First Farm - Inntries

Named "Best B&B in the Commonwealth for Farm Activities"

Jen — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:42:55 GMT

Bardstown, KY – The Bed & Breakfast Association of Kentucky has selected First Farm Inn, located just off I-275 in Western Boone County, as the top B&B for farm activities in Kentucky. The Annual 5-Star Service Award for 2012-2013 is based upon a qualitative and quantitative review of nearly 50,000 independent B&B guest reviews submitted to TripAdvisor.com and other leading travel review sites.

Industry surveys show 96 percent of consumers consider reviews important to essential when selecting a getaway. Twelve percent will not make a reservation at a property without them. "Clearly, First Farm Inn has earned stellar reviews from inngoers for its quality accommodations, breakfasts, amenities, wonderful hospitality and service," says Todd Allen, Bed & Breakfast Association of Kentucky president.

Here are a few guest comments from the last several months:

4-12 “Absolutely the best B&B! We had forgotten what relaxation felt like. Plans to return are already underway.” Gene & Chris Erlanger, KY

4-12 “This place is like heaven on earth for horse and cat lovers! We have absolutely loved our stay here. Sage is my absolute favorite horse I have ever ridden! Such a beautiful horse! Your hospitality has been outstanding and the breakfasts are incredible. Thank you for a wonderful weekend.”

Don’t know how you get it all done! The flowers, decorating, food were outstanding. Thanks so much for a memorable, relaxing, wonderful weekend. First Farm is definitely and appropriately named...wishing to return...” Evan, Greg & Traci Stillwater, OK

“3-12 “We appreciated the hospitality, friendliness & atmosphere of First Farm Inn. The home, grounds, people & animals are first-rate! Oh, the breakfasts also.

Jen’s riding instructions & leadership helped we novices feel like horse people. The grooming & handling the tack was as much fun as riding. Perfect weather helped, but this was a perfect 3-day getaway in the spring. May God bless the First Farm family & future occupants to the 1870s room.” Dale & Carol Marion, OH

3-12 “This was our first B&B ever and it couldn’t have been better. The dog, horses and hospitality were just what we needed to relax and unwind. Thank you so much for good food and riding lessons.” Tyler & Jen Carmel, IN

2-12 “What a wonderful relaxing few days! Jen was the perfect hostess and a great breakfast cook – we did not need lunch the whole time because the breakfasts were so delicious & filling. We really enjoyed the horse rides with Sam and Tommy and Jen riding Bode! Jen is an awesome instructor – I learned a lot in a few days. We will be back.” Susan & Julie Fort Wayne, IN

3-12 “You have a beautiful home. Thank you for opening it up to us. It was wonderful to stay at such a peaceful place away from the city. The breakfast was scrumptious and the trail ride made for a great day activity. We loved the animals and playing fetch with Odo. I wanted to plan a quiet, relaxing getaway for my husband and I and I think this was the perfect place for our vacation...” John & Amanda Ft. Campbell, KY

1-12 “This place will hold a special spot in our hearts forever. We loved it and will return for a longer stay.” J & L Louisville, KY

1-11 We had such a wonderful experience sharing your beautiful home. From the warmth of the fireplace to the warmth of your conversation, we loved every minute. Hope to see you again when we quality as Olympic skiers!!! Lauren & Don TN

6-11 “Such a relaxing time. It began as 1-2 days, but we stayed for three. We celebrated our 32^nd anniversary week here on the farm. What a delight! Food was the Best! I enjoyed learning about and caring for horses followed by the daily ride with Jen and other guests.

Our stay was more than I dreamed. The flowers greeted us each morning as did the swings, rockers and hammock. Odo (Australian sheepdog) entertained us with his blue ball game. Our time together with Dana and Jen was so special! They were so real and open with us yet let us have space. Their home was so welcoming. Thanks you guys!” Sugar Grove, IL

7-11 “Thanks for the great visit. It’s fantastic to go on a ride on vacation and feel like you’re on a ride with an old friend. Thanks for the tips on my riding position and for taking photos of me riding. It was great hanging out with you and the horses!” Washington, D.C.

8-11 “Thank you so much for the lovely accommodations. Enjoyed your home cooked breakfasts, the front porch, and your pets. Everything reminded me of growing up on the farm in Central Illinois. May the Lord bless your home and your endeavors for taking care of her creations.” Illinois-Michigan

10-11 “Thank you for taking two weary travelers from Ireland and giving us such fine food and conversation. Such hospitality is hard to find outside our home country, and we enjoyed having a good laugh together.” James Dublin, Ireland

9-14 “We enjoyed our stay so much – great food, fine music by Tatiana on the holiday morning was a delightful surprise, and Odo, the stress reliever. Our riding time and lessons will carry us down the road a bit safer with our horse encounters. I love the art your home is filled with – a mini museum! Thank you for your hospitality and may God bless you beyond your dreams!” Alvin & Linda S Jeffersonville, IN

10-21 “Thank you so much for opening up your beautiful home for us to enjoy! The food was amazing – I can’t wait to try the recipes from your cookbook! The room was so comfortable and homey, we felt like we were staying with friends...” Chris & Marsha N, Spruce Head, Maine

The 1870s-vintage German farm house is set on 21 rolling acres in Western Boone County, where Indiana, Ohio & Kentucky meet. Two spacious and comfortable guest rooms are available year round and include access to the outdoor hot tub, farm ponds, horseback riding and bountiful homemade breakfasts. Check out http://www.firstfarminn.com for midweek discounts, girlfriend getaways, family riding visits and suggestions for creative engagements.

Horseback riding is what sets First Farm Inn apart. “Riding with me is different than anywhere else you've ridden,” says Jen Warner who started the tiny agri-tourism venture 16 years ago with her husband Dana Kisor and daughter Tatiana Warner Kisor.

“During your two hour session, you’ll help groom and tack up, learn how and why your horse thinks the way he does, practice in the riding arena, then ride up and down the hills, around the ponds and through the woods with your new equine partner. Whether you've never ridden before, have taken a series of lessons, or grew up with your own horse, you'll enjoy your ride at First Farm Inn.”

Never expecting to teach riding following a career in government and corporate work, Warner constantly updates her teaching techniques and follows the latest research, focusing on safety, centered and balanced riding. Riding is available year-round to guests who are not staying in the B&B as well. Call to schedule a time. Groups are limited to five people over the age of 5 and under 250 pounds.

If you’d like to visit First Farm Inn before you book your stay, come Saturday, June 30, 10-5 for the Boone County Rural Treasures Farm Tour. You may tour the B&B’s “common areas,” visit the gardens, see the historic barn, walk under the 200-year-old trees, play on the swings, check out the hammock, take pictures with the horses, take a short riding lesson and enjoy some brief seminars on riding safety and balance.

For more information on First Farm Inn call 859-586-0199 or email info@firstfarminn.com For regular updates and to see lots of photos, “like” First Farm Inn Bed and Breakfast on Facebook www.facebook.com/FirstFarmInn

The Bed & Breakfast Association of Kentucky promotes a “Better Way To Stay” representing 100 quality-inspected bed & breakfast inns, boutique hotels, cottages, country inns and farm stays. Membership is limited to certified properties that agree to uphold quality standards. BBAK members work together to educate, promote and support these unique family businesses and historic properties. For a memorable getaway, visit a Kentucky bed and breakfast soon. To find out more about the Bed & Breakfast Association of Kentucky, visit www.kentuckybb.com or call 1.888.281.8188

Romantic family getaways... with the kids?

Jen — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:36:59 GMT

MSNBC is planning a story on romantic family getaways with the kids. Sounds like an oxymoron at first, but with some thought I came up with these suggestions. We've just started getting requests for spring break getaways, so you'd be wise to book as soon as your schedule permits.

Fun Family Horseback Adventures at First Farm Inn

Arrive at First Farm Inn Kentucky, 20 acres of rolling hills just 2 miles off Cincinnati's beltline, ready for the whole family (over 5 years and under 250 pounds) to spend two hours with our happy, healthy horses riding around the ponds, over the hills and through the woods.

After the horses have had their treats and been turned out, the kids will have a great time playing soccer with the dog and cuddling kitties. While Mom & Dad take the breakfast menu and list of dinner and entertainment suggestions to the double hammock under the big maple tree in the front yard to cuddle and chat, the kids can climb the big rope, swing in the tire, and play on the swing set.

