Circle C Equestrian
4598 Cedar Hill Road V0E 1W1

Welcome to 2021! SERVICES OFFERED BY CIRCLE C 2021: TO INCLUDE BOTH DISCIPLINES OF ENGLISH AND WESTERN TRAINING:...Continue reading

A must belief! From owners to trainers each and everytime you swing a leg! Tess

Our first sale of 2021. Deegan is off to his new home, to start the next chapter of his life. Congratulations to the new owner, I'm glad he's staying in the area, and we will get to continue working with him. Congratulations to Alissa Hodson, on raising a beautiful baby that turned into such a lovely young gelding.

We are mindful at Circle C, to ensure that our horses are in groups, or at the very least can interact over fences. Do they get bite marks? Sometimes they do. Do we repair blankets more frequently? Yes we do. Is the mental health of our horses more important than a perfect coat? Yes it is. If you take a 12 x 12 stall, and the size of a horse, and convert that to the size of a laying hen, the resulting cage size is not legal to keep a chicken in.... food for thought.

Lovely to receive these photos with permission to share. Rusty n Winter a perfect match made by Circle C last year! We wish endless joy to them both!

Sale horses for next spring arrived today. Looking forward to getting them cleaned up and ready for some training. 2021 is already looking like a great season. We’ve got 8 here now, that will be available starting in the early spring.

As this year comes to a close we would like to once again congratulate the 15 proud new owners of Circle C horses in 2020! We have enjoyed the process of working with you all to create successful partnerships with these wonderful horses and are very grateful to all of those who have reached out with interest, questions, and have supported us and our page this year. As we excitedly prepare for another successful year in 2021, we are rolling out some fun and educational new pro...grams for all ages and skill levels! From summer camps and a busy clinic schedule, to a brand new introductory riding program, as well as many promising horses offered for sale. We are also incredibly proud to announce some big changes to our beautiful facility! There are many improvements planned for the coming year such as a new barn with a heated wash stall, heated grooming bay, and private/semi private training paddocks for your horses. We will be releasing a comprehensive price and services list as well as a schedule for our season in the new year. Stay tuned for more information on all of these new opportunities to join the Circle C team! As always, we encourage you to message us with any questions you may have about these new programs. We are always willing to do our best to accommodate you and your horse. A very Happy New Year from all of us at Circle C, we can't wait to start 2021 with all of you!

Let's mark our calendars..... We will be there! Putting show miles on our young horses and coaching. Plz go to KRC website for info

Focus on the feeling, rather than the outcome Focus on the feeling, rather than the outcome

This is so true. At Circle C, we always do everything possible to make the transition for a new horse/human relationship to be as successful as possible, regardless of whether the horse is coming into our program with a client, or we’re selling one into someone else’s program. Last week we sent a young gelding out on a trial (something we rarely do), however, we have lots of respect for the trainer who’s program he’ll be going into with his new owner. So we dropped him off l...ast Monday, let him settle for 2 days, and then Tess(who’s been the one riding him here), went to the facility where he is and worked with the buyer, the trainer, and the facility manager to set everything up to be successful. Our trainer, the buyer, the buyer’s trainer and facility manager all working together to make sure this gelding is successful. No egos to be seen. This is how transactions like this should be. We should all be working together for the benefit of the horse. We pride ourselves on this. See more

Exceptional horsemanship is always the goal, regardless of the discipline.

