To submit something for this page, 
just email it to:  webmaster@canyonheightspc.com 

Want Ads (Buy & Sell)

For available horses, check out the New Heights Training Stable website.

  • Top 10 Mistakes People Make When Buying a Horse... here

  • A Parent's Guide to Choosing Horses for Children... here

Stories & Poems

Just a Horse?

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a horse," or "that's a lot of money for just a horse".
They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a horse."
Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a horse."
Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a horse," but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a horse," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a horse" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it's "just a horse," then you will probably not understand phrases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise."

"Just a horse" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy.
"Just a horse" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

Because of "just a horse" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future.

So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a horse" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a horse" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.
I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a horse" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a woman or just a man."

So the next time you hear the phrase "just a horse," just smile because they "just don't understand." 

~Author Unknown

Reviews

Horse Power - Road to Maclay

This was a TV series that ran on Animal Planet last summer (2006) that was REALLY fantastic and interesting to watch.  Here's the guide summary:

This compelling six-part series goes behind the scenes at various stables where trainers work with ambitious teenagers who try to balance the pressures of adolescence with the perfection of equestrian pursuits. Each episode follows seven teens as they train and participate in the horse show circuit. From farm girls to Park Avenue princesses, from untrained ponies to CDN $600,000 champion horses, follow the drama as they compete with each other - and themselves - for the ultimate junior title. Each episode exposes the emotional bond between horse and rider and the importance of this relationship when the stakes are raised. As they train for the Maclay Medal Finals, watch the sacrifices of the riders' families, the athleticism of the horses, the dedication of the coaches and the ambition of the riders converge en route to the finals.

I'm not sure if they will replay it on Animal Planet, but I know it's now out on DVD.

I highly recommend this show - any young rider would really love it.

~ Kellie 

Recommendations

Foxfield Riding Camp

In the Summer of 2004, I went to Foxfield Riding Camp down in Southern California, near Westlake Village. I stayed at camp for two weeks and had the time of my life.

The food was wonderful and the stable was amazing. The girls are sorted into cabins by age group. The cabins are a room with several bunk-beds, dressers and a bathroom with a shower. The camp has a swimming pool with a slide that we got to swim in during free time.

There's also a cafeteria were you get your meals. They have vegetarian options for all meat meals. The breakfasts were great and there's usually a wide range of options to choose from. The lunches were good (personally not as good as breakfast or dinner) but good enough; they got the job done. Dinners were the best! They were very good, very filling and of course there's dessert every night and sometimes even dessert with lunch.

The stable was truly amazing. They have two full-sized cross-country courses and about five arenas. When you arrive, you get evaluated and put into a group based on your ability. The horses you ride also are selected based on your ability. The stable has five pastures with about fifteen horses in each and they are all great fun. You get to ride twice a day but they're not all lessons. We had lessons a lot, but we also did vaulting on some days and long work on others. We also played mounted games and even did a few trail rides. At the end of the camp we finished with a three day eventing show. The lessons were about 1 to 2 hours long with lots of flatwork and jumping towards the end. We also had meetings where we learned about various equestrian topics.

The camp was really fun. The other girls were all very nice, the counselors were GREAT and we had lots of fun with treasure hunts, beach trips, riding and shows. I would suggest Foxfield to anyone, but it did have one downside. The jumping proved to be disappointing. At Skyline I was jumping 3.3 feet but at camp we could only jump 2.3- 2.6 at the highest. I learned a lot on flat, but the jumping was definitely too low and not challenging for me.

So if you're a Pony Clubber jumping about 2.9 or lower and have extremely solid flat work then this camp's for you. Also, if you jump about 2.6 and lower and need a little help on flat, you'd really love this camp.

If you want to check them out, their web site is www.foxfield.com.

~ Kellie 

Riding & Horse Care Tips

- Health Check - Tack Cleaning - 

Learn the Signs of Good Health and When to Call the Vet

Health Check

A healthy horse has a good appetite, a sleek coat, and is alert. Whether you are looking at a horse to buy or you own one, you’ll want to be able to quickly assess its health for a number of reasons:

  • You don’t want to purchase a sick horse
  • You’ll want to catch any signs of sickness early to avoid the horse from becoming sicker.
  • You’ll be able to give accurate observations when you call your veterinarian, since you will know what is normal and what isn’t.
  • You’ll be able to separate the horse quickly from others to minimize the risk of passing on any contagious disease.

There are a few things you need to monitor on a daily basis:

  • The amount of feed being consumed. If a normally greedy eater suddenly slows down you’ll know something could be wrong.
  • The amount of water being consumed. The average horse drinks between 5 and 10 gallons a day depending on the air temperature, activity level and whether the horse’s main diet is grass or hay.
  • The amount of manure being produced. This is more difficult to monitor if your horse is out on pasture, but you can count on cleaning out about 8 piles of well formed, firm manure (depending on the size of the horse) a day from a horse kept stabled. Runny manure can be a sign of nerves, but also mean illness.
  • Do a visual check daily for lumps, bruises, scrapes or punctures, runny noses or eyes.
  • Check hooves frequently for cracks, signs of infection (unusually bad smell or secretions), and loose shoes.

