Crescent Moon Ranch & Stables, LLP

05/05/2026

Ranch life!

02/11/2026

09/28/2024

"No. 1. Get your tack and equipment just right, and then forget about it and concentrate on the horse.

No. 2. The horse is bigger than you are, and it should carry you. The quieter you sit, the easier this will be for the horse.

No. 3. The horse's engine is in the rear. Thus, you must ride your horse from behind, and not focus on the forehand simply because you can see it.

No. 4. It takes two to pull. Don't pull. Push.

No. 5. For your horse to be keen but submissive, it must be calm, straight and forward.

No. 6. When the horse isn`t straight, the hollow side is the difficult side.

No. 7. The inside rein controls the bending, the outside rein controls the speed.

No. 8. Never rest your hands on the horse's mouth. You make a contract with it: "You carry your head and I'll carry my hands."

No. 9. If the horse can't learn to accept what you're doing, what you’re doing isn't any good.

No. 10. Once you've used an aid, put it back.

No. 11. You can exaggerate every virtue into a defect.

No. 12. Always carry a stick, then you will seldom need it.

No. 13. If you`ve given something a fair trial, and it still doesn't work, try something else—even the opposite.

No. 14. Know when to start and when to stop. Know when to resist and when to reward.

No. 15. If you're going to have a fight, you pick the time and place.

No. 16. What you can't accomplish in an hour should usually be put off until tomorrow.

No. 17. You can think your way out of many problems faster than you can ride your way out of them.

No. 18. When the horse jumps, you go with it, not the other way around.

No. 19. Don`t let over-jumping or dull routine erode the horse's desire to jump cleanly. It's hard to jump clear rounds if the horse isn't trying.

No. 20. Never give up until the rail hits the ground.

No. 21. Young horses are like children—give them a lot of love, but don't let them get away with anything.

No. 22. In practice, do things as perfectly as you can; in competition, do what you have to do.

No. 23. Never fight the oats.

No. 24. The harder you work, the luckier you get."

~Bill Steinkraus

📸 Sister

09/23/2024

I copied this from another private page and it is worth the read...
The word "euthanasia" comes from the Greek words, "Eu" (good) and Thanatos (death), with its meaning to be death without suffering. Domesticated horses innately live in the present and don't really concern themselves with much other than when they will be turned out to pasture or when their next meal is coming via their caretaker. A horse's brain is wired with a strong flight instinct that has them flee when they feel they are in danger. They run in herds to utilize a collective instinct that is ruled over by a dominant horse whose job it is to keep them all safe. The herd benefits from a leader whom all other horses submit to. Often, in domesticated horses you will find a lead mare that is the dominant horse, where in the wild a stallion would hold this protective position. In either scenario, it is the horse that has proven itself by temperament and physical prowess to be the one most capable of watching over the herd that gets the job. When wild horses travel together and one may be old or ailing, it is common for the herd leader to expel that horse from the healthy herd in order to increase the survival of the overall herd. This may seem very brutal to us, as ostracizing the compromised animal is likely to cause it to fall prey to a predator thus increasing the chances of the herd's survival. But this is instinct and that is how it is in the wild.
Horses in captivity do not run the risk of this kind of outcome but their fate may be less than kind at times because modern veterinary medicine can keep an sick horse or a horse in pain alive longer than they would in their natural herd environment. Humans think in completely different terms and our ability to understand the concept of the future can at times influence our judgement on what really is in the best interest of our horse's quality of life. When we make the decision to euthanize an animal, where does our emotional pain actually arise from? Are we heartsick because our animal will be released from suffering and/or pain? Does our emotional pain come from the fact that we are the ones to make the decision and plan for our animal's mercy killing? Or, is it that we really don't want to remove that animal from our own life because it is too painful for us to look at the future without them? My guess is that the irreversible decision and the personal loss is simply more than many of us can handle. So we fill our horses with all manner of drugs that relieve pain and suffering, possibly prolonging its life for a time, but knowing full well that it is likely a band aid solution on a terminal condition that will never be remedied. This we do for a horse that has no real concept of the future.
I have heard the phrase more times than I can count, " I'll know when my horse will have had enough" or " I'll be able to tell by the look in his/her eyes", "I'll know the time has come when my horse can't get up or doesn't want to eat". I fail to understand why people have to wait for their horse to have trauma and drama in order to let them go humanely. Why can't the decision be made to let our beloved horses go before it gets horrible for them. We know they are hurting or ailing, we know it isn't going to ever get better. We also know that most of the pain medications are hard on a horse's stomach yet many keep on pushing medicine into their equine loves because they (the human) cannot handle the day their horse's death becomes a reality. I have a great deal of admiration for those of you that decide to let your old or ailing horse go before the harsh winter comes or before the scorching heat of the summer beats down upon them. This is what I think love is all about. It is putting the word love into action and knowing that you are able to make a decision that is in the very best interest of an animal that has willingly carried you through streams and over bridges, up and down hills and brought you home safely.
In the world of horse owners, we are the ones that make the final decision that would have been made by the herd leader in the wild. We have the ability to schedule a time and place, to make sure our horse is pre-sedated so that the final syringe can be given more precisely to a calm animal, thus ensuring a death with no unnecessary drama. Please think about what your horse has meant to you and be willing to advocate for its peaceful passing before it becomes a traumatic situation for you both.
,

