Barn Chores

There have been some questions regarding what barn chores entail. This list will also be posted at the barn. Please be aware that Orrion Farms is a multi-million dollar facility and it must be treated with respect. 

You must clean up after yourself when you are on the property. If you sign up for a shift you are expected to be there. If you cannot make it for some reason you alone are responsible for getting coverage. If you take your name off the calendar you must let Lainie know, and it must be at least 24 hours advance notice, or you will need to find coverage by yourself. 

If you have questions about barn chores please get in touch with t Lainie and she will help you.

Barn Chores Check List:

AM: BEFORE 8AM

-Check on each horse to make sure it looks physically okay

-Feed hay and grain as noted on individual stall cards and feed room

-Check that the cat has food and water

Turn Out: BETWEEN 10 AND 11:30AM

-Check on each horse to make sure it looks physically okay

-Turn out horses to their assigned pasture, unless otherwise noted

-DO NOT turn out more than 2 horses at a time

-Clean at least your horse’s stall (or one stall if you do not have a horse at the barn)

-Clean any poop in aisle and driveway

-Check on cat

-Turn off all lights and close all doors

PM: BETWEEN 5 AND 7PM

Horses must be in by 8pm at the latest

-Clean all stalls completely putting all wet/soiled shavings and poop in trashcans. 

-Move clean shavings away from area where hay will be dropped 

-Feed Hay and Grain according to stall cards and feed room.

-Bring in horses 

-DO NOT bring in more than 2 horses at a time

-Rake the entire aisle way, including arena entrance 

-Double check each horse before you go to make sure they look okay

-Turn off all lights and close all doors

-Make sure Cat is in the tack room for the night. 

Other Chores:

Once A Week (at least):

-Water Aisle 

-Rake gravel area outside the two main doors

-Sweep dirt/shavings out of the driveway in front of our side

-Sweep hay loft

Every time you come out (for a shift or not):

-Clean your stall

-Sweep cross-ties and put dirt/poop/hair in bucket located in each cross-tie 

-Pick up any poop, hoof trimmings, or other mess in the aisle 

Notes:

-No loose horses in the arena for any reason 

-No tying to the stall railings

-Clean up after yourself

-There cannot be anything in the aisle except for trash cans 

-If you have a blanket it needs to be hung from your stall door neatly so it is out of the way. 

-The barn MUST be clean before you leave 

The Big Move!

Brace yourselves, this is gonna be a long post! Try to read it all, it’s really important.

Well hello everyone! Can you believe that we only have a month left until everyone will be moving back on campus and classes begin? Crazy how fast time files. I hope that you have all had a great summer break and are ready to get back to work! 

Now over the past few weeks we have gotten a few requests about moving horses into Orrion on the 18^th or 19^th as that is when Freshman are moving into dorms for orientation. We have been talking about this a lot with Orrion and our club and it looks like this will be a possibility, but we have a few BIG things to talk about before this can happen.

First off, a list to help you pack your trailer:

Things to bring with you:

• Tack
•  Grooming supplies
•  A large trash can for cleaning stalls similar to the one pictured, and a pitchfork for scooping 
• 
  
•  Any grain/supplements that your horse needs
•   Grain/supplements need to be pre-measured and bagged for at least a week at a time. Gallon ziplock bags work great for this.
• A container for said grain to go in (big trashcans with lids work great for this)
• Hay for the first few weeks, we have local places here you can get hay, and we have girls with trucks to help you. 
•   Shavings/bedding for the first few weeks, again we have local stores and girls with trucks to help
•   Saddle rack if you have one. Our tack room is very limited on space.

Like I said above, our space is rather limited and while we would love for you to bring your 2 dressage saddles, your roping saddle, your side saddle, and your 6 bridles we simply don’t have the space. Limit yourself and be realistic as to what you really need. Remember that we have other girls who probably have that “thing” and will probably let you borrow it if you ask nicely. Make sure to label all your items that could be mistaken as someone else’s. 

First off, if you have not already contacted the club via email (cwuequestrians@gmail.com) you must do so ASAP with the following info; (please read the WHOLE post before you email us)

Your Name:

Anticipated move in date (and estimated time of arrival if you know):

Horses Name:
Breed:

Height:

Age:

Sex:

Color (and noticeable markings):

Special restrictions/diet/odd things:

Barn Chores you are willing to do:

Okay great. Now that you have done that lets get to the nitty gritty. In order to have horses at the barn we have to have people to clean up after them. That means scooping poop, feeding, and turning them outside for the day. 

