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Firefly Farm LLC Mason MI
Psychology-Based Natural Horsemanship in a Supportive, Caring Environment

Author Archives: ridefireflyfarm

About ridefireflyfarm

We are a boarding and training facility a short bike ride away from MSU. We are on Hagadorn Road. We only accept riders who use helmets and prefer boarders interested in natural horsemanship. We also provide trick-training for horses and horse lessons.
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A Twist of Fate

Posted on February 13, 2019 by ridefireflyfarm

“Can you find us a horse for our daughter?”

Every instructor dreads hearing this. Sometimes it’s for a child without experience; rarely it’s for the perfect family who will be a forever home.

This is a forever family. Their daughter is a Home School student of mine and the family planned to move to a farm in Oakland County.

“We have a budget. We’ll pay you to search for a horse for us. We want something safe, sound, and usable for our daughter and us to ride. We want a horse who will go English and Western and will just play with us. Someone like one of your horses–a babysitter. Kind of like Twist.”

Oof. A kick in the gut. Because there’s NOBODY like Twist. Twist is safe and sane; can be used for any and all students from beginners to advanced; is push-button with his aids–walk; trot; canter; lead-changes; does tricks; has been to Meijer Gardens with us; done parades; been a Therapy Horse–he’s done it all.

I rolled the idea around in my mind and came to an uncomfortable conclusion. I wouldn’t trust most horses with their precious, wonderful, talented daughter. She’s the center of their world. What if the horse I found turned out to have hidden problems? What if there was a physical issue or training problem that I didn’t see during the trial ride? Even with a ten day trial, a lot could go wrong.

I couldn’t help them buy a horse.

The next time they came, I broke the news.

“I worry about helping you horse shop. I’ve found horses for other clients and sometimes after they’re delivered we learn they weren’t a good fit. I don’t know if I’d be comfortable putting your daughter on a horse I don’t know inside and out. I don’t want to put you in a bind, but I can’t find what you want.”

My student looked near tears.

“But I know you want someone like Twist. Instead of someone like him, would you like to own Twist?”

The mom cleared her voice. “How much would you want for him?”

“If you take care of Vet costs to have him cleared of lameness and have his shots taken care of, you can have him.”

They happily, tearfully accepted.

Twist is, for the time being, at a facility (ironically) called the Fowler* Center.

If they decide they don’t want him anymore for any reason, he comes right back here, no questions asked, even if it’s on three legs.

I miss him already–but he’s a good boy, and I know he’ll do me proud.

Twist and Bella
Twist and Bella
Twist n me
Twist looking after Jack
P1010148
Twist's new saddle-black w/silver
Twist’s new saddle-black w/silver
Twist--want a treat?
Twist–want a treat?
Close up of Twist's face and eye
Close up of Twist’s face and eye
Wanna play ball?
Wanna play ball?
More kisses!
More kisses!

*Sarah Fowler is the name of the Instructor here at Firefly Farm

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Harry Potter at Firefly Farm

Posted on August 23, 2018 by ridefireflyfarm

Would you like to ride a Unicorn?      Make a wand?     Ride a Zebracorn?

Twist the Zebracorn
Maybe watch a Magician?     Learn about the Care of Magical Creatures?
Take a Potions Class?     Learn your future from our Divination Professor?
Take a photo with a pegasus from Madam Maxine’s Beauxbaton’s carriage?
Buy some wizard-themed food?    Earn a ribbon at our Broom Agility Course? 

Come play at Firefly Farm on the First of September!  You can come anytime between 10am and 2:30pm. Our event is the same day The Hogwarts Express leaves Kings Cross Station.

Everyone entering the grounds must have a ticket. Very young children (unable to participate in activities) are the only exception.

You can only pay at the gate or at the door–our apologies!

$10 per person includes all events.

Tommy is our Rideable Pegasus. We’ll also have Rosie, the VERY LARGE Pegasus from Beauxbaton’s Acadamy, in a different area available for photos.

