Winter, @ Winterwood..

Although I have never been a HUGE fan of winter, I am of winter riding.

The start of winter is always challenging with many storms and icy road conditions, so riding starts off minimal. So when I woke this morning to a brisk, sunny winter day, I just knew it was a perfect day to ride. Although cold, there was no wind and you just had to dress for it. There's just something magical about a ride through a field covered with shiny, sparkling snow under the sun and the tree branches heavily weighted by fresh fallen snow. It's really postcard, photo time!

To read more of the story and see some photos click http://www.equinenorth.net/Stories/Winter-riding.html

Winter, Just Around The Bend

Oct 16th, and Ontario has already experienced school cancellations, road closures and traffic accidents all due to Mr Winter himself.

Living in the North has it's advantages and they do far outweigh the winter disadvantages, but yet, each year when winter crawls upon us, I still wish I could hibernate!

Thankfully, there has still be some great riding weather! Our colors of fall are gone with barely any leaves left make the bush lines look so much more bigger to our mounts causing them to think there are big bad tree branches that are going to eat them up as we ride the bush line.

Chelsea Buns, my QH mare is quiet spookish this time of year with the high winds, strange fall smells, cool air and the fact she can see right in the bush now., but we still hit the trails. There won't be many more days when we can go past the end of the driveway once the snow falls, so I like to take full advantage of our freedom right now.

We've also been practicing the barrel pattern as much as possible. A friend donated some barrels to me and the lady who boards my horse gave me a place out in the pasture to set them up.

We've also been working on a lot of different small things I want to improve on for next years shows.

Although the shows have just ended, I am already excited for next years shows!

Equine North has been getting the hits. At the moment, we are having a photo contest so fly with the wind on over to www.equinenorth.net and get your funny and beautiful horse photos entered!

Flying Free!



There is nothing like the feeling of being on the back of a horse as one, galloping in an open field! they say a picture speaks a 1000 words, so I leave you with that.

Ride with the wind @
www.equinenorth.net

Riding in the Fall
(click the photos to see them in large view)


A lthough summer is my season, I do enjoy the vibrant colors of fall. It is a pretty loud reminder that winter is around the corner (brrrrr), but it has to be the most picturesque view mother nature has to offer all year round!

As most of you know, my favorite thing to do is trail ride and I have been doing a lot of that this past summer with many different horse friends, but mostly with my riding partner, Nancy.

It had been raining all morning and the day before, but the sun decided to stick it's bright face out so we decided we'd get a ride in. Nancy, myself, Heather and Sally and our trusty mounts get ready for an afternoon ride that would offer the brisk cool air of fall along with it's colors of gold, brown and yellow.

unfortunately, a down pout quickly reminded us of just in control mother nature is of our daily plans. Sally and I were still tacking up in the barn, but pour (pun intended haha) Nancy and Heather had started the trek down to the barn to meet us. As we waited patiently for the rain to stop or slow down, these two poor cowgals and their mounts were soaked to right through.

The pour didn't' last long and off we went. It was a three hour ride in total, not as long as we normally do, but nonetheless, still the only therapy that I'll ever need.

With winter fast approaching, I plan to get in as many trail rides as I can. Although, I still ride in the winter, we don't' get to venture off too far with the amount of snow we do get living in the North.

Ride with the wind @
www.equinenorth.net

New Liskeard Fall Fair

September in New Liskeard Ontario is an exciting time for horse enthusiasts. Whether you are into heavy, light or mini horses, there is something for all at the New Liskeard Fall Fair!

Thursday starts of with the heavy/light horse pull. Friday hosts the line classes, including children's costume, halter and showmanship for both light and heavy horses as well as mounted games and western games in the evening. Saturday includes the western riding, English riding and jumping and then the heavy and light horses on wagons etc!

I was fortunate enough to be hired as the weekend photographer for the horse events and it was definitely a very exciting and educational weekend for myself. I had decided not to show since I had done enough throughout the summer, so as a photographer, I was there with a whole different prospective.

The great part about being the photographer is I was invited to be in the ring with all classes and all judges. That entitled me to some pretty privileged information as a rider! I learned so much from both Judges, (light and heavy) as well as the ring Stewarts and other horse people.

So many beautiful horses, and some amazing and talented riders were captured on photo. If you didn't get your print outs of your photos, they are available as well as CDs with all photos of the class you participated in at the following link: New Liskeard Fall Fair Photos.

As much as I was thankful to be the photographer and enjoyed meeting all the new people, next year, I will be a participant and hope that someone else is there to capture our moments on photo.

Ride with the wind @
www.equinenorth.net

Equine North Update

Equine North has had quite a few updates today.

There are a bunch more NEW photos from the Horseback Vacation trip in Ontario, new links new equine businesses and several new events added to the site.

