Reflecting on 2014

Well I have to admit, 2014 was pretty dang awesome! We won’t waste time talking about the winter that just didn’t want to quit….so lets get to it. Grab a cup of coffee/tea/whatever it may be and enjoy the read!

In March, we put on the extra layers to participate in a halter breaking/young horse handling clinic with Jamie and John Tilley of Tilley’s Custom Colts. We hauled in our 2013 Playboys Luv Chics to Second Wind Stables by Moosomin SK for their first lessons in education. These yearlings went from never being haltered to leading through obstacle courses and loading onto the trailer.

In April we loaded up the three remaining 2013 Playboys Luv Chics yearlings and headed in to the H3 Expo at Brandon MB for another halter breaking/young horse handling, this time as a demo that John and Jamie Tilley were doing as a part of the expo. This was a wonderful opportunity for us as it saw some of our colts and fillies “head to town” and see the bright lights of the big city.

Also in April, our Snackbox Dually made a trip down to Tunica MS with Cain and Roberta Quam & Family for the Jeffer’s National CMSA shoot. Roberta won the L1 class aboard “Snack”, earned some cold hard cash and some fancy hardware! Congrats once again Roberta!

At the end of April, we were ‘graced’ with the arrival of our very first ‘Snackling’. Sea Breeze Please (Rum Squall x Miss Hobo Dry x Dry Doc) AKA “Grace” presented us with the first foal, a bay filly, by our Snackbox Dually. Then a few short days later, Cats O Lady AKA Kitty (High Brow Cat x Stylish O Lady x Docs Stylish Oak) foaled a handsome colt. The rest of the mares followed suit with their “Cowboy” babies and foaling was completed on June 10th with a beautifully marked sorrel overo filly out of our crossbred mare.

June marks the beginning of what we call “clinic season”! We spent a fantastic four days at the Witty Ranch by Russell MB spending time with old friends, and making new ones, and riding with our friend, master horseman and mentor Peter Campbell. It might have been a little soggy at times, unavoidable when what was dubbed an ‘inland hurricane’ rolls through. We were blessed to be riding in a well drained sand arena, perfect for the horsemanship, colt starting and cow working classes! Thanks to the ever so handy Monty for putting a great start on our two year old Playboys Luv Chics filly, CRR Blue N In Luv AKA Mouse in the colt class.

August was another month of clinics the first of which was a horsemanship clinic at our place featuring a close knit group of friends and headed up by Jamie and John Tilley. The highlight for us was having our son Chay participate in his very first clinic, which also happened to fall on the same weekend as his 9th birthday. He was proud as punch, trotting around the arena, huge smile on his face on his freshly ‘stolen’ saddle horse “Bowie” (stolen from Dad…so it’s quite alright!)

Later in August, I headed west to Jansen SK with my trusty ‘sidekick’ Ember in tow as we went to take in another clinic with Peter at Anne and Marlon Orchard’s. I went horseless (thanks Anne for lending me “Hugs” for the weekend!) and outside my comfort zone, and it was fantastic. This clinic really challenged me; riding a horse that I’d never ridden before, in a clinic, in a more advanced horsemanship class and working colts, and I loved it!! Once again, I was shown how much more there is to learn.

The next weekend, Clayton, Chay and I packed up, loaded up and headed into Winnipeg for Neil and Gail Cornock’s Peter Campbell clinic at their facility, Murdock Stables. We hauled in ‘the usual suspect’ saddle horse for ourselves, plus a few extra to be worked. Monty started our two year old Playboys Luv Chics filly, CRR Little Luvr Girl, and rode our three year old gelding CRR Doc On A Hotrod AND worked CRR Blue N In Luv again. All in all a fantastic clinic for the horses of Coyote Ridge Ranch, and of course, lots of learning and reaffirming for Clayton and I!

Perhaps the highlight of my year was an October trip to “The Ranch”. My friend Jill and I spend a week in Wyoming at Peter and Trina Campbell’s Hat Creek Ranch and words don’t describe how amazing it was. We spent the days riding and experiencing different horses, a few trips to town for supplies and maybe a little bit of shopping (because even this gal who typically hates shopping like to do it once in a while 😉 ). From the horsemanship to the friendship and camaraderie, it was one heck of a time and I cannot wait to get back to the ranch!

I returned home from Wyoming with enough time to do laundry, get my house in order, get to the Peter Campbell clinic in Saskatoon SK, hosted by Clayton and I and held at Willow Ridge Stables. I set out to make Peter’s last clinic of his yearly tour one to remember. If we didn’t succeed, I think we came dang close! We had close to 30 people, making for almost 50 riding spots filled in the Foundation Horsemanship and Horsemanship 1 classes, driving from as far a way as Altona MB and Stony Plain AB to ride with Peter. Everyone had so much try, was so willing to pitch in and help when needed and we can’t thank you guys ‘n gals enough for supporting this clinic!

For the first time in ten years, we missed getting to Western Canadian Agribition at the end of November in Regina SK. Mother Nature cooperated with us for our trip to Saskatoon, but not so much for our trip to Regina. Not only did we miss the ranch horse competition and sale, we also missed watching our Snackbox Dually team up with Cain Quam to win the rifle class of the Pile O Bones CMSA shoot with a blistering 17 second run! Earlier in November, Cain and “Snack” strutted their stuff at the Harvest Showdown in Yorkton SK doing afternoon and evening mounted shooting demos and won the M3 class at the CMSA shoot in Edmonton.

2014 also saw the first Canadian “Cowboy” babies get started under saddle and introduced to cattle. We are pretty excited about the future these horses have and we will be focusing on having some out and about in 2015.

We just enjoyed a nice quiet Christmas day at home with family which has given me the time to sit and reflect on 2014. A big heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us; to the customers who see the value in our breeding program and what we are striving to produce, to the mare owners who believe in our stallions and choose to breed their mares to “Snack” and “Cowboy”, to our trainers for doing their best and giving all they can to our horses, to the clinic participants who drive from far and wide to join us on ‘the journey’. Thank you everyone for a memorable 2014 and we are looking forward to 2015 and beyond.

Yours in good horsemanship,
~Clayton, Sabrina and Chay

PS–If you haven’t already done so, be sure to head on over to the facebook pages for Coyote Ridge Ranch Performance Horses and Playboys Luv Chics and give us a “like”!