Prince Tommy the Pegasus

Sidney the Unicorn:

Sidney the unicorn

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Guest Post: Patient Relaxation, LLC

Posted on April 18, 2018 by ridefireflyfarm

This guest post appears and was originally published at:  https://www.patientrelaxation.com/single-post/2018/04/17/Favorites-Sarah-Fowler-Horsewoman-Teacher-My-Little-Pony-Collector

Author: Kate Prouty, Licensed Massage Therapist 526 South Creyts Road, Lansing

Favorites: Sarah Fowler, Horsewoman, Teacher, My Little Pony Collector

April 17, 2018

|

Kate

Just off of Jolly Road, just barely in Mason, is a magical spot. The first time I visited, I could barely believe it was so near a highway, a university, and the big, stressful world.

Firefly Farm, presided over by the magnificent Sarah Fowler.

A woman of unexpected talents and mighty depths, she’s a slight blonde with excellent biceps, several horses, a little pony named Cupcake, a couple of smart dogs, chickens, ducks, cats, bunnies, and I think I spotted a couple turkeys. Each is named, each is loved.

There’s a near-constant stream of “minions” who work for her, doing chores around the farm in exchange for lessons and riding privileges. But these aren’t ordinary horseback riding lessons. They are centered around getting people to pay attention to the way a horse thinks and feels and acts. To respect the … humanity? … of the horse.

It’s a lesson in connection, in relationship, in patience.

It’s also terrifically fun. One of the first times I got to meet her horses, a boy horse (please remember I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, with no horses. The terms I use are the ones in my mind, and possibly not precisely correct. Forgive me) had just learned to unzip and zip zippers with his mouth. I was wearing a long winter coat, and he kept bumping my chest with his nose, and Sarah laughed. “Oh, he’s trying to get to your zipper.” She held out her glove (that had a zipper on the back) to him, and he delicately grasped the tab on the zipper and ZZZZIP, ZIIIP, ZIIIP, ZIIP. He zipped and unzipped with obvious pleasure and, I think, pride. “He’s like a toddler. They learn a new trick and they want to do it all day long.”

She runs lessons all year round, and in the summer and a few other times of the year, she has horse camps and horse courses for kids. She welcomes children of all levels of experience to work with the horses, get to know them, and to ride. They build their own obstacle courses, learn how to put on all the saddle-type things (remember, I’m not a horse person), and how to brush and generally make life wonderful for the horses. And apparently they decorate them!

But the most lovely thing is that her farm, her horses, her teaching, they are only one facet of her sparkling self. Do yourself a favor and meander over there sometime. You’ll like her.

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“I Went to Get Hay and a Pony.”

Posted on April 4, 2018 by ridefireflyfarm

(The Husband comes down to the barn looking for me.)
The Husband: “Where have you been? I got a little worried when I came home. Both you and Princess Winnifred (my truck) were gone.”
Me: “Falcon (my dear friend) and I went to go get hay and a pony.”
The Husband: “Fantastic! How much was it per bale? Wait a minute—did you say you also got a pony?!”
Me: “Yup.”
The Husband: “Where?!”
Me: “He’s here in the aisle, why?”
The Husband: “I want to meet him! I got a pony!”

My friend Stephanie’s son, Hani, and I used to play-fight over Flower.

“My pony!” I’d say.

“MY pony!” he’d say.

We had such fun. Back and forth, forth and back. Then, the unthinkable happened and I had to make a decision every horse owner dreads.

Flower’s gone. The hurt we feel is only because all the love we have for Flower has nowhere to go.

14681826_1095411033888689_5409867290661382725_n

Hani’s birthday is today. He asked me if I could get him a horse to jump out of a cake. He said he’d eat the frosting even after it touched a horse.

I can’t give him a cake like that. It’s just not realistic. It’s shedding season so there would be horsehair everywhere. I also don’t have an oven that big. Then there’s “which horse would be fine in the oven at 375F for 30-40 minutes?” When I asked my herd, I didn’t have a single taker. They all rode off into the sunset.

10403858_10202122164843182_6287690745424840583_o

So I can’t get Hani a horse that jumps out of a cake.

But I did buy a pony and I named him Cupcake.

29791109_1640050366091417_6283771836898934518_n.jpg

Happy Birthday, Hani. You are loved. Happy Gotcha day, Cupcake. You will be more loved than you ever dreamed.

 

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The Disappearing Bun

Posted on February 7, 2018 by ridefireflyfarm

The cage meowed.

“That’s quite a trick,” I said. “Bunnies don’t meow. When did you learn how to talk fluent cat, you little magician?”

