Clover Ledge Farm

I was contacted last week by Saddle Box's owner, Phil, who asked if I would review the product on my blog.  I am happy to do so!  All my opinions are my own and I am in no way sponsored by or affiliated with Saddle Box.    cute little box! Saddle Box is a monthly subscription box full of equine related goodies for both rider and horse!  It can contain items such as treats, grooming tools, books, and small tack.  It seems there are a lot of these surprise monthly subscription boxes in a variety of styles these days, and it was only a matter of time until one was made especially for horse folks! The first box has a 15% off coupon, so it costs $29.71 the first month and $34.95 each month thereafter which includes shipping.  They do ship to Canada for an extra $10 shipping. You can buy a Saddle Box for yourself or give it as a gift.  Once you sign up, it will automatically renew (and charge your credit card) every month unless you indicate f...

First, let me say THANK YOU for sharing your opinions on my shipping boots/leg wraps/naked legs post.  I have still not made a final decision on what I am going to do with Miss Ellie's legs for traveling this year, but at least I have more ideas to consider.  It isn't a clear cut issue, which is what makes it tough for me to decide what to do. * Being stuck in a never-ending cycle of winter sadness and sickness hasn't been fun; sadness because it won't stop sn*wing/icing and sickness in the form of a two-month head cold from hell.  Thankfully my children had the milder form, yet my head cold turned into pneumonia, which is something I never want to experience again.  I was so freaking sick!! Feeling stir crazy and crappy makes me seek out random projects to complete.  Bonus if it includes filling an online shopping cart and then waiting for a package delivery haha.  I admit I did my fair share of internet surfing and impulse shopping this winter!...

The debate over whether or not to wrap my horse's legs while trailering hasn't really been an issue until recently.  I always wrapped with pillows and standing wraps as a kid, and then with Dreamy, I always used shipping boots which she had zero issues with.  It was a no brainer for me to wrap legs while shipping a horse. However, Ellie presents an entirely different situation for me because she is young and came to me with no experience.  Last spring, about a year ago now, I started introducing her to bell boots, splint boots, and standing wraps.  It all went smoothly and without issue.   bell boots are no big thing The shipping boots I own are too large for Ellie, despite the fact they are cob sized.  I did try them on her a few times and walked her around to get used to them, but it was clear they would not work for hauling her.  I was afraid the fronts especially were going to slide right off.  And I feel that no wraps are bett...

It is no secret that most Morgans are notoriously easy keepers, and Ellie is no exception. She will never be the type of horse who receives the full recommended amount listed on a grain feed tag and could  easily live on hay alone, especially as I feed high-quality second crop hay from the field next door.  However, feeding hay alone means she would lack the proper amount of vitamins and minerals. does this hay make my butt look big? This leaves ration balancers, which I think are the best invention ever.  It allows me to give Ellie the vitamins and minerals she needs without all the calories she certainly doesn't need.  I have always loved researching feeds and supplements, and I chose Grow 'N Win for her.  So far, the monthly shipments from Chewy have been without any issues, as I cannot purchase it locally.  I actually LOVE the convenience of having feed delivered directly to my house (along with the cat food, too)! Grow 'N Win with PM suppleme...

January never seems to be an easy month.  This year was a bit better, especially compared to 2018 , but the weather was the worst.  Between freezing temperatures and lots of sn*w and freezing rain and ICE, I went most of the month without riding.   And honestly, even if I had easy access to an indoor, I probably would not have ridden either haha. It is hard to feel motivated to do much more than basic horse care when it is so darn cold. The horses are both doing well, despite the weather.  They are eating and drinking just fine, and I did break down and blanket them both in heavyweights over the coldest days.  Dreamy especially seems to appreciate being rugged up at her age.  I didn't clip anyone this winter, so I normally do not blanket, but with low temps and windchill, blanketing seems to be the best choice. January 6 was the last time I rode in January uggg After all the super low temperatures, we are suddenly being gifted with a tease of su...

