2019 February Paso Robles Magazine

| Hoofbeat
By Bec Braitling
Caring for
your Horse,
and Yourself,
in the Winter Months
We were lucky enough to be
blessed with some favorable riding
weather early this winter, with
much needed rain alluding us for
much of November and December.
Never fear, some frigid temperatures
and finally some rainy days
greeted us in January. Here are
some of my favorite winter horse
care tips:
• My show horses are typically
clipped once the new year rolls
around, leaving the age old blanketing
debate wide open. I could be
possibly accused of being a bit of
an “over-blanketing” type but I do
like everyone to have neck blankets
on. When temperatures plunge into
the low 20s at my barn, I like to
spray a little show sheen on the inside
of the neck blankets to prevent
manes rubbing.
• Cut tails a little shorter in the
winter to help keep them and the
hind legs a little more mud-free
during the worst weather. Braid
the tail or add a tail bag for extra
cleanliness.
• When your tack starts to feel a
little damp each day after work, a
heater in the tack room (during the
hours I’m there) helps to keep the
tack from getting damp and moldy.
• Consider adding a good-quality
oil to your horse’s diet — it’s
great for keeping horses in good
condition and the coat shiny.
• Walk your horses a little longer
to warm up before work, it can
take a little more time to loosen
up on colder days before they pick
up to work.
• Be conscious to towel dry legs
well after work. Mud fever and
scratches are in full force at this
time of year and the extra hair on
the horse’s legs helps to harbor
nasty bacteria.
• Wrap exposed water pipes to
avoid bursting during hard freezes.
Invest in a couple of large water
buckets and fill them in a barn/ covered
area in the evenings to ensure
the horses can have access to fresh
water in the morning if the hoses are
frozen until later in the day.
• Find yourself a nice pair of lined
riding gloves for the winter. Cold
hands are the worst! Check out the
San Luis Obispo-based ridingwarehouse.com
for a good selection.
Meet Marshall
Equestrian...
a.k.a. Katie’s Coffee
Forging a name for yourself in the
horse industry is not for the faint of
heart. Once you commit to making
a living riding, training and teaching,
you realise what a wonderfully
rewarding, yet gruelling lifestyle it
can be. Katie Sequeira is one such
Central Coast trainer. She heads
up Marshall Equestrian, based out
of Rancho Del Rio in Atascadero.
Specializing in lessons, training,
sales and competition, Katie has an
impressive resume training horses
and riders both here in the U.S. and
Australia before finally settling on
the Central Coast for the past two
years. One thing she picked up in
Australia was the ability to diversify
and the idea for Katie’s Coffee was
born. These days you’ll find her coffee
trailer on the corner of Highway
46 and Vineyard Drive from 6 to 10
a.m., serving morning commuters
before heading off to the barn for
the rest of the day. Katie is working
toward furthering her own competition
career with her new warmblood
mare, Willa, that she’s aiming to take
up the ranks of dressage. To keep up
to date with her current locations or
find out more about her riding program,
follow “Katie’s Coffee” and
“Marshall Equestrian” on Facebook.
February
Calendar
Feb. 2: Santa Ynez Valley Cow
Horse and Reining, NRCHA approved.
195 N Refugio Rd, Santa
Ynez, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. New
reining classes added and the Collegiate
Cow Horse Challenge. Check
out syvch.org for more information.
Feb. 2-3: EponaMind Event, An
educational weekend for horse
owners, farriers and veterinarians.
6720 Linne Rd, Paso Robles (805)
239-3505. For full event details,
Katie’s Coffee
information on the speakers and
to sign up, visit EponaMind.com/
educational-events
Feb. 2-3: Buck Davidson Clinic
at Twin Rivers Ranch. Come and
see one of America’s most I accomplished
eventing riders teach
a two-day clinic. Auditors welcome.
Contact andrea@twinrivershorsepark.com
for more details.
8715 N River Rd, Paso Robles.
Feb. 8-10: Central Coast Polo
Club hosts USPA West Interscholastic
Open Preliminary Tournament,
check out centralcoastpolo.
com for more information.
Feb. 9-10: Paso Robles Horse
Park hosts Noseworks Trials, Central
Coast Nosework Club. For
more information, visit centralcoastnoseworkclub.org/paso-robles-horse-park-february-2019
Feb. 9-10: Dressage: Santa Ynez
Equestrian Center Schooling
Show, see california-dressage.org
for entries and contact information.
Feb. 20-21: Melissa Creswick
dressage clinic, Four Corners
Dressage, 5720 El Pharo Dr, Paso
Robles. Contact Katey kateyaugsburger@gmail.com
Ride to Cayucos, depending on tide level.
Caution: halfway to Cayucos are rocks. Passable
at low tide, but NOT at high tide. Morro
Strand is a beautiful beach to ride.
View: Morro Rock & Central Coast
Access: From Atascadero, Hwy. 41 S. to Morro
Bay, go straight at stop under overpass,
pass high school, proceed to end dirt rd. near
mobile home park. Park along side of rd.
Fees: None • Pass: None • Rated: Easy
Time Factor: 2 - 3 hours. This is an out
& back ride. Turn back any time
Trail: Ride the beach & sand dunes
Feet: Shoes not required
Dogs: Not recommended • Camp: None
Overnight: None
Park Service: 805-772-2560 Call to double
check on current situation for riders.
First Aid: 911
Cell Reception: Very limited
Caution: Check tide levels, summer many
beach users, limited access due to Snowy
Plover protection
Brought to you by Whitehorse Tack
2805 Black Oak Drive, Paso Robles
whitehorsetack.com
42 | pasomagazine.com PASO Magazine, February 2019