Camps for June

Hey everybody. Its been a busy summer so far. I wanna hear about all the fun things you guys are doing with your horses or with you families! But until  we get some replies I'm going to tell you all about out summer at Heavenly Horses. We have Finished one week of camp and tomorrow is the last day or our Vacation Bible School.

     The first week of camp was a YMCA camp that had about 16 kids. It was a lot of fun the two days I was there. sadly I was sick with a REALLY bad sore throat. I thought I had strep and almost went to the doctor. But anyway it was an awesome couple days and it was a pretty amazing group of kids to work with.

The VBS camp though is pretty special. This was our biggest year ever. We had 125 kids on Day 1!! Th numbers have gone up and down from there but they have been around the 100's. Even with intense thunderstorms and an almost tornado the Lord provided and kept the skies clear during the camp hours. today we gave the salvation message and some of the members of Christian Life Fellowship, the church helping us, gave their testimonies. At the end of the day we had a number of 56 kids and 8 of our staff fully give themselves over to Christ!!!!!!!!!!! Honestly BEST DAY EVER!!

So this is a comment day! Tell us about your VBS or Backyard Bible adventure stories or even your own testimonies or any advise you want us to tell the kids we would love to hear it! thanks for reading today will attempt to post photos soon. (new camera + new software = clueless horse woman) Ha ha! have a marvelous day!!

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camps

Hey so now that it's summer we are going to have ALOT going on. So little schedule update for ya.

Starting Monday is staff week !!! WAHOO sooooo excited. this is the week where we get our brains into camp gear. We plan our crafts and we re-learn how to pitch a tent. ha ha that's always a fun thing to do.This is the chores week we are setting up some canopies, painting the rest of our jumps, expanding our fire pit, and that's just the beginning.!!

The next week starting on the 13 and going to the 17th is a YMCA camp. Just a nice easy half day camp to warm us up a little.

Then the 20th-24 is the test. It is VBS (Vacation Bible School) week. So much fun but sooo many kids last year we had a record breaking 84 kids!! that's awesome.

And in the middle of all this we started a new boyscout troop today! I love working with the scouts. This group is so funny and energetic. They are an awesome group of kids and some even volunteered to work for us this summer! after 1 day!

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Catching up

HEy Hey Hey! So so sorry bout the delay with the show news and such but now I am back and I have alot of news and later lots of pictures. So I want you all to thin WAY back to my post about showing at the spring grove hunter jumper. So that went really well ! We came home with a Reserve Grand Champion for one of the jumping divisions. congrats again Abagail!!  That was the highlight of the day We all did good but we didn't match or top that. Poor Kendall. Ty had a hissyfit and we decided it was smarter and safer that she only did the smaller training rounds and she didn't actually compete. But besides that It went smoooooth. Stetson was definatly the champ of the day. He was up against some of the best jumping horses and riders I've seen in a while and together me and him came out with a 5th two 6th and a 2nd!
                  

      Four Winds went equally as well. I decided not to show so Mrs C did and she was fantastic. came out with some firsts seconds and thirds. Clarissa on reign Czeck came out with Grand Champion for the day and made us proud.

And the most recent show was this past Saturday back at Spring Grove for the Open show. Open shows are where the judge calls out what you are supposed to do and they grade depending on the class, the horse or the rider or both.  We had many first time showers and they handled it like pros. We came out with ribbons of all colors. Some of our riders got roobed but hey that's showing and only one persons opinion.  One of our first time showers and staffers named Katlyn didamazing. She and Titan competed in 2 western pleasure classes and came out with two seconds!!!

This was our showing experience for the month of may we are done with showing for a while as the camps start up. We have YMCA camp and a VBS camp but then on june 27 We start the first full day Heavenly Horses Summer Camp of 2011.  There is still time to sign up send your kid to the best week of their life =)
they have been some of the best in mine and it's awsome cuz I get to live it all summer.

Hunter Jumper

So tonight I am so excited for tomorrow!! Why? you may ask. Well tomorrow is the very first horse show of the year!!!! It is a hunter jumper show which is where the horse and rider ride a course of fences and the judge judges them on the style and the form of the rider and horse. I love jumping. If I were rich I would make a career out of it. And yes people make a career of riding horses It's a dream come true right?

    So tomorrow we are taking 4 horse to Spring Grove. We are taking our most experienced jumpers, except for Jay J. He still has a little fear of the trailer, he's getting better but it is still there. So besides Jay we have Stetson. An old pro and jumping and showing. And we also have Titan. A well seasoned hunter horse that used to show in highly rated shows.  Reign Czech. When he jumps like a dream and is such a show off. Last we have Apollo. The dependable reliable but still a little inexperienced over fences.

