Volume 1, Issue 2

Welcome Spring!
March 2008

Hello again, and welcome
to the second installment of
our newsletter! I’m sure
you’re all just as ready as
we are to see the cold win-
ter fade into the warmth of
spring. What a great sea-
son for equestrian activi-
ties: giving your horse a
bath, spring cleaning in the
barn, and of course, riding
outside. Our indoor is a
wonderful addition, but
let’s face it, nothing beats
riding under the sunshine.
We here at West Wind are
looking forward to the new
WW Hoofprints
We’d also like to take this horses in the ring, please
time to remind you all of announce your presence by
some rules and general saying “Gate” so no one is
courtesies for around the surprised when you come
barn. This is all of our in.
spaces, so let’s keep it
clean; this includes the
lounge and the barn aisle. Above all, come enjoy the
If you open a door or gate, nice weather with us.
don’t forget to close it. (If Now’s the time to get out
you leave the lounge open, and shake all that winter
I promise the barn cats will off!
move in and wreck it!)
And speaking of the aisle
way...if your horse chooses
it as his bathroom, remem-
ber to pick up that manure.
We know you all can han-
dle a pitchfork!!

season, as well as going

forward with all the
changes we started in the
winter. We still need your
help with ideas for our
website and the newsletter,
so keep us posted if you
think of anything.
Also, be courteous to oth-
ers who are riding. If there
is a lesson in progress,
please quietly and politely
ask permission before en-
tering the ring. If there are

Coming Soon: Warmer Weather

Finally we can say good-
bye to the snow! Just a few
reminders with the upcom-
ing warmer weather.
Check with your instructor
when your lesson is over if
your horse needs his blan-
ket or not. Make sure your
pick your horse’s feet be-
fore and after your ride,
spring is thrush season! If it
gets cold, try to take the
bulky jacket off before
your lesson—it’s hard for
us trainers to see your posi-
tion under all those clothes!
(And while you’re at it,
why not tuck your hair in
to your helmet? That helps
us see too!) Make sure you
walk your horse until she’s
cool, and brush off all the
sweat marks. Your horse
works hard, and you should
make her feel just as good
as she makes you feel!

Inside this issue:

Haaaay!
Guide to Warmer Weather 1
• Beach Ride coming soon
West Wind Presents Horsemanship Seminars 2
• Effective in April: You must clean your tack
Summer Camp 2 after each ride!
Paddock Pals 3
• Remember to sign up for seminars and
Getting to know Robin 3 camp ASAP if you’re interested

