2 Kittens need a home - anyone interested?

One of my clients has two kittens up for adoption. They were just born and are orange tabbies. Please email Mark if you know of anyone how might want one - itech.bull@gmail.com They are located in Oshawa.

Fenix got a new saddle!

Fenix finally got his new jumping saddle! I know longer have to try riding him in my western saddle. The gorgeous warmblood towering at 17H did look a little silly in the western gear. He now has a new adjustable Mondego jumping saddle.

It was important that he get an adjustable saddle. He is still only 3 years old, so his back will change as he continues to grow and develop. It would be a shame to get him a brand new saddle and only months later find out it no longer fits because he has grown or filled out. It will be important that we continue to monitor his back shape and the saddle fit - that way we can change the saddle before it becomes uncomfortable for him.

Fenix has been doing great and started jumping with a rider - he has been free jumping 3ft occasionally but now he will start jumping low fences with a rider. Fenix is still quite young, so we do need to be careful we don't over jump him because we could damage his legs if we jump him to much.

I am excited to progress with Fenix's training over jumps!

New trailer - did you know..... ??

I Got a New Trailer - Did you know.... ??

Friday was a very exciting day for me - I drove to Smith Falls to pick up my new Portax trailer from Maple Lane Equestrian. I left in the early morning and arrived around noon to hitch up the new trailer. One thing that surprised me though was how much I would learn.

When going over the trailer care and use I learned some new things... did you know....?
- you should NOT use WD40 on the hinges/etc of the trailer because the WD40 turns sticky and the dust will stick to it. Instead use a Silicone spray.
- There is a type of grease that you can put on your electrical plug on your car that you plug your trailer into. This will help protect against the salt and other harmful elements that may affect the electrical plug.
- You can put grease on your hitch ball which will help for a quieter and easier ride.
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Also I thought I new all of the speacial features about my trailer, but I was happy to learn there were more special features.... did you know...?
- Bockmann trailers have a built in lock for the hitch so you can either lock your hitch to your car, or you can lock the hitch so no one else can hitch to your trailer... not also the trailer door and the saddle chest both lock too
- The trailer wheels function independantly which means the ride is much smoother for the horse and you can even drive on 3 wheels to safety if the 4th wheel happens to go flat
- You can remove the centre dividers in the trailer to create a stock trailer
- The saddle racks swivel and extend for easier use
- The hitch rotates which helps to give a smoother ride to the horse
- There is a hand brake for the trailer
- There is a special cord you attach from the trailer to the car's hitch, so if the car/trailer detach from each other the cord will get pulled and activate the trailer's brakes so the trailer can stop on its own

I was thoroughly impressed.... all of these features along with the ones I already knew about. I am most excited that this trailer is perfect my little Ford Escape which just holds a V6 engine. I didn't want to buy a big gas gozzling monster just to tow because I do a ton of driving... so I am super happy to have something my Escape can tow.

The drive home wasn't quite so smooth. I headed out around 1pm only to realize I had no signals or emergency flashers. Then my cars electical system seemed to be on the fritz. I pulled over at a Canadian Tire in Kingston - thank goodness they had time to look at my car!

It turns out that the place that installed my wiring didn't do it properly, so the fuse shorted in my car and hence no signals or emergency flashers. Three hours later and I am on my way again from Kingston to get home. The trailer drove quite nicely - well enough that I forgot it was there some of the time!

I arrived home not until about 8pmish - my trailer got to spend the night in our visitors parking lot at our condo. A long day of driving to go get the trailer, but well worth it.

I am super excited to have my new trailer and all of the experiences I will be able to do this summer with it like clinics, trail rides, shows, and play days!

If you are curious about Maple Lane Trailers, you can check them out here: http://www.maplelaneequestriantrailers.com/ They are definitely my favourite 2 horse trailer.

www.LFEquestrian.com

Horrific fire hits close to home - http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110301/110301_beaverton_fire/20110301/?hub=CP24Home

Very sadly this morning a devastating fire claimed a house a Beaverton. This house was a client's soon to be new home. It went up in flames just hours before the dealing closing time and this would have been their new home. My heart goes out to this family who had been looking forward to this new home and a chance to bring their horses with them.

You can see the news story here: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110301/110301_beaverton_fire/20110301/?hub=CP24Home

The fire was so large that even though the blaze ocurred in the early morning, I was able to smell the fire in Leaksdale while working with horses there in the afternoon.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

Such events remind us that life can throw us curveballs - and this is when we need our friends, family, and neighbours to give a helping hand.

My thoughts and prayers go out to this family and all of those facing hardship and tragedy.

16.5" Santa Cruz Close Contact Saddle for sale (medium)

This is a quality Santa Cruz Close Contact Saddle.

It is a chocolate brown colour with padded knee roll. It is a medium gullet with a 16.5" seat. It is in really good condition and is an excellent saddle for jumping. The saddle comes with a set of stirrup leathers and stirrup irons.

Located in Uxbridge/Whitby, open to offers. Email lindseyforkun@gmail.com for more information and pictures.