Pony Tail Acres

We love using walk and trot poles to help out students learn, and the benefit to our lesson horses is a nice bonus.

Our favorite feed store is looking for someone to help with feed deliveries!!

Hope everyone is staying warm and dry today! With the bitter cold today and this week, we thought this was a good day to remind everyone about how to handle working their horses in the cold. Our horses are not acclimatized to this weather, so extra care is needed to make sure that riding is done safely for both horse and rider. ((This is also why we reschedule lessons when the weather has it below 35*F. ))

Something that we all need a reminder about. Just because we jumped clear doesn’t mean we should have jumped clear. Adrenaline is an interesting portion of any training and conditioning program.

Our feed store is looking for a feed delivery guy.

We love Daniel Stewarts work and really enjoy his Pressure Proof method!!

We have a rare first time lesson opening for tomorrow at 6:00pm!! https://ponytailacreslessons.as.me/FirstLesson Use the code: TENOFF at check out to get 10% off your first lesson

We traveled to FENCE in Tryon, NC this weekend to compete in a US Eventing Horse Trials. Ella and her horse, Spanish Banks, finished 3rd in the Training Rider division and also secured the TIP win. Ashley and her horse, Always Curious, won the Open Beginner Novice in a very tight division that had Kloie with her horse, Majestic Breeze, just a couple points behind her in 5th. All horse/rider pairs finished on the dressage scores which is an amazing accomplishment. We are extremely proud of how well everyone rode. This horse trial also secured all three riders bids for Pony Club Championships!! So we are headed to Kentucky in July!!!!

#MareMonday Today Faith went on a field trip and found her own little girl to do hunters with. Meanwhile, Mrs Dawn tried out Ellie to be our new lesson horse. So while we are sad to see Faith leave, we are super excited to welcome Ellie to our barn. We can’t wait to see what awesomeness both mares accomplish!

What an awesome weekend!!!!! 1st in Horse Management - with only 6 points off the entire weekend. (This was with 3 first time eventing rally goers, one who had never rallied before, and being a whole year+ rusty) 2nd Overall - this is where they combine the riding scores with the HM score factored. ... To say we’re proud is almost an understatement. Bravo ladies! You all are going to make be an awesome addition to any South Region Champs team if you choose to go.

Vet box was pretty quiet and subdued this weekend. To give you a run-down of vet box procedures: 1) Rider rides into vet box area. Asks permission to dismount while a vet takes the horse’s Temperature, Respiration, and Pulse (TPR). The stable manager comes to assist rider with pulling tack and cooling both horse and rider off. 2) Both rider and stable manager (and any available teammates, pre-Covid other teams would help each other out if one SM was overwhelmed) help to walk... the horse and put cool water on, as well as pull it off, the horse. This helps cool the horse quickly. 3) After 10min from their check in, the vet retakes the TPR to see if the horse is cooling off and recovering properly. A fit event horse should only need two checks before being dismissed from the vet box as sufficiently recovering. 4) Both rider and horse walk back to the barn, tired, but happy with the days run. Once back at the barn the riders remove studs (if used) and prepare their horse and tack for a turn back inspection with horse management. Rallies are hard and expect a lot from our riders, but this is why we believe pony clubbers make the best horsemen. #USPC #ponyclubproud #eventingrally2021

We have riders competing at the South Region Pony Club Eventing Rally this weekend. Competitors at Rally not only get judged on their riding, but how well they manage their horses in the barn. Horse Management is a very big part of our program. Here we have our team waiting (some less patiently than others) for their turn at Jog Outs (Horse Inspection). Dressage rides are finished and we are about to head into XC. Hopefully we’ll be able to get some photos of vet box so you... can see how this is so very different. #USPC #ponyclubproud #wearefamilypta

How many riders are doing walk workouts with their horse this year? While we all love going for a good XC school or doing the fun parts of riding, several of our riders are learning the value of a good long walk workout. After all, No minute in the saddle is time wasted.

We have a couple really lovely ponies who asked Santa for their own children for Christmas . We also have a couple horses and ponies available to lease to students in our program.

Woohoo!!! New logs means new jumps for the XC field Thank you to Restoration Tree Care for the logs and all the wood chips!! (Photos of new logs in place coming.) If you need tree related work done we highly recommend Thomas and his crew. https://www.restorationtreecare.com/

We had an AMAZING weekend at Poplar Place Farm’s Winter Wonderland show. Kloie, Kristina, and Addy all won their respective Tadpole 3phase divisions giving us the trifecta for the weekend. Ella had a very good run in her Training 3 phase with her mare. Hard to believe exactly 2 years ago she was competing Tadpole on this mare. It was a perfect finish for 2020 and we look forward to a fun filled 2021!

This was a fun quiz for us. Everyone has their own stall cleaning style, but we can all agree that nothing beats a barn full of well done, clean stalls.