Blankets 101 Great refresher! Thanks Robyn Zimmer! As days grow shorter and temperatures drop, it's time to evaluate what blankets your horse needs. With a huge range of options available, deciding what you need can be confusing. Here's a handy guide to help you find the right fit, size and weight to meet your horse's individual needs. ... Insulation Insulation is a layer of synthetic fibers between the inner and outer blanket materials. Often referred to as fiberfill or polyfill, this layer traps warmed air in the spaces between fibers. Here's how fill translates to blanket weight: Temperature Gauge To blanket or not to blanket? Below is a starting point for deciding how to blanket your horse based on temperature. These recommendations don't factor in wind chill or precipitation, so adjust accordingly, particularly for horses who are turned out. Keep in mind that layers such as blanket liners, stable sheets and blankets of various weights can be substituted to achieve equal protection and insulation. Also remember you want to keep your horse warm, but you don't want him to sweat, which is worse than being a little cold. Some blanket materials, when soaked with sweat, cause the moisture to evaporate from your horse's skin faster than his body is able to warm it, causing his skin temperature to decrease and eventually chilling his body Find His Size 1. Set up your horse so he's standing square on a level surface, either in crossties or held by a friend. 2. Using a cloth tape measure, hold the end of the tape in the center of your horse's chest, even with the widest part of his shoulder (see Photo A). 3. Holding the tape parallel to the floor, bring it around his shoulder, along the side of his body, going as far as you can reach. Mark where the tape ends with your finger and note the measurement in inches. Then move the start of the tape to your finger and repeat the process. Continue measuring until you get to the edge of his tail bone (see Photo B). Add all of your measurements. This will be the size blanket your horse needs. Stable blankets and sheets and fitted coolers generally come in traditional or "American" sizing (2-inch increments, more contoured fit, shorter drop) while turnouts are usually in European sizing (3-inch increments, higher neck, more belly coverage). If your horse's measurement falls between sizes, choose the next size up. One caveat is that blanket manufacturers have different sizing recommendations. Some companies suggest measuring from the center of the chest to the center of the tail or from the center of the chest to the point of buttocks. Other companies require you to subtract a certain number from the actual measurement. Check individual manufacturers' Web sites for measurement and fitting recommendations.

Through great connections, Circle C was able to make a connection. CONGRATS to Erika and family on the new addition! SPOTTY has arrived in his new home. Thanks to Tracy for developing this lovely boy!

When I was growing up, I wanted piano lessons and horse riding lessons. My mom could only afford one or the other, so I chose horses. I took lessons on Saturday...s for many years. My friend and I were the ultimate barn rats, spending all day Saturdays at the barn, exploring and playing. We must have driven the barn owner nuts, but she put up with us. I stepped on a rusty nail once, out by her chicken coop, and I had to go for a tetanus shot. It went right through my cheap, rubber riding boots (which I am pretty sure I kept using after that because boots are expensive.) After our lessons, my friend and I used to pretend we were horses and take turns jumping courses. Our moms would give us $5 to go down the road to get chicken fingers and fries at the local dive. We’d sometimes have a few extra dollars so we’d walk up the highway to the gas station store for candy. Imagine two young girls, barely 12 if that, wandering up the side of a highway by ourselves nobody would allow that now. But we learned independence and we had so much fun. We couldn’t afford nice tack or expensive shows. We learned to ride in those flat, ancient all purpose saddles you see now for $50 on Facebook. We rode school horses. When I was 14, I got a job at a stable down the road mucking stalls and later tacking up horses for the trainer. It paid $4 an hour and then I would save up my money and the owner of the stable would charge me $20 to ride their old, retired thoroughbred out in the hay field. Sometimes I would leave owing them money, but I didn’t care. Once, I decided I wasn’t going to ride that old tb in the twisted wire bit I was supposed to use, so we went on a very quick ride that day. I tore my hamstring so I posted sideways for a good two years and I never told my parents in case they would not allow me to keep riding. The barn rats of my generation were determined. We did not have the fanciest horses or the opportunities some kids had, but we had fun and we learned grit. I saved up my $4 an hour wage (what was left of it) to part lease a thoroughbred mare at the barn where I had learned to ride. I got to go to a few schooling shows with her, but I couldn’t afford the big shows. My mom would drive me to the barn for my once a week lessons on Saturdays, but if I wanted to ride otherwise, I biked the 12 kilometers each way to get there, a good portion of that route being along the side of the highway. My gran bought me a beautiful, custom dressage show outfit, that I still have. I still ride in the boots she bought me Konigs that I have cleaned after every ride since 1996. My old coach upped her prices for everyone but me, I think because she knew we couldn’t afford it. She probably couldn’t either, but I think she couldn’t stand to see me have to quit. I went to summer camp for a few years and one year, my cheap rubber riding boots ripped in half so I borrowed a very much too small pair from the camp owner’s daughter. I still have a scar on the inside of my calf from where those boots gave me a massive, painful blister. I kept riding in them anyway because they were all I had. It did not occur to me to call my parents and ask them to bring me new boots. Probably they would not have driven that far anyway. They would have told me to make do. I grew up thinking I would never be able to have my own horse, so I was wrong about that! But remember, when you see kids riding ancient, half lame ponies in outdated and ill-fitting gear those kids feel SO DAMN LUCKY to be able to ride at all. I hope you cheer them on instead of being mean. And I hope they grow up, like I did, to buy the nice saddle and have the nice horse. We don’t all have it handed to us and we learn the value of hard work. I will never go to the Olympics, and honestly I never cared about that. But I’ll cheer on every single kid in a wonky saddle and the wrong clothes on an old horse because I was that kid.

