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Our mission is to teach horsemanship, not just riding; by striving for excellence in the care and training
of the horse, and practicing safety in the proper handling and riding techniques of the horse. All of this should be
done in a way that the horse understands what we are asking of him. This is accomplished by using the tried and true
EQUI-VENTURE standards of DEDICATION, SAFETY, DISCIPLINE, EDUCATION and DETERMINATION.
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Feeling down? Saddle up.
~Author Unknown
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Welcome
to our F.Y.I. & Blog page! We will post information and announcements on this page to keep our students, members,
guests and volunteers up to date about our equestrian centre.
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Our website was
Last updated on
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MESSAGE CENTER
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Hello EVEC members!
Everyone will have to check back with me around
noon to see if the heat is a factor for today's stable activities. We are planning on holding them at this time.
The show is definitely still on, even if we postpone today's activities.
I
will be printing out show bills for tomorrow's in-stable show and have them at the stable this afternoon.
Sorry, but for some reason the website is not downloading them. I can email them directly as well. I will need everyone to call me or talk me today so we can make final arrangements.
IMPORTANT:
All of those that are showing one of the school horses and/or our horses MUST show up today to help prepare for the show and
to get horses and tack ready. We have A LOT to do!
We have been doing a
lot of things this week. We had a terrific turnout at the rides we offered for Westminster Baptist's VBS. THANKS to each and
every one of you that donated your time to help out with that project. We now have lots of new prospects that we have contacting
about doing Intro Rides.
CAMP INFO:
Our Camp Session for July is full! We have openings in our Camp Session for August 16th thru August 20th.
EVEC in-stable English
& Western Horse Show on Sunday, July 25th. Check out of show bill by clicking on the link on our Upcoming
Events page.
Open Stable & Family
Fun Day on Saturday, July 24th!!!!!
Since I have easier access when I am at work: I will be moving
our blog to our new Facebook page. Also, I will post any information, changes, notices and any cancellations there as
well.
We are ordering more tee shirts and polos! Please see Ms. RuthAnn
to place your order.
We have changed our 10 week semester form starting June 1st.
Instead of packages offered in 5 or 10 week sessions, there will now be packages offered in 1 or 2 month sessions.
Our fee schedule will be changing effective July 1st. It will be
posted by the end of May. Please talk to Ms. RuthAnn if you have any questions.
We are asking all clients for annual donations:
$5 donation for
our Human First Aid Kit supplies
$20
donation for the spring vaccinations for our equine friends
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We will post any changes here, on our Upcoming Events Calendar and
on our Information Wall located in the stable.
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WORMING DATE:
Sept 1st
FARRIER APPT:
Sat., July 24
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HEATWAVE ALERTS:
FOR THE SAFTETY OF OUR STAFF, EQUINE FRIENDS as well as EVEC MEMBERS: There will be NO RIDING lessons if there
is a weather alert posted! During a heatwave, we will have UNMOUNTED lessons. Remember, unmounted lessons
are required and are considered a vital part of our lesson program. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PONY PALS, ALL STUDENTS ARE
STILL REQUIRED TO SHOW UP FOR UNMOUNTED LESSONS or their lesson will be considered as missed and will be treated as such.
In extreme heat, all lesson types and activities may be postponed or
cancelled if there a danger to our family and/or staff for heat related illness.
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We do not have any postings at this time.
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SEMESTER
or
SESSION
To simplify our bookkeeping and to help maintain a budget, we now offer Pre-Paid Packages for the following two month semesters/sessions:
NEW
SEMESTERS
/ SESSIONS
February 1 – March 31
April 1 – May 31
June 1 – July 31
August
1 – September 30
October 1 – November 30
December
1 – January 31
NOTE: There are eight and nine week semesters/ sessions. In
some cases, only seven. Participants will pay for the number of weeks in
that particular semester / session.
NOTE: All Pre-Paid Package lessons/program
activities that are cancelled will need to be made up before the end of the current session. All Pay-Weekly
clients will need to schedule their cancelled appointments within one week. Of course, any appointments that
are missed, are not eligible for make-ups.
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THIS IS
SEMESTER
and/or
SESSION
WEEK #
SEMESTER Payments are now due.
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07-12-10
Be sure to check our Facebook for Equi-Venture Equestrian Centre
daily. When I am at work; on my lunchbreak I can post messages on that webpage for any important notices and messages.