We want to wish our Head Trainer/Coach a very Happy Birthday! We hope you had a wonderful birthday.

Jumping us off into to the New Year in our Rider Spotlight: Jacie! Jacie has been riding with us for the last 3 years and she is also one of our employees here at Pony Tail Acres. She knows that great riding starts with great daily care of the horses. She is such a wonderful role model for some of our younger members in our Riding Academy. Jacie is currently a D-3 and is hoping to test for her C-1 in the spring of 2021. We look forward to watching the wonderful horsewoman she is becoming. Here Jacie is showing (bravely in the rain) Jackazoom at Foxberry Farms.

We think we have some pretty spectacular lesson horse at our farm. We love them for not only being wonderful to our students, but teaching them all the important life lessons they will need. Our first retired lesson horse crossed the rainbow bridge on 10/4. Fantasy was a special horse and now she has a special place forever in our memorial garden.

Two of our ponies got kids this Christmas!! Mischief Managed RS is going to be a show pony for his little girl and kick tail in the hunter show ring. Fearless Faith RS got two kids (I guess Santa thought she was extra good this year) as well as a horsey mom. So Faith gets to be a family pony and teach the next generation how to handle horses and ride, as well as be mom’s hunt/dressage pony. We look forward to watching all these new partnerships grow over the next year and more.

Good luck to all our riders competing at Poplar Place Farms' Schooling Show this weekend! <3 Be Safe, Have Fun, and Learn Something!

Being a rider means so much more than just time spent in the saddle. There's so much more to riding, conformation of how your horse is built is one of the fundamentals that affect how the horse moves. Our instructors are great at helping our riders not only learn what to look for in the way their riding partner is built, but how it changes how they might move and why. This is just one of the awesome topics that are covered in our horse management lessons through our Riding Academy program.

Today we had 4 riders go to Foxberry Farms’ Schooling Show. And oh man did these young ladies show up to give it their complete best!! (L to R) Jacie & Zoomer 1st in Amoeba CT A (Second Show Ever). Paige & Moon 3rd in Amoeba CT B (First Show Ever). Abby & Tucker 1st in Amoeba CT B (First Show Ever). Harleigh & Rosie in 4th Tadpole CT (First time at the level). These ladies not only put in all the riding work, but all the prep work to get themselves and their horses ready for the show. We are so proud with how they all rode and the way they presented themselves. Way to go Ladies!!! #proudcoach #wearefamilypta #schoolponiesarethebest #itsnotjustridingahorse #horsemanagementmatters #groomedtowin

Yesterday we did a pony club mounted meeting about Meters per Minute and what it feels like. Many of the riders (and their horses) were exhausted of 3 intervals at 350mpm. While we’re going into the holidays and the showing season is slowing down, now is the time that the fitness regimens should be getting worked out for start in Jan 2021! Looking forward to how fit our horses get over the next year.

If you have pictures of your time at the farm we would love to see them!! We’re trying to compile a memory slideshow for our 10years anniversary party!!

Pony Club Meeting Day!! Lydia was our visiting instructor from Milton Pony Club. She is prepping for her HA and helped several of our Pony Clubbers work through the gymnastic exercises on their Standards of Proficiency. Curious about Pony Club? Come check us out!! #wearefamilypta #ponytailacresridingcenter #ponyclub

This!!! All of this!!! We are one of the barns that offers a Barn Mice program for those of our students who want to earn extra rides. Our Riding Academy program teaches not only how to ride, but properly care for the horse the rider is responsible for when they are here. If you want a show up and just ride, that’s not what we do and that’s not our sport. #horsemanshipandsportsmanship

We run a Pony Club program.... if you want to see what it’s all about, come join us!!

Sometimes you just have to have a nap under a fan. #stormsent enjoyed her nap today. #babydragon #tatendrangtot

Our Pony Club Riding Center and some Riding Academy members created, filmed, and produced this awesome educational video about what a Turn Out Inspection is, why good turn out is important, and what your Horse Management Judge is looking for at the inspection. All the kids had a blast making this video and the ponies were very tolerant of all the antics. Come join us in the fun we’re having.

Think Tucker is enjoying his R&R with girlfriend Hope this weekend? #goodlessonponies #lovebirds #wearefamilypta

Three of our lesson ponies earned vacation time this year!! These three will enjoy a nice 4day weekend to relax and just be horses. #lessonhorsesaresaints #bestponiesever #poniesrule #wearefamypta

#AlwaysCuriousOTTB jumping into July like..... We have several students, and our coach, getting back out there and competing. This weekend we want to wish Ella and #spanishbanksottb good luck at the Chatt Hills HT.

We’re happy to let everyone know our fishing pond is back open! Come give the fish a run for their money. John has been trying to keep them entertained, but we’d love to see what you all catch when you come out to visit.