Dressing for Success 5 • Want your picture with your favorite horse?
Keep your eyes peeled for more info!
Contact Info 4
West Wind Stable Presents Horsemanship Seminars
Whether you’re a seasoned horseman (or
woman), or a beginner just learning the
ropes, we all can continue learning about
the animals we love so much. Have you
ever wondered how to properly lunge a
horse, or use training aids? Do you know
how to treat a small cut? Would you like
to practice your grooming and tacking
skills? If you answered yes to any of
these questions, then our seminar pro-
gram is for you!
West Wind is lucky to have seasoned
veterans of the horse world who would
love to share all of their knowledge with
you. Our trainers and owners have dec-
ades of experience in all aspects of the
equestrian world, including training at
working barns and even college educa-
tions in equine sciences. Come pick their
Think Summer! Register For Summer Camp
Yes it’s true, summer is just around the
corner and it’s time to register for sum-
mer camp! Remember, we only run
weeks of summer camp that have enough
participants, so if you don’t sign up eve-
ryone might miss out.
Our camp is run in one week sessions
throughout the summer—excluding the
week of July 4th—and costs $425 per
week. The day begins at 9am and ends at
3pm,. Campers ride twice a day, once in
Come Hang With Us
Just when you thought you only had one
day to be around horses, now we tell you
to come hang out with us! Looking after
an entire farm is hard work, and we al-
ways appreciate the extra help. Come be
a barn rat and help us take care of the
horses, make new friends, and have some
fun while you’re at it.
All are welcome to come and join in the
fun, even if you’re a beginner. All you
Page 2
brains! We love to teach, and you should
be excited to learn!
We’re so excited to introduce to you
our Horsemanship Seminars. Over time,
we will cover many topics—from riding
to horse care and everything in between.
Our first seminar will be held on Satur-
day, March 29th at 2pm. This seminar
the morning and again in the afternoon.
In between all of that riding, children
learn about horse care and play fun
games, among other activi-
ties. Crafts are a favorite,
where you can make horse- Fridays are horse show days at discounts for multiple
themed stuff for yourself or camp, giving everyone an
your favorite horse. Also,
opportunity to show off what
there are great how-tos
where you can learn how
they’ve learned!
to groom, give a horse a
bath, and much more!
have to do is let us know if you’re unsure
how to do something, and we’ll teach you
all we know. As long as there’s a trainer
present, we encourage you to come.
There’s always sweeping, feeding,
grooming, cleaning, and much more to do
around a working farm. Just remember,
don’t disrupt the lessons, and offer to
help in any way you can. We have les-
sons every night of the week and most of
will be titled “Getting Ready to Ride”,
and is free of charge. West Wind encour-
ages all riders, especially lesson students,
to attend this informative hands-on pro-
gram. Topics like proper tacking and
grooming, the differences in bits, intro-
duction to Western and English tack, and
much, much more. Get more out of your
riding by educating yourself. Learn more
and, above all, come have fun with us!
We’ll be playing with all of your favorite
horses all day.
If you’re interested, please sign up down
at the barn. Also, this seminar will be a
pot luck of sorts, so don’t forget some-
thing for us to snack on! We hope to see
all of you there—and keep your eyes
open for new seminars. We hope to pre-
sent a new one every month.
Don’t miss out on this great opportunity
to learn, make new friends, and hang
around our great group of horses!
And remember, we offer
sessions, as well as sib-
lings who participate in
camp. Don’t miss the
fun, sign up as soon as
you see the info in the
lounge!
the day on Sat-
urday, but none
on Sunday.
(Hey, we like a
day off and our
horses do too!)
Please talk to
your trainer if
there’s a day
you’d like to come to help and to learn.
See you soon!
WW HOOFPRINTS
Paddock Pals
The Ocean County 4H equestrian club,
Paddock Pals, is proud to call West
Wind Stable our host farm. Paddock
Pal members are involved in commu-
nity service, state qualifying 4H horse
shows, county and state level 4h
knowledge based competitions, and the
Ocean County Fair.
Paddock Pals started the new year with
fabulous flair as members Samantha
Mayer and Ellyn Bissey captured 1st
place in the senior division when their
team competed in the Ocean County
Animalology contest in January. This
is an especially great win as both girls
are only junior division level competi-
tors. Sam finished with 6th place over-
all in high points and Ellyn finished
2008 Show Season, Here We Come!
This year West Wind will be making a
big effort to attend many shows of differ-
ent disciplines and ratings. There’s
something for everyone...novice riders
can try their luck at a local schooling
show with one of their favorite lesson
horses. More seasoned riders can take on
the challenge of a C or B rated show.
Horse showing is a rewarding experience
where you can demonstrate what you’ve
Get to Know Robin
Robin has been the stable manager and
trainer/instructor at West Wind for the
past three and a half years. She has been
in the equine industry for over 18 years.
Robin’s love of horses started at a young
age as this became the foundation for her
to devote her life to their care and well-
being. She attended the State University
of New York at Morrisville where she
received and Associates Degree in
Equine Science and Stable management.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
with 2nd place overall high points. Just
a few weeks later, Ellyn Bissey earned
2nd place in the state with the Ocean
County Junior Horsebowl team at the
state level Horsebowl competition. This
is the highest placing ever earned by an
Ocean County team.
Last year, together with Ken and West
Wind, we proudly raised over $300 for
the Pleasant Plains Fire Department by
assisting the fire department with
their annual Bar-B-Que. Two of our
members, Nikki Coscia and Ellen
Rauchbach, qualified to compete at the
4H state level presentations last year
held at Rutgers University. Four of our
members, Stephanie Dournakis, Alyssa
Kovacs, Ellen Rauchbach, and Nikki
learned in your lessons,
as well as how far you’ve
come as a rider. Shows
You don’t have to ride in a show;
are relatively inexpen- grooms are always needed to
sive , and the knowledge
gained is irreplaceable. keep things running smoothly! attending and riding in. If
This year, we also plan
on attending many shows as spectators as
well. One on our list is the Centenary
College show, which is sure to at least
Robin had been trained in two disci-
plines, hunter/jumper and western. She
was a member of the Intercollegiate
Equestrian Team and was Regional
Grand Champion. After college, Robin
continued her education while apprentic-
ing with a farrier, which increased her
working knowledge in caring for horses.
At West Wind, Robin teaches both disci-
plines as well as training horses. In Octo-
ber, Robin gave birth to a daughter,
Cosica earned positions to represent
Ocean County at the 4H State competi-
tion last summer. Members Ellyn Bis-
sey and Tracy Mandrona represented
Ocean County in the state horsebowl
competition and the team took home
4th place in the state. Ellyn continued
on to earn 4th place in the state with the
Jr. Horse Judging and Hippology team.
Member Stephanie Dournakis earned
the Ocean County Sportsmanship
award, Alyssa Kovacs, the Make the
Best Better award, and Ellyn Bissey,
the Horse of the Year award, and Ellen
Rauchbach earned the title of "Ocean
County Equestrian of the Year.”
Continued on
Page 4….
wow you with their amaz-
ing indoor ring.
Keep on the lookout for a
list of shows we plan on
you are interested in either
watching or riding in a
show, please let your trainer know.
There’s lots to do to prepare to show off
your best.
Leanna. Presently she is working part-
time taking care of the horses at West
Wind and giving lessons, while enjoying
being a new mom. Robin is available for
lessons on Tuesday and Thursday after
3pm and on Friday before 2pm. In Janu-
ary, Robin participated in the jumper
show ring with her horse, Shannon, who
was recovering from an injury. We con-
tinue to wish Robin and her new family
well.
Page 3