We'd like to remind you that this site is totally FREE and you can send your story, photos, ideas, business info etc at anytime at NO COST too annae@nt.net.

We'd especially like to see equine events get added to our list to make Equine North your one stop equine place to plan all your horse events.

In recent news, Carla Vine , Trae and Sherry Hill recently made a trip back from Germany on horse related business, so we'll keep ya posted soon on a story about this.

So ride with the wind and visit www.equinenorth.net today to see our recent updates.

Summer is near end..

It's August 21, 2006 already! Boy, has the summer slipped through my fingers quickly this year. With only two more horse shows left to attend (for myself anyways), I find myself wondering what hobby I shall pick up for this upcoming winter since there won't be horse shows every weekend ;) Maybe watching mold grow since I'm really not much of a winter person. Although, I do get out and ride as much as possible.

The recent TPHC Horse Show, Aug 19, 2006 was yet another success for both Chelsea and I. Although, Chelsea was not in her best of moods that day. Like people, horses can have their bad days as well. It seemed to rub off on other horses as well. Many of the other owners were mentioning how their horses seemed so different that day. Oh well, no one was injured and the show went well. There were some new riders at the show as well. Be sure to attend the last show Sept 9th.

We stuck around and watched the barrel racing after the Western Pleasure performance. I am always in awe watching that sport. It's truly where my heart lies and one day I hope to be doing it on a steady basis.

There are some upcoming barrel racing competitions, one next month in Earlon and another near Quebec. I will be sure to get the dates soon.

So there's still a bit of summer left to enjoy, so get out and ride with the wind at www.equinenorth.net

Viewing Northern Ontario Wilderness on Horseback

I recently had the fortune of viewing Northern Ontario Wilderness on horseback on a 3 day pack trip at Wyndyriver.com located right here in the north! Yes, you heard it right, here in the north. How fortunate are we to have such a service available.

Honestly, a real trail ride has to be done the Wyndy River way with Tim, the man who turns everything into a song.

Put your cell phone away, sit back and relax, and read about my adventure here:
http://www.equinenorth.net/Stories/Horseback-Vacations-Northern-Ontario.html

The photos available don't even begin to show the true beauty of our north. You MUST experience it first-hand to even remotely understand how beautiful our untouched land is.

enjoy and ride with the wind at www.equinenorth.net

Crystal Clear Stables All Breed Horse Show

Crystal Clear Stables All Breed Horse Show was a huge success for many, but especially for Chelsea Buns and Anna taking in High Point Reserve. Anna and Cheslea even ran the barrels, pole bending and entered dizzy cowboy!

Instead of writing the whole story again, please visit Crystal Clear Stables All Breed Horse Show on www.equinenorth.net. There's story about the show and some great photos available.


Thanks Crystal, family, Jim, and everyone else involved! We had a great time!

TPHC Trail ride and upcoming rides

TPHC had yet another fantastic trail ride this past July 30, 2006. You can view some photos at Equine North.

If you were on the ride, you'll most likely see your horse in the photos! The ride was held at Gilmours in Haileybury. We had a BBQ after which was very good..thanks guys!

This upcoming weekend, Aug 5th and 6th is Crystal Clear Stables all breed show! This is one show I have been looking forward too forever! Not only because it has so many different types of events, and we get to camp out for a few days, I get to game! It was planned novice, but, I have been told to ride senior so watch out..I might come flying through that field a bit quicker then I intended! haha.

The following week, I will be doing a 3 day pack at Wyndy River Expeditions & Guest Ranch right here in our own area! Wow..I've only dreamed of doing something like this, so imagine my surprise when I found out about this great place Tim started! As a friend of mine always says "I was uber excited!".

So you can be sure to see stories on the above two in the upcoming weeks so stayed tuned and ride with the wind at www.equinenorth.net

Back in the saddle again!

Well July 28th was a big day. It was the first day Nancy and I were able to return to our trail rides! After Chelsea's eye taking some time to heal and Nancy's mishap and holidays, it's been at least 3 weeks or more since we did a ride.

We did a nice 4 hour ride and even though they called for showers, the weather was sunny and very warm for the whole ride. Nothing overly exciting like lions, tigers or bears or my, but it was certainly a very Zen experience. Oh, we did see one rabbit and I saw a deer in the ditch on my ride up to the barn.

TPHC Trail ride is this upcoming Sunday. Look forward to this ride and the BBQ after. I've missed the last few due to Chelsea's eye, but we're back in the saddle again for this one.

So stayed tuned for some great photos of the trail ride which will be on www.equinenorth.net

Ride with the wind @ www.equinenorth.net

TPHC show on July 22 and Equine North

This past July 22nd held yet another great TPHC show with WHAO Sr. Judge, Mike Tucker placing some awesome riders with their amazing horses.

