Flying Change Farms, LLC

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Hello Woodside! 😄

Congratulations to Junior rider, Quinn McAllister on the arrival of her new horse, Olaf, just off the plane from Europe! ✈️

What could be better than a pink bow pony surprise for a young rider?! 🎀 Congratulations to Ainsley on her first pony! She has worked hard in her lessons with trainer, Jessica McKendree and is so ready for this new adventure with Galaxy Girl! 🥰

Spot on and pretty dang funny!

I have been immersed in the horse world for over a decade now with the enthusiasm of a reluctant participant dosed with an innate, heavy level of natural skepticism, horse show dad Gordon Ballantyne writes. My wife is a hunter and equitation rider, which only heightens my confusion due to the subjectivity of the events. I enjoy seeing my family doing something they love and are extremely passionate about; there is nothing they would rather be doing than riding and competing on the back of a horse.

But, I have some questions.

Why does it cost so much?
A local two-day schooling show costs less than $1,000, whereas a four day rated “A” circuit show costs around $5,000. It can be the same horse stall, trainer, preparation and judging process. It follows the exact same format (although neither venue has a toilet that flushes). Are the blue ribbons at rated shows gold plated?

Does anybody own a watch?
How can something scheduled at 10:00AM consistently happen after noon? I could see it happening if there was an injury or an unforeseen happenstance but it is every…single…time. Can they not just put a buffer in the schedule because “stuff” seems to happen every…single…time?

Why is the judging so subjective?
Sitting ringside, I have zero inkling whether a given round was good or bad… and I’ve been watching for over a decade. I know what a “chip” is, what a missed lead change looks like and can count strides. But I also know that the price of little blue ribbons has gone up significantly based on the price of horses in the hunter ring. I can compete as an amateur in almost any sport because in things like golf, bowling or shooting, you have a handicap. You compete against your average. But in the hunters, it seems like little blue ribbons are for sale.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2021/05/05/questions-and-conundrums-from-a-horse-show-dad/

Just a Sunday morning dressage lesson with Terri and Catherine! Did you guys plan this?! So matchy matchy! You definitely get the FCF spirit award for the day! 🙌🏻 🩵🩵🩵

It’s time we put some more emphasis on the grit, determination, and solid riding skills that keep your butt in the saddle over the perfect pretty picture…

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1310213434642291&id=100069609398685

Let’s Talk About…

Have Expectations in the Horse World Become Unrealistic?

Everyone wants the perfect horse. Safe, forgiving, uncomplicated, brave. Doesn’t spook, doesn’t buck, doesn’t react, doesn’t look at anything! I could go on and on.

But at what point did we stop expecting horses to behave like animals and start expecting them to behave like robots?

Somewhere along the way, the standard for what people consider “safe” has become almost impossible. A horse flicks an ear at something, he’s labeled as distracted. Has one playful buck, he’s dangerous. Spooks at a flower box? Well that’s unacceptable!

The reality is, horses are prey animals. They are living, breathing creatures with feelings. They have insecurities and they get nervous just like we do. Some days they are fresh and others lazy. Yet more and more, it feels like people expect horses to absorb every ounce of nerves, inconsistency, poor timing, lack of confidence and lack of bravery without ever putting a foot wrong themselves. And if the horse does react? Suddenly the horse is the problem.

The truth is, truly “safe” horses are incredibly rare. The horses that quietly tolerate mistakes and pack people around courses whilst forgiving bad distances and still show up every day trying their hearts out are worth their weight in gold. But even those horses are still horses. Horses are not machines. We shouldn’t be expecting them to be emotionless schoolmasters programmed to never look at anything or have an opinion.

And maybe the bigger conversation is this: Have riders lost some of their own responsibility to become braver, better, more understanding horsemen? Because to me, good riding has never been about finding a horse that never reacts. It’s about learning how to ride through the moments when they do. Not every horse is suitable for every rider and not every rider is suitable for every horse. And there’s nothing wrong with admitting that.

Because sometimes the best amateur horse isn’t the quietest one in the barn, it’s the one that teaches the rider to improve instead of expecting the horse to be an emotionless robot and do all the work.

Peter Cottontail came into the barn to keep me company as I was cleaning tack at the end of the day! 🐰

Spotted this beautiful red tailed hawk on a low branch while out on our trails yesterday!! If you look closely, you can see the big rattlesnake he caught for his supper! You go, Mr. Hawk!! You can hunt all the snakes you want!! 👏🏻😁