Broken Spoke Stable

Great time today with Charles Rice teaching our beginner roping clinic. Lots of laughs while learning all the in’s and out’s of this sport. Both horse and rider duos did fantastic with their first time chasing the “dummy.” Next time we will have us some real cows!!

What a great afternoon for a trail ride. No tricks only treats!! Everyone crossed the bridge, no spooks when we passed bicyclers and a pretty nice buck standing in the background watching us pass by. I’m so blessed to have these young ladies in my life. Awesome way to exit October.

Our Fall Freestyle Competition was our best one yet. Our theme was “A day at the Matinee” which showcased so many great songs and routines from movies. Here is a snippet of all the performances put to one of the songs used. Much thanks to our 3 judges who had the hardest job, Sandra Savage, Mary Vansickle and Taylor Day. RM Rentals for the popcorn machine, Caleb Hershman for doing everything I asked. Shane and Danny for videoing, my best friend Diane for running the concision stand and everyone who attended. But most of all, the participants who have worked so hard for weeks getting their routines perfected.

Fall Freestyle Competition 2024 “A day At the Matinee”

It’s time for our annual Fall Freestyle Competition.
Sunday, October 27th at 2:00 p.m.
“A DAY AT THE MATINEE”
All routines will be performed to songs from movies.
Concession stand will be available!
Bring a lawn chair and be prepared to be entertained.
And no worries, the Steelers don’t play till Monday night so no reason not to attend!

BSS PROUD MOMENT:

On Friday, 9/27 I got a call that no horse lover wants to receive. BT and Broderick had just left our facility 2 hours earlier with their owner Mary driving back to their home in Ocean City. They come every year to escape the intense heat and enjoy some mountaintop hospitality.
The weather that morning was less then desirable as we were experiencing the affects of hurricane Helena. Mary has made this trip many times but still I was a little worried because she was driving alone. I was just starting my lesson with Kayla when my phone rang, it was Mary and she had been in an accident. She was very shaken telling me she had lost control when her truck and trailer went into a spun from all the rain and wind. It ended with her trailer sliding sideways and slamming into the guard rails, jack knifing her truck. The horses were still standing inside the penned trailer and could we come quickly to help her.
Kayla heard the entire conversation and quickly contacted her husband Phillip who with his brother in law heading to the crash site so Mary wouldn’t be alone.
I immediately called my uncle, Don Mason who came to ride with my husband. My employee Caleb Hershman dropped what he was doing to lend a hand helping with hooking up our trailer.
The accident happened on interstate 68 just before the Hancock exit. Police had all but one lane blocked so that when our trailer arrived they would have room to pull over and begin the unloading and reloading process. Assessment of the horses showed several scrapes and abrasions but for the most part they seemed sound. Broderick was the first to load back onto our trailer. BT gave a bit of hesitation (and who could blame him) but finally decided to jump on and make the trip back to our barn.
I’m pleased to report that both horses, while a bit banged and beat up will make a full recovery.
In this situation it makes my heart so proud that in that moment of crisis so many stopped what they were doing to go offer help to Mary and her beloved horses. The trailer was totaled and the truck has major damage but both human and horses walked away from a accident that could have ended with a tragic ending. Thank you so much to everyone that responded to my call for help!!! Would also like to commend the Maryland state police for all their care and assistance and praise be to God for watching over our dear friends!!

BSS PROUD MOMENT!🐴!

I’m starting a new addition to our fb page and I’m calling it BSS proud moment. It’s to give credit for exceptional achievement from any student who takes lessons at our facility.

Today I’m honoring Joshlyn Paugh who on Saturday entered her first ever ranch class at a show we attended. There were many adults in the show ring competing against her but I could see immediately the concentration on Joshlyn’s face as she is a true competitor! She and her horse Dixie were traveling around the arena at a nice ranch trot. Then came a call I’ve never heard at a show in a ranch class but something we work on ALL THE TIME! The announcer called for an extended trot on the correct diagonal. Joshlyn occasionally struggles with her diagonals but not on Saturday. She nailed it and her mom and I could hardly contain our excitement because out of all the competitors Joshlyn and one other were the only ones who executed the command correctly. The judge called all riders into the center for placement and Joshlyn who was the youngest rider in the class, won first place. This earns her our first BSS Proud Moment. Great job Joshlyn and Dixie!! And yes, I was extremely proud!!

Went to a little end of season fun show at Duel Force Ranch in Pennsylvania and enjoyed the afternoon watching my small fry kids excell at what they love doing. I even let them stay to run the down and back race and they had a lot of fun with that. Also proud of my adult student Emily on Jed and my first time youth competitor courtesy.

Our HOME GROWN boy starting to meet the expectations that I always hoped that he would. Watch for him next year as we branch out with his showing career.
Dow up a Hot Invite - barn name Jonas
AQHA/APHA 6 years old.

Just a few pictures from todays show. Many more to come! Weather was beautiful for the last WVU show of the season. Thank you Chelsea Benedict for spending the day with us and snapping pictures.