They will check into the elegant, updated 1870s farmhouse bed and breakfast with two spacious rooms with queen-sized beds and private baths. Kids can stay in one room and parents in another, or a family of four can share the big Treetops room. Everyone can grab a drink to sip on the veranda as they rock and watch the neighbor’s cows. and discuss their bountiful homemade breakfast.

Dad can supervise rowing and paddle boat races in the big pond while mom enjoys an in-room massage or reads one of the many books and magazines available.

Croquet, board games, puzzles, movies and dvds are available as well as directions to Lazer Craze, hiking at Big Bone Lick State Park, visiting Rabbit Hash General Store, free ice skating (in December) or racing mini-cars.

Discounted tickets are available to Perfect North Slopes Ski Area, the Cinci Zoo, Cinci Museum Center, Children’s Museum, Newport Aquarium and more.

Put the kids to bed or in front of a movie, then Mom and Dad can sneak a bottle of champagne to the hot tub for some private time.

Traditional school break times are really busy, so schedule as far in advance as you can. Schools are varying holiday dates a lot, so check even if you’re trying to make a last minute plan! Midweek, multi-day discounts.

Ten Similarities between Horseback Riding and Skiing

Jen — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:44:36 GMT

Riding horses and skis are very similar activities, balance in motion – and both often done with significant speed, especially if you have some serious experience. However, I’ve tried to get friends who do well with one to translate to the other. Despite coaching, often they don’t think it’s an easy transition.

Coloradoan Julie Goodnight who inspires many of my teaching techniques does both – and rides a variety of disciplines. Here are some tips from me, a skier for 25 years and a rider for almost 50....

Be aware of everything going on around you. Whether it’s inexperienced skiers or riders coming up behind or beside you, you want to be aware and prepared to take defensive action at any time.
Use the terrain to your advantage. Never go faster than a walk downhill on a horse until you’re a very advanced rider. Turn uphill if you’re going too fast on skis and let gravity stop or slow you.
Sink to stop. Sinking your weight into your seat slows both horses and skis.
Control the speed. If you’re going too fast on skis or horses, stop, get your position together and regain control.
Balance your weight. Riding, you keep your weight balanced over your horse’s center. Skiing, you keep you weight balanced over your skis.
Flex your legs. Legs are never straight. Bend your knees. Shins forward against the front of the ski boots. When you’re riding, ankles are flexed so your heel is below your stirrup.
Straight back. Shoulders curled forward or chin dropped throws your weight forward and screws up your balance.
Faster horse or skier should be in the front. Overtaking another skier or rider from the rear is dangerous.
Leave space between the skier or rider in front or beside you. At least 15 feet is a good safe distance for both.
Stay relaxed and flexible. Your core is working constantly whether riding or skiing. Remember to breathe. Sing if you’re nervous – it forces you to breathe!

How Horses Learn

Jen — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:57:44 GMT

Regular riding by a calm, consistent, thoughtful rider is so important to horses. While we all have hectic schedules and our horses are our pets, it is important that we remind them we are the human with the big brain and they are the prey animal with the little brain with some regularity.

Just ran across some notes from a Julie Goodnight seminar at Equine Affair 2011 when she talked about the stages of learning for animals. She outlined four steps:

Acquisition – Introduction of skills.
Fluency – Understands cue and can respond correctly every time.
Generalization – Can replicate the skill anywhere, anytime. Known as “seasoning” in the horse world. A “well seasoned” horse is more predictable than a young one who is just acquiring the skill. He’s traveled, been ridden in different places, been away from his herd-mates, had a variety of riders, experienced noises and distractions unlike those at his home barn, etc.
Maintenance -- Horses must be worked regularly to maintain their skill level.

People often buy a horse described as “broke,” then neglect it for six months, a year or years and expect it to maintain the skill levels it had the day after it returned from the trainer. This doesn’t happen. Horses that are ignored have no reason to respect humans and often “forget” the horse-human hierarchy, which necessitates retraining and can be dangerous.

An aside: I’m hesitant to trust anyone who says their horse is “broke.” I don’t want a broken horse, I want a trained horse. The words used as a description often cue the process and attitude used. That may also be a cue that you’re “rescuing” a horse from a bad situation – make sure what you’re paying for it reflects that it’s a rescue, not a healthy, well-trained horse.

If you are an experienced, assertive rider and the horse (like most – but not all) is a gentle, kind soul, you can bring that horse back to the point of “fluency.” I’ve had good luck buying horses that have been thru this common situation.

Lisa did this in just a few months of regular riding with our newest horse Tommy who had been neglected at Earlham College in Richmond, IN – even thought he was theoretically part of the “equine program” there.

If you’re thinking about taking a horse to college or taking riding lessons at college, be sure to investigate thoroughly. The pretty brochure about Earlham’s “program” didn’t accurately portray the unsafe, unsupervised situation where Tommy was starved in Richmond, IN. And when we pointed out the situation to the college president – as well as his student’s dishonesty and misrepresentation in the face of the school’s “strict values & ethics policy,” he declined to take any action.

Quiet, consistent riding by a level-headed, calm rider gives a horse confidence.

The “instant reward” of releasing pressure within three seconds of the horse’s response is important too.

Nothing good has EVER happened from hanging in a horse’s mouth after he’s responded to you.

People often treat their horses like cars, pulling back long after they’ve responded and stopped – sometimes to the point the horse backs up, trying to figure out why they’re still pulling when he’s done what he was asked to do!

The quicker you give back to your horse after you’ve pulled on a rein to turn him, after his feet have stopped moving when you asked him to stop, the smarter he is going to think you are. We always want our horses to know from the start that we are the humans with the big brain. And it’s our responsibility to make sure our behavior demonstrates it!

What is Dressage?

Jen — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:12:04 GMT

It is so hard to give a quick and understandable definition of dressage, so here's the info from Wikipedia. There are more details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dressage

Dressage (pronounced /ˈdrɛsɑːʒ/ or /drɨˈsɑːʒ/) (a French term, most commonly translated to mean "training") is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training."^[1] Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games. Its fundamental purpose is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse. At the peak of a dressage horse's gymnastic development, the horse will respond smoothly to a skilled rider's minimal aids. The rider will be relaxed and appear effort-free while the horse willingly performs the requested movement. Dressage is occasionally referred to as "Horse Ballet". Although the discipline has ancient roots, in Europe, dressage was first recognized as an important equestrian pursuit during the Renaissance. The great European riding masters of that period developed a sequential training system that has changed little since then. Classical dressage is still considered the basis of modern dressage.

Early European aristocrats displayed their horses' training in equestrian pageants, but in modern dressage competition, successful training at the various levels is demonstrated through the performance of "tests", prescribed series of movements ridden within a standard arena. Judges evaluate each movement on the basis of an objective standard appropriate to the level of the test and assign each movement a score from zero to ten – zero being "not executed" and 10 being "excellent". A score of 9 is very good and is a high mark, while a competitor achieving all 6s (or 60% overall) should be considering moving on to the next level.

Dressage horses

An Andalusian at the passage

All riding horses can benefit from use of dressage principles and training techniques. However, horse breeds most often seen at the Olympics and other international FEI competitions are in the warmblood category. Dressage is an egalitarian competition in which all breeds are given an opportunity to compete successfully^{[citation needed]}. Therefore, many other breeds are seen at various levels of competition.

In non-competitive performances of classical dressage that involve the "Airs above the ground" (described below), the "Baroque" breeds of horses, most notably the Lipizzaner, are seen most often.

The arena

There are two sizes of arenas: small and standard. Each has letters assigned to positions around the arena for dressage tests to specify where movements are to be performed.

The small arena is 20 m by 40 m (66x131 ft), and is used for the lower levels of eventing in the dressage phase, as well as for the USDF Introductory tests and the USEF Training Level tests. Its letters around the outside edge, starting from the point of entry and moving clockwise, are A-K-E-H-C-M-B-F. A number of mnemonic devices are used to remember this sequence, such as the phrase "All King Edwards' Horses Can Make Big Fences." Letters also mark locations in the middle of the arena: Moving down the center line, they are D-X-G, with X in the center. Since the combination of Equine Canada (EC) and United States Dressage Federation (USDF) tests in 2003, the small size arena is no longer utilized in rated shows in North America.

