Fox Field Farm

04/03/2025

When you say... just take me on a trail ride!!!??? Lol
Umm... ok.
Are you a good rider!?!?

🐴✨ Trail Riding: Where Confidence Goes to Die
(and how to do something about that😆)

Trail riding.
That romantic fantasy where you and your horse glide along in spiritual synchronicity—
they’re reading your mind,
you’re breathing deeply,
the scent of eucalyptus filling your lungs and aligning your chakras,
and not a single muscle in your body clenched in terror.

HAHAHA—no.😎

Here’s a common version for many lovely people😱:

Trail riding is a shared panic spiral.
You and your horse, locked in a feedback loop of fear, reacting to shadows, rustling leaves, and plastic bags possessed by demons.

Each of you nervously amplifying the other, like a badly tuned emotional guitar.

It’s not teamwork.
It’s co-dependent doom anticipation.
One of you is wearing a helmet.
The other has hooves and better faster reflexes.
Neither of you is helping.

If this is you—I see you. Once I was you....

Luckily, trail drama is highly treatable.👩‍⚕️

Spoiler: the horse is not necessarily the problem.🫣

I didn’t know how to help my horse—or how much I was making things worse.

I wanted them to be chill and brave... while I rode like a caffeinated meerkat at a fireworks show🎆.

Then somewhere between “I never want to do this again” and “Why is my Apple Watch registering this as a cardiac event💓?” I learned the secret:

👉 Look up. Ride somewhere.

Yes, really. That’s the whole thing.
Stop scanning for threats like a doomsday prepper.
Pick a direction. Ride with intention.
Your horse doesn’t need you to narrate the trail. They need you to act like you’ve got a plan and you’re not afraid of crunchy leaves.

But let’s be clear: this didn’t happen because I lit a candle and whispered affirmations into my saddle pad.

I trained for it.

I worked on myself.
I trained away from the trail, and on it.
On windy days. On weird days.
I built my seat. I built my horse’s understanding.
I stacked experience and skills like bricks—until we had a foundation we could ride out on.

Because confidence isn’t a vibe.
It’s a skillset with receipts.💪

🐴 Want to actually enjoy trail riding? Try this:

1️⃣ Expose your horse to nonsense.
Tarps, prams, balloon-wielding children.
Let them freak out in a controlled fashion somewhere safe, so they don’t do it at a canter near a cliff.
And yes—it’s as much about training you as it is them.

2️⃣ Ride with someone unbothered.
Find the trail boss whose horse would walk through a Bunnings calmly.
Study them. Channel their energy. Borrow their calm until you’ve built your own.

3️⃣ Start where you won’t die.
Stick to familiar tracks. Know where the monsters live (usually it's that one letterbox).
Then expand like a cautious amoeba.

4️⃣ Lead on the ground.
Yes, groundwork.
Be the bushland tour guide your horse didn’t ask for.
Confidence grows when you both experience the trail without pressure.

5️⃣ Learn what a freeze really means.
When your horse turns into a statue, they’re not plotting your demise.
They’re buffering. Investigating. It’s called the orienting reflex.
Don’t poke the buffering horse. Wait. Then look up and ride somewhere like the kind of human they’d follow into a dark alley.

6️⃣ Train your seat like it’s a seatbelt.
If you can’t sit a spook, fix that.
Balance isn’t about elegance. It’s about not eating gravel. Or at least get a saddle that gives you an advantage against physics!

7️⃣ Be less dramatic than your horse.
It’s not their job to keep you safe.❌
It’s your job to keep them safe.✅
Be the Wi-Fi they can plug into. Be the calm. Be the “we’re good” human.🦸‍♀️

Trail riding isn’t for the faint of heart. Or the unprepared.
And confidence? It’s not magic.

Confidence is like IKEA furniture.
There is a clear way to build it:
Start with instructions. Work on yourself. Build your skills. Prepare your horse.
It’s all there in the metaphorical Allen key of training.

But most people approach trail riding like they approach flat-pack furniture:
No prep. No tools. No plan.
Just blind optimism and a pretty photo in a catalogue.
Then they wonder why it’s wobbly, missing screws,
and held together by hope and the ramifications corner-cutting.

Confidence isn’t a gift.
It’s self-assembly—
built through repetition, strategy, and mildly uncomfortable effort.

Not because you’re broken.
But because you’re a detail-oriented control freak who really hates uncertainty.🤓

And honestly? That’s not a flaw.
It’s a superpower—
once you learn how to aim it properly.🎯

So if you want your horse to be calm,
be the one who stops feeding the panic loop.
Do the work. Ride forward. Ride like you’re in charge of this amazing two-headed organism called you and your horse.