It was a warm day with a nice breeze off the lake and all went smoothly. Chelsea Buns and I placed 6th in the halter class!

Carla and Don Aultman brought home the winning High point division and Reserve! Carla (a beautiful horse blanket) for High Point and Reserve for Don. Also, in youth, the winners were Jasmine Sterling and 2nd Kayla Sears. Jr. high point was 1st, Tasha Rivard and 2nd, Marie Pier Cote. Congrats to all of you!

Since I am doing so much TPHC related postings, I thought I'd create an entire TPHC section on www.equinenorth.net for your viewing pleasure. If you visit the site, look for the TPHC Info link on the left or the text link at the very bottom of each page. When you visit, you will notice a section for photos and then a section for results and points. I haven't any results yet, but am looking for a copy. If you have a copy or you have any photos you'd like to add, please email to annae@nt.net.

Also, if you notice any missing names, or wrong names, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeee let me know!

thanks ..

Ride with the wind @ www.equinenorth.net

This and That

In my last post I discussed a new health issue that arised with my mare, Chelsea. This is the reason posts have been slow, as we haven't been riding nor showing. Chelsea has had to stay in the dark (sunlight is not good for this type of injury) and away from any stress. The last few days see an improvement. Her pupil did dilate last week but the ulcer has only started to now, get smaller and less cloudy in her eye. Looks like she'll be ok in no time.Next show is this week, at the fair grounds, but I'm afraid I might just be watching this one, but the following week, yet another TPHC show, which I plan to attend.Just a reminder, anyone can send his or her equine business info to Equine North for their free ad

Equine Anterior Uveitis

As anyone knows who owns a horse or two, not only are horses predictably unpredictable, health issues can arise at the most unexpected times.

Recently, my mare's eye started to tear and seemed to irritate her slightly. So didn't think much of it, just cleaned the eye out with eye drops and kept it clean. However, within days, the eye started to swell with lots of yellow puss oozing from the corner of her eye.

Then a few days later, her eye started to cloud over which led me to believe she had an injury to her eye.

So after a visit with the vet, I find out Chelsea Buns has Anterior Uveitis, an inflammation of the iris surrounding the pupil. The entire pupil has constricted to help ease her pain. This was created by the onset of an ulcer on her eye. So she is going to stay in a semi-dark stall for a few days and have some eye drops and cream administered for 10 days. The main goal is to get the pupil dilated again so there is no long-term damage.

Could this have been prevented, most likely not. Horses tend to get the strangest things in their eyes. But, the most important thing is NOT to leave this untreated for long. So hopefully within a few days I will see a positive change.

I'll keep ya posted..

ride with the wind @
www.equinenorth.net

Kimball and Cody

Well Kimball and Cody made it safely to Crystal Clear Stables in Fauquier, Ontario. After a week long stay with Crystal and family, they are off to Thunderbay. He's so far stoped at: Val Rita before his treck to Thunderbay.

You can keep up with his journey's at : www.ridefordreams.com

Ride with the wind..
www.equinenorth.net

Trail riding anonymous

She stands up in front of the entire group and admits to her addiction.."I am Anna Sawicki and I have a trail riding problem, I can't get enough! "

Okay, so some people think I'm crazy, others couldnt' care a less about reading my horse dialogues and some think I have a problem. You know what I think, I'm a very lucky gal.

I don't need to lie down on some strangers couch for $100 per hour to pour out my problems. I just jump on my horse and find the nearest trail. No pills, no doctors..no headaches, just the smell of my horse and the sound of nature. Really, someone should bottle it up (no side effects included).

It was only two days ago when Nancy and I had a great four hour ride and today we topped our trail ride with five hours of riding. No bears this time, and no swimming, but we did offer to use our 2 horse-power to help a blueberry picking couple who managed to get their truck stuck in a ditch. We noticed them from afar and decided to ride on over incase they needed some help. But, by the time we got there, someone had already come along with much stronger horsepower to pull them out.

So after stopping at Nancy's for a short bit, Chelsea and I rode back to the barn in hopes to catch a few lessons happening with Carla and Lisa but no one was doing any lessons at the time.

Chelsea and I had a great lesson from Shelly last night though (gotta look like I know what I'm doing at the next show! haha)


When do we go riding again, well I bet it won't be too long ;)

Ride with the wind
www.equinenorth.net

It's the stuff dreams are made of..

There really is nothing like the outdoors on horseback in Northern Ontario bush during the summer...Today, Nancy Hack and myself (Anna Sawicki) and our two horses, CC and Chelsea Buns went on a 4 hour trail ride in the back boonies. We rode up and across the larder lake highway and down the highway a bit up to a sand pit that had a small pond. We took off our saddles and headed to the water. Well my horse didn't go in, but Nancy rode her horse in and cooled off!