Standard dressage arena, 20 m by 60 m (66x197 ft).

The standard arena is 20 m by 60 m (66x197 ft), and is used for tests in both dressage (USEF First Level and above) and eventing. The standard dressage arena letters are A-K-V-E-S-H-C-M-R-B-P-F. (There is speculation as to why these letters were chosen. Most commonly it is believed because the German cavalry had a 20 x 60 meter area in between the barracks which had the letters posted above the doors) The letters on the long sides of the arena, nearest the corners, are 6 m (19.7 ft) in from the corners, and are 12 m (39.4 ft) apart from each other. The letters in the middle of the arena are D-L-X-I-G, with X marking the center line. At the start of the test, the horse enters at A. There is always a judge sitting at C, although for upper-level competition, there are up to five judges at different places around the arena—at C, E, B, M, and H—which allows the horse to be seen in each movement from all angles. This helps prevent certain faults from going unnoticed, which may be difficult for a judge to see from only one area of the arena. For example, the horse's straightness going across the diagonal may be assessed by judges at M and H. Judges in the United States are licensed by the USEF for different levels of competition, depending on the judge's experience and training.

The dressage arena also has a centerline (from A to C, going through X in the middle), as well as two quarter-lines (halfway between the centerline and long sides of each arena).

Competition

Dressage competitions may begin in local communities with introductory level classes where riders need only walk and trot. Horses and riders advance through a graduated series of Nationally defined levels, with tests of increasing difficulty at each level. The most accomplished horse and rider teams perform the FEI tests, written by an international committee called the Fédération Équestre Internationale or FEI. The highest level of modern competition is at the Grand Prix level. This is the level test ridden in the prestigious international competitions, such as the Olympic games.

Dressage at the international level under the rules of the FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale) consists of the following levels: Prix St. Georges, Intermediare I, Intermediare II and Grand Prix. In addition, there are four to six lower levels, occasionally more, regulated in individual nations. The lower levels ask horses for basic gaits, relatively large circles, and a lower level of collection than the international levels. Lateral movements are not required in the earliest levels, and movements such as the leg yield, shoulder-in, or haunches-in are gradually introduced as the horse progresses.

Apart from competition, there is a tradition of classical dressage, in which the tradition of dressage is pursued as an art form. The traditions of the masters who originated Dressage are kept alive by the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria and the Cadre Noir in Saumur, France. This type of schooling is also a part of Portuguese and Spanish bullfighting exhibitions.

Tests

Dressage tests are the formalized sequence of a number of dressage movements used in competition. Although horses and riders are competing against each other, tests are completed by one horse and rider combination at a time, and horses and riders are judged against a common standard, rather than having their performance scored relative to the other competitors.

At the upper levels, tests for International competitions, including the Olympics, are issued under the auspices of the Federation Equestre Internationale. At the lower levels, and as part of dressage training each country authorizes its own set of tests. In the USA it is the United States Equestrian Federation and the United States Dressage Federation. Pony Clubs also produce basic walk/trot tests. The British Dressage Federation has similar rules.

Each test is segmented into a number of sequential blocks which may contain one or more movements. Each block is generally scored between one and ten on a scale such as the following:

10 Excellent

9 Very good

8 Good

7 Fairly good

6 Satisfactory

5 Sufficient

4 Insufficient

3 Fairly Bad

2 Bad

1 Very bad

0 Not performed[2]

In addition to marks for the dressage movements, marks are also awarded for more general attributes such as the horse's gaits, submission, impulsion and the rider’s performance. Some segments are given increased weight by the use of a multiplier, or coefficient. Coefficients are typically given a value of 2, which then doubles the marks given for that segment Movements that are given a coefficient are generally considered to be particularly important to the horse's progression in training, and should be competently executed prior to moving up to the next level of competition. The scores for the general attributes of gait, submission, impulsion, and rider performance mentioned above are scored using a coefficient.

Boundaries -- Who sets them?

Jen — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 23:41:50 GMT

At a mother’s group when my daughter was very small one mom told of sitting in a hospital waiting room while her husband was having a biopsy.

The parents next to them said their two-year old was having all his rotten baby teeth capped because they put him to bed with a bottle of milk or juice every night. She wanted to warn other mothers about the dangers of giving children anything other than water in a bottle at night.

Another mother in the group said of her chubby three-year-old, “We tried that, but she fusses, even if we dilute it, she knows and throws a fit.”

Who is the adult in your household? I asked inside my head.

Yes, most of us grew up in dysfunctional households. We didn’t learn to set boundaries appropriately. We try to give our kids whatever we didn’t get. Our parents did the same for us, and theirs for them to a certain extent.

But whether we grew up with alcoholism, drug abuse, wife abuse, workaholism or an absent parent, a choice to become parents ourselves is a commitment to be responsible for another person. Being responsible means we must set boundaries – both for ourselves and especially for our children.

So what if your daughter fusses for three nights in a row about not having a bottle of milk in bed with her? I wanted to say to that mother. She obviously isn’t in need of it nutritionally. You’d rather not hear her fuss for a half hour for half a week now even if it practically guarantees she’ll have a mouth full of rotten teeth for the rest of her life. At three she’d be better off using a regular cup or sippy cup anyhow.

That reminds me of the La Leche League mother I heard talk about not feeding her baby solids because she didn’t want him to become less dependent on her.

Are we having children so we can foist our psychological dysfunctions on them?

Our Illinois neighbor constantly screamed “No, Tommy, stop that” at the top of his lungs in a usually futile effort to control and manipulate his six-year old son. We were the ones who picked the kid off the front window of his parents' van before he fell on the concrete drive we shared.

That’s not setting boundaries or appropriate limits either.

A friend once advised me to only say no to my daughter when it matters. “Danger, that’s electrical” works for light cords. “You’re hurting him” helps protect the arthritic old cat. National Public Radio ran a feature on Einstein saying as a two-year-old he spilled a quart of milk on the kitchen floor. His mother let him play in it before she made him help clean it up.
Setting boundaries is something we must continue to do for ourselves throughout our lives if we want to be healthy. Yes, I love hot-fudge sundaes, but I value being fit and healthy at least as much, so I don't eat one every day.

Old Fashioned Charm and Bargains in Rabbit Hash and Burlington

Jen — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:57:32 GMT

If you like looking thru odds and ends trying to figure out what they were used for and admiring the ingenuity and creativity of the past, visiting Rabbit Hash and Burlington will be the perfect “cup of tea” to sweeten even the dreariest drizzly day regardless of the season.

On the other hand, if your idea of great fun is standing in line on steaming asphalt at King’s Island with 100 other people, Western Boone County won’t suit you.

“Rabbit Hash is a state of mind” says a bumper sticker laying right next to a postcard of Lucy Lu, the Australian Shepherd who became the new mayor in the Nov. 08 election, defeating Travis the cat. A very busy girl, Lucy is so zealous about stick fetching that she’ll even carry a stick to you inside the little odds and ends shops whose doors are propped open. She brought a 4’ long one up the stairs to the art gallery above the barn too!

You never know what you’ll find at Rabbit Hash – fresh creative art, flowers and plants, things you remember from your grandparents’ homes, Harley Davidson riders, live music, a checkers game by the wood stove, natural foods, hand-made crafts, garden tools and more. http://www.rabbithash.com/

The drive from First Farm Inn to Rabbit Hash follows a “Kentucky Scenic Byway” known as Petersburg Road or KY 20. You’ll overlook the Ohio River most of the way, winding down through tiny Petersburg where the 100-year-old Opera House is now a private home and the old hotels sit empty next to the river. Be sure to pay attention to the speed limit signs on the curves – they’re legit.

Turn right to stay on Kentucky 20 when KY 18 forks left. Watch for wild turkeys and deer. Take Lower River Road to continue your river view then loop back on Upper River Road if you’re heading north or east to Dinsmore Homestead or Burlington.

Turn right on KY 18 to go to the historic Dinsmore farm or Burlington. You’ll see Dinsmore on the left with it’s white picket fence and outbuildings. http://www.dinsmorefarm.org/ Tours are offered by volunteers several days a week, so you can stop in (or call ahead) and see if you’re in luck. The Dinsmore family, headed by five generations of women who always seemed to wed men who didn’t live very long, was very well connected. A moose shot by Teddy Roosevelt hangs in the front hall. One Dinsmore was the first Congresswoman every elected in Arizona some years ago. Hike to the family cemetery up the hill. Peek in the windows at the carriages. Check out the log cookhouse.

