I always debate with myself about going to Florida in the winter. It is logistically hard for me to go back and forth. Yet always after my first trip, I remember all the benefits that are involved.

First of all, riding is not really a cold weather sport. This winter aside, the Northeast does not lend itself to riding whether inside or out. It usually is better for practicing one’s winter sports like skating and skiing. As a result, competitive horses are not able to work on a consistent level if the temperatures are below freezing day in and out. One of the real benefits of being in Florida is that the horses stay in a training program and continue to progress. It is especially beneficial for younger horses as it has been for ours this winter. I also think that horses pick up on the relaxed atmosphere and tropical temperatures, the same ways so many senior citizens are drawn South for these reasons. Horses are able to preform and learn better if they are relaxed and happy. The same goes for the rider. Florida seems to make that happen.

It is also beneficial for the show horses to get in the ring. It keeps a competitive edge for both horse and rider.  I know that when I take a long break, several months, from showing, it is hard to regain the rhythm.  I also think that it is beneficial for a rider to compete.  It makes riders take on new challenges and rise to higher expectations than if riding at home.

I understand that not everyone can or has the desire to head South in the winter time. This winter has proven that you can stay home and continue to ride while still feeling your toes!!  I feel lucky that I have been given the opportunity and my horses and I have been able to benefit.  I will keep you posted.  Until then, enjoy the warm temperatures and keep riding!!

As we move into the holiday season, I have been reflecting on the past year. First of all, it is hard to believe that 2011 is coming to an end. For me at La Luna, it has been an exciting year in many ways in respect to riding.

As many adult riders do, as they get older, I have struggled to have the same level of confidence I had when I was younger. Yet in many ways, I have more skill now and much more experience. I also have the confidence of being able to ride amazing horses. I am very thankful for what my horses do for me everyday. I feel that the partnership a rider has with their horse is one of the most important aspects of riding. I am very lucky that I have that partnership with all of my horses. We have a deal in which I take the best possible care of them at the barn and they take the best possible care of me in the ring. It works well and has given me back such a great deal of confidence and most important, the ability to have fun.

I am also thankful for all of our boarders and clients who come to La Luna to ride. It is a great group of people to be around on a daily basis and I am always happy to be at the barn. I hope that everyone enjoys the upcoming holiday season. Although winter is a time for some horses and riders to have off, others are preparing to go to Florida in January. I am really looking forward to competing this winter and hope that you are too.

The work of the farm could not be done without the amazing people who work at La Luna. Thank you to Paul for all that you do to train both the La Luna horses and the client horses. You have a gift and I feel very lucky that you are here. Thank you also to Paul Jr., Peter, Domingo and Julia for all of the hard work that you put in everyday. You make this farm run and we could not do it without you.

So as all of us riders reflect back on the year, remember to give your horse an extra pat and a thank you for all that they do to enrich our lives.

Happy Holidays from all of us here at La Luna Farm!!

How can it already be snowing in October? That is not a good sign for the winter to come. We had no problems during the snowstorm and now most of it has melted. This cold weather has us set our minds on warmer temperatures. La Luna is preparing to go to Wellington, Fl from January to March. Riding is really not a freezing cold sport and all the horses that do go south, stay in condition, are able to compete during the winter and then are ready for the spring season when it begins up North. We are here until the beginning of January, teaching and riding. See you soon.

The horses from Germany arrived at JFK this afternoon and are headed to Newburgh to quarantine for three days. In the Nick of Time, the gelding, will be at the farm by Friday. Cara, the mare, will head to another farm for two more weeks of quarantine.

Here is a picture of Nick jumping.

In the Nick of Time

Paul and I just got back from a great trip to Germany where were looking at horses. The Germans have been breeding horses for hundreds of years and the bloodlines run deep. It was exciting to be around so many barns and to see so many young horses.

We chose two that will be a great addition to La Luna. One is a mare who is will mature into a great jumper. The other is a young gelding who will be a very flashy equitation horse. We are hoping that both are here by the end of the month or early November.

Fall is the perfect time to ride as the weather has been perfect with cool nights and warm days. It is also a good time to practice whatever needs to worked on after the summer season. It is one of my favorite times of the year.

It is hard to believe that it is already the end of the summer show season. La Luna is up at HITS on the Hudson for the final two weeks of showing. Last week we had a busy week with riders showing in the equitation, hunters and jumper divisions. We congratulate, Natalie Meyer and her pony, Nicely Dun, on their championship in the beginner equitation division. Nicely done to both of you!!

This week the weather has not been as cooperative. We have had rain every day since Monday and no horses have gone in the ring yet. We are hoping for a dry spell for the rest of the week so that we can finish out the season without so much mud. The horse shows are rewarding in that they keep us working towards our goals and help us constantly improve.

This Sunday, September 11th is the HITS one million dollar grand prix. It is a really exciting class to watch and anyone who is interested in show jumping or would like a fun afternoon, should come up to watch.

After HITS is over, we will be back at our barn in New Paltz attending some local shows. Our barn will be down in Wellington, FL for the winter season and then back home when the weather warms a bit. We look forward to seeing you either at the show or at the barn.

It has been a while since my last post. Things have been busy at La Luna. We had a successful three weeks at the HITS Spring series in the end of May and the beginning of June. We had several horses in the ring in the hunters, equitation and jumpers. It had been a good start to be at Garden State Horse Show earlier in the month because our horses were ready to compete at HITS.

We were back at the barn in late June and then we headed to the Vermont Summer Festival in Manchester where we spent a very successful week with amazing weather and many ribbons to hang up. Congratulations to Natalie Meyer and her pony, Nicely Dun, on their Reserve Championship in the beginner equitation division. Also congratulations to Jen Thietje on her successful return to the show ring after time off.