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Please be sure to read our Equi-Venturer E-zine to keep updated.
To help with everyone's economic woes and to help them pursue their
equi-venture goals, we have lowered some of our fees for our Stable Activities and clubs.
Make sure that you refer to the Lesson sections for important program
reminders and changes.
There will now be a $25 non-refundable registration fee (for
all partcipants) due each semester/session in order to offset insurance rates and to keep our program fees low.
Pre-Paid Packages must be renewed 2 weeks prior to the start of
the next semester or session with a small non-refundable deposit in order to reserve the same time slot.
LESSONS
- We ride & teach lessons year round. Clients are
expected to continue lessons year round.
- We only accept clients that take at least one lesson each
& every week.
- There is a 24 hour cancellation notice required, or the appointment
will be considered as missed and the full fee will be charged.
- All cancelled lessons are required to be made up or will be
forfeited.
- Group lesssons may be taught by any available instructor.
If you want a particular instructor only, you have to schedule private or semi-private lessons.
- Until June 1st, lessons are offered in Pre-Paid Packages of
10 or 5 lessons. Then they will be offered in 1or 2 monthly packages.
- Weekly lesson payments are only accepted by established clients
that are under contract.
- Weekly lesson payments are due the Saturday before the next
lesson appointment.
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RECOMMENDED READING
Riding for the Rest of Us: A Practical
Guide for Adult Riders
Jessica Jahiel
Horse Care for Kids
Cherry Hill
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CHECK OUT THESE
HORSE WEBSITES!
Videos on Basic Horse Care
Although these riders are not from
our stable, this is a great Pony Club Eventing video! We just love it! Check it out by using the link below:
Warner Spills and Chills
Just for Fun Horsey Humor
Showmom.com
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HEATSROKE in HORSES
A
common misconception is that hot summer weather only affects work or show horses. This is untrue. While active horses
are more susceptible to a rise in temperature, extreme heat can quickly take its toll on any horse. In fact, heatstroke can
occur whether your horse is plowing a field, standing in a stuffy stall, or traveling in a trailer.
Heatstroke
occurs when your horse is unable to rid his body of excess heat. Your horse's body has a natural cooling process. However,
extreme heat and humidity can overpower your horse's ability to cool himself. To compensate, the body redistributes blood
flow closer to the skin, which aids cooling. However, this mechanism causes internal organs and the brain to receive less
oxygen. Add excessive sweating into the mix, which causes a loss of fluids and electrolytes, and the results can be disastrous.
Signs of heatstroke - also known as heat stress or heat exhaustion -
include:
· Elevated
Respiratory Rate - between 40 to 50 breaths per minute, shallow breathing, and breathing that remains elevated after two minutes
of rest
· Elevated Heart
Rate - a pulse of more than 80 beats per minute that doesn't slow down after two minutes of rest
· Increased or Absence
of Sweating - full-body sweating or, worse, if your horse stops sweating entirely
· Elevated Temperature
- a rectal temperature of 103°F or higher
· Lethargy - signs of depression, disinterest
in food, stumbling or collapsing
Heatstroke is a serious condition. Severe
cases of heatstroke lead to collapse, seizures, or loss of your horse. If you suspect your horse is suffering from heatstroke,
immediately take measures to help cool him. Contact your veterinarian if symptoms persist or his condition worsens.
To help cool your horse:
· Stop
Activity - cease workouts, rides, or farm work immediately
· Bathe Immediately - douse him with
cold water or a water/alcohol mix
· Offer
Water - allow your horse to drink as much water as he desires
· Find Shade - get your horse out of
direct sunlight and into the shade
· Fan Your Horse - stand your horse
beneath a stable fan or in a breezy area
Maintain Overall Equine Health
Your horse's ability to beat the summer heat depends, in part,
on his overall health. Sick or injured equines may not have the energy necessary to naturally cool themselves. Similarly,
internal parasites can rob your horse of his health and make him even more susceptible to heat exhaustion or stress. Furthermore,
your horse can expend large amounts of energy fleeing the swarm of biting insects that usually accompanies summer weather
and further expose himself to the elements.
WATER
Water is top of the list for a very good reason, namely that a horse's
body is made up of 70% water. One of the first things you probably learned as a horse owner is that horses need access to
fresh, clean water at all times and this is especially important during summer.