Back on Ky 18 go to “downtown” Burlington where Western Boone County’s stoplight resides. The café on the corner serves homemade soups, salads and sandwiches surrounded by memorabilia from the county high schools. Turn left to get to the Opinionated Bookseller, a delightful place to peruse odds and ends. Across the street is great (and cheap) antiquing at Burlington Antiques and its adjoining shops.

For elegant dining at reasonable prices, regardless of how you’re dressed, try Tousey House http://www.touseyhouse.com One group of Canadians returned there every night of their three night stay, offering raves each morning!

Continue your Western Boone County adventure taking KY 338 back to First Farm Inn. As you wind around the curves and up and down the hills, relax and recognize that it’s only six miles.

Zinnias & Riding -- By Sharon Rosburg

Jen — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 11:49:11 GMT

CoolBlueNews --- June 3, 2011 --- Although I closed my business and retired in December of 2010, I still tried to find gardeners for my longtime clients, and took occasional consulting jobs. Thus, when a good client called me and asked me to clue his new landscaper in on what plants I had used on his garden, I was glad to help out. What did you plant that he keeps raving about? , the new guy asked. I've showed him pictures of every flower I use and none of them fit his description. Oh, that's easy, I replied. Zinnias, lots of them and in every color.

Zinnias are an old plant, first seen by me at age four in my Grandma Sprouse's garden in West Virginia. She grew them in a row next to the corn, and they were huge things, much taller than me. As a child, I loved the pink, orange, gold and red flowers but, as an adult, the sandpaper-like leaves turned me off, and I didn't grow them for years.

Then I got a client who wanted big colorful flowers – all colors – all summer. They had to be good for cutting, withstand heat attract butterflies, and most importantly, deer resistant. Hello zinnias, come on down!

Zinnias are a hot weather annual from Mexico. The largest of them, Zinnia elegans, now comes in many colors –- bi-color gold and orange, white with rose center, reds, pinks, and purples. Two new cultivars are popping up in garden stores, a red and white beauty called 'Swizzle Cherry and Ivory,' and its gold and orange counterpart 'Swizzle Scarlet and Yellow. Friend and good gardener, Barbara Powers, who loves old flowers, turned me on to a green Zinnia – Envy.

Last year, I grew many kinds of zinnias – all of the above and lots of the little 'Profusion' strain, small zinnias in bright orange, red, yellow and peach. Living here in Mt. Lookout, also known as Deer Central, for the first time I had continuous color. It seems that the things that I didn't like about zinnias were also the things the deer didn't like, which may be why we now find these lovely upstanding flowers in six-packs everywhere. Hey honey, when you go to Biggs, would you mind bringing me back some zinnias?*****

Although I have retired to other endeavors, I have lots of names of good people who will be glad to come out and make your gardens beautiful.

Please contact me by email – coolbluegarden@usa.net and I'll kindly pass their names on to you.

As I said, zinnias can be purchased everywhere nowadays. They don't like what T&M calls "root disturbance," so if you are transplanting them from starts, they may look like crap for the first couple of days. Here is what I've planted.

Zinnia 'Old Mexico' -- From the source, an heirloom plant with gorgeous pinwheels of gold and yellow downward curving petals. From seeds, from Thompson and Morgan.

Zinnia grandiflora – Perennial to Zone 5 – Here is Zone Hot and Muggy, Z. grandiflora may do well. This is my first year as I finally have a little more time to experiment with varieties I only once read about.

Description reads "dwarf plants with large orange-centered, sunshine-yellow daisies. Drought and heat tolerant – sound like a winner to me!

Zinnia 'Parasol Mixed' – Short but with same large flowers as any of the giant mixes. This flower is available at the Reading Feed Mill, if you can find anything after my cherry picking. It's a great flower for the veg garden.

Ride a Healthy Happy Horse at First Farm Inn

First Farm Inn, Idlewild, KY --- After years and years of taking care of family, clients and employees, I needed something just for me. I had tried my hand at handicapping race horses, and while I didn't lose money, I didn't make much either.
At some point, I realized just how much could go wrong with a horse. But in the process, I found just messing around with horses quite relaxing. I loved their beauty, size and strength, their personalities, and ultimately, the thrill of the ride.
First Farm offers horse rides like no other. You are matched up with one of nine of the most interesting animals on earth and begin by grooming and thus, bonding with your ride. While you brush down your horse, since it can't be ridden dirty,
Jen Warner, the owner, walks the stable explaining the ins and outs of horsemanship. Your horse is saddled, you mount and you ride out to a large ring, where she instructs you in posture, reining, trotting, posting and other command beyond my ability and understanding. After about 45 minutes of "horse class, " you head out to the pastures, woods and roads for wonderful riding. Jen is an expert teacher.
When I first started riding, I panicked, losing my stirrups and my cool. Sharon, she said, I'm going to tie a lead rope from your horse to mine and help you. So there I was, tied to Jen's horse along with an eleven year old who was doing much better than I.
Jen has a way of making you feel secure and I've made progress since then, can now ride, trot and even sometimes canter on my own.
If you don't believe me, check out my FaceBook page, Sharon Rosberg, and there I am, having the ride of my life. Oh, did I mention, First Farm Inn is a B&B too. Great accommodations, great breakfasts, and great, great horses.
First Farm Inn, 2510 Stevens Road, Idlewild, KY 41080, 859-586-0199, www.firstfarminn.com. Please call, book a horse or a room, whatever and join me!

Lessons from the Farm for my Baby (Written in 1996)

Jen — Wed, 04 May 2011 21:27:00 GMT

Growing up on a farm and raising animals has helped me parent, at least as much as the volumes of parenting books and magazines I’ve perused in the last three years.

The youngest of all the cousins on both sides of the family, I wasn’t around babies. Living on a farm, neighbors with kids weren’t nearby. I didn’t baby-sit. I was never around kids younger than my sister, who is just 18 months my junior. Yet I was surrounded by baby animals –cats, pigs, calves, rabbits, chickens and one spring, even a pair of orphaned raccoons. From each experience, I learned things that have been of value in the first two years with my daughter.

From “helping” many dairy calves enter the world, I had an awareness of the birth process, signs of eminent birth and what can go wrong. Knowing that, when I realized my breasts were leaking colostrum within a week of my daughter’s birth, I hoped the doctors would be wrong and she would come on the date we’d expected. They were and she did.

From feeding young dairy calves from the time I was six, I learned the necessity of hydration, frequent feedings to keep fluid levels high in the young. Too sick and miserable to pump milk from the bucket, I’d work the nipple for them, waiting for it to trickle down their throats.

From mixing eggs into cow’s milk to feed orphaned baby pigs, I learned that the smaller the animal, the more protein it needs to survive. With patience, I returned to the barn many times throughout the first days, coaxing the less-than-month-old pink piglets to drink from a tin pie pan.

From handling fierce and fiery wild barn kittens, I learned gentleness and patience makes a loving, receptive creature. Hours of lying on the barn floor twitching a straw brought curious kittens out to tussle with the toy and gradually submit to more and more petting and cuddling.

From breeding Chinchilla rabbits with California rabbits, I learned the flukes and variations of crossbreeding. Their colors ranged from all white or all black to spotted, but never the mottled gray Chinchilla color.

From raising the raccoons, I learned that regardless of my beliefs, some traits are sex linked. Although they were treated identically, the female raccoon became friendly and enjoyed playing with us, the male consistently bit anyone who handled him. After they were released, only one came back to visit.

From watching white rats grow in a fifth-grade, I learned the value of nutrition. The one fed milk, vegetables and fruits, with a few treats mixed in, grew big and sleek. The one fed chips, candy, soda and other junk food (donated from school lunches) grew mean, angry, thin and ratty looking.

From the turtle my brother carved his name into in 1966, I learned most creatures stay close to home. An outdoorsman brought the turtle back to visit, with the name and date still clearly evident, nearly 20 years later. It had been found less than a mile away.