They don’t need you to be fearless.
They need you to be competent.
And ideally…
not freaking out at every snapping twig.

If you're ready to stop white-knuckling trail rides and start riding like you mean it, come hang out with me. I teach this stuff.😉

IMAGE📸: A couple of trail bosses (Fiona & Mary-Anne) and the magnificent Clarence River in the background 😍

Please do hit the share button if this post sparked something for you. But don’t copy and paste it—I wrote this with my own brain cells and more emotional processing power than I usually admit to. Be a sharer, not a pirate. Respect the source code. 🤓

04/01/2025

Misty made many personal appearances to raise funds to rebuild the herds on Assateague after the 1962 nor'easter. Here she is at one such appearance on March 31, 1962.

Photo from the Pictorial Life Story of Misty.

03/31/2025

BRAHMA CHICKENS - why I love them and keep them. Our Beloved rooster named "Chicken Little" is a lovely specimen living up to the breeds standards.

Brahma chickens are a fantastic breed to add to any backyard flock. Here are a few reasons why every chicken keeper might want to consider them:

1. Docile and Friendly: Brahmas are known for their gentle and calm nature, making them great pets, especially for families with children.
2. Cold Hardy: They have a good tolerance for colder climates due to their dense feathering, which helps them stay warm in winter months.
3. Large Size: These chickens can grow quite large, providing substantial meat if you're interested in dual-purpose breeds.
4. Excellent Egg Layers: Despite their size, Brahmas are reliable layers, especially during the cooler months when other breeds may slow down in egg production.
5. Unique Appearance: With their distinctive feathered legs and beautiful plumage, Brahmas add a striking visual appeal to any flock.
6. Low Maintenance: They are generally healthy birds with a strong immune system and require relatively low maintenance.

If you're considering adding Brahmas to your flock, their charming personalities and practical benefits make them a top choice. Plus, they can become quite the conversation starters in your chicken coop!

03/26/2025

If you are looking to amend your gardens, we have all kinds of good manure.

03/25/2025

Summer Forcast has a great outlook for us to enjoy the farm this summer

🌞 😎 The Heat is On!! We're predicting a hot summer - read on to plan all of your Summer get togethers - including the 4th of July and Labor Day plans! https://www.farmersalmanac.com/summer-extended-forecast

03/21/2025

03/20/2025

Welp... this is a first as my life long neighbor called to say...
Its not Tyson, it's not the horses... but... the chickens are neir the road by the highway??
So we caught the 6 spooked chickens. And drove them home♡♡♡

03/19/2025

Here is a DOG Shout out!
Throughout my life, it has always felt like I was raised by a pack of wolves. Considering the German Shepherd influence that our family has always had. Generation after generation, our family has produced some remarkable working line German Shepherds and dogs, In general. Each animal takes a true commitment and time to create through educated breeding understanding pedigree's and with a background in genetics, we have done a great job yet again, producing two wonderful working line K-9's ..
Stryker is following in the footsteps of every perfect male German Shepherd we have ever had. His obedience is superior his loyalty and dedication to his owner are intense. His disposition and temperament are kind, fair and unwavering. He is a year and a 1/2 old and making me proud training nicely Every day all day.
Now in to his "Brother" Tyson.. Our 'not-so-scary-"Scary"' Doberman Pincher. This dog has been
A very different animal to train, then my usual German shepherds. Gentling domesticating and putting buttons on his instincts has been and evolving lesson for him, and I. Tyson is now 4 years old. And I can announce with pride that this is an absolutely amazing dog. Benjamin wanted his own dog, so for his 40th birthday, I presented him and my daughter Ava, their chosen gift....
A different type of Dog To accommodate my training skills for but I have to say, in the long run, he is 100% an important part of our revolving farm and family of many daughters. His nurturing instinct and gentle demeanor with children and little things has left him praised with glory; Naturally, being a kind thoughtful animal. What I can attest is that Tyson is not the most obedient dog that I have ever had. However, he has a great mind and thinks very logically. He assesses situations and acts with intellect and insight to help.

I almost feel like my dogs have become my calling card. It's rare to see me without a good dog by my side. They improve my life every day and thank goodness for their creation.

03/19/2025

bc who wouldn’t want an endless supply of pine-sol in their cupboard 😍

03/16/2025

If you want to share mine. I have that option.

Behind every girl is a sport she wish she never quit.