Storm Chaser Stables

08/31/2026

As the season shifts, the trees do not hurry their turning, nor do the berries rush to ripen.
In our homes and in our learning, too, there is no need to rush. Growth unfolds in its own time.
So if your lessons feel slow, or your days don’t go to plan, take heart. The secret is patience. 🍂
💚🍂💚🌈💚✨💚🍄💚🌎💚

08/28/2026

🌸 Bree’s Story 🐴

Meet Breeze on Through, better known around here as Bree. 💖

Bree is a black-and-white pinto “hony”—somewhere in that delightful territory between large pony and small horse—and at around 20 years old, she’s one of the newer additions to our program herd.

Bree joined us about a year and a half ago when a longtime friend entrusted her to us as her own horsekeeping chapter changed.

And goodness, is she sweet.

Bree is brave, willing, curious, and usually gives you her very best attempt at whatever you’ve asked—even if occasionally that attempt includes a full march. 😂

She’s begun working in lessons, enjoys riding away from home, and especially seems to love trail rides, exploring, and heading out with a group.

She’s also the kind of horse we think could make a really fun partner for a student interested in developing their skills through low-level dressage. She has plenty to teach while leaving room for a rider to play, polish, and learn alongside her.

What we love most about Bree is her willingness. She tries her best, every time. There is something incredibly valuable about a horse who gives a learner room to ask questions, experiment, and grow.

She’s still relatively new to this chapter of her life with us, which means we’re still discovering exactly where she fits best in the program—and getting to know her a little better along the way.

Welcome to Bree’s chapter of the SCS story. 🌸🦄

If you’ve had the chance to ride, work with, or simply meet Bree since she joined us, tell us what you love about her! 💖

08/25/2026

🐴 The Horse Notices First

Last week, we talked about what mindfulness can look like at the barn: paying attention to what is happening in ourselves, our horses, and the relationship between us.

But there is something fascinating about working with horses.

Usually, the horse notices things first.

Often before we can consciously recognize that we’ve tightened our shoulders, changed our breathing, shifted our weight, or become uncertain about what we’re asking, the horse beside us may already be responding.

An ear turns.

Their pace changes.

Their body becomes more alert—or begins to soften.

They hesitate, move closer, look toward something, or offer some other tiny change we might miss if we’re focused only on completing the task.

Horses are remarkably attentive to movement, posture, pressure, environment, and the behavior of those around them.

In the Mindfulness-Based Horsemanship Initiative, this gives us something incredibly valuable: living feedback.

The horse’s response can invite us to become curious about what is happening right now.

What changed?

What did the horse notice?

What am I communicating with my body?

What happens if I breathe, soften, adjust, wait, or try again?

We don’t need to assume that every flick of an ear or shift of the body means something specific. Instead, we learn to notice patterns, context, and changes in the relationship unfolding in front of us.

Sometimes the horse helps us notice something about ourselves before we have even found words for it.

And that is one of the reasons horses can be such remarkable partners in learning. 💜🐴

08/23/2026

If you need us, we’ll be right here. 🐴🌿💜

Somewhere between the pasture, the hoofbeats, and a whole herd coming to say hello.

Turns out, heaven on earth looks a little like this.

08/21/2026

🥧 Punkin’s Story 🐴

Meet SCS Sweet as Pie! We just call him Punkin or Mr. Pie most of the time. 🧡

Punkin is a rescue pony gelding, an experienced first-show pony, a beloved teacher…and occasionally a tiny bit sassier than the name Sweet as Pie would suggest. 😂

Over the years, he has safely carried lesson students through countless milestones.

He’s taught mounted skills and groundwork. He’s carried kids into both hunter and dressage show rings. He’s been steady enough to help riders learn and bouncy enough to keep them paying attention.

Punkin has taught us, too.

His experience with laminitis helped us become better horsekeepers. He arrived from a rescue scenario with acute symptoms, so we quickly learned what to watch for, how subtle changes can matter, and what thoughtful management practices can support a horse in need of metabolic-specific care.

These days, he remains one of those wonderful older lesson ponies who seems to understand his job remarkably well. We joke that he understands spoken English remarkably well and can even spell some words…like “C-O-O-K-I-E” or “T-R-O-T,” among others!

Safe. Fun. Experienced. Occasionally opinionated. And still deeply committed to one of his greatest passions:

A really good roll in our signature Virginia orange clay! 😂🧡

Punkin has carried a lot of students through the first few chapters of their horsemanship story.

If you’ve ridden, handled, shown, loved, or learned something from Punkin over the years, please share your favorite Punkin memory or photo below. 🦄🧡

Let’s fill his Herd Feature with a little SCS Sweet as Pie history!

08/19/2026

In case no one has told you lately 🫶🐴✨

08/19/2026

💜

Outdoor play is so important!

Who wouldn't want their kids to be happier, more focused and less anxious? (and oh so many more benefits)

08/19/2026

Stay hydrated friends! It’s going to be another hot day 🫶😉

Friendly reminder to drink your water today!

08/18/2026

🐴 What Does Mindfulness Look Like at the Barn?

When people hear the word mindfulness, they sometimes picture sitting quietly with their eyes closed.

At the barn, mindfulness often looks more like paying attention.

It’s noticing how your body feels before you climb into the saddle. Feeling your feet on the ground and the lead rope in your hand. Hearing the birds, the horses, and the wind moving through the pasture. Noticing when your shoulders tighten or your breathing changes.

Perhaps most importantly, it’s paying attention to the horse standing beside you.

Where are their ears?
Where is their attention?
What does their body feel like today?
What changes when you approach, groom, lead, or ride?

These small moments of awareness are woven throughout the way we teach at Storm Chaser Stables.

Mindfulness gives us an opportunity to notice what is happening right now in ourselves, in our horses, and in the relationship between us.

Once we notice, we have more information about how to respond. Maybe we soften our hands, take another moment before mounting, or adjust what we planned for the lesson based on what the day has brought forward. Or maybe we recognize that something feels really good and allow ourselves to enjoy it.

This is one of the foundations of the Mindfulness-Based Horsemanship Initiative:

Pay attention. Notice what is here. Let that information guide what happens next.

Because some of the most meaningful learning at the barn begins with noticing. 💜