From my two Australian Shepherd dogs, I learned that the breed doesn’t make the dog and to be cautious of in-breeding. One, a farm dog from a local family, was bright and sharp with many untapped skills. The beautiful one, probably bred for her color, was sweet but an absolute dingbat, barely able to come when she was called.

From watching a friend teach my dog to roll over by feeding her chunks of apple pie, I learned the value of rewards to reinforce desired behaviors.

From showing pigs in 4-H, I learned the value of hybridizing. A pig with purebred parents of two different breeds won reserve grand champion, over 300 other pigs. The judge described it as nearly perfect in conformation, just about ten pound overweight. Later in a college class, I learned about the genetic superiority of crossbreeding, getting the best characteristics of both parents while leaving the undesirable characteristics behind.

Raising foals from Quarter Horse and part Arabian mares taught me that personality traits are, at least to some degree, inherited. Though treated identically, never scared, injured or roughed up, the part Arabian stud colt fought, bucked, whirled and reared when mounted. The Quarter Horse colt merely continued his stroll through his pasture with the rider up.

From training a young Appaloosa as a teen, I learned attention spans are short. A well-researched article proved true when I began a riding session by repeating old skills for about ten minutes, to introduce one new skill in the next ten, and then to practice for a few more minutes – and quit before either of us was too tired or too frustrated.

From that same horse, I learned that correction must be immediate to have an effect. Before working with a profession trainer, the gelding pretty much did whatever he wanted when my 14-year-old body was in his saddle. At the time, I thought whips were cruel and I didn’t want to hurt him by pulling on his snaffle bit. The trainer’s instruction never to ride without a whip served me well with him and all subsequent horses I’ve trained. A whip is not to beat an animal, but simply to remind it of its manners, immediately (within three seconds) of its misbehaviors. The more often it’s carried, the more seldom it’s needed.

Particularly from horses, dogs and cats, I learned the value – for me as much as for them – of talking openly. They became more comfortable with me and better understood what I wanted or needed from them – as well as when my patience was thin. When asked verbally to trot, my horse responded without any other aids. When I apologized for leaving for the weekend, my cats seemed to accept it.

From all of the animals, I learned the comforting value of touch. Grooming seems to bond horses to their riders. Dogs show their obvious love of any kind of touch. In 1996, I held my 15-year old part Siamese cat, in misery from the sudden onset of diabetes, as the vet injected him with an overdose of painkillers. He fell asleep knowing he was loved. He had used his soft warm body to comfort me through a very difficult decade and a half.

Now that my daughter is nearly two, she reflects the value in my carefully balanced prenatal diet. The raves she receives about her vocabulary and other abilities seem to indicate the high-protein diet I forced myself to eat during the last trimester did help build brain cells, as promised.

Although it wasn’t modeled for me, I know cuddling, positive feedback and telling her that I love her daily is very important. And in return, she is as snugly as my cats have ever been.

I occasionally catch myself being inconsistent in setting limits and think, “If she were a horse, she could kill me doing that.” So, I return to the previous restriction and catch myself quicker the next time I vacillate.

And like rewarding a dog with treats to repeat a trick, I realize when I reward her with attention or affection, she will continue that behavior. We used that to encourage singing the Barney song, counting to 15 at 21 months old, saying the alphabet, using good manners and more.

I know “punishment” must be immediate. Going through a stage when she likes to pound her skull against my breastbone when I’m holding her, I thought about what she wants to get out of it (attention, usually when I’m reading or otherwise distracted) and what “punishment” would get it to stop. The punishment is immediately putting her down off my lap. She cries. I know it’s made an impression, without damaging her self esteem, without causing me to do something I find inappropriate, without responding in like by hurting her. The first few times after I realized the problem and the solution, I gave her a warning. Inevitably she did it again, so I put her down. Now, I know better than to issue a warning if it happens again.

As Tatiana began eating solid foods, she has maintained a balanced diet with plenty of protein while she’s growing quickly. Also from the animals, I know that most creatures eat what they need, if food hasn’t become a punishment or reward or otherwise an emotionally linked experience. So, on days she seems to eat primarily protein, I encourage some fruits and vegetables, but don’t worry unduly about it. Now she gets tastes of everything we eat, but meals never include junk foods. She’ll get enough of that when other kids begin to influence her eating habits. She loves ice cream and yogurt, but seldom eats a whole cookie.

Recognizing her attention span is short, I fill a diaper bag with puzzles, books and small toys when we go out for dinner. On long car rides, often eight hours, she looks at book after book from the huge stash behind the driver’s seat, when that wears out, Cheerios and raisins maintain the calm temporarily until sleep overcomes her.

When I see a mood coming on that isn’t prompted by hunger or tiredness, I pick her up, cuddle and change the scenery.

From remembering that as a six-year-old, I was capable of measuring milk replacer and whisking it into the right temperature and amount of water before carrying two buckets to the calf shed, I hope that – like most American parents – I don’t underestimate my daughter’s abilities and expect little from her when she is capable of so much.

And to help ensure that, our family is moving to our own – albeit small and outside a large city where mom and dad will work – but a farm nonetheless, yet this year.

How First Farm Inn Became a Horsey B&B

Jen — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:27:00 GMT

I never set out to offer a horsey B&B. First Farm Inn Kentucky was to be a bed breakfast and home for horses for me, my husband and daughter (who was not yet 2 when we started). I’d never given riding lessons, only taken a few at a park 20 years ago. I just wanted to have my horse as my own lawn ornament after a dozen years of working in high-rise cubicles and to find a couple companions for him.

But my first bed and breakfast guests saw my growing collection of elderly rescue equines and begged to ride. Everyone told me they knew how to ride horses.

Having interviewed hundreds of small business owners in my previous job, I knew the capital rule of business success is “listen to your customers.” So I posted a copy of Kentucky’s Farm Animal Liability Act and let some guests ride with me.

I was appalled.

People think they “know how to ride” if they sat on a pony when they were six, if they got a Girl Scout badge at eight, if they whomped around on a mule in the Grand Canyon. Never mind that they’ve put on quite a few pounds since then, haven’t exercised more than lifting their fork in years and don’t know which direction the horn goes when you sit the saddle on the horse.

But guests kept asking to ride. I didn’t want them to hurt my horses – tho most were animal lovers who had no idea the pain and frustration they were creating as they jerked, kicked and gave contradictory cues.

So, I started researching how to teach riding. Like most sports, there are zillions of approaches, many people who cast themselves as experts and a relative few who honestly know what they’re doing and are willing to share their knowledge. I read. I attended seminars. I joined the Certified Horsemanship Association and taught business marketing seminars in exchange for attending workshops. I rode and was critiqued by various instructors.

I took what I knew worked and followed those who were focused on logical riding “bio-mechanics.” I watched my students. I limited the size of my rides. Soon I limited the weight of my riders to protect my horses. I asked for advice. I followed everything that made sense. I met and studied under my riding heroes – Julie Goodnight from Colorado and Aussie Colleen Kelly.

I noticed people’s fears, lack of balance and difficulty in understanding posture. I figured out ways to make them practice in the barn when the horses were still tied to the rail so they’d get the “feel” of sitting correctly – before they panicked when the horse started moving. I tried to use all three learning styles to teach – visual (tho looking at my 20+ lb too heavy body in riding tights is embarrassing), hearing (repeating my explanations in different ways), and feeling (practice your posture against a door so you know what straight and balanced is). “Turn your lower half into water and slosh around on top the horse.”

Riding in circles in rings is boring. Deadly boring. That’s generally what a “riding lesson” is. Standing in the middle of a circle “teaching” makes me dizzy – tho I do private lessons by request.

But, doing a trail ride requires some degree of common sense or experience that most people don’t have – unless the horses are starved, drugged or have a rutted path to follow.

After cooking and serving breakfast, I didn’t have time to groom and tack up 4-6 horses by myself while my guests waited. Most of my guests love animals and want to touch them. They need some orientation.

So, we all groom as I talk about how horses think, how to steer and the importance of balance and “giving back.” I like to ride too. So I do, with every group I take out.

Because balance is crucial to safety and the most important part of riding, I fit the saddle and stirrup length to every rider. It means I own a lot of saddles and get my fingers pinched a lot when people jam their feet into a stirrup while I’m adjusting the leather.

