Posted by admin on September 14, 2011
It is getting a bit cooler and things are getting more active around Sierra Ranch. We hope to be sending out the newsletter on a more regular basis. Below are some topics that have wieghed on our minds recently and thought you might enjoy reading about.
Wildfires: When Evacuation is Not an Option
Thanks to record summer temperatures and persistent drought, several wildfires have flared in Texas this year, according to information contained on the Texas Forest Service website. Since Sept. 1 the Texas Forest Service has responded to 181 fires. Read More
Senior Horse Care – Keeping Your Senior Horse Healthy and Happy
Senior horse care is a subject near and dear to my heart. My own senior horses, Annapolis and Star, are now 32 and 20 years old respectively–and still going strong.
Read more »
Study: Horses Prefer Nonacidic Water
A team of Canadian researchers recently revealed that horses tend to prefer water with neutral pH levels rather than low pH levels, meaning your picky drinker’s problem could be due to acidic water’s sour taste. Read More
Don’t forget to come see us out at the ranch. We are open Monday thru Thursday and some weekends. Call us to set up a time to meet your next trail horse.
Deb Stowers
Sierra Ranch, LLC
http://sierraranchok.com/
http://sierraranchok.net/
Posted by admin on May 13, 2011
It was suggested that we show off some of the horses that we have for lease at Sierra Ranch, LLC. We begin this with probably one of the horses we know the least about.
To say we have soft hearts for OTTB (Off the Track Thoroughbreds) is kind of an understatement. 
We love what these guys do for their owners and are saddened with the way they are treated after the track.
Imagintor (AKA New Horse or New) filled that bill to the max. One of our friends found him at her barn. The owner wanted a walking horse and when she went to pick up the walking horse the owner “threw in Charlie” with her other horse. Needless to say she was much more wanting the walking horse and paid no attention to “Charlie.” Our friend knew we loved and worked well with OTTB’s and brought him to live with us in July 2009.
Since we had had a bad experience ( I can show the the never healing scar) with a horse named “Charlie” we decided to name him “New Horse” until we could figure out his name. This was during the time that we were starting the other business that now pays for the horses. There just never seemed to be the time to actually try hard to find out who this guy was.
New taught several people how to ride. Attended several trail rides and did wonderfully. Even rode in part of an endurance ride with no problems. Finally we got things somewhat under control and spent the day Saturday before Easter researching who this wonderful horse was. Now understand trying to ID a 20 year old horses tattoo is not fun and New was so not excited about making this an easy process. After a bit of trail riding tranquilizer and a black light we took a picture of the tattoo and tried to enhance it enough to figure it out.
After doing several general searches using some of the numbers and his coloring. Then focusing on the numbers we knew. Then eliminating the mares. (LOL!) We came up with a possible name. Imaginator. And we ordered the winning pictures of his maiden race.
Now am I going to say New is a perfect match for this horse. Maybe not. But he is a winner with several wins and loads of races under his belt, and New surly acts like all the winners we have in the pasture. And what a really cool name: Imaginator. So much better than being called New Horse. LOL!
Imaginator is available for leasing. He likes trail riding and might be open to some other activities. Come out to Sierra Ranch, LLC and meet all the horses. You might just find someone interesting to ride.
We are open Monday thru Thursday and some weekends. Call us to set up a time to meet your next trail horse.
Deb Stowers
Sierra Ranch, LLC
http://sierraranchok.com/
http://sierraranchok.net/
Posted by admin on May 10, 2011
We are still working on getting things going at the Sierra Ranch. Have had a few trial rides go out and expect more whe school gets out. Call us and set a time to come pick out a great horse to ride.
Here is cool news from the horse world:
DO HORSES RECOGNIZE THEIR PEOPLE?
Does a horse respond differently to “his person” as opposed to a stranger? The results of a recent French study indicate that horses use auditory and visual information to recognize specific people, and that they expect certain behaviors from those people based on previous experience. Continue reading…
BLM OFFERS TOUR OF OKLA. LONG-TERM HOLDING FACILITIES
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is hosting an all-day public tour of two wild horse long-term holding pastures in Hominy, Okla., about an hour from Tulsa. The tour, which will take place on June 4, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., will give the public an opportunity to observe wild horses roaming in a natural setting across thousands of acres. Continue reading…
THOROUGHBRED ‘PERFORMANCE GENES’ FURTHER EXAMINED IN STUDY
The genetics behind the athletic performance of Thoroughbred racehorses has been a popular area of research in the past few years. A large-scale study was carried out recently in Japan, the results of which corroborate those of previous studies: Identifying specific “performance genes” on equine chromosome 18 could identify the ideal distance for a Thoroughbred to race. Some industry veterinarians, however, suggest that this information should still be evaluated and used with caution. Continue reading…
Hope you enjoy the news. We will be posting pictures of the horses available for lease in the next day or so. Don’t forget to come see us out at the ranch. We are open Monday thru Thursday and some weekends. Call us to set up a time to meet your next trail horse.