As for the riders, mostly staff is going but we also have some of our jumping students tagging along.  For the staff we have Kendall, Chiann, Paige, Maggie, and Clarissa. For students we have Abigail, Megan, Anna, and Grace.

Wish us luck and please pray for no Rain!!!

Shows

Hello!! Today was absolutely gorgeous!!! It made me want to go to the barn but sadly I have seriously 10 history projects due soon. But I will make up for it this weekend because we got 2 horse shows this weekend!! Pictures and ribbon results will follow. We have a hunter jumper show at spring grove horse show on Saturday and on Sunday we have a flat show. Which is where the judge will call out what you are supposed to do ex: "Walk your horses please walk your horses. . . . . . . canter your horses please canter." and so on and so forth.
     Here are a few pictures of our previous shows. Good times!!

HA ha it was an early morning and a long night before. We were tired and Apollo is so fluffy and comfy  . . .

COME SEE US AND CHEER US ON!! If you can't which is very possible give us your prayers! They are much appreciated

Sick Mo Mo

So last night was a bad night. I got a call from Mrs. C around 7:45. When I picked up I could instantly here the stress and worry in her voice. So  I asked what's the matter? The answer is not what I wanted to here. "Mo is down with colic. We don't know how bad he is but it looks like he is in excruciating pain."
        For those of you that don't know what colic is I will explain. Horses can't throw up. You know how horrible we feel before we throw up like we just could die. Well horses have such a long neck and digestive track that it is physically impossible for them throw up. There are sooooo many causes for colic it can be very hard to distinguish. One of the biggest problems with colic is one of the symptoms: rolling. When a horse rolls it is trying to easy the pain, but excessive rolling can twist the horses intestines which in most cases is fatal. colic is the #1 killer in horses.

 

   So it is never a good thing to hear that a horse is colicking. Mo is out of the woods and looks and acts like nothing ever happened. But he still needs your prayers. We know that he was not vetted periodically by his previous owners which leads us to think he was not wormed regularly so there might be some parasite that messed him up and worms have been known to cause colic before.
              He still needs prayers so please everybody please pray for our little mo mo!!

Camps

In this blog I have  talked a little about the camps we run every summer.  They are my favorite part of the year. the kids are always hyper and so much fun to be with. It's so amazing to see a little four year old girl scared to death of horses on her 1st day and on her last she's trotting our second biggest horse bareback by herself. It's the best feeling to share the relationship with these horses that I get to feel everyday.
     Besides the horsey part of the day we also do games and crafts and hikes. Those always get the kids fired up and usually the staff is ganged up on especially in the water games !! Here are some pictures of the fun camp times.
this is camp favorite like duck duck gooses only we call it drip drip DROP

Painting the horses is always fun

he he Jack likes hats
Pam doesn't like cameras but it found her anyway

So many fun times but never enough time to catch them on film. Come experience them for yourself!!                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                              

Staff

Here at Heavenly Horses age does not matter. We let kids as young as 3 come to camp and our staff is as young as 10. To be staff all that matters is a sense of respect, lots of maturity, and horse knowledge. Horses don't know or care how old we are. They do know if we do or don't know our stuff. I have watched little 7 year olds beat out adults in horse shows. I would bet that my staff has more horse sense more than any common adult.  So our staff is on the young side but we do have several adults watching and overseeing all the activities of a busy barn. the younger staff keep the joy and moral up on tough days and they work so well with the kids. Here's some pictures of our staff having a little fun

Here is Abby one of our Senior girls and one of the coolest funniest girls I know.

Megan (Junior staff)                                                                    (Left to Right)Abby (Senior), Pam (Student), Paige (Head Senior)

we were at a wedding for one of our students. It was country themed. Abby ended up doing the worm on the dance floor! Such skills

Reign Czeck

Hey guys. So today is the last day of our horse over view. Horse number 9 is named Reign Czeck (Rain Check) He is a speckled grey 16 year old Polish Arabian. He like Sassy is owned by a very very close friend of everybody at Heavenly Horses, George!. Reign Czeck came to us about 2 years ago from Arizona. It was so cute to watch him in snow for the first time. With these big eye that seemed to be saying, "What the heck is this white stuff!!??? By the way guys I'm kinda sorta freezing."

We think that he was broke by an old fashion horse trainer where they abuse the horse rather then be gentle and listen to him. So as a result of this harsh method Reign Czeck has issues with his ears being touched. But that is really his only vice. Which I can't blame him, even if I weren't abused I wouldn't want somebody playing with my ears all the time. He LOVES the kids his favorite pass time is jumping. He is a little wary of the big new fences and he just likes the normally painted poles. He is an excellent intermediate horse. He could do beginners but he is sooooooooooo bouncy. So we let the students leg muscles develop before they ride Mr. Bouncy.  