Every rider mounts from a step to save the horse’s backs and make it easier for them too. Then we go to the riding arena and work on steering and control. We weave in and out of buckets. We may try to follow patterns between letters in the ring. Regular riders or those with more experience may do mailbox races (get their horse close enough to open a mailbox, take out a toy, close the box and come back to me).

Once everyone has some mastery, we go out and tour the farm, visiting the neighbors’ goats and cows, sometimes seeing a coyote, fox, rabbits or deer.

I carry a cell phone for emergencies and a lead rope for the young, fearful or clueless who need to “focus on their balance” while I steer their horse from the back of mine. Every once in a while I ride three horses at once, mine and a lead rope in each hand to those who are having difficulty. It’s an acquired skill – and it helps if you have huge hands!

First Farm Inn bed and breakfast also offers overnight stabling. As more and more people now travel with their horses, moving kids to college, going on trail rides, heading South for the winter or West for the summer, at First Farm Inn, we “overnight” horses and their owners.

Finding a comfortable place to stay on the grounds with their horses is a huge relief for horse owners, who often like to feed at particular times or go out to check and make sure a horse who doesn’t like to travel has drunk enough water to stay healthy. Many board their horses away from their own homes and get a kick out of being able to visit with their buddy at any hour.

In my efforts to listen to my customers, I meet as many requests as I can. I’ve had a couple blind riders, who did fine on a horse attached by a lead rope to me.

While I get requests for birthday parties and activities for very small children, I decline them. The liability risk is too great and not covered by my insurance. Nor do I have the staff to handle very small children or special-needs riders. I do birthday rides that fall within my parameters of four to six riders over the age of five.

This article was written for Pamela Lanier's innkeeping website.

Extreme Entertainment and Horsemanship

Jen — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:11:00 GMT

    Yesterday, (April 8, 2011) Susan and I visited with Sally and Chance in Columbus before they competed in the "Versatile Horse and Rider Competition" that Equine Affair has designed to eliminate some of the "cowboy" antics of "Extreme Cowboy."
    After winning the 2009 event in Columbus, Sally and Chance traveled to the East coast and won that Equine Affair event. Then they trailered to California where they slept in their trailer along the way and took 3rd in that race. While there, a representative of the Calgary Stampeed invited them to visit the great Canadian race, so they did!
        We wish them well in tomorrow's finals and bring to your attention that if she was 57 in '09 that means Sally's heading on to 60 now, setting a great example for all of us!
        (Horses are unpredictable.  Chance took an odd step outside the line of a "keyhole" obstacle, didn't spin his turn as well as he could and bobled a little on another obstacle, putting them in a very respectable Fourth place in 2011 at Columbus.)

The winner of this 2009 national competition, before a coliseum packed with thousands of cheering, screaming, fans giving her a standing ovation, was 57-year-old Sally Addington, on Ghost, a grade paint gelding with one black ear and a spot on his hind.

She took the last of a four-bump jump series with no hands – her arms stretched straight out from her shoulders, reins dropped over the horn of her big Western saddle.

A short, stocky mom on an unregistered horse she trained herself and rode bareback at a dead run winning a national event? It was Craig Cameron’s “Extreme Cowboy Race” at Equine Affair in Columbus, Ohio.

To get to the finals, Sally and Ghost had done everything a cowboy and her horse might need to do in the wild West, including racing at a dead run, roping a cow, carrying a sick calf, jumping into and out of water, walking through thick brush and trash, spins, bending low to pick something up, dismounting and remounting bareback, changing canter leads looping though a complicated pattern – even standing in the saddle to reach up high.

RFD TV viewers may have caught televised versions of this highly entertaining horsemanship extravaganza in the last three years. Viewers become instant fans, upon exposure to this entertaining contest of mental and physical skills on and with horses that originated on Cameron’s Texas ranch. The only entrance requirement is to be over 18 and pay a $250 fee.

Cameron calls it “a judged race through an obstacle course that is designed not only to push horse and rider teams out of their traditional “comfort zones,” but also to test communication between horse and rider and the horsemanship skills and athletic abilities of each competitor.”

Picture this race:

The horses -- a 4-year-old spotted saddle horse, a couple of big bay Quarter Horse stallions, a Missouri Fox Trotter, a bulky Haflinger pony, a greying 21-year-old chestnut pony, a big blocky white horse with a black ear, a dun-colored mule, a couple sorrels with some Quarter Horse in them…

The riders – varying from 98 to over 275 pounds – including a 20-year-old gymnast, a middle-aged woman just recovering from wrist surgery, a 65-year-old hearing aid salesman with a bad knee, and a bunch of cowboys and cowgirls whose ages and sizes fall somewhere in between.

The course: When you hear “go” and the timer starts, run your horse around the arena as fast as it can run, heedless of the screaming, clapping crowd, odd obstacles, unhappy calves in gated enclosures and an impressive speaker system loudly describing the activities.

Grab a lasso from a gate, rope the faux calf head affixed to hay bales.
Pick up a full water bucket from the top of one barrel and carry it to the next where you empty it.
Walk your horse between two pens of long-horned calves through wood and trash.
Jump three small logs -- circling and changing leads three times.
Run over to stop in a box, spin your horse one direction, then the other.
Pick up a rope and drag a log through pylons.
Dismount to pick up a 50-pound feed bag representing a sick calf.
Remount and carry it on your horse to a marker where you set it down gently.
Lope a figure eight -- staying within marked boundaries.
Go through a simulated water crossing.
Continue flying lead changes through a “daisy chain” of cones as spectators scream “Ole” with each lead change.
Jump three rows of drums.
Bend down to pick up a tennis ball off a cone about a foot tall.
Carry the tennis ball to a gate where a bucket is affixed high enough that you must stand on top of your saddled horse to put the ball in.
Go through the rattling pipe gates over and through a “log jumble.”
Dismount, remove your saddle, remount. (There’s a hay bale if you need it.)
Race your horse around the arena bareback.
Stop at the far end, dismount, lead your trotting horse to the center, crossing the finish line as quickly as you can.

While each of these skills was evaluated by experienced horse people on a 10-point scale, hot dogging garnered even more points.

Cracking a bullwhip during the race around the arena, picking up and swinging a tarp during the bareback run, picking up a dropped cowboy hat from the ground at a dead run, removing the bridle as well as saddle and racing the arena in a halter, the cowboy jumping the barrels as he raced to the finish line, mounting from the horse’s right, asking the horse to lay down to mount, sidepassing from one obstacle to the next, sliding stops – all added points and demonstrated the level of training and communication between horse and rider.

Competitors are evaluated by a panel of three experienced horse trainers. Judges award 1-10 points based on: horsemanship, cadence, control, horse’s attitude, and overall execution. Horses and riders must complete each obstacle within a set time to receive points. Uncompleted tasks are left behind as the contestant moves on to the next obstacle. Times are translated into points. The highest score wins. The top three finishers get cash and prizes.

Ready to try it? Submit an application explaining why you’d like to compete with a check for $250 and you may end up at one of the half dozen competitions held around the country each year.

Created by Cameron and Ryan Dohrn of HorseCity.com, the first races were held at Cameron’s ranch in Bluff Dale, Texas, in 2005. The Extreme Cowboy Race™ airs on RFD-TV and is also available on HorseCity.com for those who do not get RFD-TV. For more information: http://www.craigcameron.com/extreme.shtml

Famous Jockey Steve Cauthen speaks to Horse Network

Jen — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 01:46:00 GMT

Steve Cauthen, who at 18 was the youngest jockey ever to win the Triple Crown in 1978, wanted to be a quarterback. But, he said this afternoon speaking to the Northern Kentucky Horse Network, when he was about 12 and all his friends grew 6” and he didn’t, he decided to become a jockey.

Like a quarterback, he said, jockeys tend to get all the glory when things work out well and all the grief when they don’t. In response to a question, he said, 98 percent of winning is the horse, 2 percent the jockey. While jockeys and trainers study the horses and how they all run, “the whole race can change in a second.” The best jockeys are the ones who make the fewest mistakes. “A great jockey can sometimes win on the third or fourth best horse in the race.”

Affirmed – the last horse to win the Triple Crown – “had gears, mind and heart” and could respond more than many horses, he said. While he got to know the big stallion quite well, he said of the 14,000 some horses he rode, about 10,000 he didn’t even see before being legged up to race them.

His most memorable win was the Belmont, the last leg of the Triple Crown. “I was scared I might mess it up, so I felt relief when I passed the wire.”

