Monday, March 30, 2015

Spring is *almost* here

Good Morning!

It looks like this week at Southwind Farm we may have temperatures staying steady in the mid-50's! Before you know it the pastures will be green again and horses won't be as bored going out! Remember, if you want to come board at a place where you are more than just a number, come join the Southwind Farm family! We have various cross-country schooling obstacles around the farm premise, two rings, an indoor arena, trails for hacking and more! Contact Sheri today for more information: sherithornley@msn.com















Monday, March 23, 2015

Great Weekend at Carolina International!!

Good Morning,

This past weekend was the Carolina International Horse Trials at the Carolina Horse Park. Sheri and her horse Toga, were back in action and competed in the Open Training-A division finishing in 11th place! Andrew McConnon also competed Sheri's horse Ari (Azari) again in the Open Preliminary-A division and won!! Way to go Andrew & Ari!
Sheri is on her way home this morning and we are excited to have her back at the farm! Ari however, is staying down in North Carolina and is now being offered for sale. Stay tuned for more information to come. And, if you know anyone looking for their next upper-level horse, please contact Sheri today at: sherithornley@msn.com
Ari and Andrew in the show jumping - thanks to Ann Adams for this photo!

And during cross country: 
Thank you to Allie Conrad Photography for sharing this beautiful photo of Ari! 

Monday, March 16, 2015

Sharing an article on Spring Horse Care

Good Morning!

While the weather is finally starting to warm up, things at Southwind right now are uneventful (in a good way!). So, until all of our boarders get back into the swing of show season, we'd like to share an informational article with you on spring horse care. This article, shared from Smartpakequine.com, talks about management strategies to get your horse ready for the new season. Enjoy!

And remember, if you have started your show season and have results you want us to share, please email them today to Sheri or tara@mythiclanding.com

Spring Ahead: Management strategies to get your horse ready for the new season
By: Dr. Lydia Gray

Houses get a spring cleaning, cars gets a spring tune-up . . . why shouldn’t horses receive the same extra attention when the weather turns warm and their duties change? Make the most of the professionals available to you, and learn as much as you can about your horse and his individual needs.

First, schedule a visit with your veterinarian. When you make the appointment, tell them you want a complete physical examination with extra time for questions and perhaps even a nutritional consultation. If you need a Coggins test, health certificate or any other tests or paperwork, be sure and mention that too. Review with your veterinarian any problems that occurred over the winter or concerns about the upcoming season. Between this discussion and your veterinarian’s physical exam findings, you should be able as a team to develop a treatment or preventive maintenance program that is customized for your horse.

During this visit, maximize the "quality time" with your veterinarian by getting involved:
Learn how to body condition score and weight tape your horse properly
Determine if the type or amount of hay, grain and supplements you feed needs to change
Take a core sample of your hay and give it to your veterinarian for analysis
Inspect your horse’s skin, coat and hooves for poor quality or disease conditions
Discuss parasite control and submit a fecal sample
Learn what new diseases may be occurring in your area and request specific vaccinations (such as equine herpesvirus – 1)
With your veterinarian, examine your horse’s mouth and develop a dental plan (have your vet or an equine dentist float the teeth if necessary)
Explain your riding and showing plans for the season and ask your veterinarian’s opinion on proper conditioning
Evaluate your horse’s risk for conditions like colic, laminitis and ulcers by sharing turnout strategy: how much time will he been in a stall vs. turned out and will he have access to pasture
Find out if your horse may benefit from electrolytes, antioxidants, joint supplements or other products if you plan to travel or show
Other professionals you may need to schedule visits with include your farrier, equine dentist and nutritionist. If you’re responsible for maintaining pastures, you may want to work with someone from a university, county extension office or even feed dealer to prepare your pastures so they can support your horse(s) activity and nutrition.

Finally, whether you compete or just ride for fun, work with your trainer (if you have one) to design a training and conditioning program so that your horse is fit mentally and physically for his task. Incorporate your veterinarian’s recommendations on proper conditioning, and remember that training is teaching your horse skills and conditioning is improving his flexibility, muscular strength and cardiovascular fitness. You need both programs to succeed and to keep your horse sound. In general, increase the intensity of your horse’s work OR the length/time but not both at the same time. For example, if you have been walking your horse for 30 minutes a day during the winter, either walk for 25 minutes and trot for 5 minutes OR walk for 45 minutes.

For detailed instructions on how to prepare your horse for a specific discipline, such as dressage, three-day eventing or reining, read Conditioning Sport Horses by Dr. Hilary M. Clayton.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Thanks to Andrew!

This past weekend, Sheri, Ari (and Spike of course!) headed down to The Carolina Horse Park for the Southern Pines Horse Trials. Friend of Sheri's, Andrew McConnon, competed Sheri's horse Azari (Ari) in his first-ever Preliminary horse trials. The pair looked great and rocked around the course to finish in 8th place in a group of 20+ horses. Way to go and thanks again to Andrew!
Sheri and Spike riding in style 

Andrew & Ari 

With their ribbon! 


PS- Now that spring is here, that means show season starts soon! We love to hear about all of our Southwind riders & horses so please be sure to email Tara with your results.

Monday, March 2, 2015

Sympathies to Carol Schecter

All of our sympathies are with our friend Carol Schecter who lost her horse Jamie a few days ago. He had a strangulating lipoma that was discovered during surgery and he could not be repaired. Jamie was a big personality at Southwind we will miss him tons!  Our hearts go out to Carol during this time.