Bascule Farm LLC

08/11/2023

Carlie Serif Dressage…are your girls signed up yet?

08/09/2023

Horses for THE market---

All anyone needs to do to figure out who THE market is for horses in 2023 USA is to go watch the riders. They will be 80-90% female, and many will be in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.

There will be teenagers, but there is often a “gap” when kids come off the parental payroll and hit their 20s into their 30s, before they are able to take on the finances of horse ownership.

If you talk to the trainers who help these riders, almost universally they will describe the ideal horses for this demographic as being “good citizens.”

I once asked a prominent dealer what quality more than any other made the horses he sold into the hunter-jumper and eventing world most saleable.

His answer was short and to the point. “The horse needs to be non-threatening to the jumps.”

Which means the horse doesn’t get strong and quick, doesn’t throw in a last second refusal, just canters along and jumps the jump when it gets there.

Finding horses with both talent and a calm attitude is far from easy, and it’s the big reason that such horses are getting so expensive. There are plenty of horse around, that’s not the issue, but horses for THE market have always been hard to find.

Some of the less pleasant byproducts of this scarcity happen when trainers try to ‘make” horses seem calm, either by using drugs or by grinding horses into submission---We see far too much of that.

When you have one of the good ones, though, it makes it so nice to get on and go, just as having a tough one can make going to the barn something you half-way try to avoid. All of which ties into the discussion about finding trainers who can calmly and patiently create the quiet horses.

Just as it’s not easy and not cheap to find THE right horse, the same applies to finding the people who can create those horses.

08/08/2023

We say this every day until it becomes habit!

08/06/2023

Bella and Foss had a great first outting with us to Woodstock. He had to trail ride for 45 minutes first, just to chill and realize we were only out for a relaxed hack. He even crossed the bridge first! What a great brain on this “baby”!

08/06/2023

Welcome to “Air Buttercup”. Please fasten your seatbelt and enjoy your flight! Kick ass riding by pilot Tess!

07/30/2023

Congratulations Sydney!!

I am proud to congratulate this pair on qualifying for GAIGs at First Level this weekend even with the sweltering heat yesterday!

Sydney has worked so hard for this and I could not be more proud or happy for her!

07/17/2023

Great training yields results! Congratulations Carlie! Your focused, consistent, hard work pays off with Success!

We had a GREAT weekend at Lexington! This year is all about experience, but coming home with a win isn't too shabby.

HUGE thank you to Qualia Dressage LLC for coaching and video on Saturday and Lauren Kimmel for coaching and video on Sunday. Also, would love to thank Lauren and Siobhan both for being fun and positive stable neighbors!

Janna Dyer got us here, none of this would be possible without her!

More results and thank yous tomorrow. For now, we all need naps!

Thanks also to my AWESOME sponsors!!

Aster Equine Photography
Forestier Sellier USA
Ride EquiSafe

07/15/2023

07/15/2023

We all know the saying, “too soon old, too late smart.”

Here is an example. Back in the day, and by that I mean in the 1960s and even into the 1970s, the idea in eventing level dressage was too often to set the head of the horse by whatever means it took, including not only the use of strong arms, strong bits, as well as the use of any number of “rigs” like chambons, running reins, De Gogues, draw reins.

I recently read something along these lines--- “The arms and hands of the better riders receive the posture and flexion of the jaw and poll, whereas the arms and hands of the lesser riders try to create those positions.

Between those states of being, receiving and creating, are two main differences, one physical the other emotional/temperamental.

The better riders have developed “feel.” They also do not have the need to dominate by force, instead relying upon patient education and body building.

But back to that too old concept. It's very hard to persuade a "fierce" and driven and competitive young rider about matters of patience. I'm sure I was told all of this but for whatever reasons it took me too long to figure out how to listen.

07/08/2023

This Girl! Tess is a summer student recommended by Jen Joins at Unity. Every one of the students Jen has sent me has been exemplary! This 16 year old wants to be a Vet specializing in Reproduction some day! She gets up at ALL hours of the night to help me with our frozen inseminations and endless scans. It takes a village, and Tess is a superb addition to our village this summer! I literally couldn’t do all this breeding without her! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I hope the education on horse back and off lifts you up!

07/03/2023

When your cousin Suzannah (Caroline Koser) comes to visit for a few weeks and we are having a blast!! She’s been helping me with the mares, riding a bunch and doing stuff with Oliver she hasn’t in years! Then her boyfriend shows up and does a project we’ve had on the list for awhile! Thank you Quinn (and Kevin for taking the door off) for a wonderful paint job! Our barn manager will be SO happy!!

07/03/2023

Emily doing her clean out and has all this out for offer! Just venmo her what you want to pay. Saddle pads, boots, lead ropes, grooming items, hay net etc. all in B barn aisle.

07/01/2023

06/30/2023

06/30/2023

The shape of the horse’s barrel and length of the rider’s leg dramatically effects the rider’s position.
A really wide horse will push a short legged rider’s knee out, no matter how much they try to rotate the thigh in. A really rounded barrel barrel (not pictured) often disappears under a longer legged rider’s lower calf and heel. If this is the case, they should just get used to the idea of not being able to feel the horse down by their foot, otherwise they rotate the back of the hill towards the horse, which pulls their knee and thigh away from the horse. Even a tear drop shaped horses (middle) might have this effect, but instead of turning the knee out, longer riders will often times lift the heel up to try to make contact. Narrow horses are often a dream for short limbed riders, but feel like a fence board to a longer legged rider.

The important part is to recognize that there is no cookie cutter perfect angle that applies to everyone.