In answer to a question about falling, he said, “The thing about falling is you know you are about to fall, then the next thing you know is you are waking up in the hospital.” He’s come very close to being paralyzed, has broken his neck and knee among other things. He didn’t hold onto anxiety about it. “You can’t ride with fear.”

A native of Walton (in the southern part of Boone County), Cauthen’s dad -- Tex was a farrier at Turfway Park in Florence and his mom -- Myra, was a horse trainer. At 16 he weighed 92 pounds and could easily stay under the usual weight of 117 carried by U.S. Thoroughbreds. Since his dad was so well known and liked, track officials turned a blind eye to his riding underage.

The most valuable thing he learned from his dad? “The best thing my dad did was teach me to work hard. If you’re around horses, there’s plenty of work,” Cauthen said.

After connecting with Affirmed and beating Alydar in every leg of the Triple Crown in ’78, Cauthen was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, given the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey and Outstanding Jockey and the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award which honors a rider whose career and personal conduct exemplifies the best example of thoroughbred racing professionals.

Maintaining his weight was a huge issue. After a growth spurt at 18, Cauthen weighed 108 and was 5’6” – very tall for a jockey. (Height-to-weight tables say a man of 5’6” should weigh between 130 & 164!) So, shortly after winning the Triple Crown he moved to Europe where jockeys are allowed a few more pounds. In his 14 years as a jockey (a dozen more than the common length of a jockey’s career), Cauthen won derbies in nearly every country you can imagine might race horses – Ireland, England, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Norway, Italy, Iceland, Australia, South Africa and more. He knew all of England’s royal family.

Because he was physically maturing, he retired at 32 and bought a farm in Verona, Ky. where he raises Thoroughbreds and lives with his wife and three daughters, whom, he says, are now more into dancing than horses. Two of his mares were daughters of Affirmed and his horses carry some of the stallion’s bloodlines. Affirmed died in Jan. ’01.

Owners generally get 60 percent of a horse’s winnings. Of that jockeys get 10 percent. Of their 10 percent, jockeys’ agents get 25 percent.

Despite his incredible credentials and successes at a very young age, Cauthen is very affable, friendly and self effacing, often donating his time to help charities and various causes. This week his enthusiasm is centered around his horse called Little Brown who is running Thursday.

For more information and videos of the Triple Crown races, see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Cauthen

http://www.cityofwalton.org/Cauthen.htm

http://derbylegends.com/steve-cauthen/biography.shtml

Tips on Finding a Bed and Breakfast

Jen — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:06:00 GMT

Looking for a B&B somewhere other than the Cincinnati area? Google works fairly well but often eliminates the unique old fashioned places run by people over “internet age” who have been the heart and soul of the U.S. B&B industry. If having constant high speed access is important to you, then go ahead with your Blackberry or I-Phone search.

Be aware though, that the higher a B&B appears on Google, the more they’re paying. Obviously, the bigger the place, the more it can afford to pay, running smaller properties out of the front page listings. A number of hotel chains attempt to look like B&Bs, making it more difficult for us who offer the authentic family home B&B experience.

The site that always comes up is www.bedandbreakfast.com. Owned by a conglomerate out of California, these people are out to make as much money as they can from everyone in every way. Their listings are expensive and limit inn’s visibility on their site based on how much they pay and how many “extras” they are willing to buy. If you only want to stay in one community and know its name, you’ll get inns that are located there and are willing to pay several hundred dollars annually.

If you’re attending an event in a city on a state border, be sure to check across the state line. For example, we’re 20 minutes from downtown Cincinnati, yet in a country setting.

Most information about B&Bs is written by the innkeepers and will give you a feel of their personalities and the environment at their inn.

Look carefully at photos. Some B&Bs are in wonderful historic areas in inner cities that are not yet rebuilt. We’ve had guests who arrived with great relief, having been fearful about their vehicle and its contents parked at an inner city B&B the night before. There may be a reason if they don’t show exterior photos. Ask if you are concerned.

Ask for anything you want or need. First Farm Inn Kentucky offers discounted tickets to area attractions and restaurants as well as city maps and lots of tourism information. We encourage guests to bring champagne to drink in the hot tub and provide big unbreakable stemmed glasses. We set up appointments for a licensed massage therapist to give in-room massages.

Be ware of excessive superlatives that don’t really say anything concrete about the property. “Great continental breakfast” could mean bagels that sit on a counter all day...

KET to feature First Farm Inn

Webmaster — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:07:00 GMT

First Farm Inn to be featured on KET’s Kentucky Living, 8 p.m. Sat., April 10

Magazine says “Best for Rest & Relaxation” again

First Farm Inn, Northern Kentucky’s smallest bed and breakfast, will be featured on Kentucky Educational Television at 8 p.m. Sat., April 10 on the Kentucky Life program.

“Kentucky Life is always on the lookout for places that are ‘quintessentially Kentucky,’ says Valerie Trimble, KET producer.

“A bed and breakfast in an 1870’s farmhouse in the country, with beautiful scenery, friendly animals, great food, and the opportunity to ride horses sounded like the perfect Kentucky getaway.”

Set on 21 acres in Western Boone County, where Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky meet, First Farm Inn offers two spacious and comfortable guest rooms. Open year round, the bed and breakfast experience includes access to the outdoor hot tub, farm ponds, horseback riding and in-room massages by a licensed therapist as well as bountiful homemade breakfasts.

“As Kentucky Life discovered, FFI is much more than just a place to stay while traveling… it’s a destination in itself,” Trimble says.

Locals also enjoy learning about and riding the interesting assortment of horses living on the Boone County farm during a two-hour horsemanship experience that includes grooming, tacking up, practicing in the riding arena and then riding around the farm. The experience concludes with removing tack, rewarding your horse with special treats and grooming or bathing.

The website, www.firstfarminn.com and Facebook page First Farm Inn Bed and Breakfast, feature many photos of the farm’s friendly cats, dog and horses.

Midweek, multi-day discount packages available year-round include horseback rides and massages as well as tickets to local attractions. Ski packages are available with Perfect North Slopes from December through February. Gift certificates are available in dollar amounts or for any of the packages listed on the website.

The Kentucky Life program featuring the First Farm Inn segment will air Saturday, April 10 at 8 pm/7pm CT on KET1. It will repeat at 4:30 Sunday afternoon, the 11th, on KET1 and again Sunday night at 7:30 on KET2. Within a few weeks of its airing, it will be up on their website at www.ket.org/kentuckylife and available to watch videostreamed.

Girlfriends Getaways at First Farm Inn

Jen — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:33:00 GMT

    Whether you are painters, quilters, bridesmaids, scrapbookers, sisters, cousins or just friends, First Farm Inn offers you a comfortable, relaxing, safe and fun getaway from your routine to laugh, chat and catch up with each other.

    Four to six (we can make it a whole house slumber party and include more) ladies can take over the house, lay out projects out on the floors of the family room, living room and dining room table or use card tables and get down to work or play!

     Chat, listen to music, snack and just have a great time escaping from the home front. Three delightful quilt shops are within an hour’s drive. Several big art and craft stores are within a half-hour. Jungle Jim’s International Grocery is a fun day-trip unlike any other.

    Visit Rabbit Hash General Store, gallery and shops full of “what nots” then head into Burlington, stopping for a tour of the historic Dinsmore Homestead, then on to great bargain antiquing and lunch at the Tousey House. Stop by the Gallery of Chocolate to stock up (closed Sun. & Mon.) or visit the Gap Outlet Center a mile up the road.

    From Dec.-early March, Perfect North Slopes offers great Midwestern skiing on discounted lift tickets from First Farm Inn.

    Hungry? Follow our directions for a variety of food. Try Indian, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Italian or good ‘ol Midwestern steaks and ribs – all run by local people within a 20 minute drive.

    Take time out for massages and hot tub time if you’d like, or just use the group’s energy and momentum to complete that project you haven’t had time to finish with all the pressures of home! A short distance away, Citi Spa offers bargains on manicures and pedicures with massage chairs and foot spas. They can schedule up to eight at the same time.

Have a favorite movie you all laughed or cried over together? Check out our video and DVD library and watch in front of the fireplace in the family room or in your room.