Thanks for the share Robyn Zimmer

This is so funny and so very true! Have fun.... Thanks for the share lisa

Riding horses is in the blood. It is a passion we are born with. No one can really understand this passion but other horse people. Even when life events tempora...rily take us away from riding, the passion is still there. And, when we can, we will get back in with horses again. Im not sure who this little girl is in the photo, but she lives inside all of us. The love of a large animal... the power we feel under the saddle, the wind in our hair, the adventure in our spirit! This passion is a gift from God. #keepriding See more

Thank you sonia! Made my day! Tess "Wanted to give you an update on roxy she’s amazing ! Made our family so complete. Her and my hubby have a special bond she has so much personality we are so blessed thank you again for the great work you did with her"

My daughter, Brooke, rocking the cutting pen.

***UPDATE *** Rascal is settled into his forever home with people who will love him. All of us at Circle C were proud to be part of his Journey, and honoring what he could do well. My hand in respect, to a fantastic seller who put his welfare ahead of everything! A huge thank you to all who expressed intrest and amazing homes...welcome to Circle C

But I wanted a horse that was beginner safe. If you spend any time on horse message boards or social media, you’ve read stories about horses that were sold to ...someone as beginner safe and then, within a few months, started offloading their riders regularly, became hard to handle, stopped doing things they used to do peacefully, etc. Frequently the new owner posts to complain that the previous owner must have drugged the horse, because they don’t understand any other way that the calm, mellow packer they tried out has now turned into a nightmare. I’m not going to say that the drugging of sale horses doesn’t go on, but it is more rare than all the stories would have you believe. (Here’s a link about how to tell if a horse is drugged). But, generally, this is what happens when a very mellow calm polo pony (or any other kind of horse!) is sold to a beginner home and things don’t go well and the only drugs involved are the painkillers the New Owner ends up needing to take! 1. New Owner changes the horse’s entire lifestyle. He was living in a pasture in Wyoming, and now he’s living in a box stall in Los Angeles. He goes from eating unlimited quantities of grass and plentiful hay to the typical boarding barn’s 2 or 3 flakes a day. Then, when he starts to lose weight, New Owner compensates for the lack of hay by adding more and more grain. Doesn’t really matter what kind oats, corn, sweet feed, even senior feed can and will crank up a horse’s energy level. Also, lots of grain and not enough quality forage combined with stall life can cause ulcers to flare up. 2. Old Owner had horse on a serious exercise regimen. The horse got ridden most days, hard enough to work up a sweat. As a result, anyone could hop on him with a lead rope and pony four more without issue. New Owner doesn’t really want to pay for a groom or exercise rider and thinks he can just ride the horse himself, but he misses Wednesday because of Lisa’s birthday party and Thursday because he has to work late, and Sunday because his buddy comes to town unexpectedly. And so on Because the horse is boarded, the horse stands in a 12 x 12 box getting progressively more irritated. 3. New Owner comes out to ride. The horse doesn’t want to pick up his foot, so after a struggle, New Owner decides that hoof does not really need to be picked. The horse starts to get pushy to lead, because he’s been in the stall for 2 days and he’s eager to move. New Owner permits the pushiness; the horse stops leading nicely and starts circling around New Owner or dragging him around like a kite. New Owner goes to tack up the horse and cranks up the girth tight all at once, something Old Owner, who was more experienced, knew better than to do. Horse flies backwards and breaks the cross ties. Now New Owner starts to become fearful of the horse. New Owner goes to get him out of the stall