We cannot have anyone back at the barn unless you can help out with chores until our first meeting on Wednesday the 25^th . Now to make this transition as easy as possible I am going to lay out what these barn chores entail and then I need you lovely people to pick a few shifts that you can cover/help with while you are here.These are also descriptions of the chores that we do every day during the school year. Remember each member with a horse is responsible for 2 chores a week (minimum). Each competing member 1 chore a week, and non-competing members 2 chores a month.

• AM Feeding: (1 person)

·         This happens between 6 and 8am. Must be done before 8am. You will drive out to the barn (or catch a ride with someone) and feed all the horses their morning meals.

• Turn Out: (1 or 2 people):

·         Done between 10 and noon. Earlier the better! This consists of walking horses to their assigned pastures for the day. You MUST be comfortable walking next to a strange horse. Wear boots, this is not a Toms or flip-flops job. We will more than likely have a senior member with you if you are new to help show you the ropes. Whoever does this job is also responsible for cleaning their horses stall before they leave, and making sure that ALL gates are closed and chained behind you.

• PM Feeding: (At least 2 people, but 3 or 4 is best.)

·         This shift happens in the evening, it stays nice out until 7 or 8 at night in the summer so as long as the horses are in by 9pm you can do this whenever. Most girls arrive for this shift around 5pm and bring horses in around 7. This shift involves cleaning stalls, feeding everyone their evening meals, and bringing the horses inside for the night. There will be an experienced member with you when you do this shift. Stalls are thoroughly cleaned and the dirty shavings are put into the large trash cans that you bring with you. We have a limited number of old ones at the barn as well. Make sure that you don’t leave behind any wet shavings or poo. Then feeding all the horses hay (and grain) according to their stall cards. Finally all the horses must be then brought in for the night, stalls double checked, and barn closed down for the night. 

All three of these shifts happen every single day, rain or shine (or snow). Without these things being done every day we cannot possibly even consider having horses out to the barn. We have members in town with cars if you need a ride to the barn. We have girls with trucks to help with hay and shavings. But we only have a handful of people in town, and we need YOUR help to make this happen. 

If you can do a few shifts here and there please send an email to the club and sign up for shifts on our team calendar. 

http://teamup.com/ks19281b962a40669b/

To add to the calendar, simply find the day and time you can do a chore, click on the blue box and fill out the information like so. (Your name will go in the "who" field).

That is all the news that we have for you right now. If you have questions you can always send an email to the club account (cwuequestrians@gmail.com) and one of us will help you as soon as we can! 

Now, if you would be ever so kind as to send that email that I asked for at the start of this post that would be marvelous!

I want to bring my horse to school!

Hello there! Chances are you are reading this because you are interested in bringing a horse to Orrion, or are at least considering it. Well this is some important information to aid you in the decision to bring a horse or help with the first steps! If you need more convincing just take a look at our AMAZING facility!

The Stalls

We are VERY excited that you are considering moving a horse (or horses) in to Orrion, before we get to the fun parts here is something of the more important things you should know before you commit to moving in with us.

1. You will have to sign a legally binding contract in order to move in.

• Much like signing a lease on a house or apartment, you will be leasing a stall from CWU and Orrion. This means there will be rules to follow and things that must be done like with any other housing agreement. If you are considering moving in please email the club at cwuequestrians@gmail.com or kcomposano@cwu.edu and we will send you more information about the contract. 

2. You will have to pay rent on time every month!

Our Heated Indoor Arena

• Again, just like that new apartment you love you will have to pay to keep your horse(s) at Orrion. Board rates for the 2014-2015 school year are still being discussed, but it is looking like it will be 300 a month and that will include hay and bedding. Not bad for a multi-million dollar facility that we have exclusive access of. 

3. You must give 30 days notice if you plan on leaving.

• This one is pretty self explanatory. But if we do not receive that notice CWU has the legal right to charge you for the month if you do not give proper notice. 

Front view of the barn

Now some of the more fun facts! We are one of the only teams in our region of IHSA that has a team barn. That means we can have team practices on a regular basis, we get the chance to spend more time with horses, and we have the opportunity to allow people who don't own a horse to have access to them. This does not mean that everyone on the team will be riding your horse. We do encourage sharing, but ultimately the choice of others riding your horse is all up to you! 

Another fun thing that comes with our barn is that we can give private lessons, bring in outside trainers, and we have an amazing facility to host our annual show! We also get to have super fun ride nights where we can wear pajamas and play games like egg in spoon and Oreo races.