We’ve even had girlfriends race each other in the rowboat vs. the paddle boat playing in the big pond!

You know you always have the best times with girlfriends, get on the phone or email and pick out a date. We can divide up the bill however you’d like, we just need one credit card to confirm the reservation.

$108 per person for four to six includes two nights and two big breakfasts and use of the hot tub.
$160. per person for two nights, breakfasts, hot tub and a 2-hour horseback ride.
$225 per person for two nights, breakfast, hot tub, ride and an hour-long massage.

Marketing 201 for Small Business Success in 2010

Jen — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:31:00 GMT

Because we’ve spent so much time explaining the basics of internet marketing, free publicity techniques, how search engines work and more to friends and guests who own or are thinking of starting small businesses, we decided to offer a workshop that will go over those kinds of things. It’s really geared to the individual business, the person who has to wear all the hats and get everything done alone or with volunteer help – and on a limited budget.

When your days are spent creating your product or providing services to clients, it’s hard to focus on building your business.

This is your opportunity to invest a few hours and walk away with a marketing outline you can build upon.

2-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31
First Farm Inn, 2510 Stevens Road Petersburg, Ky 41080

We’d appreciate it if you’d pass on the information to anyone you know who is thinking about setting up a website, wants to better understand how internet marketing works or is interested in expanding their small business marketing efforts while we have time before things pick up again.

We plan to keep the group small so we can interact and share ideas, and – of course – we’ll have an afternoon “tea.”
Please call to reserve your spot, or use paypal from the website.

For more information, call 859-586-0199, email dana@cincinnatiwebs.com or go to www.nkycs.com/SmallBusinessMarketing2010.aspx

Saying Goodbye to Our Four-legged Friends

Jen — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:56:00 GMT

In updating our list of family members this week, I removed four names of wonderful friends who are no longer with us.

The one who’d spent the least time with us was Pepper, a stray Manx who arrived half grown a year ago spring. We had her neutered and she took over the milkhouse as her home, refusing to let the other cats in. This spring, about when coyote pups were being born and their parents bring them everything they can find, she disappeared suddenly and completely, likely a “coyote cookie.”

Our gorgeous happy, charming Fluffy dog turned 11 last September. This spring she began having trouble walking. As the summer progressed we visited numerous vets, finally finding one we trusted. After verifying Fluffy’s X-rays with someone he considered more of an expert, he told us she had bone cancer. All the painkillers we gave her couldn’t keep her from crying out in the night.

Skeeter was a big bay Quarter Horse who had just been with us a little over a year. A career as a Western contesting horse had worn out his knees, so he was no longer rideable. Glucosamine and MSM didn’t seem to help with three bad knees. Then a floating bone fragment created more pain. After trimming, his hooves quickly became misshapen, worn oddly from efforts to reduce his pain. We added two “bute” (horsey Advil) to his daily diet, despite their negative side effects. Then, probably trying to avoid pain, he did more damage to a front leg. Soon he began walking to follow the herd rather than cantering away from the barn with them. Sometimes he just stood in the barn and waited for them to come back. He was in too much pain.

Seven’s Tiger was the Thoroughbred who came to us shortly after we moved here 12 years ago. Because he was so skittish and unpredictable and I tried to give him back, but his owners refused to answer my calls… He turned 30 in 2009. While physically he was in better shape than Skeeter, his vision and hearing were deteriorating. Always flighty, he was back to being nervous and spooky, even around those of us he’d trusted for years. Always an auditory horse, he didn’t seem to recognize me even when I talked louder.

They were euthanized in late November. Their favorite mare and best friend, Ginger, stood between them until the end. It didn’t affect her at all as they laid down under sedatation. Then we took her back to the barn where she joined the rest of the herd.

For those who don’t know, horses are given an anesthetic that relaxes and sedates them, then a drug to stop their hearts. Our vet, Dr. Donna Mather, like most, is extremely compassionate. She had cared for these guys for years.

Under at least Kentucky, if not federal law, it is illegal to bury a horse. They must be removed by a service. It all comes at a cost, although different county agriculture services subsidize it differently. All in all, it costs several hundred dollars to have a horse euthanized and removed – which may be why some people let them die in pain and misery.

A horsey friend said it best “better a day early than a day late” in making the decision to euthanize an animal. We are lucky we can end their pain without fear and agony. It’s always a terrible decision to make, but once you’ve been thru it, you know when the time has come.

What do You do After the Holidays...

Jen — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:34:00 GMT

...when there’s still some fudge left, lots of cookies, a little bit of pie, maybe some cake?

Make a vat of “Fat Burning Soup” and finish all the desserts off as the week goes on!

This soup is loaded with healthy vegetables that will help you fight off winter colds. It doesn’t have carbs – no corn, potatoes, rice or pasta – so you can fill in that carb hole with your leftover desserts!

The original diet plan that it came with had a whole list of things to eat each day, but if you fill up primarily on this soup, you’ll make up for some of those high fat, high calorie things that taste SO good.

And this is good too! It also freezes well. If you have a vegetable chopping machine it comes together really quickly, if not, sharpen your knives and start chopping!

“Fat-Burning Soup”

(Use a very large soup kettle or make half at a time)

2 lbs of carrots 1 pkg. onion soup mix

2 cans green beans 2 green peppers

6 large green onions 1 bunch celery

1 large can beef broth 1 large head of cabbage

1-2 cans tomatoes (or 3 small cans not stewed)

Cut or chop carrots, add water just enough to cover and begin cooking. Chop other vegetables and add to the pot along with all other ingredients

Boil fast for 10 minutes, reduce to simmer and continue cooking just long enough for vegetables to be tender.

Season with salt, pepper, garlic, curry, parsley, hot sauce, bouillon, garlic, onion pepper, basil, etc. Whatever you like.

Bon Appetit and Happy New Year from First Farm Inn!

Make Your Own Biltmore or Williamsburg Bouquet

Jen — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:01:00 GMT

Attending a session on holiday decorating at the Biltmore a few years ago, I was glad to find that people are teaching others to do what I’ve done for years. It’s fun, it’s free and it gets you outdoors to appreciate the colors and variety of nature in winter.

        The first step in making a natural bouquet is to go shopping. You need neither cash nor a store, but a child, friend or even a dog is a definite asset. An unmowed field, a country roadside, yours or another’s garden remnants, even some parks might offer materials. Wear gloves and take a pair of pruning shears and a basket or a bag.

            Look around you, after a frost or two, notice the shapes and colors in what looks to the unappreciative eye like a field of brown. You may find tall silvery thistles, milkweed pods, chunks of bark, dried Queen Anne’s lace, grasses gone to seed, interesting mosses, leaves with unusual shapes and colors. Pick up whatever strikes your fancy.

            In your garden, pick the flowery tops of chives gone to seed, dried okra pods, again – anything that looks “interesting.”   In the yard, notice stray branches coming off your evergreens. The last time in the season you trim your taxus and other evergreens, leave some long sprigs somewhere, ditto with holly and red twig dogwoods.



Variety is what you’re seeking. Clip or pick different sizes, textures and shades of brown and green.

         Back at the house, select a container. You can add water to a solid, low bodied vase or use a cube of florist’s foam as a base. Start with a dense, bushy branch like a Norway spruce or pine. Add items from your collection.

        Remember that uneven numbers of things are more pleasing to the eye and symmetry isn’t necessary. Think about where you’re going to put your arrangement. Does it need to be one-sided or will it be a centerpiece, viewed from all sides? If it will stay on the table while people are eating, it should be low enough to see over.

Like more color? Weave ribbons through it. Add glass balls, mushroom birds or craft store items. Showcase your favorite heirloom ornament in it. The possibilities are as endless as your creativity!

Free Santa Horse Photos

Jen — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:56:00 GMT

Free Santa Horse photos of you, your child or family with the

Tired of traditional holiday photos? Send a memorable picture with a Santa horse. We supply a horse of whatever color you like best, a Santa hat and beard and you supply the There’s also an elf hat or reindeer antler option.

Black and white, bay, strawberry roan Appaloosa, brown roan Appaloosa, blue roan, grey, tobiano (brown and white) – chose your favorite horse to stand beside or sit on. Bring your camera or we’ll download photos from ours to your disc or flash drive.

Gift certificates for riding lessons, trail ride lessons, and room nights are personalized for you and billed to your credit card.