Sky High Ranch

04/24/2023

I’ve had this little gelding for just over 4 months now. This guy would crack in half everytime you lunged him (check the comments for that video), wouldn’t follow his nose to guide, and was just very green. I’ve had a lot of horses like him, but there’s one significant difference with his one. His owner. She knew he wasn’t solid, but really liked him and thought he had potential (like most owners). Except, she told me to keep him as long as I thought I needed him, to get him broke. Generally people want 30 days. Sometimes 60. Rarely can you squeeze 90 days training out of people who just “want a safe horse, nothing fancy.” 🙄 Well, this horse at 90 days was probably 25% better. I wasn’t thrilled to send him home with that. He needed chiropractic adjustments, muscle, shoeing, and miles. 4 months in, the change happened. This guy has been on great trail rides, through water, been ridden in drill team practice, carries a flag, is starting to nail his lead changes and just rode in a parade. I can’t wait for his owner to enjoy him. He is an amazing horse with an even better personality. The hardest part of my job is definitely sending them home…..they do become family.

Most people would have givin up on him the first 60 days. Deemed not worth it. He is every penny worth it and his owner will reap those benefits. This guy will be able to do anything. Most importantly….take her and her family down the trail safely.

Don’t hold your trainer to excellence within a certain timeframe. Horses have their own timeline, and we must adhere to it. ❤️

10/24/2022

***RANCH HELP, Trade for board?

Looking for a motivated person who is looking for somewhere to board that is interested in working off some board for feeding and/or stall cleaning.
0 drama facility looking to add another awesome hardworking person. PM me for details!

Possible lease/trade available. Must have experience. (Work trade for riding privileges )

03/09/2022

These type of horses are my favorite to work with. Shut down, angry, uncomfortable, stiff and they look skinny. Physical and mental trauma over time causes horses minds to shut off and bodies to contract. This first pic is the day before some chiropractic and ground work. The second pic is after two days of ground work and an adjustment. If this isn’t proof that horses physical bodies need help sometimes just like humans, I don’t know what is. Connecting with them in a way they understand, then untangling their web of physical problems, makes all the difference in the world. You can see how much softer and rounder his entire body is. His eye is also happier and his attitude is improving tremendously.
If you have problems with your horse, talk to your vet, trusted trainer, anyone to get help. This guy will be forever grateful to his new owner for saving him. And a huge thanks to Dr. Courtney Lewis with Peregrine Equine for getting him on the road to recovery.
I can’t wait to see how amazing this guy turns out to be ❤️❤️

02/21/2022

I have the pleasure of working with this cute little mare for a few weeks. After not taking training horses in for a while, it’s been l awesome to put some time on her. She went from not picking up the left lead to a beautiful balanced counter canter and her changes are coming along nicely. She is really smart and so eager to please ❤️❤️

01/31/2022

Loving this spring weather we have been having! It’s a lot of work to get everything mowed but it sure is worth it when the grass is so green!! 😍

08/11/2021

We have a stall coming available on August 17th if anyone is looking for a place to board. No drama, fun facility. PM for details!

02/15/2021

Fun Q and A’s when working with obstacles... show season is almost here!!! ☀️ 🌸

05/14/2020

Everyone at Sky High Ranch is devastated with the loss of one of our own, Ruby Sue. She was a great mare loved so much by her humans. She was lucky to have such a great family to call her own these last few years. We will miss your sweet feminine nicker at feeding time Ruby Sue. Fly high in the sky leaving hoof prints in the clouds sweet girl ⛅️🌈 ⛅️
Emily and Sarah, we are so sorry for your loss

10/07/2019

Sky High Ranch ventured to Running I today (about time!! For myself at least)
So fun to expose the horses to so many new and scary things. A lot of it felt like going through a haunted house 😂😂.... you never knew what was lurking around the corner! Wish I had taken more pictures, but this is what I got. The horses were all fantastic 😬

09/09/2019

Good kids horses are worth their weight in gold ❤️

06/20/2019

Backstage with Matthew

Great article about Drogen’s part in SF Operas production of Carmen! ❤️

Backstage with Matthew blog on Drogen, the horse from Carmen.

06/17/2019

A little stroll through Sky High Ranch’s obstacle course.

06/10/2019

Just a dog and his ranch chickens ❤️

06/05/2019

Our amazing resident Drogen makes his debut tonight at the opening night of “Carmen”, tonight at the San Francisco Opera House alongside the most amazing singers and cast. We have been lucky to have such humble, talented opera singers to work alongside with. Drogen had the opportunity to to have a private concert in the barn with “Escamillo” before rehearsals started.....who else has Opera in the barn?? Good luck tonight Drogen!!!!!