and the horse swings his butt to New Owner and threatens him. New Owner gives up and leaves and the horse sits in the stall yet another day. 4. When New Owner finally does manage to get the horse out for a ride, New Owner doesn’t understand why the horse has become pushy and resistant. New Owner doesn’t start by turning the horse out or longeing; he just hops right on. Maybe he pokes the horse in the side good and hard with his toe as he mounts, or kicks him in the butt accidentally with his right leg, either of which can lead to a wreck before the ride has even begun. If he gets on successfully, the horse is a whooooole lot more horse under saddle than he was when he tried him out, due to the confinement and diet changes. New Owner doesn’t call Old Owner yet. Nor does New Owner consult with a competent trainer in his discipline. New Owner allows himself to get advice from everyone he doesn’t have to pay, including the boarding barn’s official busybody who likes to give everybody unsolicited training advice, a couple of Natural Horsemanship followers who think all of these issues can be solved by playing games and, of course, everybody on his Facebook. The end result is that New Owner buys a $150 bit and $300 worth of training videos. 5. But none of that helps. In fact, the $150 bit leads to a new behavior rearing! Now New Owner is good and scared but not willing to quit just yet. He is going to ride that horse. The horse, on his part, can sense New Owner’s fear which of course scares him (Horses are not capable of perceiving that they are what’s scaring you. Horses feel your fear and perceive that perhaps there is a mountain lion nearby which you have seen and they have not so it might be a good idea to freak out and/or run like hell to get away from it). The behavior gets worse and worse until New Owner, quite predictably, gets dumped and gets injured possibly seriously. 6. New Owner, from his hospital bed, writes vitriolic posts all over Facebook about the sleazy folks who sold him a horse that was not beginner safe and lied about it and probably drugged it. Old Owner fights back, pointing out that his 6 year old kid showed the horse and was fine. Everybody else makes popcorn and watches the drama unfold. Bonus points if everybody lawyers up. Meanwhile, the poor horse gets sent to slaughter by New Owner’s angry spouse. I’m not even making any of that up, although I did combine elements of different situations to protect the guilty. It’s a scenario that gets played out time and time again. So now, let’s look at a constructive direction to go with this: How do I keep my beginner safe horse beginner safe? Here’s your answer: 1. The vast majority of calories should come from forage (grass, hay or hay pellets) 2. Never ever let him sit in a stall for 24 hours. Think about it would you like to be locked in your bathroom for 24 hours? It’s just not fair. If you can’t get the barn you’re at to turn your horse out, you need to make arrangements to have him ridden or ponied daily. Yes, you may have to pay for that. The ideal is pasture life but I know it’s just not an option everywhere. Just do the best you can and be fair to the horse. 3. Beginner horses should be tuned up by a competent, experienced rider at least twice a month, if not more often. Lesson barns know that they have to have their advanced students, or the trainer, ride the school horses periodically in order to fix beginner-created habits like stopping at the gate, refusing to take a canter lead, and cutting the corners of the arenas. Learn from this. 4. A bigger bit in beginner hands solves nothing and creates a variety of dangerous behaviors. Avoid any solution that involves a thinner bit, a bit with a twisted mouth, or one with longer shanks/more leverage. 