Water is vital for fluid balance,
tolerance for exercise and also helps digestion. Did you know studies have shown that restricting a horse's water intake for
as little as two hours greatly increases the chance of colic?. Horses drink around 45 litres of water a day and this can increase
by up to 40% during warm weather.
Excessive sweating or diarrhoea can cause your horse to become dehydrated, you can
check for this by doing a pinch test.
Pinch the skin in the middle of the horse's neck and pull
it gently outwards, then release. If your horse isn't dehydrated, the skin will snap back into place straight away. Skin that
takes 2-5 seconds to return to normal indicates mild dehydration, while skin that takes 10-15 seconds shows severe dehydration.
Other signs of dehydration or heat stress include sunken eyes, a tucked up appearance, heavy breathing and a rapid pulse.
A horse's diet will also influence his water intake, hay requires more water to chew and swallow than grain, while
grass (which has some water content) requires less. When travelling, consider taking along some water from home incase your
horse doesn't like to drink water that tastes different.
Horse Care Tip
Regularly pick up manure from beneath trees or around your horse's
shelter to reduce annoying flies.
When picking up manure, pile it in a heap to generate heat, which will destroy any fly larvae. Make
sure it's kept away from your horse though.
Prop
a piece of untreated timber in water troughs so that birds or mice that fall in can climb out and avoid contaminating the
water.
ShadeThis
is very close second to water when it comes to summer horse care. A lot of times you'll see horses grazing out in the blazing
sun but they do have access to shade when they start getting too hot, or feel like a snooze. If there's no trees then you
must provide some kind of shelter, the higher the roof the better air circulation will be. It can even have just a roof and
no walls for optimum air flow. If you know a handyman, even a shadecloth with 80% sun blockout would do, but it must be sturdy
enough not to flap in the wind, otherwise your horse won't go near it.
Trees with overhanging branches and thick foliage
are ideal. Not so good are more upright growing trees like conifers, which may offer shade for only part of the day, depending
on where the sun is. Your horse needs access to shade from dawn to dusk during summer.
Place some hay in the shade
for him to eat if he wants as this helps his digestion moving along. It's also a good place to locate a salt and mineral lick.
FliesFlies
and other pesky summer insects are a never ending battle. All you can do is try to minimize their irritating attack on your
horse.
Flies are attracted to moisture, which they need to complete their life cycle, this means your horse's eyes,
nose, mouth and rear. Bot flies are a particular hassle as they buzz around laying yellow eggs on your horse's legs in late
summer. They look a lot like bees and drive some sensitive horses crazy.
They're most active in bright light, so try
to keep your horse in a shady paddock if you have one. Remove the eggs as soon as you spot them, don't be slack and leave
them to be licked by your horse to hatch in his stomach, where they can do untold damage.
Many fly species carry the
stomach worm, whose larvae travels from the fly's proboscis to the horse as the fly is obtaining moisture from the horse's
eyes or lips. From there the larvae migrates through the horse doing internal damage along the way and is passed via manure
to start the cycle over.
To help contol flies, pick up manure on a regular basis as many flies depend on it for survival.
Protect your horses's face with a flyveil, either string or mesh, but these will need to be checked daily in case they slip.
Make sure you have a couple of spares on hand in case your horse loses one.
There's lots of excellent insect repellents
available from saddle shops including some that only need to be applied weekly. Keep open wounds clean and covered during
summer, otherwise they will attract blowflies and possibly even develop maggots.
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We just purchased a three horse trailer. As long as
we have an additional pulling vehicle, this will allow us to take students to shows and clinics.
We have purchased Best VersionYet , aka "Little Bit" for Western Pleasure.
Lisa has purchased Ben's Moon, aka "Georgie".
We have finalized our Leasing options and the Equi-Lease Program
for several of our horses. Please talk to Ms. RuthAnn if you are considering this new opportunity.
EVEC has some horses for free lease or for sale.
Our Equi-Venture Tack & Consignments Shop should be ready
in June.
We have a new boarder! Welcome to Kassie and her horse, Juno.
The washrack is NOT the dumpsite for water buckets. All water
buckets are to be dumped along side of the indoor.
Make sure the feed room door is securely closed to avoid the wind
opening the door and possibly causing the pipes to freeze.
Hoses must be drained, even on a warmer day and hung in the feedroom.
Manure must be dumped in the far rear corner of the manure pit.
We have finally rescheduled our EVEC Horseshows and our Mock
Fox Hunt, along with other stable activities. Information can be found in our Equi-Venturer E-zine.
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