05/27/2019

Growing up as a kid with horses your dreams are always riding on the beach, “galloping” through a field of grass, riding in parades, and collecting ribbons and buckles at horse shows. Did it ever cross my mind I would be onstage at the SF Opera house with one of the prettiest horses I’ve ever met?? Nope. Not for a second. Here’s to the unknown, and the twists and turns life has in store! 🥂.
Thank you to our barn family who has been coming to help, and a huge thanks to Eugene for pushing me to embark on this adventure with his horse!! I didn’t really realize when he said the “opera” he actually meant “THE OPERA” 🤣🤣

05/04/2019

Opera prep!! Genoa may go on the road 🤣🤣

04/09/2019

As a certified equine body worker, I can’t stress this article enough. Not just carrying the weight of a rider is important, but everything else we ask a horse to do (walk down hill, step over logs, stop correctly, spins, roll backs etc) cannot efficiently be achieved without strong, balanced abdominal muscles (their back!). Very good read :)

Strengthen your horse’s back by training the abdominal muscles

In order to physically educate our horses efficiently and to enable them to carry us without suffering structural damage and to collect, we need to be aware of the biomechanics and train to strengthen the right muscles in our horses.

We all know that our horses’ backs aren’t designed to carry us riders – the spine between front and hind resembles a hanging bridge and gives in under weight. To be able to ride our horses without causing pain and structural damage, we need to strengthen muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

Whilst many believe the long back muscles are the ones that need strengthening, this is very misleading – the long back muscle (longissimus dorsi) is not designed to carry, it is designed to create movement/motion. It is one of the largest such muscles in the horse’s body.

To carry weight/us our horse needs to develop strong abdominal muscles (which are the counterparts/antagonists of the back muscles) and strong muscles in the neck (especially between the 2nd cervical vertebrae and the occipital bone) which helps to stabilize the horse’s back.

Abdominals are part of the ventral muscle chain and all important for correct back posture, they lift and support the back and keep the pelvis in the right position.

Abdominals consist of transversal and of inner and outer straight muscles. The long abdominals which start at the p***c bone enable the horse to tilt the pelvis and to lift the lower back so that the hind legs can step under.

If abdominal muscles are lacking, the horse cannot use the back and the hind quarters properly, and therefore the back can’t be lifted. A situation that can quickly create pain and structural damage.

To increase abdominal strength, it is important to encourage the horse’s hind leg action so that they are brought forward well underneath the centre of gravity. Correct leg aids are crucial to achieve this. The leg aid needs to come just shortly before the horse’s hind leg leaves the ground to bring the leg forward – if the leg aid gives an impulse then it triggers a natural reflex causing the abdominals to contract which then brings the hind leg further forward.

These are some exercise suggestions that can easily be integrated into the daily routine and might help to strengthen the abdominals, the back, and the hind quarters:

Lateral movements like renvers, travers and shoulder-in encourage the horse to step well under, hence strengthen the hind quarters and abdominals. It is important to exercise these movements in a calm, flowing and regular fashion. If the exercise is performed incorrectly, the wrong muscles will be used.

Change of tempi and change of gaits – when changing into a slower gait, the horse needs to step well under and to lift the back for which the abdominals have to work. When changing into a faster gait, the hind quarters need to create the power and momentum.

Working with ground poles and cavaletti – To go over ground poles and cavaletti, the horse needs to lift the legs higher and to take bigger steps/strides whilst stretching its upper line (the hind legs are lifted higher, brought further forward, the pelvis needs to tilt more and the back will lift).

The poles/cavaletti should be placed in distances of 80-90cm for walk, 120-150cm for trot and 300-350cm for canter depending on the individual height and stride length of the horse.

The right speed – whichever exercise we do with our horses, whether in the arena or leisurely trail riding, all should be done in a calm, rhythmic manner. If the horse is rushing through the exercise, the exercise won’t be balanced nor well performed and useful.
Using more leg (aid) does not automatically encourage the horse to step under – if we ask too much too early the abdominals might not be able yet to work with the pelvis tilting to the front and abdominals and pelvis fall out of balance, the hind legs can’t step under but will shift locomotion further out to the back.

