Diamond City Equestrian Center

06/27/2020

Happy birthday Sophia! Cant believe you're a teenager now!??!

05/21/2020

We sure love our friends on the islands from where we get our stable name. We also have the opportunity to work with our friends Jair and Soprano who were both adopted from Foundation for Shackleford Horses 💗🐎

Banker horse - Critically Endangered: The Banker horse is a breed that has lived on barrier islands in North Carolina’s Outer Banks for many years, likely since the 16th century. The horses survive on the islands by grazing on marsh grasses and drink from pools of freshwater. They have a very unique gait that may allow the horses to successfully navigate through their environment. They are a major tourism attraction for the area and several years ago it was determined that the average tourism dollars attributed to the horses equaled $868,055 per horse annually, or around $15-$17 million in their lifetime.

03/18/2020

Miller Eventing

*Special Offer for FREE* I know these times are tough and I was thinking of ways to keep everyone motivated and pressing forward. As a FEI Level 2 judge and USEF R event judge, I am willing to judge your virtual test for free! Just send an email to [email protected] with your video recorded from “C” indicating which test it is from your home farm. I will judge and give comments in return. Best of Luck 🍀

03/16/2020

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold has the right idea 🐎🏠

03/09/2020

FEI Eventing

FEI Eventing

“The world needs powerful women. Women who will lift and build others, who will love and be loved. Women who live bravely, both tender and fierce. Women of indomitable will.”

Today and everyday, we celebrate women - but this International Women's Day it's time to make a change.

Stand up for what you believe in, live your life your way, be fearless, be relentless, be proud to be you. Because, strong women create a strong world. 🌍💪

03/08/2020

BBC Newsline

BBC Newsline

Mark Sidebottom has the heartwarming story of the Jam Man - a racehorse trained by Rónán McNally and literally adored, by his young son Kian.

03/03/2020

Behind The Photo: Cool Shades Bro

When lou lou makes it big she is getting some riding goggles!

If you walked past Loreli at the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California, and did a double-take, you wouldn’t be alone. After all, it’s not often you see a horse wearing what appears to be a pair of horse ski goggles. But the 13-ye...

03/02/2020

03/02/2020

So proud of you Savannah!!🤗

This is Savannah. For her birthday this year she decided instead of birthday gifts she would take donations for our rescue. We cant thank her enough❤️

03/01/2020

Sadie and Sophia had great lessons on such a beautiful day.

02/29/2020

02/29/2020

LiftMaster Grand-Prix Eventing at Bruce's Field

Overnight leaders & .says.so putting in a flawless round in Michel Viallancourt's course. Cross-country starts tomorrow at 2:30 pm

02/25/2020

One morning lesson before the 🌧 and more ☔ and then a wonderful visit from the Equine dentist for Allan and Little pants. Yes it looks a little mid evil but is quite advanced uses cameras to see all around the mouth. Pico is missing a tooth 🤦‍♀️ in every quadrant... So at least he is consistent. Gazi still needs a mouth surgery away from home so keep an eye out for our upcoming saddle club yard sale and fundraiser. 🐎💰

02/24/2020

Equine Lane

Mini horse love 🥰😂

A true love story 🥰🐴

Credit: Emma Massingale

02/24/2020

TEENAGER!!??? Where do the years go!? I've been blessed to watch this horse crazy girl grow into such a talented rider and remarkable horsewoman. 🐎 We have spent a lot of time growing up together and I cant wait for the next chapter of your riding career 🎉🎁 Happy 13th birthday 🐴💪

02/24/2020

Mya, Molly( jr ), Clio and chloe all had super fun lessons on such a beautiful day 💗🎉🐎 more days like this please!

02/22/2020

So lucky to have a dry lot for our sugar sensitive ponies!

This grass looks like paradise for your horse, but WARNING for horse owners: with all this rain and warm temperatures in the Carolinas, we are already seeing equines with laminitis flares. Please manage your horse's weight and grazing time on new growth grasses! Even mild bouts of laminitis (that may not even be noticed) damages the hoof structure!

