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 18th or 19th 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:
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 25th . 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.
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!
