Creekside Horses & Learning

06/16/2026

Last post for the book club! Click on the long link for the eBook, "A Horse to Love." https://www.amazon.com/Horse-Love-Keystone-Stables/dp/0310717922/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2HON731YSEAZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.MX3_Y1AlgS5ZnO27o_iIHuyYfkNkQDad-OSM3D_RVGjKuucK0R5qUEpSe6qKsQjbK_a5hDRyj3z0LwjWNRe1Xj8CAQC7DDAOUHzBPZo4aiodJYOUNqDOg1ZNBfZUBC63w3W704aKn3s6w2-Bm-bOt6XMHeZiRGr4aB8VPjFNKzaGMy_wNQTduMpFr5IV5Zfo1i0W8mJdO1ecdRjcZ-dP7kMl5vy2NvCevfKZT3Xs7nA.oy77uzvXyQ67EYGhM1mrxAlFD-SSI6sEyAbUn8qNykQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+horse+to+love+book&qid=1781640177&sprefix=a+horse+to+love+boo%2Caps%2C359&sr=8-1
Yes, still time to sign up! We will begin this Thursday from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Contact Jennie @ [email protected] or complete the registration form here: https://forms.gle/6Q2uv7PBJRNXKd9R9

So grateful to be able to share a passion for horses with young readers! God is SO good! -Jennie & The Herd , , ,

Thank you so much for your interest in our programs! It is our pleasure to welcome you and we hope your child(ren) enjoy the learning experience! Once registered, you will receive a follow-up email with further details about the program you selected.

06/15/2026

"Read with Steeds" Book Club! Sign Up--only a few spots left. No fee except to purchase the eBook or paperback of "A Horse to Love" https://www.christianbook.com/a-horse-to-love-ebook/marsha-hubler/9780310862499/pd/3737EB?event=AAI

Ages 8-13
Dates: June 18, June 25 and July 9
Time 4:00-5:30 p.m. Click this link to register: https://forms.gle/mnem4bRnGg8opraw7

Contact Jennie @ [email protected] for any questions! , , ,

06/14/2026

COMING SOON! "Critters at Creekside!"

Stay tuned and find out the details!

"All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all." -Cecil F. Alexander
, , , ,

Send a message to learn more

06/13/2026

"Grandsire?"--yep! That is the correct vocabulary for a horse's 'Grandfather!'

The photo below was my mare's Grandsire, "G*i Marquis." He was the reference stallion for https://www.lotusbloodstock.com/ Lotus Bloodstock Arabians.

Who knew when I was only 17 years old that his son, "Marquis G*i Drummer" would sire one of the best horses to raise from birth to passing (35 years)! What a journey and one that will never be forgotten. The Lord definitely had a plan!

She was the beginning of a very long career with horses and I am so eternally grateful! See her tribute on our website: https://www.creeksidehorsesandlearning.org/our-horses

Stay cool out there! -Jennie & The Herd 🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴 , ,

06/12/2026

There are still a few spots left for our "Read with Steeds" Book Club! Check on our pinned post for the details. No cost, but the eBook or paperback, https://www.christianbook.com/a-horse-to-love-ebook/marsha-hubler/9780310862499/pd/3737EB.

We start next Thursday from 4:00-5:30. Readers must be pre-registered, so contact Jennie at [email protected] or 609.678.8655. Keep those literacy skills sharp over the summer! -Jennie & The Herd 😎🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴 , , , ,

Thirteen-year-old foster kid Skye Nicholson has become an expert at being an angry, cold, and defensive teenager. After breaking more foster home placements than she cares to count, and committing numerous offenses, she's headed to her final resort - juvenile detention. But after a court compromise,...

06/11/2026

IT WAS A COMPLETE DISASTER! What seemed like a relatively simple process turned out, well...not to be!

The photo below is from last year's attempt to grow our own hay (Bahia mostly) in our front field. We let it grow, cut, raked into windrows, turned it for several days to dry and then 'baled' with a cart and used bale strings. 36 'bales' total that were stored along with our other hay.

Well, within only a few days, there was a strong mold/mildew smell and 'gritty' feeling which, of course is not good. Ugh, what did we do wrong? Of course, it was never fed to our horses!

For anyone else 'out there' on smaller farms (10 acres) trying to grow their own hay, it was not dry enough. The days were HOT and the grass dried for 3 days (or so we thought). Apparently, the stalks can hold moisture unless 'crimped' which can be done, but uses an expensive component of machinery.

Now, for the 'hope' part! After some research, there is an old 'farmer's way' to check and see exactly when the grass is dry enough to bale! Hooray! The 'bicycle test' to the rescue!! You simply grab a handful of grass, when it's tall enough, and hold onto it with both hands, leaving a small area in between, and 'bicycle' it! If it breaks apart quickly (3 seconds or so), you're good to go. If not, it's too wet!

