Horse Camp Spots Still Available

We still have a few horse camp spots available for summer 2013.  We have a very high camper to instructor ratio:  Never less than 3 to 1, sometimes 1 to 1.  We boast that our campers are with horses the entire camp time.  Fringe benefits you won’t find anywhere else.  Come for a visit.

New Aerial Map

 

 

 

 

 

New Aerial Photo of the farm in Early March

New Aerial View

Notice Val is on a horse in the small arena.  Whiskey and Gates are in the foreground and Pip is to the left of the road.  I remember the plane flying over and waving at them.

 

 

OPEN HOUSE

OPEN HOUSE

APRIL 21 from ONE P.M. TO FOUR P.M.

Come to Prairie School Road Farm at your liesure.

Meet the horses, staff and former students.

Watch riding demonstrations.

View the facilities.

2013 Schedule

Our 2013 schedule is now available on this website.  Registration and Liability forms are also available.  Both of these forms must be provided to be registered for the camp.

December 8, 2012

Phew, Gary and I just finished hauling bad hay from a friend’s place to our place.  Someone sold our friend hay for her horses that was wet and turned moldy.  This kind of hay can make horses sick or even kill them.  It does not harm cows.  The bales were extremely heavy since they hay was wet when baled.  It was also dusty and full of cuckleburs and other assorted weeds etc.  Yuk!  Not pleasant to handle.  We got the equivalent of about 40 bales.  Much of it was loose and just thrown in the back of the truck.  We dropped off the trailer and hauled the loose stuff out to the cows.  They ate it as if it were ambrosia.  Glad they like it!!

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Gary with his loads

Long time no posts.  Highlight of the fall is Val going to Morgan Horse Grand Nationals and World Championships in Oklahoma City.  Val showed May Flower in four reining classes.  It was a rough and exhilarating week.  The down side of the whole thing is that we spent a lot of money and now things are strapped.  So, Gary, in an effort to improve the cash flow spent several days cutting down large cedar trees.  He trimmed off all of the branches and cut them into four foot lengths.  You can see the trailer is loaded and they are ready to go.  Of course it doesn’t show how the trailer was broken down for 24 hours and the three trips to town to buy bolts etc. to fix the thing.  He finally had to break down and buy a new jack.  Fuel costs to travel to the processor, near Jeff City, was $38.00.  Due to his hard work, he got full value.  He made $160.00 for his 1.5 cords of Cedar logs.  He figures he made $6.00 an hour.  Lots of hard work for Gerbil Bedding!!

A New Day: A New Year

Moon setting on a new day in the new year

A New Day

What a wonderful welcoming to a new day!   The moon was full but setting as the dawn approached.  This picture was taken from the kitchen window looking east in early January.  Too amazing just to watch and not to share.  Happy New Year.

 

New Addition

Dominika and Trixie out of the 3rd barrel

Dominik Ubarova arrived Aug 5 2011

 

Gary picked up our new exchange daughter on Aug 5, 2011.  She comes to us from Slovakia.  She is quite the equestrian  and loves the horses especially Shatzie and “Lectric.  Gary has turned her into a Barrel Racer already.   School is very boring for her.  Gerardo liked school.  Perhaps Grandview is a better place than St. Clair?  Could just be personal preference. 

Every Horse has a Story

Whiskey enjoying the sun.

Every Horse Has A Story

This post is one I hope many people will contribute to.  I will be telling stories about my horses and I hope you will tell stories of horses you know or have known.  I will start with Whiskey.

Whiskey

Whiskey came to us in 1990.  The last three horses of my youth died in 1989.  We picked up a horse in February and she needed a companion.  A friend told us about a horse on their property, a mustang owned by their caretaker, that was for sale.  My husband (at the time) and I went to check out this Mustang.  My first thought upon seeing him was; Gosh, he is little!   Having learned to ride on draft horses, this little thing could barely be considered a horse.  I went for a test ride.  He was pleasant enough and listened fairly well.  The price was right and Lady needed a friend.  So, March, 1990 we had two horses.  I did not know what this little fellow would come to mean. 

I went to the farm every week end from my home in St.Louis.  Whiskey’s story was that he had been captured in the mountains of Utah and cowboy broke by Colorado penitentary inmates.  The lady I bought him from had been an Elephant Trainer.  Whiskey was broke and very rideable but he was still green.  He needed as much riding as possible.  I came to the farm an extra day a week.  A friend, Kathi, would come with me occassionally.  While riding one day, I told Kathi that I thought Whiskey was gaited.  She took a look and quikly agreed; gaited indeed. 

Whiskey became a favorite mount for our many visitors.  He has been a show horse, trail horse, lesson horse, uncle and grandpa to the young stock.   It was quite a site in the gaited classes to see our little Mustang with his cute little shuffle in the ring with those big, flashy, high stepping Tennessee Walkers.  He held his own in the youth classes giving our Nephew Grand Champion. 

It would be hard to find a more sure footed, willing to go horse than Whiskey on the trail.  Other horses would dodge or jump mud and puddles.  Whiskey just drudged on through and would look at the others as if to say “What is your Problem?”  He always knew where the trailer was.  If left to his own, he’d bushwhack his way back to the trailer when he’d had enough. 

In1999 another friend convinced me I could use Whiskey and another horse to do a horse camp for her daughter and her friend.  That was the beginnng of horse camps here at Prairie School Road Farm.  Whiskey became a favorite of many campers for the next several years.  He has always been an energy conservationist, slow.  That was a trait that beginners valued.  I always said a lesson horse should be one that does exactly what is asked or less.  Whiskey tended to be one that would do less.  Perhaps stubborn and obstinate could be used as descriptors.  Didn’t matter though.  He knew the barrel and pole pattern and enjoyed taking the kids for rides. 

Whiskey, the smallest horse in the pasture, was always the dominant horse.  As more mares and geldings were added, Whiskey was busier and busier riding herd on the herd.  We would find the geldings running across creeks, up bluff, over fences and hiding in the woods to get away from Whiskey.  Whiskey and the geldings were getting thinner and thinner.  Whiskey was exiled from the herd.  It was his own fault.  That is how he became Uncle Whisey.  The young stock needed an older horse to teach them a thing or two.   Whiskey had a new job. 

As time has passed, so has Whikey’s health.  Cushings and laminitis have taken their toll.  They haven’t done him in but slowed him down significantly.  He gets tender footed now where he once had feet of iron.  The heat and humidity are his worse enemies.  A good cold crisp day can still find Whiskey on the grassy trails giving someone a smooth fun ride. 

Beautiful/Wet Spring

Creek was up after Friday mornings storms.

Most beautiful

 and longest

 dogwood

 blossoming I’ve

 ever seen.