McGinnis Meadows Ranch Welcomes the Spring

Well, it seemed like it would never happen…but the big Spring Thaw has arrived! When I mean big, I mean, the potentially biggest spring

thaw that Shayne and Randy say that they’ve seen in YEARS. For it to make more sense, you’d have to know that less than a week ago, the lows were still in the negative double digits. And we have had a LOT of snow this year…so…much…snow! Now, the temps are in the high 40s and hitting into the high 50s by mid-week! But, the ground underneath is still frozen. So where will the water go?

Dave is ready to dig trenches where needed. Snow has been pulled away from buildings. We have lots of big equipment on hand to help as needed. As for me…I might trade in my snow-shoes for my paddle board when traveling from the house to the arena in the mornings!

I know that it might be a sloppy mess here for a couple weeks, but I’ve got to say, these temps are sure good for the soul. I’ve never been so happy to see small patches of asphalt peeking through the snow-packed county road, or widening tree wells or especially, the sounds of birds singing again!

I’m also so happy about everything that we worked on in the arena this week. My head is still spinning from the amount of info, the feel it took to apply it and the changes seen in so many horses (and humans, too!)

We had a couple of guests reschedule, so this week riding it was just Shayne, me, Janice and our interns, Casey, Tina and Allie. All three interns had just come off of the advanced 10-day clinic and had a great foundation going already. Janice did not ride in the clinic, but she

was present for a large portion of it assisting in any way she could, and soaking up lots of knowledge. Because of this, Shayne and I were able to pick-up right where we left off in the 10-day. Rather than start from scratch, we told everyone to get to work doing what they had learned already.

These ladies are SUCH good students! They went straight to groundwork and covered all of their bases. In the riding, they revisited riding with a flag to help turn their bodies. We decided to ride with neck-ropes one day and they all did stellar.

I’m pretty sure Janice had her very best riding week EVER. Shayne and I were so happy with how she progressed on her horses. She discovered how much she could get done with her hips! Lots of people struggle to engage their hips properly when riding and to get their bodies loosened up so they can turn and not be stiff. Janice has struggled with this (as have I!) and this week we found the magic combo to help her find them a’horseback. As teachers, sometimes you have to think outside the box…the same as you would with horses. We are soooo happy for her and her progress!

We are also VERY happy with this current intern crew! These ladies have demonstrated a feel above and beyond what we’ve seen before. Each day, they come at the horses from their hearts. Although they are learning and could very easily get lost in the mechanical

aspect of this—they don’t. They have already learned the importance of patience, creativity and feel. And that at the end of the day, it’s what your horse thinks of YOU that matters the most. All of their horses improved by leaps and bounds this week.

And where would these horses be without the other people who work behind the scenes to keep them at their best? This week, with Anna on vacation, Scott has taken on the trimming/shoeing full time. I absolutely love it that he understands the value of teamwork and enlists the help of Brenda or even our interns in holding a horse who is a little unsure. Scott has a really nice, quiet way around the horses (and by the way, he’s an ambidextrous farrier)! He and Anna have really got these horse’s feet looking great.

And Brenda…where would we be without her keeping a constant eye on the herd? Rain, freezing cold or slush—she’s out there every day keeping tabs on her “babies.” On a given day she’s doctoring eyes, cuts, checking for rain rot, giving supplements, wrapping horses, noticing things that most people wouldn’t even see. Finding potential issues and fixing them before they become one. She is a true gem of a woman and the horses adore her.

Well, I’d better wrap this up! I need to make time to ride some ponies and go on a slushy snow-shoe with the pooch.

Till next time!

Des