09/20/2024

🐴 DRESSAGE SOLUTIONS: To maintain your balance ... 🐴

Imagine that your upper body is like a broomstick and your horse is a hand trying to balance it. If your body (the broomstick) starts to tip, your hand (horse) will automatically move underneath to keep it up. You cannot lean right and expect your horse to go left.
~ Great Britain Olympic gold and silver medalist Laura Tomlinson

09/19/2024

09/13/2024

SUCCESS DEMANDS THESE 6 THINGS:

1. HARD-WORK
Don't believe in luck, believe in hard work.
Stop trying to rush the process or searching for a shortcut. There is none.

2. PATIENCE
If you are losing the patience, you are losing the battle. First nothing happens, then it happens slowly and suddenly all at once. Most people give up at stage one.

3. SACRIFICE
If you don't sacrifice for what you want, then what you want becomes the sacrifice. Everything has its price. The question is: Are you ready to pay it for the life you desire? Are you willing to sacrifice the easy and the comfortable now for the results you want....the results you NEED?

4. CONSISTENCY
Consistency is what transforms average into excellence. Without consistency, you will never achieve greater success.

5. DISCIPLINE
Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing. There will be days when you don't “feel” like doing it. You have to push through those days regardless of how you feel.

6. SELF-CONFIDENCE
Confidence is, I'll be fine if they don't like me.
Love yourself is important. Take care of yourself. Learn to say NO. If it's a NO to you, it needs to be a NO to them. The right people will stick around and the wrong will disappear. Confidence comes from taking care of yourself and from being true to yourself.

YOU DESERVE THE LIFE OF YOUR DREAMS!

We only get one chance at this thing called life....
MAKE IT COUNT!

📸: Jared H Searcy

09/04/2024

Crescent Moon Ranch & Stables, LLP has immediate openings in our Main Barn, Shed Row Barn, and Field! All stalls are 12' x 12' with 12' x 24' attached runs. Board costs include feeding/watering (alfalfa and/or bermuda) 2-3 times daily, stall cleaning, on site security, etc. Other amenities include 2 hot walkers, outdoor arena, covered arena, turn outs, round pens, wash rack, and miles and miles of open land to trail ride and condition your horse. Visit our website for more information and prices. Quiet facility with no drama.
www.CrescentMoonRanch.net

08/27/2024

http://stories.endurance.net/2000/10/beating-metabolic-pull-part-i-hydration.html?m=1&fbclid=IwY2xjawE6JvNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHeZDUTtjCTX5navq2dbFT6Bz-Y-knhoW5jlIx0Z-NFKX_NdKu-P1k-qVJQ_aem_lEMWB_EPFhGxsfU18hsnXw

Reprinted from Endurance News, June 2000 Susan Garlinghouse, MS My belief has always been that if a rider understands some of the why in nut...