1270 Cox Cro Road
Toms River, New Jersey
08755
Phone: 732-557-5533
Our Website is almost
complete!
Dress For Success!
Here at West Wind, we cater to all sorts
of riders. We understand that each rider’s
goals are different, and each and every
one of you have different ideas for your
riding goals. We take our job of helping
you achieve those goals very seriously, so
we’ve given you a guide as to how better
prepare yourself for success. Dressing
the part is as important as showing up and
riding.
Let’s start from the top: your noggin.
Your brain is pretty important, so we put
a protective helmet on top of it. We pro-
vide hard shell helmets for every rider,
but strongly recommend having one of
your own to ensure a perfect fit for your
head. There are hard shell helmets, vel-
veteen helmets, and carbon fiber helmets.
Choose one that FITS you, and one in
your price range. Remember, if you plan
on showing, you won’t be able to do so in
a hard shell helmet.
Next there’s your feet. Sneakers are
never allowed on horseback, simply be-
Paddock Pals
Continued from previous page
Our own Barbara Frayman (HorseTracs) earned the business-
person award for her generous contribution of horse supplies to
each rider at the Ocean County Fair.
We have many new members this year and we look forward to
including everyone in our plans for community service, the up-
coming qualifying shows, and the Ocean County Fair. The
Ocean County Fair is our largest production of our year. Many
members will spend an entire week with their horse at the Fair.
The Fair is a time when members who do not own horses can
really help out and make a difference. Any member who is in-
terested in assisting please contact Judy. Paddock Pals members
meet at the farm approximately once a month. Check the bulle-
tin board for meeting dates. Contact Judy Bissey for more infor-
mation 732-216-4899 (after 3:30pm, please).
cause of safety rules. Remember, you
need a shoe with a heel, a shoe that is
narrow through the length of the foot, and
a sole that allows you to pull your foot
out of the stirrup quickly but prevents
you from sliding your foot too far in to
the stirrup. The only 100% proper foot-
wear out there are boots specifically de-
signed for riding. Equestrian boots come
in leather and synthetic material, and
again vary greatly in price.
If that isn’t enough for you, there are
many other good additions to your attire.
Gloves add grip to the reins as well as
keep fingers warm in the winter.
Breeches (riding pants) prevent rubs on And Remember:
your legs, and chaps give you good grip.
Our Website and newsletter are works in
After a few lessons, if you decide that progress. Please share with us ideas,
riding is for you, we urge you to at least stories, and pictures to help us make
own a helmet and a pair of boots. Re- these new additions shine!
member, this is for your own safety! If
you need help finding the right apparel, Please send all submissions to Gloria:
go visit Horsetracs in Toms River for
everything you’ll need. gwitterschein@gmail.com