is so much else to do. Aside from the other 'life stuff' that gets in the way, many of us spend much more time taking care of our horses than actually riding them. I confess this has been true for me over 2018. So as we step into the New Year, I figure I'd better change things up to avoid a repeat.

A good starting point to finding time to ride is to look at how you spend your time at the barn or on the farm. Chores are a necessary part of horse-keeping and while you may enjoy all the times you spend around horses, certainly time spent riding should be more than time spent taking care of their needs.

My husband Paul and I, have been in the horse breeding business for 25+ years. Last year we spent so much time away giving dressage clinics and for myself, much time writing about everything horse as a freelance writer/PRMarketing Specialist, that we determined we needed to disband or breeding herd and retire from horse breeding. Hence at the moment we have just 2 mares left for sale, and we are keen to have them sold to the right competition home so they can go off and enjoy stellar careers. Meantime of course, they need training. They haven't sold due mainly to the fact they don't have saddle time as they have been in the breeding shed. 

More time we don't have! 

Gambol's Middernacht ~ For Sale!

In the late Fall we tried to send one of the mares out for training with one of our past students that lives 4 hours drive away from our farm. Unfortunately while we had a contract with her for training, she did not have her own barn. While we had the trucker set up and the horse ready to go, when the barn owner finally sent me the boarding contract it was so onerous and so convoluted we couldn't entertain sending our mare there. So here the horse still sits,
quite contentedly munching down on hay and hanging out with her half-sister, who also hasn't received further training.

So the dilemna continues. How to find more time?

If you figure it out let me know!