Carrick Hill Equestrian Centre

He is officially on his way! Meet ‘Will’ a 5yr old son of Birdstone who we get to pick up tomorrow. More pictures to follow. #carrickhillequestrian #ottb #futuresuperstar #eventer #dressage #hunterjumper #horsecrazy #birdstone #younghorse

What a year! As Another chapter in our crazy adventure comes to a end, we look forward to what the new one brings. #carrickhillequestrian #equestrianbranding #horsetraining #horsesales #smallbusiness #horsefarm #yearendreview #equestrianlife #thoroughbredsofinstagram

Anyone looking for a blank slate project?? This one looks very cute.

#nationalhorseday ?! That’s everyday around here. so grateful to be surrounded by such amazing creatures everyday. #grateful #horsesofinstagram #carrickhillequestrian #horselife #equestrian #eatsleepride #horseriding #ottbsofinstagram

All our ponies agree, this would make the perfect gift.

Weve helped hundreds of horses find new best friends over the years... But more so, weve answered thousands of inquiries. Ill say it again like I say every ...year, in case someone out there needs to hear this... HOW TO FIND YOUR UNICORN 1. PARAMETERS: Sticking to your parameters is only hurting your search. This is like when you have a friend who says theyll only date a guy over 6 feet tall. Would you turn down meeting your soul mate because hes 511? Ive learned from many good Horsemen over the years and the saying is true: God never made a good horse in a bad color. The number of times that people are looking for a precise height or a precise color and I think I have the perfect match for them to fulfill all their dreams, but they wont budge 1 inch on height in either direction. I can tell you that my current 17 hand horse feels much smaller than my current 15.3h horse. Its much more about their barrel and their neck set and then the height of their withers. Stop looking for the horse that is 5-7 years old 16.2-17.0h bay or grey gelding. You are only sabotaging your own search here. 2. WRONG QUESTIONS: When people call about horses, I tell them what kind of rider he needs and what the horse wants to do for a living. Why does NO ONE ever ask that?! They ask how fancy his trot is or how his dressage score was last weekend or how many ribbons he has or how tall he is. They dont ever ask, Will he tolerate my mistakes? Will he make up where Im lacking? Can I handle this horse? Does he have the same goals that I do? 3. WRONG PRIORITIES: I always teach my students this lesson. My keeper horse as a 4yo was the worst mover in the barn. Choppy trot, canter like a tractor trailer on ice, pads on his feet, and some seriously unimpressive knees. If I pulled him out of the stall for you at a sales appointment at 4 years old, you would tell me to put him away! Then he won 3 events at 5yo. At 6 hes a dream to ride because weve put in serious sweat equity for three years. Im going to burst your bubble here. Unless youre trying to literally win the Olympics, you dont need the best mover in the barn. Find the horse that makes you SMILE, that you want to ride every day, the one you can train. Beyond that, you can teach it to win the dressage if you work hard enough. Heck, the worst mover Ive ever owned won a dozen upper level events and got our Bronze Medal in dressage, and if you saw him today youd swear that was the best canter youve ever ridden. When youre shopping, dont buy for the fancy trot. Find the horse that makes you smile. 4. MAINTENANCE: The number of people who put in search ads, absolutely no maintenance or ask me if he has to wear shoes. So youre telling me if I can find you your perfect unicorn that will make you happy for the rest of his life and you have to give him hock injections once a year, you wouldnt do it? Because thats about what youre spending on your Starbucks this month. If you find a horse that will take care of you, you need to take care of it. Period. 5. VETTINGS: Its been said by a million people so Ill keep it brief. Vettings are a fact finding mission, not an attempt to rule out every horse you meet. No one can predict the future-Ive had upper level horses that would have failed as 4yos who never missed an event in their lives. Ive seen vets give two thumbs up to horses who dropped dead a week later from a heart problem. Vets are our greatest resource, but they arent fortune tellers. Any good vetting WILL find something. Have your trainer help you understand what is realistic when the vet jargon sounds scary. Heres hoping that this list helps someone searching somewhere. Because I know over the years in my career, if I had stuck to my parameters and broken my rules, I would not have bought any of my eventual upper level horses. I would have missed out on so many special horses in my life, because I didnt want a 3yo or I didnt want him to be 15.3h or his ankles arent pretty. When you find a horse that you like to ride and it makes you happy, thats really all that matters. Photo by Canter Clix

