AUGUST 2017 – Cypress Trails has been effected by Hurricane Harvey
Above is the view off the balcony as the water came up Saturday morning Dearest Customers and Friends, We appreciate all the emails and calls of concern for our well-being here at Cypress Trails. We started moving feed and hay on Wednesday of last week. Horses started going out on Thursday, even while we were…
Champion endurance racer Darolyn Butler has made an equestrian career out of her passion for marathon rides
by Karen Braschayko Darolyn Butler has had a long career in several aspects of the equine industry, from winning rodeo queen pageants to selling Western wear and producing instructional videos on horsemanship. Today, she has knitted her love of endurance riding into a company of teaching clinics, leasing horses and training other endurance racers. From…
APRIL 2016 Cypress Trails Ranch – What actually happened a year ago
As of you have heard there was a catastrophic flood in the Houston area. The dramatic videos of horses lurching in the water was them hitting fence lines that an observer could not see. Brave people were bucking law enforcement to make these rescues. I was threatened with arrest at least 20 times for any…
Tall (and Alert) in the Saddle on Airport Patrol
By JOE SHARKEY Michael Stravato for The New York Times Cecilia Butler-French and DJB Foxfire on patrol at Bush Airport in Houston. EASY,” I said, sounding way more calm than I felt. My horse’s vocabulary evidently did not include that particular word. We had pulled ahead of the pack at a flat-out gallop, flying over…
Bringing the Sparkle Back into Crystal’s Life
I was recently approached about consulting with a dressage stable owner and his plans to purchase an eight year old Swedish warmblood mare that had been diagnosed with navicular syndrome. He was interested in just using her as a brood mare since she was approaching “middle age” and the lameness problem was “incurable”. I was…
There No Such Thing as the Strasser Style of Trimming
Stby Yvonne Welz (Copyright 2003 Used by Permission) Is this a surprising statement? It shouldn’t be, to anyone familiar with Dr. Strasser’s work. But this is something that newcomers to natural horse care and barefooting shouldbe made aware of. Dr. Strasser developed a method of horse care, and not simply a style of trimming. This…
What is a Natural Trim?
Straight from the Hoof by Yvonne Welz Editor – The Horses’ Hoof Magazine No trimming is actually “natural”, as the act of a human trimming a hoof can never be natural. The only “natural” trim is the one a horse gives himself, living in wild conditions. When we refer to natural trimming methods, we refer…
The Harmful Effects of Shoeing
The following information was provided by Dr. Hiltrud Strasser and Ms. Sabine Kells–used by permission Walls cannot wear & maintain normal shape/length unnatural stresses on hoof as walls get too long incorrect trim cannot be worn away Vibration (800 Hz) destroys hoof wall and tissue causes structural abnormalities in laminar corium, leading to compromised coffin…
Unique is an Understatement When Describing Cypress Trails Ranch
View NY Times Article on Airport Rangers by Genie Stewart-Spears Unique is an understatement when describing Cypress Trails, a private facility in Humble (pronounced “Umble”), a suburb of Houston, Texas. From pony rides to birthday parties and pleasure rides to challenging all-day ‘Adventure Rides’ with meals included, your wish is just a phone call away….
Cecilia Butler “Gallop on the Green Victory”
Endurance Magazine-April 2010