Friday 13 December 2013

First Snowshoe of the Season

Dylan with his Bear Bell - early Fall.
Yesterday it snowed day and night. The result was two 
feet of snow. Today was my first snowshoe of the season. Dylan,our 120 lb. Alaskan Malamute/Rotti/shepherd dog, and I headed out.The horses were busy at the slow feeder and looked up briefly when they heard Dylan’s bear bell. I bell my dog to alert the wildlife.


Dylan's Bear Bell
Breaking Trail is never easy and each year it gets a little harder. I use ski poles to help me stay balanced. I made it halfway around our field and then retraced my steps packing down the trail. Dylan was off everywhere creating his own trail. 
dog in snow
Dylan checking out the bush.
snowshoes, ski poles
Snowshoes and Ski Poles
We really should venture out before 3 p.m as the days get shorter. The chance of encountering some poor jack rabbit,or deer becomes greater as dusk approaches. 

The Trail Home

Saturday 30 November 2013

Winter Riding Survival Gear for the Rider

Brrrrr, winter. Every year I seem to need more clothing. For the older rider, the aches and pains can keep you from enjoying your favourite sport. Over the years I've accumulated a number of products that I absolutely must have to get through the winter and I will share them with you.

If you are interested in what the vets have to say about cold winter riding, read this article by Dr Sallie Hyman 

My best winter survival product is Back On Track Therapeutic clothing. My new find this year is the Back On Track Long Johns. I have the therapeutic knee brace and the regular therapeutic gloves. I love these products!

Back On Track therapeutic long johns will end your search for the warmest breeches. All your winter breeches will be extra warm now if you wear the Back On Track long johns underneath them. Stay cozy while you ride, or while you do the barn chores.

If you have cold hands, Back On Track makes two types of gloves: riding gloves and regular gloves. The riding gloves are the answer for those riders who have arthritis and have difficulty holding the reins. These therapeutic gloves are also the answer for people with Raynaud's disease. 

What I love about the regular gloves is that you can wear them overnight when your hands ache. The gloves are made of a thin material and are very comfortable worn inside the house.These gloves are especially wonderful for arthritic hands!

Read testimonials from top World class riders on my web site Best Horse Products Review. Back On Track makes superior therapeutic products for riders, horses and dogs too. Stay warm and tuned to this blog. Next post will be about the animals.

Monday 25 November 2013

Protecting Yourself on the Horse Trail



Protecting Yourself on the Horse Trail 
I featured this article on my blog on Best Horse Products Review. I decided to add some more information for the senior rider.  
Everyone loves to ride out on the trail for a few hours of relaxation. We sometimes entertain a false sense of security because we are mounted on a 1500 pound animal. We forget that our horse is a prey animal and not our personal defender. Self-defense is not upper most in the riders mind. Without the correct training and awareness we are at risk for an attack by human predators. Most of us never imagine being attacked. Older riders need to be reminded that it is not just young women who are in danger, but seniors are also at risk. 
Scot Hansen Self-Defense for Trail Riders
ScotHansen, a retired mounted police officer created a wonderful video that all riders should view. Scott offers a DVD training video $ 39.00 on his website  Scot Hansen - Horse Think . It demonstrates excellent tips on how to protect yourself if assaulted. This would be a great video to present at your pony club meeting, or horse club. Scot's site also has a list of clinics that he offers around North America.

Tips for Self- Defense on the Trail

Here are some general tips for mounted self-defense:
1) Carry a cell phone in your pocket. Activate the emergency alert app before your ride so you can touch it to activate if you need help.
2) Be aware of your surroundings. We ride to relax, but we must stay alert and be aware of:where you are, and the nearest populated area.
3) If you suddenly realize that you are in danger you must be in control of your horse and remain calm. Think of your escape route options.
4) If someone approaches you with a smile and friendly greeting - remember the human predator uses a friendly guise to disarm his prey.This is not the time to be friendly.
   Warn the person to stay back.
   Say: " My horse bites." He will step on you! or Get back! My horse doesn't like men."
 5)  Move off in the opposite direction.
6) Train your horse to move his hindquarters into the attacker, move the front end of your horse away from the attacker so your reins or leg cannot be grabbed.
7) Pull your leg up and away from the attacker. As soon as you are free, trot off towards a populated area. 