After a small break and cooling off, we saddled up and headed on the trails and back towards home. The ride was nearly over when suddenly, CC pulls her head up high! She sees something and sure enough, there's a bear standing on it's hind feet checking us out in the tall grass!! Well, I age about 12 years in one nano-second! Then wonder what we should do as the bear was close enough to charge if she had cubs with her.

CC took over instantly! A real trooper, she decided I'll save mom (Nancy) and use Anna and Chelsea as bear bait. CC pushes us onto the road closer to the bear while she safely tucks herself her behind onto the side of the road, furthest from the bear!

In the meantime that CC is trying to feed me to the bear, Nancy starts talking real loud and I join in quickly and we put our horses at a trot. That seemed to work and we weren't bear bait afterall..so we continued our ride back home.

I rode back to Nancy's before heading back home for a drink of water as I was out and the heat was just crazy today! Then we headed back to the barn at a slow walk while Chelsea decided to eat every few steps. All I could think about on the way back to the barn is.."this is what dreams are made out of"..really..you should try it.
Ride with the wind
www.equinenorth.net

TPHC 2nd show - Photos

Here are a few photos submitted by Carla Vine during the English part of the TPHC show which was a great turn out! Please, if you have photos you'd like to submit, send them to annae@nt.net

If you are in this photo and want your name posted, please email it too annae@nt.net

Carla Vine on Romeo

More to come soon!

TPHC 2nd Horse Show

Today's TPHC Horse Show was successful once again. The English division had a great turn-out with up to 18 riders in some classes!

My mare, Chelsea was just awesome today! We placed two 6ths, a 5th, 4th, and a 3rd. Many of the riders did so well, Joanna, Carla and darn if names slip my mind! I had a great time and can't wait for the next show! Why is it though, that after a show, all I want to do is go to bed! haha.

Shelly Loach was our coach this time around ..thank you Shelly for a great Job. Also big thanks to Rena and Sharon..two hard-working volunteers for the western Division!

Sorry, I had no one to take pictures this time around. I know there are some of you who took pics out there..if you'd like to share, please send to < a href="mailto:annae@nt.net">annae@nt.net and I'll post them on the site.

Ride with the wind at:
www.equinenorth.net

And He Had a Dream -( Man rides his horse across Canada)

No one knows better about dreams coming true then Kimball Foord, the man riding across Canada, HORSEBACK! Kimball says he wants to cross our great nation the way they did 150 years ago and what better way to see it then at 6kph!

Kimball started from Guelph, Ontario, on May 6, 2006 and is heading west to finish in Vancouver, British Columbia, estimated to be sometime in the fall. His trusty ole riding partner, Cody, is a 7 year old American quarter horse. And a handsome fellow with a lot of character I might add!

On his way to Winterwood in Englehart, he met up with Dennis Peddie of Cougar Ridge Farms in Thornloe and he joined Kimball for a ways on his ride! I bet that was fun Dennis!

On June 14, 2006, Kimball made a pitstop at the very barn I board my horse, www.winterwood.info. Kimball and Cody will be resting their weary legs in the comfort of Winterwood with a great meal and some great company.

After my visit with Kimball and Cody, I am just green with envy! To be able to just say "ok Cody (his horse), that's it..let's ride across Canada and do it!

During my drive back home I kept thinking how I wished I could do something like that, but I just kept envisioning my horse ending up in a full 360 and into the ditch at the first transport going by at 100km! haha ..Not to mention all the things that get in the way to prevent me from just getting up and riding across Canada, like life..Kimball, you are a lucky individual..not only do you get to see most of Canada, and meet some great people, you get to do it by horseback!!

Ride with the wind...
Anna

TPHC 3rd Trail ride

Well today, June 11th, was the 3rd TPHC trail ride held out at Echo Lake in Earlton again, but in a different area. I missed the 2nd ride which I heard was full of excitement! ;)

No pictures to share from this ride, but there were 16 riders and it was an awesome ride. No mishaps..well except for a little unexpected detour ;). The weather started off kinda crappy with some showers and a bit cold, but it cleared and didn't rain at all during our ride.

We rode 3.5 hours over some great terrain. There were many steep hills so my girl sure did get her exercise. Carla Aultman had her new mare there. Not only does she look awesome, she was great on the trail.

We gathered together for well deserved snack while our horses munched on hay and rested their tired feet to talk about our ride.

Hey congrats to Dan Aitchison, he won the door prize!

See you all at the TPHC horse show next weekend!

TPHC Horse show photos and EquineNorth updates

Equine North has two more events added, Festival Western in St Eugene de Guiges in August and The Light Horse show at the New Liskeard Fall grounds in Sept.

Here are some photos from the TPHC Horse show in New Liskeard last weekend

Hope you are all keeping cool in this extreme heat wave!