Longshot Stables LLC

04/23/2025

I was away for Easter and didn’t have a chance to introduce Raisin!

I can’t get over the uncanny resemblance his face has to Thunder ☺️ .

Raisin is a 4 year old 10.3h Hackney pony.

04/23/2025

https://www.facebook.com/100063856669752/posts/1162652949206583/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

So you’ve been bucked off, your toe was stepped on, the horses got out of the pasture and into the feed room, you missed your appointment because the horse wouldn’t load -

You’re mad. What now?

Do not react, do not react, do not react. Breathe.

The first thing many go to doing is reacting. The urge to “do” something quickly and thoughtlessly has lead to worsening many messes. Chasing running horses will not make them stand calmly. Getting after the horse that bucked you off will not connect to the moment it happened in.

The moment is over, the thing is done. There is no taking it back by getting big and angry or “teaching a lesson” that will do anything. The only lesson to be learned here is yours. I know it sucks, but just breathe.

Now, calmly gather up the horses. Close the trailer door. Check yourself for injury. Whatever needs doing, do it as calmly as you can. The horse is probably out eating grass somewhere and isn’t living in the same mind frame you are - the moment is gone, now grass. So breathe, go catch the horses, clean up the mess, whatever you need to do.

Now- what was missed? Why did the horses get out? Why wouldn’t the horse load? Why did you get air time today? What’s the step that needs to be taken now to prevent this from happening again?

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the mistake we forget to adjust what caused it. Do we need to lock the feed room door? Do we need to practice loading maybe weeks before the appointment? Did our horse get spooked and needs some confidence building, maybe our seat needs a tune up?

The rest of the workload after repairing what was damaged needs to go toward prevention and education. Consult help if you need it, either for your fencing, training, riding, whatever needs doing.

But taking a moment to calmly sort through a mess is a very valuable life skill-

Rule number one, breathe, don’t just react. Think, then act, then work toward prevention.

Here’s Mr Delton taking a few breaths after having some trouble with his patience

04/19/2025

Lottie rode her Unicorn, Sir Prince Tobin, in a new test (Training 1) for a good starting score at 60%. 💗 🦄

04/19/2025

Fig
(ADHHA Woodside Acres Newton)

I scooped him up from Craigslist in 2022 as a freshly gelded, studdy 4 year old that had found his way into New Holland after a year of show driving in Kentucky.

He needed a ton of weight and let down time, so we really didn’t start training until 2023.

We rode 3-1 back in November with a 61%. His scores can vary wildly on a test from 4s to 8s depending on his confidence. After that test I focused more on frequent field trips and training… we entered 3-1 again today for a BLUE ribbon at 71.3% and tried 3-3 as well, scoring 66.5%. Today was the most consistent and “easiest” he’s been to ride at a show.

So elated!

04/18/2025

04/18/2025

Found a chicken in the woods and gave it a ride… 🐓

04/16/2025

While it LOOKS nice out… the winds are a harassing 30+ mph. 😣

04/14/2025

Toast and Starburst, the two new Shetlands, were born and raised in a semi-feral herd. The herd has some rocky surfaces and basically self trim (unless it’s noted that one is having an issue). 3 year old Toast had his very first trim tonight. I only did the fronts for now. While there was a lot of length, he has a really nice and healthy hoof!

04/13/2025

Tuxē continued to look comfortable so I decided to let him try a bit more freedom on the track. After an initial and slower exploration, he had a good gallop in and out!

04/13/2025

Toast

04/13/2025

Tuxē has been here almost 6 weeks and got his third trim yesterday. He is moving MUCH more comfortably today. The bottom of the foot looks so much healthier. It’s been many many years since the sole and frogs had ground contact.

On this trim he had more growth and Travis was able to take more foot down, finding a lot of old bruising. He’s still being soaked for thrush almost daily- it was inches deep into the feet even after the first trim.

I need to weigh him again but he’s down by about 200lbs. He’s eating a mix of hay and straw. He’s getting a multi-vitamin, Vitamin E, and MSM hidden in a handful of soaked alfalfa.

If he’s staying happy, I plan to start more work this week with changing how he’s moving. He turns like he’s pushing a cart sideways and needs balance changes for long term soundness.

04/12/2025

Willa

04/12/2025

Éilis has been working on this for a long time! Little bits here and there. Today Flea was hooked to the cart and pulled her around the arena with a few little trot sections.

04/12/2025

New-Penny in Pink

04/12/2025

New Penny has a cute little canter!

04/10/2025

A handsome pair of Shetlands arrived for training! They lived in a feral herd and are ready to learn about life with people.

The dark silver bay is 3 years old.
The pinto is 2 years old.

Both are about 11h now.

04/10/2025

Warm feet and a strong pulse…

Fortunately it was caught before it truly became laminitis. I suspect that two nights of being below freezing spiked the sugar levels in the grass yesterday. Within a short time of being in cold water the pulse was less strong. Hilary brought 12 bags of ice and spent the night with Hekili in an ice bath as prevention. Off to work for Hilary at 4am, but Hekili is staying on ice for the daytime still then should be just fine. ❤️

04/09/2025

Snoozy kind of day.