Emergency Alert 

I usually ride and walk my dog on our farm. We rarely have trespassers, but after visiting Scot Hansen's site, I revisited my thoughts about emergency alerts. I had a heart attack three years ago and I always wear my phone. I always wondered how I would respond if I were physically incapacitated, would I be able to call for help? My concern - if you need help and cannot manipulate the phone to call for assistance. Could you set the phone up so one touch would alert your family, or emergency crew?
I searched the web and found a number of emergency phone apps that can be downloaded to your smart phone. Check out iTunes app store, or the web to find an emergency alert app that will suit your needs. Make sure that you have your phone set-up for any potentially dangerous situation.

Phone Emergency Alert Apps Suggestions 

Make sure your phone app has a silent option so you do not frighten your horse!
bSafe - 
Nervous when walking alone at night? Jogging or hiking on lonely trails? When walking alone you can ask selected friends to follow you LIVE from a distance with real-time GPS tracing, or if you are jogging or hiking you can program your bSafe SOS alarm to trigger automatically if you have not checked in within a predefined time. All developed to keep you safe!
Ever begged for the phone to ring to get out of a situation? bSafe is what you need! This GPS-based safety alarm is packed features to make you safer. bSafe is only available for android phones at the moment.
Set up your own safety network of friends and family members – as many as you want – and all will be notified in case of an emergency. Just push the big red SOS button to text/call them with information on your exact location and that you need help. It`s as simple as that! 
Guardly - is available from their website or iTunes. It comes with monthly subscription. 


300x250 - Equestrian Corner

Monday 11 November 2013

High Visibility Horse Rain Sheet

Hunting Season is Over!!! Rejoice!!

The rear end of the Don't Shoot Me horse blanket.
I have the new Don't Shoot Me Horse Blankets. Yea!! I am very pleased with the quality and the colour is perfect. The reflective tape is a decent width which will pick up light. I will probably sew reflective tape to the shoulder area of the blanket.
A side view of the Don't Shoot Me rain sheet. 
The new breathable,lightweight, horse blanket from Don't Shoot Me.
For more information on all their products and more go to
Best Horse Products Review

Check out all the best high visibility horse and rider products at Best Horse Products Review.

My horses live out 24/7 and all of them have a very decent coats. I bought these blankets for the hunting week only. We monitor our property during that hunting season and our neighbours respect our wishes, but I prefer be very cautious. 

Our dog Dylan usually wears a high visibility vest throughout the winter months when we hike through the bush because he resembles a coyote. 


Thursday 7 November 2013

About Double S

Double S is our sheep ranch in Ontario,Canada. We have 120 North Country Cheviot/Texel sheep and three horses, one dog - Dylan, and one cat - King Tut alias -Tutty. Two of the horses are Haflingers - Star and Moishe ( Muh-oi-she) and the third horse is the alpha horse in the herd - my Quarter horse Nova. 
Nova is a 17 year old Quarter Horse. The old style Quarter Horse - a big boy - solid with big feet. A power house of energy if he wants to be, but a everyday sweet heart. He a sensitive gentleman and the alpha horse of our herd. Nova sometimes does not appreciate the humor in the Haflinger antics.

   Star is a five year old Haflinger with a kind heart and willing attitude. He's a big boy for a Haflinger-15 hands. He's a hunk-a-hunk-a-burnin- love. Star is out-going, vivacious and he has a great sense of humor.
Moishe (Muh-oi-she) is a gentle doe eyed 3 year old Haflinger. He loves to explore absolutely everything with his very mobile lips. Moishe unties knots, picks up hats, and runs around the field with his latest toys. He usually engages Star in his delightful play. Moishe has a gentle, kind and trusting nature. He is a very beautiful soul.