OH MY GOSH THERES A FENCE THERE!!! ha ha he's so adorable I love my Mr. speedy bouncy boy

Apollo

Hey everybody. It's been awhile that's my bad. But we have two horses left in our 9 horse count down so without further adui here is horse number 8. He is a palomino quarter horse that is 15 years old and his name is Apollo, also fondly called Apapllo. Apollo is the laziest horse I have ever  met. . . . until he sees a row of fences in front of him! Then there is no slowing him! He loves to jump its his favorite thing to do besides barrel racing but his aged legs cant take the strain of those tight turns. He is only used over the low itty bitty fences but it's enough to keep him excited and energized and he is still learning his striding so its a good combination for our intermediate jumpers

 He is a very good intermediate horse but not so much for beginners. We put all the kids that need work on using their legs more on Apollo because unless he knows that you mean business and can cue him correctly with your legs he will be a lazy little bugger. He likes all the people around him but he obviously plays favorites. His favorite person is one of our lead staffers named Ashley. he will do anything for her.
      
     Just this Saturday Ashley did something that all riders do eventually; she took a fall! Now falling is not that bad it's the same as falling off of a bike it hurts you might get bruised but that's it. And that's exactly what happened to Ash. She took a roll over his shoulder in a group jumping lesson lesson. I was riding in front of her on Stetson doing our warm ups and I can witness but as she fell Apollo's eyes went HUGE with fear and sorrow. He slammed on the brakes and bent his head and nuzzled hers. When she got back on a few seconds later, Apollo walked off as slowly as he could and kept checking to make sure Ash was still on his back.
     And people say horses can't love. Watching this exchange our entire lesson got misty eyed.

Jay J

One of our newer horses is the star of the blog today. He is named Jay J. He came to us with the name Jack but with us already having a Jack one of our senior staffers thought of Jay J. He is an 11 year old OTTB which is an off the track Thoroughbred. So yes he did race and it's no surprise why he was in the races. His great great great great grandfather was non other then the magnificent, astounding, not to mention gorgeous, Secretariat!! Yes it is true his papers have been checked. But sadly, he did not live up to the family expectations of being the world's next super star.

       
He is now in retraining for being a jumper and a dressage horse. He is so talented at both.  He is the most well mannered horse and oh so sweet. This week with all of the rain the paddocks are such a mud pit he was at the very back of his paddock and we stood there at the gate and he looked at us, sighed and squelched his way over to the gate. As soon as somebody walks i his stall with any piece of tack he will walk over to his tie up and just look at us like, "well I'm here are you going to tie me up?"

here's a movie of him a couple months after we brought him home.

Titan

Today's horse is Almighty Titan or just titan or Ty.  We bought Titan in September 2010.  He is a 11 year old Quarab (Quarter Horse x Arab). He has a cute little star on his forehead and a little white on his back right leg, besides that he is a deep shiny black.  Before we bought him, he was shown exclusively in the Hunter Jumper circuit. Ty has turned out to be a fantastic horse for riders of all levels and really enjoys going out on trail.

     He loves to Jump. The bigger the fence the more fun, but he likes the boring plain poles. The more scarier and more decorated fences make him nervous and he needs one of our advanced riders to ride him through his fear. After he makes it over a couple times he loves that fence.

Mo Mo

HEy everybody. Todays horse, actually pony, is name Mo. He is our newest addition to the Heavenly Horses string.  Is the most adorable little thing. He is an 18 year old 14.2 hh Pony of America. He is a liver chestnut with a cute appy blanket.  Both of his ears are tipped with white and his legs are all spotted up and down.

(I do not have the best pictures of him yet, will update when i visit the ponies next time)

        He is a nervous little guy. we are pretty sure he was abused. He had an intense fear of crops when he first came. We also had to walk slow and talk to him all the time. If we didn't he would get real nervous and dance around us. He is so much better, still a little claustrophobic with a lot of people in his stall but he is soooooo good with the kids and makes them so comfortable around horses. 

             He goes English and Western. He used to jump but he is old and has ring Bone in his front fetlocks. there is no pain or gimpyness but just a little restricted movement. We just think it will be easier and let him live longer if we give him the light loads. I love Mo Mo he is such a love.

Stetson

HAPPY EASTER!! Hello horse lovers. Sorry I didn't post anything new for the past few days. With Easter upon us there was the impending threat of the never ending chores. But I am posting now. So here is horse #4. Introducing the hysterical, talented, and overall fantastic horse. . . Stetson!!
      Stetson is a mutt. we are positive he is at least 1/2 paint. We also think that he is quarter horse, thoroughbred, and a little bit of a draft horse.  He is 11 years old right now. He can do and loves to do everything. When I say everything I mean EVERYTHING. His favorite is jumping or working cows. But he does speed shows and is fantastic at them. He also does dressage. He needs a little work but once he gets into his frame he is gorgeous. He doesn't drive but that is only because we don't have a cart we are going to working on seeing how he pulls.