It goes without writing that this is our own experience and we are not offering any professional farming advice; just sharing what we have learned.

So, not giving up! We will have a go at it again and will use a smaller 'test area' to see how things progress.

Our fabulous John Deere 1023e is so helpful to scoop up composted manure from our pile and spread with a harrow to nourish the soil and help the variety of grass seed grow. We are only using low starch/low sugar types, such as Bahia and Bermuda.

Note: If you have a horse with metabolic concerns, always have the hay/grass tested first for ESC of less than 10% according to the ECIR Group - Equine Cushings and Insulin Resistance.

Ok, back to other projects around the farm! So thankful for the shade trees in this heat!

Have a peaceful and blessed day! -Jennie & The Herd 🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴 , , , , , ,

06/10/2026

Recycled Bale Twine Update: Our trash bags full of clean 'figure 8' twine was sold for repurposing! Since this is a 'pilot' project, another drop off is scheduled very soon. If it is sold also, we may be onto something! Photos/video below are just to illustrate the uses and other ideas.

Besides our literacy focus, there are also other opportunities to educate the youth on unique ways to recycle materials that they may have never been exposed to, especially in the equine industry!

Be sure to check back and see the progress of this exciting adventure. It sure feels good to know that bale string is not sitting in a landfill for the next 50 years!

May you all enjoy a peaceful and blessed day! -Jennie & The Herd 🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴 , ,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAeauqMKIqc

06/09/2026

Keep those reading skills going! "Read with Steeds" is back! We will meet on Thursdays, 6/18, 6/25 & 7/9 (break in between for July 4th) from 4:00-5:30 p.m. No fee except to purchase either the eBook or paperback. Click on the link for either option.
https://www.christianbook.com/a-horse-to-love-ebook/marsha-hubler/9780310862499/pd/3737EB
You must be pre-registered. Contact Jennie @ [email protected] or via our fB page. This book is suitable for ages 8-13.

What to expect?
- Great discussions
- Improved knowledge and vocabulary about horses
- Making new friends
- Meeting our herd and learning about each individual
- Safety
- ...and more!

Upon receipt of your registration, you will receive more details. Be sure to provide either your email or a phone number.

Thanks so much and we look forward to seeing you! -Jennie & The Herd 🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴 , , , , ,

Thirteen-year-old foster kid Skye Nicholson has become an expert at being an angry, cold, and defensive teenager. After breaking more foster home placements than she cares to count, and committing numerous offenses, she's headed to her final resort - juvenile detention. But after a court compromise,...

05/07/2026

"It's playtime!"

When working with children and horses, the best testimony to enjoyment while learning is interest and engagement. The eyes 'say it all' and a 'dull' or 'dead' eye is quite sad! We don't want that!

With horses, one way to 'check in' is to see if the eyes are bright and they are alert (not fearful). Do they follow you because they're interested in what you're doing (not motivated by treats)? Do they respect you? Are they 'tuned in' to every nuance and gesture and what is expected? They find safety in that. Do they feel confident when overcoming something strange or new? Are you the one they 'run to?' :) What are your interactions like?

With children, are their eyes 'bright' and 'alert'? Are they 'tuned in' to what is being taught and interactive? Do they ask questions when something is not understood? Do they respect you and feel safe? Are they confident and trust that you are able to teach them something new or help them comprehend a bit more when a subject is challenging?

As I've written before explaining the 'Tumbleweed Series', horses and children are a lot alike when it comes to learning. When the element of FUN and PLAY is incorporated in the learning process, both species can excel beyond what you might think. It may even surprise them, too!

I love utilizing the 'sense-able' approach! Helping a child learn about adjectives by describing an object to me while my eyes are closed has been a fun approach! Teaching a horse to learn to trust me and herself by discovering that exploring the woods isn't scary at all! In fact, it's quite fun! You can't do that if your mind is racing. Achieving a calm state and confidence may take a while, but patience, experience and building that relationship is paramount and worth it!

When a student says, "Can I stay longer? This is fun!" or a horse demonstrates this same feeling by not leaving after the halter is removed is the 'proof in the pudding!'

Fun Fact: 17th century idiom meaning "The real worth, success, or effectiveness of something can only be determined by putting it to the test by trying or using it, appearances and promises aside—just as the best test of a pudding is to eat it." -Merriam-Webster
..just my musings...now, off to start planning a contained sensory trail (a.k.a. track system first introduced by Jaime Jackson--brilliant horseman) through our woods! Let the fun continue!! -Jennie & The Herd 🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴 , , ,

05/03/2026