News – Page 4

Upcoming Groundsmanship Class

August 8, 2017 By Karen White

August 19, 2017 at 8:00 a.m.

ABOUT THE CLASS

On Saturday, August 19 at 8:00 a.m., Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK is offering a groundsmanship class taught by Scott Shepherd of 4Shepherds Horsemanship. A tax-deductible donation of $10 entitles you to participate in the class, eat lunch, and enjoy the day with our equine buddies.

The class will take place at the Roy Crawford Agricultural Complex, 2415 Sunny Meadows Rd., Lancaster, TX.

WHAT IS GROUNDSMANSHIP?

Groundsmanship refers to the art of training a horse while remaining on the ground instead of riding the horse. You can gain the horse’s trust, teach the horse different maneuvers, and correct bad habits.
WHO IS SCOTT SHEPHERD?

Scott Shepherd has been around horses in different capacities all of his life. He served with the Dallas Police for 27 years. He joined the Mounted Unit in 2008 and trained the new horses and new riders coming into the program. Scott believes in gaining the respect and trust of any horse he works with. He believes in fostering a horse’s willingness to work and creating a soft, confident horse is the objective of each ride and training session.

A Place to Learn

July 16, 2017 By Karen White

Recently, Scott Shepherd from 4Shepherds Horsemanship presented a program on groundwork training for horses. He started with Gracie, who was donated to Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK by Scott and has since been adopted. Gracie remembered her training and performed well.

Groundwork includes: getting the horse to trust and cooperate with the trainer, working on problems that the horse may have, and exercising the horse in a controlled setting. During all of this, the trainer is standing and not riding the horse.

Bella was up next. She didn’t like to have people handle her feet and lift them off the ground for cleaning, checking for injuries, or trimming her hooves. After gaining her trust, Scott used a rope to add enough pressure to encourage Bella to lift her foot. This exercise will have to be repeated by the Gabby’s ARK trainers to teach her to allow the action consistently.

Scott gave Bella some exercise while training her to go the direction that he wanted. This exercise is done in a circle, with the horse on a long lead rope and the trainer in the center of the circle. Bella seemed to enjoy stretching her legs.

More Opportunities Coming!

More classes will be scheduled for this fall, including safety classes. Some will be open to the public, and others will be restricted to the Lancaster ISD STEM students. A calendar of events will be published on this site once dates are confirmed.

You can help us out by sharing this on Facebook and Twitter.

Theft at New GSA Location

May 23, 2017 By Karen White

On the morning of Tuesday, May 16, 2017, LeighAnn Hittle arrived to feed the horses. She discovered that our tack trailer had been broken into and $25,000 worth of our tack (e.g., saddles, girths, halters, helmets, boots) had been stolen.

THE BREAK-IN

The door of the trailer and the screen were bent and ripped. The tack portion of the trailer was almost empty.

KTVT NEWS STORY

Joel Thomas and a cameraman from KTVT arrived that afternoon to do a spot for that evening’s 5:00 newscast. They interviewed LeighAnn (the volunteer who discovered the theft), Terry Wade-Ottley (GSA’s founder and Executive Director) and Morning Star (a horse). You can see the story at: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2017/05/17/thieves-steal-from-nonprofit/.

RESULTS

Since the story aired, several people and organizations have stepped forward with donations of saddles and other tack. However, we need more to accommodate the LISD agricultural and FFA students. Our needs include: more saddles, halters, bridles, bits, girths, safety helmets, and boots. Also on our wish list are: a round pen for training horses, a tractor to haul hay, and a new truck. Monetary donations can help us with daily care of the horses or in saving up for the large items on our wish list.

To donate money, click on the Donate button on the GSA website: www.gabbysark.org. There is also a volunteer sign-up form on the website. To contact us about anything else, email Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK at: info@gabbysark.org.

Lancaster Students Visit GSA at RCAC

May 15, 2017 By Karen White

The first class of Lancaster 9th and 10th grade agricultural students took a field trip to the Roy Crawford Agricultural Complex for a tour. We were impressed with their total interest, great questions, and awesome attitudes around the animals.

The RCAC is home to more than just Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK. We have:

CHICKENS, DUCKS, AND GEESE

The chickens, ducks, and geese are housed in a miniature farmyard where the buildings are actually coops with laying boxes where the eggs can be gathered easily.

SWINE

Two pigs currently call the Agricultural Complex home. The second one looks pretty chill!

HORSES

Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK houses their horses at the Agricultural Center. Patrick graciously took part in a demo and allowed the students to pet him. Patrick is a retired show horse who loves attention. He definitely got what he loves with our visitors.

Do you get excited about new shoes? A farrier came out to shoe some of the horses, and the students were able to watch and learn about the care of horses’ hooves and the shoe fitting process.

We at Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK look forward to working with more of the students and faculty of Lancaster ISD!

We’ve Moved!

April 27, 2017 By Karen White

Our New Location

Gabby’s Sanctuary ARK has moved to the Roy Crawford Agricultural Center at 2415 Sunny Meadows Rd., Lancaster, TX. We will work with the Lancaster Independent School District to bring the students hands-on experience in working with large animals, produce, and other agricultural interests.

Barn and Arena

Getting The Barn Ready

LISD spent a lot of time and funds to paint, repair, and improve the entire facility. In the final preparation of stalls for occupancy by horses, we lined the stalls with wooden panels and secure gates.

*Paneled Stall Before Floor Mats and Shavings*

Because the concrete floors can be tough on a horse’s unshod hooves, the floors were then covered with rubber mats and wood shavings.

Terry Wade-Ottley Spreading Shavings in Stalls

We owe a debt of gratitude to our many volunteers who worked to prepare for our current horses. However, we still need help in finishing the remaining stalls.

HAPPY HORSES!

Upon arrival at the new location, the horses immediately started to enjoy their new surroundings: the green grass, room to run, larger stalls, run-in shelters, etc. First to arrive were Foxy and Morning Star.