Halle's 1st Riding Lesson (and my ribbon collection)

Halle has been begging for the last year to ride horses and yesterday afternoon she finally got her wish. A sweet friend of mine shows horses and recently purchased the most beautiful equestrian farm and agreed to give Halle some lessons. I took her out yesterday after her soccer game for her first meet & greet type lesson. It wasn't really a lesson but rather a chance to see how she responds to being around the horses and ponies. Sometimes kids want to learn to ride but then they are afraid of the animals. Halle was in absolute heaven!! She took to them right away and had no fear. She fed carrots by hand to the large show horse, a beautiful warm blood whose actual breed I cannot remember, and then did a little grooming on the miniature horse named Bully. Then she learned how to lead Bully on a lead line and how to make him stop and go. It was adorable to watch! Bully was definitely a challenge to lead because all he wanted to do was stop every 3 steps and eat grass and clover...and Halle of course would let him, lol! She had the best time and was definitely in her element.

Here she is doing a little grooming on Bully, learning to brush him and comb his mane. Isn't he cute?!!

I just adore this image, the way she is smiling at him and he is looking right back at her! Such a sweet connection!

She kept getting a little turned around and ended up on the wrong side of the lead but I know she'll get the hang of it over time :)

Stopping for a bite to eat for the 50th time, lol! She'll have to learn how to be more authoritative with him while leading him. She just wanted to be sweet and let him do whatever he wanted which he took full advantage of :)

After spending some time with Bully, Halle got to meet Donikan, a German Dressage pony who will eventually be used for shows. He is extremely sweet but is not completely broke yet so not ready for riding. Once Halle is a confident rider and Donikan has had more training they may get to do some training together. He sure is pretty!! Halle absolutely loved her time on the equestrian farm and didn't want to leave. We spent 2 hours with the horses and she cried on the way home because she said she missed them already.  The next time we visit for her first official riding lesson there will be a new addition to the farm...Bella, a white pony who Halle will learn to ride first. I'll share pictures and keep you updated on her riding adventures!!

On another similar note I wanted to share the beginnings of my vintage horse show ribbon collection! I discovered the charm of these old ribbons while looking for ideas for Halle's equestrian themed birthday that she wants for next year. I like to pick up things over time for decorating my party tables and I can't wait to use these beauties! I am swooning over these pretty feminine colors and it's a shame that these are the ones you get when you place lower...I think those pink ones should be 1st place ;) The older ribbons just have so much more charm and character than the modern ones of today...look at the center medallions...they don't make em' like that anymore! I can't wait to add more to my collection over time! Just wanted to share :)

Fun on the Farm and an Opportunity for YOU to Have Grass-fed Beef thru Home Grown Cow!! (coupon code)

This past weekend was a busy one! I spent all day Saturday antique hunting with my mom in a HUGE warehouse called the Depot in Concord, NC...88,000 sqft of antiques and treasures!! Loved it! Found a few things for my home and then we headed out to lunch and then to IKEA in Charlotte. Unfortunately our IKEA visit had to be brief since but it turns out they were completely out of all that I went there to get...typical IKEA. However I did find someone selling a gorgeous antique empire chest on CL and was able to make a pit stop in Salisbury on my way home to pick it up!! It's gonna be my next project...more on that later :)

Yesterday we visited another local farm and got to hear a national leader in the grass-fed beef movement, Ridge Shinn, speak on the benefits of grass-fed beef, both in our health and on sustainability. You can see his Time Magazine article here. His presentation on the farm was very informative! The kids enjoyed seeing the cows up close and really liked playing in the barn where they were able to run around jumping across bales of hay! They even had delicious grass-fed meatballs for everyone and slices of beef brisket, YUM!!

You may be thinking "well that's great but how can I get grass-fed beef when I don't have access to a farm?"...well now you do! After my recent post on buying grass-fed beef I was contacted by a representative from Home Grown Cow, a site that is bridging the gap between farmers and consumers who want access to grass-fed beef and other sustainable products. It's a simple concept. Farmers supply information to Home Grown Cow on the products they offer as well as their farming practices and certifications and then Home Grown Cow provides the information into an online database where consumers can shop for beef, chicken, cheese, eggs, etc. You can search their site based on the product you want and the farming practices that are important to you. Then Home Grown Cow will give you a list of farms that meet your criteria as well as the products offered and you can purchase the items you need directly from that farm. When you place an order the funds from your card will be held until you are in receipt of your meat and are satisfied. At that point the funds will be released to the farmer. You have the option to pick up your order from the farmer (if they are nearby) or you can order from a farm that will ship directly to you! Either way you can buy with confidence! You can find more information on how it all works by reading their FAQ page.

Here is some general information from Home Grown Cow to get you started: (be sure to get discount code below)

1.       Our farmers’ market is open and free for any meat, poultry, and cheese farmer residing in the US.

2.       We allow the farmers to set their own prices and list their own offerings.

3.       One of our goals is to be as supportive of the American small production farmer as possible.

4.       We offer customer service to both the farmer and consumer – there is a live person to talk to at any stage of the transaction

5.       Our market is national, but if you can’t find a farm local to you raising the kind of meat you’re looking for, let us know and we will send an email out to our farmers to see if anyone has what you’re looking for.

6.       Many of our farmers ship direct to your door.

7.       We accept and hold credit card payment until the consumer has received their order and is satisfied it is what they ordered and in excellent condition.

8.       We assist in preparing custom cut orders for bulk purchases if desired.

9.       We are listed with the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin.

I hope this information helps you find the best meat and cheese options for your family! As a thank you for helping to spread the word about this new company Home Grown Cow is offering my blog readers a 5% discount code that is good on all orders thru Dec 31st, 2013. Just use the code "hana" upon checkout!!

I'll end this post by sharing a few images from our afternoon on the farm :)