Two Rocky Mountain horses, one Missouri Fox Trotter and one Paso Fino representing our stable at the WVU show. We LOVE our gaited horses!!

When people say “It takes a village” there could be no truer statement. Here are a few pics of what goes on before we enter the show ring on a rainy afternoon.
I often take for granted the amazing fact that our horses do their jobs regardless of the weather. Regardless of how long they stand tied to the trailers before it’s their time to go into the arena. We train for umbrellas, flopping canopies, slickers, you name it in the event we have a day where we need it. The horses passed the test! Not so sure about the kids! My mom always told me never to put a plastic bag over my head or I’d suffocate 😀
Thanks to all the parents who took pictures, it was not a good day to have cell phones out.

We had sweatshirt weather in the morning.
We had sunshine for about 5 seconds.
We had rain and then some more rain.
We had umbrellas.
We had plastic ponchos.
We had a student showing in her very first show!
We had a whopping 17 competitors showing in the small fry showmanship class!!!
We had some very impressive wins.
We may have convinced a few dads that fake tails might be in their future?!?
We discovered a hornets nest in one of the trailers.
We now know that Tammy can back a horse off the trailer in record speed when bees are involved!
We have the best show team mom ever!
We finally convinced Jonas that backing off the trailer is the better idea.
We will be conditioning our wet tack before it molds.
We support each other and we always have fun.
We thank the Mountaintop Saddle Club for everything they do to make this show possible.
We will get right back to work tomorrow preparing for next week’s show in West Virginia.
We thank and appreciate all of you who follow our journey right here on FB!!

It’s been a busy week for our show team with several participating in our county fair, one becoming a new dad, the gaited group showing Saturday and getting drenched in the rain, our show team mom sick, and hot, humid weather making it hard to practice but somehow we got up early again today and made our way down the mountain to our second WVU show of the season. It truly is a lot of hard work and some days it can be disappointing and exhausting but we love what we do and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Now get some rest team, you deserve it!!!!

Another show under our belts!
Everyone did a great job ❤️🐴❤️

Showmanship, halter, Western, ranch riding and ranch trail ribbons all won today at the first WVU show of the season. Very proud of the accomplishments of these exceptional young ladies! Now back to the grid to learn the patterns for next weeks show. It take’s great dedication to do what our showteam does along with the support of family and friends. You ladies are the best!!

Big thank you to WVU Equine program for adding 4 gaited classes to their show lineup!! It was a hot one, 92 degrees 🥵 but we survived. Now back tomorrow with our full show team for the western devision!! Thank you Phillip and Yvonne for going with me!!

I met Julie Turrentine when she came to my stable with her horse Charlie. I had no idea at the time that this woman would become far more then just a client as she soon became a cherished friend. People in our community knew her for her many talents; she was an amazing artist and musician. She loved to cook and her dogs were her children. I had the privilege of knowing Julie as a “cowgirl” and believe me she approached riding with an intense discipline that I’d never witnessed before. Julie was a perfectionist and after every riding lesson she diligently practiced all throughout the week to improve on her skills. Her horse Charlie was a saint, he was the opposite of Julie and not overly talented and he had one direction that he traveled much better then the other. I remember one October when we had our fall freestyle competition and Julie choreographed a beautiful routine to Phantom of the Opera. I think I’m the only person who noticed that the entire routine was all the same direction, Charlie’s good way.
Julie could be sporadic and make decisions without thinking things through and you didn’t dare argue with her even if you knew it was wrong. From the day I met her she was always in a battle with cancer and she fully intended to win and I always believed if anyone could beat cancer it would be Julie.
We shared some great memories together in the saddles atop our horses. There was a group of us that took two trips to Dunmore, WV to enjoy riding along the Greenbrier River, Julie about got us killed when she gave a certain hand gesture and perhaps shouted a few choice words to a oncoming vehicle that was approaching us too fast. The driver answered back by mashing his gas pedal, covering us with black smoke and scaring the heck out of our horses who just happened to be crossing a bridge. After the smoke settled Julie boldly announces that she needed a glass of wine but the rest of us rode in silence contemplating our near death experience.
Julie knew how to live life to the fullest. It was hard watching the final months of her life but she’s now free and the memories she has left are priceless. Happy trails my friend, until we meet again! ❤️🐴❤️

All of us at Broken Spoke Stable send our condolences to the family of McKenzie Wilt. This was taken during one of our Autumn Glory trail rides. Watching you and Hank grow together over the years has been a treasured memory I will always hold in my heart. I will miss you Kenzie ❤️🐴❤️

Perfect ending to a hot day!! 🐴❤️🐴

Wonderful weather for our first show of the season. I just want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to coach such a talented group of young ladies. The hard work and long hours really showed today in the quality of your riding and your showmanship. Thank you to our show team mom Betsy for all the drinks and snacks and to Mountain Top Saddle Club for hosting a great show! Never take for granted the moments spent in the saddle on a good horse!