Jan 2009
Hello Everyone,
Happy New Year from the Circle C Ranch! I hope everyone’s had a great holiday season, and is staying warm in all the snow. Our horses are loving this weather- they’re extra fat and fuzzy in the cold. Shadow loves wearing her blanket around too—I think she feels pretty! We also built a brand new shelter in the pasture just in time for the snow this December!
We have some new faces down at the barn: Frosty, Mystique, and Onasheika have joined our herd now! Slowly but surely, we’re collecting more horses that will be with us year round, through both donations and purchases. That takes the total number of horses we own up to 12 now.
Even though there’s still snow in our pastures, it’s already time to start thinking about this summer. We have some huge changes that I’m very excited to share with you. Due to the enormous success of our English Riding Lessons this fall, we have decided to make this discipline a part of our summer programs! Every ranch camper will now have the opportunity to ride both English and Western during camp. Students will ride Hunt Seat in all summer riding lessons and Western on all of our trail rides.
For those of you who may have some questions about this change, let me explain. The foundations of both disciplines are very similar—we will still be focusing on Sound Horsemanship and Centered Riding, so if you’ve never ridden English before don’t worry! We still ride with nice deep seats and quiet hands. We still have long legs and our heels are down. And we still sit balanced and tall. One of the basic differences is that you will now learn to post a trot in an English saddle, which a lot of riders find easier than trying to sit one (me included!). We also use our reins a bit differently. So, if you’ve only ridden Western here before- don’t worry! You won’t be starting over; we can pick right up where we left off with only some minor adjustments! We will make sure in our lessons that you feel comfortable in the new tack, and understand everything we’re teaching. I hope you’re as excited as I am!
Horsefully Yours,
Charlie
Ranch Manager