No little grey and white bunny appeared.

“Sir Hops A Lot Freight Train The First?” I asked. “Bunny boy? Where are you?”

I gasped as Rue kitty sped from the open enclosure.  The whole front of the cage was open, and there was no bunny.

“BUN!” I yelled. “Sir Hops A Lot–where are you?”

No blood. No tracks. No bun.

No Bun.

I wandered, searching for paw prints in the snow. No tracks.

But also–no blood.

“Where’s my little boy?” I thought. “I need a magic wand to make him reappear.”

I left the cage door open as I went in to lunch.

I ate, relaxed, and then came out to the barn in the evening.

Sir Hops A Lot Freight Train The First huddled in his enclosure in his nest.

“Did you hop away from home?” I asked him. “Where have you been, you goofball?! You gave me a heart attack.”

He twitched his nose, but otherwise, stayed curled in a little bunny-ball. I imagine he replied, “I apologize. I heard ‘Abracadabra’ and was called to appear from a Magician’s hat–but otherwise, I promise that I came right back.”

IMG_1509[1]

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Horse Courses

Posted on December 16, 2017 by ridefireflyfarm

Horse Courses:

*Horse Course(s) MUST be pre-registered and pre-paid in order to guarantee that the student will have a horse to ride or use and that we have enough seats for auditors.

*Cost: $50 for Students to use a barn horse when participating in each individual horse course. Every course requires a separate fee and you must secure the horse you wish to use. First come, first served with horses.

*$10 to audit (Audit: sit and watch in a chair on the side)

Hello, everyone!
It’s too cold out there.
I don’t know if you realized that it’s been SO cold that we’re below zero (if not real temperatures, than wind chills) and that we always cancel lessons if the temperatures hover around zero or dip below zero (either real temperature or wind chill.)
So I hate to tell you this, everyone, but we’re canceling the Horse Courses for Monday, Tuesday, and possibly even Wednesday.
(That’s not a guarantee about Wednesday. Yet.)
If you’ve paid ahead for the courses, you can apply that money toward lessons or I can offer you a refund. I don’t want anyone to be disappointed, but I also want everyone to realize that realistically we would be frozen within 10 minutes of working with our horses in temperatures like this.
It’s just too much.
I’m basically in survival mode here. I’m feeding and watering the horses, mucking, and warming up–and that’s about all I can do.
I’m sorry, guys and gals. We’ll reschedule Trick Training and Western Gaming for later on in the springtime, maybe closer to March or April.
Thanks for understanding!

January 3, 2-4pm –Horse Course: Jumping – Students will be riding the entire time (we mount up at 2pm–the horses are pre-tacked) and riders will be given tips about proper form over jumps and will be jumping items no higher than a hay bale.

  • P1020727
    Jumping Bareback--Sid
    Meijer 2017; Camps 490
    P1020731
    Bareback; no net
    P1020730
    P1020728
    P1030104
  • January 4, 2-4pm-Horse Course: Horse Handling/Showmanship – Students will be learning how to properly handle horses from the ground, including pivots, backing up, complete stops, squaring up all hooves, balancing the horses, jogging in tempo, making your horse appealing/eye catching, showing that you’re capable of more than riding a horse.
    12.7.17 174
    Star and Aubry
    July 21, 2012 050
    Arizona 332
    May 3, 2012 252
    May 3, 2012 229
    May 3, 2012 024

Payment: Check or Cash – $50

OR pay immediately ($55 because of fees) with PayPal here:

Horse Course *Deposit Only*

Horse Course students can pay the deposit for summer 2018 horse courses here. The rest is due the morning of the horse course. When you buy through PayPal, please specify in the notes which course you would like and which horse(s) you would prefer to use in numerical order. Some horses may already be taken–please email, call, or check in person with me to guarantee your horse. Unfortunately, PayPal removes some of the money from this transaction so I have to pass the fee onto you.

$80.00

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Gift Certificates

Posted on December 10, 2017 by ridefireflyfarm
Gift Certificates Available for Holiday Gifts:
 
*A Certificate–set of four lessons for $100*
OR
*A single lesson Certificate for $30*
 
Will be sent to you through the mail if you send a check to Firefly Farm, LLC.
 
