training

STF offers special care for you broodmares who are in foal, being bred or
with foals at their side. We offer breeding management services, where we
work closely with local reproduction vets to bred, do embryo transfers, or
frozen embryos. We offer boarding for Broodmares in foal and/or foaling
out services when the time comes for baby to enter the world. We also can
care for you little guy for his first year or two of life.

The mares live in small groups and we try to match mares who are the
same type in personality and with close due dates so the peace is kept
and when the foals can go out all the mares know each other. The
paddocks and fields here at Stones Throw have plenty of good grass and
lots of big Florida oaks for shade. The mares are feed three meals a day
which includes high quality hay and grain. Most mares live out 24/7 in the
perfect Florida sunshine, unless the weather is bad. Mares are brought in
and groomed at the very least once a week, and looked over no less then
three times daily. We do have individual stalls and paddocks for special
need mares or foals.

Foal here at STF are handled daily from the day they are born. By one
week of age most are easy to lead, catch and like to be rubbed all over,
feet and legs are rubbed and picked up as well as having ears and mouth
handled. Foals are kept in for the first 48 hrs with a couple of short walks,
day three the are turned out for 10 to 15 minuets a couple times a day while
the stalls are cleans this time increases every few days until they reach
two weeks of age at which time will be introduced to other a few other
mares with foals about the same age, and depending on the weather they
live out for 8 to 10 hours during the day or overnight in the summer when
it's hot. As the foals get to reaching two months they live out longer with
less time spent in stalls until they are introduced to the bigger fields and a
larger group of up to 6 where they live out with mom until weaned at
between 4 and 6 months. Weaned foals are brought in and groomed once
a week.

This is a basic guideline for our horses with the understanding each
horse is an individual and what works well for some will not work for every
horse, so we monitor the horses in our care closely to make sure
everyone is doing well and looking the best they can.

STF will except a few young horses in
to start and train. We stay pretty busy
starting STF young horses and horses
from long time clients but we usually
have room for one or two outside
horses. Both Larry and Celia have
many years experience with young
horses and use a quiet positive, trust
building training technique developed
from many years of behavior study and
learning to understand the horses
mind and the way the interact with
each other. We have young riders and
or guest trainers as well visit and
work at our farms, that ride and train
as well with the same understanding
of gentle understanding that brings out
the best in the horses we work and
train. We find even the most difficult
horses come around and turn out to
be great equine partners and are a
pleasure to ride and handle. Our
horses look forward to their work
show it with their desire to please
when in work.