Deb Stowers
Sierra Ranch, LLC
http://sierraranchok.com/
http://sierraranchok.net/
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Filed Under: news
Posted by admin on April 4, 2011
We are getting Sierra Ranch, LLC back and going so you will be seeing more postings here and the newsletter should be going out more regularly. Here is some news that we are getting ready for at the ranch. Tomorow the vet is coming for coggins and shots. Should be a fun day. So glad I will be missing it this year. 
VACCINATION BASICS FOR HORSES
Vaccination used to be simple. You bought a couple of vaccines at the feed store and gave them once a year to your horse. Today there are so many vaccination options that if you still administer vaccines yourself without at least talking to your veterinarian, you might be selling yourself, and your horse, short. Continue reading…
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7 Steps to a Safe Spring Ride
A poet once wrote of the joys of spring and its effect on horsemen. April, he said, broke the drought of March, bathed the roots of plants in “sweet liquor,” and brought green to every field and hollow. And all these pretty changes awakened in the men and women of Canterbury, England a desire to get on their horses and go on a pilgrimage, to seek a little adventure horseback and break the doldrums of winter. | Read |
 BATTLING BOREDOM: STUDY PROVES FOOD-RELATED ITEMS MOST SUCCESSFUL
The old saying goes, “Idle hands are the devil’s tools,” but horse owners know an idle horse’s lips can cause just as much mischief. For many owners it can be a daily challenge to keep curious horses occupied when not being ridden or handled. In her recent study, Grete Helen Meisfjord Jørgensen, PhD, of the Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research, observed horses’ reactions to several types of “enrichment items” and determined that food-related items helped battle boredom best. Continue reading… |
Don’t forget to come see us out at the ranch. We are open Monday thru Thursday and some weekends. Call us to set up a time to meet your next trail horse.
Deb Stowers
Sierra Ranch, LLC
http://sierraranchok.com/
http://sierraranchok.net/
Posted by admin on January 4, 2011
I haven’t blogged here in a while. We have been really busy with the other “other business” and blogging once a month on that site has been about my limit. However, after reading a couple of posts from some wonderful ladies I feel the need to put some things in writing and see if we can make 2011 even better than 2010. And the challenge was something that I think I could do. Rules are kinda lax, so I might hit them.
I shy away from having too many things written down, but know it’s a good thing. Providing an update blog once a month here will keep me on target and meet some of these goals. I stole a few of these, but what can I say… they are right on target.
1. Get Healthy and Fit – Exercise regularly, quit eating junk and go to regular doctor appointments. I know this will not happen overnight, but even small step in the right direction will lead to accomplishing some of the ones below.
2. Work Towards One Less Job – Focus on making the other “other business” hubby’s full time job.
3. Pay Off Debt – Thankfully the other “other job” is doing a great job of this. And helps us get more prepared for number 2.
4. STOP Procrastinating – This might be the hardest, but so needs to be conquered.
5. Ride My Horse – Very hard to admit, but I haven’t ridden in over a year. Partly a time thing. Partly a fit thing. I miss riding, but need to be a bit more fit to do it.
6. Learn More About Marketing – I love learning and applying all I have learned to both businesses.
7. Help Some Folks Along the Way – More than just charity work. Help others learn from what we are doing.
8. Pay Attention to Regular Maintenance – This is everything from maintaining our fences, vehicles, horses to ourselves.
9. Stay Connected – This is a challenge with our work loads, but something that needs to be done.
10. Cut Out Time Wasters – Sadly some of the online games must go.
11. Remember to have FUN – Anything can be made fun and I need to focus on that.
I have all the tools to make this happen, just need that swift kick every now and then to make it happen. Hopefully this will make 2011 a most wonderful year!
Make it a GREAT day!
Deb Stowers
Sierra Ranch, LLC
http://sierraranchok.com/
http://sierraranchok.net/