5. Learn the difference between abuse and discipline. None of us wants to be the idiot beating his horse but that doesn’t mean discipline is always wrong. If your horse’s ground manners are melting down and he does not do things he used to do (like picking up feet, getting into the horse trailer, bridling) or has started doing things he didn’t used to do (like kicking at you, biting, trying to smush you against the wall in the stall), please get help from a competent trainer. It may be that your body language is all wrong, but it also may be that you’ve established yourself as, well, a doormat and need to learn when it is appropriate to re-establish yourself as the boss. This involves a lot of timing, correct body language and feel none of which you can learn from your friends on Facebook or a training video. You need an actual trainer or other very experienced horseperson to work with you, hands-on and in-person. 6. TAKE LESSONS. Truer words were never spoken! Truer words were never spoken! The better you ride, the better horses will behave for you. 7. Call the vet and make sure the horse is not simply trying to tell you he has a pain issue. Horses can’t exactly text you and say hey, dude, my back hurts. They will simply resort to things like biting you when you tighten the girth or bucking when asked to canter in a desperate attempt to convey the message. 8. If you’ve changed a lot about the horse’s lifestyle, try to change it back and see if that fixes the problem. Find a barn where the horse can be pasture boarded, for example, instead of stall kept. If you started feeding a lot of grain, replace it with hay pellets. 9. Don’t keep a horse you are terrified of. If the behaviors are truly scary or you’re hitting the dirt regularly the horse is just not for you. You’re not in the running for the PRCA bronc riding and no one cares if you look cool or not. It’s probably more important to remain uninjured and able to, like, work and pay your mortgage, right? Turn the horse that is way too much for you over to a competent trainer to sell. Yes, this may cost you some money up front but it’s the right thing to do and once he’s sold, you are free to buy a more appropriate horse. 10. Increase your odds of not having these problems in the first place by (a) buying a horse who is regularly ridden by beginners, like a lesson horse; and (b) buying a horse that is a lot older than the one you think you need (we play polo on plenty of horses in their early 20’s, so don’t think a horse of that age can’t possibly hold up for your easy trail rides and beginner lessons), and bear in mind that appearance should be your LAST concern when shopping for a beginner horse. But he’s so PRETTY! And they’ll let me make payments! Keep in mind that a lot of sellers don’t know how a horse will behave with a beginner because they simply have not ever had a beginner ride the horse long-term. So they weren’t maliciously trying to mislead you they didn’t know. The world is absolutely packed full of horses that ride beautifully for experienced riders and turn into utter broncs within 2 weeks of being ridden by beginners who bounce on their backs or have inconsistent hands. Some horses are not very tolerant! Call the seller! Have them come out and ride the horse to see if they can figure out what’s going on. Many sellers will take a horse back or help you sell it give them a chance, don’t assume every seller is a sleazy used-horse salesman who has taken your cash and run with it and couldn’t care less what happens to the horse. (Yes, some are but like I say, give them a chance). And remember, if you want to buy a horse that will act the same every single ride and never act up with anybody, you can buy them on E-bay! Reposted from Poloponyrescue

This applies in every discipline. Remember, regardless of the level you ride at, somebody is looking up at you, wishing they could be at your level. Be a role model, enjoy every ride, on the trail or in the pen. Good night all.

I’ve been on the lead rope, and I’ve also had my arms wrapped tightly around a friend or client while they hold the rope, while a beloved friend is relieved of their suffering. It’s never easy, it’s the hardest part of this passion we all share. A horse very rarely lays down and peacefully passes, it’s almost always a traumatic event. So when your friend is suffering, when quality of life is no longer there, it is up to us to make that decision so that the horse ends his journey with dignity and respect. This is a great read.