02/19/2020

Kim and P. Soprano worked on simple changes after a jump. Paisley june had a great ride on oreo and lily worked Lou and Gazi on the lunge. Ms amanda did stalls before the rain settled in for the evening. All hands on deck for a great day at the stables.

02/18/2020

Very happy with Ellie and Oreos progress 👍🥰 sorry not sure how to lower the volume I have a projecting voice 🤷‍♀️

02/17/2020

Tamarack Hill Farm

In riding, we constantly hear or read the word "aids."

What are aids?

Basically, aids are non verbal communications, although riders can use some audible aids, whoah, the cluck, and similar.

But mainly aids are applied as pressure-release patterns, and just like words, these are specific, and always the same.

Example---You are sitting at a table, and want the ketchup. You say, "Please pass the ketchup." You don't say. "Please pass the butter."

When you want the right lead canter, you apply a pattern of pressures and releases that ask for the right lead. You do not apply a pattern of pressures and releases that ask for the left lead.

Now, all of this may seem obvious and basic, and it is, and yet it isn't.

If I ask for the ketchup at an American table, I will speak English, because if I spoke Dutch, say, my chance of getting what I want greatly diminish. The point is that both I and the person near the ketchup both have to understand the same language. My horse has to have been taught the language of my aids. And must be fit enough and strong enough to comply.

Here's another way to view this---Let's say I am teaching a first grader to spell cat. I always spell cat C-A-T. I don't spell it C-A-T one day, K-A-T, the next, and C-E-T the third day.

But if my physical aids are bumpy and erratic because I am bouncing around, and can't use my body to give clear and consistent signals, then I am "spelling" right lead (or whatever) in different ways, different times.

For aids to get the message across, the rider must have an independent seat, and not be bouncing around, quiet hands, good balance, specific body control, PLUS, the rider must use signals that the horse has been taught to understand.

The better the rider, the more educated the horse, the cleaner and clearer the chances that the aids will be well applied, and understood by the horse.

A basic rider may have a limited "vocabulary." Kick to go, pull to slow down, pull right, pull left, off he goes.

A highly skilled rider on a highly trained horse will have an extensive vocabulary.

You have to choose to what level of communication you aspire---

02/15/2020

🥰🐴Happy valentine's day from our farm to yours 🐎💗

02/11/2020

02/07/2020

🌀Things are gusty at the stables. No major limbs or trees down but lots of standing water. Ponies are in for a few hours till things blow over 🌬

Batten the hatches down! The winds are really blowing this morning. Winds are literally "blowing a gale" with winds gusting as high as 46.2 mph. (Gale force winds are from 39 - 46 mph) Large white caps are in the sounds. Needless to say -- No ferry today.

02/06/2020

Be careful today horse friends.

UPDATE: Tornado Risk has gone up, the tornado risk is not extremely high, but any tornado risk should be watched. The most elevated threat to see a few Tornadoes would be from Raleigh south and west to Charlotte, there's a 5 out 10 risk of seeing a Tornado within 30 miles of a point. The risk is lower elsewhere, definitely not looking at a widespread Tornado outbreak. The latest models are showing the potential for supercells developing out ahead of the mainline; this is why I have increased the Tornado risk.

02/04/2020

The Morning Feed

02/03/2020

Photos from Diamond City Equestrian Center's post

02/02/2020

01/31/2020

Today was one of those days I'm so happy to do what I love. Isabel and Kyleigh both started with me last year as 7 year olds, today they both rode the USDF Intro A test from start to finish. These girls have literally not cut any corners in learning to ride; so proud! 🤗🐴👍

01/30/2020

Let's ride 🐴👍

01/30/2020

Dressage Academy

"Remember, the conversation between you and your horse must never be dull or inert. It should be, "Ask, receive, give. Ask, receive, give." Ask with your body and legs; receive through your body into your hands; give primarily with the hands, but also with your body and legs, so that you can ask all over again, receive again and give again. The give is your thanks. If you don't give, you must ask harder the next time, and even harder after that, until you end up with a dead or resistant horse." - Sally Swift

01/29/2020

LightWorkers

Not one of his classmates laughed. 😭💛

01/29/2020

🐴🤺

01/27/2020

01/27/2020

Boyd Martin