Welcome to the Red Tail Newsletter

This newsletter will come out monthly with updates on Ranch happenings, the who’s who of the ranch and equine tips and interests.

MEET THE FAMILY

Darren grew up in Ellsworth, WI riding horses bareback around the property. Christine was raise in Wausau, WI with a family of skiers. Darren and Christine met when they were both ski instructor in college. Eventually, they married and moved to Colorado in 2004 and started a family of their own. They have blessed the world with 3 boys; Dylan 12, Colton 10 and Mason 8. The family enjoys skiing, hunting, fishing and, of course, working with horses. Beyond managing the ranch, Darren own and manages AccelerateMyPractice specializing in coaching dentists within their businesses. Christine keeps busy managing her own business, Health Connection, helping others to stay healthy, fit and fabulous. Their three boys keep busy attending Colorado Springs Christian School in Woodland Park, playing soccer, and participating in 4-H. They are a wonderful family and I feel that we are blessed to have them looking after and loving on all of our precious horses. Be careful though, they may offer you grilled rabbit or squirrel stew! (Not even kidding!) You will see the Kaberna's out riding and taking care of their six horses; Micah, Sundance, Bowie, River, Pepper and Gentry. Don’t forget their two dogs, Lucy and Asher, two house cats two barn cats at home and last but not lease the two Red Tail Ranch cats Rocket and Groot. They also have a million chickens at home and even more chickens at the ranch. They are one very busy family!

In the last 14 months Red Tail Ranch Equestrian Center has come a long way. What started out with a house and barn has evolved into so much more. Fences have been replaced to keep our horses safe, the barn cleaned out to be a great area to store tack and feed. The round pin and loafing sheds added to help transition horses as they join the RedTail family. Last summer the vision for the ranch continued to grow as tons upon tons of dirt was moved to make new area for the inside arena, stables and outside arena. The outside arena has been erected and has been a welcome area to ride and train several of your horses. Next to come is the indoor arena followed by the stables. This is definitely the place to be if you want the very best for your one ton, hairy, four-legged friends!

WHO'S WHO?

Jennifer (Jenn) Zala.

Jenn is the proud owner of Champion out at the Ranch. Jenn specializes in hunter/jumper discipline as well as starting young horses, re-training across disciplines, such as off the track horses moving on to their next career, as well as some dressage basics. She has been teaching and riding for close to 25 years and working as a professional for the last eight. She offers lessons, training rides, and fitness maintenance during the week for those who are only able to make it out to the ranch during the weekends.

Andrew Lowe (Andy)

Many of you have seen Andy Lowe at the ranch as well. Andy is certified as a professional horse trainer since 1996. Andy has worked for a world class reining horse trainer prior to returning to the El Paso and Teller counties to train. Andy specializes in western pleasure, starting horses, and working with horses that present with problematic behaviors.

Please feel free to reach out to Jenn or Andy with any questions you might have about the services they offer.

Blankets... Yeah or Neigh

Welcome to the age old question, “should I blanket my horse?” Unfortunately this is a very grey area and the answer depends on the individual horse, where you live, how long their hair is, are they body clipped and are they showing during the winter months. The list goes on and on. The following information is gathered from the AQHA website with some basic information and considerations to be made when deciding whether to blanket you long nosed pet or not.

As soon as our days start getting shorter your horse starts to produce their winter coat. They start to grow thicker, longer hair in July than shed their summer coat in October. The longer, more coarse hair keeps them warm by fluffing up to trap heat and insulate them from the cold. Beyond using their winter coat to stay warm they also use their calories to keep warm from the inside out. For this purpose more hay is often fed in the winter to keep up with the caloric demand.

Here are a few factors to consider when talking about blanketing:

What is the winter like in your area, Dry? Humid?,
What age/breed is your horse?,
What is your horses body condition? Is he/she able to maintain his weight?

Let’s also take a look at the health effects of blanketing. Blankets that are too thick or get left on for too long can lead to excessive sweating, dehydration, (a horse’s water intake increases during cold weather,) rain rot, fungi and other problems. When considering blanketing your horse it is best to consult with your local veterinarian.

Thank You!

Thank you for taking the time to read the first newsletter from the Red Tail Ranch Equestrian Center!

We look forward to keeping you up-to-date on the latest and greatest happenings at the Ranch. Please feel free to reach out with questions or ideas for future newsletters. And a special heads up to all of you!

Keep your eye out for the month where you and your horse(s) is introduced to the rest of the Red Tail Ranch family in future newsletters.