Now we are up at HITS summer series in Saugerties, NY. There are 1700 horses at the show this week with a lot of competition. Still riders from La Luna have been successful. Tara Corr and La Luna’s Angelina made their debut in the show ring in the Performance Working Hunter division this week and did a great job. We have one more week at the show and then the barn heads south to the Sussex County horse show in NJ for one week. We will be back up at HITS Saugerties for the final two weeks of the season. Hope to see you at one of the shows!

We just got back from a really good trip to the Garden State Horse Show in Sussex, NJ. It is always our first show of the summer season. Although when we arrived, the wind was blowing and it did not feel like Spring. All the horses were pumped up and it seemed like it would be a long week. Yet, as everyone adjusted to the weather and the surroundings, all was well.

Lance and Kelsey showed in both the big equitation and the hunter derby and got better with each round. Alana showed Jolly in the pre-children’

s equitation in their first show and did a great job. It was a really big class and they shined and finished in fifth place. Natalie and her pony debuted in the walk, trot division. They did great. Everyone thought that they would split the classes but they all stayed in and Natalie did an amazing job as did her great pony. The figure eights were especially fun to see. Big Tom continues to do his job well and I had a lot of fun once I got in the ring!

Many thanks to Paul, the boys and everyone else who helped to make it such a fun and successful show.

See you next week at Saugerties where we will be at HITS for the next three weeks.

Our First Winter in Florida

I moved my horse, Marko, to La Luna Farm in mid-December 2010, for a very specific purpose. I needed to find a local barn with a horse walker. Marko is a 9 year-old gelding who spent Jan-Feb of 2010 on stall rest recovering from a stifle injury. Unfortunately, he never was consistently sound through 2010. In November he was significantly lame again in his left hind stifle, rating 4 out of 5 on the lameness scale. I had his stifle re-injected and was told by the vet he should be walking 90 minutes a day through the winter months. With this diagnosis, I set out to find a barn with a horse walker, which led me to La Luna Farm in New Paltz, NY, one of the few barns in the Hudson Valley to offer such a service.

Paul Mayne, La Luna’s trainer, introduced Marko to the walker the first day he arrived. Marko spooked very badly at it but Paul handled him well, and with the guidance of a pony mentor in the walker, Marko soon got the hang of it. That first day, Paul immediately noticed Marko’s lack of manners on a lead rope, something that I’ve struggled with since buying him two years ago. The way Paul handled Marko quickly impressed me, so I asked if he could work with Marko on ground exercises. Paul was on the task – and I was amazed at the outcome.

After just his first week at La Luna working with Paul, Marko learned to stop when I stop, go when I go, and not to encroach my space when being led with a lead rope and halter. I was able to hand graze him without getting dragged around – how very wonderful! Paul taught me the corrections I would need to make if Marko made a misstep and I was able to practice our exercises on my own. All good.

Given the success of this first week, I knew that Marko would benefit from more time with Paul…so, I inquired if Marko could join the trip to Wellington, FL with Paul and La Luna’s other horses. Luckily, Paul and Julie were able to secure a stall for Marko at this
late hour, and Marko was on his way. When I made the decision to send Marko to Florida, I thought we had perhaps a 50/50 chance of returning him to soundness given the struggles we had throughout 2010. Florida would offer consistent weather and more time in the horse walker, and Paul would be able to continue working with Marko.

During the first week in Florida, Marko was seen by the vet and evaluated at 3 out of 5 on the lameness scale. Based on feedback from the vet, Paul started putting Marko in a surcingle during his time in the walker to encourage correct carriage and pushing from behind. Additionally, Paul continued with training rides to encourage collection
and impulsion, exactly what Marko needed to build up the strength in his quadriceps
to better support his stifle joint. The next vet visit, two weeks after arriving in Florida,
Marko evaluated at 1.5 out of 5 on the lameness scale and was given the green light
to canter. Amazing!

I was then able to fly down and spend three weeks in Wellington to work with Marko and Paul. I was thrilled. Marko was more sound than he’s been in over a year, and I had a horse to ride. We set a daily routine where Paul would give Marko a training
ride, showing me and describing to me what I would need to do when I rode him. We
would then follow with a lesson for me, and as an adult who started riding 5 years
ago, I have a lot to learn.

Now I’m back in NY, so happy that the horses have returned and to continue our work. I moved Marko to La Luna in an effort to avoid a repeat of another brutal
winter of hand walking and ended up finding so much more. I found a well run,
helpful barn and a disciplined, extremely knowledgeable trainer and instructor, who
has managed to accomplish in the last 8 weeks something that has been elusive for
over a year… returning my horse to soundness (and teaching him ground manners to
boot). Now, in 2011, with Paul and Julie’s help, I can look forward to enjoying my
horse and pursuing goals that had been shelved through 2010. What an amazing turn
around – Thank you La Luna!

-Rebecca Gott, La Luna Client

We finally made it to March and we are starting to see some green grass around here. The days are warmer which makes riding indoors warmer as well. As we hit the March mark, we will begin training for the Spring and Summer horse show season. Our horses who went down to Florida for the winter will have a real advantage in this department. They have been able to stay in training and will arrive back in NY this month. Our first horse show will be the Garden State Horse Show in Sussex, NJ, the first week in May. It is a good one to start out with because there is a real variety of classes for all levels. It always signifies the beginning of show season.

While in Florida, we did purchase some new horses that will be arriving in NY this month. Both are equitation/jumpers that have recently arrived in this country from Europe. We will bring these horses along and they will be on the show circuit this summer.

Let us know if you are looking for a particular type of english horse that we may have here at the barn or we can help you find it.

Hope Spring comes soon and we can enjoy the sunshine outside.