If you see a rider with absolutely perfect equitation, guesses are that both horse and rider are shaped very well, and also well-suited to each other.

I’m not saying to use this knowledge to justify a Poorer position, but you do need to understand how each horse influences your position. If I ride a horse that is extraordinarily wide, I know I am better off putting on a hunt seat saddle and riding with a short stirrup, because if I try to ride with a long dressage leg it torques, my knee joints. We have one particular lesson horse that is both wide and round, and whenever students sit on him, I know I’m going to have to remind them to keep their lower leg off of the horse and keep their thigh and knee firmly attached.

Some horses are narrow around the girth area, but wide further back into the rib cage, and this pushes the riders leg forward. It is what it is, and just like a quarter horse or Tennessee walker is never going to compete at the Olympics in Dressage, a horse, with a difficult barrel shape, is not going to be as easy for accomplish quite as much as a horse with near perfect conformation. For 90% of riders it’s no big deal- your leg position will just be a little less than perfect. But if you have pre-existing problems with a certain joint, or are looking for your next Grand Prix horse that can score 75%, then barrel shape is something you should take into consideration when horse shopping.

06/30/2023

Have you entered our July Recognized HT? We love all this rain our grass is looking fabulous and we can’t wait for another fun event!

Starter, BN, N, T, M, P, YEH4, YEH5

Fun and friendly atmosphere with fantastic courses, jumps and more! Sign up on event entries:

https://evententries.com/ ==

06/29/2023

Great news!! If you missed the closing date for MDHT #2, you're in luck!! We have opened it up for late entries through Saturday, July 1st. If you're on the fence about entering, don't delay. We are just about full so get your entries in today! The XC courses will be educational and inviting and good for horses new to the level.

https://evententries.com/ ==

We are still in need of volunteers for MDHT #2:
https://www.eventingvolunteers.com/events/2620

Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography, who is our official photographer for all 2023 USEA MDHT Events.

06/27/2023

Super fun 11 year old 14.2 pinto gelding. Loves jumping and xc, very rateable. Ground ties and learning to go in the bit! Just enough of a push ride to build confidence. Upper four figures. Come try him in Poolesville MD

06/26/2023

06/22/2023

Wonderful description of making realistic goals and how to achieve them! From the business side of things, you need to know where you want to be, and that centers around the best clients in the world! That’s what we have here at Bascule! We are so fortunate to be surrounded by horse owners who understand our philosophy and support our trainers and staff.

06/16/2023

Why we love the DKs!!

K.I.S.S. Theory behind saddle design/fit.

If these basic principles are not met- the saddle is not fitting with anatomy and biomechanics driving it’s design. It’s that simple. However, simple does not mean easy to find.

If we ignore anatomy and biomechanics of both horse and rider we are doing a disservice to our equine athletes. If you want your horse to be a top athlete- we have to treat them as such. This is why we are pushing for new research and new product design.

saddlefitting.us DeClue Equine

06/14/2023

Please Join us for our next Young Breeders Seminar on June 24th at 7pm EST/5pm PST
All are welcomed to attend with the Webex link coming soon

06/12/2023

Wow! Charlie Campbell represents! Support SVPC!!

Knowing that many people are busy on the weekends, here’s an opportunity to help out for a few hours during the week. We are in need of a few strong folks to help our stadium course designer Kathy White with setting our jump course mid-morning this Thursday at Bittersweet Field in Poolesville. Any takers?

06/11/2023

Homebred R’Keniery under his 70+ year old mom. There are some riders who are committed to the journey and not competition. This one has ridden 4 or 5 days a week for 30 years, many times 4 horses a day. She loves the relationship she has with her boys, and she never gives up. This is who I aspire to be!

06/07/2023

An official website of the State of Maryland.

06/07/2023

‼ Save the date for our next Young Breeders Seminar ‼

06/02/2023

Late fees waived! Now is the time to enter! Starter on up! A fun, well run event for all levels!

We are excited about the courses laid out by our new course designer and the new and refurbished XC obstacles and spiffed up stadium jumps; we can’t wait for you to see for yourself. Additionally, unless mother nature provides some assistance, dressage, stadium and XC tracks will be aerated/aggravated prior to the event.
BUT we need you to enter! To entice you to join us, we are now waiving our late entry fee (change fees still apply). (Due to the vagaries of USEF scheduling, we find ourselves with much lower entries than normal.) Please consider entering, thereby allowing us to continue to provide horsemanship education to our members. (If you have already submitted a late entry, we will refund you the late fee.)

05/20/2023

05/20/2023

Purchase passes for the Potomac Hunt Races

05/20/2023

Sunday, May 21, 2023. Gates open at 10:00 a.m. Activites start at 12:00 p.m. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the adrenalin rush of the racing horses!

05/16/2023

Behind the Breeder’s Brand: Welcome Here Farm

05/14/2023

Happy Mother’s Day to our Barn Staff Moms ( ) Cassie, Emily, Courtney, Bella, Kelley, Colette and Sophie. Tess has just arrived, but she’s included in the Barn Staff Moms sentiment!

These ladies are a big part of keeping our all our horses healthy, happy and ready to go for their owners.

Thank you for answering texts after hours, for going the extra mile to make sure rehabbing happens on schedule, for dropping everything to step in when needed, for the millionth blanket change, for your motivation to never stop learning, for asking the right questions till you have the answers, for being there through the tough decisions with grace and for all the things you do that our clients never know about, as they just get done.

Our horses always know who are the real horsewomen. I’m honored to have you leading the team that makes Bascule what it is today.