If you own a horse you most likely know that horses come with a lot of responsibility! They need to eat and they make a mess that has to be picked up. Our barn is a self care facility which means girls feed, clean up, and take care of horses by themselves. Not only does this help build the bond with you and your horse, but it also allows us to monitor horses so we know if something is wrong. I know that sounds like a lot of work, who wants to go out every day and clean stalls? Not me. 

Which is another reason the team barn is so awesome! We share chores!! Each month girls will sign up for 2 or 3 shifts a week depending on their class and work schedules. Every member is responsible for helping out at the barn because it is such a benefit for the entire club, not just for girls who have horses. Sharing chores is a huge relief for all the members as many of us are full time students who also have jobs and we can't make it to the barn 3 or 4 times a day! 

Now that you have made it through this post we sure hope that you will consider moving in a horse to Orrion. If you have already made up your mind, and want to move in I bet your next question is When Can I?!?!?!

Sorry, but that will have to wait until September!

If you want to move a horse in please send an email to cwuequestrians@gmail.com that says the following:

Your Name:
Your Horse(s) Name(s):
Their Breed:
Their Age:
Any special things (allergic to pine? hates being touched on his left front foot?):
When do you plan on brining them in: (If unsure, let us know and we can help!)
Do they get along with other horses?:

When you move your horse in we ask that you bring along the following items, all labeled with your name and your horses name. (Sharpie on Duct-tape works great!)
1. A pitchfork (or poop scooper) to help clean stalls
2. A large rectangular garbage can
3. Any grain and or supplements that your horse, in a container with a sturdy lid. These need to be pre-bagged for each feeding, and you should have enough bags to last a few weeks at a time. This way we do not have to measure things out for you!
4. Any tack you need. Including a helmet if you plan on jumping, riding bareback, or are under 18.
But remember our space is limited, so try to only bring the essentials!
5. A positive-upbeat attitude! You're in college now, it is time to start acting like an adult and leave the drama in High School where it belongs. If attitude is a problem we rely on a 3 strikes you're out policy.

Gilligan is excited to see you soon! (and also would like you to bring him a treat) 

Year End Recap

It has been a fun year at CWU! We have had many ups and downs, but now that it is finally June it is time to look back at all the amazing things that happened in the 2013-2014 school year.

We started the year with about 30 girls and 15 horses out at Orrion. We had a large number of new members this year, including girls who have shown for a large chunk of their lives and girls who had only seen horses in movies and tv. It was really great getting to know each one of these young ladies and watch them grow throughout the year. One amazing accomplishment goes to the awesome Sydnee Johnson who before joining the team had never ridden a horse before in her life. By the end of the year not only was Sydnee riding, but she can now walk, trot and is working on the canter both English and Western! Sydnee is going to be a great asset to our competition team next fall!

 

Sydnee and Shaya 

Our show season was also great, we had a few girls make it on to Regionals and Semi-Finals, and although no one made it to Nationals we had a great year! The show we put on in November, a double western, was also a great success. For many of the girls it was the first show they had helped put on and everyone was so helpful and wonderful to be around.

Here is Liz, no stirrups, one hand, clucking like a chicken during Simon Says.

This year we have been VERY luck to have exclusive access to our barn. Having a team barn has allowed us to grow closer as a team and has allowed us to take on tasks that schools without cannot do. We are able to have team ride-nights were everyone gets a chance to ride and have a lesson. We also get to have a number of fun ride days where we can play games and have access to all the horses and the wonderful arena. It was also a great thing to have in the winter months as the arena is heated and lets us ride no matter how much snow is piling up outside!

Tessa on Bonnie and Lainie wearing the latest in traffic cone fashion 

Overall this has been a wonderful year and we all look forward to what 2014 will bring! If you are an incoming freshman to CWU keep an eye out for us at the Discover! orientations over the summer.

Welcome to the Central Washington University Equestrian Club home page. This blog spot is here to showcase exactly who we are and encourage others to become a part of our horsey family.

We are a club who is open to all students of CWU, whether they own a horse or not. We provide fun opportunities (such as ride nights, team competitions, and team bonding experiences) to enrich your knowledge about horses and spend time with other horse enthusiasts.

We support and coordinate CWU's competitive equestrian team affiliated with the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). The team is open to riders of all levels and we compete in English and Western equitation, jumping, and reigning. Again horse ownership is optional and show horses are provided by the host college. We provide opportunities for college students to demonstrate and develop their horsemanship skills without having the usual responsibilities and fees associated with high level showing. For the last few years our club was honored to send riders to the regional competition. In addition, we have started hosting regional regular season IHSA Shows.