Harmony Acres

09/01/2026

Ah yes, back-to-school season. The time of year when suddenly everyone has soccer four nights a week, volleyball three nights a week, dance, cheer, football, homework, birthday parties, and approximately 900 other commitments...

And horse practice is the thing that apparently needs to understand.

I completely understand that kids are busy. I'm not asking horses to be the only sport.

But we do have to be realistic.

You can't bring your kid to riding once a week, occasionally skip that, and then wonder why they're not progressing at the same rate as the kid riding 3-4 times a week.

You wouldn't tell the dance instructor, "We're gonna miss half the practices but we'd like her to be in the recital with with advanced kids."

Yet somehow horses get handed the leftover Tuesday night and we're expected to produce magic.

One lesson a week is absolutely enough if your goal is to enjoy horses, learn, and have fun.

But if the goal is to compete, progress quickly, and ride at a higher level, consistency matters.

Your trainer can't make up for the hours you're not here.

And really- just make your kids pick a dang sport. Maybe two. You can’t realistically give your all to multiple things. I dont know. Maybe I’m just irked. Sue me.

08/31/2026

Make sure you check this farm out on 14A if you’re looking for a family run, local, and generational apple farm! We go every year and they have THE best apples and at only $10 a bag, you can’t beat that!

08/31/2026

Good Monday morning everyone! Looks like the horses aren’t too ready to start their day yet.

08/26/2026

Good read

I saw a comment recently that said horses should have the right to say no—to loading, tying, being led, being rugged, having their feet done, etc.
And I think there’s an important conversation here.
At what point does giving a horse the right to say “no”become failing to give that horse an education?

Because we aren’t just our horses’ friends. We are their guardians.
What happens when there’s a wildfire and that horse HAS to get on a trailer?
What happens when he’s injured and needs to load to go to the vet?
What happens when the farrier needs to work on his feet because his health depends on it?
What happens if, God forbid, you die tomorrow and somebody else has to care for him?

A horse that has spent his entire life learning, “If I don’t want to, I don’t have to,” may eventually find himself in a situation where “no” isn’t an option. And now the horse pays the price for an education we chose not to give him.
That is where I think we have to ask ourselves some uncomfortable questions.

At what point does it become irresponsible? At what point are we actually doing the horse a disservice in the name of kindness?
Fairness does not mean a horse never has to do something he doesn’t want to do.
My horses are absolutely allowed to have opinions. They’re allowed to be unsure. They’re allowed to tell me something is difficult. They’re allowed to need more time, more explanation, or a different approach.

I will listen.
But listening to an opinion and giving a horse the final decision are two very different things.
If I ask my horse to load, he needs to load. If I ask him to stand tied, he needs to stand tied. If I need to handle his feet, lead him somewhere, doctor him, or move him out of danger, I need to be able to do that.

And in return, I owe him fairness.
I owe him good timing. I owe him patience. I owe him clear communication. I owe him the responsibility of never asking more than necessary and never using force simply because I can.
That’s leadership to me.
And I genuinely believe that’s part of why my horses trust me. They know I’m fair. They know I’ll listen. They know I’ll take care of them.

So when I say, “I need you to do this,” I want them to have enough trust in me to say:
She’s never steered me wrong before.”
Giving a horse an education isn’t taking away his voice.
Sometimes it’s one of the greatest protections we can give him.

08/25/2026

Who else is loving these cooler mornings and fall like temps? Not to rush anything but I do love the fall temps!

08/24/2026

We picked our pears last week and they were ready for processing this week! We had quite a yield from our one tree this year! It was a peary good year! 4 quarts of pear pie filling and 3 full pints and 16 half pints of pear butter 😋😋 I still have some ripening on the counter to make a pear pie next weekend! Yum!

08/23/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out yesterday for our whimsical mushroom barn board painting class! It was so much fun! Thank you to The Craft T. Hatt for a fun and creative class, you are so talented and we always enjoy having you teach with us!

08/22/2026

When you join us for our classes you aren’t only supporting us, you’re supporting local artists and farmers! We don’t take any commission from the goods we sell so our farmers and artists get all the income.