Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Safety First WhenTrailering This Summer!

With summer in full-swing and abundant competitions, clinics and schooling opportunities almost every weekend, it's important to maintain trailer safety when you are hauling horses.

Trailering in the summer requires some different precautions compared to other seasons such as spring or fall, so we are sharing this quick article from Equus magazine for all of our friends as a reminder!

"The inside of a horse trailer can easily become 20 degrees warmer than the air temperature outside. Horses working to keep their balance in such conditions can quickly become stressed, fatigued and dangerously overheated. As you travel this summer, take precautions to ensure your horses stay cool on the road.


  • Open trailer windows and vents. But make sure that doing so does not encourage a horse to assume an inappropriate position while you are moving.
  • Do not put sheets or coolers on traveling horses, even to "keep them clean." They'll overheat and arrive sweat-stained anyway.
  • Skip heavy quilts and bandages on legs and go with lighter-weight shipping boots. If all the horses in the trailer are experienced travelers, you may want to ship with just bell boots on to protect coronary bands.
  • If you have to stop en route, park in a shady spot if possible. Offer the horses water before you set out again.

Once you've arrived at your destination, unload and offer more water as soon as you can do so safely (Equus.com)." To read the original article, click here! 


To learn about our top-quality care of all breeds, ages and sizes of horses here at Southwind Farm visit: www.southwindfarminc.com today!




Tuesday, July 23, 2019

REMINDER: Annual Yard Sale THIS SATURDAY! 7/27

Good morning everyone!

Just a quick reminder that this Saturday, July 27th is our Annual Southwind Yard Sale from 8:00am to 2:00pm. It looks like the weather is going to cool off a bit and be lovely! This yard sale is a multi-vendor sale with everything from soup to nails, tack, tools, back to school stuff, household items, antiques, and even some furniture!! You won't want to miss this!

For those who want to participate its' not too late! The cost is $10 for as big a spot as you need for a table or two. (Sorry, no plastic tarps allowed as they kill the grass.) 

Email Sheri Thornley at: sherithornley@msn.com for more info/questions.  We hope to see you this Saturday!

Yard sale address: 11415 Bethesda Church Rd, Damascus, MD 20872

Monday, July 15, 2019

Meet Heidi Martin, Assistant Barn Manager!

Meet Heidi Martin! Southwind’s Assistant Barn Manager!


Today we want to introduce you to Heidi Martin, who joined Southwind Farm in April. You’ll see Heidi here during the week, assisting Sheri with managing our barn full of horses.

Heidi has degrees in Psychology and Elementary Education and began her riding career at the age of eight. She got her first horse at age 12 and evented him through Novice level, eventually getting to the Preliminary level with her next mount. Heidi has been a working student for Sally O’ Connor and after earning her degrees she decided to pursue her passion for horses as the barn manager at Waredaca Farm. After successfully managing Waredaca for a few years, she left to start a family.

Heidi’s experience in barn management and as a horse owner has given her a wide variety of experiences and knowledge caring for horses. She has taught horseback riding for over 30 years is a Level 4 Certified Horsemanship Association instructor, in addition to being First Aid and CPR certified.

We are so thrilled to have Heidi here at Southwind as she has contributed so much in her short time already! If you haven’t met Heidi yet, be sure to say hi next time you see her!

Learn more about Southwind Farm here: www.southwindfarminc.com 

Monday, July 8, 2019

Save-the-Date: Southwind Annual Yard Sale, July 27th!

We are really excited to announce the date for our annual Southwind Farm Yard Sale! This year the event will be held on Saturday, July 27th.  Come out to the farm and for a variety of items for sale, horse and non-horse related. You can also reserve a table for yourself or have a table set up if you can't attend. More details to come later but for now mark your calendars!

Contact Sheri Thornley (sherithornley@msn.com) for more information or to reserve a space!

Monday, July 1, 2019

Wishing Everyone a Happy 4th of July!

We just wanted to take a minute to wish all of our fantastic boarders and their friends and families a Happy 4h of July this week!
We hope that everyone stays safe and gets to enjoy some extra time with their horse(s)!