What is Athens Area Horse Community?
AAHC is a resource for the local horse community. AAHC exists to help you – local equine owner – solve problems and seize opportunities. There are lots of was to reach the team at AAHC – email, Facebook and Instagram. Heck, your neighbor or barn mate likely has my (Amanda McCoy’s) cell phone number. The team at AAHC is building a huge network of contacts as we work on the variety of initiatives we are pushing. Let us help you.
- Is your favorite farrier moving away and you need a new one? Or maybe an additional hay provider?
- Need some land cleared, fence or barn built?
- Thinking about buying or selling a farm?
- Or know someone who has questions about moving here with their horses?
- Looking for a clinic or show to ride in? Or maybe a local trail riding group?
- Do you have loose horses in your neighborhood AGAIN?
Look around this website. We have an Interactive Map, Calendar of Local Events, a Merchant Directory.
There is no charge to add a listing to the AAHC calendar, directory, or map. Athens Area is defined as anything that is within an hour or so drive of Athens. So if you have an equine related event or maybe a equine related business – reach out – form to add an event to the calendar OR our email.
Break Free – 8 Week Coaching Program for Horse Professionals
In this program you’ll learn how to:
- Attract and keep your ideal clients
- Find time to work ON your business rather than working yourself to death
- Confidently raise your rates
- Deliver your services in more profitable, efficient ways
- Fill clinics, group lessons, and programs easily
- Create monthly income you can count on
- Save time and stress by minimizing cancellations and late payments
- Save time by automating scheduling, billing, and other repeat processes
- Add online services to your in-person training
If you have questions, Red Mare founder and I will be having a discussion Saturday morning (9:30 June 18th) on Facebook live. Click to join this free discussion HERE.
Upcoming AAHC Unmounted Educational Seminar – “Hidden Hazards in your Barn” with Rebecca Gimenez Husted
Join us August 10th from 5-8pm (location TBD) for a seminar and discussion about the dangers hiding in our barns led by Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue expert Rebecca Gimenez Husted. Every barn has dangers, and it is best practice to be aware of these potential problems so we can manage them as best we can.
She literally wrote the book on Large Animal Emergency Rescue and travels the world teaching on these topics. We are INCREDIBLY blessed to have such a knowledgeable expert local to Athens. Y’all come learn from the best.
More details to come. Buy your ticket HERE and ASAP. We suspect this seminar will be a popular one.
Volunteer Recognition
We have some new help to introduce! Arlene Williams has graciously been volunteering her time to keep the calendar of events up to date. Arlene lives in Winterville with her horses and puppies. She is She has already proved to be a dedicated and hard working volunteer and we are grateful for her service. Molly Smith is also joining us for a summer internship. She rides a beautiful paint mare named Pepsi and is helping us produce website content, get better at Instagram, and work on the Heritage Park Proposal.
Keeping Your Horse Cool
Tips to keep your horse cool:
- Do what you can to keep water temps down to encourage drinking. Hot water is miserable to drink when it is miserably hot.
- Move water troughs to shaded areas.
- Fill a plastic milk jug with water and freeze it, then drop it in the trough when temps start to climb.
- Top off water troughs during the hottest part of the day. Water coming from the ground will be 50 to 60 degrees F – cooling the water in the tank.
- Give them a balanced electrolyte or salt with fresh water. This is another great way to encourage horses to drink water but chat with your veterinarian first about electrolytes as you can give horses too much.
- Provide shade or allow horses to come into the barn during the day.
- Provide motor enclosed fans to move air and/or misting elements where your horses like to hang out. Horses cool best when water is evaporating off their coat and moving air will help them cool off.
- Apply cold water to their coat. Cold hose, or dip rags in ice water and apply to their coat. No need to scrape the water off – evaporation cools! Don’t listen to your trainer with outdated information. No need to scrape water off.
- Work slower (more walking and less cantering than your usual workout) or avoid exercise altogether in the heat of the day unless you have a competition coming up when the horse will be competing in the heat. Horses must be conditioned properly to work in the heat, it is best to discuss a plan with your veterinarian.
- Bring them inside your house. Just kidding. I wish this was an option because I would have them at the dinner table with us year round.
Dr. David Merlin has a great social media post from 2018 about keeping horses cool. And he was live this morning chatting about keeping your horse cool.
Working Eq Wolf Pack
AAHC is very excited to be a part of bringing Working Eq to the Athens Area. The Jane Renner Clinic last weekend was even more insightful than anticipated. A huge thank you to Jane, all our hardworking volunteers, and the participants. Day 1 of the clinic was group lessons on obstacles where participants focused on the movement between and through obstacles. Day 2 was Ride a Tests. You can find photos from the weekend posted here.
Curious about Working Eq? It is a fast growing sport, relatively new to the states. Learn more at Working Equitation of Georgia or the national organization: USAWE. Keep an eye out in the local community for these upcoming opportunities to learn, volunteer, or show working eq locally:
- We are thinking about building some WE obstacles to keep here in Athens. This will require some money, expertise, and physical effort.
- A Zoom call or similar to discuss – attire, rules and any other requirements for showing
-Local working eq play days where we get together and practice the obstacles and dressage tests. - A cow/WE clinic (to help introduce horses to cows). Some of the bigger rated shows include a phase where you and your horse work cattle.
- WE schooling show
- Volunteers for more clinics with Laurie to introduce more locals to WE
- Additional clinics with Jane Renner
We have a new Facebook group set up for the local working eq discussion. Join the conversation there and add your email to our newsletter list. Why did we call it a WOLF PACK? Join the FB group and find out.
AAHC and Land Conversation
We hope to hold an AAHC Land Conservation Group Meeting in July or August. We will likely discuss Heritage Park needs and proposal, review the Equine Impact Survey and discuss opportunities for paying for it. Email us if you are interested in attending this meeting.
See you at the barn!
That all I have time for today. I wish I had time to make this newsletter pretty with fancy pictures and flashing lights. But to be perfectly frank, I am sitting on the front porch watching my daughter play in a water trough and hose…. and I want to go join her then head to the barn to ride now that it has cooled off a bit. <3 Stay in touch y’all.
Amanda McCoy, Founder and President of AAHC