Country Time Acres Blog

The Canadian Cowgirls show off for the crowds in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Flags flying; shimmering costumes;  the pride of Canada, they are the Canadian Cowgirls Drill Team. This team of 16 talented and dedicated women and their spectacular horses can be seen performing at parades, expo’s, rodeo’s and festivals. Creative and entertaining they move with such beauty and grace; horse and rider making the perfect dance partners. If they are ever in your area I highly recommend you make the time to see them perform. I saw this team at the horse expo in Springfield, Massachusettes and they are fantastic!

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Enjoy your day!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  Unfortunately, this is just one of those holidays that really has little meaning to me. Maybe I’m just more interested in Christmas or maybe I just don’t like the feeling that I have to cook when I really don’t want to. Who knows?  But, there is one Thanksgiving that will always be special to me: the one my family spent at the Salvation Army. My husband, Terry and co-workers from Lowes worked the line serving food while my girls along with  the Small World Dance Team entertained their guests. Our last song was Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World”. As the kids were singing I looked up and all these homeless people are singing and waving their arms in the air. Many of them were crying. It really moved me. Holidays are a time to spend with family but, let us all remember the reason for them. Be thankful for all that you have and share some of yourself along the way. “Learning to give, is an important  lesson for all of us”, Buck Brannaman. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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Sundae and I prepare for the Dancing Horse Challenge.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 5, 09 to attend the Festival of Dancing Horses at the Dream Park of Gloucester County in New Jersey. The festival begins  when doors open at 1:30. The event will benefit the Equine Assisted Therapy and handicapped Riding Program.  The activities will begin with a basket auction followed by the Dancing Horse Challenge. Six amazing equestrian acts, including Sundae and I, will be competiting for audience votes. A fun and entertaining time is promised for the entire family with tickets costing just $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children under 12. Information can be found at www.equineassistedtherapyofnj.org or call 609-330-2444. The Dream park is located on Route 130 S., Logan Twp. NJ, 08085. Hope to see you there!

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The Canadian Cowgirls perform Maypole Play during Pfizer Fantasia.

One of the main reasons I traveled to Massachusetts was to see the equestrian production, Pfizer Fantasia. It was a fantastic show! I have seen many shows and am sometimes disappointed when the show features lots of horses and riders but, little creativity or talent. I was not disappointed and it was well worth my trip. The Canadian Cowgirls are a very talented drill team. I was very impressed with their “Maypole Play” and their outfits were fabulous. The Knights of Valour were also an amazing act, giving us a taste of jousting games from the medievel times. Costuming makes such a difference when it comes to performing and their horses were amazing as well. David and Robert Donnert are two very talented people, especially when it comes to juggling. Now add horses and fire and you have a spectacular performance.  David also did a comedy act with his horse, Cheif Bear Paw lV. Another amazing act was Christine Drentwett and Shane Karson to Garrocha Times Two. I am going to have to do some research on this, they had long sticks and did very unique moves with them while riding their horses. The most touching performance of the night was when the Canadian Cowgirls  and the riders of The Theraputic Equestrian Center did an act to The Pony Man Bedtime Story. It was the perfect ending to a very busy day.  Did you visit? Leave a comment!

Farriers gather for the World Championship Blacksmith competition.

Last week, Terry and I traveled with friends, Pat and Marianne Callahan to Springfield, MA. to attend the Equine Affaire. This was our first time attending this event. It is really big. There are 4 buildings filled with demonstrations, seminars and  vendors for food and shopping galore!  Featured cast included John Lyons, Sterling Graburn, Rick Lamb (no relation), Mark Rashid and Karen Scholl, just to name a few. The main reason for my trip was to attend their equine production, Pfizer Fantasia.

 I have read several of Mark Rashid’s books and was excited to hear he was attending the show. My collection of signed books are very precious to me but, I was a bit disappointed when I found Mark’s booth. When I arrived   he was talking to a couple of young women, that’s expected, he’s a cowboy. Anyway, I take my time selecting a book that I don’t already have and go to pay for it. The cashier asks if I want to have Mark sign it. “That would be great” I said. He stops his conversation to sign the book and gives it back to the cashier. Not once did he acknowledge me, not even to thank me for buying his $18.00 book! I look inside and he signs it S.R., who the heck is SR, I thought his name was Mark. But, at least he did spell my name right. I won’t hold this against him, some people are better with the pen than in person and he does write a really good book. In the next few weeks I will do several reviews on them. If I ever live my dream of writing a book I will remember that all fans are important.