Firefly Farm, LLC
3180 Hagadorn Road
Mason, MI 48854
Brenlie and Twist
Brenlie and Twist
P1020793
Sarah, Thunder, Brenlie
Sarah, Thunder, Brenlie
Sidney and Mariah
Sidney and Mariah
Brenlie and Thunder
Brenlie and Thunder
Jorja and Melody
Jorja and Melody
Jorja and Thunder
Jorja and Thunder
Twist and Bella
Twist and Bella
Mustang Camp 1
Mustang Camp 1
Honey and Zoe
Honey and Zoe

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How’s this sales pitch to drum up business?

Posted on September 19, 2017 by ridefireflyfarm

Horse lessons on fall evenings at Firefly Farm come with background music, graciously {and unknowingly) provided by the Okemos High School marching band.

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Building our Cross Country Course

Posted on August 22, 2017 by ridefireflyfarm

 

P1030186
P1030184
P1030183

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Parade, Camp, and MSU

Posted on August 22, 2017 by ridefireflyfarm

We began the summer with Mason’s Independence Day Parade. Bella and I rode Twist and Melody.

Melody all braided up
Melody all braided up
Parade walkers
Parade walkers
Parade walkers
Parade walkers
Twist and Bella
Twist and Bella
Twist and Bella
Twist and Bella
Melody
Melody

Mustang Camp 1 was amazing.

Mustang Camp 1
Mustang Camp 1
Spreading hay
Spreading hay
Honey and Zoe
Honey and Zoe
Jorja and Thunder
Jorja and Thunder
Zoe and Honey
Zoe and Honey
Brenlie and Thunder
Brenlie and Thunder
Jorja and Melody
Jorja and Melody
Mariah feeding
Mariah feeding
Aubry and Ranger
Aubry and Ranger
Flower, Faith, and Eowyn
Flower, Faith, and Eowyn
Ponies!
Ponies!
Garden fertilizer
Garden fertilizer
Aubry and Ranger
Aubry and Ranger
Mariah dusting
Mariah dusting
Melody, Zoe, and Honey
Melody, Zoe, and Honey
Brenlie, Sarah, and Twist
Brenlie, Sarah, and Twist
Sidney and Mariah
Sidney and Mariah
Ranger and Aubry
Ranger and Aubry
Preparing for feetsies
Preparing for feetsies
Sidney and Mariah
Sidney and Mariah
Jorja, Brenlie, and chickens
Jorja, Brenlie, and chickens
Melody, Sarah, and Jorja
Melody, Sarah, and Jorja
Sarah, Thunder, Brenlie
Sarah, Thunder, Brenlie
Bareback
Bareback
Bareback--no net
Bareback–no net
P1020723
Hugelgarden
Hugelgarden
Atlas, Mariah, and Brenlie
Atlas, Mariah, and Brenlie
Melody and Jorja
Melody and Jorja
Sarah, Mariah, and Sidney
Sarah, Mariah, and Sidney
P1020793

P1020843

During Mustang Camp 1, we did Mounted Archery with Falcon, an insured and accredited Archery Instructor.

P1020794
P1020844
P1020859
Riding bareback--jumping
Riding bareback–jumping
P1020903
Sid and Mariah
Sid and Mariah
P1020972
Ponies
Ponies
Bareback
Bareback
Twist, Brenlie, Jorja
Twist, Brenlie, Jorja
P1030112
P1020912
P1020851
P1020915
Me, Melody, and Jorja
Me, Melody, and Jorja

We had our camp show, too.

Jorja and Melody
Jorja and Melody
P1020731
P1030114
Jorja pedestal dismount
Jorja pedestal dismount
Jorja and Melody
Jorja and Melody
Aubry and Jorja with attitude
Aubry and Jorja with attitude
Bareback; no net
Bareback; no net
P1030018
Patriot and Atlas
Patriot and Atlas
P1030019
P1020799
P1020862
P1030113
P1020730
P1020973
Twist, Mariah, and Jorja
Twist, Mariah, and Jorja
Riding bareback
Riding bareback
Skyway as viewed from Lee
Skyway as viewed from Lee

Applejack went to MSU with a bad case of Colitis.

Jack 8.12.17
Jack 8.11.17
IMG_0254-2
AppleJack 8.9.17

He’s much better now.

 

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