Briar Creek Farm

Tristate Riding Club is a wonderful organization - if you’re not already a member check it out! Even if you are not a member, this is a wonderful judged pleasure ride!

From balancing the babies, correcting problems on the retired old boys to fancy performance shoeing we had a great day of educational shoeing with Daisy Alexis Bicking from Daisy Haven Farm, Inc. Thank you for coming all this way to help our herd feel their best!

The garrocha is a long pole used for hundreds of years in Spain and Portugal, and is now catching on here in the US in cowboy dressage and in the growing US Working Equitation sport. The garrocha pole is typically made of wood, fiberglass, or in my case bamboo, and can range in length (approx 13 feet).

The garrocha originated in Spain, where I had the pleasure of living for a brief time while in government service. It was used by vaqueros to tend cattle and work with bulls used in bullfighting. The pole’s length and flexibility allow riders to use it to poke and provoke the bulls, helping to gauge their suitability for the bullfighting ring. These competitions are known as "Acoso y Derribo" , which I was able to take the Ray Hunt Spain tour group to see in 2003. I'll try to find those photos, it was great fun.

In modern times, the garrocha has been adopted by equestrians as a tool for improving balance, seat, and overall horsemanship skills. It is often used in dressage, western dressage, and other equestrian disciplines to enhance the rider’s connection with the horse and to develop precise, subtle movements.

Very nice job to the ladies who came to May's garrocha session!

I hope you keep up with it, remember to let the pole be your teacher.

Day One of the Masterson Method Weekend Seminar, Greenfield MA Stoneleigh-Burnham Equestrian Center Get ready to spoil some ponies!

I am honored to be teaching The Masterson Method, Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork Weekend Course at the lovely Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield, Massachusetts this weekend. It is a phenomenal facility and the horses are kept at perfection!

Happy to all those who celebrate 🪐

Dang! I need more Pilates, this is impressive to stay on…

Jockey Johnny King got more than he bargained for when his mount Arbritrageur went airborne before a race at Ireland’s Laytown Racecourse last year. Amazingly, both the horse and rider managed to land on their feet, and King got right back on because he’s a jockey damn it, and that’s what they do. Alas, Arbritrageur and King finished the race mid-pack.

Here at BCF March 14-17. For information and Registration contact Jody Grimm [email protected] 303 503-2911

Dave and Jody are visiting again! There are rider slots open if you are a trailer-in. Come have fun and work on your foundation! Perfect for young horses, nervous horses, or any horse you are seeking a better relationship with. Auditors welcome! Current Briar Creek students can receive a scholarship auditing slot if it's your first time meeting Dave & Jody -- totally worth coming to check out!

More details on my events tab on BCF website www.briarcreekfarm.com and check out their website
https://lsranchnaturally.com/index.html

Thank you to all all the awesome ladies that came out for February Cavalletti Club this weekend! We had so much fun and the horses really softened, rounded and used themselves properly! Super nice groundwork session as well with some young and nervous horses that ended up in an awesome place in respecting owners’ space yet still relaxing. 😎 ❤️

We love the start of warm days and everyone gets in on some nap time! 💤 💤 (except the humans…we just start scrubbing everything!)

Public service announcement… 

Remember about that 😅
credits: Pinterest

Y’all know what I’m talking about….

It must be the morning of a big show. 🤣😂

Titled “Buck”, created by Artist Peter McFarlane.

Continuing our education at the The Masterson Method, Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork Gathering, Walter Saxe (our German Masterson Method Instructor) gave an overview of applying The Masterson Method to sport horses where we were able to break down specific areas of focus by riding discipline – it was very helpful to note the differences in muscle use/impact/restriction and fatigue in jumpers v. dressage v. eventers and what we can do as Masterson Method professionals to best address areas that will positively impact performance. It is no wonder he is so sought after in Europe as the bodyworker for several eventing teams and so many other high level horses in Germany and surrounding countries. I was honored to be in his small group once we broke out for hands-on work. He is such a talented (and fun) gentleman!

I had the pleasure of spending a good amount of time with Daniel Dauphin, from Dauphin Horsemanship out of Louisiana. He is not only absolutely hilarious, he fills such a vacuum we have in the horse industry. Having studied metallurgy and engineering (and of course horses) he focuses on bits and bitting. He gave a fascinating presentation at The Masterson Method, Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork Gathering on considerations on bridling, fitting and choosing the right bit for your horse. In a community that has so many saddle fitters (which of course we love!) we are hard pressed to find someone who independently can educate us on the topic. That’s right, no sponsorships/affiliations, just education to do right by your horse. He is also about to launch an on-line course, which is sure to be amazing. We had many bourbon bonding moments having been logistically linked! If you don't already know him, check him out!

I was honored to spend last week at the The Masterson Method Gathering for Certified Practitioners! We always learn so much from Jim, who recorded some new video angles of the final certification techniques and did some awesome demos on horses that surely needed him. After one day of instructor training, we started in with an impressive line-up of guest speakers. Jim’s way of teaching is so soft and connected, he softened some fire breathing dragons to yawning puddles of horse. He is such a humble, skilled man and lots of fun!

I can’t believe I didn’t get any pictures with Sandy Vreeburg none of which would have been possible without her and the role she played in my mentorship. She was my inspiration to finish the program strong during certification – she is not only brilliant and gifted with her touch, she is a strong leader, not intimidating, inclusive, warm, funny and most of all so encouraging. If anyone gets a chance to study with her, you’re in for a treat! The Masterson staff did an amazing job with planning, logistics and of course lots of fun. Everything went off without a hitch thanks to the hard work and dedication of Conley, Malia Aldrich, Megan Dushin, Jennifer Baranski Benzenberg, and others that contributed to the event. The Masterson Method, Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork

Another great day of learning from Jim Masterson and Coralie Hughes. It’s always amazing to see how much they can change a horse in front of your eyes! ❤️

Awesome presentation by the amazing Jillian Kreinbring at the Masterson Method Continuing Education Conference on equine movement and sacred geometry.

What other holidays did I miss??

My handsome model prompted me to remind everyone that BEMER is $650 off through tomorrow - I have never seen a sale on the horse set since I got involved with BEMER in 2020. I use my human set twice a day, my Horse Set is used on mulitple horses per day here at the farm. Pro-tip for the winter months - it's a perfect way to keep their metabolism moving when weather doesn't allow for much turn out.
I ALSO see a measurable amount of hoof growth on my unicorn mare who used to struggle with having nothing for the farrier to work with. I ALSO use it on my retired arthritic 28 year old; I ALSO use it before riding for a warm up to get blood perfusing the muscles before climbing on. I ALSO used it for a laminitic flare on a founder prone horse (he's done and all healed). I ALSO use it to be sure all the supplements I spend money on get through to the whole body. NASA ALSO uses BEMER in space suits. I can go on and on, but you get the point. If you're on the fence, please message me or call me to talk about your horse. These are just some of my personal stories/uses. There are studies available from NIH/pubmed that I'm happy to share with you too.

https://shop.bemergroup.com/en_US/home?partner=briarcreekfarm