Last but not least – training must not just focus on the abdominal muscles and hind quarters. Whether is as a human or an equine athlete, the secret to success is variety. It doesn’t make sense to focus on one or two specific parts of the body if the rest of it won’t grow as well.

On a personal note: As an equine sports therapist I see just as many horses suffering pain caused by underdeveloped strength in the back as I see horses suffering extreme sciatica, developing a hunters bump etc., due to hard training in collection without adequate stretching of the abdominals afterwards. Chronically shortened abdominals are often caused by scar tissue in overworked muscles – when either the training unit has been asking too much or has been going for too long (imagine you stopping in the middle of a sit-up and being asked to stay in this position for longer than you are capable of...). So please keep the training units short, let the horse walk on a long rein in between, don’t overdo repetitions and try to integrate a variety of exercises so the focus is not just on one part of the body. Appropriate warming up and cooling down time in walk before and after each training session is of utmost importance.

03/13/2019

Ag Days gives kids up-close view of farm life

Emily and Ruby Sue made the Press Democrat. Great job representing our way of life Emily!!

01/13/2019

Taking advantage of the one sunny day we had! Always a adventure with Leslie Moreda!

12/24/2018

Merry Christmas from Sky High Ranch! Spreading the holiday cheer Christmas Caroling with our neighbors in Penngrove. Have a safe holiday everyone!! 🎄

12/11/2018

Great neighborhood ride yesterday with our barn family. Preparing for our Christmas caroling trip!!! Don’t worry, we spared the neighborhood our singing.....for now! 🤣

10/14/2018

Please share, this Sunday!

10/14/2018

Impromptu ride around the block with some of the barn. We have the best people and even better horses!!

10/09/2018

Duke went to his first obstacle challenge..... was an “in-hand” class, so we got to see if our work over the past couple months, worked outside our comfort zone. I will say, he is so trusting, observant and flat out adorable! ❤️ this guy.

09/28/2018

This cute girl came to us for lead changes a month ago. Happy to report, mission accomplished!! She is such a doll, I will miss her sweet personality 😍

09/24/2018

I have helped quite a few people find horses over the last few years, and sold quite a few. The horse buying/selling process can be fun, yet very frustrating on both sides. The one thing that has been the most frustrating is how many people buy the wrong horse. There are always red flags you can look for but a lot of buyers just don’t have the experience and know what to look for. We have all heard the horror stories that come with buying a horse.... most of the time your first. I realized there is a big need for information on this topic so I am holding a seminar to get some of this information out there. Dr Courtney Lewis from Circle Oak Equine will be there as well to give a vets perspective on prepurchase exams, etc. If you know of someone who wants to buy a horse and could use this info, please pass this on!!! Thank you!

09/22/2018

Welcome Tracy, Alan and their new boy Eddie to the barn!! So happy to have you here 😀

09/17/2018

Great obstacle clinic today! Everyone did so well, and I think everybody completed all the obstacles!! Good job to all that came, it was a fun day 🙂
Keep your eyes out for our next clinic!!

09/11/2018

Obstacle clinic this Sunday!!! Come check out our new course and expose your horse to something new! **Space is limited

09/09/2018

I have said before how scared this little guy was of everything when he came, and I posted a video of him going through our obstacle course. I know it’s hard to imagine him spooking at anything after watching that.
I realized the other day I have not drug anything with him. Sooo, here is day one of the drag. It’s too hard to video while working with him but here is a snippet, so you get the idea where this guy is coming from. I will try and post his progress and hope to be dragging stuff successfully soon!!!

08/20/2018

Barns.... they are full of drama. All horse people know that. But not ours!! I want to take a second and shout out to the best barn family one could have. We have such great people invading our space daily 😬. I mean, it could be really bad. Thankfully everyone that is here, are not just friends, but family. Thanks for everything you all do to make our barn so wonderful ❤️❤️
Huge thank you to Hannah Beebe for capturing all these moments! I cherish them as much they do!! 😘
(We are missing a couple people who didn’t get pictures done, hopefully they will soon!!)

08/16/2018

This little guy had a severe case of “anythingthattouchesmylegswillkillme” phobia.... just look at him now! This was his first time through with the noodles so close together. He is such a doll and I love watching him conquer his fears everyday!!

08/03/2018

Cowboy Challenge last weekend at PRDC. I’ve never asked Cali for any speed through obstacles, so had to start somewhere. We’ve never done rollbacks either 🙄. Yea, need to work on that. But she was so good and confident, just getting better and better. We took first in the Open 😬

08/03/2018

Truth!! 🙌