We had a great time doing some early Christmas shopping and stopped by to watch a few demonstrations including the farriers championship. These guys are bad, they had two hours to take two pieces of metal and make them into horseshoes, the old fashioned way. There is also a barn filled with beautiful horse of every breed. It was well worth the trip.I highly recommend this show.

See more about my trip in future posts.

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From orphan to entertainer, follow her story.

Over the past few months I have watched Savannah transform from a shy little orphan to a spunky, playful little filly. At eight months old she is doing great. Her and Cheyenne have a very close bond. They enjoy running around the pasture together. Savannah continues to work on her seven games and is now doing some liberty work with the other three horses. I can’t wait to see her doing routines with the other horses. Today I put the new pedestal out in the pasture. Savannah loved kicking it with her hoof and even got two feet on it all by herself.  She is going to be a great asset to my amazing Paint team.     Did you visit?  Leave a comment!

Makhi enjoys a muffin, I think he likes getting his picture on my blog!

The holidays are just around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about those home made gifts. Gifts in a jar  are a perfect gift for just about anyone. They are simple to make and very inexpensive. I always try my recipe before I give them as gifts. This recipe came from the book ” Muffins in a Jar” by Lia Rossner Wilson. It made so many muffins that I shared them with the workers at the day care my daughter, Tracy works at. They enjoyed them too. You will need:  For your jar: 3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Instructions for jar: 1) combine flour with baking powder and salt.  Spoon into jar. 2)  In separate bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon and spoon  mixture over flour. 3) Place lid on jar and decorate. Include baking instructions.

Baking Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put jar contents into bowl. In separate bowl mix 2/3 cup melted butter, 2 eggs, beaten and 1 cup milk. Add to  dry mixture. Stir till moist. Spoon into 24 muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven.  Option:  butter muffins and cover with cinnamon sugar or brush top of muffin with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar on top.  To get this book go to Cook Book Resources.

Country Time Creations is a horse lovers store. For performances and store showings see the side bar Pages/Events 2010 for a complete schedule. Did you visit?  Leave a comment! Visit me on Facebook!

Carroll working with me on lateral flection.

Carroll riding Sundae. She would never go like that for me.

Tuesday I got to spend the day with my trainer, horseman, Carroll Williams of Mardela Springs, Maryland. It had been about 2 years since our last session and we were both pleased with all that I have accomplished. When I met Carroll, I was a desperate woman. I had had my horse, Sundae for about 5 years and was at a dead end. We were at the point I just couldn’t get her to go. The trainer I was working with at the time told me Sundae was to much horse for me and to get rid of her. I thought some riding lessons might help as I really didn’t ride much. Which is why I couldn’t understand how this horse was to much for me. At my first riding lesson  I rode a lesson horse. At the end of class my instructor told me I rode fine and I needed to get a new horse because Sundae and I weren’t a good match. She had never even seen us together!  After a few lessons I quite. I was learning the Parelli method of horsemanship and this Parelli instructor just didn’t seem to fit into the program as I understood it, if you know what I mean. She did give me the name of a natural trainer, Carroll Williams. A few weeks later I was riding on the beach with Sundae and within  minutes of getting on her she crow hopped and flipped me over her head. All the way home my husband, Terry kept saying “Your getting a new horse”. We decided to call Carroll and if he said I needed a new horse I would do what he said.                                                      

My first class with Carroll was stressful to say the least.  What I noticed about him was he never made me feel stupid like some trainers did. He was polite, he asked if he could show me something or if he could ride my horse. He told me my saddle was all wrong, darn that salesman! I knew we needed something  with a wide tree. He could tell me a lot about the horse. He wanted to know everything about us. At the end of the class I held my breath as I waited for his verdict.  Would I get to keep my horse?  I will never forget his words.

“Lady, I don’t know what people have been telling you but, you don’t need fixing. There are a few things we need to work on but, you have a great horse here and there is no reason to get rid of her” he said. That was probably about 8 years ago and Sundae and I are still going strong. We are now preparing for a big charity event in New Jersey called the Dancing Horse Challenge. Carroll worked with Sundae and I and all the other horses too. He finally got to meet Savannah and fell in love with her. I’ll keep you posted on our progress and it won’t be another 2 years before I have a day with Carroll. His insight on the horse and his guidence have been the reason for my success.  I would suggest Carroll to anyone, it is far worth paying to spend the day with him. He works with me one on one with my horses and that sure beats any clinic where I have to share an instructor with  10 other riders.

When it comes to horses, Carroll Williams has been the most influential person in my life.

For performances and store showings see the side bar Pages/Events 2010.  Did you visit?  Leave a comment!!