Hello again, saddle pals!

We are sticking with our decision to close, as we feel it is in the best interest of our family and our community – both the two-legged and four-legged varieties! We will reassess on April 4th.

Since Friday evening, I have had discussions with New York State Horse Council and New York Farm Bureau regarding the executive order restrictions on equine operations starting tonight. It has also become apparent there are some inconsistencies and loopholes in the directives. Some takeaways:

1. Equestrian services requiring close interaction of humans – riding lessons, camps, trail rides, etc – are a solid NO.

2. In self-care boarding operations, you can visit your horse only to provide essential care. They don’t really want you hanging around the barn, which is why riding was initially discouraged. As of NOW that appears to have been relaxed somewhat, but please be mindful of social distancing practices. 

3. Ultimately, the owners/operators of an equine facility get to make the rules as to whether you can or can’t see your horse – if they close to outside visitors, it doesn’t matter that “technically” you can see your horse, you aren’t going. If they stay open but forbid riding, sorry, you’re not riding.

4. If you’re lucky enough to have your own horse at your own barn, equestrian activities like riding are an acceptable outdoor recreation. Just make sure you’re staying six feet away (best if you’re actually on your horse!) not sharing equipment, and otherwise being smart about social distancing. 

If anyone has any questions, let me know. I’ll answer as best I can and direct you to the right people. 

❤️🐴,

Chauntel & the herd

https://agriculture.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/03/interimguidanceforanimalcareoperations.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0laG8ygwq7JlGlm3Dv6EW0MTJUiUvszeS-NgsL2GGBS3EaebJnIgzlyF4

I saw this meme the other day and had to laugh – but with all of the cancellations, the state of emergency being declared in Essex County, and my father-in-law probably doing well in the TP business, CSG Horsemanship is officially implementing a “Strangles for Humans” biosecurity protocol. I’d do it for the horses, and I love you all just as much!

Until further notice:

• We’re not a high capacity program, and I’ve never been happier to say we don’t have an indoor facility, so lessons will continue as normal.
• I’m installing a hand wash station outside the office door. When you arrive, wash your hands. When you leave, wash your hands. In between, take a minute to wash your hands. Please bring your own hand sanitizer to apply after hand washing. 
• Please limit the number of people you bring with you, including siblings, grandparents, or other visitors. While at the barn, stay in horse areas only, and respect everyone’s personal space. I may or may not have a dressage whip handy for anyone I catch touching their face! 😉
• This goes without saying, but if you are sick or feeling unwell, or someone in your household is, STAY AT HOME. If you have any reason to think you might be contagious with *anything*, STAY AT HOME. I understand you might be bored and need fresh air or pony time, but remember that I’m mostly a one-woman show. If I or anyone in my family gets sick, that can complicate the care of the horses and livestock on the farm. Stay home for the horses!
• If you have a horse with us in training and are concerned about what will happen in the event of quarantine, please contact me personally and I will walk you through our contingency plan. 
• 4-H MEETINGS & EVENTS: All 4-H events are cancelled until further notice. I am monitoring the directives of the county 4-H office. 
• DRILL TEAM: Again, I’m still tentatively planning on our first drill team practice March 27th. I’ll be discussing this with The Barn’s owner and if we have to cancel or postpone, I will inform everyone by email and in the Facebook group. 
• No, the horses will not catch your coronavirus. Yes, horses can get their own species-specific coronavirus, which cannot be transmitted to humans. Good biosecurity practices mean no coronavirus for anyone at CSG!

This event, put on by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County, will take place on March 20th, 2020 at the Westport Hotel. This is geared towards older teens and adults, but children are welcome and will still need to pay for their meals. We do have a cap of 35 people for the event!

We would like to thank Essex County Farm Bureau, and the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund for helping make this event possible.

It will be from 5:30pm-9:00pm. It will be $15 per person,this should be paid ahead of time to the Essex County CCE office. You can pay with cash, check, or card. If you would like to pay with a card please go online to: essex.cce.edu/donate, please specify what event you are paying for when you do this! The $15 includes your meal and the opportunity to provide us with your equine business card, equine interest (do you just like to ride, if so what kind of riding, do you show, etc), any equine clubs you are part of, etc! We will take this information about local equine enthusiasts and create a book and hand the book out so local people can find local equine businesses and locals to ride and show with, etc!

This event will consist of a poster session that will be followed by dinner and guest speakers. Following our guest speakers we will be having basket raffles as well! Please let Jessica at CCE (phone number 518-962-4810) know ahead of time if you have any food allergies. If you have any questions please let us know! We will provide more details on speakers as time goes on!
Registration ends: March 13th, 2020.
Registration Link: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/SpringHorseman’sSeminar_215

CSG Horsemanship is delighted to offer horseback riding & horsemanship day camp sessions summer 2020!

Available weeks for camp sessions are:
June 29-July 3
July 6-10
July 13-17
July 27-31
August 24-28

9 am to 3 pm with morning and afternoon riding sessions, horsemanship instruction and programming. If you need alternate drop off/pick up times, please contact me directly at 518-578-2392 or CSGhorses@gmail.com. Bring your own lunch & snacks.

Need a minimum 4 students registered to hold a camp session. $360 per week, $100 deposit to hold your spot. Please register here: https://form.jotform.com/200477659266162