Your Horse’s Vital Signs

Before anything goes wrong you’ll want to become familiar with your horse’s vital signs. Take your horse’s pulse, respiration and temperature over a few days at different times of the day to give you average rates.

Pulse

The average pulse for a riding horse is between 27 and 43 beats per minute. This value is affected by the fitness of the horse and how agitated it is. Ponies tend to have slightly higher normal values. There are two ways to take your horse’s pulse: with a stethoscope or by pressing two fingers on the large artery that runs under the horse’s cheekbone. Inexpensive stethoscopes can be purchased at medical supply stores. Place the stethoscope just in front of the girth area, just behind the horse’s elbow. Alternatively press your fingers under the horse’s cheek bone along the large artery that you will feel underneath the skin. Starting at zero, count the number of beats you hear or feel, in 15 seconds and multiply that value by four. This will give you the number of beats per minute.

Temperature

Normal adult body temperature is between 98F and 100F. Temperature is taken rectally. A livestock thermometer can be purchased at tack or feed supply stores. It should have a string and clip on it. A thermometer that beeps when it has reached maximum temperature is nice to have, and worth the slight extra expense. An accurate reading with a regular thermometer is reached in about 2 minutes. Don’t let go of the thermometer—and if it disappears, that is what the string is for.

Caution: Some horse’s object to having a rectal temperature taken, so proceed with caution. A tasty snack at the front end might help him forget what is going on at the backend. If you get a nasty reaction to your temperature taking, ask an experienced horseperson for help.

Respiration

An average horse breathes 8 to 16 times per minute. Count the number of breaths per minute by watching the horse’s flanks. It can be a bit tricky to get an accurate count if the horse is sniffing or excited.

Call the Vet at Signs of:

  • A wound pulsing blood
  • Unusual swelling
  • Seizures
  • Unusual behavior such as depression, staggering, shivering
  • Diarrhea that is not a result of nervous excitement caused by things like trailering or competition
  • Pulse that is over the normal values and is not a result of excitement or exertion
  • Straining to urinate, coffee or blood colored urine, or leaking urine
  • Change in appetite such as refusing to eat, or unable to eat or drink
  • A puncture wound that is oozing foul secretions or has become swollen
  • Constipation-straining to produce manure
  • Agitated rolling, kicking, biting at flanks and sweating that might indicate colic (stomachache)
  • Persistent cough
  • Limping

Tack Cleaning

What You’ll Need:

  • Saddle soap (Castile soap, liquid or bar glycerin, or any other brand of cleaner)

  • Tack sponges

  • Supply of clean water

  • Saddle conditioner or oil

  • Soft, clean rag

  • Metal polish

  • Toothbrush

Pony Club recommends that tack should be thoroughly cleaned once a week. Be sure to remember the leather around the stirrup bar, on the underside of the saddle, underneath the saddle skirt, and the gullets.

Cleaning Guidelines:     

  • Take apart different parts of tack: Remove stirrup leathers and irons from the saddle and take the bridle completely apart

  • Using a damp, not wet, sponge, wipe down all the leather. This removes most of the  surface dirt.

  • With a damp sponge, work saddle soap into all of the leather. Don't make it too wet and lathery, because too much moisture can damage the leather. Be sure to get into every part of the leather.

  • In hard to reach places, like the seams on the saddle and bridle and underneath the (where the stirrup leathers are), wet a soft toothbrush and put soap on it. Use the toothbrush to work the soap into those small places. The seams especially need a lot of attention, because they are very hard to reach with a sponge.

  • Once you are done with the soap, wipe the leather down again with a clean damp sponge to remove excess soap.

  • Use a sponge to work a generous amount of conditioner or oil into all of the leather. Oil conditions leather more deeply, but it can stain your clothes or saddle pads if you ride too soon after using it.

  • Give the conditioner a minute to sink in, then wipe the excess away with one side of the soft rag.

  • If you are going for a C rating, your metal needs to be polished. Use metal polish on the D rings and stirrup bars of the saddle, and all the other metal on your tack (but NOT the mouthpiece of the bit)

  • Take glycerin or castile bar soap and using a sponge with very little water on it, work it into all of the leather. This gives the leather a protective coating that keeps it shiny and prevents water, sweat, and dirt from penetrating the leather.

  • Using the clean side of the soft rag, buff the leather so it’s extra shiny. This doesn’t really make it cleaner, but it’s a nice step before a formal evaluation to make your tack look nicer.

  • To make your stirrup irons and bit really clean, scrub off surface stains with a rough dish sponge and then run them through the dishwasher once. If your stirrup pads are dirty, scrub them with a toothbrush and soap and soak them in soapy water.