Thanks to Jen at Cob Jockey for writing a review on the Savvy Feeder , I was inspired to buy one for Dreamy to use in her paddock.  While Dreamy eats every single spear of hay in her stall overnight, she wastes hay like crazy when turned out.  At 27 years old, she needs to eat all her hay and at $5.50 a bale for gorgeous second crop, I don't want to see it wasted.  I don't have a spot in her paddock to hang a hay net like the one I use for Ellie , plus the slow feeder nets make her eat less hay (she doesn't like to work any harder than she has to) and the regular sized holes make a lot of hay fall out, so it kinda defeats the purpose of not wasting hay. Right before my son was born about three years ago, I purchased a DIY kit from Slow Grazer , which included the wire grate and written instructions for a hay feeder.  We never got around to building the hay feeder that summer (because LIFE), and then when I decided it was time to build it about a year later, I coul...

The latest giveaway I was lucky to win was from KJ Creations !  Kristina has a super fun Instagram presence and her shop is full of cool items.  I entered her contest by telling what are my favorite tack items to clean (saddles) and my least favorite (bridles and breastcollars)!  I also had to tag a friend who also follows her page, so I chose Leah from Confessions of a Dressage Barbie . We both won an 4oz. jar of tack cleaner !  I will be honest, I am a total saddle soap snob and generally only use Stubben's leather soap, Lederseife .  So KJ Creations's tack cleaner had to stand up to that.  And I am happy to say that it did and I love it!  I might not be giving up my Lederseife, but this tack cleaner definitely earned its spot in my tack cleaning bin. Kristina gifted me the "After Hours" scent, which is comprised of bergamot and lavender.  It smelled heavenly.  It lathered up well and didn't leave any residue, which I love.  ...

Every spring, I dutifully schedule my vet to administer spring shots for my horses, though I do teeth floating in the fall to not only break up the co$t$, but also I prefer not to do shots and floating all in the same day on a poor horse!  We always do the same things: Coggins, EEE/WEE/tet/flu/rhino, rabies, strangles, Potomac, and West Nile.  I haven't pulled a Coggins on Dreamy for several years since she is retired, but otherwise every horse gets all the things.  I choose to do this because I travel around a lot when showing and I don't want to bring anything back to the farm.  I also choose to have my vet do my shots instead of doing them myself for several reasons, including the fact I would need him here anyway for rabies and Coggins, so it has always just been worth it to me to have the vet out and be done with it.  I know everyone is different and what works for me might not work for someone else. Winter refuses to end, so we march around in...

...err, I mean Maine. The last few days here have been pretty brutal, with nighttime temps dipping down to -20 and daytime highs around 5 above.  It said -12 this morning at 6:45 when I woke up and now it is up to 3 degrees at 2PM.  This is not my favorite time of year, and despite having been born here, I am not a fan of winter.   Granted, it doesn't help that I have a blood vessel disorder (that has no cure).  We always get super cold weather for a brief stretch of time, but that doesn't mean I ever get used to it! hahaha I definitely wonder sometimes I think there are several factors that come into play when keeping horses happy in such frigid temps.  I am by no means a professional and what works for me and my horses will not work for everyone.  But as I close in on thirty years of owning horses, there are definitely a few things I have learned along the way.  As always, your mileage may vary and check with your veterinarian when in do...

So, earlier this year in June, I finally found a decent fitting dressage saddle for Snappy .  The joke is on me as I ended up having to put her down just two and a half months later.  *crying* I figured the saddle would easily work for Ellie, as that was one of the selling points of purchasing this super expensive saddle.  I bought it used, not brand new at $6000+, but still it was not cheap. I know many folks have opinions on this brand of saddle (see original post for brand - I am trying to be kind here), but honestly, I didn't mind it.  It wasn't my most favorite dressage saddle I have ever sat in, but I didn't hate it.  And mostly importantly, it fit Snappy quite well and she seemed to like it.   I was finally able to arrange to get the fitter out last Friday.  I figured this would be a fairly easy procedure to adjust the gullet width and air panels.  Ellie is a completely different horse than Snappy, so I assumed there would be changes. ...