Grand Slam Equestrian, LLC.- Nina M. Shaffer

03/07/2025

T.I.P. Program Tuesday - T.I.P. awards at horse shows

Where it all started! Since launching in 2012, T.I.P. has been offering Thoroughbred high point awards, classes and divisions at horses shows of all disciplines and levels across the U.S. and Canada. Growing from 150 shows in 2012 to over 1,600 in 2025, T.I.P. has awarded thousands of ribbons and prizes to Thoroughbreds over the years. Like all of T.I.P's programs, a (free) T.I.P. number is required to participate. T.I.P. numbers are horse/owner specific and if a horse has multiple riders, each rider needs to be added to the number through your T.I.P. account. Provide the horse's T.I.P. number to the participating show for purposes of eligibility and check with the show on how they would like the information provided to ensure you're eligible for awards.

Eligibility: https://tjctip.com/About/TBHSI
Find shows: https://tjctip.com/CalendarOfEvents
Apply for a T.I.P. Number: https://tjctip.com/APPLYTIPNUMBER

📸 Reagan and Spartan (TJC name Wee Beastie) at their first show, winning high point Junior Rider and high point Thoroughbred! Reagan's family bred and raced Spartan, and it looks like he is off to a great start in his new career!

02/07/2025

⚾️Double the Judges, Double the Feedback!⚾️

We are now accepting entries for our July 16, 2025 FIX A TEST with Danni Toscano (L Graduate) & Andrea Jenkins (L Program Candidate)

This is a great opportunity to prepare for Blue Goose Stable, LLC Recognized on July 19, 2025!

01/07/2025

✨HEY Y’ALL, LET’S REINTRODUCE OURSELVES ✨

I’m Nicole Diaz- your go-to girl for grazing, good vibes, and unforgettable mobile event bars. I run The Grazing Pony, St. Pete, FL’s mobile charcuterie bar, and this beautiful four-legged king right here is Aspen—our namesake, mascot, and the official Grazing Pony 🐴💁🏻‍♀️

We’re not just here to drop off a snack…we’re here to elevate your entire event. From bottomless cannoli (yes, bottomless), to s’mores bars, custom food stations, and of course, a charcuterie cart creating boards so pretty your guests won’t stop talking about them.

Whether you’re throwing a:
🎉 Birthday bash
🍾 Bachelorette or girls’ night
👩‍🎓 Graduation party
💍 Bridal or baby shower
💼 Corporate event
💒 Dream wedding

The Grazing Pony pulls up ready to party.

We pride ourselves on blending into your vision, not crashing it. That means:
🌸 Matching your florals
🎨 MULTIPLE carts to choose from (each different)
🖋️ Custom signage
🍢 Coordinated napkins + skewers
🫶 And the kind of attention to detail only a horse girl turned hostess could deliver.

If you’re new here, welcome to the herd! You bring the celebration, and we’ll bring the wow factor (and the cheese).

Drop a 🐴 in the comments if you’re ready to graze in style!

29/06/2025

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

📝 Kimberley Reynolds

📸 Max & Maxwell: Equestrian Photography

28/06/2025

24/06/2025

Are you cancelling lessons this week?

We’re not! ☀️

There is so much more to learn, or practice, in a barn than just riding.

We’re having some classroom lessons with AC for younger students. The older students are riding between 8-11pm. If you’re able to ride very early or very late, still keep in mind that the rides probably need to be modified. Everything is much better once the sun is down but the horses were living outside in 100* all day and that is tiring! (Your trainer or barn staff taking care of those guys may also have been working hours already in the heat- now is a good time to show up with iced coffee!)

Classroom lessons can include learning to dissemble and clean tack, identify parts of tack, parts of horses, training discussions, learning markings and colors, etc, followed by hosing and fly spraying your equine partner to make sure you’re leaving them comfortable. A lot of these things are covered in horse camps (one week in a summer) and quickly forgotten from lack of use and practice. Back when horse and pony clubs were more available to youth, kids learned horsemanship regularly and could more easily get an all around horse education. The internet has made information much more available, but most kids don’t know what to seek out and knowledge is retained better in person and with hands on activities.

All students NEED more education. If they can’t ace every single question in a classroom setting, or still need help taking apart a bridle, they need to be there listening, practicing, discussing. The difference between a rider and a horseman, is education.

Do you want to be “just a rider” or a horseman?

21/06/2025

Training Tip Tuesday. Zig zag leg yield + Figure 8. Leg yielding is an excellent precursor to lateral movements - while some will call it the first lateral movement - where the horse is moving from the inside leg to the outside rein and stepping underneath the body. This is an excellent exercise for encouraging the horse to step under the center of gravity, compress the hock and send the body sideways. It engages the inside hindleg thus increasing the carrying capacity, as well. When done correctly, this will increase impulsion, balance, coordination and suppleness. The figure 8 helps to improve suppleness and prepare the horse for the leg yield back to the rail by putting the horse onto the new outside rein.

In the leg yield, it is important not to bend the horse's body. Rather the horse should have a slight flexion opposite the direction of travel. Essentially, the horse's body should remain parallel to the rail. The rider should use the outside aids to prevent the horse from falling through the outside shoulder. It is also important that the rider maintain the rhythm of the gait, as the horse may become slightly stuck, especially when they are first learning to go forward and sideways. In this instance, it may be helpful to think about riding a step or 2 forward for every one step sideways.

Often riders find going away from the rail more difficult than going toward the rail. This is an excellent test of whether the horse is truly on the aids. If needed, you might try starting on the quarter line to begin the leg yield toward centerline to help prevent the horse from becoming stuck on the rail. Once the horse understands the exercise and what is being asked, then begin on the rail and proceed as shown.

19/06/2025

Iron Spring Farm's founder and owner Mary Alice D. Malone (February 3, 1950 – June 16, 2025), a trailblazer in American sport horse breeding and a lifelong equestrian, passed away peacefully at home on June 16, 2025, surrounded by her loving family.

Article on our website: www.ironspringfarm.com

19/06/2025

Greatful for a wonderful team of horses that allow my to teach many. 💓🦄

Tuesday Truth!

19/06/2025