I have often been asked by clients why our saddles aren’t always flat on the horse’s back all the way from front to back – which makes them look like they don’t actually fit and will probably rock. Ideally the saddle needs to slightly ‘rock’ at the cantle as the horse’s back engages. A slightly […]

Today is Selena’s birthday. She started it nice and early with an 8:00 a.m. lesson at Clayton’s Florida base. She had a good school and says she and Woody are ready to rock at the CIC*** this coming week. This is at the Carolina Horse Park. Woody will do the three star and Zephyr the […]

It’s been a great week here in Ocala with the O’Hanlon Eventing crew. Unfortunately, tomorrow I am headed back to school in New York. It’s going to be a rough transition back to the classroom for me. At home I am just getting back into work with my mare who had a foal last spring, […]

I’m writing about the whole weekend not just a day. Saturday was rainy for most of the day. I got in two early rides before the rain started. Then I ran some errands which included picking up Thunders NEW bridle at the Tack Shack of Ocala. It’s a very beautiful black bridle to go with […]

The girls down south are looking forward to a weekend without a show. There are only a few weekends in the winter (year) when Selena and Anne Marie are not on the road. Having Angie Huber visit for the week was a lot of fun and a lot of help. There are nine horses in […]

Spring was just coming into being when the temperatures at Balsam Hall took a dive. We had been turning a couple of horses out at night, but with rain, cold, wind and thunderstorms, overnight turnout is back on hold. The didn’t stop us being able to do trot sets outside. It’s such a joy to […]

Selena took a day at the beach today. It’s nice to try and get there once a year, but it doesn’t always happen. Despite the proximity, horses are horses and they take up a lot of time. Angie’s visit was the catalyst and Selena was hoping to get in some scuba diving. Unfortunately, it was […]

In mid-February I had the chance to spend a week skiing in Utah at four of the most beautiful ski resorts I have ever experienced. This was a welcome change in pace and scenery after a gruelling (but always fun) two-week Saddlefit 4 Life training course. We were lucky enough to enjoy fantastic (almost too […]

We had a ‘pain in the ass’ day at Balsam Hall. We had to move horses and shift bedding and floor mats in a dozen stalls for a VERY good cause. When we moved into Balsam Hall over five years ago, the stalls were in very poor shape. There were bars on the front of […]

Today was a fun day for a Monday. There is no such thing as a traditional Monday in the Ocala barns. There are a queue of horses waiting their turn for Selena and Anne Marie’s attention. Rummy and Benny both were lunged in the Pessoa after nearly a week off. They were both quite happy […]