A huge thank you to @glenorofarm and all their amazing volunteers! Everything ran beautifully despite the crazy morning weather. #funbuns and #dahouse both finished on their dressage score to place 2nd and 3rd respectably. Also many thanks to @crowelea19 and my mom( Marg Selby)for managing two princess ponies and hanging out with me from 6am-8pm. And as always to @samstacey04 who runs a tight ship while Im away, and makes it all possible. Thanks Lady!... #dreamworkmakestheteamwork #ittakesavillage #horseshowlife #carrickhillequestrian #goeventing #ottbsofinstagram #eventersofinstagram #ontarioeventing

Trying to set jumps while dodging the attack #lalakitten A whole new meaning to footwork #carrickhillequestrian #savagecat #fluffykitten #stablecat #barncatsofinstagram #lafayette

Cap strutting his stuff

New Sale Horse arrived today! Love his build and temperament, cant wait to see him move. Capture The Music aka Cap! 4yr old gelding around 16-16.1

Trailer schooling the #superpony ... what can you fit in your box stall?? @crowelea19 @shoeguypnc #carrickhillequestrian #welshpony #greenpony #futureshowpony #babypony #cuteness #horselife #4startrailers #largepony

Huge thank you to Julia McGill for capturing Dubhe at her hunter debut.

Some Monday wisdom

What just happened?? #queendubhe made her debut in the Hunter ring this weekend. Tried her hand at the derby today and just got edged out for 10th. This is a horse for the future for sure! 6yrs old, third lifetime show and first show this year. #supermare Thanks to @endlessjourneyhorseshows and their amazing ring crew for keeping the wheels turning. ... #carrickhillequestrian #ottb #hunterderby #talkderbytome #hunterjumper #hunterjumpersofinstagram #baymare #earlydays #equestrianlife

We are officially Hunters...this mare is amazing! Would of loved to see her braided up but *maybe* next time? Derby tomorrow! Thanks Marg Selby for being the super groom and waiting with me, misery loves company xo.

#queendubhe has a new favorite person @freeinmotionequine HRH status - on point #ottbsruntheworld #carrickhillequestrian #hunterprincess #dressagehorse #equineathlete #sporthorse #hunterjumper #queen #baymare

Morning sky delight #carrickhillequestrian #horsefarm #countryliving #morningview #northumberland

Ponies in the mist Double coffee type day #carrickhillequestrian #horselife #horsesofinstagram #horseriding #equestrian #365days #horsefarm

#Dahouse being a complete poser @witsendhorsetrials captured by the lovely @emifisher Cant wait to take him for another spin in 2 weeks. ... #carrickhillequestrian #ottb #eventhorses #superhouse #greyhorsesofinstagram #teamkeogh #thoroughbreds #eventers

#Lalakitten was extremely pleased with yesterdays results. His tough love approach really paid off. #savagecat #critic #coachoftheyear #lifecoach #catsofinstagram #stablecat #horsetraining #silentpartner #lafayette

A huge thank you to @witsendevents and all their cheery, wonderful volunteers for another great weekend. Incredibly happy with both ponies, #funbuns & #dahouse had a great first run. Feeling very blessed to have 2 very quality horses to event. Upward and onward Also to the pit crew and village for the support and elbow grease that keep this wheel turning. #carrickhillequestrian #horsemanship #eventersofinstagram #ottbs #eventhorses #grateful #horseshow #equestrianlifestyle #bestponies

Newly minted #eventhorse. FINALLY. #superhouse #carrickhillequestrian #adrenaline #dahouse #teamkeogh #dahouse #ottbsofinstagram @witsendhorsetrials @witsendevents

Long read, but first paragraph sums it up nicely

Ramping up for the weekend

Horses have the unique ability to naturally blood dope. They store up to one-third of their red blood cells in their spleen and release them upon intense exercise. The added red blood cells increase the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream, contributing to the horses innate athleticism

Don't expect your horse to be any stronger than what you have made him able to be.