Stetson is very intelligent. We are 100% positive that he speaks fluent English and a little Spanish. We could tell you story after story where his canniness and intelligence has had us on the ground rolling and crying with laughter. Mrs. C one time was scolding him for pawing the water and he paused with his hoof in the air just watching her. then he splashed his hoof as high and hard as he could into the water with his lip raised like he was laughing at her. I was riding Jack during that ride and I had to get off I was laughing so hard.

he is our sunshine on a cloudy day Love you STETS STET

Shilo

Shilo is our second mare that we have. She is also one of the two ponies we have. Shilo is a black pony and that is about all we know about her. we are almost 100% positive she was abused before she came to Heavenly Horses.  She is such a lovable pony, but she still has a fear around most adults especially men but she absolutely adores the kids.

      She loves to jump and go fast. It took a lot of practice sweet talk and patients before she would slow down and work like a pony and not a full sized horse! She excels in whatever we ask of her. When you walk up to her she will just start to nuzzle you and beg to be pet.

Jack Jack

Hello again! So here is horse #2 out of nine. His name is Jack. He is also fondly called Jack Jack, woolly mammoth, or fluff. He is very fluffy.  With all his stable names we also have his show name which is I Still Got It. He forgets his age most of the time and acts 10 years younger. Jack is a 20 year old paint gelding. He stood at stud for 10 years and has been showing continuously for the past 8 years. 

                         He is our #1 beginner horse. He is a very very smart horse and prefers the little kids over the adults. His  disposition is very good. He is patient but sneaky so he teaches the kids how to steer correctly. We can teach the student how to do things but the real learning experience comes from the horse.

          He is actually the one horse that doesn't beg for hugs and kisses. He is claustrophobic and just likes you to sit in his stall and sweet talk him while he eats. He does accept treats and is a greedy thing. He loves to lay down and role right after we bathe him for 2 hours for horse shows, so this is very well planned on show nights.He loves to show but gets so hyped up about some of his classes he forgets he is 20 and all he wants to do is go fast. When he keeps his mind on business he is regularly in the ribbons.

Horses

Here at Heavenly Horses our number one aspect is of course the horses! So everyday I will focus on one of our special beauties so you can get to know them as is you have ridden them. So to start of is one of our two mares named Sassy.

          She is a beautiful 5 years old mustang. two years ago she was a wild horse on the planes of Nevada. She was captured and brought to Wisconsin for the Mustang Challenge at the Midwest Horse Fair. The owner of Dream Catcher Stables, Brian Pogue. She was then adopted at the fair by one of Mrs. C's students.  She is very happy with her life and id very patient and understanding with the kids. Her favorite activity, of course, is being ridden n the trails. She also loves being jumped. to her, the bigger and scarier the fence, the better. She is such a show off and a very nice horse for showing.
              We love our sassy girl !!!

Welcome

Hello and welcome to Heavenly Horse's blog.  Heavenly Horses is a Christian based riding program for kids and adults alike. Our goal here is to introduce instruct the world of horsemanship to people of all ages. We work with the Boy Scouts of America with the merit badge program and we also run our own summer camp including a Vacation Bible School with Christian Life Fellowship.
  
      Sharon Casares, who specializes in hunt seat, jumping, dressage, and western pleasure, has been riding ever since she was a child. She has had over 18 years of experience with working with the Boy Scouts of America. She has also been a youth group leader and a Sunday School Teacher for over five years.

Heavenly Horses currently has nine horses and ponies. Each and every horse or pony is specially trained for working with kids.  The horses strive for attention and the good girl or the good boy form the kids. they love being ridden and showing. We have two pretty little females and seven other beautiful geldings. The two girlies are Sassy, a wild mustang who can sometimes live up to her name, and a little black pony named Shilo who absolutely adores little kids. reign Czeck is an Arabian from Nevada that loves to jump! Next we have Apollo who is a sun shine gold quarter horse who is lazy but once he sees those barrels he is turned on ! then we have jack who is a 20 year old paint horse that is our #1 beginner horse. Next we have Stetson who is the joker of our group and is a bilingual horse that speaks English fluently, no joke. Then we have Almighty Titan who was a serious competitor in jumping shows making fences 3ft and higher. Next we have ones of our newest arrivals named Moe. He is our second pony that is as cute as anything. Last but far from least is Jay J. He is the great great great great grandson of the astounding Secretariat. He was raced for a few years but didn't live up to the family legacy. Now he is a super jumper and making big fences look like nothing.

Thanks for reading this and we will update every now and then with pictures and videos and new stories of the horses. we have a horse show next Saturday so we will surely have some stories from that. Till the next post,
                Heavenly Horses