I've often used the Jack LeGoff quote about the best way to build courage in a horse. It works equally well for a rider. "Boldness comes from confidence. Confid...ence comes from success, So it becomes the goal of the trainer to create lots of situations that pretty much guarantee success." Sometimes, another way to grasp the essence of a thing is to look at it in reverse. "Timidity comes from doubt. Doubt comes from failure. So if the goal would be to create a timid horse or rider, put them into situations which pretty much guarantee failure." Like asking a horse to perform something that it hasn't been trained to understand. Or that is too hard for it to accomplish. Or that the horse lacks the fitness and strength to get done. Or riding it roughly and ineptly. Or asking a rider to ride a horse that is too difficult or challenging to ride, given the current skill and experience of the rider. Or to do some task too advanced to achieve at this stage. And then, in both cases, punish and criticize horse or rider for those failures. Now looked at this way, it seems ridiculous that anyone would do such things, but as we know in real life, they happen every day. So here are two opposite basic philosophies of training for horses or riders, and we have a clear choice as to which path to take

Coach #lalakitten Dishing out some hard lines and hard truths. Hes not here to hold any hands. #carrickhillequestrian #coachescorner #savagecat #coaching #stablecat #toughlove #horseriding

Roxy Roxy 2011 15.2 thoroughbred mare. Clips bathes ties trailers very sweet on the ground. Roxy placed 5th in Open Entry in 2019 at Grandview and Bronte HT. Sh...e fox hunts with her owner has completed hunter paces goes camping in the Adirondacks. Roxy is looking for her next partner in crime. She is a bit of a sassy mare so likes a rider who has soft hands and a light seat. She would suit an up and coming junior or an adult amateur in a program. She has more go than whoa. A good home is of utmost importance. Priced in upper mid 4 figures. https://youtu.be/T-9IrVC4N54

#queendubhe skipping around Angelstone last week Thanks Pip for coming! #carrickhillequestrian #hunterhorse #hunterjumper #greenhunter #forsale #horseforsale #salehorse #supermare #ottbsofinstagram

Its takes a village, and Im beyond thankful for ours. @samstacey04 for keeping the wheels on at the farm. No small feat with all the high maintenance ponies. @pippahambly & @listerenejean for working on less frantic jumping . ... @emifisher for being my favorite stalker And my mom for everything @crowelea19 for going outside her comfort zone and conquering some big firsts. Lastly @witsendevents and all their amazing lovely volunteers who without we couldnt do what we love. #goeventing #ontarioeventing #carrickhillequestrian #eventersofinstagram #babyeventer #futureeventers #ottbsofinstagram #ottbsrock

Think I just lost my horse @crowelea19 #carrickhillequestrian #superhouse #ottbsofinstagram #youngrider #futureeventer #eventersofinstagram #dahouse #brickhouse #equestrianlife

Another very full day, Lea and Ovey rocked around some xc at the beautiful Glen Oro. Bunny threw a shoe after fence 4, so really just came for a long drive

Just so we know, #lalakitten owns everything. For those of us with any doubt... #savagecat #stablecat #carrickhillequestrian #mine #sofluffyimgonnadie #attitudeinspades #4startrailers #showcats

I have known, and PREACHED this ALL my life. Taught to my students too. Finally, someone wrote an article and presented good photos. ORIGINAL POST BY: Runnin...g T Horsemanship, Dana Lovell We are big at teaching the "why" - this was too good not to share. It's the "little" things you do to help your horse that makes them happy and enjoy their time with you. Pulling your saddle pad up into the pommel. It can can take a bit of practice with saddle shifting and pad pulling, but your horse will appreciate it. Without being pulled up, when the saddle is cinched the pad presses down on the withers potentially causing discomfort. With the pad pulled up into the pommel the withers have room to move and there isn't a pressure point. If you aren't already in the habit of doing this the next time you ride put your fingers between the pad and your horses withers while walking or trotting. It's our job to make sure that they can comfortably carry us. This simple shift can help to make that happen.

Fancy Mare #queendubhe first off property school of the year. Just like she has been road tripping every weekend. #easypeasy #carrickhillequestrian #ottbsrock #fancypants #hunterjumpersofinstagram #hunteroverfences #hunterjumper #supermare

Great shot @samstacey04 !! Double rainbow last night after some welcome showers. #carrickhillequestrian #horsefarm #rainbow #summershowers #farmlife #equestriansofinstagram #sopretty

Ouch! But will return to riding later this week Equestrians = hardcore